A week ago, Chicago atheist Rob Sherman was in the news. The story wasn’t about him, but about someone who shared his name.
Now, (the atheist) Sherman’s daughter is in the local news. Not because of any actual news story but because the local media is drawn to Sherman and his family’s every move.
His daughter, Dawn, is a high school freshman and student council member. Looks like she inherited some of her dad’s passion:
Recently, she spoke out against having “God Bless America” on the school’s homecoming song list.
The council agreed.
The song was removed from the list, according to District 214 spokeswoman, Venetia Miles. There are 45 members of the Buffalo Grove High School student council. Sherman is one of 10 freshman members.
“I just saw it on the list, and asked them to take it out,” said Dawn, who is 14 years old. “The songs should be secular.”
They should. That makes sense. It was a simple request. The council agreed. Let’s move on, right?
Watch how this becomes a much larger story than it has to be (Though we could just thank reporter Sheila Ahern for that):
Kevin Cuttone, a veteran of the Air Force, is not happy with the decision to eliminate “God Bless America.” The song deserves to be heard, especially when there is a war going on, he said.
“I think the district is intimidated by Mr. Sherman,” said Cuttone, an Arlington Heights resident whose children graduated from Buffalo Grove. “His daughter is only a freshman. We could be in for a long four years.”
Yes, let’s use the war as reasoning for pushing God onto everyone. That’s always smart.
And Dawn did nothing wrong. As a man who served in the Air Force, protecting our freedoms, he should be proud that a young girl is exercising them.
Not surprisingly, daddy’s a happy guy:
“I just couldn’t be more proud,” said Sherman, who lives in Buffalo Grove. “My daughter got God banned from homecoming this year.”
You’re not helping, Rob.
Dawn doesn’t seem to like the “like father, like daughter” references, though:
“I’m not as outgoing as he is,” Dawn said. “Really, the last thing I want to be is just like my father.”
Dawn is also a member of Students Against Destructive Decisions – formerly Students Against Drunk Driving – and the Gay Straight Alliance at Buffalo Grove High School.
Dawn Sherman isn’t sure if there are other District 214 policies she’s objects to.
“I don’t see anything yet, but I’ll keep my eye out,” she said.
She did the right thing. Hopefully, her classmates can learn a lesson from her and speak up even if what they say might be unpopular.
[tags]atheist, atheism, Dawn Sherman, Chicago, Daily Herald[/tags]