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The stupidity surrounding the "Jesus picture" controversy is now approaching Olympian levels.
To review: for some bizarre reason, the Slidell Courthouse has a copy of a 16th century Russian Orthodox Jesus holding a Russian bible showing verses from the Gospels of Matthew and John. The overall depiction is known simply as "Christ the Saviour". Below the portrait, on the wall of the courthouse, are the words: "To know peace, obey these laws". After someone complained about the display, the ACLU rightfully asserted that the portrait violates the First Amendment and asked that the picture be taken down.
That's when people started acting stupid. Judge Jim Lamz of Slidell City Court initially played dumb, and claimed he didn't know who was depicted in the portrait. He said: "I don’t know who it is. I personally thought it might be Moses or some Russian or Greek figure. I wasn’t sure." If Lamz can't tell Jesus from Moses from "Russian figures" like Trotsky, I don't think he's smart enough to judge matters of law. But I bet he knew the picture really was Jesus, but feigned stupidity just to buy time.
Today the paper reports that Judge Lamz is refusing to take the picture down (even though for years he didn't know what the hell it depicted). Also, Slidell's Mayor is getting all huffy puffy:
Slidell Mayor Ben Morris condemned the ACLU in harsher tones, while invoking the memory of Hurricane Katrina. As he spoke, damage from the storm -- long watermarks and cracked plaster -- was clearly visible on the courthouse behind him.
"I fight daily with FEMA for the recovery of our city, and now we must fight these tyrants, this American Taliban, who seek to destroy our culture and our heritage," Morris said.
"Our culture and our heritage"? What heritage?!! Our Russian Orthodox heritage!? No one knew what the hell the words on the portrait even meant, and now everyone is going apenuts! People were being instructed, in the courthouse, to "obey" laws written in a language they didn't understand, yet when someone complains and wants the picture removed, the judges and mayors raise hell about how "our" sacred "culture" is being destroyed.
[Acting director of the ACLU's Louisiana chapter Vincent] Booth said it was ironic that Morris would condemn a theocracy such as the Taliban rule of Afghanistan while defending a religious picture in a public building.
AMEN BROTHER! I'm so glad they printed Vincent's sublime response. I know Vince personally, and spoke with him the other night. I'm very confident that he and all the other theocratic "tyrants" at the ACLU will prevail in this dispute. Why do I think this? Because the ACLU is full of domestic legal terrorists who hate our freedom. And how do I know that to be true? Well, a stupid conservative told me so!
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Here's a project. Below is a picture of Moses or Jesus or some Russian or Greek figure. I don't really know for sure. And under the portrait are some words, and I don't know what they are either. Now, do me a favor and print out the photo and words, and stick it on the wall of your workspace, and leave it there for ten years. Whenever someone asks why you have this on display, tell them it's part of your "heritage" and "culture" and that you will fight tooth and nail before you let some politically-correct liberal totalitarian tell you what to do.
Повинуйтесь мне, или иностранцы украдут вашу страну и сделают Вас рабами.
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And today's crushingly unfunny Family Circus comic depicts God saying the "Pledge of Allegiance" (which, as you know, begins "I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America").
