nastyleg
09-29-2009, 05:35 PM
Controversy over ornaments for Capitol tree
by Jeremy Foster/KTAR (September 29th, 2009 @ 1:04pm)
PHOENIX -- A controversy's brewing over ornaments made by school children for the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree which this year is from Arizona's White Mountains.
The Obama Administration has decided the ornaments cannot reflect a religious or political theme, said Jonathan Scruggs of the Alliance Defense Fund.
He has sent a letter to federal and state leaders, including Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, protesting the ban on religious and political themes.
"You can't come out and ban religious viewpoints. If the ornament addresses the theme of Arizona and does it from a religious perspective, then that is permissible under the First Amendment," Scruggs said.
Christmas is, after all, a religious holiday, said Scruggs.
"The message is to say 'Happy Birthday, Jesus,' or `Merry Christmas.'"
Arizona's state motto alone could be a violation of the ban, Scruggs said, saying the motto essentially means "God enriches."
Scruggs said, "Christian speech isn't second-class speech. Just because an ornament addresses a religious theme or a Christian theme doesn't mean you can ban it just for that reason."
Plus, he said, the ban violates First Amendment rights under the Constitution.
http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1215013
by Jeremy Foster/KTAR (September 29th, 2009 @ 1:04pm)
PHOENIX -- A controversy's brewing over ornaments made by school children for the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree which this year is from Arizona's White Mountains.
The Obama Administration has decided the ornaments cannot reflect a religious or political theme, said Jonathan Scruggs of the Alliance Defense Fund.
He has sent a letter to federal and state leaders, including Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, protesting the ban on religious and political themes.
"You can't come out and ban religious viewpoints. If the ornament addresses the theme of Arizona and does it from a religious perspective, then that is permissible under the First Amendment," Scruggs said.
Christmas is, after all, a religious holiday, said Scruggs.
"The message is to say 'Happy Birthday, Jesus,' or `Merry Christmas.'"
Arizona's state motto alone could be a violation of the ban, Scruggs said, saying the motto essentially means "God enriches."
Scruggs said, "Christian speech isn't second-class speech. Just because an ornament addresses a religious theme or a Christian theme doesn't mean you can ban it just for that reason."
Plus, he said, the ban violates First Amendment rights under the Constitution.
http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1215013