thumbs_up DAVE WIELENGA’S “IT GETS YOU THINKING ABOUT THE TEN COMMANDMENTS—AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS,” JULY 12

Fundie nutbags will never stop pushing the separation wall; we must be ever vigilant. / HOWARD X

 I struggle to see how allowing a piece of art, which contains no words and is open to interpretation by the viewer, and is available for people to view or not” establishes religion (or prohibits the free exercise thereof…)” It is not freedom from religion that the framers sought. It is freedom of religion. / LON WAGNER

Not being an artist myself, I have a hard time believing anyone who did not read your article will draw any correlation between this piece and religion. As Mr. Verwys stated, it looks like dragon claws to me. As far as the First Amendment to the Constitution is concerned, it would do us well to read the Constitution simply for what it states, without bias. How does allowing a religious piece of artwork on public property prohibit the exercise of religion, or, make a law respecting an establishment of religion? It seems to me that if a city made a law banning religious expression, that would be in contradiction to the First Amendment. I applaud organizations such as this “Kingdom Causes” that not only educate, feed, clothe and house people in our communities, but also promote art and discussion, while asking for nothing from the government in return except for permission to do so. / WILL

How could anyone argue that the use of public land, supported by taxpayer dollars, should be used to further any religious principles? In truth, there is no stopping these zealots who unabashedly grab any opportunity to shove conservative-based doctrine in our face. This ‘art’ is quite weird, I think, more resembling phallic symbolism than anything else. / BARBARA

I don’t see why this shouldn’t be allowed, if the council/city is open to allowing artwork of all sorts. This and that and everything else belongs to our culture and ought to have a place on public land. / ZACH

I’ve got an Islamic friend who will be presenting to the Bellflower City Council his proposal to install 42 voluptuous aluminum forms (none of this creepy bronze tentacle sex anime that Bellflower citizens are apparently so fond of) to “abstractly” symbolize the number of virgins he gets if he dies a martyr to his God. Or maybe they will symbolize Jackie Robinson’s number. Depends on how kinky the council is that night. Stay tuned. / PIODE

Citizen Journalist Quote of the Day: Separation of Church and State: “John Calvin (1509-1564) was a prominent French theologian during the Protestant Reformation and the father of the theological system known as Calvinism. Martin Luther and Calvin are arguably the most significant architects of the Reformation. If Luther sounded the trumpet for reform, Calvin orchestrated the score by which the Reformation became a part of Western civilization. Calvin believed that the church should not be subject to the state, or vice versa. While both church and state are subject to God’s law, they both have their own God-ordained spheres of influence. For example, the church does not have the authority to impose penalties for civil offenses, although it can call on the civil authorities to punish them. Conversely, the state is not to intrude on the operations of the church. However, it has a duty to protect the church and its ability to function as the church. As a magisterial reformer, Calvin thought of the State as a Christian nation rather than a secular government. He did not advocate religious freedom in the same sense as the Baptists later would, for example. However, his ecclesiology sowed the seeds of the modern secular democracy.” (Source: THEOPEDIA.COM) / DWIGHT K. SNIDER

DAVE WIELENGA’S “MASSIVE FARMERS MARKET PROPOSAL CREATING QUITE A PICKLE,” JULY 8

We love the current Farmers Market in Alamitos Bay Marina and patronize it weekly. We do not love that they seem to allow their vendors to encroach ever further into the center aisle down which customers are supposed to be able to have room to walk. A Farmers Market with more vendors and more choices would be welcome so long as the parking area is properly maintained and doesn’t become the dust bowl that the Pumpkin Patch parking area routinely does. Finally, all of this should be moot because the city should flat-out refuse to do business with anyone who employs Mike Murchison to represent them. Eventually those who want to do business with the city might then get the message and stop hiring him and perhaps he would then slink off to slime up someone else’s swamp. / JOHN B. GREET

 If they just moved the Alamitos Marina Farmers Market over to the Pumpkin Patch it might be nicer. But they would have to clean that lot up so it is not “the dust bowl.” Plus, there would have to be regular restroom facilities constructed. Port-a-potties are one of the most disgusting things in the world! What if it was developed in an environmentally responsible way to become an everyday, year-round, open-air market that actually embraced the wetlands and provided some funding to maintain them as part of its mission? / JV

 BILL PEARL’S “PROPOSAL TO CUT LB COUNCIL MEETINGS WILL AGGREGATE POWER, NOT SAVE MONEY,”  JULY 14

From the citizens’ perspective, ol’ Bev’s “C.A.V.E” can be re-interpreted as “C-ouncils A-pprove V-irtually E-verything”—that is, caving in to every big-box, big-bucks development proposal that comes down the “Pike.” / DWR

STEVE LOWERY’S “VECTOR CONTROL,” JULY 16

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I almost said “Dear God, thank you,” but as an atheist, that would have defeated my message. / NASHER

MISCELLANEOUS

Congrats to everyone involved in Greater Long Beach. Our city needs more, not less sources of news and opinion. While Long Beach has a good stable of newspapers and news websites, we are in desperate need of more investigative and thoughtful reporting. Your stable of former District Weekly reporters and contributors will ensure that GLB remains innovative and interesting.  I look forward to seeing you grow. Best of luck! / ROBERT GARCIA