Movers Haul Away Ten Commandments in Montgomery

FOXNews.com ^ | Wednesday, August 27, 2003

[NWO Slave]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A chorus of demonstrators joined an irate man in screaming "Put it back!" Wednesday morning after a monument of the Ten Commandments was wheeled away from the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building.

"Get your hands off our God, God haters!" yelled the wildly gesturing, red-faced man who initiated the chanting.

Workers used a dolly to move the 5,280-pound granite marker from the rotunda to another, undisclosed place in the courthouse building.

Meanwhile, a Wednesday afternoon hearing to consider a lawsuit to keep the monument in the rotunda was canceled.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Mobile on behalf of a Christian radio talk show host and a pastor, says forced removal of the monument would violate the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion.

Christian Defense Coalition Director Patrick Mahoney told the crowd of demonstrators that he wasn't told where the monument had been taken.

Because of its size and weight, the marker was presumably moved to another location on the ground floor of the building.

Mahoney said the monument would not be covered, and that he would be allowed inside to see it once it was moved. Mahoney said he was informed of the plans by building manager Graham George.

Mahoney didn't know whether the monument's new location would be accessible to the public.

The federal court had said the monument could be in a private place in the building but not in the highly visible spot in the rotunda directly across from the building's entrance.

Protest organizers asked the crowd outside not to rush the building or do anything else except pray. Some people seemed to be listening, with dozens kneeling, bowing or lying face-down in prayer in front of the judicial building and on the steps before and after the monument's removal.

The marker was wheeled away in a matter of minutes.

A federal judge in Montgomery ruled last year that the monument, which Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore (search) installed two years ago, violates the Constitution's ban on government promotion of religion and ordered its removal by Aug. 20. The U.S. Supreme Court last week declined to hear Moore's appeal.

But Moore refused to comply. Eight associate justices voted Aug. 21 to remove the monument, and Moore was suspended the next day.

Attorney General Bill Pryor, defending the associate justices, filed a motion Tuesday afternoon to dismiss the latest lawsuit, saying the Mobile court lacks jurisdiction and the complaint lacks merit.

About 150 monument supporters marched on Pryor's office Tuesday, demanding he resign for supporting the associate justices' decision. Seven representatives were allowed inside to meet with Pryor's chief deputy for about 20 minutes. The rest remained outside, chanting, "Resign now! Resign now!"

Gatherings of pro-monument demonstrators outside the judicial building have grown each day in the past week to at times number in the hundreds.

People seeking removal of the monument from its public site had said they were grateful that it was finally being moved, a week after the deadline set by a federal judge.

"This is a tremendous victory for the rule of law and respect for religious diversity," the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said before the monument was rolled out of the rotunda. "Perhaps Roy Moore will soon leave the bench and move into the pulpit, which he seems better suited for."

Lynne's organization was among groups suing to remove Moore's monument, which he installed without telling the other eight Supreme Court justices.

Demonstrators promised to keep up their protests of the removal.

"If it takes 75 years to reclaim this land for righteousness, God find us and our children and our children's children ready," said the Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the national clergy council.

Affirmative Action Judge Opposing Judge Roy Moore

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Western Civilization didn't show up until late in the game.
Before about 400BC there was nothing remotely resembling today's western philosopy, except the wandering tribes of Israel, with their Ten commandments.

Then came the Greek city states and their philosophy of individualism, completely in opposition to the collectivist swarming anthill Empires of the East.

Eventually, Rome arrived on the scene and melded the two branches together, Greek philosophies and the new Christian religon.

[huck von finn]

If the best you can do is deliberately misquote someone in an effort to push your point, I suggest you give up now. I did NOT say: "That's how it should be, for the good of government." What I said was: "That's how it should be, for the good of government, but more importantly, for the benefit of faith and religion."

I'm astounded that people don't remember (if they ever knew) about what the Separatists went through.

[RoughDobermann]

Here's an example for you....this happened a couple years ago in a local elementary school--fifth grade. Teacher told students they could bring a book from home to read during their free time. A girl chose to bring her Bible. [I know this family, and this girl did this totally on her own--no prodding from parents.] Then the first (appropriate) time she brought it out to read, the teacher took it away from her, delivered it to the office, and the office called her mother to advise that the book could be picked up in the school office at the end of the day. The mom notified the dad of what happened. He immediately went to the school to discuss this with the principal who would not back down on their decision to disallow the Bible in class, so the father immediately removed his three children from that school and enrolled them the same afternoon in a private school just a mile down the road.

