The cross is there, on public land;
It’s been there fifty years.
The courts will say it cannot stand;
So, surely, it appears.
The local Christians see the case
A battle for our soul
Instead of legal argument…
It’s time to run a poll.
In Middleboro, MA, there is a cross on the median strip of a bit of Route 28. A 7-foot cross of red brick, with the word “WORSHIP” in faded white letters, that has been there for 50 years, since the Kiwanis club constructed it. The grassy island is owned in part by the city, in part by the state, but
In an effort to resolve the matter, the state and county agreed to donated their shares of the island to the town, which in turn will sell it to the local Kwianas Club.
At least one citizen is worried there will be trouble:
Jeff Stevens lobbied town meeting to stay out of the fray, fearing the town will become embroiled in a lawsuit threatened by the American Civil Liberties Union.
“This is not a Middleboro problem,” Stevens said. “It will open up our town to legal challenges.”
I’m sure you can guess how the vote went:
Town meeting ignored Stevens’ petition by a wide margin and supported selectmen 228 to 10. The vote drew a round of applause.
It’s like Cranston, and Jackson, and so many more… never happened.
Anyway, there is currently a poll at the site, asking your opinion of the cross– is it “a religious symbol that has no place on public property”, or “an appropriate expression of religious freedom”? As of now, it’s roughly two to one the wrong way.
What’s that quote from Albert Einstein? “Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
I’m sure if you ask PZ nicely he’ll have the poll Pharyngulated for you by the end of the day ;)
Rather than tear the cross down
They’ll donate the land to the town.
The town can then sell it real cheap
To the Kiwanis their landmark to keep.
But grass grows below it. Who is to mow it?
To avoid it, would highway crews know it?
The simplest solution, to spare folks offense:
An eight-foot high white picket fence.
Thank you for your vote.
It’s a religious symbol that has no place on public property 65%
It’s an appropriate expression of religious freedom 34%
Total votes: 418
Nearly two to one the right way, now! =^_^=
Well, that was easy:
It’s a religious symbol that has no place on public property 81%
It’s an appropriate expression of religious freedom 18%
Total votes: 837
=^_^=