Appeals court rules Ten Commandments monument violates Constitution

"DENVER -- An appeals court ruled Monday that a Ten Commandments monument at the county courthouse in Stigler 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.

Haskell County Commissioner Mitch Worsham said he didn't have a comment at this time about the decision.

A message left for Commissioner Kenneth Short Jr., has not been returned and Commissioner Paul Storie could not be reached for comment.

On May 18, Gov. Brad Henry signed a measure to place a privately funded monument of the Ten Commandments at the Capitol.

The week before, the Senate gave final approval to House Bill 1330, By Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, and Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso.

The monument is to be placed where there are numerous
monuments, the measure said.

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.

"I am disappointed they ruled that," said Ritze. "I don't know that much about the Haskell County display."

Ritze is the author of House Bill 1330, which calls for the placement of a privately funded Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol.

Ritze, who will provide the funding for it, said the Oklahoma law was based on a law in Texas which withstood constitutional scrutiny.

He believes the Oklahoma law will survive a legal challenge.

Henry, who signed the measure into law, declined to comment on the court's decision."
By ROBERT BOCZKIEWICZ, World correspondent and SARA PLUMMER, World Staff Writer
Published: 6/8/2009 4:08 PM
Last Modified: 6/8/2009 8:59 PM

No surprised here. While I hate this B.S. going on and on and on and on and on... I am glad to see when things are said as much. Srsly, people. Keep your god out of my government and I might consider keeping my government out of your Church... which should be taxed, mind you.

Couple Ordered to Stop Holding Bible Study at Home Without Permit

" Pastor David Jones and his wife Mary have been told that they cannot invite friends to their San Diego, Calif. home for a Bible study — unless they are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to San Diego County.

"On Good Friday we had an employee from San Diego County come to our house, and inform us that the Bible study that we were having was a religious assembly, and in violation of the code in the county." David Jones told FOX News.

"We told them this is not really a religious assembly — this is just a Bible study with friends. We have a meal, we pray, that was all," Jones said.

A few days later, the couple received a written warning that cited "unlawful use of land," ordering them to either "stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit," the couple's attorney Dean Broyles told San Diego news station 10News.

But the major use permit could cost the Jones' thousands of dollars just to have a few friends over."

Thursday, May 28, 2009 Fox News
Couple Ordered to Stop Holding Bible Study at Home Without Permit

If we take this article at face value, this is rather disturbing. I'm all for helping remove people's head from the ass of religion but this just sounds funky. If the store is true as presented, this seems like an overstep in interpreting the law and rather discriminatory. On the other hand, depending on how the event is organized and advertised, and how many people really show up, there might be technical legal grounds for the county's actions. Still, this seems like a semantics dispute more than anything. Something tells me we're not getting the whole story on this one. It will be interesting to follow this story and see where it leads.

Chistmas... An Editorial

Well, here is the end of this year... and another post. The only thing more perplexing than my need to have three "blogs" (not counting the one Curtis T. has) is the fact that this one seems the least needed... and that I mention that fact every time I post. It seems I use this site more as a backwards R.S.S. reader than anything. Well, hopefully I'll find more use for it in the new year... School is out and Christmas just passed. I got a lot of good gifts, including some new music (thanks to iTunes and Amazon), a digital picture frame, and other stuff. I've been building snowmen in homage of Calvin and Hobbes and working the the most snow this region has seen in a good long time. My grades came back and all is well: 2.8, 3.5, 3.9 for the various classes. You would think with all the big papers and stress I was under getting them done this journal would have been a great way to take a break and get my mind of things. Well, again that's what you and I both get for thinking. Three large papers (all 6-10 pages or so) over the span of three weeks to write. After this, I tried to keep trudging along but found I could only get once edit out of my E7 fan-fic. Amazing how sitting down to watch the Futurama movie (well, the first one anyway) helped me clear my mind. Guess I sometimes need to do something rather mindless. (Another way to get my mind off writing for a bit is the snowman project I've been working on.) Got the podcast up and running finally: Back 2 Square 1 Next episode will be up next week. Will likely resubmit the pilot before posting the second episode. 116 download requests so far! Well, let's get back on a writing topic: here is a holiday centric editorial I did about Christmas. Don't get too offended now...

