Crucifixes are Forbidden in Italian Schools by Court Order

Today, Czech President Vaclav Klaus opened a press conference with ‘a good gloomy afternoon to you all’. He did this after being forced to sign the Lisbon treaty. He said at the same time that with his signature, the Czech Republic as a sovereign state has ceased to exist. It is ironical that it was the Irish having fought for centuries for a sovereign state who have signed away their (and everybody else’s) rights in a public vote. The only other people ever asked if they want to join the European Union, the Swiss, wisely said no thank you.

The Lisbon treaty will streamline the government of Europe. This argument has been used by every dictator ever born to curtail democracy to either inexistence (like Napoleon on becoming emperor) or an empty farce (like Hitler). It would be fitting that the post of dictator, excuse me, President of the European Union goes to a known war criminal like Tony Blair. But looking at the verdict on crucifixes, the dictator to be and recently turned Catholic might find the monster he helped create might already be greater than what he can handle.

It is nothing but fitting on a day when what vestiges of democracy existed in the European Union member states have been signed away by the last stalwart that a court of the European Union shows the future to come for the people who never were asked about the future they wanted. Banning crucifixes from Italian schools is about the same as forbidding the display of the American flag in the United States of America. The next step, quite logically, is the silencing of church bells.

The Italian government is livid. Minister for Education Maria Stella Gelmini stated that the crucifix is a sign of Italian culture and tradition as much as a religious symbol. Should you care to agree with this statement, it opens up another box of worms which Gelmini would prefer to keep closed: What about women who prefer to walk veiled in public? This is an Islamic tradition and a sign of that culture (it is not religious as it is not mentioned in the Qur’an and is a sign of modesty, not religious fervour). The same government now running amok against the courts it helped to create has passed laws banning them from their schools. Could it be that the usual double standards are being applied?