The atheist billboard reading “Imagine No Religion” has been taken down shortly after it was put up in Rancho Cucamonga, California. There were 90 complaints and the city demanded its removal and the General Outdoor company was more than willing to comply. Yet, the billboard on the right a few years ago seems perfectly acceptable in West Virginia. 
I am not sure why Freedom From Religion Foundation did not replace the billboard with “Imagine No Free Speech.”
The West Virginia sign appears to be nothing but a crowd pleaser in West Virginia.
This is a true lesson into deductive reasoning gone terribly wrong by the Rev. E.F. Briggs of Monongah, West Virginia. The Reverend must have been filled with God’s Love on the holidays when he wrote:
Attention: Lunatics Atheists & Their Lawyers
Anti-God is Anti-American
Anti-American is Treason
Traitors Lead to Civil War
If you simply remove the word American and replaced it with Iranian, you would have the perfect sign for Tehran. How about this alternative following the same deductive reasoning:
Attention: Fanatics Theocrats & Their Ministers
God Loves Freedom
Freedom Requires a Separation of Church and State
Separation is Opposed by Religious Fanatics
Religious Fanatics Hate God.
Or then there is the more personal
America Loves Freedom
Freedom Demands Church and State Separation
Rev. Briggs Hates Separation
Rev. Briggs Hates AmericaBriggs passed away in 2006 so he may be in a better place or, God help him, a pure free speech zone where he has to listen to opposing views for eternity.
For the world according to Briggs, click here.
A bologna sandwich is better than nothing,
Nothing is better than Jesus,
So….A bologna sandwich is better than Jesus!
Let the Civil War begin!!!!!!!!!
“There were 90 complaints and the city demanded its removal….”
********
Could I have the case against the City? Pretty please?
That’s for another day, but here are the sagacious comments of one Judy Rooze as taken from the article: “Judy Rooze, administrator of First Baptist Church of Rancho Cucamonga, which is two blocks from the billboard, was relieved it was coming down. … “I understand people have freedom of speech, but this is taking it too far,” she said. “It’s very jarring.”
Oh, the tender sensibilities of these Christian soldiers. “Very Jarring”–now that’s a convincing reason to shield one from opposing viewpoints. Must be no civics classes in Rancho Cucamonga!
Damn you seamus — to Rancho Cucamonga. Why can’t I reason like that?
Mespo,
I don’t know, what if we’ve been putting the emphasis in the wrong place of that famous “shouting fire in a theater” exception. Perhaps it should be placed on the shouting rather than what’s being shouted; anyone shouting in a theater would be jarring to those others in attendance.
Complaints? That’s it??? Onward Christian Soldiers indeed! If that billboard had been in my city I would have wrapped myself in the christmas tree, got my gun and set up a manger scene right underneath that sign. I would have thrown frankincense and myrrh at any motorist who I deemed sympathetic to that message. I would have rigged my naked baby Jesus to shoot pee at anyone who came near and murmured approval. These people are namby pamby christians. I’m with seamus, let the civil war begin!
Gee Jill,
I am a mild-mannered atheist compared to you. Remind me never to visit your town if I ever back-slide into my reborn again Southern Baptist religion.
This is a clearly copyright infringement…!!!
‘Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too’…
FFLEO,
There’s no such thing as a mild mannered atheist. It’s just piece of Communist propaganda like Sinatra’s 50th Birthday.
gyges:
Right you are!
December 11th, 2008 10:01 am
Obama “Accepts” Iran’s Bomb
Support Pajamas Media; Visit Our Advertisers
Richard Fernandez has quite properly called attention to the news that Obama seems to be offering Israel an American “nuclear umbrella” against Iran. If true (and the Israeli press is not always accurate about these things), it means, as Richard says, that Obama has essentially abandoned his campaign promise to go all-out to prevent Iran from acquiring the bomb. Instead of prevention, American policy would henceforth rest on deterrence.
So much for Norman Podhoretz, who has been telling us all along that Bush would never permit this development. And so much for Sy Hersh and the others seized by blind hatred for BushHitlerCheney, who have been telling us that the United States was preparing to attack Iran.
