The Religious Right Goes Wrong
Dear Friends of the Constitutional Republic,
There he goes again. Several months ago, on this page, I took issue with the Rev. Jerry Falwell for saying, on national TV, that President Bush "is the personification of the ideal conservative."
Now, once again, the Rev. Falwell has said, basically, the same thing. In a recent "Falwell Confidential" email, he begins by quoting John Adams as having said: "Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." Then the Rev. Falwell says:
For conservative people of faith, voting for principle this year means voting for the re-election of George W. Bush. The alternative, in my mind, is simply unthinkable. To the pro-life, pro-family, pro-traditional marriage, pro-America voters in this nation, we must determine that President Bush is the man with our interests at heart. It's that simple.
Well, I respectfully disagree. Things are not as simple as the Rev. Falwell seems to believe. The choice in this year's Presidential election is not solely between Mr. Bush and John Kerry. There is a truly pro-life, pro-family, pro-traditional marriage, pro-America Presidential ticket and it is the Constitution Party's ticket of me, Michael Peroutka, for President and the Rev. Chuck Baldwin for Vice President.
We are totally pro-life, with no exceptions, whereas Mr. Bush is not. We are totally pro-family and pro-traditional marriage --- completely against homosexual "marriage" in any shape or form ---, whereas Mr. Bush is in favor of "civil unions" between members of the same sex. And we believe we are even more pro-American --- in the original sense of this word --- because we believe the Constitution of these united States should be strictly obeyed, whereas Mr. Bush, by his actions, has shown that he does not believe this.
It is ironic that the Rev. Falwell should call for the re-election of Mr. Bush while simultaneously quoting John Adams on the necessity of always voting for principle, even if you vote alone, since such a principled way of voting means your vote is never lost. I say this is ironic because a vote for President Bush is a vote for a man who has forsaken Christian, Constitutional and conservative principles. Thus, a vote for Mr. Bush is a lost vote, a wasted vote.
There is a lot more to say on this subject. And elsewhere on this page, in a detailed and well-documented piece, Patrick Johnson says a lot more in an important article titled Why Christians Should Note Vote For George W. Bush.
For God, Family and the Republic,
WORLD Magazine
By Joe Maxwell
WORLD Magazine is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.worldmag.com/world/home.asp
Atheists marched and Christians knelt. A lanky teenage boy blew his shofar over the Alabama Judicial Courthouse steps as a lone man on horseback circled the judicial house seven times, praying. Sixteen network broadcast trucks ringed the judicial courthouse, aiming massive satellite dishes skyward while reporters swarmed the complex.
More intriguing, however, were the two embattled conservative Alabamans—Roy Moore and Bill Pryor—facing off inside the courthouse. Both are nationally known: Mr. Moore as the "Ten Commandments judge," Mr. Pryor as a presidential nominee for the federal courts. Both originally were appointed to state public service by former Alabama Gov. Fob James: Mr. Moore as a circuit judge, Mr. Pryor as state attorney general. Both were embroiled in battles of great consequence: Mr. Moore to keep his Supreme Court chief justice post in Alabama, Mr. Pryor to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a judge on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Both are strong supporters of the Ten Commandments but disagree about whether the federal courts have proper jurisdiction over state displays of Commandments monuments.
Add about 200 onlookers, whose seats in first- and second-floor chambers were harder to secure than Alabama or Auburn football tickets, plus two overflow rooms, and there was high drama.
Inside the cavernous Supreme Court chambers, nine appointees of the Alabama Court of the Judiciary heard charges from Mr. Pryor that Mr. Moore violated six points of the state's Canon of Judicial Ethics by disobeying a federal order to remove a massive Ten Commandments monument from the judicial house rotunda. The panel reconvened a day later, having voted unanimously to remove Mr. Moore, the 56-year-old West Point graduate and Vietnam vet, from office.
Mr. Moore was suspended with pay nearly three months ago from his post for not removing the monument he commissioned from an Alabama artisan and then placed in the judicial building rotunda four months after his March 2001 election.
"Law has a moral foundation," the now-former chief justice testified during his trial. "It comes from the acknowledgment of the God of the Bible. Without acknowledgment of God, you can have no moral foundation." Mr. Moore and his team frequently cited quotations from judges from the 1700s and 1800s to bolster their case that the modern judiciary has strayed from biblical roots.
