I thought this story was pretty funny. It is from the Citizen Link Newsletter that I get everyday.
http://www.family.org/cforum/
-hjh
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Dog-Park Brick Refused Due to That Person with a Similar
Name
The town of Gilbert, Ariz., refused to place an inscribed
brick in a local dog park because officials say it had a
religious message, Independent Newspapers reported.
Bob Hugeri was glad to hear of a dog park being built near
his home, so much so, that he decided to purchase an
inscribed brick for $20 that would be placed in the park
as part of a display.
And he decided to honor his Labrador retriever, Jack Jesus
(pronounced "hay-soos").
His inscription was simple: "Jesus loves you."
"I thought everything was fine with the message," Hugeri
said. "A few weeks later I get a call informing me that
the inscription on the brick is unacceptable."
Greg Svelund, the town's public information officer, sent
back the application and the $20. An accompanying letter
said the message was inappropriate for a public park.
Gilbert has no specific policy that bans religious
messages on an item such as a brick in a public square,
but the staff made the decision to reject it.
"There's been a lot of attention across the country on
religious messages being displayed," Svelund said. "When
the brick came in, we struggled with it. I called Mr.
Hugeri and asked if he would use the message, 'Jesus
Hugeri loves you' instead, but he wouldn't accept it."
The mayor of the town, Steve Berman, told Hugeri that it
was a matter of separation of church and state.
"What kind of person names his dog 'Jack Jesus'?" Berman
said. "Frankly, I'm not falling for this 'hay-soos'
baloney. I don't want a brick with the inscription 'Allah
Akbar' either. He just wants to put the inscription 'Jesus
loves you' on the brick. This is a religious message."
Peter de Marneffe, a philosophy professor at Arizona State
University, said the issue is complicated.
"The guy who wants the brick is responsible for the
message," Marneffe said. "The town itself is not endorsing
it. On the other hand, the town doesn't want to risk
litigation and wants to avoid controversy."
Hugeri said he thinks it's a violation of his right to
free speech.
Jan 5, 2006
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