I never believed these stories, because it’s been clear for several years that this administration had fallen into the same trap as every other president for the past thirty years: believing that one could make a deal with Iran that would obviate the need for serious action. I wrote a book saying just that, and it’s been borne out.
I think the “realists” will now say “so what? So Iran gets the bomb. We lived with a nuclear Soviet Union, we can live with a nuclear Iran.” Never mind that the Iranian leaders are believers in an apocalyptic ideology which embraces death, chaos and destruction. Never mind that the mullahs have promised to destroy Western civilization. Deterrence worked before, and it will work again. We’ll be hearing a lot of this sort of talk from Establishment types at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Scowcroftians.
It’s nonsense. The mullahs can’t be deterred, because they see death as a triumph. As Swift once said, you can’t reason a man out of something he wasn’t reasoned into in the first place.
The real world is full of paradoxes, of which two should seize our attention. First, those who avoid conflict in the name of peace, often make war more likely. All those who have been demanding that we “make nice” to Iran in order to prevent BushHitlerCheney from launching war against the mullahs, have it precisely backwards. Iran launched war on us thirty years ago, and the only question is whether we will win or lose. The longer we wait, the stronger and more aggressive the Iranians become. Thus, the global role of Hezbollah. Thus, the expansion of Iranian military forces into the Horn of Africa and Latin America. Thus, the nukes.
Second, I have always believed that the mullahs made a strategic error by pursuing nuclear weapons. Without the nuclear program, I can’t imagine that the West would have taken the (mostly ineffective) steps to sanction the Iranian regime. The acquisition of nukes will raise the ante. It may even convince America and some other countries that the regime in Tehran must be brought down.
That remains an option, in my mind the best option. Democratic revolution in Iran has a lot going for it, and I believe the Iranian people would support it if they saw that the United States would do the same. To date, not a single leading politician or pundit in this country has embraced this strategy, even though it succeeded against the Soviet Empire, a vastly more powerful enemy than Iran. Perhaps the nukes will concentrate their minds at long last.
If the city demanded the removal of the billboard on the basis of complaints over its message, and that seems to be the case, then the city has violated the First Amendment and can be sued for damages under 42 U.S.C. 1983.
The court can also order the city to allow the billboard to be put back up, for whatever length of time it was entitled to be up.
“I understand people have freedom of speech, but this is taking it too far,” she said. “It’s very jarring.”
Somebody wasn’t paying attention in Civics class. How free is speech that can’t be jarring? Moreover, what’s so jarring about Lennon’s lyric?
To barry obama above:
“Richard Fernandez has quite properly called attention to the news that Obama seems to be offering Israel an American “nuclear umbrella” against Iran. If true (and the Israeli press is not always accurate about these things), it means, as Richard says, that Obama has essentially abandoned his campaign promise to go all-out to prevent Iran from acquiring the bomb. Instead of prevention, American policy would henceforth rest on deterrence.”
I doubt seriously that Israel needs the US to provide a nuclear umbrella. It’s an open secret that Israel has all the nukes it needs to do the job on Iran.
And that Henry, would be a “good thing”! I hope that’s exactly what happens. I sure would like to hear all the complaints, I’m guessing they’d be pretty “jarring”!
CAN YOU IMPEACH A PRESIDENT-ELECT BEFORE HE IS SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT? I THINK OBAMA HAS A WEE OF A PROBLEM IN CHICAGO.
FLOWER CHILD: YOU ARE SO NAIVE IT IS SCARY.
OUT OF A DOZEN OR MORE POSSIBILITIES I OFFER YOU JUST TWO:
IF IRAN DECIDES THAT THEY CAN “TAKE THE HIT” ON A HALF DOZEN NUCLEAR HITS FROM ISRAEL WHEN IT WOULD ONLY TAKE TWO OR THREE TO COMPLETELY OBLITERATE ISRAEL; IRAN MAY VERY WELL DECIDE IT IS WORTH IT.
