Downtown Houston's Bible has gone bye-bye:
A federal appeals court on Monday ordered a Bible removed from a monument outside a Harris County courthouse while the county appeals a federal judge's ruling that the display is unconstitutional.
n August, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans temporarily blocked U.S. District Judge Sim Lake's order to remove the Bible.
Kay Staley, a real estate broker and lawyer, sued Harris County in August 2003 claiming the display was offensive to non-Christians.
Lake found that the display at the civil courthouse violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment and gave the county 10 days to remove the Bible last summer. Harris County asked the appeals court to allow the Bible to remain during its appeal.
The appeals court did not address the merits of the case, but said Monday the Bible must be removed and refused to let the homeless mission responsible for the display intervene in the appeal.
Maybe I'm missing something, but why doesn't Star of Hope simply move the monument to one of its four locations in the city? Don't most charitable and/or non-profit organizations usually place plaques or other commerative items honoring patrons on the premises of the organization itself? William Mosher, whom the monument ostensibly honors, wasn't a county court official as far as I can tell, so why the big stink about removing it from government property?
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels, who has defended the display, was traveling and could not immediately be reached for comment Monday by The Associated Press. Eckels' spokeswoman, Gloria Roemer, said Eckels is disappointed with the ruling but would work to comply with the order as the county continues its appeal.
He made it back to town soon enough. I saw him bemoaning the Bible's removal on the 10:00 news, right before publicity whore/pastor Aubrey Vaughn showed up to describe the removal of the Bible as an affront to the very principles our country was founded upon. Because, you know, Christ created America for His chosen people. Or something.
As if to hammer that last point home, the reporter's final comments were made in front of the (now empty) monument, over which someone had draped an American flag. Only this version of the flag had a cross where the stars usually go. I shit you not.
That's good Jesus.
Please tell me who I can sue over the cross where the stars should be!
I demand equal time for Mithras.
"Lovely evening. You can almost see the stars."