Posted on 12/13/2017 6:52:44 AM PST by Morgana
When it comes to advertising on the D.C. metro, free speech is in for a bumpy ride. In a classic case of viewpoint discrimination, a federal judge is siding with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for turning down ad space to the Catholic Church. WMATA defended the move by saying it bans religious, political, or advocacy messages (depending on whos defining them, apparently, since the Human Rights Campaign still enjoys a prominent space in the subways line-up).
Even so, the Archdiocese of Washington complains, nothing about their message was overtly spiritual. The scene is three wise men, two sheep, and a sky of stars with the words Find the perfect gift in the center. As a spokesman for the church complained, The advertisement does not seek to address a general, otherwise permissible topic from a religious perspective. The sole purpose of directing the public to FindThePerfectGift.org is to promote religion [there].
Interestingly enough, the citys policy was adopted to stop an ongoing debate about Islam from taking place on WMATAs posters. But in stopping Muslim speech, it silenced everyone elses. The censorship has gone so far that an unlikely alliance has already formed between groups like the Archdiocese, ACLU, PETA, and even a local abortion clinic, who all insist that D.C. officials have gone too far.
Metros guidelines are establish[ing] a regime that is hostile to religion, Catholic officials protest. Besides, the Archdiocese argues, where do you draw the line between whats religious and what isnt? If metro allows posters for the Salvation Army or a yoga studio, which both have religious overtones, whats the problem with a Christmas scene?
Still, Judge Amy Berman Jackson insists the city is well within its rights. The regulation is reasonably aligned with WMATAs duty to provide safe, reliable transportation, and it does not violate the First Amendment. Which Constitution is she reading? Of course it does. In a broad net like this, everyones rights get trampled. Like most people, I think its dangerous to limit expression. We shouldnt be afraid of open debate, especially on something as harmless as Christmas.
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We should be especially wary of the government restrictions on ones viewpoint, FRCs Travis Weber warns. They are the most dangerous at their core and go to the heart of why we have the First Amendment. In ruling for WMATA here, the court let the government rely on administrative convenience and the avoidance of controversy as a legitimate basis to exclude ads But suppressing a message for fear of the response is the essence of the hecklers veto, and is no way for a free country to act. If, for no other reason, this is perhaps why the courts should be inclined to rule for the Archdiocese and be loath to affirm any policy which could be used to justify views the government doesnt like.
Conservatives dont have to fear the lies because we have the truth. But how do you defeat a lie if you cant speak the truth? Unless WMATA changes its policy, I guess were about to find out.
This bus runs through Maryland...
Maryland Ping
Christmas is. Federally recognized holiday.
Colorado did not recognize same sex weddings at the time when the cake baker declined his services.
Down is up.
Ever deeper into depravity....
It is absolutely horrible that Christianity is being censored in our society.
We must fight back.
JoMa
It’s more like Metro is throwing religion UNDER the bus in Maryland.
They need all the money they can reasonably get, what with their track problems and all, but yet they toss out the Christian ads, even though they would be a source of revenue for Metro.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
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