A great victory for the atheists! We raise a beer in their honor! The park has been rescued from this horrible blight of a religious scene! Our children are so much safer now!

Booooooooooo!

Memory is the basis of hope. These misguided groups that strive to deny a culture the right to keep memory alive through religious expression, ultimately impoverish that culture and deny it hope.

LEOTHELION4: "Memory is the basis of hope. These misguided groups that strive to deny a culture the right to keep memory alive through religious expression, ultimately impoverish that culture and deny it hope." REFLECTION: Exactly which misguided groups "strove to deny a culture the right to keep memory alive through religious expression"? If you're referring to the atheists, you might want to re-read the article instead of projecting your preconceived notions onto the matter. The atheist group didn't try to deny anyone the right to religious expression - it was the other way around, Leo! Churches and their congregants are perfectly free - indeed, supported by our tax system - to foster religious expression. And what exactly do you mean by 'culture'? Do you really believe that the majority of Santa Monicans subscribe to your belief that mythical tableaux from an ancient desert culture in the Middle East is what gives them hope? Besides, the judge's decision was purely based on the pragmatic question of whether such displays - Christian, atheist, or Zoroastrian - ultimately detract from Santa Monicans' enjoyment of their parks by depriving them of open space, beautiful views, and resources. One last point: if you truly believe that memory is the basis for hope, I hope that belief is paired with a recognition that those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.