moving the monumet to a different part of the court house? Has any of us attended the protest?
Judge Moore has been suspended. The monument will be moved. Where? I don't know. There is a group of people peacefully protesting it, but the judges and politicians are determined that there shall be no other gods than them.
I think the monument is still up, but Roy Moore has been suspended.
Judge Moore was suspended by a panel of judges and the monument will be "moved". The definition of "moved" has not come out, but the speculation is that the state can meet the court order requirements by moving the monument to another part of the capitol building, out of public view.
I imagine they will wait til the furor dies down a little and then it will be moved quietly in the middle of the night.
Jackals 10, Christians 0.
At church, opinions vary on Ten Commandments in court
By Mark Niesse
Associated Press
08-25-2003
MONTGOMERY
Churchgoers weighed in after Sunday services on the battle over the Ten Commandments monument, which has been ordered removed from the Alabama Judicial Building.
Most people, wearing their Sunday best, said they believed the 5,300-pound monument makes an important statement — bringing religion to the forefront and breaking down laws to keep God out of public life.
But many argued that Chief Justice Roy Moore should abide by his oath to respect the rule of law and obey a federal court order to haul the washing-machine sized display of the commandments from the building that houses the Alabama Supreme Court.
More than 100 demonstrators prepared Sunday for the possibility the marker would be removed early Monday morning as the business week began. State officials have not signaled when, where or how they will move the commandments.
"It could happen this evening, or tomorrow morning," said Steven Hopkins, a minister from Burnet Bible Church in Texas. "There is a national call out to families and Christians all over the country to come to Montgomery and support the word of God."
The issue has torn the consciences of Christians who can’t decide which law to respect — the law of God that Moore says he’s upholding or the rules of the American legal system?
Tanya McLemore, carrying a Bible and wearing a gleaming cross on a necklace, said Moore is doing the right thing by following his beliefs.
"A man stood up for what is right, and he’s taking a lot of criticism," said McLemore before the 11 a.m. Sunday service at First Baptist Church in downtown Montgomery. "But the Ten Commandments are the basis of our law and our government. It’s important to know where we came from."
To some, the monument needs to be in the rotunda of the court building — to give a statement about the primacy of God’s law and to reform a society in a state of decay because it doesn’t have widespread support of a higher power.
"If it weren’t for God, we wouldn’t have this country now," said Adam Taft, a 20-year-old carrying a worn Bible into Ridgecrest Baptist Church. "I feel strongly about it — it’s the right thing to do."
At Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church, worshippers said they want the Ten Commandments in public life, but they had reservations about the way Moore has handled the situation.
Moore, himself a Southern Baptist, had the monument installed in the dead of night on July 31, 2001, and he has resisted all attempts to have it removed despite losing court battles at all levels and being suspended with pay Friday.
"It was forced down our throats. This has taken the focus off of God and put it on a man," said Debbie Stack outside Frazer.
Joann Mitchell said she wants to support the principles of the Ten Commandments, but a state courthouse isn’t the place to make a religious statement.
"I don’t think he should have put it there in the first place. That’s why they made a provision for the separation of church and state," she said.
Outside Sunday school at First Baptist, Greg Palmer agreed with Moore’s argument that the Ten Commandments are appropriate in government because they form the basis for the Constitution and the entire American legal system.
"It’s important to know where we came from," Palmer said. "I don’t think the monument is forcing religion on anyone."
Moore has pledged to argue his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, and a citizen’s group plans to file a federal lawsuit Monday in Mobile claiming their First Amendment rights are being violated by the monument’s pending removal.
Outside the Judicial Building, supporters of the monument talked, read Bibles and gave interviews to a dozens of media despite the 93 degree heat.
"I may not know all the legal issues, but this is what our country was founded on. This is our heritage, and we can’t deny that," said Jenny Graber, a teacher who drove to the courthouse from Lillian near the Florida border. "We may not be able to change anything, but we had to take a stand."
Sunday night, an unidentified man scaled metalwork covering the tall windows on the front of the judicial building and sat on a ledge about 50 feet above ground. Police were forced to try and remove him.
From:
http://www.annistonstar.com/news/2003/as-state-0825-0-3h24w2852.htm www.annistonstar.com (The Anniston, AL newspaper) has been keeping uptodate with this story and has had an article about it everyday this week.
Judge Moore has been removed from the equation. The blood is now on the heads of his associates (who dumped him) plus the federal judge, plus (probably) the Supremes, at least 5 of whom will rule that the display is "unconstitional" despite the fact the the Ten Commandments are chiseled into their own work place.