> -----Original Message----- > From: Gerald Smith [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 7:24 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [ZION] Punch their lights out
> Ron, > And yet it is the ACLU that has pushed for access on the > sidewalks around Temple Square. Interesting that their disgust > motivates the ACLU into pushing for even more disgusting civil > liberties, eh?< One can argue for civil liberties and still be disgusted by the way people abuse them. I'd imagine the Lord gets pretty disgusted from time to time at the way we abuse our freedoms. So far as I can tell, he does little to abridge and amend them. Instead, for the most part, he lets "nature" take its course. This seems to be the way its going in SLC, in my opinion. > I'm all for freedom of speech, but I also believe that personal > property rights need to be respected, as well.<< Initially, the deed for the Main Street property did contain an easement for a public right of way. I happen to think that the city is better off if the church owns outright the Main Street property-- and that's the way the deal should have been structured in the first place. Unfortunately, it wasn't. I believe the Church should have told the city to pound sand when it injected the "easement" provision at the last moment. More unfortunately, the deal was strapped together the old fashioned way, in ways that would have, in principle, grossly offend conservatives if the acquiring party been anything other than the Church. > The Church has offered a generous trade to the city of 2 acres > land in exchange for the rights of access, yet the ACLU continues > to fight it.< Given the history of how this deal came together and that the Federal Courts ruled in the ACLU's favor, I can understand why they would be wary and cautious of a new deal. There is a principle at stake. To me it has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether one is a loyal church member or not. Arguably, a loyal Church member would insist that the Church honor, obey and sustain the law (which includes procedures mandated by law). As I said, the earlier ears sit squarely in the lap of the city for proposing the deal, failing to give ample public notice to the electorate, changing the nature of the deal at the last minute. The Church's lawyers erred by not rejecting the last minute change out of hand and, previously, for not insisting that the city follow all the rules and regs that pertain to the selling of city owned land. > I think your friends who are disgusted do not > protest enough. Or at least do not protest enough in the > direction they should. < Well...for years, for as long as I can remember, there have been protestors and demonstrations at conference. Frankly, most were entertaining, if annoying. The ones at the most recent conference seemed completely over the top, bigoted and arguably a violation of the civil rights of some conference goers. Moreover, in my mind, the nature of the protests this past confrence session provided the opportunity for to restrict similar protests in the future on the ground they present a clear and present danger to the general peace of the city; and for police to begin to arrest protestors who become harrassers. I will not be surprised to see the ACLU support such measures. >In my opinion, the terrible events that > antis are doing in front of the temple are just as much the fault > of the ACLU as of the Antis doing it. They are often the > ennablers of such wicked and sordid craft.< Yep, that Consitution of ours allows evil and wicked stuff, that's for sure. RBS ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n.YXJjaGl2 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TOPICA - Start your own email discussion group. FREE! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/create/index2.html --^----------------------------------------------------------------
