Billyman
12-28-2001, 05:54 PM
The slogan"God Bless America"will no longer be stamped on water bills in Lyon County because a property owner complained about a violation of the separation of church and state.
Lynn Arndell, district general manager for the Stagecoach General Improvement District in Lyon County, said she was instructed by the district's lawyer to make sure the slogan did not appear on any future bills.
She said the prohibition stems from a letter from John Messina, who wrote told the GID the slogan was offensive.
"You have irreparably violated my civil rights by using public resources to promote religion,"wrote Messina, who lives in San Jose, Calif., and owns property in Lyon County.
Messina told the Reno Gazette-Journal he wrote the letter because he is a strong advocate of the separation of church and state. He added that bills from government bodies, such as the Stagecoach GID, should not be used to send religious messages.
"I am an atheist, so I don't subscribe to a god,"Messina said."And I don't approve of my tax dollars being used to promote a god or a religion."
Arndell said many of the residents of the small community on U.S. Highway 50 between Dayton and Silver Springs were"irate"to hear the slogan had been forced off the bill.
"A lot of our customers just shook their heads when they heard about it,"Arndell said.
William Carpenter of Yerington, the district lawyer, declined comment.
Messina's letter was a hot topic at the weekly bingo game last week at the Stagecoach Community Center.
"There were quite a few people who were not happy with it,"said Carolyn Wardwell, a volunteer at the community center."Most of the people think it is a bunch of bull."
Added Rebecca Schalla, another Stagecoach resident:"The comment that was made at bingo: Is he using U.S. currency? Because if he is, it says `In God We Trust.'"
Messina said another message or greeting should have been used.
"There were a lot of things they could have said in support of our troops that were not religious, such as `United We Stand'or whatever,"Messina said."I said that in my letter, that they could have used a non-religious phrase."
Messina said some people are using the Sept. 11 tragedy to push their personal beliefs.
"I am offended that Christians have used this tragedy from the World Trade Center to promote their own religion,"he said.
Arndell said she got the idea to put God Bless America on the bill after seeing the phrase on a water bill sent to Dayton residents from Lyon County Utilities. Stephen Rye, Lyon County assistant district attorney, said he was not aware the phrase was printed on the Lyon County Utility bill.
"I would recommend that they not do that in the future,"he said.
Wardwell said she was upset that one man could change a policy for the whole community of Stagecoach. She thought it was worse because Messina doesn't live at Stagecoach but just owns land there.
"I am tired of one person being able to change the rules for the whole country,"Wardwell said."We had one woman who had prayer thrown out of schools and now we have one man from California who wants to stop us from saying God Bless America. I think this just stinks."
"It's time the majority rules,"Wardwell said."This is supposed to be a democracy."
------------------
"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
--Albert Einstein
Lynn Arndell, district general manager for the Stagecoach General Improvement District in Lyon County, said she was instructed by the district's lawyer to make sure the slogan did not appear on any future bills.
She said the prohibition stems from a letter from John Messina, who wrote told the GID the slogan was offensive.
"You have irreparably violated my civil rights by using public resources to promote religion,"wrote Messina, who lives in San Jose, Calif., and owns property in Lyon County.
Messina told the Reno Gazette-Journal he wrote the letter because he is a strong advocate of the separation of church and state. He added that bills from government bodies, such as the Stagecoach GID, should not be used to send religious messages.
"I am an atheist, so I don't subscribe to a god,"Messina said."And I don't approve of my tax dollars being used to promote a god or a religion."
Arndell said many of the residents of the small community on U.S. Highway 50 between Dayton and Silver Springs were"irate"to hear the slogan had been forced off the bill.
"A lot of our customers just shook their heads when they heard about it,"Arndell said.
William Carpenter of Yerington, the district lawyer, declined comment.
Messina's letter was a hot topic at the weekly bingo game last week at the Stagecoach Community Center.
"There were quite a few people who were not happy with it,"said Carolyn Wardwell, a volunteer at the community center."Most of the people think it is a bunch of bull."
Added Rebecca Schalla, another Stagecoach resident:"The comment that was made at bingo: Is he using U.S. currency? Because if he is, it says `In God We Trust.'"
Messina said another message or greeting should have been used.
"There were a lot of things they could have said in support of our troops that were not religious, such as `United We Stand'or whatever,"Messina said."I said that in my letter, that they could have used a non-religious phrase."
Messina said some people are using the Sept. 11 tragedy to push their personal beliefs.
"I am offended that Christians have used this tragedy from the World Trade Center to promote their own religion,"he said.
Arndell said she got the idea to put God Bless America on the bill after seeing the phrase on a water bill sent to Dayton residents from Lyon County Utilities. Stephen Rye, Lyon County assistant district attorney, said he was not aware the phrase was printed on the Lyon County Utility bill.
"I would recommend that they not do that in the future,"he said.
Wardwell said she was upset that one man could change a policy for the whole community of Stagecoach. She thought it was worse because Messina doesn't live at Stagecoach but just owns land there.
"I am tired of one person being able to change the rules for the whole country,"Wardwell said."We had one woman who had prayer thrown out of schools and now we have one man from California who wants to stop us from saying God Bless America. I think this just stinks."
"It's time the majority rules,"Wardwell said."This is supposed to be a democracy."
------------------
"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
--Albert Einstein