as far as the whole “public dime” thing is concerned, you may want to re-read the first ammendment of the constitution. it does not say that government and religion cannot coexist in any way, nor does it say that religion cannot be publicly recognized. in fact, first amendment rights ensure that we HAVE the ability to dress up as bunnies or dance naked around bonfires or eat fish while remembering a dead guy or worshiping a squirrel that wears neon pink skin tight pants.

according to the library of congress, the constitution says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

now, notice how nowhere in there did it say that a private individual could not give money to support a religion, even if that person is a govt. official, nor does it say that governments MUST prevent people from publicly displaying religious practices or beliefs, in fact its the exact opposite. freedom of religion means freedom TO religion, that of anyone’s choice and not just the one you agree with, even if that is a religion of no religion. its still just beliefs that cannot be backed up with anything other than beliefs.

also, if it is so illegal for government to support religion in any way, how is it that any religious organization of any kind is allowed to exist? think about it…for a building to be used for religious purposes, it must first be approved for said use by GOVERNMENT-be it local or city-and in addition the relegation of non-profit for tax purposes MUST be handed out by GOVERNMENT…not to mention the fact that the city must be willing to allow such establishments to be a part of it in the first place. if a city can ban a strip club or bar on Moral or ethical grounds and come up with the legal red tape to make it so, then the same could be done for religious establishments that do not meet with the personal or moral beliefs of the officials of the area. but that does not happen because…the first amendment ensures we have a right to celebrate our beliefs in whatever way we want, whatever that means.

also, think about this one last point. freedom of religion is not just there to ensure you have the right to complain about the religions and beliefs you don’t agree with, or the ensure that you can believe whatever you want…it is there to protect those that no one agrees with, those without a voice of their own. laws based on morality are a mistake and can lead to a slippery slope of rationalizations for support of one morality over another. if a town makes it illegal for christians to celebrate easter or use the word easter publicly, it will not be long before people will be petitioning the same town to no longer allow gay youth groups to meet because they are an “affront to christianity” or not allowing pagans to pick flowers from the sides of roads on May day. can you see how once a moral rule is made to exclude one group the flood gates would be opened, and then all religious freedom could possibly become compromised?

Does this mean Bugs Bunny won’t be allowed to sing “I’m the Easter Rabbit, Hooray!” in that one Forties WB theatrical cartoon short?

Ken, you recognize that Warner Brothers is a corporation and not a government entity, right?

According to the Herald News, signatories of the letter warned: “In our region there are a variety of groups, witches, Devil Worshippers and representatives of many other religious beliefs…”

Why not mention D&D players, SF fans, and fursuiters while you’re at it? We’re not “SAY-TANN-IC” enough for you?

If it REALLY doesn’t matter if it’s an Easter bunny or a Spring bunny because it no longer is treated religiously by the public, then why does it matter if they change the name? I’m not offended by the word Easter, but I AM offended that the christians think it’s ok to promote Easter publicly and scream at anyone, ANYONE, else that has the gall to try to have their faith in public, let alone practice it there. http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/mass4.htm And while some of the things done may have been a bit off…I believe these statements are VERY telling:

Rev. Paula P. Durrant of the Congregational Christian Church of Somerset declared that it is “a sign of sad times” when opinions of religious leaders are not promptly acknowledged by politicians.

According to the Herald News, signatories of the letter warned: “In our region there are a variety of groups, witches, Devil Worshippers and representatives of many other religious beliefs. We fear that the creche and the menorah would be compromised even more should other groups seek to have their symbols included.”

p.s. I did serve in the Navy and was stationed in San Diego. I visited Mount Soledad on many occassions including much later after I got out and took my wife up there on our vacation to which I spoke with a vet about me not being pleased about a veteran monument that I earned a right to be on had a giant cross above it.