So who gets sued next?

Found this via Pewsitter:

Residents of a West Tennessee town are responding to a request for city officials to take down a cross displayed on a public water tower.

Roger Alston, who is co-owner of Whiteville Auto Parts and Hardware, told The Jackson Sun that he has put a cross that is 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide on a small plot of land near his business. In addition, he says he is helping organize a community cross giveaway.

"They may get the cross down, but at the same time they're not going to destroy the spirit," he said.

The actions come after the Freedom From Religion Foundation threatened to sue the town over the location of the cross after officials ignored repeated requests to remove it.

The foundation, which is the nation's largest association of atheists and agnostics, said it made the complaints on behalf of a Whiteville resident.

"It is unlawful for the Town of Whiteville to display a patently religious symbol such as a Christian cross on public property," foundation Senior Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert said in a statement. "The Whiteville cross, displayed on the Town water tower, unabashedly creates the perception of government endorsement of Christianity."

Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said last week that the law has not changed, "and our opinion hasn't changed."

The water tower cross may come down, but Alston said more crosses would go up around the community on private property.

He said a volunteer effort will be held at his store where crosses will be made for Whiteville residents who want to display them on their property.

Tim Lewis, who owns an animal feed company in Whiteville, said he plans to put a cross on top of his business, which is one of the tallest buildings in town.

"Our country was built on that cross," he said. (AP)

(End of story, my comments follow.)

So now the next move for the atheists is to push for whatever code enforcement would bar the crosses on private property. From the sounds of things, they might be in for a long battle.

Somewhere in the ensuing dustup the name of the original complainer will be divulged. In a small town you can just bet their popularity will soar. Just like a mud seeking missile. Yep.

The freedom to associate (or not) with whoever we want is still intact. So the person lodging the original complaint can look forward to many years of peace and quiet as they're completely ignored/ostracized by their neighbors.

"More trouble than it's worth" will be a phrase that will be used somewhere along the line.

Serves 'em right.