From: Walter Watts (wlwatts@cox.net)
Date: Wed Aug 27 2003 - 16:17:48 MDT
Workers Remove Ten Commandments Monument
Aug 27, 5:40 PM (ET)
By KYLE WINGFIELD
(AP) A crew moves the Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the
Alabama Judicial Building in... Full Image
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A 2 1/2-ton granite monument of the Ten
Commandments that became a lightning rod in a legal storm over church
and state was wheeled from the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court
building Wednesday as protesters knelt, prayed and chanted, "Put it
back!"
Suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who installed the engraved
set of tablets two years ago and risked his career to keep it there
after a federal judge ordered it removed, said he would take his fight
to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"It is a sad day in our country when the moral foundation of our laws
and the acknowledgment of God has to be hidden from public view to
appease a federal judge," he said.
To the dismay of scores of supporters who had held a weeklong vigil
outside the front doors, the 5,280-pound monument was jacked up by a
work crew and taken away to a back room with a heavy-duty hydraulic hand
truck.
Building officials did not immediately say where the monument would be
stored or whether the public would ever be allowed to see it.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson of Montgomery had ruled last year
that the monument violates the Constitution's ban on government
endorsement of a religious doctrine.
"This is a tremendous victory for the rule of law and respect for
religious diversity," said the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of
Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "Perhaps Roy Moore
will soon leave the bench and move into the pulpit, which he seems
better suited for."
As the monument left public view, a federal judge in Mobile dismissed a
lawsuit that had been filed this week in a last-ditch effort to block
its removal.
The long-running dispute has galvanized evangelical Christians and
conservatives in this Bible Belt state and around the country.
(AP) Christian Defense Coalition Director Patrick Mahoney, blue shirt,
talks with supporters on the... Full Image
Asked about President Bush's view of the controversy, White House
spokeswoman Claire Buchan said: "It is important that we respect our
laws and our courts. In some instances the courts have ruled that the
posting of Ten Commandments is OK. In other circumstances they have
ruled that it's not OK. In either case, there is always opportunity for
appeal of courts' decisions."
Outside the Alabama courthouse, demonstrators lay face-down on the
pavement, knelt in prayer on the steps, and recited the Pledge of
Allegiance and the Lord's Prayer. Four men linked arms and chanted, "Put
it back!"
Hundreds took part in the vigil, and organizers said the protest would
not end with the monument's removal.
"They can move it out of view, but they can't move it out of our
hearts," said Rick Moser, 47, of Woodstock, Ga.
Protest organizer Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense
Coalition, said it is critical for the supporters to remain after the
monument's removal to "stand with Christ and against judicial tyranny."
Moore was suspended by a judicial ethics panel for defying Thompson's
order to move the monument. The federal judge had threatened to impose
$5,000 daily fines on the state, and Moore's eight fellow justices on
the Supreme Court overruled Moore and ordered the monument taken away.
Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor, a Republican, defended the
court-ordered removal of the monument and is overseeing the prosecution
of Moore on the ethics charge, which will be heard before the
seven-member Court of the Judiciary. It has the power to discipline and
remove judges.
Moore contends the federal judge has no authority to tell Alabama's
chief justice to remove the monument.
Republican Gov. Bob Riley said in a statement that he hopes the
monument's removal is "brief and temporary," with the U.S. Supreme Court
ordering it moved back. He said he will file court papers supporting
Moore.
-- Walter Watts Tulsa Network Solutions, Inc. "Reminding you to help control the human population. Have your sexual partner spayed or neutered." --- To unsubscribe from the Virus list go to <http://www.lucifer.com/cgi-bin/virus-l>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Aug 27 2003 - 16:17:31 MDT