Tuesday, November 16, 2004

The Church of the Pink Flamingo?
The pink flamingo is the universal symbol of suburban bad taste, and also the underground symbol of the anti-HOA movement (don't tell anybody). Now it has become the center of a religious cult. Well, not exactly:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A holiday display at Cranston City Hall that included a menorah, a Nativity scene and plastic pink flamingos in Santa hats didn't violate the separation of church and state, but the mayor's restrictions on what went into it did hinder free speech, a judge ruled.

Last winter, Mayor Stephen Laffey encouraged residents to put seasonal displays he deemed appropriate on City Hall's front lawn. A menorah went up, followed by an inflatable snowman and Santa Claus, and a Nativity scene. They were followed by a flock of plastic flamingos sponsored by a resident who said they represented the "Church of the Pink Flamingo," a tongue-in-cheek protest against the holiday display.

The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of a resident, arguing that the city was violating the First Amendment separation of church and state, and that Laffey's oversight amounted to a restriction on free speech.

U.S. District Judge William Smith rejected the religious argument on Monday.
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