California town OUTLAWS Christmas Tree ornaments!

[link to www.pressdemocrat.com]

Ban on angels, stars on county Christmas trees

Sonoma County's top official on Monday ordered the removal of stars, angels and other religious symbols from Christmas trees in county buildings after a complaint that the decorations violate constitutional protections.

“I understand the concern about government endorsing religion or a doctrine, and I respect that is not our role,” Acting County Administrator Chris Thomas said.

The complaint was lodged by Irv Sutley of Santa Rosa, a 65-year-old disabled veteran who has a long history of protesting the use of religious symbols in government settings.

One of the offending trees was in the lobby of Thomas' office. He said he didn't become aware that the star atop the tree might be a problem until consulting with county attorneys.

“A star on top of the tree is a religious symbol for some people,” Thomas said.

Sutley, an atheist and chairman of the county's central committee for the Peace and Freedom Party, said he spotted an angel on a tree in the lobby of the county Recorder's Office on Friday while gathering voter information for his bid for re-election in the June primary.

He said he found other offending items in the lobbies of various other departments, prompting a meeting Monday with Thomas. Sutley said he was simply asking the county to follow the law.

“I don't believe government has the right to use tax dollars to show favoritism to any particular cult like Christianity,” he said. “It's just wrong. That's why we have the Constitution, to protect minorities from the majority opinion.”

The U.S. Supreme Court in 1989 ruled in a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union that government may celebrate Christmas in some form but not if it endorses Christian doctrine.

The court found that while a Christmas tree is not a religious symbol, it can take on that meaning if it is decorated with such symbols.

Thomas sent an e-mail Monday to managers of all 26 county departments asking them to take down the angels and stars.

“Please remove star toppers, angels and any other religious symbols from the trees so that we can celebrate the season yet not appear to endorse Christian or other religious doctrines,” the e-mail stated.

Sutley previously was successful in halting prayers at government meetings in several local cities and having Rohnert Park redesign its city emblem because it featured what appeared to be the Star of David and a church.

He said he's satisfied the county has complied with his request. But he hinted at more battles ahead, including asking the county to remove a cross that was erected on the border of Sonoma's Ernie Smith Park as a memorial to a crash victim.

“It's an unpermitted private memorial on public land and it has this religious symbolism,” Sutley said. “The place for a memorial is either at someone's house, in a cemetery or at a church — not on public land.”