"The presence of a religious display on government property means exactly diddly unless other religions are being excluded."
You're an intelligent man, Silverback, but if you can't see that government sponsored religious displays don't violate the establishment clause, I can't help you.
Thanks, back at you. As I'm sure you've heard many times, the establishment clause is designed to prevent the government from forming a state church.
Take the folks in Madison, Wisconsin, whos surprisingly have gotten this right. They have displays from all comers in the Capitol, including a display from the Freedom From Religion Foundation declaring an atheist creed. How are they establishing a state relgion when the Christians have a display declaring their belief that the Messiah has come, the Jews have a display that celebrates Hanukkah (and implies that the baby the Christians laud was no Messiah) and the atheists are one the other side of the room with a sign that says there is no God, much less a Messiah? What is the government establishing there?