More on the man who wanted to steal Christmas

OK, time to break down the local TV “news” station’s story Thursday night on the Polk County man who wanted to steal Christmas. It’s a perfect example of why I despise the local infotainment machine.

The 60- to 90-second report on WLOS on Thursday night’s 11 o’clock news said a local minister (I use that term loosely) had filed a federal lawsuit against the government, alleging that paying federal workers for the Christmas holiday was against the law. Dale Ruff says its a violation of the constitutional bar on the separation of church and state. Do away with the Christmas holiday for federal workers, argues Ruff.

Here’s what really happened. I know because, apparently unlike the local TV folks, I looked up the case.

Ruff filed his lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor. It’s a civil case in U.S. District Court, filed in North Carolina’s Western District.

Ruff did indeed make the above argument in his filing. What WLOS didn’t report was that Judge Lacy Thornburg signed an order dismissing the case on June 8. Thornburg ruled it was a frivolous lawsuit.

I like one of Thornburg’s points – mainly, that Ruff is complaining about the use of taxpayers’ money to pay federal workers for a holiday, when in fact Ruff does not pay taxes himself.

Here’s Thornburg, from the court record:

The Plaintiff claims that the United States Department of Labor is allowing the federal government to use taxpayer funds to pay federal employees who work on religious holidays, in violation of the separation of church and state clause of the Constitution. He makes the same claim as to state employees and individuals or businesses which contract with either governmental entity.

No case or statutory law is cited in support of this argument. Nor does the Plaintiff allege he is a taxpayer with standing to bring a cause of action based on the use of taxpayers’ funds. To the contrary; according to his application in support of the motion to proceed without prepayment of fees, the Plaintiff is unemployed and receives social security and disability benefits.

So once again, WLOS tries to sucker its viewers by not telling us the full story. It’s beyond bad journalism. It’s dishonest trash.