RESPONSE TO SUN-NEWS "NEW FLAGS TO HONOR MILITARY" STORY

Response to “New Flags to Honor Military.”  Sun-News 9-24-13, pages 1 & 8.

There is no mention as to who approved this project while other more important City projects go needy.  This project appears to be nothing but a distraction from more pressing secular expenditures that would benefit all residents.  The city already has a Veterans’ Park on Roadrunner Parkway to honor Christian veterans.

          City Manager Robert Garza is quoted as saying, (The flags are) “a symbol of the city’s continuous support of our service men and women as well as all veterans who have served.”  That’s a nice sentiment, but so politically self-serving.

          Garza has missed the point.  As long as these representative flags are flown under the neo-pagan sun symbol and Trinitarian crosses mounted on the front of City Hall they do not honor “all” of America’s service personnel - past and present – just Christians.  Are active-duty non-Christian service personnel and veterans ‘honored’ by having a Christian Church-flag waved in their faces in front of the seat of government – City Hall?

          To add the ‘insult to the injury,’ the plan to fly those service flags side-by-side with the City’s exclusionary hegemonic, Crusades-like white Christian, neo-pagan flag, signifies that only Christians served and died in the service of the United States.  Then the city’s pride in self-proclaimed religious bigotry and ignorance will be so honored.  The insult and dismissal of non-Christian service personnel, citizens and visitors will be perfectly clear.

          Are the neo-pagan icons on the building not enough to continue to claim and reclaim Las Cruces as a “Christian city” and promote the fakelore ‘history’ of Las Cruces?  This project is a lot of money and time spent to get the neo-pagan flag out front of City Hall on the public’s property and declare it a Christian site.  That’s the intent, right?

Paul F. Weinbaum, Captain, Infantry, Retired

NEW FLAG FOR THE LAND OF EVANGELISM

NEW FLAG FOR THE LAND OF EVANGELISM

While many New Mexicans are glued to their television sets for entertainment and world news, many others are more concerned with the lack of education, lack of health care, and feeding their children and themselves.  These distractions are allowing a fanatical undercover operation not unlike the  'black ops' of the military to infiltrate our public schools and the 'public square' with their insidious evangelical, hegemonic actions to declare their superiority and to proselytize the public, especially the children.  They know plastering Latin crosses on public property and in the public schools is against the law, but with ill-regard to the constitutional rights of the public they are pressed to conjure up ways to 'claim' New Mexico as their own.  Not satisfied with the indifference of most New Mexicans toward the current Christianized state flag approved in 1925, their latest effort is their new adaptation of the New Mexico state flag to support their righteous claims. All the while, illegally using public monies. (Author's printer is responsible for color variations.  The first flag is the proper color.).

This is the current Christianized Zia symbol of the New Mexico state flag approved in 1925:

                                       
                                    Here is the new unauthorized evangelistic version:

Next is the evangelical version on the State Legislators' desks. Apparently to remind and warn certain members their loyalty to their oath, our state and federal constitutions is not theirs to obey. The local 'celestial governor' will lead them.  State seal in background:

(Courtesy Photo, page 12, Las Cruces Bulletin's 2013 Southwest New Mexico Legislative Guide.)

Pre-evangelistic Public Education Department state flag in public schools:

(Author's photo)

New evangelical flag hanging in public schools classrooms.

State law requires U.S. and New Mexico flags be displayed in every public school class room.  Elementary school children among other grades look at this flag and recite the New Mexico pledge.  (Author's photo.)

Evangelical Zia symbol on public high school logo:

Note the clever off-center hawk's feathers cover the fourth ray at top of symbol to emphasize the evangelical Christian trinitarian homage to events at Calvary.  Also note the center ray is taller and the slightly shorter left ray represents the 'good' thief and the obvious shorter ray on the right view represents the 'bad' thief.  The same format as the Christian crosses on the Las Cruces Public School's "field of dreams" football stadium. Also the two top rays are intentionally wider to emphasize the Christian deity homage.  All Hawk signage, jerseys, shirts, center basketball court, and documents have this evangelical logo. The large, painted, incised three-arm Zia symbol in the school's concrete courtyard has not been modified except for the missing fourth arm (Author's photo).

Copyright by Paul F. Weinbaum 2013. All Rights Reserved.  No part of this website may be reproduced without Paul F. Weinbaum's express consent.

