Posted on 10/30/2002 11:47:36 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
What is good for the U.S. Mint is evidently not acceptable to the U.S. Postal Service.
A post office in Montgomery north of Houston recently learned that it had to remove a framed poster of the national motto "In God We Trust" because it violates postal regulations.
The donated 16-by-20-inch poster, which is matted and secured in a gold frame, displays "In God We Trust" in large white letters over the American flag colors. It states at the bottom that the "national motto was approved by Congress and President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956."
Retired chemical engineer Frank P. Williamson spent $3,000 purchasing 300 of the posters, had them framed, and then donated them to city halls, schools, libraries, police stations and post offices across Montgomery County, where they've hung since this summer.
Cut and Shoot postmistress Ida Miera vowed Wednesday that the poster, which still hangs in her post office and two others in the county, will come down "over my dead body."
The town of Montgomery seemed like a particularly logical place for the poster, Williamson said, because the historic town, population 486, was home to Texas' first secretary of state who designed Texas' Lone Star flag.
"After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, I thought it would be good to promote our national motto. I know that the only reason we've been successful in the past is that our forefathers put their trust in God way back," Williamson said. "I don't see what's wrong with a patriotic display that makes a reference to God. "
Postal spokesman David Lewin, in Houston, said the Montgomery post office had not been authorized to hang the poster and was forced to remove it because it "did not fit within postal guidelines."
He pointed to postal regulation 232 under sections about "depositing literature" and "soliciting and electioneering" which state that the posting of most handbills, fliers, pamphlets, signs, placards and posters in post office lobbies is prohibited.
He said the only exceptions are things such as FBI wanted posters, missing child posters, stamp art contests, and community bulletin board items that are "informational but not permanent in nature."
"We don't know what is happening at all 40,000 post offices around the country but we try to have them adhere to our regulations," he said. "Sometimes we hire a `mystery shopper' to visit area post offices and make sure they are in compliance."
The motto was first used on a 2-cent coin minted in 1864, and now federal law dictates its inscription on all coins and paper money. It is also prominently engraved in the wall above the speaker's dais in the U.S. House of Representatives and appears over the entrance to the U.S. Senate chamber.
Miera, who operates the contract post office in a small red building in Cut and Shoot, has the framed poster on the wall behind the counter where she sells stamps atop a piece of fabric, which she bought at a discount store after the terrorist attack, that depicts the Statue of Liberty and states "God Bless America."
"I am not taking this down," she said. "I don't know why in the world somebody would not want it. This is what our boys have always fought for -- God and country. It would be plumb stupid to remove it."
A Montgomery postal supervisor learned about the national motto poster after several post offices in the county asked about displaying it, Lewin said.
Williamson said that when he talked to postal supervisor C.O. Sylvester about the poster, he was told that the post office cannot receive any gifts.
"He (Sylvester) said what if somebody wanted to display the Iraq flag or advertise the Ku Klux Klan rally that is planned for Saturday in the park across the street from the post office. If you take one, then you have to take them all," Williamson said.
Williamson, who said his brother's post office in Nashville has a gallery of photographs of country western singers, has sent letters to U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Woodlands; U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and U.S. Postmaster General John Potter protesting the removal.
Hutchison could not be reached for comment. Brady's chief of staff, Doug Centilli, said Brady did not see a problem with such a poster in the post office and had asked Potter for an explanation.
"Brady is on record, along with most every other members of the House of Representatives, as encouraging the display of the national motto in public buildings," said Centilli.
He said the House resolution supporting public display of the motto adopted two years ago will probably be presented in the next session.
Montgomery County Judge Alan B. Sadler said he has not had any complaints since the commissioners ordered the posters put in all the county's libraries. The head librarian had asked the county attorney's office whether the poster might be a violation of the constitutional amendment prohibiting the government from promoting religion.
The county's assistant attorney, Robert Rosenquist, recommended that they not hang the poster to avoid a possible court battle. While the courts have upheld the motto as "proper" for coins and currency, the courts have not said whether it was proper for libraries, his opinion stated. The commissioners decided to ignore the opinion and put the posters up anyway.
Karyl Palmisano with Mainstream Montgomery County opposed displaying the poster when it came before the commissioners court, taking issue with the organization that sold the posters to Williamson, "because they were bought from the American Family Association which represents the religious right. I see it totally as a violation of church and state."
Whether the posters remain in post offices will ultimately be determined by the postmaster general, Lewin said.
I guess they're really confident. Can you believe the hypocrisy of complaining that blacks may be slightly underrepresented as coaches when they are MASSIVELY overrepresented in sports. How about monetary rewards for hiring non-black athletes and accusing them of racism in that respect? Why is 80% of the NBA black when only 14% of Americans are. There is no worse racial inbalance anywhere.
And just how does this constitute "electioneering"?
Oh yes, I forgot, the Dems are Godless, and without christian morals...
It's in the "emanations of the penumbra" as is the RvW decision.
"Emanations of the penumbra" certainly sounds like the Supremes were into the drug culture at the time and were hallucinating.
Meanwhile, written words like "right of the people" and "shall not be infringed" somehow are not clear to them.
Other than for stamp collectors it seems most men customers like the Flag stamps,
women like the "love, flowers, animals," and other cutsey stamps.
< race mongering liberal mode >
Can't you see? This is just a representation of the black masses working for the white massahs?
< /race mongering liberal mode >
ooo... it even kinda "illiterated" (alliterated).
All Others Pay Cash...
This sign pretty much sums up the american experience, both good and bad.
They don't adhere to this in the p.o. in my neighborhood either. There are posters for HBO movies and Showtime movies on the walls over the writing tables. And last year some time, (can't remember definite times) I was waiting in line and there were holders full of AOL cd's with 750 free hours on every available surface. Wouldn't the above "rule" apply?
They have no idea who they are messing with!
It would if it was a USPS facility.
If it was a postal contract station, (like in a drug store, or supermarket,) it wouldn't.
In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires." The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason: that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion. The lawyer sued....and won!
In delivering the ruling the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The Judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable fire," and was obligated to pay the claim. Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000.00 to the lawyer for his loss of the rare cigars lost in the "fires."
NOW FOR THE BEST PART... After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!!!! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000.00 fine.
This is a true story and was the 1st place winner in the recent Criminal Lawyers Award Contest.
Ida for President!!!
I'm guessing it would be allright with you if they had posters up saying "Praise Satan!","Allah is Great!",or "Communism is the ideal system!"? After all,they wouldn't be "promoting" these ideas,would they?
Simple. They follow the dictates of Congress and the Civil Wrongs Act of 1964,and hire more minority college graduates who can't read or write and who have never delivered mail to be managers. The surest way to get promoted in the USPS is to be a minority lesbian. You can literally walk in off the street into a management position.
Don't tell me,let me guess. You are looking forward to your application for employment with Bubba-2's new "Office of Reich Security" being approved,right?
Don't worry about it. Within 20 years using cash will be illegal. Your friendly state and feral gooberment agents are already semi-legally removing "excess amounts" of it from the possession of people who are traveling,and keeping it for their own use.
Maybe,but inaccurate. I damn sure never did any fighting for "God". If he's so all-powerful,let the SOB do his own damn fighting!
BTW,what is the difference between Muslim fundies "fighting for God" and Christian fundies "fighting for God"?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.