IF IRAN CAN GET THE INTELLIGENCE NECESSARY FOR A FIRST HIT THAT WOULD WIPE OUT ISRAEL’S NUCLEAR BOMBS THEY VERY WELL WOULD DECIDE TO GO AHEAD AND OBLITERATE ISRAEL. IRAN NEEDS TO KNOW IF THAT IS THE CASE; IF THEY ATTACKED ISRAEL IN A MANNER THAT RENDERED IT UNABLE TO RETALIATE, IRAN HAS TO KNOW AMERICA WOULD OBLITERATE IRAN.
BUT WHAT YOU ARE MISSING IS THE POINT THAT OBAMA IS APPARENTLY SIGNALLING THAT HE HAS GIVEN UP ON TRYING TO KEEP IRAN FROM OBTAINING A NUCLEAR WEAPON. NOW WHAT THAT MEANS IS AMERICA WILL FACE A NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST WHEN IRAN SPIRITS ONE OF THEIR BOMBS TO AL QUEDA AND THEN SAYS “WHO, US?” WHEN IT GOES OFF IN DOWNTOWN NEW YORK CITY.
FLOWER CHILD; NATURE HAD A WAY OF WEEDING STUPID HUMANS OUT FOR CENTURIES. NOW THAT WE HAVE SUCH GREAT MEDICINE AND TECHNOLOGY IT APPEARS OUR RACE IS BECOMING INFESTED WITH VERY STUPID PEOPLE THAT THINK IT CUTE TO HAME THEMSELVES AFTER HIPPIES.
blinky:
SHOUTING is bad form. Take a typing class after you apologize to Flower Child who likely has more coherence stoned than you do stone sober–or at least I suppose you are sober!
“IF IRAN DECIDES THAT THEY CAN “TAKE THE HIT” ON A HALF DOZEN NUCLEAR HITS FROM ISRAEL WHEN IT WOULD ONLY TAKE TWO OR THREE TO COMPLETELY OBLITERATE ISRAEL; IRAN MAY VERY WELL DECIDE IT IS WORTH IT.”
Worth what? Half a dozen nuclear warheads detonating over their cities, laying waste to their homeland for the next century, wiping out their population and contaminating most of the survivors? Not to mention the inevitable US and UN follow up strikes?
For a guy who talks so tough you must really be quite the fraidy cat to think Iran wants to self destruct anytime soon. Perhaps all of you brave neconservatives should all run out and purchase steel panic cages, you know, like those ones they sold on TV right after 911 for all you brave homeland defense types? Just buy em all up. I’m sure you’ll get bulk pricing.
Then you can all bury them in the ground, climb in and pull the doors shut behind you.
We’ll call you when it’s safe to come out.
waynebro (idiot boy) writes: “Half a dozen nuclear warheads detonating over their cities, laying waste to their homeland for the next century, wiping out their population and contaminating most of the survivors? Not to mention the inevitable US and UN follow up strikes?”
I guess waynebro has zero knowledge of Radical Islam and the belief of the inevitability of the Final Battle to them. They believe the sacrifice of 24 million Iranians and an entire country would be but a speck in the eye of Allah whom they believe would be guiding them to a new world ruled by Shariah Law and that the Final Battle would be glorious for Islam. Waynebro: this is not Nazi’s or a Japanese emperor we are fighting for land, culture, and possessions. These radicals believe they are fighting for their Koran, their souls, the hereafter, and eternity with Allah.
Grow up little boy.
New York Times:
“In Banking, Emanuel Made Money and Connections
By MICHAEL LUO
Published: December 3, 2008
“……..Mr. Emanuel, who was chosen last month to become President-elect Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff, went on to make more than $18 million in just two-and-a-half years, turning many of his contacts in his substantial political Rolodex into paying clients and directing his negotiating prowess and trademark intensity to mergers and acquisitions. He also benefited from the opportune sale of Wasserstein Perella to a German bank, helping him to an unusually large payout.