PROSELYTIZING LAS CRUCES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

     Since the social and political climate in America has changed dramatically over the past few decades, the traditionally staid United States Chamber of Commerce had boldly shown its move from representing the business health of communities, to that of an evangelical, hell-fire religious force to be reckoned with.  In the past, the common belief was that the Chamber had a connection to civic responsibility.  Since the Chamber is a private organization, it voices no claims to any responsibility outside its closed doors.

     The traditional Chamber membership sticker in business windows was believed to portray the image that the business was approved by the Chamber for its honesty and good service to the community.  That is no longer the case.  While many members are still legitimate, the image now is suspect.  Shopping at those businesses may provide money beyond the dues to the new development in the proselytizing business of the Chamber. Some leaders and members are steadfast in their belief that our United States is a Christians-only country, which means get out if you ain't.

     Here in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a Third World entity with ties closer to Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, than with the economic and post-Spanish cultural centers of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, the Chamber has developed its own 'army' of Christian evangelical emissaries.  These members of the Chamber labor under the local Chamber's trinitarian logo which suddenly evolved after lawsuits challenged the City and school district's use of similar symbols that enjoy world-wide acceptance as totally Christian.

     Part of the local fake lore in Las Cruces is that Latin crosses displayed by the City are not religious.  Is the City the organ-grinder and the Chamber dances, or is the Chamber the organ-grinder?

     Marching hand-in-hand with Governor Martinez, the Chamber has taken a not-unexpected bold step to show its true intent of extending its realm of evangelical proselytizing the residents of Las Cruces, and their children, the real aim.  The Chamber has joined with Osteen Publishing Company (OPC, LLC, new owners of weekly Las Cruces Bulletin.) to promote a Christians-Only "Junior Leadership Program."

     Shown here for informational purposes only, this is the logo for the "Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce's Jr. Leadership program, modeled on our highly successful [adult] Leadership Las Cruces."  "a unique program .....for Las Cruces area high school junior."

     One can see that this logo has a double meaning.  One meaning represents the Christians-only evangelical intent of the training sponsored by the Las Cruces Chamber; the other meaning of the crosses is a warning to non-Christians to stay away.  The above referenced "Leadership Las Cruces" has only used the Chamber logo to deliver the message of the intent, at least in the public advertisements.

     "Applications.....will be available.....at all area high schools." shows a cooperation between the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education and the Chamber to introduce the Christians-only program.

     Any connection between the well-known televangelist Joel Osteen and the family-owned Osteen Publishing Company, in Sumter, South Carolina, is unknown.

   

A CROSS IS A CROSS IS A CROSS

     Goaded by local and national Christian evangelical dominionist court rulings, and the surge by the evangelicals to claim the 'public square' a sacred place of their own, all the while dismissing The Others, this evangelical effort is steadfastly eroding the civil liberties of public school students in New Mexico public schools, especially in Las Cruces.

     Teachers passing religious-intent words for 'testifying' is one thing, but deeds and pictures are another.  Here you see the latest effort in the Onate High School, Las Cruces, New Mexico.  Juan Onate was the conquistador who, although he never had anything to do with Las Cruces, led the first permanent group of Catholic priests and colonists from Mexico to the Santa Fe, New Mexico, area.  For that, the reverence bestowed upon him by the New Mexico Catholic Church and its followers is nothing short of sainthood.  Even by the standards of the 16th Century (late 1500's), Onate was a butcher.

      One has to believe this building modification with its proselytizing intent was coordinated with the Las Cruces Board of Education, the Superintendent, and of course, the Principal.  This painting, with its permanent symbolic intent of proselytizing and claiming the school as Christian, is a clear violation of Las Cruces School District Policy 424.  The pictured artist is an employee at the school.

Photo courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News newspaper 8-3-2013.

     This new painting is on center-court of the Onate High School basketball court for testifying, claiming the school, and proselytizing non-Christian students.

A Useful Proselytizing Venue

For years the City of Las Cruces has been using various venues to proselytize the children regardless of their religious affiliation. Many non-Christian and non-religious parents of children ignore, or make excuses of knowing what the intent of the city is, so that their children can participate in activities sponsored by the city.

With the blessings of the evangelicals, the main facility run by the Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Department is the well-decorated with Christian crosses Meerscheidt Recreation Center.  One proselytizing activity is the handing out of t-shirts decorated with the Christian crosses to unwary participating children.

Another method of evangelism is the 'outsourcing' of the proselytizing to various Christian groups so the City can deny any involvement (We didn't do anything., or We didn't know., or We don't understand your problem.) and the providing of public funds to Christian organizations.

