Carpenters In The Forehead/ The Confederate Flag Brochure Nixed……..Again
Written by Jeff Davis
Tuesday, 01 December 2009
The Superintendant of Allegany County schools, in rejecting the latest request to have a Confederate flag brochure distributed in public schools, has once again sent a resounding message of, “Thanks, but no thanks,” to the Cumberland Historical Cemetery Organization (CHCO) and Mr. Ed Taylor. This brochure, which was a blatant religious message wrapped in the cloth of an ignoble flag, was appropriately returned to CHCO for distribution somewhere else. Hopefully this will allow the issue to finally rest in peace, perhaps in a local Confederate cemetery of CHCO’s choosing.
In a recent letter to the Cumberland Times-News ( http://www.times-news.com/archivesearch/local_story_328230028.html ), Mr. Taylor asked the rhetorical question of how long the public would have to swallow my nonsense, with nonsense being defined by him as anyone who holds the opinion that our 
Constitution is a secular document, or anyone who does not follow the dictates of his brand of Christianity.
Far from being nonsense, I would like to point out to Mr. Taylor that it is our beloved Constitution that allows both of us to publicly express our disagreements over values and that at the same time prevents either of us from imposing the dogma of any particular belief on the citizens of our country. The Constitution protects all of us, no matter our religious persuasion, of lack thereof, and the fact that the majority of our citizens are Christian has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that our Constitution is secular to its core.
If I happened to live in Afghanistan, I am quite certain that I would have been stoned to death a long time ago for being an Infidel. But the same holds true for Mr. Taylor and his Christian community; there are no allowances made in places where the majority imposes its tyranny on the minority.
I’ll stick with our secular Constitution, as it is derived from a sense of fairness and a need for protection of all its citizens. As such, our government maintains a strict separation of Church and State and the public sphere is deemed a place of inclusiveness for all; no matter your race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation.
I’m glad to hear from Mr. Taylor that his organization has more visitors to their website, as well as more sales of their flag brochure. I wish them well, as my intent is not to attack their religious beliefs, but rather, to oppose their insistence in trying to cross the line into places that are public and secular.
In fact, I would extend an invitation to Mr. Taylor and members of the Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization to attend the dedication of a monument in honor of the U.S. Constitution that is to be placed on the courthouse lawn at District Court on Washington Street. This monument is to be a representation of the freedoms that we all are so fortunate to have in this country; freedoms that Mr. Taylor and I share equally with our fellow citizens. Final details are being prepared in conjunction with the Allegany County Commissioners and the monument will proudly be presented to the people of Allegany County by the Citizens for a Secular Government. The date for this will be announced as soon as it is determined by the Commissioners.
Those of you who support such an endeavor may wish to make a contribution to the monument fund, as the Citizens for a Secular Government, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, is assuming the costs of this project. Contributions can be sent to:
Citizens for a Secular Government
Box 661
Cumberland, MD. 21502
Copyright © 2009 The Appalachian Independent.
