In Phoenix the Bells Toll for Freedom
For whom do the bells toll?In Phoenix they toll for the death of freedom—and the rise of whiny Americans, hypocrisy, and the ascendancy of the Nanny State.
A Phoenix judge has ordered the bells of Christ the King Cathedral shut down, and sentenced Bishop Rick Painter to three years of probation, and a suspended ten day jail sentence for violating the Phoenix noise ordinance.Even though separate investigations found that the bells were no louder than a conversation or traffic noise—many of the grown up babies in the neighborhood felt like they were “captives in our own homes.”
If Bishop Painter had been operating an ice cream truck there would have been no problem—they are exempt from the noise ordinance.Conspicuously absent was the ACLU, Center for Individual Rights, National Coalition Against Censorship and all the rest who always show up to defend civil liberties.
But, you are right if you think this story might have been different if Christ the King Cathedral had been a mosque, and Rick Painter had been an muezzin and been hauled into court for using a loudspeaker to call the faithful to prayer five times a day.
All the usual suspects would have shown up. There would have been demonstrations, Keith Olbermann would have treated us to a blowhard by blowhard description of the whole thing—and if necessary, the city council would have amended the noise ordinance.I know this because that is what happened in Hamtramck, Michigan.
After much belly aching from the nannies, as well as the bigots, of Hamtramck, at the urging of the Michigan chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and their supporters, the noise ordinance was unanimously amended-- granting the Bangladeshi al-Islah mosque permission to air the Arabic call to prayer via loudspeakers five times a day.
But the only one who showed up to defend Bishop Painter was the Alliance Defense Fund. This is no surprise.--they are a socially conservative legal defense organizations. However, unlike those who only care about the free speech of their own kind, the Alliance Defense Fund, like many other socially conservative organizations, believes that religious freedom is religious freedom no matter the religion and free speech is free speech no matter the speech.
Thus these conservative groups hooked up with the ACLU, et al in submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting the First Amendment rights of the high school kid who unfurled a banner proclaiming "Bong Hits 4 Jesus."But this was not reciprocated in the case of Bishop Painter.
In Phoenix most everyone was as silent as are the bells of Christ the King Cathedral.
Hemingway was right.
The bells toll for thee.
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