After scheduling itself to decide Tuesday how the courthouse grounds will be used for expression in the future, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors instead put its decision off until September.
The board had a good reason: Chief Judge Thomas Horne had sent the Board a formal request that he be allowed time to consult with his fellow judges at the courthouse on the issue of how the courthouse grounds might be used in the future.
Although supervisors and the membership of the Courts Grounds and Facilities Committee have attempted, through several amended versions, to draw up rules for public use of the Courthouse grounds, the real stumbling block is the First Amendment.
The courthouse grounds traditionally have been used as a staging area for marches down Market Street, a location for honoring veterans and local heritage, and, at Christmas time, a site for one or more Christmas trees and traditionally a manger scene.
Last year, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, applied for and was granted space for its Christmas display featuring a sign reading "Solstice is the Reason for the Season." Many expressed horror about the latter and the need to "Save Christmas." Those calls are now being repeated.
Freedom of speech often comes under attack when what is said is judged blasphemy by some.
The strength of America, however, has time and again proved strong enough to allow for robust debate, and our founding fathers recognized the importance of free speech even when what is said is unpopular.
Fortunately, our county government also is well aware of free speech issues.
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, and Christmas is celebrated in varying ways by not only Christians but also by many people who do not consider themselves to be of that faith or any other faith.
Meanwhile Americans see freedom of speech as a critical tenant. The freedom is in the speaking. The speech may be ignored or it may be carefully considered. But under our First Amendment, it may not be prohibited.
-- martin casey
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Mr. Casey - The issue is Freedom of religion - the founders established THAT as the first principle in the 1st Amendment. What progressives and lazy news editors have done in the last 100 years is use the free speech aspect of the first amendment to attack religion and Christianity in particular. For 50 years thanks to an out of control court system, Christians have been attacked relentlessly for expressing our views. Denying our opportunity to use the grounds that the public paid for, a majority of whom are Christian is reasonable and fair. We should not have our celebration sullied by rude, bigoted people who do not respect their fellow citizens or respect the basis and founding of our nation as religiously focused community. The Pilgrims were escaping persecution. Their great, great, etc. children are now being hounded out of the public square WE paid for. We have been silent too long. When we have raised our voices in the past we have been admonished to be tolerant. Unfortunately – the travelers of tolerance do not practice what they preach. An dare hypocritical. From the tolerance crowd: Christian churches – NOT ALLOWED. Muslim Mosque – perfectly OK. This is how it plays out in New York and Fairfax county.
ReplyDeleteNow thanks to the Tea Party movement and the 9/12 movement we understand how our Constitution and how our liberty is being turned against us – we are going to restore the Constitution. We are going to restore its original intent. We are going to turn back progressivism which is really a sugar coated version of communist Marxism administered in small doses. We understand the poison now. We understand the First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…” The founders made the practice of free exercise of that practice the primary, first freedom guaranteed by the Constitution. Using free speech to abridge religious freedom defies the intent and purpose of the 1st Amendment.
The issue is NOT free speech – but Freedom to worship and show respect to the founder of a great religion.