Re: First Amendment as quoted on this page

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On 12/11/06, tiffany wrote:
> On 10/16/01, Beth wrote:
>> On 8/25/01, anon wrote:
>>> If congress can't restrict the expression of religion, how
>>> is it they can 1)prohibit the display of Nativity scenes
>>> (just because it is on government property doesn't mean the
>>> government is endorsing it - it just shows free expression}
>>> and 2)the saying of "Merry Christmas" on the radio? You can
>>> only say "Happy Holidays" - "Merry Christmas" is in the
>>> same category as "f..." That seems a shame. Explain that
>>> to me legally.

First, let's clear up the inaccuracy - the government cannot
prohibit private citizens from saying "Merry Christmas" on the
radio, not sure where you got that.

Per a long line of US cases, the government can and must
prohibit government property from being used to endorse any
religion. That's pretty brightline, not a lot of wiggle room
there.

Seatac airport is a gentle twist on the issue - is a Christmas
tree a religious symbol? While many don't like the outcome, the
Seattle Port Authority was probably wise to do what they did,
since it would have cost a great deal of money to litigate, and
they likely would have been forced to remove it anyway.