Atomictumor

I wonder what the trouble was between this church and their local library? The San Fransico Chronical reports here. Did they get too happy, make too much noise, or did they bring in the snakes? Vipers always freak the librarians out. If the worshipers had been quiet Quakers, would that have made a difference?
The Contra Costa County government says,

“We think a library and a church are different things and should stay different,”

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, stating,

“The county has a legitimate interest in … excluding meeting room activities that may interfere with the library’s primary function as a sanctuary for reading, writing and quiet contemplation,” and in preventing the room from being “transformed into an occasional house of worship,” Judge Richard Paez said in the majority opinion.

But a dissenting opinion brings an important point,

Judge Richard Tallman… in his dissenting opinion. “Separating religious worship from other religious speech inevitably leads to state entanglement in religion” and is beyond the government’s authority, he said.

What it boils down to, according to this article, is be careful how you say your speech (i.e. information) in a public space. There are differences in kinds of speech (information). Be careful, also, of who you gather with in a public space. There are differences in kinds of speech (information) spoken by various groups. It is telling that this has played out in a library where the presentation of information is hallowed. I wonder how effective Government will be as an abiter of information?

Wait a minute Caesar the government has always claimed ultimate authority on what may be said when, where and especially, how.