Friday, July 29, 2011

ACLU Warns Florida City About Christmas Display

The mythical constitutional requirement to separate church and State again
A South Florida city is facing a Christmas controversy in July. The American Civil Liberties Union has threatened to sue the city of Plantation if puts up its annual Christmas display. The Sun-Sentinel newspaper reported that the city displays Christian and Jewish symbols in a city park every Christmas.

However, the Broward chapter of the ACLU called the holiday display planned for Liberty Tree Park "Inappropriate."

The ACLU says the display violates the separation of church and state because it promotes two religions and ignores all others. "We feel it's a violation of the First Amendment and an endorsement of religion," the ACLU's Barry Butin told the newspaper.

In its previous displays of both Christian and Jewish symbols, the city relied on a 1984 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said cities can exhibit religious elements if they don't endorse one faith over another.

Source

5 comments:

Dale R. Patterson said...

When is someone going to bring extortion charges against the ACLU?

Dean said...

The ACLU will not be happy until everyone is atheist and religion (especially Christianity) is neither heard from or visible.

A. Levy said...

What the ACLU relies on is the fact that these local governments are apparently afriad to fight back, even though they know, (or should know) that the ACLU's main weapon is intimidation, not the law.

Declaring the display to be "inappropriate" is nothing more than their opinion. Take them to court and force them to prove their case. If more people did that, we might actually be able to finally rid our Constitution of all it's "imaginary" entries.

Brian from Rochester said...

I concur wholeheartedly with Mr. Levy.

There is no 'separation clause', therefore the ACLU's opinion should remain just that, not an actionable offense.

They are, in fact, the ones infringing on our right to free expression, so they are unconstitional in this continued harrassment.

Use the Name, Luke said...

A town near me has been putting a nativity display in the town square (really just a road divider with a fountain) for decades. Their decision on how to handle the ACLU when they attacked was a beautiful in-your-face move. They sold that piece of property to a local church… for $1.