King, NC, used to have a war memorial on its property—funded by private donations—that consisted of a statue of a soldier kneeling before a cross. Americans United for Separation of Church and State considered the memorial inappropriate, and they sued the city.
Last week, in abject surrender, the city not only settled by agreeing to remove the memorial, they agreed—agreed, mind you, no court outcome dictated this—to pay AUSCS $500,000 for AUSCS’ trouble and to pay the plaintiff represented by this atheist organization $1 for his trouble.
Both sides in this matter wish to avoid further costs,
the city said in making its excuses.
No. There’s no moral equivalence here. There’s none at all between atheists and memorials to those who’ve been killed or maimed defending the rights of the likes of Americans United for Separation of Church and State to behave as they do.
Timidity lost. And the cost to religious freedom is grievous.
Good luck with the suit. The city’s defense also would be paid for with more of those taxpayers’ dollars.
A more resounding response, and one more embarrassing to the three councilmen, would be their crushing defeat at the next election. Or a successful recall election if the city’s charter allows them.
Eric Hines
Perhaps the taxpayers should now sue the city for misappropriation of taxpayer dollars to pay these shysters.
And the AUSCS should go back and actually read the constitution (lower case because that is what they are making it).
A war memorial is NOT the government seeking to establish religion, but rather recognizing the sacrifice of our service members.
But AUSCS has learned at the feet of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Clearly.