[Chancellor Palpatine]

In light of previous commentary on Roy Moore, the protest, the preachers, the televangelists, the sobbing, the prostrations and the principles propounded by this monument, I offer this exerpt and the following commentary. Take from it what you will - I know what I take from it, most of you know what that is.

One of the things that is truly remarkable about America is the fact that it is a participatory republic. Over the course of time, the very branches established under the Constitution have developed a set of governing principles which can be adjusted through electoral policy direction - but change is slow. The remarkable thing about what has been developed here has been the principle that court decrees are respected by the other branches of government - this is what separates us from the banana republics. Imagine the crisis that could have arisen had Al Gore refused to accept the USSC ruling in Bush vs. Gore, with Bill Clinton refusing to allow Bush to transition in. Think about the result had Nixon declined to turn over the tapes. Imagine what our society would be like if people routinely disobeyed orders of tribunals to which jurisdiction they were subject. Custody orders ignored, judgments and injunctions laughed at - there would be the anarchy of the mob. At the conclusion of every contested proceeding, someone has to win, and someone has to lose.

It is absolutely critical for society that people give due process its opportunity to work - and to then accept the results, whatever those may be (especially if the litigant is a government official). Chaos and anarchy follow if an example of a callous disregard to the routine orders of court is allowed to persist - many of you have made this point with respect to the example set by Bill Clinton.

Ask yourself what abject defiance accomplishes in light of the fact that you can vote and can participate in the political processes of the country - and when your view does not prevail at election time, there may be some time in the future that you might persuade people to vote your way. Ask youselves why these protests occurred, what examples were set by the behavior of Roy Moore and those people supporting him, and whether those were inherently worthwhile.

Finally, ask yourself what the placement of a stone monument has to do with the functions of government, and whether such a monument fosters economic health, infrastructure improvements, educational attainment, regulatory change and tort reform.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

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[Chancellor Palpatine]

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[John Beresford Tipton]

"Ask yourself what the placement of a stone monument has to do with the functions of government, and whether such a monument fosters economic health, infrastructure improvements, educational attainment, regulatory change and tort reform."

Didn't do much for the Easter Island folk

[AppyPappy]

Let me ask you this. If this was the Constitution rather than the Ten Commandments, would you feel the same way?

[I still care]

If the monument was just a rock, the ACLU wouldn't be having such a conniption over it.

[trebb]

There are "Just" edicts and "Unjust" edicts. Even in the military, where a commanding officer has pretty much full control of, and responsibility for you, it is your duty to resist orders which you know are illegal. If a respected Judge and a good deal of the population consider this to be against the Constitution, there is nothing inherently wrong with attempting to defy it if you are also willing to suffer the consequences of the law for trying to resist the edict. Part of changing things is to take a stand, in defiance of what you consider wrong, in order to garner attention and support. Otherwise Rosa Parks would have wasted her time and civil rights would be a dead issue. Inaction in defiance of what you consider to be a bad "legal" decision is not as bad as taking destructive action as part of your statement. Ghandi is revered for his passive resistance, leftist groups are "justified" in damaging property for "the right cause", and Judge Moore is castigated for doing what he thinks is right. If you want to explore one aspect, be open to exploring all aspects. otherwise you have a doctrine instead of an argument.

[gaspar]

"Abject defiance"??? What did Rosa Parks accomplish?

[Sloth]

Imagine the crisis that could have arisen had Al Gore refused to accept the USSC ruling in Bush vs. Gore, with Bill Clinton refusing to allow Bush to transition in. Think about the result had Nixon declined to turn over the tapes. Imagine what our society would be like if people routinely disobeyed orders of tribunals to which jurisdiction they were subject.

Just think of the anarchy that would have ensued if Dred Scott had walked off a free man. It would just encourage all those other uppity slaves to do the same! Thank goodness for the Rule of Law™.

[WackyKat]

Excellent points, but don't expect them to have any effect on the local Pharisees. They have an astonishing lack of insight into their own characters and behaviors.
Didn't Jesus also instruct his followers to pray in their own rooms, secretly, not in public like the hypocrites?

[MEGoody]

"Ask yourself what abject defiance accomplishes in light of the fact that you can vote and can participate in the political processes of the country."

A lot can be accomplished using civil disobedience. Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luther King come to mind.

[opus86]

The Ten Commandments represent basic truths upon which our society was founded. Why people feel the need to deny this is beyond me. I do not see how the presence of this monument forces religion on people.

I'm also not sure how the parable is applicable.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

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[Chancellor Palpatine]

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[Chancellor Palpatine]

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[Chancellor Palpatine]

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[Chancellor Palpatine]

Ping to post #1

[montag813]

"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

SEE? PROOF that Jesus IS a REPUBLICAN!

Here he joins Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush as advocates of tax cuts.