‘Ground Zero’ banner hits bump in the road
A national public-interest law firm that defends and promotes America’s Christian values has filed a federal lawsuit against the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) for refusing to place banner ads on city buses that oppose the construction of a mosque at Ground Zero.
The ad in question is sponsored by the Freedom Defense Initiative (FDI), founded by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer.
On one side, the banner shows a picture of the twin towers aflame with a plane headed toward them. On the opposite side, a tower with the Islamic symbol of the crescent moon and star is displayed. The question “Why There?” is between the two, relating the date of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, with the proposed date of the opening of the mosque on September 11, 2011.
Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), thinks MTA refused to display the ad in its original design because it states the obvious.
“They refused this ad because they said, ‘Well, it seems to make a connection between the World Trade Center attacks and the mosque,’ which is what Pam Geller and Robert Spencer were trying to do,” he explains. “We believe their refusal to put up the ad is a violation of the constitutional rights to free speech.”
Thompson points out that the transit authority displayed other controversial ads, including FDI’s “Leaving Islam” campaign. “They indicated that it is a forum for free speech….So this becomes curiouser and curiouser,” he concludes.
The TMLC president adds that his firm hopes to get a temporary restraining order, which would force the MTA to display their ads until a permanent injunction can be obtained. Read More
