I have not seen the billboard in question in Moscow, but this website quite explicitly indicates some versions of a billboard similar to the one in Moscow is aimed at "<a href="http://kidswithoutgod.com">kidswithoutgod.com</a>" and thus children if "kids" means children:<br>
<br><a href="http://www.americanhumanist.org/news/details/2012-11-kids-without-god-ads-appear-on-dc-busses">http://www.americanhumanist.org/news/details/2012-11-kids-without-god-ads-appear-on-dc-busses</a><br>------------------------------------------<br>
Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Dec 7, 2012 at 3:33 PM, Joe Campbell <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:philosopher.joe@gmail.com" target="_blank">philosopher.joe@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">I'd have more of a problem with the billboard -- ethically speaking --<br>
if it were directed at children rather than adults. But I don't think<br>
that is the case.<br>
<div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><br>
On Fri, Dec 7, 2012 at 1:34 PM, Ted Moffett <<a href="mailto:starbliss@gmail.com">starbliss@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
> I'm not sure exactly who the humanist billboard was intended to reach,<br>
> according to the creator of the content or those who paid for its placement.<br>
> You may very well be correct, that it was aimed at an adult audience. This<br>
> is likely. And of course it is legally protected speech. But legal does<br>
> not always imply ethical or desirable, sometimes quite the opposite.<br>
><br>
> I was assuming the complaints against this billboard might have had some<br>
> basis in the life of the person complaining to the city council. Perhaps<br>
> their daughter, I think it was, read the billboard and was upset by it? I<br>
> don't know. Because the billboard is intended for adults does not mean it<br>
> cannot have an impact on children.<br>
><br>
> Children are sometimes far more intelligent and aware than adults give them<br>
> credit for, and some children indeed do want to give up childish beliefs,<br>
> especially in our modern world which some with dismay think is forcing<br>
> children to grow up far too fast, sacrificing childhood in the process.<br>
><br>
> Anyway, I don't have a problem with the content of that billboard, but I can<br>
> understand why someone would.<br>
><br>
> ------------------------------------------<br>
> Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett<br>
><br>
> On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 4:23 PM, Joe Campbell <<a href="mailto:philosopher.joe@gmail.com">philosopher.joe@gmail.com</a>><br>
> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> Ted,<br>
>><br>
>> Do you really think that the posters are geared towards children as<br>
>> opposed to adults? I thought the message was (to adults): Don't act<br>
>> like children. Believing in God -- the claim says -- is like believing<br>
>> in Santa Claus.<br>
>><br>
>> Forgetting about whether or not what the poster says is true -- a<br>
>> point about which we might disagree -- don't you think it is more<br>
>> geared towards adults than children? Why would children what to give<br>
>> up childish beliefs?<br>
>><br>
>> Best, Joe<br>
>><br>
>> On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 4:13 PM, Ted Moffett <<a href="mailto:starbliss@gmail.com">starbliss@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>> > First Amendment, of course. As though this needs to be emphasized and<br>
>> > debated? Scary!<br>
>> ><br>
>> > The responses against this humanist billboard might in part be explained<br>
>> > by<br>
>> > the fact that sometimes "the truth hurts," as it's said. And given the<br>
>> > anti-scientific intellectual brainwashing (on evolution, age of the<br>
>> > Earth,<br>
>> > sexuality issues, anthropogenic global warming, et. al.) that many<br>
>> > religions<br>
>> > inflict upon children, which I consider a form of child abuse, perhaps<br>
>> > there<br>
>> > is a need to counterbalance this form of "education," which might in<br>
>> > part be<br>
>> > the intention of those paying for the billboard.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > But to take the other side, if someone put up a billboard aimed at 4<br>
>> > year<br>
>> > olds enlightening them to the truth that Santa Claus is a fantasy, some<br>
>> > might consider this to be a cruel robbing of children of innocent<br>
>> > childhood<br>
>> > fantasy.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > To some children, religious concepts or fantasies are a source of<br>
>> > comfort.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > I recall feeling comforted by my "guardian angel" when I was a child,<br>
>> > though<br>
>> > there is no such entity, that I know of... On the other hand, questions<br>
>> > about the safety of an environment where a child would need a "guardian<br>
>> > angel" are a clue regarding what motivates human beings to indulge in<br>
>> > religious fantasies about a world they do not understand and find<br>
>> > threatening.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > I think it likely that some religious concepts have their origins in<br>
>> > attempts in less scientific less modern times to comprehend and control<br>
>> > a<br>
>> > world humans did not understand and thus sought "supernatural"<br>
>> > explanations.<br>
>> > ------------------------------------------<br>
>> > Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett<br>
>> ><br>
>> ><br>
>> > On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Saundra Lund <<a href="mailto:v2020@ssl1.fastmail.fm">v2020@ssl1.fastmail.fm</a>><br>
>> > wrote:<br>
>> ><br>
>> >> To me, the most hilarious part of the article was "Throw the Evidence<br>
>> >> Away"<br>
>> >> Carscallen thinking he's in any position to call anyone or anything<br>
>> >> else<br>
>> >> "classless." Oh, pot -- kettle is looking for you :-)<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> From Tuesday's Daily News:<br>
>> >><br>
>> >><br>
>> >> Councilors reaffirm 1st Amendment rights of Humanists<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> By Brandon Macz, Daily News staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, December<br>
>> >> 4,<br>
>> >> 2012 12:00 am<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> A Moscow resident took city councilors to task a second time in a<br>
>> >> separation<br>
>> >> of church and state and marketing issue regarding an American Humanist<br>
>> >> Association billboard he says has caused his young daughter harm.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> Judd Wilson first approached the council during its last meeting to<br>
>> >> complain<br>
>> >> about the sign at the southern end of town that states, "I'm getting a<br>
>> >> bit<br>
>> >> too old for imaginary friends," and depicts a young girl on it. This<br>
>> >> time<br>
>> >> he<br>
>> >> said he took offense to receiving no response from the city save for<br>
>> >> its<br>
>> >> attorney Randy Fife, whom he referred to as "The Lawyer."<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> Wilson said councilors lacked sympathy for the impassioned speech he<br>
>> >> gave<br>
>> >> about a medical emergency regarding his daughter and how his Christian<br>
>> >> God<br>
>> >> saved her life nor had they done anything to discourage billboards<br>
>> >> attacking<br>
>> >> religious faith from being erected in the city. He added Mayor Nancy<br>
>> >> Chaney<br>
>> >> had supported proclamations positive toward homosexuality, but never<br>
>> >> for<br>
>> >> Christianity.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> "It seems you have no interest in doing anything for my daughter,"<br>
>> >> Wilson<br>
>> >> said.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> Council President Dan Carscallen repeated Fife's public response to<br>
>> >> Wilson's<br>
>> >> initial comment last month by stating the council has no power to<br>
>> >> regulate<br>
>> >> the content of billboards.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> "Honestly, in my opinion, I think the sign is classless," he said. "To<br>
>> >> me,<br>
>> >> I<br>
>> >> choose to ignore it."<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> Wilson said the council should set a community standard to discourage<br>
>> >> groups<br>
>> >> like the AHA from placing billboards in Moscow.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> Councilor Wayne Krauss said he was offended Wilson didn't think the<br>
>> >> council<br>
>> >> cared.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> "First of all, I really don't know what you expect us to do," he said.<br>
>> >> "You<br>
>> >> know what the First Amendment is. You know what it stands for. ... We<br>
>> >> know<br>
>> >> what we can do and we know what we can't do."<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> Councilor Walter Steed said he outright didn't like billboards of any<br>
>> >> substance, and particularly didn't care for the Humanist one, but there<br>
>> >> was<br>
>> >> nothing that could be done.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> Greg Evans of Princeton said he didn't have a problem with most<br>
>> >> Humanist<br>
>> >> signs.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> "I've found them amusing. I've found them enjoyable in a way," he said.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> But Evans said he did not like the sign in Moscow because of its<br>
>> >> direction<br>
>> >> at children, adding it included a link to a website with sexually<br>
>> >> explicit<br>
>> >> content for teenagers. This would be the AHA teen webpage, which<br>
>> >> includes<br>
>> >> a<br>
>> >> link regarding sexual education for humanists.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> "There seems to be a real interest in arguing spirituality and religion<br>
>> >> in<br>
>> >> this country," Councilor Tom Lamar said. "I get really tired of arguing<br>
>> >> religion."<br>
>> >><br>
>> >><br>
>> >><br>
>> >><br>
>> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
>> >> ----<br>
>> >><br>
>> >> Brandon Macz can be reached at <a href="tel:%28208%29%20882-5561%2C%20ext.%20238" value="+12088825561">(208) 882-5561, ext. 238</a>, or by email to<br>
>> >> <a href="mailto:bmacz@dnews.com">bmacz@dnews.com</a>. Follow him on Twitter @BrandonMacz.<br>
>> >><br>
>> >><br>
>> >><br>
>> ><br>
>> ><br>
>> > =======================================================<br>
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>> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>
>> > <a href="http://www.fsr.net" target="_blank">http://www.fsr.net</a><br>
>> > mailto:<a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>
>> > =======================================================<br>
><br>
><br>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br>