Civil Disobedience in Minneapolis
Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Also what Caesar regulates:
A small-town bank in Oklahoma said the Federal Reserve won’t let it keep religious signs and symbols on display.
Federal Reserve examiners come every four years to make sure banks are complying with a long list of regulations. The examiners came to Perkins last week. And the team from Kansas City deemed a Bible verse of the day, crosses on the teller’s counter and buttons that say "Merry Christmas, God With Us." were inappropriate. The Bible verse of the day on the bank's Internet site also had to be taken down.
Federal rules forbid "...the use of words, symbols, models and other forms of communication ... express, imply or suggest a discriminatory preference or policy of exclusion." So the bank has to be yulenfrei. Can’t wait until these guys regulate the internet, eh?
After I read that story I walked outside my office, and heard something interesting: the bells of City Hall. Every noon they play tunes. The massive carillon in the tower is connected to a tiny keyboard in the lobby, and a fellow plays simple tunes, one finger at a time. If the tune has a sprightly meter, the music has the grace of someone juggling water balloons, but the bells impart a stately dignity to simple carols. (Digression: I had the opportunity to play the bells at noon once, and treated the downtown crowd to “Smoke on the Water.” Cross that one off the bucket list.) Anyway: to my surprise, the bells were playing “Away in a Manger.” Then came “Silent Night.” Actual religious carols pealing from the bells above, echoing for blocks in the arctic air of Minneapolis.
Years ago, I would have thought, ah, Christmas. Now I think: someone’s going to get in trouble. But probably not. He played for almost an hour, and if anyone in City Hall realized what was going on, they didn't run down to the lobby and bark play Rudolph, if you know what's good for you.
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Comments :
Oct '10
Re: Civil Disobedience in Minneapolis
The last time I checked, "In God We Trust" was still on our currency! Does that need to be removed also?
Jul '10
Re: Civil Disobedience in Minneapolis
All Chipmunks all of the time.
May '10
Re: Civil Disobedience in Minneapolis
James Lileks: Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Also what Caesar regulates:
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I have not followed any of the current arguments ala Ron Paul about the Federal Reserve, whether it should be or not. But after reading this item, I'm all for chucking the whole thing out. We need Federal regulations on how to decorate a bank lobby? This is the last rest stop on the road to serfdom.
Land of the free and home of the brave? Yeah, sure.
May '10
Re: Civil Disobedience in Minneapolis
Knowing Minneapolis (the City Council is controlled by the Green Party), no one in authority recognizes the carols enough to know the song titles or subjects.
Aug '10
Re: Civil Disobedience in Minneapolis
As we are on Ricochet, I believe we should listen to The Vandals Christmas Album during this season.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ECWAMaSKww&feature=related
Edited on Dec 17, 2010 at 1:02pmMay '10
Re: Civil Disobedience in Minneapolis
Darn it, Lileks, you had my hopes up! There should have been civil disobedience. Instead, the bank managers acquiesced and appealed to their politicians like beggars.
Law should generally be honored even when it is wrong. But total reliance on politicians is a recipe for failure. We have to stand up for each other. Government is not the source of our freedom. Citizens should not be politely requesting that their liberties be returned at Washington's convenience.
Re: Civil Disobedience in Minneapolis
Ron Paul ought to have a field day with this. We could perhaps debate whether it is appropriate for there to be a religious display in a courthouse or in a federal building. But the last time I checked the banks in this country were privately owned. This is a case of the government involving itself in a matter that is none of its business.
Jul '10
Re: Civil Disobedience in Minneapolis
Nice little bank you got here. Be a shame if somethin' was to happen to it.
Edited on Dec 17, 2010 at 3:11pmJul '10
Re: Civil Disobedience in Minneapolis
Nothing a little hot tar and some chicken feathers couldn't address. By 2013, the Fed may have proven so utterly that it is the problem rather than the solution, having so utterly and consistently disgraced itself, that the only question will be what to replace it with.