Park Officials Awash in Baptism Controversy

The Richmond, VA park officials that broke up a baptism ceremony are in over there heads.

Citing the possibility that it might be offensive to nearby swimmers or other people using the park, the park officials behaved like... like.... religious zealots that want to stop anything that might offend them.

Of course the incident has the aforementioned zealots in a tizzy. Rev. Patrick Mahoney, who heads the Christian Defense Coalition. "It's one of the most egregious violations of the First Amendment I have ever seen."

Funny, how they never see it as egregious when they are trying to violate someone else's First Amendment rights.

I, on the other hand, do not pick and choose which violations of the First Amendment that I speak out against. The park officials were wrong to stop the ceremony that celebrated the group's religious faith. It was a public park and the public should be able to use it for such an event; as long as it is not sponsored or funded by the park.

If there was some sort of Gay Pride group holding festivities at the park, I wonder if Rev. Patrick Mahoney would mind if their rights were egregiously violated?


If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.
* Noam Chomsky

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
* Voltaire