Just once I’d like to see the appropriate government officials in a town like Hillsboro, Montgomery County, say, “Yes, we agree that the religious sign on the courthouse is inappropriate; we’ll take it down forthwith.” (“ACLU may be in for a holy war,” Tempo, Feb. 11.)
Instead, the officials in these controversies always seem to want to fight the issue, as if engaging in an expensive, losing fight against a bedrock principle of American democracy-the separation of church and state-is somehow more righteous than acceding to the principle by removing the offending sign.
After prolonging the issue unnecessarily, they complain about too many lawyers with too much time on their hands. The officials should pick up a 6th-grade social studies book and read up on the simple concept that in the United States, a majority cannot impose its religious beliefs on a minority by simply voting to do so. They can then take the sign down, and all the lawyers will go home.
If the citizens still want religious signs, they can promote whatever denomination they choose on their private property. It is, after all, a free country.
