Joseph Farah: Goodbye L.A.

WND.com ^ | 06-16-04 | Farah, Joseph

[Theodore R.]

Goodbye L.A.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: June 16, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

For many, many years, I considered Los Angeles home.

Even after I left the area for other professional opportunities, when I visited Los Angeles, it still felt like home.

No longer.

The character of Los Angeles has fundamentally changed in the last 15 years. I don't even recognize it any more. I don't mean new buildings and freeways. I mean the character of the people who live there.

Moving to Los Angeles in 1979 from the East Coast, I thought I had found paradise on earth. The streets were clean. The people were friendly.

But Los Angeles is now under the dominion of extremists. It's now under the control of an anti-God cult. It's now more like a Third World banana republic than a great American city.

I realized this while pondering Los Angeles' latest controversy over the county seal.

The neo-Talibanists in the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue the county if it didn't remove a tiny cross from the official logo. By a vote of 3-2, the board of supervisors caved into the demand to redesign it.

When I first heard about this controversy, I was surprised the L.A. County seal included a cross. I assumed the cross must have dominated the image – that it was a vestige of a much earlier era in L.A. history.

No. The cross would hardly be noticed if it had not been brought to the world's attention by the ACLU. It is one of nine distinct images on the seal – images that include engineering instruments, a tuna, oil derricks, the Hollywood Bowl, stars representing the movie industry, a prize cow, a Spanish galleon, the cross and Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruits.

In fact, it is the Roman goddess that truly dominates the seal. The cross is one of the smallest objects on the image.

In other words, there are two images on the seal that deal directly with religion – the cross and the goddess. The goddess dominates and the cross is hardly noticeable.

Guess which image the ACLU found objectionable?

That's right. The tiny cross.

The ACLU claims its threat of legal action is based on the notion that the cross makes non-Christians feel unwelcome.

Why isn't the goddess objectionable?

Perhaps because it represents the god of the ACLU – the god of fruits and nuts.

It's interesting, isn't it?

A tiny cross is a threat, but a giant representation of a pagan god is no problem.

It illustrates that the ACLU is not concerned about the establishment of religion at all. It is concerned about the elimination of Christianity from public life in America.

The ACLU might suggest goddess worship is no longer in vogue and therefore no threat. Nonsense. Goddess worship is strong in Los Angeles – throughout California. Paganism of all sorts is more popular than it has ever been in America. Elements of goddess worship and paganism are far more likely to be taught in public schools than anything remotely resembling Christianity.

None of that bothers the ACLU in the slightest – which betrays the organization's real agenda. The group's statements have never rung more hollow than in its shrill calls for the elimination of the cross in the L.A. County seal. It's as if this busybody group has run out of windmills at which to tilt.

Dennis Prager, the heroic Jewish columnist and talk-show host, who has led the fight in challenging the ACLU and the county on this issue, says he has talked to rabbis of every stripe and not one feels unwelcome in L.A. County because of that tiny cross. None of them believed the cross should be removed.

Why? They probably know who's next. First the Sunday people, then the Saturday people.

This controversy is not about "discomfort." It's not about feeling unwelcome. It's not about the establishment clause. It's not about the First Amendment. It's about bigotry – pure and simple. It's about intolerance. It's about persecution.

[Fixit]

Duplicate Posting:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1154385/posts

[Mister Baredog]

Perhaps because it represents the god of the ACLU – the god of fruits and nuts.

Good one! LOL!

[Theodore R.]

Sorry for the duplicate post, but I did make a check first before posting, and nothing showed up.

[tdadams]

It is one of nine distinct images on the seal – images that include engineering instruments, a tuna, oil derricks, the Hollywood Bowl, stars representing the movie industry, a prize cow, a Spanish galleon, the cross and Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruits.

LOL, well I guess L.A. got what it asked for. It has certainly been blessed with more than its fair share of fruits.

