Central to the case was whether or not the flagpole is perceived for instance of presidency speech. If that’s the case, the town has a proper to restrict shows with out violating free speech rules. The Free Speech Clause of the Structure restricts authorities regulation of personal speech, it doesn’t regulate authorities speech. But when, however, the show quantities to non-public speech, in a government-created discussion board the place others are invited to precise their views, the federal government can not discriminate primarily based on the point of view of one of many audio system.
[Justice Stephen] Breyer concluded that the flag-raising program “doesn’t specific authorities speech.”
Okay, then. We’re all agreed! The flags should not thought-about government-endorsed speech, so Boston can’t restrict who participates primarily based on non secular affiliation. So the place can we go from right here?
This seems like a job for The Satanic Temple!
The Satanic Temple is hoping to lift considered one of its flags in entrance of Boston Metropolis Corridor after the Supreme Court docket dominated Boston violated free speech rights when it refused to fly a Christian group’s flag.
“Non secular Liberty is a bedrock precept in a democracy, and Non secular Liberty depends upon authorities viewpoint neutrality,” Lucien Greaves, cofounder of The Satanic Temple mentioned in an announcement. “When public officers are allowed to desire sure non secular viewpoints over others, we would not have Non secular Liberty, we’ve got theocracy.”
Say it with me now: “Hail Devil!”
In all seriousness, as an ex-altar boy who rejected God many years in the past however by some means retained all of the crushing Catholic guilt, I discover this entire challenge type of annoying. Christians and different non secular people have actually tons of of thousands and thousands of acres of personal land on which to construct their shows, shrines, creches, Festivus poles, and different knickknacks, and but they regularly really feel compelled to proselytize in public venues—in clear defiance of Jesus’ expressed wishes. These controversies would disappear in a single day if folks simply stayed of their lanes.
In my marginally knowledgeable opinion, Devil and God are equally proficient at not current, so in a technique I don’t have a canine on this hunt. However in one other, much more correct approach? I’m completely rooting for Devil and his temple.
Right here’s a bit extra on the group, from Masslive:
[The Satanic Temple doesn’t] view Devil as an evil determine, however as one who dared query authority. The group largely advocates for the separation of church and state and is understood for trying to get its one-ton goat-headed idol statue put subsequent to the 10 Commandments monument on public grounds.
After all, conservatives will shit a pallet of Wetzel’s Pretzels the second a Satanic flag is raised over Boston’s metropolis corridor, however they need to have considered that after they determined to shove their dogmas into each nook and cranny of public life. Sauce for the goose and all that.
Personally, I couldn’t care much less if a Christian group is briefly flying flags on public land in Boston, as long as they don’t block different religions’ entry to the identical house. However meaning all religions get the identical entry—together with the hallucinogenic-toad-licking Rip Taylor thriller cult I’ve been workshopping in my storage throughout my downtime between absinthe benders and binging Succession. Is that this actually a workable coverage?
And, to be honest, The Satanic Temple is definitely being honest when it engages on these points—much more honest, I’d argue, than their Christian counterparts.
“I hope that with the leaked draft of the Supreme Court docket majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, extra folks will get up to the truth that these efforts by The Satanic Temple are literally high-stakes frontline battles to protect the essential rights of all, and never merely intelligent ‘pranks’ to show already well-known hypocrisies,” Greaves instructed MassLive.
It made comic Sarah Silverman say, “THIS IS FUCKING BRILLIANT,” and prompted creator Stephen King to shout “Pulitzer Prize!!!” (on Twitter, that’s). What’s it? The viral letter that launched 4 hilarious Trump-trolling books. Get all of them, together with the finale, Goodbye, Asshat: 101 Farewell Letters to Donald Trump, at this link. Or, in the event you favor a take a look at drive, you possibly can download the epilogue to Goodbye, Asshat for the low, low price of FREE.
