Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and his sidekick, Sideshow Bob (Marshall) have quite a dog and pony show going. Marshall asks a question of a controversial nature and AG answers it, thus setting the Old Dominion on a collision course with civil liberties each and every time. Does anyone notice a pattern?
The Loudoun Times:
Loudoun County’s controversial debate over public displays on the courthouse lawn now has the ear of Virginia’s top attorney.
State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on Aug. 24 issued an opinion saying Loudoun County can erect holiday Christmas displays on public property as long as the displays represent other faiths and beliefs.
The opinion came at the request of state Del. Bob Marshall (R-south-central Loudoun).
Marshall said he asked for the opinion at the urging of several concerned Loudoun County residents.
“If some of them [Loudoun Board of Supervisors] were thinking that they had to do this, they know now they don’t have to sweep the field clear of all holiday displays,” Marshall said.
Marshall has been busy requesting opinions from the state attorney general, with his most recent request on abortion clinic regulations answered last week.
He also asked Cuccinelli to weigh in on state policy regarding the police questioning of suspects believed to be illegal aliens.
In this case, Marshall asked whether Loudoun County, under state law and the U.S. and Virginia constitutions, is “compelled to prohibit holiday displays – both religious and nonreligious – on public property.” If not, Marshall wanted to know under what conditions such displays, “including those honoring the birth of Jesus Christ” are permitted.
Loudoun supervisors will return to the dais Sept. 7 to decide the fate of the county courthouse grounds.
The debate has drawn large crowds to government board meetings, who have protested any ban on religious displays.
Members of the board had mixed reaction to Cuccinell’s opinion, ranging from outrage to praise.
“I don’t recall the Board of Supervisors asking the attorney general for an opinion. He ought to stay out of local affairs and find more useful things to do with his time instead of wasting ours,” said Supervisor Stevens Miller (D-Dulles).
Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), a staunch advocate of displays on the courthouse grounds, welcomed Cuccinelli’s opinion.
“… I’ve been asking delegates and state officials to weigh in on this. I’m happy that state officials are weighing in on our right to religious freedom …” Delgaudio said.
Leesburg Courthouse has become an annual site of controversy, usually centered around religious displays involving the holidays. It is often difficult to keep up with the latest decisions regarding display unless one frequents that area. The Kook has now decreed that religious symbols and displays can be on public property as long as all religions are represented. So we have dueling pentagrams? Joseph and Mohammad duking it out in the public square? Christmas just got a whole lot more entertaining.
The big question is, what will Sideshow Bob ask the Kook next? Which hot social topic will leak from the jaws of our cultural warrior from the 13th district?
Now there will be some critics who are simply aghast that I would point out the obvious…the obvious being that Marshall sets up Cuccinelli to give opinon on the hot social issues of the day. Pointing out theocracy tendencies of the religious right has been one of my favorite things to do for years and I don’t see that changing any time soon.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State Executive director Barry Lynn has the following to say:
Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, “This opinion reads more like an op-ed than a legal advisory. Cuccinelli is encouraging local governments to wade into a deeply controversial arena of the law without adequate guidance.
“This is almost certain to lead to bitter community divisiveness,” Lynn continued. “It is a green light to Religious Right activists to cajole local officials into erecting sectarian displays on public property. Unless local officials are extremely careful, this is likely to lead to lawsuits.”
Lynn said it is particularly repugnant that the attorney general is joining the Religious Right’s annual campaign to impose religion on all Americans at Christmas.
“Cuccinelli is turning Christmas, a holiday sacred to many, into another front in the culture war,” said Lynn. “That’s deplorable and about as far from the spirit of the season as you can get.
“If Cuccinelli wants to see a Nativity scene, why doesn’t he put one in his front yard at home?” Lynn asked. “He should not try to impose his personal religious beliefs on all Virginians through government action.”
It is only a matter of time before the Kook draws us into legal battles that stress the public coffers of Virginia. He probably already considers himself a one time attorney general and is trying to get all his social engineering out of the way before the voters of Virginia kick him out of Richmond and send him back to Prince William County with his tail between his legs.
Connecting the dots:
Here we go again. This happens every Christmas. Cuckoonelli is trying to provoke a controversy. The Christian tealiban strikes again (I wished I’d made that term up).
The best place for a nativity scene would be a church.
I’d have no objections to Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph, however
Leesburg has lots of churches. Don’t any of them put up religious Christmas scenes?
Courts have ruled if a jurisdiction allows any religious displays on
public property then they must allow every “religious group” the
same equal opportunity – Islamic, Hindu, etc.. This is a legal and
political Pandora’s box for local communities.
Well I typed up a big thoughtful comment, submitted and now it’s lost in space…
So to sum up… Christmas as we know it is nothing but I giant fabrication…revert to paganism, celebrate Yule, the oldest holiday in the history of the human race celebrated across the world long before Christianity.
I’m 100% behind anyone who would fight and/or antagonize the ACLU. 99% of their actions should be fought tooth and nail.
I don’t think anyone really likes the ACLU. They are sort of the dirty kid on the block who does all the nasty things no one else wants to do. I hate them 98% of the time and I hate the decisions that are a result from their cases. However, every once in a while something comes along that I am really thankful for.
Maybe the ACLU is necessary in a democracy. It keeps government in its place.
“State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on Aug. 24 issued an opinion saying Loudoun County can erect holiday Christmas displays on public property as long as the displays represent other faiths and beliefs.”
So what? There is ALWAYS a fight over this issue, and he’s addressing the fight before it happens this Christmas (which it always does, and it always ruins the holiday season…as if Jesus would want that).
I think Cuccinelli’s statement is correct, and I support it all the way. Freedom of religion and the expression of it…this is something we supposedly value in our county.
And know I am not a fan of some of Cuccinelli’s stances in the least.
This game between the AG and members of the GA (primarily Marshall, but occasionally others) is something I liken to the exchange of old Knock-Knock jokes.
Excellent analogy, Scout. Good one!