Roosevelt Quote in Courthouse to Be Covered

The Las Vegas Sun ^ | October 01, 2004 at 5:03:21 PDT | AP Reporter

[Commander8]

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - A Theodore Roosevelt quote displayed on the wall of a courthouse will be covered up after critics complained the comment about Christianity violated the separation of church and state.

Roosevelt's remark that "the true Christian is the true citizen" was part of a longer address the president gave at a YMCA convention more than a century ago.

The words are engraved in gold letters on a mahogany wall in a Riverside County courtroom. The quote is one of several by Roosevelt that have graced the courthouse for 70 years.

The Anti-Defamation League sent a letter to the court in July asking that the quote be covered because it could be interpreted as a direct "endorsement of Christian faith."

Alison Mayersohn, associate director of the group's Pacific Southwest region, said, without the original context, the quote could easily be perceived as "equating Christianity and good citizenship."

The words will be covered with a wood panel within two weeks, County Counsel William Katzenstein said Wednesday.

Officials said they will cover the quote when the court is in session but will leave it on display during historical tours and other times when the court is not in session.

"Our goal is to preserve the (etching) in its natural state, assuming it has historical significance," Katzenstein said.

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[Commander8]

PING!

[PeterFinn]

The Anti-Defamation League is a bunch of anti-Christian terrorists. I'm surprised they didn't just blow up the courthouse.

[DSBull]

While this freak makes some good points, I find it interesting that people like this, instead of working for change, within the Republican or Democrat party, decide to work outside the system, effectively guaranteeing that nothing will be done. Then they lay back on their so-called integrity whining all the day long.

[DSBull]

Wow, what happened I was in another thread commenting on a third party candidate...and it posted here. Must have done something wrong, sorry...

[The Hollywood Conservative]

You know, I can kindof understand the point here... This particular quote seems to be completely out of place in a courthouse... My question is, who put this up in the forst place?

[maestro]

Merry Christmas!

/sarcasm

[fourthrider]

>The Anti-Defamation League is a bunch of anti-Christian terrorists.

That may be a little harsh and somewhat lacking in Charity, but what strikes me more is the ADL is using a cannon to kill an ant.
If their longer term agenda is to eliminate the concept of religious inference in all aspects of civil or public life, then cut to the chase, sue to have "In God We Trust" removed from our currency; demand that the last stanza of National Anthem be removed -- a stanza that contains these stirring words: Then conquer we must, For our cause it is just. And this be our motto; In God is our trust. That is the stanza we should be singing at all public events where the Anthem is sung; especially in this time of war. And in the interest of full disclosure; I say this as one who is an atheist and has been for, yikes, well over 40 years.