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American Family Association ^ | 8/22/03 | Tim Wildmon

Posted on 08/24/2003 12:13:06 PM PDT by apackof2

High atop the Washington Monument overlooking our nation's capital is engraved the Latin phrase Laus Deo which means, "Praise be to God." But wait a minute? Isn't that a violation of the First Amendment? It's going to take quite the cherry picker to sand blast that off when the American Civil Liberties Union convinces some federal judge that this is unconstitutional.

Embedded in the entry way of the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. are the Ten Commandments (yes, those Ten Commandments) for all to see. Do these people at the National Archives not realize that they are establishing a religion? What is the difference between that and what Chief Justice Roy Moore did in Montgomery, Alabama?

These are but two examples of the numerous acknowledgments of Almighty God in Washington, D.C. I could go on and on with other examples. And I could give similar examples of this from government buildings and written into constitutions in many of the 50 states. Yet Alabama Chief Justice Moore puts a monument of the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Supreme Court building of his state-paid for with private money and a monument that nobody has to read if they don't want to-and a federal judge rules that doing so is an "establishment" of religion? That is absurd.

I feel like I'm living as Alice in Wonderland, U.S.A. The rational has been called absurd and the absurd has been called rational. Especially with respect to the manner in which the federal courts are treating the very historical bedrock of American society (including our system of law and justice)-the Ten Commandments and the Christian faith.

In the first place, I don't see this as a federal issue. It is a state issue. The people of Alabama elected Justice Moore. He has a history. They knew what they were getting. And with his position comes responsibility for the decor of the building grounds. It's none of the federal government's business. How this monument is "establishing" a state religion in beyond me. Does Roy Moore force anyone to read the monument? No. Are people who come before the Supreme Court of Alabama forced to recite the Ten Commandments before they have a trial? No. Is there a First Church of Roy Moore with required attendance for those who visit the building?

No.

Obviously, I believe Chief Justice Moore is right on numerous grounds. And I believe federal judge Myron Thompson (appointed by President Carter in 1980) and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals are wrong. The Ten Commandments monument (which also contains quotes from our Founding Fathers) should be allowed to stay in the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building, just as they should be allowed to stay in the National Archives.

It's no surprise that-once again-it is the ACLU, along with Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Southern Poverty Law Center, that brought this case to federal court. The ACLU is the same organization that is currently going after the state of Colorado for a statute requiring public school students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to start their day. (There is an opt-out for those students and teachers who wish not to participate.) The ACLU is an organization totally committed to removing any and all vestiges of religion (particularly Christianity) from the public domain. This is what they get up to do each morning. It's a seek-and-destroy mission.

But there is so much history to support the actions of Chief Justice Moore that, quite frankly, it's difficult to know where to begin.

Here is what the Preamble to the state constitution of Alabama says:

"We, the people of the State of Alabama, in order to establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution and form of government for the State of Alabama."

What was Chief Justice Moore doing by displaying the Ten Commandments of "Almighty God," other than "invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God?" He says he was following the constitution of Alabama. Hard to argue that point, seems to me.

Liberal federal judges basically rule our country now. And the Democrats in Congress want to keep it that way. Issues that liberal lawmakers know they could never win at the ballot box, they know they can win if they ideologically control the federal bench. That is why Senate Democrats have taken the unprecedented role of blocking President Bush's federal court appointments from even being voted on. They want more judges like Myron Thompson.

President George Washington-the Father of America-said in his Farewell Address: "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens."

Are you listening, Judge Thompson?

ACTION NEEDED Finally, a U.S. Senator has given Americans a method to restore our religious liberties. He has introduced a bill, S. 1558, the "Religious Liberties Restoration Act," which does exactly that.

S. 1558 is not a constitutional amendment, but a legislative statute which would remove from federal court review the displaying of the Ten Commandments, the National Motto and the Pledge of Allegiance.

E-mail your two U.S. Senators and urge them to co-sponsor S. 1558.


