An appeals court has ruled that a Ten Commandments monument at the county courthouse in Stigler, Oklahoma, violates the Constitution because its primary effect is to endorse a religion.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 in a challenge to the monument brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma and by a county resident.
“We hold that the [Haskell County commissioners'] actions in authorizing and maintaining the monument . . . had the impermissible principal or primary effect of endorsing religion in violation of the Establishment Clause” of the Constitution, the judges wrote in a 52-page decision…
On May 18, Gov. Brad Henry signed a measure to place a privately funded monument of the Ten Commandments at the Capitol…
The measure passed despite concerns that it could draw a costly legal challenge and could be interpreted as the state’s endorsement of a religion.
This crap never seems to end, does it?
@Nimby
I knew someone would mention Scientology.
Still … they aren’t killing (a lot) of people as far as I know.
So it is unconstitutional for Barack Obama to be talking about Jesus so much? He’s done it more than George Bush.
#82, by mentioning Jesus so much, I think Obama is still just trying to reassure people that he’s not the secret Muslim terrorist that far-right wackos implied he was. Has it worked yet?
Thing is, if they _really_ wanted to have (and keep) a display of the 10 Commandments by their courthouse, they know how to do it: include it as one of several lawgiving scenarios from history. But that’s not the main idea here.
Their main purpose was to start a fight.
There was a hilarious bit on last evening’s rerun of the old Drew Carey improv show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” In a game called “Scenes from a Hat” in which random scenarios are pulled from a hat and acted out by the cast, Carey pulled out one that said, “Something to say that will _always_ start a fight.” So Ryan Stiles walked out to center stage and said, “… Y’ wanna fight?”
That’s exactly what the Haskell County, Oklahoma commissioners have done here. They don’t really care about the marker at all, except as a vehicle to stir up trouble and rile up “the base,” and I’m always amazed that none of the news reports talk about that angle.
This Blog is bullshit…where’s the real news?
I believe in a living Constitution DUR DUR DUR.
#71, Meyers,
The first part I think we agree but are just using different views and words.
Atheism means you don’t believe in religion.
I stopped to respond right there.
First, and very important, atheist is the word used to describe me by someone else. I don’t accept that word anymore than I consider myself an infidel or gentile.
Call me what you want, those are your definitions, terms, and conditions. Just don’t expect me to agree with those terms.
I now return to finish your post
#71, Meyers,
Part II
As I said in #87, we basically agree.
Where I lean towards the subjugation side and opposite the morality side is most of the stories teach no morals.
Sodom and Gommorah? No morals, just do what God tells you to.
Jacob’s ladder? Don’t do drugs before bedtime?
Jonah and the big fish / whale? I tell you, ya jes gotta have faith. (And maybe after Faith, you should try Becky)
Noah and the great flood? So if you don’t believe in God, he is going to kill you.
The Good Samaritan is the only one I can think of where there is some morality.
I should add I enjoyed your post. Well framed arguments and fun to read.
Thanks Fusion
#2 “It represents divine authority for the rule of law and of self governance.”
IMHO, we should replace all public displays of the 10 commandments, with the 10 most important laws of physics.
Always good to post that there is no such thing or need of god, and that if he did exist, he would only be a powerful alien to defeat.
That cornerstone reiterated, the stupidity and evil or religion has long been noticed and therefore announced as declining as man becomes more aware. It just ain’t happening. Religions are consolidating, once there were many, fewer now. This feeds fanaticism.
Biology v Theology==which is more likely to end culture?
“This crap never seems to end, does it?”
I’ll tell you what, when a court doesn’t put a granite marker stating “There shall be no other God before me” as inspiration for how law should be done, then yeah, this crap will end.
It’s this basic lack of understanding that keeps the Creationist thinking that Creationism is a science. Theology is neither secular law nor science and neither should be substituted as a base for the other.
I think the most telling moment of the video is when she is on the ground, shrieking in agony, and the cop yells “Put your hands behind your back or you’ll be tased again!”
To me, that indicates a desire that goes well beyond mere control of the situation, which he already has at that point. He’s insisting that she completely submit to his authority and command. By that time, she may very well be incapable of the muscle control necessary to put her hands behind her back, but the officer has expressly left himself the option to tase her again if her muscles can’t comply.
They’re both quite lucky that she didn’t break her hip when she fell to the ground. Many women her age never recover from a hip fracture.
#93 Triple oops!!!
I plugged this into the wrong window. You’d be impressed if you saw it in the right thread