The period before he was elected to a House seat from Illinois is a little-known episode of Mr. Emanuel’s biography. Former colleagues said the insight it afforded him on the financial services sector is invaluable especially now. But Mr. Emanuel built up strong ties with an industry now at the heart of the economic crisis, one that will be girding for a pitched lobbying battle next year as the incoming Democratic administration considers a potentially sweeping regulatory overhaul………”
“…..After Mr. Emanuel left banking to run for Congress, members of the securities and investment industry became his biggest backers, donating more than $1.5 million to his campaigns dating back to 2002, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Mr. Emanuel also leaned heavily upon the industry………”
These are the Chicago politicians that will bring……”change.”
Waynebro: “this is not Nazi’s or a Japanese emperor we are fighting for land, culture, and possessions.”
Yea, that’s more our schtick.
“These radicals believe they are fighting for their Koran, their souls, the hereafter, and eternity with Allah.”
Really? Then someone better tell Ahmadinejad to strip out of the Dockers and London Fog jackets before anyone notices.
“Grow up little boy.”
I will when you will.
Blinky,
I am violating one of my sacrosanct rules, but I have to suggest that it is our religous right who believe in expediting the end of time. That being said, I just can’t imagine a city ordering a sign down because it is “jarring”! I have to agree that a court would have to order the city to replace the sign. And I am with Jill, that would be a good thing.
waynebro (idiot boy) writes: “Half a dozen nuclear warheads detonating over their cities, laying waste to their homeland for the next century, wiping out their population and contaminating most of the survivors? Not to mention the inevitable US and UN follow up strikes?”
I guess waynebro has zero knowledge of Radical Islam and the belief of the inevitability of the Final Battle to them. They believe the sacrifice of 24 million Iranians and an entire country would be but a speck in the eye of Allah whom they believe would be guiding them to a new world ruled by Shariah Law and that the Final Battle would be glorious for Islam. Waynebro: this is not Nazi’s or a Japanese emperor we are fighting for land, culture, and possessions. These radicals believe they are fighting for their Koran, their souls, the hereafter, and eternity with Allah.
Grow up little boy.
Waynebro writes: “this is not Nazi’s or a Japanese emperor we are fighting for land, culture, and possessions.”
Yea, that’s more our schtick.”
Hey JERKBAIT American hater: I was not inferring we were fighting them for land, culture, & possessions. I guess you really are an idiot. I was referring to our fighting against their desire for OTHER’s land, the imposition of THEIR culture on others, and the theft of OTHER’s possession by them.
I suggest you do a little homework away from the far left loons teaching you at your squackbox University and find out just how truly GREAT America is and how Americans have always come to the need of fellow human beings on our great world.
I haven’t been in a University in over 25 years nimrod, and the day I need a pinhead like you to tell me anything about America, history or the world I’ll visit the local animal shelter.
“find out just how truly GREAT America is and how Americans have always come to the need of fellow human beings on our great world.”
Like the Sioux?
Waynebro:
I’m assuming blinky means Americans who “have always come to the AID of fellow human beings….” If so, I might add to your list the penned-up Japanese-Americans living in California during the 1940′s, along with a whole host of cotton pickers south of the Mason-Dixon line until about 1863.
This story is from Alternet:
“The skirmish over Christmas in Washington state just gets funnier every day.
Now someone wants to put up a Festivus pole in the capitol. That’s hilarious enough, but it gets better.
The Westboro Baptist Church has demanded to be allowed to put up a sign that says, “Santa Claus will take you to Hell”.”
That’s pretty catchy! And there’s a wonderful poster of Jesus with a large gun next to the article. The caption says: “Merry Christmas Bitches”.
Jill. Those of us who celebrate “Festivus”, …”Festivian’s” you can call us, have been persecuted for many years now.
Indeed its gotten so bad I’ve been forced to resort to using the brass pole at the local, er….gentlemans club (or genitalmen’s club if you will)for the airing of grievances.
