Randy Shannon – 12/26/04

This page was last updated on January 3, 2005.

Keep idols off my property; Randy Shannon; Beaver County Times; December 26, 2004.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I like Nativity scenes, but I don’t have one on my property. I don’t want one on my property.

“I like menorahs, but not on my property. The same for symbols of other faiths.”

[RWC] If after reading his letter you believe Mr. Shannon likes Nativity scenes, menorahs, and symbols of other faiths, I have a bridge to sell you. His letters and speeches lead me to believe Mr. Shannon is a devout socialist, and socialism fears religious faith.

“Letter writers Sue Ramsey, Margie Lease, Brian Carter John Cataffa, James Circle, Rod Belsky, and Dee Phillips can put what they want on their property.”

[RWC] Mr. Shannon, what about when their property is on public property, like a public road? For example, would it be OK for these folks to have a Nativity scene in a pick-up truck while driving on public roads or parked in a public parking lot? What about when driving through Brady’s Run Park? What about Nativity scenes on private property but visible from public property? What about chapels on military bases? What about military chaplains? What about religious programs broadcast on the “public airwaves?”

“However, they may not put their idols on my property. As a Beaver county taxpayer, I’m an owner of every property titled to Beaver County. My federal taxes used by the county makes me an owner of Bradys Run Park even if I lived in Alaska.”

[RWC] I didn’t know a Nativity scene was an idol. I thought it was a depiction of an historical event.

What about a snowman? I’m sure someone somewhere attaches religious significance to snowmen.

Let’s follow Mr. Shannon’s logic. Because Mr. Shannon alleges he is a Beaver County taxpayer, every piece of Beaver County property is also his property. That also makes Beaver County property the property of Sue Ramsey, et al. Since Mr. Shannon said these folks “can put what they want on their property,” what is his beef with these people placing Nativity scenes on Beaver County property? After all, Mr. Shannon himself says County property is their property. Maybe Mr. Shannon needs to rethink his “logic.”

“Sue Ramsey, it isn’t your right to express your freedom of religion at my expense. John Cataffa will not force me to celebrate Christmas the way he wants. And Brian Carter, sorry, Beaver County is still part of the United States.”

[RWC] As long as the government doesn’t fund the display, how is displaying a Nativity scene on public property expressing freedom of religion – and speech – at Mr. Shannon’s expense?

I get a kick out of “John Cataffa will not force me to celebrate Christmas the way he wants.” Mr. Shannon apparently doesn’t recognize that by prohibiting Nativity scenes on public property, government forces the rest of us to celebrate Christmas the way Mr. Shannon wants. Socialists tend to believe laws apply to everyone except socialists. As shown throughout his letter, however, socialists are not very good in the logic area. That’s because logic is to socialism what Kryptonite is to Superman.

“Rod Belsky and Margie Lease must be reading from the same flat Earth playbook that the Constitution doesn’t say anything about separation of church and state. ‘Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ They need someone to explain the First Amendment to you.”

[RWC] If anyone needs an explanation of the First Amendment it is Mr. Shannon. I defy Mr. Shannon to show me the words “separation of church and state” in the real Constitution, not the socialist version. Perhaps someone needs to read the First Amendment to Mr. Shannon since he appears to quote it selectively. Mr. Shannon conveniently omitted the remainder of the First Amendment that reads, “; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The amendment doesn’t say “except on public property.”

I’m not a constitutional scholar, but I can read and understand English. The First Amendment clearly does not prohibit Nativity scenes or other religious symbols from public property.

Where did the phrase “separation between church and state” come from if not the Constitution? It’s from a letter President Thomas Jefferson sent to the Danbury (Connecticut) Baptist Association. In his letter, Jefferson confirmed that Congress would “make no law respecting an establishment of a religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, ‘thus building a wall of separation between church and state.’”

Finally, you’ll note the amendment applies only to Congress, not the states or local governments. This is a common theme throughout the Constitution. The 10th Amendment specifically states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

“These people think their majority can have their way with the rest of us. But the founding fathers established a democratic republic in which every individual is sovereign, not a democracy in which the majority is sovereign.

“They protected us against religious or any other fanatics who would use a majority to take away the rights of the sovereign citizens in a minority.”

[RWC] The only people taking rights away are folks like Mr. Shannon.

It’s funny that Mr. Shannon invokes the founding fathers. I can’t be sure, but I suspect they would disagree with Mr. Shannon’s view that the First Amendment prohibits Nativity scenes on public property.

“Do these people represent Beaver County Christians? Are there voices of Beaver County Christians who respect our laws and democratic traditions?”

[RWC] Let me get this straight. If you can read the Constitution and believe it does not prohibit the display of Nativity scenes, you don’t respect our laws? By this paragraph we can assume Mr. Shannon is not a Christian. Given the topic of his letter, I wonder why Mr. Shannon did not tell us his religious belief. Is he Jewish, Muslim, an atheist, an agnostic, et cetera?

“Christmas began as the pagan day of resurrection of the sun god, who had died on Dec. 22.”

[RWC] Does Mr. Shannon just make up this stuff? According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the festival to which Mr. Shannon refers was actually the “birthday of the unconquered sun,” not the resurrection of a dead sun god.

The Christian desire to commemorate the birth of Jesus had nothing to do with the pagan Roman festival to which Mr. Shannon refers. It’s possible the early Christians chose to have Christmas coincide with this festival, but it’s completely false to claim the pagan holiday evolved into Christmas. Mr. Shannon also appears to forget that not everyone celebrates Christmas on December 25^th. Various Christian churches celebrate Christmas on January 6^th.