Crist defends decision to hang religious symbol on office door

[donsu]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_CRIST_JEWISH_SCROLL_FLOL-?SITE=FLTAL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Eager to embrace all constituencies, Gov. Charlie Crist now has a boxed Jewish scroll on his office door at the Capitol.

The mezuzah, a portion of sacred Jewish parchment contained inside a case, was placed on the door by the governor last week with assistance from Rabbi Schneur Oirechman, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of the Panhandle. The mezuzah was a gift from state Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, during a trade mission to Israel earlier this year.

-snip-

Crist's decision to put the mezuzah in his office, that he often describes as "the people's house" has drawn criticism from civil liberties groups

-snip-

When asked about a conflict between church and state Tuesday, Crist defended his decision to have the mezuzah displayed at his office.

"Why not?" he responded. "I think it's appropriate to respect all others and I think it's important to realize that we have a very diverse and magnificent state.
-snip-
------------------------

"magnificent" state? Florida?


what's Crist up to?

[GeminiProgressive]

1. Big deal

it's his office...is this really the biggest issue facing Florida?

[Kermitt Gribble]

2. Ditto.

[donsu]

4. you too - don't you believe in seperation of church and state?

nt

[donsu]

3. you have heard of seperation of church and state?

or don't you believe in that?

[Kermitt Gribble]

5. I do

believe in separation of church and state, but its his office, a similar argument could be made if hangs a Jaguars banner on the wall or a picture of his wife. Is he putting the Jaguars above all other football teams? Is he placing his wife above all other citizens of Florida? It's not like he's hanging it above the front doors of the State house. Post #1 nailed it. There are far more pressing issues in Florida than this.

[donsu]

6. it is not his office. it's the people of Fl's. office

he can hang whatever he wants on his own personal office door.

[Kermitt Gribble]

9. Nitpicking

I feel that people are entitled to personal workspace, whether it is a public or private office, and they should be able to decorate that workspace however they feel. He's not forcing a belief on anyone, nor is he advertising that this is what the citizens of Florida should believe.

[donsu]

12. lol

nt

[Squatch]

17. Just because he's a Governor does not mean he relinquishes

HIS own personal right to free speech.

[Sneaky Sailor]

21. I could be wrong, but...

Im pretty sure he's the Governor...

But what do I know, I can't spell (but I can read).

[Squatch]

22. Too many threads going at once.

I changed it before you responded, so stuff it.

[Sneaky Sailor]

25. Awww do you need a hug :) n/t

:hug:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

20. Pictures of his wife.....

Heh, heh, you're funny.

The guy's a bachelor for life, read whatever you want. Not that I really care.

[Sneaky Sailor]

23. Dude is gay as the day is long

Thats one of those open secrets round FL.

[EstimatedProphet]

26. And?

[Sneaky Sailor]

27. Just pointing out that he is never going to put a picture

Of his wife over the door.

Oh and that he is unfit to be Gov because CLEARLY gay people can't remain in power...

:sarcasm:

[hfojvt]

38. I have not heard of that

Is it anything at all like the sepAration of church and state? :evilgrin:

[DangerDave921]

47. Not an issue

What if he wanted to have a copy of the Bible sitting on his bookshelf in his office? Would that be permitted, or would that violate your paranoid church/state impenetrable brick wall?

Having a religious symbol in his office, or on his door, is not in any way a violation of the establishment clause. And if you think it is, you simply don't know very much about the EC. Sorry to be so blunt, but I need to be clear. So many people freak out at the very mention of a public official saying or doing anything that involves religion, and immediately start to shriek about the separation of church and state. And I would add that the Supreme Court has made things even more muddled with its ridicuous and often contradictory opinions on the issue. We've gone down a path in the last 50 years where the actual words of the Constitution have been bastardized beyond all recognition.

[Sneaky Sailor]

7. I am Jewish

If I were Governor of Florida (which I hope to someday be) I will hang the Mezuzah as well. Since Crist is not Jewish, I am slightly leary, but as I said, who cares. I would not grudge him if he wanted to put a cross in there as well.

[donsu]

8. may you never be govenor

who wants a gov. that ignores the Constitution and Bill of Rights?

[cali]

10. Actually, from what I understand Crist is leagues better than

Jeb.

[donsu]

13. lol not surprised you jumped in

nt

[cali]

14. Not surprised you started a petty

thread with little substance just to whinge.

[tsuki]

35. Make that light years. n/t

[Sneaky Sailor]

11. How am I ignoring the Constitution and the Bill of rights.

Cite Article and Subsection please....

[Stewie]

15. Where in the Constitution is a mezuzah outlawed?

I don't think you really understand the First Amendment. Government can't declare any one church the "official" American church and make people support church operations with tax money. But they also can't wage war against people who make public statements about faith on public property.

