UPDATE: Washington state’s Department of General Administration has declared a moratorium on any new requests to place holiday displays in the state capitol building. Link:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008507757_displays13m.html
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The recent controversy regarding the atheist placard that’s part of a holiday display in the Washington state capitol building demonstrates yet again why religious and religion-related displays have no place on public property.
A few links.
The Seattle Times report back in late October 2008, announcing the approval of permits for both the Nativity scene and the placard from the Freedom from Religion Foundation to be on display in the capitol building during the holiday season:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008316556_webholidayscenes27m.html
The media release from the Freedom from Religion Foundation:
http://www.ffrf.org/news/2008/olympia.php
Washington State’s General Administration Department’s online statement about the controversy:
http://www.ga.wa.gov/News/HolidayDisplays.htm
Bill OReilly and Laura Ingraham carrying on about, demagoging, and misstating the facts and law vis-a-vis the inclusion of the atheist placard in the Washington holiday display:
Fox News’s Megyn Kelly attempts to give Bill OReilly a primer on the law relevant to the holiday display in Washington’s capitol building, but Mr. OReilly just wants to yell and bang on the table:
County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union (one of the leading cases on holiday displays on public property, and the one from which I quote in the video):
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0492_0573_ZO.html
The crazy yapping dog that pops up in the video:
Coverage of the controversy about the holiday display in Washington from the folks at CBN “News”:
And video of yet another dippy discussion about this on Fox News. This one features professional gasbag Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, who characterizes Freedom from Religion Foundation’s placard as “hate speech”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcgifbqVXCM
A link to Bill O’Reilly’s “Great American HOLIDAY Quiz.” For all of Mr. O’Reilly’s blustering about the “war on Christmas,” how odd that he didn’t call his quiz the “Great American CHRISTMAS Quiz.” Well, Mr. O’Reilly has never been burdened by the need to be consistent:
http://www.parade.com/quiz/bill-oreilly-great-american-holiday-quiz/bill-oreilly-great-american-holiday-quiz.html
It voted Republican back in Novermber
Oh look at the pretty Christmas tree! Ahhh it warms my heart….
Wait!What is this!? A sign thats telling me to use my BRAIN!!
How dare you to ask me to start thinking!!This is an outrage!!
LMAO
Do you mean in the context of defamation law?
I definitely agree with your take on the Establisment Clause. Really a lot of First Amendment law makes my head hurt … like why government interference with broadcast has a different test than print.
Hahahaha, one of your funnier and more lighthearted videos turns out to be one of your best.
lol I’m not sure.
What the hell’s wrong with that dog?
Thanks very much. Happy New Year.
Excellent video. Keep up the great work!
You’re welcome.
I could make a long comment, but I’ll simply leave it at “Thank You.”
Ah, well, the policy is problematic then — particularly, the bit about the outside of the cubicle being “company property” while the inside is not. *Everything* at the workplace except one’s personal property, i.e., one’s clothing, one’s briefcase, is company property. So, that sort of split designation could not be made.
Employers have the authority to make and enforce rules about how employees decorate the space in which they work.
That you decorate the inside of your cubicle as you wish, but not the outside as that is company property, its is a public entity but as long as the crucifix is not outside then noone can complain, what is the rightn way I personally would put up a non decorated cross and then hope that the person would be satisfied with this.
Is the employer a private or public entity? When you say “rules,” do you mean there is a stated, uniformly enforced policy on cubicle decoration?
Hey Prof, as a believer and a civil libererian I agree with the court that the sign should stay, but here is a hypothecal situation for you, in a office block there are rules allowing you to decorate your personal cublical but a athiest takes against a perosn having a decorated crufix on their wall what is the right way to solve that problem? should he be allowed to keep it up or should they reach a compromise of a non decorated (no jesus upon it) crucifix, i awiat your answer.
“I did a multi-part video series on this issue, Raggedy. No, I’m not going to rehearse it all in a comment box — paticularly not in a comment box under a video to which it is utterly irrelevant.”
I see.
“You can just answer the question here?”
I did a multi-part video series on this issue, Raggedy. No, I’m not going to rehearse it all in a comment box — paticularly not in a comment box under a video to which it is utterly irrelevant.
I also wasn’t asking why the Bible as history.
I asked what makes any book a historical book?
“Have a look at my videos on the Bible as history, Raggedy. I address this topic in some detail.”
You can just answer the question here?
“What makes any book a historical book, Prof?”
Have a look at my videos on the Bible as history, Raggedy. I address this topic in some detail.
I believe there is plenty of evidence to build a historical case for a man named Jesus who claimed He was the Christ. You seem to think there is “exceedingly little” my point was regardless of who thinks there is a little or a lot of evidence, there is still evidence of a man named Jesus.
“That’s not to say one can’t find any history in them, but that doesn’t make the books into history books.”
What makes any book a historical book, Prof?
“I haven’t said otherwise. I’ve merely noted the paucity of evidence, which seemed to vex you. Now you say it doesn’t matter. Fascinating.”
I never said “it doesn’t matter”, you seem to have put words into my mouth, of all people you should know better then that…