Dennis Prager speaks to Supervisors on LA County Seal

DENNIS PRAGER: ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE TIME TO SPEAK. I WILL BE VERY BRIEF, AS I HAVE TO BE IN ANY EVENT. SUPERVISORS, I HAVE NEVER APPEARED BEFORE YOU. I LIVED MY WHOLE ADULT LIFE IN LOS ANGELES AND I'VE NEVER COME HERE, I'M NOT AN ACTIVIST. I'M NOT TERRIBLY INTERESTED IN POLITICS. IF YOU HEAR MY SHOW, IT'S LIKELY TO TALK ABOUT RAISING CHILDREN AS IT IS ABOUT IRAQ, BUT THIS IS NOT MY NATURE. YOU'VE NEVER SEEN ME HERE BECAUSE I'VE NEVER FELT AS PASSIONATELY ABOUT AN ISSUE. LET ME PUT IT AS BLUNTLY AS I CAN, GIVEN THE TIME FACTOR. I DON'T JUDGE YOUR INTENTIONS BUT THE THREE OF YOU WHO VOTED TO ERASE THE CROSS FROM THE SEAL OF THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES HAVE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE. I DON'T THINK YOU REALIZED THE SEVERITY OF WHAT YOU DID. YOU MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS THE ADVOCACY OF CHRISTIANITY IN OUR SOCIETY, SO LET ME TELL YOU THAT I AM A RELIGIOUS PRACTICING JEW, THAT THERE ARE RABBIS IN THIS AUDIENCE WHO ARE HERE, THERE ARE ATHEISTS, THERE ARE BUDDHISTS, JUST FOR PEOPLE WHO CAME OVER TO ME. THE ISSUE IS ONE THAT I KNOW MY FRIEND OF MANY YEARS, ZEV YAROSLAVSKY, CAN RELATE TO. IT IS THE ERASING OF HISTORY. CHRISTIANITY PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTY. TO TAKE THAT CROSS OFF IS A SYMBOL OF SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENING. IN THE SOVIET UNION, THERE WAS A JOKE, A VERY POWERFUL, DISSIDENT JOKE. I'M SURE THAT ZEV REMEMBERS THIS. THEY USED TO SAY, IN THE SOVIET UNION, THAT THE FUTURE IS KNOWN, IT'S THE PAST WHICH IS ALWAYS CHANGING. TOTALITARIANISM IS NOT POSSIBLE UNLESS YOU ERASE THE PAST. THAT IS WHAT YOU DID. THAT IS WHY THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE HERE AND THOUSANDS OUTSIDE. THAT IS THE ONLY REASON I AM HERE. I NEVER INTENDED TO BE HERE. MAYBE ON MY BIRTHDAY ONE YEAR YOU'LL HONOR ME BUT I NEVER HAD ANY INTENTION FOR ANY OTHER REASON TO BE HERE. I NEED YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE WHIRLWIND THAT YOU ARE REAPING. I BEG YOU, FOR YOUR SAKE, TO UNDERSTAND THIS. WHAT YOU ARE OFFERING IS NOT A COMPROMISE. PUTTING A MISSION AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE INSTEAD OF THE CROSS IS NOT A COMPROMISE AND WE'RE NOT STUPID. WE'D HAVE TO BE STUPID TO BELIEVE THAT'S A COMPROMISE. IF THERE'S NO CROSS, THERE'S NO COMPROMISE. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. IF THERE IS... [ ENTHUSIASTIC CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
DENNIS PRAGER: IF THERE IS A MISSION, AS ONE WRITER-- AS ONE LISTENER TO MY SHOW WROTE TO ME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY HEARING THIS, IT WILL LOOK LIKE A TACO BELL. NOBODY WILL KNOW WHAT THAT BUILDING IS. THE A.C.L.U. IS FOOLING YOU. THEY ARE LEADING YOU DOWN A VERY TERRIBLE PATH. THEY, CONTRARY TO THE L.A. TIMES EDITORIAL, I DIDN'T GOAD THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HERE TODAY. THE A.C.L.U. GOADED YOU INTO THEIR PLAN TO DE-CHRISTIANIZE THIS COUNTRY. YOU FELL IN. FOR YOUR SAKE AND FOR THE SAKE OF AMERICA, I BEG OF YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE SEVERITY OF THE WHIRLWIND YOU HAVE REAPED. DON'T REWRITE OUR HISTORY. THANK YOU. [ ENTHUSIASTIC CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
SUP. KNABE, CHAIR: ALL RIGHT. LET ME MAKE A SUGGESTION SINCE MY MICROPHONE IS NOT WORKING. [ LAUGHTER ]
SUP. KNABE, CHAIR: INSTEAD OF THE APPLAUSE, WHEN YOU HEAR SOMETHING YOU LIKE, JUST GO LIKE THIS. [ LAUGHTER ]
SUP. KNABE, CHAIR: ALL RIGHT? THERE YOU GO. WE'LL GET THE MESSAGE UP HERE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DENNIS, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE.

This is from the official transcript of Los Angeles County Board Meeting of June 8, 2004.