Let him put Flying Spaghetti Monster on "the people's door" for all I care.

[Sneaky Sailor]

16. Gracias Stewie

Much Appreciated.

[cali]

19. thanks for putting that so succinctly and so well. n/t

[bluedog]

18. I don't care what he does

so far he seems like a damn good gov for our state.........thousands times better than Bush

[Sneaky Sailor]

24. Amen

Spoken like a true "Grahm Man/Woman"

[NeedleCast]

28. Seriously?

what's Crist up to?

Sounds like he's putting the Mezuzah on his door.

[Sneaky Sailor]

30. Yeah Secret Signal to us Jews

Letting us know to begin our power grab...
:sarcasm:

[NeedleCast]

31. That's what I figured

It's like the bat-signal, right?

[Lurking Dem]

29. He has to.

It's the Super Secret Deluxe coded message to AIPAC so they know where to send the checks.

/snark

[Sneaky Sailor]

32. Whew, Nice one n/t

[JerseygirlCT]

33. Brick by brick, lowering that wall of separation

And I think he's also attempting to show how "open-minded" he is... (insert eye-roll here)

[Sneaky Sailor]

36. From what I know of him

He really is quite egalitarian, for a Republican

[The Stranger]

34. Then I suppose he would have no objection to putting up a scroll of Koranic verses? Hindu writings?

A statue of the Buddha? Something from the Discordians? An image of Cthulu? Zoroaster?

Why is it so fucking simple, yet people just never fucking seem to get it?

[Sneaky Sailor]

37. I am quite sure he would not have a problem with that, if someone gave it to him as a gift

as the Mezuzah was.

[The Stranger]

39. Oh fucking please.

You know as well as I do he wouldn't even accept such gifts, much less let anyone know he received them.

[Sneaky Sailor]

40. Hmmmmm I do not know this at all.

I would bet money that is a Bhudist Temple gave him Staue or the Muslim community in Tampa gave him a religious gift he would accept it and hang it in his office. This is just from what I know of the man.

[Elspeth]

44. How well do you know him, Sneaky Sailor?

Hmmm

[Sneaky Sailor]

46. I know him well enough

I have lived in Florida all my life, it is hard not to be plugged into Florida Politics and not know a whole hell of alot about Charlie Crist, hes a big part of the landscape.

[Evoman]

41. I don't get why if its "no big deal" people don't just take that shit offf their walls.

Really. Why is it no big deal when people have religious icons on their walls or up in their offices or in the courts, but all of a sudden, when they are asked to take them down, it becomes a HUGE DEAL.

Just take the religious shit off any government walls and leave it at that.

[NeedleCast]

42. Of course the rebuttal here writes itself

If it's not a big deal, why are people asking him to take it down?

I mean, besides the fact that we're a country of busy-bodies, many of who go around looking for a reason to be offended, what does it matter that he has this symbol on his door? Is the dude even Jewish? I don't know or care. Nor do I care what piece of religious hardware he hangs on his door.

But more importantly, I don't know why ANYONE cares what piece of relgious hardware he hangs on his door.

I have a large pirate flag in my cubicle. I've been asked to take it down by two people. I've asked both of them why they want me to take it down. Neither has given any reason at all beside "I just don't think it belongs in the office." Tough shit. The Jolly Roger still flies in my cube.

[Evoman]

43. I dunno

Maybe because government is secular, government office space does not belong to person who puts up the religious stuff, and religioun is a very divisive force when many of ones constituents do not belong to that religion?

I suppose if your office building had a code written in its constitution that pirate stuff does not belong, then you would have to take the pirate flag down.

Like I said...no big deal, err on the side of caution and the side which is constitutionally favourable.

[Sneaky Sailor]

45. And nothing in the Constitution says he can not have a religious

symbol in his office. So we all agree, isnt that nice.

[CT_Progressive]

48. Damn, some of you people have no frigging clue.

At no time does the 1st amendment cease for anyone. Even Governors.

The entire idea behind the "separation of church and state" is not to prevent government workers from expressing their own beliefs in their office!!!!

Its to prevent government from enforcing a national religion on the citizens against their will.

Hanging a cross, mezuzah, pentagram or any other religious items on his door, wall, desk or credenza is a RIGHT granted to him by the First Amendment of the Constitution, and it CANNOT be taken away by ANYONE. Displaying his own expressions of faith in NO WAY forces religion on the People, and is therefore NOT a violation of the concept of "the separation of church and state."

Get a frigging clue, folks.

Sheesh.

[cali]

49. Please consider

posting something akin to this comment as an OP.