is this right? absolutely!

if christians of all ilk did not have and exercise their freedom of speech, how in the world would we know which establishments to avoid (read: not patronize with our money, time and attention)?

duly noted, taco bell...it's pizza and burgers for easter - and all the other days i go in search of fast food...

Okay, true: the sign was "Over the top" with its amount of information. A simple "We will be closed Easter" would have done the same thing.

However this is obviously not a corporate approved sign. No logo, no color--This is very clearly something the management or individual franchise owner did. Getting hysterical about Taco Bell being hypocritical and christian is ridiculous.

If you have a problem with the sign, send a comment to corporate headquarters or something, instead of jumping to the conclusion that a crappy, ink jet, home-printed sign with bad clip art (stuck to the window with stickers, no less) represents the views of an entire company.

As an aside, I don't work for Taco Bell, but I do like their nachos. ;)

I have to agree with Steph here. The sign was over the top, and it was the work of the franchise manager or owner. If the work of the owner, it will stay, simply because of the stubbornness of the owner. If it was the work of the franchise manager, that manager will probably be reprimanded by the owner, the district manager, etc., etc., as complaints pile in from offended Jews (who shouldn't be going there at all - the place ain't kosher) and from offended Moslems.

I will note, having been a manager at a Burger King franchise, that the owner did wish her customers a merry Christmas, happy Easter and Thanksgiving, the three days that the store was closed during the year.

While she was a religious person herself, she did not push her beliefs on her customers.

It's offensive to wish customers "happiness and joy"?

Boy Dan,

Talk about deliberately not seeing things! The issue here that sparked this article was not wishing customers happiness and joy, but the reasons for the wishes. Read that sign one more time, Dan. All the way down this time, line by line.

If I lived in the States, I would have been offended by this sign. Because I don't, I don't have to give a damn.

The sign says "as we celebrate..." It doesn't tell anyone else to celebrate Easter.
If the owner of Taco Bell wants to celebrate a religious holiday, that's his right. It's a private company.

Is Taco Bell a private company? I called and complained to Corporate Headquarters. I tried to email the ACLU about this, but they don't have an email link on their website. I'm really pissed about this! Does anybody know how else I can get the media's attention on this besides just writing an artile on it?

OK Ruvy, I read it again. Where is the offensive part? Or are you deliberately seeing things?

Dan, the offensive part is the mention of the resurrection of Jesus. This is offensive to those who do not believe in Jesus, such as Jews or Muslims. Does that make sense?

And daryl, while this was understandably upsetting to you, perhaps you should talk to the owner or manager of that particular Taco Bell, rather than going after the entire corporation. Don't hold the entire corporation responsible for what the staff at one store did.

no Kaonashi, I don't think it does make sense. Of course, I didn't realize Jews and Muslims were so intolerant. It's perfectly reasonable to think them fools, or to never patronize them again, but to take offense? Get some skin.

Why are liberals so eager to publicly display their stupidity and hypocrisy?

People who are totally ignorant of America's Constitutional and religious history, are generally the very ones who trumpet that ignorance in every forum they can find.

I guess stupidity, like misery, loves company!

Dan- There's no need to be glib. I'm not the one who was offended. Daryl D was. You seemed not to understand why others might take offense to what was said in the flyer, so I was just explaining it.

I personally wouldn't have been offended if the sign said something like, "We will be closed to celebrate Passover and our salvation from our cruel masters in Egypt". At the same time, I don't know why the sign simply didn't just say, "We'll be closed for Easter. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Sorry to direct glibness your way Kaonoshi. I did understand why others would take offense. My opinion is that it is an ugly intolerant person who would though.

I don't think it was necessary for the manager to spell things out so explicitly, but at the same time I don't question the motives for doing it. If it was an atheist closing for Halloween who whished me happiness and joy, I would take the good will at face value.

No problem Dan. Like I said, I don't think it's a big deal either, but if daryl d is truly offended, it's best to take his issue up with the manager of that particular Taco Bell so the sign can be amended.

It's not so much that I'm offended by the "resurrection of Christ." It's the hypocrisy that bugs me. I'm so tired of a group of people pushing their religion on our society. Didn't we accuse Muslims of doing the same thing? We are supposed to separate STATE from RELIGION.

