Quote:
Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive
This is amusing for a couple of reasons. First is the asinine policy on the part of the powers-that-be in TV, of responding ONLY to the homeowner in question when a violation against that homeowner is reported. What that means is that you can be reported for having a little white cross next to the corner of your picket fence, barely visible from the street, but the guy next door could have a dozen of them stuck wherever in HIS lawn and unless a report is made about him, nothing will happen to him.
Second is that this is a HUGE can of worms for the powers-that-be. The original Villager claims that they can display the cross, and to make them remove it violates their rights under the Florida Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but crosses in yards are far from the only religious symbols displayed in yards. Statues of The Buddha, cement angels, BVM shrines (AKA "Our Lady of the Bathtub"), stars of David, etc. are all out there on display in various yards and can be seen by anyone driving through the various neighborhoods. This case is apparently currently on appeal after a local judge ruled against the couple with the cross.
So--if this couple eventually wins, what does the powers-that-be in TV do? Will the people who favor the removal of the crosses bring some sort of action? How about those Buddha statues, cement angels, etc.? And how about the "unequal enforcement" element? I doubt that those powers-that-be want to be confronted with ANY of those questions, and possibly more, which will happen if they lose. Hence, it appears that The Villages is drawing this out as long as they can, hoping against hope that this couple will just quietly acquiesce, run out of money to pay their attorneys, move, or otherwise cease to be an issue.
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If the Villages allows the crosses and makes the exception, it opens up the possibility that anyone against it, will retaliate by putting up religious symbols that are known to be offensive.
The pagan symbol. The Church of Satan symbol. The Muslim symbol. For those antisemites in the room, the Star of David. Buddha, faeries, a yin/yang statuette, shinto, confuscian, the swastika (which was originally a religious symbol), the baha'i faith symbol, or hey how about the ancient Egyptian god Min, who is most appropriately depicted as having a HUGE phallus?
If you root for the white crosses, you MUST also root for all the above - and more. If you have a problem with any of the above, then you must root against the white crosses.
"Religious freedom" applies to all religions. It's either allowed to be expressed on the lawn, or it isn't.