Posted on 05/03/2006 12:58:40 PM PDT by Osage Orange
Reason disputed for monument
By Sheila K. Stogsdill
The Oklahoman
MUSKOGEE - A Stigler resident testified Tuesday that religion in the form of a Ten Commandments monument has no business on government property.
"The Ten Commandments have nothing to do with our law," said Sharon Nichols, an American Civil Liberties Union member and self-described naturalist. "The Ten Commandments is a historical document with limited significance to Haskell County."
Nichols said she was offended by the monument, erected on the Haskell County Courthouse lawn, because she is not a Christian. She also testified she was offended by the words "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency.
Final day of testimony
The testimony came during the second and final day of a federal lawsuit trial.
Another Stigler resident and the ACLU are seeking to have the monument removed.
U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White said he will rule within a month.
Joel Oster, the attorney representing the county commissioners, said he will appeal if the judge decides against his clients.
Micheal Salem, attorney for the ACLU, said he will not make that decision until it becomes necessary.
The monument, engraved with the Ten Commandments on one side and the Mayflower Compact on the other, was placed on the courthouse lawn in November 2004.
James Green, a Stigler resident who testified Monday, sued Haskell County commissioners in October.
Nichols initially said she didn't object to the Mayflower Compact but later said she did object based on religious grounds.
That compact, signed in 1620 by survivors of the Mayflower, contains religious wording. It established the first basis for laws in America.
Manifesto proposed
Nichols testified she considered having a monument erected that displayed the "Humanistic Manifesto."
The manifesto is for all people of all faiths and those who have no faith, and promotes respect and tolerance for everyone, said Bruce Prescott, an ordained Baptist minister and the president of the Oklahoma Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.
"There are Baptists who do not support the (Ten Commandments) monument on the courthouse lawn," Prescott said.
Attorneys for the county commissioners argued the monument has historical significance to the county's residents.
Salem said evidence was presented to show the monument lacks historical significance, was not a foundation for the legal system and was placed for religious purposes.
I hate the ACLU. They are more dangerous to America than the Muslim terrorists could ever hope to be.
That is always how it is. Remember Madeline Murray O'Hare?
This gets my nomination for the most ignorant statement of the week award.
Possibly of the month!
No matter how this comes down, the Republicans should use it against the Democrats in this state.
Somebody needs to tell these clymers that they don't have the right not to be offended.
""The Ten Commandments have nothing to do with our law," said Sharon Nichols, an American Civil Liberties Union member and self-described naturalist."
More like a self-described moron with no sense of the history of this nation.
I think the reason any reference to religion bothers Sharon Nichols is because deep down she suspects she's wrong, and doesn't want to have to examine the issue. If she were really sure there is no God, she'd find Judaism and Christianity irrelevant, not offensive.
Ms. Nichols, sweetie, GFY.
What???
the aclu is using the same technique they used in pornography free speech cases.
You drag in a "member of the community" whos says material X does not offend them. Trot in a hired expert who says the material X has some form of educational use and presto moral relativism wins again.
In this case they are trying to establish the 10 comandments are christian only (I thought a man of the jewish faith found them on a mountain) and in an of themselves they are offensive.
I wish the courts would wise up and just say there is no freedom from being offended.
Nichols, the enlightened lady in your post...
ping
The courts are infested with liberals.....
"The Ten Commandments have nothing to do with our law," said Sharon Nichols, an American Civil Liberties Union member and self-described naturalist."
Any lawyer who can make such a statement, should be barred from practicing law.
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