Hey, Daryl. Is this the Taco Bell on Sepulveda and Hawthorne? What do you say we go together tomorrow and complain (Daryl and I live in the same apartment complex). Some of the people here are correct in saying that it's an individual store issue rather than a whole "Taco Bell" corporation issue.

Perhaps the store franchisee was an evangelical Christian. Sure sounds like it, with the pointed reference to the resurrection and the exclamation mark. However, is it that different, for instance, to McDonald's restaurants serving Halal or Kosher meat? An example: in a number of suburbs in Sydney and Melbourne with large Muslim populations, McDonald's Australia happily announces that its meat is Halal, so if you go there and you're not Muslim, you still get Halal (it tastes exactly the same). In Israel, McDonald's has kosher restaurants.

So we've some poor bugger at Taco Bell announcing that they're closing for Easter. Big deal, each to their own ... but I do take your points.

It's the excalamtion mark that really offended me. You know, like, unlike them, I probably haven't got a clue as to what Easter's really all about.

My 2 agorot-worth: I'm with Sister Ray (#6) and Steph (#2) on this. Daryl says (#16), "We are supposed to separate STATE from RELIGION," but I don't see that Taco Bell is an entity of the STATE (i.e., a government entity), so I don't see it being a relevant issue at all.

Now the more urgent question is: can someone invent a Kosher-for-Passover bean burrito? (I have no problem with kitniyot, Ruvy, just in case you're wondering....)

Mo'adim l'simcha :)

stfu and get a life loser.

next week they might express anything they like at all, whether you like it or not, because it's america, and your crazy view of things cannot and will not be imposed on everyone else. Deal with it, nut case.

they can say whatever they want, if it doesn't hurt anyone, just like you, and if people don't like it, they don't have to shop there.

end of story.

them closing for the day is probably helping your fat ass lose wieght. you should thank them.

kel

I saw the same sign in Torrance, CA. It may be the same Taco bell by the looks of the counter behind the sign. Is it?

Anyway, I saw the sign and thought it was a little over the top. I'm not offended (I'm an Atheist) and I really wouldn't care even if they posted a cross (or another religious symbol) in their door. I think it is poor taste on their part but that's it. I think it is a best practice for a company to remain religiously neutral.

What about In-n-out... they print bible references on their paper utensils.

yup..the one in Torrance. In and Out really prints bible references on their stuff?

yep...

Wow, I have to say I am floored by some people's comments here. Especially the author who mentioned that he emailed the ACLU about this and said "We are supposed to separate STATE from RELIGION" . Why would you want to involve the ACLU? The first bullet point of the ACLU's mission statement is...
"The mission of the ACLU is to preserve all of these protections and guarantees: Your First Amendment rights-freedom of speech, association and assembly. Freedom of the press, and freedom of religion supported by the strict separation of church and state." If anything, the ACLU would argue in favor of the sign, since it is free speech.

And separating state from religion? Taco Bell <> The State. The Bill of Rights sets up the rules the government must follow. I get sick of hearing people say "The 1st Amendment gives me freedom of speech." No, it doesn't. You HAVE the freedom of speech inherently, the 1st Amendment PROTECTS that freedom from the government. The government can't violate your freedom, but another person (or corporation) can. What that means is you have the right to say what you want, but you don't have the right to use my property to do so.

The sign is obviously not a corporate sign, more than likely it was made by the franchise owner or the manager with the owner's approval. And since the sign is on their property, what's the problem? Are you so hypocritical that you exercise your freedom of speech here to berate someone for exercising theirs?

Sure, a simple "We will be closed on Easter" sign would have been less offensive to some. But you don't have a right not to be offended. Whoever made the sign was expressing their religious beliefs and has every right to do so, just as anyone who is Muslim, Jewish, atheist or whatever who is offended by the sign has the same right.

I'm curious how many of the commenters here would advocate this sign being taken down by force?

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
-- The Friends of Voltaire, 1906

'Christian Taliban'

Godwin's Law 2.0.

Fail.

this is pretty gay..i cant believe it got this low in America

this blog is so stupid i cant even think of what would happen if something that anyone actually cared about happened..you guys are losers