While I do really like these recent night shots, I must ask: What do you meant with the separation of state an church, or what exactly does it have to do with the pic? Or am I completely missing something?

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Also check out The Best of shenanigan and rath0r ^^

They decorated it well and nice shot too. I was sooo disappointed in our main city park this year. It was like someone just literally tossed a strand or two of lights on the trees here and there. Like a couple pieces of tinsel on the indoor tree. Sure the main bridge was nice but...was the other really worth the effort. Not in my eye. Sorry, that was the quality control in me speaking.

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Features-Traditional 1 & 2 [link]

Politics in the US right now are so polarized between left and right that the ones in the middle, like me, get squeezed and trampled on. In recent years the extreme left have raised holy hell over public buildings decorating for what they think is a "Christian" holiday. granted that in our constitution there is a wall of separation of church and state in the first amendment that says that Congress shall not make a law establishing a religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Atheists and others think that because a state or local government decorating a public place is in violation of this clause when they fail to notice that it really doesn't.

Maybe someday politics here will go back to minding each others own business.

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Typical Railroader-Tired, Broke, Hungry, Sick, and Mad

I guess it depends on the region of the country. Even though times are tough many around here are still going all out and I am glad.

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Typical Railroader-Tired, Broke, Hungry, Sick, and Mad

Hmm... Well, I absolutely reject any kind of religion, but even I wouldn't come to this conclusion. Christmas is a time of festivities, regardless of your personal belief, religion, and all that stuff. And Chrismas means festive decorations, I really, really don't see who could have problems with that... Hopefully, they'll start minding their own business, as you've said it.

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Also check out The Best of shenanigan and rath0r ^^

Is it not a National Holiday? I think the whole separation of church and state thing was meant to prevent discrimination against any religious sect, like the government of Missouri persecuted the Mormons, rather than to create such stupid issues as decorating public buildings for holidays and whether or not people should be allowed to wear headscarves in school.

Either way this is a beautiful photo. Their lights are a bit plain, but it still looks nice.

I figured even if they took that little piece of lighting strand that they tossed here and there and nicely decorated one, two or three trees with the lighting, that would have been much nicer looking than the mindless scatter look. Maybe next year I can kind of adopt a tree for the winter and donate lighting for it if they allow that.

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Features-Traditional 1 & 2 [link]

Thanks for the compliments

Yes, it is considered a National Holiday as is Christmas Eve, (at least a holiday I get paid for anyway).

Thomas Jefferson is credited with writing the First Amendment because at the time Virginia, his home state actually did have on its books from colonial times a law making membership in the Anglican Church the rule.If I remember correctly it was the Baptists who were being persecuted in this case. The amendment as it was written was supposed to make state mandated religion forbidden and to make sure that anyone else could practice theirs as well. The order from Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs in 1838 (which was an Extermination Order, executive order no.44) on the Mormons wasn't rescinded until 1976 by then Governor Christopher Bond.

(note, I was born and raised in Missouri, Joplin to be exact, and am a history nut.)

Unfortunately this part of our history and law is so misinterpreted and misunderstood that it means different things to different people at different times.To this day people still think of Mormans as a sect or a cult as well as Christian Scientists. For that matter even I am an outcast since I am Wiccan and mine is the oldest religion of them all.

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Typical Railroader-Tired, Broke, Hungry, Sick, and Mad

there ya go. May I suggest the mesh lights made just for trees. They are beautiful

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Typical Railroader-Tired, Broke, Hungry, Sick, and Mad