Fairfax County General :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
John Galt
()
Date: August 30, 2012 08:29AM
Seriously - we pay FC employees to monitor the number of messages on church sign boards? Un-fucking-believable!
Church Sign on Hunter Mill Road Ignites Suit
Church of the Good Shepherd files in response to citation for violation Fairfax County policy
By Nicole Trifone
Church of the Good Shepherd has filed a federal lawsuit claiming a Fairfax County zoning ordinance violates First Amendment rights, WTOP reports.
The Vienna-based church received a citation in July for showing more than two different messages within 24 hours on the electronic sign along Hunter Mill Road.
On July 3, the church displayed three messages, according to the county's citation: "WELCOME, come on in and beat the heat ..., Also visit us at goodshepherdva.com, Practicing the Presence Thurs., July 5 1 p.m."
The invitation to "beat the heat" came when thousands had no power in the aftermath of the June 29 derecho, the church wrote in the lawsuit filed Aug. 20 with the U.S. Eastern District Court of Virginia.
It is unclear why a Fairfax County surveilled the church that day, WTOP reports.
Church Sign on Hunter Mill Road Ignites Suit
Church of the Good Shepherd files in response to citation for violation Fairfax County policy
By Nicole Trifone
Church of the Good Shepherd has filed a federal lawsuit claiming a Fairfax County zoning ordinance violates First Amendment rights, WTOP reports.
The Vienna-based church received a citation in July for showing more than two different messages within 24 hours on the electronic sign along Hunter Mill Road.
On July 3, the church displayed three messages, according to the county's citation: "WELCOME, come on in and beat the heat ..., Also visit us at goodshepherdva.com, Practicing the Presence Thurs., July 5 1 p.m."
The invitation to "beat the heat" came when thousands had no power in the aftermath of the June 29 derecho, the church wrote in the lawsuit filed Aug. 20 with the U.S. Eastern District Court of Virginia.
It is unclear why a Fairfax County surveilled the church that day, WTOP reports.
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
Zoning sucks
()
Date: August 30, 2012 08:37AM
Fairfax Co. deptment of zoning sucks. Why do they care what is on the sign? Because it is away for them to make money. I'm sure this has already cost the church a ton of money most of which will go to the Co.
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
Air Care
()
Date: August 30, 2012 08:41AM
What total bullshit. Nanny state indeed. Some fucktard bureaucrat had to justify his/her overpaid existance by citing this church for something as chickenshit as this?
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
ROCKO MEATS
()
Date: August 30, 2012 08:45AM
I'm really surprised at this since we live in one the most liberalist counties in the U.S.A...
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
gerry c jr
()
Date: August 30, 2012 08:50AM
Its Christians, fair game for the government. Now if it had been a mosque Fairfax would have ignored it.
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
John Galt
()
Date: August 30, 2012 08:59AM
The amazing thing is if you read the lawsuit, this was not just some knucklehead code enforcement guy who wrote them up after he drove by. An enforcement officer was 'dispatched', and there were a round of follow ups and meetings with county and church attorneys. This was not the act of one person that was quickly corrected - this was the best thinking of FFX Zoning and its attorneys.
The enforcement officer is Gabriel Zakkak.
The enforcement officer is Gabriel Zakkak.
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
Zoning sucks
()
Date: August 30, 2012 09:02AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/vienna-church-says-fairfax-county-sign-rules-violate-first-amendment/2012/08/29/7e06d5f0-f1ee-11e1-adc6-87dfa8eff430_story.html
The Co. permit was approved for the sign but now they want to tell them when they can post? What bull shit. Zoning sucks.
Attachments:
The Co. permit was approved for the sign but now they want to tell them when they can post? What bull shit. Zoning sucks.
Attachments:
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
Bill.N.
()
Date: August 30, 2012 10:20AM
It does not appear that the problem is with the county on this. It appears instead there is some neighbor with a bee in his shorts about the church that filed complaints with the county about the sign violating the county rules. At that point the county's options were to throw out the rule for everyone or enforce it against the church.
