Reply #54: Apples and oranges [View All]

[Goblinmonger]

The issue of excessive entanglement has nothing to do with my having to ask. It is excessive entanglement because it is the government promoting one religion and not any others. It is because they are playing that religious speech over the loud speaker. THAT makes it entanglement. That I have to ask them to turn it off would make it inconvenient for me to protect my first amendment rights.

From this and other posts on this thread, you seem to think that they could turn it off for a bit and then turn it on and since we would both have had our way, all would be good. That is not the case. They cannot play the religious broadcast in the manner they were for any reason. Perhaps if they had a set amount of time for each religion they might meet the test, but I don't think so.

Ours is a secular government. To call me a "no-religion zealot" puts me in pretty good company with James Madison, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, etc in this matter. Thank you. I would not complain if this were a private company doing this (I may not shop there anymore, but I would clearly not argue it is a first amendment issue). But it is the government and not what the constitution allows. Sorry it pisses you off that we live under a secular government, but we do.