Separationists in Hawaii want the state to enforce its own administrative rules, and stop the posting of Christian symbols on doors in the capitol building. A meeting with the Governor is slated for Monday.

omething's fishy in the corridors of the Hawaii State legislator. According to Mitch Kahle, head of Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of State and Church, Sen. David Matsuura is using his office -- literally -- to promote Christianity, and is violating the constitution in doing so.

    Matsuura has a 4-inch fish symbol displayed on the outside of the door to state capitol room #203. "Citizens visiting the capitol are unavoidably exposed to the offending symbol on prominent display in the public corridor on the senate level of the state capitol," charges HCSSC. The organization added that it is "not opposed" to Sen. Matsuura, or anyone else having religious materials "within the confines of their own private office space," as long as they are kept out of public view. Mr. Kahle noted that room 203 "does not belong to Senator Matsuura," but to the taxpayers.

    In two separate letters to the senator, HCSSC pointed out that the fish -- an "ichthus" symbolic of early Christianity, and now a populist symbol of Jesus worship -- was an unconstitutional display on public property, and "offensive to the majority (65+%) of Hawaii's citizens who are non-Christians." Ichthus is an acronym for "Lesous Christos Theou Uios Soter," or "Jesus Christ the Son of God, Saviour."

    HCSSC filed an official complaint with the State Attorney General's Office dated March 2, which alleged that Matsuura and the State of Hawaii violated Article 1, Sections 4, 5, and 8 of the state constitution, and the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Mitch Kahle added that Hawaii's administrative rules also prohibit religious and other materials from being posted in Capitol building halls.

    But last week, Deputy State Attorney General Girard Lau said that the fish, far from being a rotten violation of the constitutions, was permissible. "It would be unreasonable for a passerby to attribute the symbol on Sen. Matsuura's door to the Legislature or government as a whole, when only Sen. Matsurra's door has the symbol," declared Lau. "It does not appear that the Establishment Clause requires it removal," he added, warning that taking down the fish symbol "could raise free speech legal problems..."

    "If the Legislature or some other controlling state entity were to require Sen. Matsuura to take down the fish symbol, while allowing all other types of postings and messages to be displayed on senators' doors (except religious ones) the question of whether such a policy would violate the freedom of speech rights of Sen. Matsuura would be raised."

    But Mr. Kahle says that the fish symbol -- and everything else on legislative hallway doors -- must be removed. He cited a letter HCSSC sent to Raymond H. Sato, comptroller of the Hawaii Department of Accounting and General Services which quoted administrative rules banning the posting of "any advertisements, signs, bulletins, announcements and the like." The rules also prohibit "the installation of any memorial, monument, or other commemorative piece."

    Along with the complaint about Sen. Matsuura's "Ichthus" symbol, HCSSC also raised questions about a Legislative Prayer Breakfast scheduled for earlier this month in a room at the state capitol. Kahle's organization "does not oppose this private prayer breakfast," but criticized State Senator Norman Sakamoto for using "government computers, software and printers," as well as other public resources, to organize the gathering. After being contacted by HCSSC, the senator announced that he intended to "review" the situation; but in the following days, Sakamoto's office continued to accept reservations for the event, even though it was described as a "private affair."

THE FISH SYMBOL -- WHERE DID IT REALLY ORIGINATE? Modern day Christians say that their fish symbol or "Ichthus" dates back to the early days of their church. But that's only part of the story. In fact, the "Ichthus" is just one of the many pagan metaphors and symbols appropriated by Christianity. It's origins rest in the fertility cults and goddess worship that antedated the Jesus sect by millennia.

    HCSSC reports that in a March 2, 1999 letter, Senator Sakamoto has pledged to "coordinate the prayer breakfast from outside the Capitol."

    In an interview with AANEWS, Mr. Kahle revealed that the legislative Ethics Committee has order Senator Sakamoto to reimburse the state for all funds spent promoting the Legislative Prayer Breakfast. Kahle also announced that on Monday, he and other representatives of Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of State and Church will be meet with the Governor in hopes of resolving the deadlock over display of religious decorations in the state legislative corridors. "There are now 16 'Fish' symbols on doors," Kahle noted, "along with a couple of stars-of-David. We just want

    And what if the governor and officials don't comply? Mitch Kahle and HCSSC say that on Tuesday, if the fishy constitutional violations are not addressed, the group will enter the legislature office building and consider it a "free speech forum," and attempt to erect their own posters and stickers. "We're willing to get arrested in an act of peaceful civil disobedience," said Kahle. "We're also prepared to then take the State of Hawaii to court for violating both the state and federal constitutions, as well as its own administrative rules."

    Visit the HCSSC web site for more information.

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