Christians bitch that Christmas has become to secular. People have obviously list the true/original meaning of the holiday; the reason for the season, as it were: baby Jesus and all that stuff. True, the commercialization of the holidays makes many of us wish for its quick execution by the time the first of December comes around, but it is clear many (if not most) Christians forget that they stole what would become Christmas today from the pagans. Ever hear of Yule and the other various Winter festivals that usually centered around the winter soloist? There are much more things to celebrate this time of year than the supposed birth of carpenter's son whose real birthday is likely in mid-Spring. Hanukkah can make a better pass for being celebrated around this time of year than Kwanzaa, which doesn't make much sense to anyone (even Kwanzaa-bot!). Both of these the average Christians would likely look down upon; like they have sole right to the season... sure, some of their gripes are legit, but their reasoning behind their banter is no more selfish and self-righteous than at any other time of the year.

Atheists, Humanists, and other non-religious folk seem to complain that you cannot escape Christmas. Everywhere you go, there it is! You are also expected to celebrate it in some way; if you don't, you are ostracized as a Grinch, Scrooge, or worse and in some cases for to participate anyway. Most non-Judaic religious faiths and the like agree that the pressure and overwhelming nature of the Christmas season is very degrading to those who do not wish to join in the festivities. Again, the total commercialization of the holiday is not helping here and with most of America (and many other Western countries) in on the National event, it would be unavoidable even if not the time of year when many businesses finally start to make a profit. Still, that's what you get for living in a Christian-majority country. Most of the season no longer revolves around a manger but bells, and cash registers and the almighty dollar. There a plenty of other reason to celebrate the season, including selfless work to help needy people, being nice to your fellow humans for once, a reason to be happy in a dark and dreary part of the year.

Ironic, it is, that Christians bitch that Christmas is too secular and other religions and the non-religious complain that it is too religious. Just like with most things in the war between religion (any) and secularism (non-religion), both sides see the other's influence and cry foul. While each has legitimate points of concern, they always seem to make it like some horrid thing that is gong to destroy the fabric of our society... yet every year, here we remain. Yeah, it would be nice not to be subjected to the music and commercials and the holiday cheer everywhere you turn, and it would be nice if for once in its existence humanity would finally grow up so there would be peace on earth, good will towards men/women/etc.; it would also be nice if we could care more about each other the rest of the year and perhaps even more so during this time rather they speaking this feel-good mantra while otherwise cursing the idiot in front of us (however much they deserve it) and priding ourselves for swiping the last must-have item and reveling in the tears and muddled curses of those who came too late.

The holidays as we know them today are but a product of our own creation. We built this mixed bag of nuts regardless of our own intents and further it with our actions each year. No matter how you perceive reality or your opinion on the Christmas season, you -all- and responsible for it. All the good and bad aspect of humanity come out in full force this time of year and whether you bow to God or Allah or Shiva or reject all of their existences and advocate the annulment of the entire fiasco (gods included), and all points in between, we as a species are the enemy we fight to make this time of year what we want; and just like every year that has come before this, we fail. We fail because we forgot ourselves, we fail because we are blind to what the solution to all our problems is, we fail because we cannot see beyond our own self-interests as individuals and member of our various blocs and groups. Everyone wants what they see as the best way to celebrate the season or not. How very selfish. What this season should symbolize is what is lacking throughout the rest of the year; and that should be retained throughout the rest of the year regardless.

As an Agnostic, I enjoy the secular Christmas season but find the commercialized overwhelming presence of the holiday to be enough to drive a man to drink... more often than he already does. I see the beauty of the spiritual/religious aspects and for those who need it, that is fine by me. Those who don't want anything to do with the season, I've been there myself. For America, and I might go further to say any country, we live in a world where you cannot just sit idly by in your own little click and forget that others exists or that these others should bow down to how you view the world. Majority rules in a democracy, but that does not mean the majority is always right or should abandon the minority. Yes, there are many places where this ideology does not apply. Good for them. To me, I celebrate this season in my own way and detail with the part that I cannot honestly change. Yes, this does make me accountable for trying to make things "better", but who am I to make that call? Who are any of us? I merely strive to my this time of year a enjoyable one for myself and those I chose to care about; everyone should at least do that; remembering, of course, that we should only extend an invitation to other to join in our ways and move on if they decide otherwise.

Christmas is what you make of it... or not. So stop bitching and start doing! Just don't make an ass out of yourself in the process! In closing: Merry Fucking Christmas, ya filthy animals; and a Happy Bloody New Year!