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aclu; action; afa; alabama; bill; christians; constitution; purge; religiousliberties; roymoore; s1558; senators; tencommandments
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Religious Liberties Restoration Act (Introduced in Senate)

S 1558 IS

108th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1558

To restore religious freedoms.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

August 1 (legislative day, JULY 21), 2003

Mr. ALLARD introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A BILL

To restore religious freedoms.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Religious Liberties Restoration Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) The Declaration of Independence declares that governments are instituted to secure certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, with which all human beings are endowed by their Creator and to which they are entitled by the laws of nature and of nature's God.

(2) The organic laws of the United States Code and the constitutions of every State, using various expressions, recognize God as the source of the blessings of liberty.

(3) The first amendment to the Constitution secures rights against laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof made by the Federal Government.

(4) The rights secured under the first amendment have been interpreted by the Federal courts to be included among the provisions of the 14th amendment.

(5) The 10th amendment reserves to the States, respectively, the powers not delegated to the Federal Government nor prohibited to the States.

(6) Disputes and doubts have arisen with respect to public displays of the Ten Commandments and to other public expression of religious faith.

(7) Section 5 of the 14th amendment grants Congress the power to enforce the provisions of the 14th amendment.

(8) Article III, section 2 of the Constitution grants Congress the authority to except certain matters from the jurisdiction of the Federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court.

SEC. 3. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY RIGHTS DECLARED.

(a) DISPLAY OF TEN COMMANDMENTS- The power to display the Ten Commandments on or within property owned or administered by the several States or political subdivisions of such States is among the powers reserved to the States, respectively.

(b) WORD `GOD' IN PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE- The power to recite the Pledge of Allegiance on or within property owned or administered by the several States or political subdivisions of such States is among the powers reserved to the States, respectively. The Pledge of Allegiance shall be, `I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and justice for all.'.

(c) MOTTO `IN GOD WE TRUST'- The power to recite the national motto on or within property owned or administered by the several States or political subdivisions of such States is among the powers reserved to the States, respectively. The national motto shall be, `In God we trust'.

(d) EXERCISE OF CONGRESSIONAL POWER TO EXCEPT- The subject matter of subsections (a), (b), and (c) are excepted from the jurisdiction of Federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court.

1 posted on 08/24/2003 12:13:07 PM PDT by apackof2
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To: GrandMoM; backhoe; pram; Yehuda; Clint N. Suhks; LiteKeeper; sfRummygirl
ping
2 posted on 08/24/2003 12:17:37 PM PDT by apackof2
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To: Vindiciae Contra TyrannoSCOTUS; RedBloodedAmerican
ping
3 posted on 08/24/2003 12:21:37 PM PDT by apackof2
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To: apackof2
Big Bump!!
4 posted on 08/24/2003 12:38:27 PM PDT by 4integrity (AJ)
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To: PastorBubba
Ping-a-ling
5 posted on 08/24/2003 12:48:53 PM PDT by SnarlinCubBear (To you he's a dog. To me he's adopted, has 4 legs, short, hairy...I have no problem with that!)
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To: SnarlinCubBear
BTTT
6 posted on 08/24/2003 12:57:48 PM PDT by Brad’s Gramma (Have YOU had your Logan Fix today?)
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To: SnarlinCubBear
btt
7 posted on 08/24/2003 12:58:09 PM PDT by Sacajaweau (God Bless Our Troops!!)
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To: apackof2
Think this is worth a read....

http://www.sierratimes.com/03/08/24/article_jj.htm
Ten Commandments on Display Has No Legal Standing
By J.J. Johnson
Please excuse the shocking title of this article. I will try to get past much of the rhetoric from both sides of the standoff about the en Commandments on display at the State Courthouse in Montgomery, Alabama. As thousands descend to Alabama's state capitol for prayer and defense of a 5300 pound rock, and legal scholars try to sort out the mess, many pundits wonder 'just what point is Chief Justice Roy Moore trying to make?'
Well, here's one man's take on the matter: Despite all the historical documents from this nation's beginning, and despite everything we were taught from a young age, we are a more 'enlightened' people. We elected more 'enlightened' politicians who in turn appointed more 'enlightened' judges. And these all knowing, all powerful people, having more information at their fingertips than at any time in world history, have ruled that the basic rules of mankind that have been in place for at least 50 centuries have no place ; no legal standing in today's government.

...and that is the exact point Roy Moore is making.

