Ten Commandments!

[Dingfod]

The folks down in Haskell County, Oklahoma defiantly put up this 10 Commandments display back in November as the Supremes were considering the cases now handed down. Today, the supporters of the monument said they thought it would pass muster because it quotes the Mayflower Compact on it as well, thus making it a histerical [SIC] monument and exempt from removal. "By the grace of God, it shall stand." One of the county commissioners did have the good sense to say they would abide by the law if the law told them to take it down.

[Dingfod]

Kentucky's argument included this laughable passage:

“The Ten Commandments have profoundly influenced the formation of Western legal thought and the formation of our country. That influence is clearly seen in the Declaration of Independence, which declared that ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.’

Scalia thought it was stupid too. Where in the Ten Commandments is there anything about men being created equal or anything about Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness? If that's the best they had, they didn't have much. I'm surprised it was a close decision.

[Ari]

I agree. Of the 4, maybe 5 out of 10 commandments that actually has anything to do with the law or government, you would hope it doesn't take commandments from God for people to understand they are wrong (such as don't murder, and don't steal).

[Stephen Maturin]

Originally Posted by D. Scarlatti

"Even if the [Establishment] Clause is incorporated, or if the Free Exercise Clause limits the power of States to establish religions ... " Van Orden v. Perry, Thomas, J., concurring [emph. added].

Damn you. Might as well read the whole whole friggin' thing now.

[D. Scarlatti]

Thought you'd like that.

Here's your buddy, Judge Roy S. Moore: "It's a devastating blow to Christianity in this country. You can post an acknowledgment of God as long as you say you don't believe in it."

Nothing like the measured, objective commentary of a highly credentialed and seasoned legal professional (although he's touched on something resembling truth in the latter assertion).

vm, you'll find the explanations in this thread in its emanations, formed by penumbras.*

* The truth is, probably nobody's waded through the damn things yet. At first blush, Rehnquist's opinion reads like he employed David Barton as his research assistant, but then Rehnquist has always enjoyed his position as the Court's "historian."

P.S. Why the hell is the number two hit for "Griswold emanations penumbras" albertmohler.com? Have the Baptists seized control of Google?

[D. Scarlatti]

Here's some interesting commentary:

Justice Scalia Puts His Cards on the Table

And a comment to the commentary:

"Do you think either [Thomas or Scalia] would write differently if they knew they were the 5th vote? It's one thing to talk about non-incorporation or about state endorsement of monotheism when one knows that one's writings make little practical difference. Would they write differently if they knew it mattered?"

I often wonder the same thing myself. Or are they truly that crazed?