Ultimately, Mr. Moore hung his argument on the idea that the removal order was illegitimate: Continue reading...
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Judge Roy Moore... Constitution Restoration Act of 2004 To read THE MOST IMPORTANT legislation of our lifetime, drafted by former Chief Justice Roy S. Moore, Click here. It was introduced in the U.S. House and Senate during the week of Feb. 13, 2004. Also, you can click here to see a list of "Questions and Answers" about the legislation.
Christian Culture Today
"...the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." Psalm 2:8
(Portion of transcript from Moore's trial w/comments).
The following exchange occurred between Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor and Chief Justice Roy Moore on November 12, 2003, in the Alabama Court of the Judiciary trial. Attorney General Pryor was the prosecutor and asked the Court that Chief Justice Moore be removed from the bench for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments monument acknowledging God as the moral foundation of our law.
Q The only point I am trying to clarify, Mr. Chief Justice, is not why, but only that, in fact, if you do resume your duties as Chief Justice, you will continue to do that without regard to what any other official says; isn't that right?
A Well, I'll do the same thing this Court did with starting of prayer; that's an acknowledgment of God. Now, we did the same say thing that justices do when they place their hand on the Bible and say, "So help me God." It's an acknowledgement of God. The Alabama Supreme Court opens with, "God save
the State and this Honorable Court." It's an acknowledgment of God. In my opinions, which I have written many opinions, acknowledging God is the source -- a moral source of our law. I think you must.
NEWS UPDATE
Defender of the Decalogue
Interview of Chief Justice Roy Moore by Thomas R. Eddlem
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Foundation Defends Nebraska Ten Commandments Monument against ACLU
One Nation Still Under God The Foundation for Moral Law, Inc., applauds the United States Supreme Court for not striking down the phrase "one Nation under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. See Elk Grove Unified Sch. Dist. v. Newdow, No. 02-1624 (See Opinion). But the ruling--that the plaintiff in the case had no legal "standing" to bring the lawsuit--means that the Pledge of Allegiance could be attacked again in the federal courts. [Click here to see how the Pledge and other acknowledgments of God can be protected from federal courts.]
Fired for Wearing Ten Commandments Lapel Pin MONTGOMERY, Ala. – May 19, 2004 -- Statement by former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy S. Moore regarding the firing of Christopher Word, membership services director of the Hoover Chamber of Commerce, for wearing a Ten Commandments lapel pin. “The Hoover Chamber of Commerce should be embarrassed and ashamed to force a young man like Christopher Word to choose between his faith and his job. This demonstrates the perilous times in which we live. We are fortunate to have men like Christopher who stand firm in the face of tyranny and will not surrender their right to acknowledge God.” The Foundation urges you to call the Hoover Chamber of commerce 205-988-5672 (http://www.hooverchamber.org/) to express your disgust.
Alabama Supreme Court Keeps Chief Justice Moore Out of Office MONTGOMERY, Ala. – April 30, 2004 -- The legal team for former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy S. Moore was informed this morning that the Special Alabama Supreme Court will issue its opinion today affirming the Court of Judiciary’s decision, 7-0 per Curiam (by the court as a whole). "The elected representatives of the people, the eight associate justices of the Alabama Supreme Court, hid behind the robes of an illegally appointed, politically selected court," said Moore. "It is political in nature. This is about the Acknowledgment of God and many judges can’t admit they are wrong and that they can enter unlawful orders. The rule of law is the written law and it is clear. The people of Alabama have a right to acknowledge God and no judge or group of judges has the right to take it from them." The legal team for Moore will be announcing plans for appeal in the near future. Click here to read the opinion by the Special Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Moore Interrogated for Acknowledging God You can listen to Attorney General Bill Pryor's cross-examination of Chief Justice Roy Moore before the Court of the Judiciary! Or you can watch the low resolution video (Window Media Player) by clicking here. Also, listen or watch (low resolution) the Verdict by the Court of the Judiciary. For more options on High and Low resolutions, visit our Downloads Page. We have an electronic newsletter to keep you up-to-date with the latest activities of former Chief Justice Roy Moore and the Foundation for Moral Law, Inc. Please click here for the latest copy and also to link to the archived copy.
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