Censorship? In my California? It's more likely than you think.

[essentialsaltes]

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A billboard with the message "Imagine No Religion" is no more.
Sign company General Outdoor removed the sign by the Freedom From Religion Foundation on Thursday after it received a request by the city to do so.

According to Redevelopment Director Linda Daniels, City Hall had received 90 calls of complaint since Wednesday.

"We contacted the sign company and asked if there was a way to get it removed," Daniels said.

...

"We didn't say they had to (take it down), but they respected the concerns of residents, [wink wink]," she said.

Comments

[gotham-bound.livejournal.com]

Jebus.

[notjenschiz.livejournal.com]

sounds like some concerned residents need to call and request that it be put back up.

[kyrialyse.livejournal.com]

I agree -- they need to get a lot of calls "where's the sign??"

funny, along similar topical lines:
http://www.theonion.com/content/opinion/im_not_one_of_those_love_thy

[ladyeuthanasia.livejournal.com]

Seriously, what state do we live in again? They can have one a mile from Focus on the Family, but not Rancho Cucamonga?

My state-mandated stupid comment

[richardabecker.livejournal.com]

"You'll get -- well, less religion than you can imagine!"

"I don't know kid, I can imagine *none at all!*"

"You'll get it!"

"I'd better!"

[swmartin.livejournal.com]

Just to throw in a contrarian opinion: Would everyone have felt the same if the billboard had read "Imagine no Jews" or "Imagine no gays"? I'm pretty certain many religious people read it that way.

I'm not condoning government censorship, whether overt or "wink wink", but I also don't think a blatantly hostile slogan is the best way to gain social acceptance for atheism.

[essentialsaltes.livejournal.com]

It's true the statement is devoid of context, so maybe some people 'imagine' rounding up religious people and putting them in death camps. I don't know much about the FFRF, but I don't think that hostile sentiment is what they had in mind.

Is Lennon's "Imagine" blatantly hostile? The billboard's not a direct quote, but it's essentially implied by the lyrics.