Bills would allow Ten Commandments in public buildings (is defeated)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Ten Commandments could be displayed at courthouses under bills introduced in the General Assembly that would allow replicas of "historical documents" in public buildings.

The proposals' Republican sponsors, Rep. Matthew Hill of Jonesborough and Sen. Rusty Crowe of Johnson City, say historically significant documents include religious ones. Crowe said the Ten Commandments should be permitted "for the historical perspective, for the religious principles that form the basis of our country."

A courthouse in Washington County survived a challenge to take down the Ten Commandments after a challenge from an atheist was rejected when it turned out she did not live in the area, Crowe said. "The entire community was in shock," because of the challenge, Crowe said.

In its sharply divided 5-4 ruling last year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments on government land but drew the line on displays inside courthouses, saying they violated the doctrine of separation of church and state.

Crowe said the Ten Commandments are important for cultural reasons. "We accept other cultures, we open our arms to them. But if they come to this country they have to accept where we came from," Crowe said. "If they have a problem with that, that's tough. I'm not real sensitive about that. "As for the atheist perspective, I could care less how they feel," he said.

Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, said the ACLU opposes such legislation because it's simply trying to "protect and promote the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom for all Tennesseans." "Unfortunately, the proposal supports the posting of the Ten Commandments," Weinberg said. "The courts have ruled that the posting of such a document for the purpose promoting a religious doctrine is unconstitutional."

The ACLU has a case pending in federal court to remove the Ten Commandments from a display in Rutherford County. A federal judge in Chattanooga ruled against Hamilton County's posting of plaques of the commandments at two of its courthouses in 2002. The plaques were removed and auctioned off.

Several other Tennessee counties removed their plaques after the ruling against Hamilton County. Crowe waved off suggestions that the bills could be politically motivated in an election year. "We've been dealing with these issues for some time," he said. Both versions of the bills have been assigned to committees.

On the Net:

See HB2921/SB2442 on the legislative Web site at: http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/

© March 8, 2006 The Associated Press.

Bill Summary for *HB2921 / SB3141

This bill authorizes the display, in county and municipal public buildings and on county and municipal public grounds, of replicas of historical documents and writings. These writings may include, but are not limited to, the Ten Commandments, Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, Tennessee Constitution, and other such historically-significant documents and writings. The displays may be in the form of statues, monuments, memorials, tablets, or any other display respecting the dignity of such documents.

A step back from the brink

A Tennessee House subcommittee wisely killed a bill that would have placed state law in direct conflict with U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the public display of the Ten Commandments. The bill was the work of state Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesborough, and state Sen. Rusty Crowe, R-Johnson City, who has been around long enough to know better. Filled with election-year bravado, Hill and Crowe wanted to adjust state law to “authorize” posting of the Ten Commandments along with an assortment of historic documents meant to camouflage the religious purpose behind the act. The Supreme Court, however, ruled against this precise situation in a case out of Kentucky – a ruling that probably makes many of the Ten Commandment displays in our region illegal. But Hill and Crowe were not deterred by the high court’s words. They should thank the subcommittee for exercising good judgment that might keep the state out of a costly and protracted legal battle. Ref. April 08, 2006 Bristol Herald Courier

Fundamentalists have lost already

Printed January 25, 2006 Kingsport Times-News

Re: Sullivan's Ten Commandments display unchallenged, so far, the fundamentalists have lost whether the plaque goes or stays. Proof is the fact that many others challenge them in this space. Mr. Street can make excuses, but the public record is clear; in their efforts to silence me, they proved the plaque was designed to intimidate others. I gave them a way out by simply agreeing that all faiths have equal access; they shot themselves in the foot. The ACLU thanks them. They made a mockery of God. Claiming the purpose of the plaque is secular is insulting to God and violates His very commandment against false witness. Promoting a religion from public office to intimidate citizens is a direct violation of the U.S. and Tennessee constitutions.

Roger Clites (Dec 11) claims, " the Constitution …was not to be applied to actions of individuals … (and) … does not apply to the states." From section 1 of the 14th Amendment: "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the U.S. nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." It does apply to you, Mr. Clites.

During the plaque dedication, Carletta Sims and I were threatened with arrest and barred from the courthouse. I met some of the participants after the ceremony, including a minister who in no manner was some hate-filled, fundamentalist fanatic, and we were shocked at how much we had in common. I believe he is more typical of many Christians. Leave the plaque where it is, along with Halloween, Happy Holidays, Harry Potter, evolution, and Merry Christmas. All are part of American culture, all correctness be damned.

Lewis Loflin
Bristol, Va.

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