Green Energy
finally a mayor with some balls.
from The Reading Eagle
Groups protest cross on tower
City does not respond to letters; ACLU asks that lawsuit be filed
By Don Spatz
Reading Eagle
Reading, PA - The Easter cross on the city-owned William Penn Memorial Fire Tower lit up on schedule this year, despite threats of a suit by the American Civil Liberties Union and another group.
The ACLU's Philadelphia office and the Washington, D.C.-based Appignani Humanist Legal Center each sent two letters to Mayor Tom McMahon demanding that the cross stay dark and be removed.
Because the city hasn't responded, Humanist Center attorney Robert V. Ritter said Wednesday that the ACLU has hired a Philadelphia attorney to file a federal suit to force the removal.
The cross was lit Feb. 26 and will stay on through Easter, McMahon said.
He said he will not change what the city has done for decades because of threats and letters.
Instead, he said, the city has been seeking advice from outside law firms.
He said some court rulings have upheld the ACLU's position but others have not.
Although Reading can't afford to spend a lot on legal fees, several law firms around the country might defend the city in court at no cost if it decides to keep the cross, McMahon said.
The ACLU and the Humanist Center said that a Reading resident objected to the cross and demanded the city not display it. Ritter said that person would be named in the suit.
Ritter said in February that the courts have prohibited cross displays on government property because they amount to government endorsement of a particular religion.
The first cross was erected at the tower by a church in 1959. It was replaced in the 1990s by a city-made light grid that forms a cross at Easter and a star at Christmas.
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Meanwhile, our mayor, Tom McMahon (D-ummy) (and too many other politicians pundits and gadflies around this nation) is still trying to put a rosy spin on things. Reading Eagle: Mayor says progress made in job creation McMahon acknowledges education needs...
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Green Energy
Groups protest cross on tower
finally a mayor with some balls.from The Reading Eagle
Groups protest cross on tower
City does not respond to letters; ACLU asks that lawsuit be filed
By Don Spatz
Reading Eagle
Reading, PA - The Easter cross on the city-owned William Penn Memorial Fire Tower lit up on schedule this year, despite threats of a suit by the American Civil Liberties Union and another group.
The ACLU's Philadelphia office and the Washington, D.C.-based Appignani Humanist Legal Center each sent two letters to Mayor Tom McMahon demanding that the cross stay dark and be removed.
Because the city hasn't responded, Humanist Center attorney Robert V. Ritter said Wednesday that the ACLU has hired a Philadelphia attorney to file a federal suit to force the removal.
The cross was lit Feb. 26 and will stay on through Easter, McMahon said.
He said he will not change what the city has done for decades because of threats and letters.
Instead, he said, the city has been seeking advice from outside law firms.
He said some court rulings have upheld the ACLU's position but others have not.
Although Reading can't afford to spend a lot on legal fees, several law firms around the country might defend the city in court at no cost if it decides to keep the cross, McMahon said.
The ACLU and the Humanist Center said that a Reading resident objected to the cross and demanded the city not display it. Ritter said that person would be named in the suit.
Ritter said in February that the courts have prohibited cross displays on government property because they amount to government endorsement of a particular religion.
The first cross was erected at the tower by a church in 1959. It was replaced in the 1990s by a city-made light grid that forms a cross at Easter and a star at Christmas.
- Resist Much. Obey Little
You may recall when I posted this story a little over a month ago. Cops pull you over in Texas then a non-Law Enforcement group asks you for a cheek swab or blood or saliva sample as part of a "survey" on traffic safety/drug (legal or otherwise) use correlation....
-
Meanwhile, our mayor, Tom McMahon (D-ummy) (and too many other politicians pundits and gadflies around this nation) is still trying to put a rosy spin on things. Reading Eagle: Mayor says progress made in job creation McMahon acknowledges education needs...
-
ACLU files brief supporting Koran-Burning Pastor Terry Jones Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News Dearborn— The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan has weighed in on the Terry Jones saga, filing a brief supporting the controversial pastor's...
- Aclu Sues Over Islamic Charter School's Violation Of The First Amendment
The ACLU is on the right side of this issue. From the Star Tribune: In a formal move to join the legal battle over religion at their school, several families at Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TiZA) have asked a judge to let them intervene as parties in a lawsuit...
- Breaking: Fbi Probing Written Threats To Goldman Sachs That "hundreds Will Die"
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) - The FBI is investigating anonymous threats against the Goldman Sachs investment firm contained in handwritten letters warning that "hundreds will die." Sent to newspapers across the country, the letters threaten the investment...