Michigan Family Get Away With The Manger
Posted on November 30, 2005
Hat tip: Writing Right
From Thomas More Law Center After being threatened with fines from their management company if they did not remove a nativity scene from their front lawn, the Samona family of Novi, Michigan, has been informed that the demand to remove the nativity has been withdrawn.
The management company first informed the Samona family that if they did not remove the display, they could be fined up to $100 a week until the display was removed. Since moving into their new home three years ago, the Samona family has displayed a nativity scene on their front lawn during each Christmas season. This year, however, the management company of their subdivision sent them a letter demanding that they remove the nativity scene.
In defiance, the Samona family contacted the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which agreed to represent the family at no charge. The Law Center contacted the management company yesterday on the family’s behalf.
Today the family received a letter from the management company informing them that their nativity display was not in violation of any rules or regulations of the subdivision and apologizing to the family for any distress they have caused. To show its regret over the incident, the company is sending the family a gift basket as a “as a token of our remorse, in the spirit of this holiday season.” The Samona family has requested that the company forward the gift basket to the Saint Vincent DePaul Society in Pontiac, Michigan.
This family had no fear of the secularist agenda, and they stood up for their rights and found victory. Would you have folded to the threats of a fine from your managment company? This was all set by one resident who felt offended. The far left have tried to redifine the word inclusive to mean exclusive to Christians. Argue all you want over public property, but in this case it was a family’s own yard. If this happens to you or I, it is good to know we have legal groups out there looking out for our rights. This family is definitely the hero of the week, as well as Thomas More Law Center.
Trackback URL
Comments
14 Responses to “Michigan Family Get Away With The Manger”
Affiliations
The Giants
-
I really like this family’s boldness to stand for what they believe. However, I personally may have handled the situation a little bit differently. I would have taken down the nativity at the request of the management company, only to replace it with one that is much bigger and guadier. I also would like to add, that if people are going to get offended by the display of Christian faith, and demand that we must get rid of such things, I demand that they remove things, i.e. darwin fish, pentagrams, and other such items, b/c they offend me aswell.
Excellent point.
Nativity Scene Stays
the Samona family was told by their management company that if they did not remove their nativity scene from their front lawn that they would be fined up to $100 a week until the display was removed! This family had displayed the nativity for the thr…
I’m very happy for the Samona family. Many others in our country deal with this 365 days a year. And thats why I stand with STOPTHEACLU. Socialist/Leftist BEWARE… You may fool a judge or two.. but the people of this great nation are getting tired of your KILL FREEDOM trip. Families like the Samonas’ are a great inspiration. I thank God for their story & I admire their strength.
Thanks for the link, I appreciate it!
It Doesn’t Add Up
Stop The ACLU » Blog Archive » Michigan Family Get Away With The MangerThe management company first informed the Samona…
[...] One Michagan family was told they could not display a nativity scene on their own lawn. After being threatened with fines if they did not remove it, they contacted the Thomas More Law Center, and were victorious in standing up for their rights. [...]
War on Christmas
Crossposted from Stop The ACLU First of all, Stop The ACLU got a full page, color ad in the Washington Times. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can do so HERE. Every year we have come to expect the…
I want the ACLU to send us all a remorse basket for violating our rights all these years when we finish kicking their butts……
[...] Jay @ Stop the ACLU has this story: Michigan Family Get Away With The Manger. After being threatened with fines from their management company if they did not remove the nativity scene below from their front lawn, the Samona family of Novi, Michigan, fought back. With the help of pro bono lawyers the family has now been informed that the demand to remove the nativity has been withdrawn. [...]
Excuse me for introducing a little fact, truth, and reason to the on-going tirade, but just where does the ACLU, the “far left”, or anyone other than the management company actually involved get the blame for this exercise in stupidity. After all, it was a private business corporation that was trampling on the family’s religious and free speech (not to mention property) rights. Yet I don’t hear any of you citing this as an example of the evils of corporate America.
Face it, stupidity whether by the left, right, or center is still stupidity!
I never blamed the ACLU either, it was all started by a oversensitive athiest neighbor from the original article back a few days ago. Here is the facts for you. The ACLU are to blame, for creating this mindset cancer that has spread acros America.
I have no love for the ACLU, but from the news reports I read, the ACLU was actually being supportive of this family. I guess even they can get something right every 10,000 years or so!
“The ACLU are to blame, for creating this mindset cancer that has spread across America.”
Which mindset is that? Busybody homeowner associations that insist we all live in houses painted the same color, and G-d forbid we put up a basketball hoop?
The ACLU is no more to blame for people over-reacting to religious expression than the Republican Party is responsible (and every member thereof) for the fact that David Duke (a member of the American Nazi movement) became the GOP’s candidate for governor of Louisiana. As I said before, stupidity is stupidity no matter which part of the political spectrum it comes from.
All the ACLU is doing is insisting we take the Constitution seriously, and not turn it into a mere Soviet Constitution (full of noble words that are ignored whenever possible).
Yes, they oppose using the “heavy hand of government” to promote a particular religious point of view. But so did the Founding Fathers. That’s why we have a Constitution that makes no mention of G-d in connection with the powers of the state, and specifically says there shall be no law “respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. I frankly can’t think of a plainer way of declaring that government is to stay out of the religion business, and leave faith to “the private sector”.
And no, this doesn’t mean we have to avoid the topic of religion under all circumstances. I doubt the heavens will collapse because we have a Christmas tree in front of the White House. (Horrors, I used the “C” word!) But I do think that equal respect must be given to all the religions that exist in this great nation, and no attempt must be made to favor or promote any of them.
The issue is much too complex for the usuall 30 second sound bites, and empty political sloganeering. Sadly, that’s pretty much all you get these days from the punditocracy!