The order to remove the Ten Commandments from public display at the Alabama Court Building is not the cause of a failed government, failed courts, or a failed people - it is instead, the result of it.

I will do my best here not to preach a sermon or sound like a right-wing zealot, but no one can tell me what is 'offensive' about those ten rules that are, in reality, the foundation of what was American law. But that's ancient history. We are more 'enlightened' today.

Being the greatest and most powerful country on earth, we don't need silly rules such as those ten. No, we have government today - which has become the new god. And we have finally come to a point where there just isn't enough room on the Grand Stage for two gods. Thus, the courts have consistently ruled in recent days that the 'Other God' must go.

And so, what if God does leave? What if he actually said, "ok, you guys win - and you're on your own"? That would make us a better country, wouldn't it?

Of course. And when folks like Jerry Falwell makes a statement on September 11 implying the God has removed his protective hand from us, we won't have to chastise him - since it would have been true.

And after such tragedies, we won't have national days of prayer, and prayer sessions in Congress while grieving over the dead because there will be no God to pray to. We told Him to get lost, remember? No, let us bow our heads and pray (and pay homage) to the New god of government. They will protect us from now on, and provide for all of our needs.

Let's not sing God Bless America anymore, since we really don't want him to. That's George W. Bush's job now. And let's remove "In God We Trust" from our currency, since we really don't trust him anymore. We've placed our faith in our money supply to Alan Greenspan.

And when it comes to religious symbols, we do our best to protect those in the war zone of Iraq, while throwing our own in the trash.

Makes perfect sense to me.

Word has it that a guy named Moses had gotten these ten rules straight from God himself. Even though e-mail wasn't around back then, God somehow downloaded them on to a couple of stone tablets. When Moses came back down from that mountain and saw the folks that were led out of slavery acting like too many of us today, he threw the tablets down, and they were forced to wander in the desert for 40 years.

But today, in the more enlightened America, we don't have to wander in the desert. We have military personnel to do that for us. And little by little, more will go and wander as well. You see, we have a new god now, and the whole world has become a desert.

So if and when we are plagued with earthquakes, violent storms, endless droughts, brushfires, or just people going crazy and shooting their co-workers or schoolmates, we'll call them "Acts of God", then plead to our new god (government) for our protection from all of these things. Yes, this new god is more to our liking. We can pray, and if the new god doesn't deliver, we can just vote him out of office (federal judges not withstanding). That Old God wouldn't let us do that.

Isn't it ironic that if everyone simply followed those rules, it would make not only that 5300 pound rock, but that entire building itself - irrelevant?

With the polls showing upwards of 77% of Alabamians, and the vast majority of Americans supporting the Ten Commandments being displayed at the courthouse, people are scratching their heads wondering, "why can't they just do what the majority wants?"

Answer: Because we asked for this.

We have long since slipped away from those tenants - and it's reflected in the people in government that represent us, enforce the laws, and rule on the laws. Yes, America - we didn't get the kind of government we wanted, nor the kind we needed. We get the kind of government we deserve.

We have become so 'enlightened' that we don't even know how to respect or enforce our own sovereignty. Millions cross our national borders illegally, and our leaders don't even have the will to call it illegal. As a result, we will eventually lose at least 4 southwestern states. I have all but given up trying to make it an issue anymore. We deserve it.

We have become so 'enlightened' that the only criteria for any judge to sit on a bench, despite all the other important decisions they have to make, depends on his or her willingness to sanction the killing of the unborn. Fine. We didn't want them to take the phrase "Thou shall not kill" seriously, anyway.

We have become so 'enlightened' that we fight to protect retirement schemes that we know will go broke soon, but that's okay since we've decided to let our grandchildren pay the bill. Then again, if they have no respect for that "Honor thy Father and Mother" thing when they grow up, why should they bother taking care of us?

We are so 'enlightened' that we find it acceptable to act pre-emptive, killing anyone we see fit to keep us safe, if we think they are a threat. Make sense, since we don't want God's protection anymore. We have to live this way now. We have enemies all around us and even within us we are told - because they envy us. They don't have the new god that we have, and they're jealous.

