Tuesday, August 15, 2006 7:32 PM
Separation of States and Rights >
Ok, so I first saw this headline on Fark.com:
Federal court orders San Diego to take down huge cross on public land. President and Theologian-in-Chief Bush signs act into law transferring the park to the Department of Defense control. Suck it, libs
And while I'm waiting for my extra-speedy 56K modem to load up the page and the related news link I'm already thinking about how to get this written up on the blog. I'm about ready to point to the previous post and yell, "See? This is what I'm talking about! Bush isn't even pretending to not be a theocrat wanna-be anymore!"
But I calmed down. I read the article, I read the Fark comments. It's all about a big cross which has been in a park in San Diego in one form or another since 1913. that some people want taken down since it's on public land. Well, I don't think many would be terribly surprised if I said I'd personally be happier without a big honkin' cross in a public park near me. I'd be against using government money to put one up or keep it clean and shiny. If it were up to me, I'd take it down and put in a lovely fountain that everyone can enjoy. But, hey, the thing's old, it's historical, maybe it's really nice looking*... ahh who cares, leave it up. Fine with me. There are bigger fish to fry.
I'm going to skip over the tangle of tricksy maneuverings and court rulings over the years, and pause only to note that it's been found in violation of the California Constitution several times over, and that in late 1989 someone got the bright idea of starting to call it a "war memorial." They even put up a plaque to that effect!
It's really this oh so clever solution that seals it for me. It's not just Bush, but both houses of Congress. Don't leave it up to those pesky state courts, nonono. Just grab an 84-foot radius circle of land around the thing and give it to the Department of Defense to take loving care of. Remember, it's a War Memorial, right? Oh, and an election year, too. Support our troops! (By the way, does making it federal property suddenly make it constitutional?)
So let's see. We've got election year chicanery, Eminent Domain abuse, state-sponsored religion, legislative and executive disregard of the court system, and the continuing decay of states' rights. All in one happy little package. Enjoy!
*It's not.
Federal court orders San Diego to take down huge cross on public land. President and Theologian-in-Chief Bush signs act into law transferring the park to the Department of Defense control. Suck it, libs
And while I'm waiting for my extra-speedy 56K modem to load up the page and the related news link I'm already thinking about how to get this written up on the blog. I'm about ready to point to the previous post and yell, "See? This is what I'm talking about! Bush isn't even pretending to not be a theocrat wanna-be anymore!"
But I calmed down. I read the article, I read the Fark comments. It's all about a big cross which has been in a park in San Diego in one form or another since 1913. that some people want taken down since it's on public land. Well, I don't think many would be terribly surprised if I said I'd personally be happier without a big honkin' cross in a public park near me. I'd be against using government money to put one up or keep it clean and shiny. If it were up to me, I'd take it down and put in a lovely fountain that everyone can enjoy. But, hey, the thing's old, it's historical, maybe it's really nice looking*... ahh who cares, leave it up. Fine with me. There are bigger fish to fry.
I'm going to skip over the tangle of tricksy maneuverings and court rulings over the years, and pause only to note that it's been found in violation of the California Constitution several times over, and that in late 1989 someone got the bright idea of starting to call it a "war memorial." They even put up a plaque to that effect!
It's really this oh so clever solution that seals it for me. It's not just Bush, but both houses of Congress. Don't leave it up to those pesky state courts, nonono. Just grab an 84-foot radius circle of land around the thing and give it to the Department of Defense to take loving care of. Remember, it's a War Memorial, right? Oh, and an election year, too. Support our troops! (By the way, does making it federal property suddenly make it constitutional?)
So let's see. We've got election year chicanery, Eminent Domain abuse, state-sponsored religion, legislative and executive disregard of the court system, and the continuing decay of states' rights. All in one happy little package. Enjoy!
*It's not.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home