The recent June 24, 2013 article in the local Sun-News is the story titled:  Youth Running Club open to Las Cruces kids.  "The private Las Cruces Running Club is sponsoring a youth summer running club. [Hey! Isn't it hell-hot in Las Cruces?]  Funded by a grant from the City of Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Department."

Why should your children have to endure Christian evangelism in order to participate in city-sponsored activities?  This club's logo testifies that they are running for Jesus.

The Ooze of Goodness

         
                                                    

One would think that the Mayor of Las Cruces would be able to recognize, at least be familiar with, the historically ingrained bigotry in and about Las Cruces, plus that supporting baggage dragged in by all the favored newcomers.  From his comments recently reported in the weekly folksy/newsy My Las Cruces for Black History Month, Mayor Miyagishima appears to only recognize color as the only category subject to local, state, and national bigotry.
          When Mayor Miyagishima stated, "....Las Cruces is probably one of the most tolerant cities in New Mexico.", he apparently forgot his personal mayoral plaques he hands out.  The ones with the white rays of light emanating from the center cross of the three undeniably Christian Trinitarian crosses.  Also forgotten in that statement is the recent well-known history of Las Cruces, when the local faith-biased mob leaders guided the federal court, to deprive the plaintiffs especially, and many other citizens, of their civil liberties.  That cloud still hangs over the city, not to be removed by additional Latin crosses.
           His silence can still be heard when the Latin crosses were put on the three sides of the purposefully-built tower of the new City Hall.   Mayor Miyagishima was there when the building was strangely inscribed "City of Las Cruces City Hall,"  which intones the English translation of the  Spanish "Ciudad de Las Cruces (City of the Crosses)," and that keeps at least half of the bigots happy. 
            It's obvious Mayor Miyagishima just doesn't get it. 

ROTC Proselytizing at New Mexico State University

      Can you and your children expect anything less, after the bought evangelical blessing of the local federal court in Las Cruces, that Christian symbols are perfectly OK on government and other public properties?  You may think Latin crosses in any configuration (especially three) are Christian-religious.  Not in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where the cry from citizens echoed across the chile and cotton fields, "They're not religious, they only represent our culture and our community."  Duh.  Translated in Las Cruces-speak means, "If you are not an abiding Christian, Catholic or Protestant, we will only tolerate your presence."  As long as you keep your head down.
      New Mexico State University has several departments that have been engaged in proselytizing the students and general public for years.  Several professors are known to lie about their involvement with the evangelicals employed by the university and the promotion of Christianity.  And all the while the unsuspecting students from a variety of cultures and religions, even no religions, are being subjected to Christian proselytizing.  The current triangular logo of the university reeks of sectarian Christian fundamentalism and the university leaders bask in that knowledge, that lends tacit approval of promoting the Christian religion.
      Recently I attended the US Army SROTC (Senior ROTC) commissioning/graduating ceremony on campus.  Since I served in two branches, Navy and Army, enlisted and officer, I totally expected an uplifting "Duty, Honor, and Country" ceremony for the newly commissioned officers. 
      I had read that there was a rabid influx of Christian evangelists doing all they can to turn our military forces into obedient, slavish soldiers of Christ.  This is exactly what this ceremony reflected.  The guest speaker was a retired Army officer active with the ROTC.  His speech was nothing but a Catholic sermon using the fictional character in the fictional book, The Vicar of Christ, an American Marine who became the Catholic Pope.  The book title was referenced several times in the Elmer Gantry-like energetic presentation seen in revival tents, and of course, on evangelical TV shows.  Excerpts from the book had been copied for the new officers with an admonishment to read and reflect on the ideas on the pages; blatantly assuming in the fashion of evangelists that all were good Christians, and if not, they should be.
       Next up was the Commanding Officer of the SROTC unit at the university.   His equally evangelical proselytizing sermon was not so animated, but he did not fail to get his fundamentalist Christian message out to the new officers. Surely they had heard this many times from their commander and fearfully feigned obedience. The unsuspecting audience of parents and friends sat stoically as he repeated "So help me God," from the oath of allegiance, over and over.  Even though I was present, I failed to grasp the sermon's point, it being illegal anyway.
       The 'chaplain' nervously gave the opening and closing prayer. Even though it was Christian, it was almost benign as compared to the two sermons the new officers and attendees were forced to bear.