Protestors ask for Alabama AG resignation

By | August 26, 2003

This is another one of those free speech things that really gets in my craw. I think it is because the issue is so straight-forward. Our constitution makes it illegal for our government to favor a religion. Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore’s Ten Commandments monument promotes a religion. Therefore, that monument cannot legally and constitutionally be displayed in public in a government building. The issue really is that simple.

Yet, people (mostly conservatives) insist that there is more to this issue. A large group of demonstrators staged a protest against Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor, asking for his resignation for supporting a Federal court order to remove the monument. Moore has since been suspended, and faces prosecution on ethical charges (failure to obey a court order).

I don’t understand the other side’s argument on this one. The Constitution is very clear on this issue. It doesn’t matter that Moore is a devout Christian, nor does it matter that Moore believes our Constitution is founded on the Bible. Our Constitution does not allow favoring any religion, not even one that it is founded on.

The solution to this was simple, and was proffered by the federal judge who issued the ruling against the monument: Moore is allowed to keep the monument in his own personal office. As long as it isn’t in public in a government building, then the monument is okay. Moore refused this, however, and that has led to the situation he now finds himself in.

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