With friends like these…

So how does Italian Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini defend the crucifix from the “make a desert and call it peace” machinations of the EU?:

‘No one, and certainly not an ideological European court, will succeed in erasing our identity,’ th Education Minister said.

‘The presence of the crucifix in classrooms is not a sign of belief in Catholicism, rather it is a symbol of our tradition.’

Ah! Well then! As long as it’s just a sort of meaningless fetish with sentimental value…