Do you have an opinion as to whether the Governor of the State of New York, Andrew (Roman Catholic Cuomo) can close Nassau OTB, a public benefit corporation, on Roman Catholic Easter Sunday and Palm Sunday in preference to eg Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday and Palm Sunday? See NY Const. Art. 1, Sec. 3.
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Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
The Constitution Protects My Snake-Handling
It's an exotic religious practice to many, yes, but no less deserving of protection.
more in Opinion
»
That changed in 2008, when I was arrested for observing my faith. My crime? Possessing snakes.
As pastor at the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name, a Pentecostal church in Middlesboro, Ky., I and my congregants regularly handle venomous snakes such as copperheads and rattlesnakes as part of our services. This might seem strange, but it's no less worthy of legal protection than the more common traditions observed by Jews, Muslims and mainstream Christians. In fact, as members of a small and unpopular religious minority, congregants of serpent-handling churches are precisely the sort of worshipers that the Constitution was designed to protect.
In many ways, serpent-handling churches are no different from other religious communities. Members of my church gather to seek guidance, give thanks and, more than anything, worship God. While the snakes attract the most attention, serpent handling is just one aspect of our services—and a tradition that has been observed in churches throughout Appalachia, from southern New York to northern Alabama, for more than a century.
The inspiration for serpent handling comes from the Bible. In Mark 16:18, Jesus commands his disciples to "take up serpents" without fear. In Luke 10:19, Jesus gives his followers the "power to tread on serpents" and assures us that "nothing shall by any means hurt you." For us, this commandment is no less important than any other.
Unlike members of other religious communities, however, I have found that fulfilling my duties as a church leader has repeatedly landed me in trouble with the law.
In 2008, I was arrested in my home after Kentucky officials found 74 snakes on my property. This year, in February, I was sentenced to a year's probation after driving through Tennessee with snakes. Although they were purchased legally in Alabama, Tennessee permits only zoos and educational institutions to possess venomous snakes.
Because these snakes can pose a health threat, handling them publicly is virtually prohibited in every state except West Virginia. So practicing my faith remains a crime across the country. In my home state of Kentucky, using "any kind of reptile in connection with any religious service" is prohibited.
While the risk of arrest hasn't weakened my religious conviction, it has forced me to question America's commitment to religious liberty.
Consider Christian Science. An adult who practices the religion is well within his rights to refuse medical treatment, even if doing so endangers his life. Shouldn't my congregants have the right to handle snakes, even if the behavior is risky? (Just as today's Christian Scientists recognize that they must accept medicine for their children, my church bars children from handling snakes.)
Imagine if child services intervened every time Jewish parents withheld food and water from their teenage children during Yom Kippur. This would never happen, just as authorities would never dream of shutting down a Catholic church for serving wine without a license during Mass.
For those who belong to churches like mine, charging a pastor with a crime for transporting and possessing snakes is just as outrageous.
The only difference between these examples is that, unlike fasting on Yom Kippur or accepting wine during Mass, the religious use of snakes is uncommon. What's more, the Pentecostal churches that practice serpent handling are mostly found in places like Middlesboro, a small Appalachian city racked by widespread drug abuse and economic hardship.
This makes our church an easy target for mistreatment by authorities. It's also why protecting worshipers like me and my congregants from religious intolerance is essential.
As even schoolchildren know, religious freedom has been central to America's identity since the pilgrims fled religious persecution in Europe to establish the Plymouth Colony. It's a principle that is codified in the Constitution, and one that Americans have sought to uphold even when they find it inconvenient or distasteful.
When President Obama declared his support for the construction of a mosque and Islamic community center near Ground Zero in 2010, he framed the argument as a defense of "the principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government." The comments were laudable. And they're exactly what Americans are taught to expect.
But the freedom to worship isn't afforded equally. In many cases, it's a luxury reserved solely for the most well-known faiths. Until the rights of all peaceful religious groups are recognized equally under the law, the U.S. will continue to fall short of its founding ideals.
Mr. Coots is pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name and is featured in the National Geographic Channel series "Snake Salvation."
Feb 14, 2013
Criminal Law
Pastor Snagged by Snake Statute
- Getty Images
Driving through Tennessee two weeks ago, Gregory James Coots, the pastor of Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name church of Middlesboro, Ky., was caught with three rattlesnakes and two copperheads after troopers pulled him over in a traffic stop.
Pastor Coots says he didn’t realize he needed a special permit to transport the poisonous snakes but doesn’t see why they needed to be confiscated. “They feel they have a right to take them for whatever reason,” he told the Associated Press.
The pastor was charged with transporting illegal reptiles. Handling snakes during worship services is a tradition in parts of Appalachia. Pastor Coots has been doing it for years. In 2008, Kentucky wildlife officials seized 74 snakes, including 42 copperheads, from his Middlesboro home.
The laws governing snake possession vary from state to state. Kentucky is less restrictive than most places. You can own up to five snakes without a permit, as long as they’re a native species. But even if the pastor hadn’t been stopped in Tennessee, he still needed to get a permit to enter Kentucky, according to Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Services.
A Tennessee zoo is housing the snakes for the time being.
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