Big local government in Ohio town forbids nativity scenes in your own front yard.

[konradv]

Removing zombie anything is OK in my book. I think it should be included in the Constitution.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

One of the comments:

So, will he be allowed to put this display back up at easter, to celebrate the rising of the dead from the earth?
Will we still be allowed to go to communion to drink blood and eat flesh?
This is so very confusing.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

There's no indication this is a First Amendment free speech issue

I disagree. I find it difficult to believe that nobody else in the entire town has a nativity scene up, or that any of them have been cited because of it. The selective enforcement would create first amendment issues.

That being said, you need to look closer. Cuntdor is saying this is about this particular nativity scene being offensive.

Hey, fuckwit, the zoning bans displays bigger than 35% of the yard.

Perhaps you'd like to add some sense to your diet?

It was probably some freedom-hating christians who complained about this BUT

Read your own link.

 

[SwimExpert]

There's no indication this is a First Amendment free speech issue

I disagree. I find it difficult to believe that nobody else in the entire town has a nativity scene up, or that any of them have been cited because of it. The selective enforcement would create first amendment issues.

That being said, you need to look closer. Cuntdor is saying this is about this particular nativity scene being offensive.

Hey, fuckwit, the zoning bans displays bigger than 35% of the yard.

Perhaps you'd like to add some sense to your diet?

It was probably some freedom-hating christians who complained about this BUT

Read your own link.

I read my link before I posted it. Do you have anything to contribute?

 

[NYcarbineer]

There's no indication this is a First Amendment free speech issue

I disagree. I find it difficult to believe that nobody else in the entire town has a nativity scene up, or that any of them have been cited because of it. The selective enforcement would create first amendment issues.

That being said, you need to look closer. Cuntdor is saying this is about this particular nativity scene being offensive.

Hey, fuckwit, the zoning bans displays bigger than 35% of the yard.

Perhaps you'd like to add some sense to your diet?

Perhaps you should actually read the links you post. Or have your caregiver read them to you.

According to documents obtained by Fox 19, Sycamore Township, which is outside Cincinnati, does not allow structures to be located in the front or the side yard to occupy more than 35 percent of the area.

 

[SwimExpert]

There's no indication this is a First Amendment free speech issue

I disagree. I find it difficult to believe that nobody else in the entire town has a nativity scene up, or that any of them have been cited because of it. The selective enforcement would create first amendment issues.

That being said, you need to look closer. Cuntdor is saying this is about this particular nativity scene being offensive.

Hey, fuckwit, the zoning bans displays bigger than 35% of the yard.

Perhaps you'd like to add some sense to your diet?

Perhaps you should actually read the links you post. Or have your caregiver read them to you.

According to documents obtained by Fox 19, Sycamore Township, which is outside Cincinnati, does not allow structures to be located in the front or the side yard to occupy more than 35 percent of the area.

Your point? You feel it's a-okay for the government to tell people what they can do with their own front yard? You think it's perfectly fine for the government to have so much control over the people that this guy can't even put up an nativity scene in his own yard, not hurting anyone?

 

[NYcarbineer]

There's no indication this is a First Amendment free speech issue

I disagree. I find it difficult to believe that nobody else in the entire town has a nativity scene up, or that any of them have been cited because of it. The selective enforcement would create first amendment issues.

That being said, you need to look closer. Cuntdor is saying this is about this particular nativity scene being offensive.

Hey, fuckwit, the zoning bans displays bigger than 35% of the yard.

Perhaps you'd like to add some sense to your diet?

Perhaps you should actually read the links you post. Or have your caregiver read them to you.

According to documents obtained by Fox 19, Sycamore Township, which is outside Cincinnati, does not allow structures to be located in the front or the side yard to occupy more than 35 percent of the area.

Your point? You feel it's a-okay for the government to tell people what they can do with their own front yard? You think it's perfectly fine for the government to have so much control over the people that this guy can't even put up an nativity scene in his own yard, not hurting anyone?

1. The township is run by an elected government; if the people don't want zoning they should elect anti-zoning representatives.

2. The township did not ban nativity scenes, as you lied about. They banned oversize structures.

 

[Vandalshandle]

I don't think it is much worse than one that the owner of a PortaPotty Company puts up every year in Reno on his front lawn. It has a PortaPotty and Santa's sleigh and reindeer standing outside with Rudolf saying (written in a bubble over his head), "Hurry up Santa! I've got to GO!!!!!!!!

 

[SwimExpert]

1. The township is run by an elected government; if the people don't want zoning they should elect anti-zoning representatives.

Your point? If the elected government passes a rule that tells you how to dress in the morning, you would not see a problem with that?

2. The township did not ban nativity scenes, as you lied about. They banned oversize structures.

Since when was a nativity scene a "structure"? This is a novel application of zoning ordinances, and it seems extremely narrow in its enforcement. The truth is that the government is wielding power to start telling you what kinds of holiday decorations you can put in your own front yard. It's none of the government's business. This all just goes to show that big government can exist at every level. It's not just the federal government. Big government corruption is wrong no matter what the level.

 

[The Professor]

Hyper-incendiary imagery

....Is constitutionally protected free speech.

There's no indication this is a First Amendment free speech issue, the zoning ordinance is clearly an incidental restriction, seeking in no way to preempt or limit speech (see Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence (1984)). This is also not a Free Exercise Clause issue, as the ordinance has nothing to do with 'forbidding' nativity scenes or 'interfering' with religious expression.

