The idea, the city said cheerily, was to “ foster diversity ,” “create an environment in the City where everyone feels included,” and promote harmony “among Boston’s many communities.” What could possibly go wrong? In today’s prickly America, enough to require the Supreme Court to referee the dispute. It did so on Monday, giving the city a tutorial about the obvious: Public forums are open to the public. Boston did, however, bring unity: The court spoke unanimously , through an opinion by retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer, who is heading home to an edified Boston. There, at City Hall, from time to time — 284 times in 12 years, before a problem occurred — the city allowed various groups to fly their flags from where the city’s usually flies. The flags of China and Cuba have flown there. The 285th request was from a group wishing to celebrate Christians’ contributions to Boston, by flying what the group’s leader calls a “Christian flag.” Calling it this probably made a city official skittish. The mere fact that the flag includes a cross would not have alarmed the employee of a city whose flag includes Latin words that translate as “God be […]
News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.