Just got to read the lyrics from, “the text of the Westboro Baptist Church’s message would read:
“You’d better watch out, get ready to cry, You’d better go hide, I’m telling you why ‘cuz Santa Claus will take you to hell. He is your favorite idol, you worship at his feet, but when you stand before your God He won’t help you take the heat. So get this fact straight: you’re feeling God’s hate, Santa’s to blame for the economy’s fate, Santa Claus will take you to hell.”
Alternet
Them christians are really stylin’
The members of the Westboro Blabtist church are many things.
Christian is not however one of them.
WAYNEBRO a/k/a/ CMM a/k/a BARTLEBEE:
Not interested in your brass pole, or anything else you
imagine passes for ‘genitalia’ – much less humor.
Take a hike. You ain’t got(no)
class.
PC
p.s. Once again, THANKS, Jill!!!
Well lady, whoever you are, since I’ve said nothing to you how about you “take a hike”?
I’ve got as much right to be here as you.
One minute I’m having a conversation with Mike Spindell and the next I’ve got some crazy nutjob yelling at me calling me names out of the blue.
Guess theres one in every blog.
Pardon me. You will kindly respond like a gentleman
- or leave.
And you can take seamus and Thingum Bob Esq with you!
Just because Jill talks trashy doesn’t mean others, like myself, appreciate it. I don’t like that style and I call her on it as well
- mainly because it encourages ‘yahoos’ like you…
Patty C
1, December 12, 2008 at 8:19 pm
“Pardon me. You will kindly respond like a gentleman
- or leave.”
Respond to what? This?
Patty C
1, December 12, 2008 at 7:14 pm
“WAYNEBRO a/k/a/ CMM a/k/a BARTLEBEE:
Not interested in your brass pole, or anything else you
imagine passes for ‘genitalia’ – much less humor.
Take a hike. You ain’t got(no)
class.”
Sorry, but when you learn to talk like a lady, instead of a trailer trash troll, then I’ll respond like a gentlemen.
In the meantime, how bout you kiss my ass?
Patty C
1, December 12, 2008 at 8:19 pm
“And you can take seamus and Thingum Bob Esq with you!
Just because Jill talks trashy doesn’t mean others, like myself, appreciate it. I don’t like that style and I call her on it as well
- mainly because it encourages ‘yahoos’ like you
”
“yahoos” lol.
What are you Annie Oakley?
I’m not sure what your problem is lady, but last time I checked no one asked for your opinion, so why don’t you crawl back into whatever hole you crawled out of, and leave the civil discourse to the adults?
Like I said BARTLEBEE, we can do this any time you want.
Give my your lawyers number. I’ll be delighted to speak
with him…
Only this time, I’ll be happy to conference in Buddha
-in a 3-way! Hah!
Patty C
1, December 12, 2008 at 8:19 pm
““And you can take seamus and Thingum Bob Esq with you!”
And as for this gem, I haven’t a clue who these people are but if they’re enemies of your’s then they sound ok by me.
Patty C
1, December 12, 2008 at 8:33 pm
“Like I said BARTLEBEE, we can do this any time you want.
Give my your lawyers number. I’ll be delighted to speak
with him…
Only this time, I’ll be happy to conference in Buddha
-in a 3-way! Hah!”
Once more words elude me, you are clearly insane, but if you’re asking for help, what’s your number lady?
I’ll call you right now.
But if you’re threatening me in some way, which it sounds like when you say “we can do this any time you want”, feel free to state the nature of your threat.
Gee, no more snide comments Patty C?
Guess you talk a good game until someone calls you on it, huh?
Don’t worry though, I just emailed Professor Turley regarding your unsolicited harrasment here tonight so I’m sure we can get to the bottom of what it is you think gives you the right to harrass other bloggers.
Brilliant – here’s the link to give JT, which he already has,
and recaptures your last ‘tyraid’… CMM a/k/a/ BARTLEBEE.
