My hat is off to Santa Monica, California.
The city council of the little city, named after a saint has done in one quick stroke of the pen what 2000 years of man’s inhumanity to man could not. It demolished the public display of the celebration of the birth of Christ.
The council voted to ban the public Christmas nativity display in Palisades Park which was first erected in 1953, and a Christmas tradition ever since, last June. This past week a Federal Judge upheld that decision.
Judge Audrey Collins denied the request from the committee to erect multiple large displays depicting the story of the birth of Jesus in the park overlooking the ocean.
“Santa Monica proved that it banned the displays not to squash religious speech but because they were becoming a drain on city resources, destroying the turf, and obstructing ocean views,” the judge wrote.
I say “bupkis,” with a capital “b.”
It’s not destroying any view, banning the creche is just another nail in the coffin of our freedoms. Remember the article in the Constitution that allows freedom of religious expression?
No, no, freedom of religious expression is for everyone except those Christians that want to erect a nativity scene — heaven forbid. No, no, not those Christmas loving Christians who want to ruin the view of the ocean and build that silly old creche in the park in Santa Monica.
If we allow for all the other freedoms than we have to allow the freedom of Christians to celebrate Christmas and allow the committee to erect a nativity creche, complete with baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary and the three Wise-Men, Balthasar, Melchior, and Caspar.
In a state that allows participants to bare it all while marching through the streets in a parade — San Francisco’s Gay Pride parade — isn’t it rather hypocritical not to allow the nativity in a public park?
How ironic can you get? That the public display of the celebration of the birth of one little child, born unto this world to bring peace, love, and harmony into the chaos is considered a no-no in California, but naked parade marchers letting it all hang out is a-okay and okeydokey.
Not for Nuthin,™ but I say to Santa Monica, and the judges in the state of California, stop “Scrooging” Christmas, and put the creche back up and put some clothes on. Enough of the bupkis already.
Follow me on Twitter @JDelBuono.
Joanna DelBuono writes about national issues — and public nudity — every Wednesday on BrooklynDaily.com. E-mail her at jdelbuono@cnglocal.com.