[NYer]

A tiny cross is a threat, but a giant representation of a pagan god is no problem. It illustrates that the ACLU is not concerned about the establishment of religion at all. It is concerned about the elimination of Christianity from public life in America.

Catholic Ping - let me know if you want on/off this list

[TheSpottedOwl]

The character of Los Angeles has fundamentally changed in the last 15 years. I don't even recognize it any more. I don't mean new buildings and freeways. I mean the character of the people who live there.

See my tag line. I'm looking forward to moving back to the poverty stricken High Desert.

[joesnuffy]

The founding head of the ACLU has admitted as much...the ultimate goal of the ACLU is the illimination of God (God the father God the Son God the Holy Spirit) from American govt. and culture...

Even the Communists have stated the goal is to first rid a culture of God...before Communism can be succesfull....

The ACLU is as much an enemy of the USA as is any other terrorist group

imo

[Sir Charles]

University High and UCLA grad, early sixties, left California for Washington state 1977. Can't decide if Washington or California is more politically insane, but thinking of moving. Used to know what the High Desert included. Please explain it and also your tagline.

Thanks

[walford]

Note -- Pagan: any religion that developed in a place where there is not a lot of sand.

To the ACLU, the cross poses a threat because it represents truth that is not man-made.

The Roman Goddess is non-threatening as far as the Left is concerned because they think that it represents moral relativism. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Most of those who are practicing revived European religions today are not being very fastidious about it -- they are 'cafeteria' worshippers. If they did their research, they would find that the religions that originated in pre-Christian Europe [or likewise in Asia, Africa or the Americas for that matter] were quite strict, objectively based [the truth comes from the Divine, not man] and required considerable sacrifice.

In many cases, there was a type of monastic system wherein -- starting in childhood -- people would spend years learning the [often highly complex] theology, the healing arts [many of which were quite effective], practical handicrafts, the ways of the local living creatures, etc. These people were as devout in their religion as any. They considered Life to be a blessing and held that there was order and justice in the universe due to a Divine Plan.

Most of today's neo-nature religion practitioners couldn't be bothered. Instead they just get together and play at the the practice, only doing the parts that are fun and don't require much commitment or effort.

That is why the ACLU is not attacking the Roman Goddess. In fact, the ACLU clearly advocates choosing one religious symbol over another, which is clearly prohibited in the First Amendment. I am offended by this as an American -- even though my own theology is non-Abrahamist -- because the government has no business promoting or prohibiting any given religion.

...and those of you who wish to berate me about how every religion that did not originate in the Middle East is false are free to look here for my position on these matters:
Theological Exclusivism

[GOP_1900AD]

The cross on the hill represents a historical fact, the fact that the Spanish established the Missions which led to the initial stages of our state's development. When doctrinaire atheist extremism reaches past the boundary of depictions of historical facts, for the simple reason that the image in question might be interpreted as a particular endorsement of a particular religion due to the interpreting individual not being sufficiently aware or or educated in the image's true meaning, then this consistitutes an aggregious assault on the factual basis of the rule of law. Therefore, I argue that the act of eliminating the symbol is not only unethical but unconsitutional

[GOP_1900AD]

I see the same thing with many Western "Buddhists." If they really practiced Buddhism they would quickly learn that their aversion to what they term "the judgemental nature of Judeo-Christian faith" would turn to abject infinite terror upon learning the fate which probably awaits them according to the Buddhist scriptures!

[walford]

I'm sure that you're right about the Western Buddhists. The asceticism of Eastern Buddhists is far beyond the willingness of most over here.

Have a look at the strictures and effort that is required by those who are serious about reviving the old Roman religion [I am not one of those, by the way]:
http://www.novaroma.org/main.html

[tob2]

Any city that has a tiny cross on it's seal is in danger. My city has one; can hardly wait for the b.s. to start flying! IMHO, if crosses of any size are subject to being banned, then any religious symbol from any religion needs to be banned as well.

[tob2]

One would think Christians have civil liberties!