You are correct. According to the link provided by the OP:

“According to documents obtained by Fox 19, Sycamore Township, which is outside Cincinnati, does not allow structures to be located in the front or the side yard to occupy more than 35 percent of the area. Also, the primary structure must be 3 feet from the street, and 6 feet from the house.”

Clearly, this ordinance has nothing to do with the content or theme of the display, but only with its relative size and distance from both the street and the house. The ordinance does not prevent the zombie nativity scene in the owner's front yard, providing only that the display does not take up more than 35 of the area and is both 3 feet from the street and six feet from the house.

It appears the home owner's display was in violation of the city zoning laws and the city is justified in ordering its removal. The home owner might prevail if he could show that the city discriminated against him by knowingly allowing other displays which were in violation of the same ordinance; however there is no evidence of such discrimination in the link provided.

As a matter of law, I doubt that there is any violation of the First Amendment. The ordinance seems reasonable on its face; it is completely neutral regarding religion; and does not prevent anyone from expressing his/her opinions.

There is nothing newsworthy here, folks. Move along.

 

[frigidweirdo]

Good for the Township...

What's your problem with nativity scenes in people's own front yards?

I have no problem with nativity scenes in people's own front yards.

So why do you support the Township prohibiting them?

I don't... but what is described here is not a Nativity scene.

Rather, it is a parody which is intentionally insulting of Christian tradition, needlessly inflammatory, and foolhardy and reckless in its risk to local peace and quiet.

I would also expect the township to order taken-down a masturbating Lawn Buddha or a Lawn Muhammed kissing a camel's ass or similar incendiary imagery.

Rather like a visual variant of the falsely "Yelling f'ire' in a crowded theater" concept, as an example of a practical curtailment of free speech and expression.

Stupidly anger and provoke people in such a way, and they'll find a way to shut you down.

Some people just can't help pissing into the wind, but, in the end, they're left with nothing more than cold, wet, smelly pants.

Not exactly the brightest crayons in the box.

And that folks is how you justify something like blasphemy. You claim it is tradition that cannot be changed in any way, then you say it's offensive. So, others can't come back and say that baby jesus being blond is offensive to them, it's just tradition so it has to be put up with and accepted and no arguing. Change anything and suddenly it's offensive. Who cares if that's what they want to do.

 

[LeftofLeft]

The best resolution would be if one of his neighbors took a flame thrower to the Zombie Nativity and left the town out of it

The best resolution is for people to follow the law and if the law is unjust or unjustly applied then fight it with words, not flamethrowers.

Ferguson, MO disagrees with you.

 

[Kondor3]

...And that folks is how you justify something like blasphemy...

Forgive me... I don't understand.

 

[hazlnut]

According to documents obtained by Fox 19, Sycamore Township, which is outside Cincinnati, does not allow structures to be located in the front or the side yard to occupy more than 35 percent of the area. Also, the primary structure must be 3 feet from the street, and 6 feet from the house.....If he does not take down the exhibit, legal action will be taken.

Ohio homeowner told to take down his zombie nativity scene Fox News

Please tell us specifically where it says the town "forbids"... oh never mind. What's the point?

Happy Winter Solstice.

 

[frigidweirdo]

...And that folks is how you justify something like blasphemy...

Forgive me... I don't understand.

Blasphemy, a religious tool for getting people to shut up about what you don't want them talking about, take some kind of higher moral ground.

Sort of like saying that you can have a nativity scene however you like, as long as you do it in the way that people want it done, you do it another way and all of a sudden you've got people taking some higher religious moral ground that you can't fight because they've had millennium to get their things in order.

 

[rdean]

and they said "lockstep" was something "liberal". funni

 

[Vandalshandle]

It took me a while, but I figured it out. If someone who is not a Christian complains that a nativity scene is an affront to his beliefs, the Christians argue that Christmas is a secular holiday. If a non Christian puts up something that a Christian finds to be an insult to his religious beliefs, then the non Christian is engaging in an insulting and dangerous way, to the detriment of the peace and wellbeing of the community.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

It took me a while, but I figured it out. If someone who is not a Christian complains that a nativity scene is an affront to his beliefs, the Christians argue that Christmas is a secular holiday. If a non Christian puts up something that a Christian finds to be an insult to his religious beliefs, then the non Christian is engaging in an insulting and dangerous way, to the detriment of the peace and wellbeing of the community.

As long as they get their way, they couldn't care less.

 

[NYcarbineer]

1. The township is run by an elected government; if the people don't want zoning they should elect anti-zoning representatives.

Your point? If the elected government passes a rule that tells you how to dress in the morning, you would not see a problem with that?

2. The township did not ban nativity scenes, as you lied about. They banned oversize structures.

Since when was a nativity scene a "structure"? This is a novel application of zoning ordinances, and it seems extremely narrow in its enforcement. The truth is that the government is wielding power to start telling you what kinds of holiday decorations you can put in your own front yard. It's none of the government's business. This all just goes to show that big government can exist at every level. It's not just the federal government. Big government corruption is wrong no matter what the level.

Extremely narrow in its enforcement? So you are sufficiently familiar with all enforcements of this ordinance that you can show us that it was limited to nativity scenes?

Prove it.

P.S. the government of Sycamore township was delegated this power by the voters. Tell us what alternative system of government you would impose that would take the power out of the hands of the voters.

 

[Nosmo King]

The problem isn't a Nativity scene, zombie or otherwise.

The problem is the structure. It's a zoning issue.

Get over it.