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Bill O'Reilly takes on Washington atheists' display
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Here's an account of the Bill O'Reilly-fomented public square rumble between atheists and the religious believers in Washington state. Background fyi: A holiday Christmas tree, a nativity scene, and a Hanunkkah menorah adorn the capitol building in Olympia, Washington. The Freedom from Religion Foundation, Inc. got into the act by posting its own billboard at the capitol critical of religion.
Mr. O'Reilly took offense and reportedly urged his viewers to call the governor's office to complain. Apparently, he was offended by the content of the Freedom from Religion message.
Here's the problem with Mr. O'Reilly's outrage. If we are to allow religious displays and symbols in our government buildings, it's a all-or-nothing proposition under the First Amendment. You don't get to bar displays based upon the content of the message. According to the U.S. Supreme Court, that includes the content of non-believers' messages.
Mr. O'Reilly famously asserts that there is some sort of war on Christmas. To the contrary, some would see this as the simple fact that we live in a pluralistic country. More important, if Mr. O'Reilly has his way, then we must either throw out all religious displays in public areas, or make a mockery of the First Amendment. In the end, Mr. O'Reilly and his followers need to acknowledge that our founders created the First Amendment to protect speech. That includes speech that we don't like.
