Last year, a political group put up a Christmas nativity scene in the Illinois Capitol and egged on anyone to complain or file a lawsuit. It looked like an attempt to create a contrived controversy supported by a pro-life law firm and the Illinois Family Institute.
No one took the bait, but it lead the local ACLU to discuss having our own display this year. Someone suggested a first amendment display and I added that it should include quotes from founding fathers and religious leaders about freedom of religion, free expression, and the separation of church and state. A committee (which didn't include me, I can't take credit) put together an excellent display that now sits in the Capitol.
Apparently, the idea of having a pluralistic society where everyone is free to speak their mind and practice their own religion (Christian or not) is offensive to Ann Coulter.
Fox interviewed Don Hanrahan, chair of the Springfield area ACLU, but didn't use the interview on O'Reilly's show. I guess Don didn't say anything inflammatory enough to be taken out of context and exploited for manufactured outrage. Good job Don!
If O'Reilly is as "fair and balanced" as he claims (haha!) then he should show the Hanrahan interview instead of letting Ann Coulter lie about ACLU's position. Shouldn't Fox viewers get to hear both sides and decide for themselves?
If Coulter had read the display, she would have seen a few examples of the ACLU's long history of defending religious freedom. But lying about the ACLU wasn't enough. She also lied about the founding fathers by claiming the Declaration of Independence was written by Christians. This is basic high school history.
The primary author of the Declaration was Thomas Jefferson, who didn't believe in the divinity of Jesus, and argued for a "wall of separation between church and state." Jefferson's draft was approved with only two minor changes. A committee assigned to write the declaration also included Benjamen Franklin, who was a Deist, like many of the founding fathers.
Coulter does a good job of showing why the ACLU display is necessary. We have to correct misconceptions about American history that are spread by lying demagogues like her.
America was not founded as an exclusively Christian nation. It was founded as a free nation that welcomes people of all religions or no religion. That's part of what makes this a great country. It's a shame that the conservatives at Fox have so little clue about what it means to be an American. They could learn something from the ACLU.