Alabama SC justices cave, order Ten Commandments removed

AP on Fox News ^ | 8-21-03 | AP on Fox News website

[Theodore R.]

This is a good idea -- the Commandments on Wheels. Of course, liberals would prefer "Meals on Wheels" to feed the physically hungry. Liberals would ignore the spiritually hungry unless the afflicted were hungry for more liberalism.

[lugsoul]

In honor of this decision, some pearls of wisdom from Judge Roy Moore:

"By leaving religion undefined, the Court has opened the door to the erroneous assumption that, under the Establishment Clause, religion could include Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and whatever might occupy in man's life a place parallel to that filled by God ... In such a case, God and religion are no longer distinguished in meaning, permitting the First Amendment to be used to exclude the very object it was meant to protect, namely the sovereignty of God over civil government."

"Americans are free to worship other Gods only because the Judeo-Christian God, and the Judeo-Christian God alone, allows for freedom of conscience."

“You'll find no documents surrounding the Ten Commandments because they stand alone as an acknowledgment of that God that's contained in our pledge, contained in our motto, and contained in our oath.”

"I have no intention of removing the monument. To do so would, in effect, result in the disestablishment of our system of justice in this state.”

[HurkinMcGurkin]

Fine, you guys start a revolution. Let us know how it turns out.

What I find odd is that people such as those you replied to don't seem to be all that concerned about gun laws, illegal immigration, 4th amendment violations as much as they are concerned about some piece of stone being removed from a courthouse and some grandstanding judge. I thought the same thing about the reaction to Lawrence v. Texas where it was said "America is dead". They cry, "you guys think the State is almighty", but turn around and say, well, if you don't like certain laws about guns, drugs or immigration, change them through the system. All the while they are screaming for a revolution over nonsense.

[Protagoras]

Well, I guess that ends that. What a pity.

Why a pity?

[iranger]

"A lot of hostility towards Christianity stems from ignorance - much of it promoted by the ACLU. This is very much a case in point."

Touche'!!!

[MatthewViti]

God is the final authority whom ALL must render and account to. I'd hate to say that I stood by while his Commandments were torn down.

[beachn4fun]

I'm curious, what specific law is this breaking?

I'm with you....no one has told us what law. Everyone seems to indicate Moore has broken the law by disobeying. But, he said himself that his first obligation is to his Constitution, which allows him to acknowledge God, in the performance of his duties. I thought the higher courts could only interfere on the matter of law.

[swheats]

Note he using pencil as practicality permits. ;)

[ConsistentLibertarian]

Your claim is that the ACLU is on a jihad to subvert the constitution. I offered you a long list spanning decades of important cases in which the ACLU was a party and asked you to say in which ones you thought they were subverting the Constitution.

Is your answer that there is only one such example from that list?

And the example is a case which the court held that mental illness alone could not justify confinement on an indefinite basis?

And from there you want to introduce the claim that "The ACLU is a disgusting band of jihadists bent of the destruction of religion, morality and decency anywhere and everywhere they find it in the United States."?

Please answer so we can all be clear on your response to the question I asked you in post #46.

PS. I'm taking it easy on you by not asking wether the mental illness case was the work of "marxist judges". As I'm sure you know, in the USSR courts routinely confined people for "mental illness" and that power, on the part of the state, was an important tool for suppressing dissent, so the marxist position on the power of the state would never lead a judge to accept the ACLU's position which sets strict LIMITS on the power of the state ...

[beachn4fun]

ewww, that is a good one! (high five)

[MatthewViti]

Aren't all out houses owned by the Army Corps of "Engineers?" LOL

[montag813]

Now, if you're suggesting that montag813 is a straw man easily blown over, I might agree with you. But that's evidence for my original claim: there's a great deal of hostility towards the ACLU on FR, but very little of it is well-informed.

I am still waiting for your response to my post #69 on the 1975 O'Connor v Donaldson case, which you are proud of, and which is universally reviled (even among former supporters like Geraldo Rivera) as having almost single-handedly CREATED the "Homeless crisis" through forced de-institutionalization of the mentally ill, in addition to the countless murders and assaults resulting from the tens of thousands of unmedicated crazies running around amongst us.

How did this ruling "strengthen the Constitution", as you so proudly proclaim? Will you ignore these facts and just hurl insults at me? Do I have to go through the entire list and refute them one by one? So I have to list the cases in which the ACLU subverted the Constitution via the Plaintiff's bar...bankrupting defendant schools and organization into submission and settlement?

[Skooz]

The law is whatever a guy in a robe says it is.

Our robed masters determine what is and what is not law.

Are you under some silly impression that laws must be passed and approved in some sort of legislative body? Silly citizens. Go back to your salt mines.

[beachn4fun]

Show me the precedence, then!

[lugsoul]

It goes like this. A state actor cannot take action in the absence of legislation if legislation authorizing such action would be unconstitutional.

Now, you tell me. If the Alabama Legislature passes the following law, does it pass constitutional muster:

The State of Alabama hereby declares that the Christian God is sovereign over all laws of the State and each citizen of the State, and that this sovereignty shall be recognized by the erection of a large monument in the rotunda of the Judicial Building, to remind all citizens of Alabama and all litigants in its courts that the Christian God is the source of all legal authority in this State. The display of non-Christian or secular sources of law alongside the monument is expressly prohibited.

[ClancyJ]

Received this in email -

"Samuel Thompson wrote


I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue
somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December.

I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a
lawyer when my high school teacher taught his theory of evolution. Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game.

So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

"But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue. Yes, and this is the United States of America, a country founded on Christian principles. And we are in the Bible Belt. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect --somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer. If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.
If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha. And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit.

When in Rome...

"But what about the atheists?" is another argument. What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate.

Just ignore us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer. unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do.
I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights.

Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us just to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.

God, help us.

And if that last sentence offends you, well..........just sue me."

The silent majority has been silent too long.. it's time we let that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard,
that the vast majority don't care what they want.. it is time the majority rules!

It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray.. you don't have to say the pledge of allegiance, you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right.. but by golly you are no longer going to take our rights away .. we are fighting back.. and we WILL WIN!

After all the God you have the right to denounce is on our side!

God bless us one and all, especially those who denounce Him...

God bless America, despite all her faults.. still the greatest nation of all.....

God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God...

May 2003 be the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions.

Keep looking up......
In God WE Trust"

---

I agree.

[BamaG]

Hey genius, the court here is made up of 8 Republicans and 1 conservative independent. If you looked at the record, Moore is the most liberal on there, he always sides with the plaintiff's bar. Look it up.

[montag813]

What do they do when they retire from the ACLU anyways.

They get appointed to the Federal bench by a Marxist President and rule that a statue of the Ten Commandments in Alabama must be removed, the Constitution be damned.