Well, I'm no longer a member of the tin foil hat club. Why not? Because when I opened the Times today, this is what I saw:
I really, REALLY wish I had photoshopped this. I really wish. If you haven't run screaming from the computer by now, go with me below the fold...
I should probably start by saying hi and explaining that I've been a rather long-time lurker. I've commented a few times here or there, but mostly I've enjoyed watching the discussion and gleaning information. I tried my best to search to see if this had already been diaried; if it has, my apologies, but go easy on me, it's my first time. :) That said, let's continue to the frightening meat of this story:
July 5, 2006
Memphis Journal
Lady Liberty Trades In Some Trappings
By SHAILA DEWAN
MEMPHIS, July 4 -- On Independence Day, Lady Liberty was born again.
As the congregation of the World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church looked on and its pastor, Apostle Alton R. Williams, presided, a brown shroud much like a burqa was pulled away to reveal a giant statue of the Lady, but with the Ten Commandments under one arm and "Jehovah" inscribed on her crown.
And in place of a torch, she held aloft a large gold cross, as if to ward off the pawnshops, the car dealerships and the discount furniture outlets at the busy corner of Kirby Parkway and Winchester that is her home. A single tear graced her cheek.
It was not clear if she was crying because of her new home, her new identity as a symbol of religion or, as the pastor said, America's increasing godlessness.
You can read the rest of the story here, but you might not want to. It goes on to talk about this pastor's books, which talk about such lovely subjects as Hurricane Katrina being divine retribution for New Orleans' embrace of sin. All I keep thinking of is this quote by Sinclair Lewis: "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."
God help us. Or stop helping us. Something help us. It's happening, and I can see it, but some days it feels like no one else can. I wonder if the Germans felt this way in 1937? I wonder if I'll ever get to stop feeling this way and return to how I felt as a teenager, when I really did truly believe the nation was moving forward. If you had told me about this statue ten years ago I would have laughed you out of town.
When I finally calmed down from my shock and disbelief, I had an interesting conversation as I shared the story with my mother: is the image of the Statue of Liberty copyrighted? Is this kind of re-imagining of a national landmark allowed without permission of the copyright holder? However much the image offends me (both as a Christian and as an American), I wonder if a tactic to get this kind of thing nipped in the bud would be that peskily invasive copyright law of ours. If it can be used to sue 12 year olds and grandmothers and to put rootkit DRM software on our computers without permission, can it be used to stop the usurping of our national symbols by the American Taliban?
Or maybe that's just what they want. A court case that makes them take this monstrosity down. More "proof" of the "vast liberal conspiracy of godlessness". Sigh.
All I know is that day by day, living here gets scarier and scarier.
UPDATE: Thanks (?) to otto in the comments, for directing me to the website for this abomination, http://www.lordsladyliberty.org. I don't think I ever really wanted to visit that site, but it does have some info that answers the copyright issue:
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted Pastor Alton R. Williams of Memphis, Tennessee all patent and trademark rights to the name and image of the Statue of Liberation Through and/or In Christ, also known as the Christian Statue of Liberty and the Lord’s Lady Liberty; described herein as the Statue of Liberty with an uplifted cross in one hand and the Ten Commandments or Bible in the other hand, or any like configuration thereof.
He owns all sales, marketing, and distribution rights bearing the Statue of Liberation Through Christ herein described. Therefore, any unauthorized use of this name and/or image is strictly prohibited in any form including, but not limited to: photos, souvenirs, communications, or publications.
So it seems that this isn't only the scariest thing I've ever seen- it's also a marketing campaign.
Yay?
UPDATE 11:30pm EST Wow. I'm really blown away by all the attention this generated. I was excited to see the first ten comments, and then this explosion happened. I want to thank the community for such a warm welcome.
I wanted to address one further thing, that's come up in some recent comments and I just wanted to clarify here. This statue is worrisome to me not simply because it blurs the line between Church and State, but because it strives to redefine State as synonymous with Church. That was my instinctual response to seeing the statue, and it was only further cemented by the statement of purpose on its website. A few choice purposes of the statue, emphasis mine:
3. To reveal to the world that the God of the Bible has always been the God of America.
4. To demonstrate that the God of the Bible and Him alone is to be worshipped.
11. To redefine the Statue of Liberty to include spiritual liberty that precedes complete liberation.
14. To promote godly values and restore America’s Biblical Judeo-Christian foundation.
15. To reconnect patriotism to Christianity.
17. To denounce the worship of idols and all other gods.
Make no mistake, if I thought this was just a "yay for Jesus" symbol, I never would have posted it here. I might have snickered and gone on with my evening. It chilled me to the bone because it's a bold statement, a manifesto of sorts. And frankly, it chills me to the bone.