Gay Bishops are in, Boy Scouts are out, and sodomy has become a civil right, protected by the Constitution somewhere. Okay, I get it. According to our new god, the oldest industry on earth (agriculture) has become the most dangerous to the environment. And we all know that with all the craziness in schools these days, the last thing we need is prayer inside those buildings. Good thing we threw God out of there a long time ago. Just look at how much schools have improved since then.

Yes, for government's sake - let's get those Ten Commandments out of public view before something good happens.

And while we're at it, let's get all those crosses out of Arlington Cemetery. It's public property, you know. And tell all of our troops fighting overseas that worship service is history, turn in those pocket Bibles and as a matter of fact, they must all be atheists in those foxholes.

Let's do it right: Let us all come to an agreement that when the Bill of Rights was passed, they had no respect for any god, despite the fact that the Constitutional Convention was opened and closed with a Prayer to Almighty God. To Congress: Fire that priest we pay with our tax dollars to open and close each session of Congress with Prayer. We have a new god now, remember?

And one more thing: Let's not support Israel anymore, since their presence in the holy land is based on scripture, and our government's support would represent an 'establishment of religion'.

Hey ACLU and SPLC: Wanna take THAT one on?

Now, as for those people who have dedicated themselves to prevent the monument's removal, and those who have rallied to the cause - take a good look at them. That's what's left of the American ideal that was founded over two centuries ago - like it or not.

Make no mistake about it. If it weren't for too many trips already taken this year, I'd be there myself from 2000 miles away. Who knows - if the standoff in Alabama lasts, I may still be there. If I lived anywhere in Dixie, I would be writing this article from Montgomery.

Would I suggest others go? Let's put it this way: You don't even have to be a Christian, Jew or even a Muslim. God knows none of us have lived up the standards of all those rules, but it you believe the Ten Commandments should REMAIN the foundation on which this country is based, then take a drive down to Montgomery. Your fellow Americans are waiting for you.

And what about you, Mr. Bush? The silence from the White House is deafening. Is this only a "state issue" where the federal government should not get involved? If that were the case, we wouldn't be in this mess. I would not only pray for protection of the Ten Commandments, but that the President, during his fund raising travels, make a stop in Montgomery to visit with the Chief Justice, or maybe the people standing vigilant outside.

Odds are, they all voted for George W. Bush.

You see America: There is no sense looking for a legal loophole to save the Ten Commandments anymore, as God has no legal standing left in today's courts, government, or much of society. But the way things look from my piece of the world, perhaps it's time we invited Him back.

Just my opinion,

J.J. Johnson



8 posted on 08/24/2003 1:13:30 PM PDT by timesarechangin (Religious freedom is a lot more than just attending worship service of my choice)
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To: apackof2
E-mail your two U.S. Senators and urge them to co-sponsor S. 1558.

In spite of the fact that both are liberals,I e-mailed them anyway.

9 posted on 08/24/2003 1:15:57 PM PDT by JesseHousman
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To: apackof2
Great post

Here's a Ten Commandments Poll.


http://www.hdnews.net/


Thanks
10 posted on 08/24/2003 2:35:43 PM PDT by FreeRep (Proud to be American)
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To: apackof2
BUMP for later!!!
11 posted on 08/24/2003 3:17:14 PM PDT by GrandMoM ("What is impossible with men is possible with GOD -Luke 18:27)
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To: timesarechangin; hellinahandcart
J.J. Johnson is a national treasure.
12 posted on 08/24/2003 5:23:44 PM PDT by sauropod (Until Kofi Annan rides buses in Jerusalem, he just won't care. - The Spotted Owl)
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To: apackof2
BTTT!
13 posted on 08/24/2003 5:30:59 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: apackof2
House version Ten Commandments Defense Act of 2003 & Religious Freedom Restoration Act which needs (may have) a Senate sponsor(s)
14 posted on 08/24/2003 5:50:30 PM PDT by Vindiciae Contra TyrannoSCOTUS
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To: timesarechangin
BUMP!
15 posted on 08/24/2003 5:51:02 PM PDT by Vindiciae Contra TyrannoSCOTUS
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To: kayak
Bump
16 posted on 08/24/2003 6:08:24 PM PDT by hoosiermama (.Prayers for all)
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To: apackof2
S. 1558 is not a constitutional amendment, but a legislative statute which would remove from federal court review the displaying of the Ten Commandments, the National Motto and the Pledge of Allegiance.

