March 25, 2006 -- Here's the opening sentence from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune: ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A small Easter display was removed from the City Hall lobby on Wednesday out of concern that it would offend non-Christians.

The story went on to explain that a secretary decorates her area, which is apparently near or in the office lobby,  for each holiday.  This time it was "a cloth Easter bunny, pastel-colored eggs and a sign which said 'Happy Easter.'"  This, apparently, enraged the city's human rights director because it negated, damaged or threatened somebody's human rights.  This tower of Midwestern cultural nobility, Tyrone Terrill, said that nobody had complained to him about it, and no city money was used to finance the display, so his actions clearly are signs that we are looking at the man's character, here. 

Doing the Left thing is the driving force in TT's life, and it is clear that the offense is the kind of thing that can lead to evil in the end.  Easter bunnies and pastel eggs, no doubt, infected the poor fellow in Afghanistan who recently  went mad and converted to Christ.  Are the mullahs who run the City Hall in St. Paul going to be forced to start executing such traitors to stop the flood of converts, or is this nation to behave properly and before the plague arises, off all pastel eggs on public property?   .

Here in Oregon, the streets filled with socialists holding up stuffed rabbits with pins stuck in them.  Feminists with 12 guage street sweepers bagged a Playboy bunny who appeared braless on her 70th birthday.  Taking to the streets of Portland, Oregon, these dope smoking defenders of the separation of church and state expressed  their agreement with Tyrone about this horrid rape of decency and humanity, this abortive attempt by a Minnesota secretary to spread the hateful, evil propaganda of Christianity by inflicting the virgin eyes and minds of Minnesotans with the shocking imagery not only of the bunny, itself, but those horrid pastel eggs!!

"Halliburton and Cheny Ambush 1st Amendment" said many signs.  Other slogans included "Bush is hiding WMD eggs in the fake White House grass!"  and "Karl Rove is an Easter Egghead!"

The Minnesota newspaper described the reaction of council president, Kathy Lantry, to Tyron Terril's decision, saying that "the removal wasn't about political correctness."

Of course it wasn't!  Who suggested it was?  Every conservative knows full well that the placement of a pink stuffed bunny, fake grass and pastel eggs in a place where innocent passing citizens can see them is a clear attempt to ridicule atheists, or at least agnostics.  With the stress of daily life, it is bad enough for a member of the Twin Cities ACLU to have to research a path from Gopher Prarie to the City Hall which does not pass a Christian Church. And then to have to walk past this insult to the Constitution when you enter the building?  Christian Church steeples within sight of our schools, Christmas trees, St. Patrick and now this!!  It is almost more than a society can take.

Political correctness?  "As government, we have a different responsibility about advancing the cause of religion, which we are not going to do,'' said Council president, Lantry.

Again from the Tribune: It's not the first time a holiday symbol has been removed from City Hall. In 2001, red poinsettias were briefly banned from a holiday display because they were associated with Christmas. 

Political Correctness. Minnesota?  There is living proof that this charge is invalid.  The city is named Saint Paul.  It's on the road signs, the government buldings, the stationery, everything.  The name of a Catholic Saint paid for and publicly plastered all the hell over the place!

Tyrell and Lantry haven't objected to that, have they?

Yet, anyway.

(LL)

© 2006 Oregon Magazine