Lamar Moves "Don't Believe in God?" Billboard After Threats to Landlord

(MoneyWatch)  Kudos to Lamar Advertising: The billboard company offered an alternative site to an atheist group whose ad attracted threats when it went up on a building in Cincinnati.

The ad says, "Don't Believe In God? You are not alone." The building owner received "multiple, significant threats" and asked that the sign come down on Thursday. So Lamar is giving the group, the Coalition of Reason, a board on a site that it owns -- the 6th Street Expressway, U.S. Highway 50.

Lamar hasn't always made consistent decisions when faced with free-speech issues. It has taken down ads that criticized Israel and refused to sell sites to groups who don't believe President Obama's birth certificate is genuine. In Alabama, Lamar refused to sell space for a different atheist ad that said "Imagine No Religion." The company also flip-flopped on an ad that criticized a Republican politician over healthcare reform. (Lamar does, however, have a pro-hooker policy, at least in Texas.)

The last word goes to Shawn Jeffers, co-coordinator for Cincinnati COR:

"Everything that has happened shows just how vital our message is," Jeffers said. "It proves our point, that bigotry against people who don't believe in a god is still very real in America.

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