Top Alabama judge vows Commandments fight

AP | 8/22/03 | BOB JOHNSON

[kattracks]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's top judge refused to back down in his fight to keep a Ten Commandments monument and lashed out at his colleagues who ordered it removed from the rotunda of the state judicial building.

"I will never deny the God upon whom our laws and country depend," Chief Justice Roy Moore said in a fiery defense of the 5,300-pound granite marker, as supporters cheered and prayed on the building's steps.

The monument was still in the building's rotunda early Thursday evening, and court officials did not say when or where it would be moved.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, who had ruled the monument's placement violated the Constitution's ban on government promotion of a religious doctrine, has said it could be moved to a private place still within the building. He had threatened $5,000-a-day fines if Moore left the monument in the public rotunda.

Moore installed the monument two years ago and contends it represents the moral foundation of American law.

"Not only did Judge Thompson put himself above the law, but above God as well," Moore told his supporters Thursday.

The chief justice had appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency stay of the removal order, but the court rejected it Wednesday. Moore said Thursday he would file a formal appeal with the high court soon "to defend our constitutional right to acknowledge God."

"I cannot forsake my conscience," he said.

His supporters, meanwhile, promised to block any effort to remove the monument.

"We will kneel at the doors. We will prevent forklifts or trucks from coming in," said Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, which is organizing around-the-clock demonstrations.

Moore's eight colleagues on the state Supreme Court intervened after Thompson's midnight deadline for removing the monument passed and the monument remained. In ordering the monument moved, the justices said they were "bound by solemn oath to follow the law."

Justice Gorman Houston said all eight instructed building manager Graham George to "take all steps necessary to comply" with the removal order. George declined to comment when asked when, how or where the monument would be moved.

Attorney General Bill Pryor filed a notice with the federal district court after the justices' issued their order and said he believed that would remove any risk of fines.

Taxpayers "should not be punished for the refusal of the chief justice to follow a federal court order," he said.

A partition was put in front of the monument early Thursday but was removed after about three hours. Houston said the building manager may have erected it to comply with the order.

Gov. Bob Riley said in a statement that he supports public displays of the Ten Commandments, but also supports the decision of associate justices to "uphold the rule of law."

In his speech Thursday, Moore said he was "disappointed with my colleagues" and lashed out at "this so-called rule of law" that they cited. He said such blind obedience would have allowed slavery to continue.

Richard Hahnemann of Huntsville, the monument's sculptor, said he expects voters to remember what the justices did come election day.

"They have their opinion. Justice Moore was elected by the people to do what he did," Hahnemann said.

Richard Cohen, an attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center — which sued along with the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State — praised the eight justices.

"Their courageous actions reflect that Justice Moore is a disgrace to the bench and ought to resign or be removed from office," Cohen said.

Still, protesters outside the building said they were willing to stand in the Alabama heat and risk arrest for days or weeks to keep the monument inside. Twenty-one were arrested Wednesday night on trespassing charges for refusing to leave the monument when the building was closing.

Stephen Hopkins, pastor of Burnet Bible Church in Burnet, Texas, was one of those arrested. He said he was willing to be arrested even though he has 10 children.

"This is a great hypocrisy," Hopkins said. "This is an assault on God. They're saying we're going to cover up God."

[MissAmericanPie]

These posters you are addressing evidently have a great fondness for the unlawful activism of the Supreme Court regarding liberal social engineering against the will of the people and the society and culture in which they choose to live. Which of course flies in the face of, not only Domestic tranquility but also:

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.


Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.


It's a good thing our freedoms are not left in the hands of such couch critics. The right of the people to petition the government for redress of grievances, leaves the means of that petition to the people. There is nothing in the Constitution that allows the Supreme Court to insinuate itself into the culture of the people or to socially engineer from the bench.

The removal of the Christian foundation of American Laws is critical to the end game of destroying the foundations of freedom which rest on God given inalienable rights and replacing those God given inalienable rights with unconsitutional man granted rights in which the rights of the individual shall be infringed at every turn.

This battle to sustain the God given rights, which mere man cannot tamper with or abridge fostered and granted by the Supreme Authority over all mankind, and enumerated in the Constitution, is far bigger than Judge Moore or any one man.