This is a good step. This is a power that the Congress has - to limit the jurisdiction of the federal courts to include the Supreme Court. However, that doesn't protect mentions of God and such from judicial activists on state courts like the one in Alabama that initially ruled in Moore's 10 Commandments case. I know that sucks, but that is the design that the Founders gave us. Now we'll have to work at the state level to protect expressions of faith and depictions of the Commandments from God whose providence allows our continued freedom and prosperity.

17 posted on 08/24/2003 6:23:39 PM PDT by Spiff (Have you committed one random act of thoughtcrime today?)
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To: hoosiermama; DittoJed2; esther2; Azbushgal; GretchenEE; ohioWfan; rabidralph; whoever; Hila; ...
Action alert and prayer alert!
18 posted on 08/24/2003 6:27:13 PM PDT by kayak (God bless President Bush, our military, and our nation!)
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To: kayak
I join in agreement praying for a return to our country's Christian heritage!
19 posted on 08/24/2003 6:32:46 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: apackof2
Time for a crash course in communism

The Congressional Record of Jan. 10, l963 contains 45 goals of the Communist Party to undermine America. An FBI agent named Cleon Skousen documented these goals in his book, ''The Naked Communist.'' Reading these goals is disturbing because you soon realize how many have been accomplished and how many others are in progress.

Another important item of study is the Ten Platforms of Communism contained in Karl Marx's ''Communist Manifesto.'' It is disconcerting to realize how many of our laws, amendments, executive orders, acts, policies, programs and taxes have been passed over the years to facilitate these 10 planks. It brought to mind the statement by Nikita Khrushchev, Russian dictator in the early 1960s, that America would never accept communism up front but that socialism little by little would accomplish it. Socialistic programs of welfare with their bankrupt morality have been ''burying'' us since the New Deal.

Another Communist document that should be studied is the Soviet Constitution. It stresses the church is separated from the state and the school from the church. For years we have heard the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) argue the U.S. Constitution mandates this separation. This is blatantly untrue. This lie has been repeated so often through the media, taught in our institutions and enforced in our legal system that most Americans think it is true. We are actually enforcing what is in the Soviet Constitution. This is communist doctrine promoted by the ACLU to purge God from our government.

And what about the ACLU? Well, history records that it was founded by a professed communist, Roger Baldwin, who wrote in l935 that communism was the ACLU's goal. The ACLU is the vehicle driving the success of the 45 goals of communism, reflected in their manifesto and constitution. Their intended outcome is ''God''-less atheism.

Whittaker Chambers, an American communist who defected from the party in the late l930s, testified before Congress about the rampant infiltration of communism in our own government in the late 1940s. In his book, ''Witness,'' Chambers observes that communism is man's second-oldest religion. Its promise was whispered in the first days of creation under the tree of knowledge of good and evil, "Ye shall all be gods." The communist vision is the vision of man without God. It is the vision of man's mind displacing God as the creative intelligence of the universe. Communists are bound together in defiance of morality, truth, law, and honor as God defines them. Soviet society embodies socialist humanism, the total affirmation of man.

Chambers further states that our innocence of communism makes us almost perfect dupes. Time and again, we can be used in meetings, groups and elections to dutifully vote for agendas that have been carefully honed through public opinion shapers of impassioned communists. Communism is not dead. It continues to infiltrate, influence and conquer the virtues and principles of our own constitutional government using people who are not even aware they are being used. Behavioral modifications using psyho/social and political facilitation assault us daily.

Check the communist goals and documents for yourself and read the new 50th anniversary edition of ''Witness.'' We must shake off our lethargy as Americans and make sure we, as well as our newly elected leaders, are not cooperating with this enemy. With all the concern over border protections and terrorism from the outside, we had better take good hard looks inside.

Source of Article

The Soviet Constitution

Republican 10 Planks and the 10 Planks of the Communist Manifesto

20 posted on 08/24/2003 7:03:16 PM PDT by sweetliberty ("Having the right to do a thing is not at all the same thing as being right in doing it.")
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