This one is a no-brainer. The Ministerial Association should be allowed to put on its festival – with its own money.
Hernando County, Fla., officials saw no problem with allocating $5,000 in tax money to promote an event called the “Hernando Freedom Festival” in July. Local government officials are often eager to support events that might bring in tourist dollars, and this one attracted 15,000 people.
But it turns out that someone’s constitutional radar antenna was broken. This was no ordinary festival, and it should not have received taxpayer support. As the St. Petersburg Times has reported, “Hernando Freedom Festival” was sponsored by the Brooksville Ministerial Association. The event was evangelical in character and included a Christian concert.
Asked about the festival, Joseph Santerelli, head of the Ministerial Association, admitted that it was evangelical in character and then start spouting off the usual Religious Right nonsense about church-state separation not being the in the Constitution and how all the founders were right-wing Christians and most people in the county are Christians. Blah, blah, blah.
A more coherent opinion was offered by Glenn Katon, director of the religious freedom project for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. Katon noted that both the U.S. Constitution and the Florida Constitution ban diversion of tax aid for religious purposes.
Florida’s Constitution is explicit. It says, “No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.”
Observed Katon, “All indications are that it’s a violation and we have some very serious concerns. The question is, now that the county is aware of this, what are they going to do?”
Indeed, what does the county plan to do? The Ministerial Association is already eager to get another five grand for 2009. County Attorney Garth Coller says the matter will be reviewed.
This one is a no-brainer. The Ministerial Association should be allowed to put on its festival – with its own money. Not one dime of taxpayer funds should be spent on events designed to promote religion.
One more thought on this: I’ve attended various Religious Right meetings over the years and have sometimes been subjected to Christian pop and Christian rock. Putting aside the constitutional issues for a second, my view is that this music is so awful that merely subjecting someone to it against his or her will is a moral offense. Expecting the taxpayers to foot the bill for its transmission is like pouring salt in the wound.
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