Your particular unrefined wordings and amateur writing style is unmistakable. Nice try.
http://jonathanturley.org/2008/10/10/beaten-to-death-in-club-city-australian-tourist-killed-by-staff-at-indian-restaurant-for-arrogant-attitude/
Here, Cro ‘nowhere-near-Magnum’ – give him this link, as well…
http://jonathanturley.org/2008/10/10/beaten-to-death-in-club-city-australian-tourist-killed-by-staff-at-indian-restaurant-for-arrogant-attitude/
p.s. mespo may file an ‘amicus’ brief, should the occasion allow…
Here, Cro ‘nowhere-near-Magnum’-give JT this link in addition to ‘our’ last conversation (you,’Buddha’& moi) found under:
‘Beaten to Death In Club City: Australian Tourist Killed by Staff at Indian Restaurant for “Arrogant” Attitude
as well as you, mespo, mike and moi – found under:
http://jonathanturley.org/2008/07/28/getting-right-with-god-church-shooter-allegedly-targeted-knoxville-church-due-to-its-liberal-views/
Here, Cro ‘nowhere-near-Magnum, eh?…’
Pssst – give JT this link in addition to ‘our’ last conversation (you,’Buddha’& moi) found under:
‘Beaten to Death In Club City: Australian Tourist Killed by Staff at Indian Restaurant for “Arrogant” Attitude’,
as well as. the 3 turleeteers ‘mespo, mike, and moi’-found under:
getting-right-with-god-church-shooter-allegedly-targeted-knoxville-church-due-to-its-liberal-views/
I’ll also have you know, for the record, I am about as far from being ‘trailer trash’ as you might imagine. Whereas Jill, from what she represents and most of what she speaks about, vaguely represents to having grown up in less than ideal surroundings-like what one might find in a trailer park.
Just like you – ‘trailer trash’.
There is nothing wrong with ‘that’ unless you allow it to rule your life instead of making you a better person.
Neither of you have done that, in my view.
Well fortunately no one gives a crap about the views of a self important bigot like yourself.
There are plenty of people who ‘give a crap’ about what I think
- namely my patients-#1, my honey-#2, my friends-#3, my family,#4,
and all others,#5.
My animals are right up there with my patients and my ‘honey’ knows it.
I could be a large animal vet if I want. So could he!
Too bad you can’t say the same.
Nothing. I took one, in the twinkling of an eye and it had zero accomplish on me. All I actually did was kill a dose. For women, this is a reliable put one’s finger on to “virtuous say no”.
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This e-VILE group is at it again! I present this story from One News Now–Christian News for now and the end times:
“The Freedom From Religion Foundation is threatening to sue a small Wisconsin town over a nativity scene on public property.
Nativity SceneThe nativity scene was erected by a private religious group and stands alone. Manitowoc County executive Bob Ziegelbauer picks up the story.
“It’s been there every year for 50-ish years, and a local Catholic women’s group puts it up and takes it down and maintains it,” he explains. “And it’s not extraordinary in that it’s a scene that everybody, I think, is familiar with as they go through their day at this time of the year.”
To set up a display during Christmas, Ziegelbauer says one must get permission from a county panel for that purpose, although he admits he has received no applications.
“About 15 years ago, someone met with the committee and indicated they were going to file a request and never followed through on it,” he notes. “So other than the one request which has been granted, the short answer would be no.”
He contends the Foundation apparently just wants to silence the Christian message. Ziegelbauer says they have received offers for free Christian legal assistance, but he believes their rule is legal, fair, and will stand.”
That’s crappy Jill. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, well it’s supposed to be. It’s gotten too commericialized these days.
I don’t what the problem is with a nativity scene.
If any other group wanted to put up a temporary display to celebrate their god, then why not? Why do people have to get their underwear in a wad over each other’s religions?
Respect for each other’s religious beliefs would really go along way these days
Sally,
The thing that is wrong with it is that it’s another example of state sponsored religion per what Mike Appleton wrote under play to pray. Nothing is wrong with putting up a manger scene at your church. State sponsorship of relgion may seem harmless if it’s your religion, but even then it’s not.
Sally, you were in the air force where you swore to uphold our Constitution. We forbid state sponsored religion in our Constitution. This is for the benefit of the state and religions in general.
I agree with you that the christmans holiday is very much over commercialized–that just doesn’t apply in this case.
well, boy-george…