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
John Galt
()
Date: August 30, 2012 10:30AM
Bill.N. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It does not appear that the problem is with the
> county on this. It appears instead there is some
> neighbor with a bee in his shorts about the church
> that filed complaints with the county about the
> sign violating the county rules. At that point
> the county's options were to throw out the rule
> for everyone or enforce it against the church.
A church sign, encouraging people to pray? And a county attorney, who reviewed all this, met with the church attorney, etc. allowed this to go a lawsuit? It's doesn't matter who initiated the complaint or even who first wrote it up - does the county attorney think that zoning laws are not trumped by the 1st amendment?
-------------------------------------------------------
> It does not appear that the problem is with the
> county on this. It appears instead there is some
> neighbor with a bee in his shorts about the church
> that filed complaints with the county about the
> sign violating the county rules. At that point
> the county's options were to throw out the rule
> for everyone or enforce it against the church.
A church sign, encouraging people to pray? And a county attorney, who reviewed all this, met with the church attorney, etc. allowed this to go a lawsuit? It's doesn't matter who initiated the complaint or even who first wrote it up - does the county attorney think that zoning laws are not trumped by the 1st amendment?
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
long time here
()
Date: August 30, 2012 12:37PM
John Galt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A church sign, encouraging people to pray? And a
> county attorney, who reviewed all this, met with
> the church attorney, etc. allowed this to go a
> lawsuit? It's doesn't matter who initiated the
> complaint or even who first wrote it up - does the
> county attorney think that zoning laws are not
> trumped by the 1st amendment?
You must be new to Fairfax, they do stupid stuff like this all the time. If not for the state governmente riding herd on the FFX liberals on the BOS we would have our own income tax.
-------------------------------------------------------
> A church sign, encouraging people to pray? And a
> county attorney, who reviewed all this, met with
> the church attorney, etc. allowed this to go a
> lawsuit? It's doesn't matter who initiated the
> complaint or even who first wrote it up - does the
> county attorney think that zoning laws are not
> trumped by the 1st amendment?
You must be new to Fairfax, they do stupid stuff like this all the time. If not for the state governmente riding herd on the FFX liberals on the BOS we would have our own income tax.
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
Bill.N.
()
Date: August 31, 2012 12:47PM
I am not justifying the rule. I think ideally the County attorney who reviewed the rule when the complaint was made should have said the two message per day limit is stupid and contrary to free speach, and thrown the rule out for everyone. What I am saying though is that if you have a rule, that rule should be followed by EVERYONE. So what if the sign says "Pray with us at 10AM" rather than "Busty Lamour tonite at 9". Some people worship Yaweh and some worship a nice sculptured pair of breasts.
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
Ayn
()
Date: August 31, 2012 01:05PM
John Galt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A church sign, encouraging people to pray?
The atheist John Galt defending a church sign encouraging people to pray. Cool.
-------------------------------------------------------
> A church sign, encouraging people to pray?
The atheist John Galt defending a church sign encouraging people to pray. Cool.
Re: FFX Nanny State - FC Monitors Church Sign Boards for Excessive Speach
Posted by:
Get a life
()
Date: August 31, 2012 01:13PM
Bill.N. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It does not appear that the problem is with the
> county on this. It appears instead there is some
> neighbor with a bee in his shorts about the church
> that filed complaints with the county about the
> sign violating the county rules. At that point
> the county's options were to throw out the rule
> for everyone or enforce it against the church.
You are joking right? These are the only 2 options? What about enforcing the law on everyone? Why do you want to target this church. Since the lew says you can only have 2 messages in a 24 hour period, then any video sign that shows time and temperature is changing their message every minute. Many banks are in violation. Why do you think this church should be singled out?
-------------------------------------------------------
> It does not appear that the problem is with the
> county on this. It appears instead there is some
> neighbor with a bee in his shorts about the church
> that filed complaints with the county about the
> sign violating the county rules. At that point
> the county's options were to throw out the rule
> for everyone or enforce it against the church.
You are joking right? These are the only 2 options? What about enforcing the law on everyone? Why do you want to target this church. Since the lew says you can only have 2 messages in a 24 hour period, then any video sign that shows time and temperature is changing their message every minute. Many banks are in violation. Why do you think this church should be singled out?