[Vision2020] Whack-a-Dos On & Off the Council At It Again

[Saundra Lund]

To me, the most hilarious part of the article was "Throw the Evidence Away"
Carscallen thinking he's in any position to call anyone or anything else
"classless."  Oh, pot -- kettle is looking for you  :-)

>From Tuesday's Daily News:


Councilors reaffirm 1st Amendment rights of Humanists

 By Brandon Macz, Daily News staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, December 4,
2012 12:00 am 

A Moscow resident took city councilors to task a second time in a separation
of church and state and marketing issue regarding an American Humanist
Association billboard he says has caused his young daughter harm.
 
Judd Wilson first approached the council during its last meeting to complain
about the sign at the southern end of town that states, "I'm getting a bit
too old for imaginary friends," and depicts a young girl on it. This time he
said he took offense to receiving no response from the city save for its
attorney Randy Fife, whom he referred to as "The Lawyer."
 
Wilson said councilors lacked sympathy for the impassioned speech he gave
about a medical emergency regarding his daughter and how his Christian God
saved her life nor had they done anything to discourage billboards attacking
religious faith from being erected in the city. He added Mayor Nancy Chaney
had supported proclamations positive toward homosexuality, but never for
Christianity.

"It seems you have no interest in doing anything for my daughter," Wilson
said.

Council President Dan Carscallen repeated Fife's public response to Wilson's
initial comment last month by stating the council has no power to regulate
the content of billboards.

"Honestly, in my opinion, I think the sign is classless," he said. "To me, I
choose to ignore it."

Wilson said the council should set a community standard to discourage groups
like the AHA from placing billboards in Moscow.

Councilor Wayne Krauss said he was offended Wilson didn't think the council
cared.

"First of all, I really don't know what you expect us to do," he said. "You
know what the First Amendment is. You know what it stands for. ... We know
what we can do and we know what we can't do."

Councilor Walter Steed said he outright didn't like billboards of any
substance, and particularly didn't care for the Humanist one, but there was
nothing that could be done.

Greg Evans of Princeton said he didn't have a problem with most Humanist
signs.

"I've found them amusing. I've found them enjoyable in a way," he said.

But Evans said he did not like the sign in Moscow because of its direction
at children, adding it included a link to a website with sexually explicit
content for teenagers. This would be the AHA teen webpage, which includes a
link regarding sexual education for humanists.

"There seems to be a real interest in arguing spirituality and religion in
this country," Councilor Tom Lamar said. "I get really tired of arguing
religion."


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Brandon Macz can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 238, or by email to
bmacz at dnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrandonMacz.