Thursday, January 08, 2009

Protest Against Court Decision on License Plates Includes State Officials

In Greer, South Carolina on Tuesday, the state's attorney general and lieutenant governor joined some 400 others at People's Baptist Church to protest a decision handed down by a federal district court last month preliminarily enjoining production of the state's proposed "I Believe" license plates. The plate also featured a Christian cross. (See prior posting.) Yesterday's Spartanburg Herald-Journal reported that Rev. Arnold Hiette told Tuesday's crowd that the plaintiffs in the case, along with the ACLU, "are going to burn in hell." Lt. Governor Andre Bauer also spoke at the event, which took the form of a prayer meeting, saying: "There is free speech for every group in this state besides Christians.... I don't understand why witnessing in public is considered unconstitutional."