Town Removes Cross From California Hilltop, Atheists Cheer
California atheists are celebrating after the Albany City Council removed a historic cross from a public park and stuffed it into a closet. That’s ironic, even for California.
The 20-foot cross had been erected by the Lions Club in 1971 and was traditionally illuminated on Christmas and Easter.
I think they just gave the city of Albany a black eye,” Albany Lions Club president Kevin Pope told the East Bay Times. “There’s a lot of people who love it being up there — a lot of people go up there and pray and have church services. It’s sacred ground to us, and taking it down shows their intolerance toward Christian values.”
And it’s a reminder of why we need America First lawmakers in office. Click here to read my book, “The Deplorables Guide to Making America Great Again.”
The land upon which the cross was placed was owned by a club member who later gave the club an easement to the property. At some point the land was turned into a public park and that sparked a long legal battle over the Lions Club right to the cross.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation said they were first contacted by members of the East Bay Atheists in 2015 – and they are claiming a victory now that the cross has been “quietly” removed and placed in storage.
“The city has actually put its money where its mouth is, and our city looks a little bit more accepting now in a way that we think is consistent with our values,” Albany Mayor Aaron Tiedemann told the East Bay Times. “For the small local group of people that really want to see the cross stay, when you’ve had such privilege for so long, losing it feels like being oppressed. That’s going to be an adjustment for folks, but I think we will all get used to it, and I think it’s a real benefit.”
At least the mayor admitted that this is all about oppressing Christian citizens in Albany.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, a spokesperson for the notorious atheist group, said they were overjoyed and giddy about the removal of the cross.
“It’s very gratifying and satisfying news to see the city do the right thing, even in a political climate that isn’t very supportive of separation of church and state,” Gaylor said. “Kudos to Albany and their governance for fighting this and being so adamant.”
Most of the citizens support the Lions Club and are heartbroken over the godless actions of the heathen atheists.
“My grandparents wanted to preserve the heritage of the community, who already had a tradition of having services on the hill with the cross but didn’t have a permanent place for it,” Dorena Osborn told the newspaper.
“It breaks my heart that people distorted the history of the cross, saying it was a KKK cross, and that’s so not true,” she said. “What’s ironic about Albany is that their platform is ‘diversity and tolerance.’ This is completely against diversity and tolerance.”
And that’s the point.
Mayor Tiedemann has effectively declared that Christians are no longer welcome in Albany, California.
Published courtesy of TODD STARNES, heard WEEKDAYS from Noon til 3 PM on WHKP,