The right of the people to demand that the Supreme Court and all courts keep in rememberance, by the display of the Ten Commandments, that the agreement between the people and government rests in the powerful restraining reins on the governments ability to tamper with the general society, culture and rights of the majority, are held in the hands of the God that rules over the affairs of all men, and whose power is not only acknowledged and honored in the Constitution which grants them their authority to sit on the bench, but in whose care our rights and freedoms and the validity of that Constitution and their authority to judge rests. That important point is lost on the likes of these.

I know it is pretty much a shock to discover the caliber of some that hail themselves as conservative, but my advice is don't waste your energy.

[Texas_Dawg]

Creepy.

If you like creepy stuff, FR is the place to be, as my page shows.

[Texas_Dawg]

These posters you are addressing evidently have a great fondness for the unlawful activism of the Supreme Court regarding liberal social engineering against the will of the people and the society and culture in which they choose to live.

What about the Alabama Supreme Court and William Pryor?

[montag813]

LOL - I heard the same exact thing, word for word, about Robert Tilton. And Jimmy Swaggart. And Jim Bakker. And Peter Popoff.

Surely you are joking, or an angry athiest. Otherwise, given the facts of this case, and the massive groundswell of support, your statement makes no sense.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

...it does seem that you called me a queer?...

Settle down. I did no such thing. Cheers, By

[Texas_Dawg]

Surely you are joking, or an angry athiest.

What about the born-again, evangelical Christians that disagree with this?

[Bluntpoint]

Oh, I see, you did not have relations with your post.

[montag813]

You are jealous, resentful, and spiteful, and the most cursory reading of your mean-spirited posts to this thread prove it.

Amen. The venom spewed on this forum at this man from the FReeper "Pharisees" is truly revolting.

[Bluntpoint]

What about the born-again, evangelical Christians that disagree with this?

There time will come for not be as "Christian" as I!

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..oh, I see, you did not have relations with your post...

Blunty, I don't want to be rude, but could I gently suggest that your ripostes are not as witty as you think they are? Quite frankly, they're falling flatter than Janeane Garofalo's chest. If you don't want to discuss the Moore issue, how about taking a hike? I'm sure there's a restroom out there that's missing your company.

[general_re]

I am not joking. I am also not an atheist, although I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that some people will never be able to break out of the little box that imprisons their minds and tells them that only atheist commie homos will ever disagree with them about certain things. Not that I'm suggesting you're one of those people just yet - I'm inclined to give folks the benefit of the doubt until they reveal their cards directly.

All those men I mentioned had a "massive groundswell of support" too, just as their hucksterism was coming to light. Heck, I can still find you some people who believe they did no wrong. But they did, and so has Roy Moore.

[Texas_Dawg]

There time will come for not be as "Christian" as I!

Dig dag jibber jabber dog dag burn Judeo-Christian dad gum burn darn heathen gosh darn burn dad gum Communist-lovin' jib jab dig dag darn...

[Bluntpoint]

Oh! Another queer reference! Go figure.

My witticism takes second only to your self aggrandizing churlishness.

[Kevin Curry]

The spirit that motivates you is obvious enough to see by all who have eyes to see.

But you will always be safe in this country. Christians will be your best guarantee of safety. It is when those motivated by spirits such as the one that breathes lies into your ear control government that we need fear.

[Bluntpoint]

[Texas_Dawg]

There time will come for not be as "Christian" as I!

Amen, Cletus!

[Bluntpoint]

Oh! To be you and have the ability to see into everyone else's heart.

Do you rent yourself out for parties?

[Texas_Dawg]

Christians will be your best guarantee of safety. It is when those motivated by spirits such as the one that breathes lies into your ear control government that we need fear.

?!?!

Well then, hurry and tell me where I sign up for your newsletter!

[Gritty]

Re your Post #141. You have pretty much nailed it. I recommend others read it if they haven't.

Many people are letting their hatred for God, Christianity and Christians color their understanding of the Constitution and overtake their reasoning powers.

This controversy is not about the 10 Commandments per se but about resisting unbridled Federal judicial activism.

[Gritty]

Sure - Moore's stance is no different from that of the flag fringers, constimatooshinalists, David::Winn::::Miller::#:#:#:#, or any other nutcase that ever came down the pike and holed up in his trailer against the cops with 8 dozen cases of crappy beer, a rifle and lots of ammo.

Your hatred is showing, and it is unseemly.