Christian voters warned, "We will remember."
Hugh Farnen, together with other Christian voters in Boone County in Columbia, Missouri said they would remember the names of the three Boone County Commissioners who voted to remove the war memorial featuring an ichtus or "Jesus fish" symbol on county property, reported the Missourian.
Farnen said he attended at least four of the public hearings conducted by the County Commissioners before finally deciding on Tuesday to relocate the Desert Storm Memorial from the courthouse plaza to the Columbia Cemetery. The Commissioner decided that instead, a new memorial would be constructed, at the expense of the county, without the Jesus fish symbol.
But the backlash from some Christians in the community against the commissioners was swift and determined too. At least two of the three-man Boone County Commissioner are up for reelection in November 2016, said Brietbart.
The Desert Storm Memorial honors two Boone County men, Patrick Connor and Steven Farnen, who died in Operation Desert Storm, which was erected on the county courthouse.
But the Americans United for Separation of Church and State initiated a campaign in May 2014 calling for the county to remove the memorial because of the ichtus symbol. The commission ordered the ichtus to be covered on June 2014 and later etched a stone reading "Dedicated 1992," covering the insignia.
The parents of the fallen men appealed to the commission and offered a comprise and said they are willing to have the ichtus covered so that the memorial will stay on the courtyard with the Jesus fish symbol.
Steven's father, Hugh said, "I hate the idea. But we were willing to compromise. It looks like y'all don't want to do anything that breaks from what y'all want."
But the commission took credence to the legal opinion presented by Columbia lawyer B. Daniel Simon, who explained to them that having the ichthus symbol at a public property like the courthouse, is a violation of the separation of church and state provision in the Constitutions of both the state and the Federal government.
Southern District Commissioner Karen Miller, defended the commission's 3-0 vote against the memorial and even quoted former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres for her vote. "It's better to be controversial for the right reasons than to be popular for the wrong reasons," Miller said, citing comments from Peres in a 1997 speech, reported the Columbia Daily Tribune.
She went on to say, "Not being an attorney, I must rely on comprehensive legal analysis provided by Simon. It is a fiscally prudent action to take on behalf of county government."