In this caase, the school and the faculty/administration were obviously wrong. But, the dad should have fought instead of caving...

[nfldgirl]

Conversely, why are religious folk not content to keep their convictions to themselves?

It's called the GOOD NEWS! And it's kind of hard to keep GOOD NEWS to one's self...for me, anyway.

[huck von finn]

I'm planning on launching an effort to rid all governmental buildings of all images relating to Greek and/or Roman gods/goddesses. We can start in Alabama. I'm glad I can count on your support.

That's a popular argument going around regarding this subject, but it's very weak. Nobody worships Greek and/or Roman gods and goddesses anymore, at least not in the United States.

[f.Christian]

Huh?

Hand - God choppers ... the American taliban --- rag minds - heads !

[RoughDobermann]

It's called the GOOD NEWS! And it's kind of hard to keep GOOD NEWS to one's self...for me, anyway.

Again, that is your opinion.

[MineralMan]

"Hand - God choppers ... the American taliban --- rag minds - heads !"

Wow! Whatever do you mean?

[Woahhs]

While you have been nothing but dignified and respectful in your assertions, you are not the norm. As I said, educated atheists...when pressed...will admit....

Sadly, like most theists, most atheists are neither well educated, nor normally pressed hard enough in the philosophical sense, to admit their position in no more defensible than that of the opposition.

Is their some distinction you draw between "belief" and "opinion?" I fail to see the difference between your disbelief, as a negative expression, and belief, as a positive expression. They are two sides to the same coin so far as I can tell. Neither can conclusively prove it's position, yet hold a definate conviction anyway.

Please help me to understand.

[Catspaw]

Believe it--plaid shirt guy was a few steps away from doing a Wile E. Coyote, right through the plate glass window.

All the TV cameras were following this plaid shirt guy, hoping for the money shot--you know, plaid shirt guy being busted by the cops charging through the window, plaid shirt guy being handcuffed while writhing about and still screaming, plaid shirt guy being dragged away by the cops & being tossed in the back of a cop car, purple faced & still screaming, maybe banging his head on the window of the cop car. Cue up "Bad boy bad boy whatcha gonna do....." TV loves those kind of shots.

You can bet if he did that, he would've gotten a whole lot more than a muni ticket. If he was in this county and the case was assigned to a certain ADA, the criminal complaint would've been a couple inches thick.

[MineralMan]

"It's called the GOOD NEWS! And it's kind of hard to keep GOOD NEWS to one's self...for me, anyway."

No fooling! I have some really good news. I'm saving a bunch of money on my auto insurance.

[smiley]

If you have been living in the real world lately, you would know that we are slowly losing our freedom to practice religion whether it is out in public or in a building. Kindly refrain from trying to shove down my throat your arrogant statements and start doing some research and reading on how we are being attacked by left-wing liberal and socialist groups who represent "other" religions who find it offensive when we practice religion in our own country. (Oh yeah, stop being a jerk, will you?).

[RoughDobermann]

Hand - God choppers ... the American taliban --- rag minds - heads !

Thorazine --- Lithium --- Decaf...

[huck von finn]

Perhaps - of the Church of Satan.

United Church of Christ. I suspect that he may have been a Congregational minister, since the Congregational Church is part of the United Church of Christ. But--do you call a minister of any church other than your own a minster "of the Church of Satan"? That would be very shallow and ignorant indeed, not to mention a perfect example of why government and religion should remain separated.

[keats5]

"Interesting. So, this girl found religion all by herself, or did her parents have something to do with it originally?"

And your point is...?

Certainly you don't mean to insinuate the girl is incapable of independent thinking, simply because her parents raised her in the faith.

[RoughDobermann]

Rag head liberal nazi !

So much for turning the other cheek...

[f.Christian]

Thorazine --- Lithium --- Decaf...

Rag head liberal SOVIET nazi !

[sinkspur]

You said "foreigners" were responsible for the assaults on Christianity.

What "foreigners"?

[arly]

ohh you figure the moving company only moves rocks hey?? yeah thats it maybe there from the ACME statue and other boulders moving company!