Comments on: God Bless Champaign County

By: Remonsterable

Remonsterable — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:05:57 +0000

That’s not a fair comparison. There is no constitutional amendment regarding establishment of football teams. There is one for religion – it’s a special form of speech that works within a different framework than other types of free speech.

By: MrPibb7182

MrPibb7182 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:26:27 +0000

I think the part that you are missing is that whether it be Allah, or God, or Vishnu, or Buddha, implying there be any god or that he endorses America or any other country is a violation of the separation of church and state. Freedom of religion also affords us the option of no religion. I don’t get all twisted up about stuff like this. We definitely have more pressing issues when it comes to civil rights, but to be honest, the easiest way for this to be avoided is for christians to not show the arrogance and entitlement they show in the US, feeling it is their right and obligation to push their religion on others.

By: Glock21

Glock21 — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 23:21:10 +0000

True, the tradition excuse doesn’t carry any weight. It’s a logical fallacy. But would a Bears fan be turned off because someone working there had Packers fan posters open to view?

By: fred

fred — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 23:15:41 +0000

“It’s been that way for years” just doesn’t cut it as an excuse. After all, the US embraced slavery for the better part of a century, discrimination by skin color for nearly two centuries, and we are still in the dawn of achieving LGBT equality. None of those long-standing institutions would have been put down if we had accepted “It’s been that way for years” as a valid justification.

By: Glock21

Glock21 — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 22:34:01 +0000

Gordy is a friend of mine. He’s one of the most fair and level headed people I know even though we disagree on an array of political issues. I haven’t seen the banner myself, though I’ve been to the office while Gordy was holding office a few times for paperwork (including my civil union to JustKem) and I failed to notice the banner. Maybe I was distracted, or maybe it is more prominent than memory serves. Allah is just the Arabic word for “God” so any complaints about such a change would be received would be more xenophobic than anything.

Depending on the details, I think it’s probably not worth making a fuss about. Though if there were open atheists on the ballot, I think it could then be within the gray area of electioneering. But Gordy is in public office and it comes with public scrutiny. I don’t think the office rules will change even if one votes against him. Is it better to have an objective Republican who is truly dedicated to ensuring the integrity of the vote, or a Democrat we know wouldn’t touch this issue in a central Illinois district with a 10 foot pole?

Just my opinion though. He’s on the ballot. He’s out there for public scrutiny. Like with most situations though, civility works best with a reasonable man. He may not be swayed, but by being civil he’ll at least hear you.

By: Andrew Rhodes

Andrew Rhodes — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 21:40:35 +0000

I’d recommend contacting any or all of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the ACLU of Illinois. At the very least, they can give you some guidance. Frankly, the attitude of the head person there DOES seem to indicate they KNOW it is a violation and they don’t care that it is.

By: Brian Murtagh

Brian Murtagh — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:35:48 +0000

It’s not even a tyranny of the majority it seems, but an arbitrary decision by one person in the face of multiple complaints. You should contact the Freedom From Religion Foundation and ask if they’ll have their lawyers write a formal complaint.

By: ErickaMJohnson

ErickaMJohnson — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:23:19 +0000

You can also call the Voter Protection Hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866.687.8683)

They deal with intentional voter disenfranchisement.

By: Ralphy

Ralphy — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:11:00 +0000

Allah did not tell anyone to do anything.
Also, isn’t Allah just “God” in Arabic? If you change the word, the message remains the same.

By: Sven

Sven — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:46:37 +0000

If God is real, and chooses to bless America, fantastic, if God isn’t real, then it doesnt mean much, other than the thought behind it being a positive one. I’d also think many (Christian or otherwise) might have trouble with the “Allah bless America” since it was Allah who told the 9/11 terrorists to do what they did.