Governor (Napolitano) wants Ten Commandments at Capitol

[VermontDem2004]

Gov. Janet Napolitano will fight the Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union in court, if necessary, to protect a monument to the Ten Commandments at the state Capitol.

Today is the ACLU's deadline for the state to remove the monument from Wesley Bolin Plaza or face a federal lawsuit. Negotiations with the governor's office have gone nowhere.

"The governor does not believe that this monument in this location constituents a government endorsement of religion," said Napolitano spokeswoman Kris Mayes said. "She also believes there are a host of more pressing problems before us including education funding and forest health.

"If the ACLU decides to continue to oppose the monument in its current location, we will let the courts decide the issue," Mayes said.

Pamela Sutherland, the chapter's legal director, said the group can't compromise on First Amendment protections that require a separation of church and state.

"The principles that this country were founded upon include a respect for all religions, not just one religion," Sutherland said. "It's those values and principles that we're adhering to and that, actually, courts across the country have adhered to in saying monuments to one particular religion do not belong on state property. So we will be filing suit."

East Valley Tribune

[sujan]

1. I hope she loses

dearly.

And the retarded logic that "The governor does not believe that this monument in this location constituents a government endorsement of religion," even though it is taken straight out of the bible exodus 20.

This is an endorsement of the Abrahamic religions by the state of Arizona.

[VermontDem2004]

4. not me

It has been sitting there since 1954. It's a non issue for me and I could care less if there is a set of ten commandments sitting there. It isn't government funding either so I don't think it bridges the gap of church and state.

[burrowowl]

10. 1954

is when the Knights of Columbus (a Roman Catholic org.) persuaded Congress to put the "under God" in the pledge and the "In God we trust" on coins (which if you believe in the 10 Commandments is rather blasmphemous, Thou shall not take the name of the lord thy god in vain).
I remember when we had to relearn the pledge in school to put the under god in it, it was the McCarthy era. BAD!

[VermontDem2004]

11. That was bridging the gap of church and state

urging the congress to put under god in the pledge but I could care less whether under god was in the pledge or not. THe 10 commandments thing was not government funded, but I could care less because their are bigger problems in Arizona in which Napolitano is trying to fix, for example, getting adequate funding for Homeland Security which the President* is failing to do.

[Flubadubya]

24. Not to be picky...

but the adage is "I couldn't care less." Think about it... if you "could care less", then that means you "care some", that you actually do have some concern about the issue. If you "couldn't care less", then that means you don't give a damn.

I don't know how that phrase came to be so corrupted, but just applying an iota of logic to it sorts it out. :-)

[TSElliott]

20. I think "In God We Trust" has been on currency...

since 1863.

[KamaAina]

2. That'll teach me to be ecstatic whenever a Dem wins!

I thought AZ was a monster pickup for us, in the land of Kyl, Shadegg, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Now I can feel the blade sticking out from between my short ribs...

'Tis true that the Repukes are our sworn enemies, even "moderate" ones who make bad shoot-'em-up flicks :-), BUT that does NOT imply, logically, that all Dems are necessarily on our side. This action, I fear, is the Q.E.D. :(

[VermontDem2004]

6. Well, if you study closely of what Napolitano has done for this state

she is definately on our side. Our state hasn't had a governor like this for 20 years.

[mndemocrat_29]

16. Napolitano

Napolitano is a vast improvement on Jane Dee Hull.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. It would be one thing if the legislatures actually honored them but

SHEESH!!!! Though shalt not steal anyone???? :shrug:

[Cha]

7. Or covet thy neighbor's wife! Or Kill?

[RobertSeattle]

5. Someone find her schedule...

...See how well she's been honoring the Sabbath and keeping it holy...

[Cha]

8. Otherwise what good are they if you don't follow them to the

letter. Which a lot of people don't. Hypocrites.

[VermontDem2004]

9. This is a picture gallery of last month

basically a pictured schedule

http://www.governor.state.az.us/global/pg_july03.htm

[jiacinto]

12. Has this been there or does she want a new one there?

That headline is misleading.

[VermontDem2004]

13. Why don't you read the article

it has been there since 1954. Tell the writer of the article it is misleading, not me. I was following DU LBN Rules, also what is misleading about it? THe aclu wants to remove, she wants to keep it there.

[kainah]

14. In 10 years, it's entitled to historic protection

As a historian, I say keep it. It reflects a certain period of Phoenix's growth as a city and its cultural values of that time. I am also an active and committed member of ACLU and Americans United. I appreciate their bright line. As an individual, though, I'm entitled to shade my own grays.

I misread the date. Poor old eyes. If it's been there since 1954, then it should be entitled to historic protection in a matter of months. If it is not on the path to anything & there are no government funds involved, let it stand & worry about the much bigger things that threaten us.

[VermontDem2004]

15. Phoenix grew as a city when Motorola opened plants in 1948

That was the main reason and Arizona's economy grew rapidly. Too bad Motorola started opening plants in China forcing the plants here in the Phoenix Area to shut down. After Motorola opened plants so did GE, Honeywell, and IBM among others. 12 years later Phoenix had a population of 1 million people and was the nation's third largest high-tech area.

[jiacinto]

18. How interesting

http://www.nrtw.org/c/azrtwlaw.htm



It seems like Arizona was one of the first right to work states. Did that play a major factor in Motorola opening its first plants there?

[VermontDem2004]

19. Of course it did

[jiacinto]

26. Yeah

I wonder how the right to work movement started.

[fujiyama]

17. ..

...

[Julien Sorel]

21. Politically, she had to fight it.

This is a right wing state full of retired people, lots of them veterans. If she didn't fight this, she'd be smeared as unpatriotic. It is another example of how the mere threat of sleaze is enough to advance the right wing agenda, but I think she blew with the wind in this case, and it was the correct thing to do. She has other battles to use her political capital on.

[Lexingtonian]

22. She's doing the smart thing

The ACLU gets another shot at a precendent-making verdict, Napolitano doesn't get blamed for caving. And if the court really blows the verdict someone could just go edit the thing with a sledgehammer.

The clever way to deal with it is to lose in court, then to pretend to want to appeal. But in 'studying' the legal decision, the state AG just happens to discover that there are few or no good grounds on which to appeal and writes a brief that sabotages the attempt. (Hey, it works for the Bush Administration EPA, which just happens to consistently lose and then settle while the appeal is pending when major Bush contributor polluters countersue them.)

IOW, by taking it to court, it could amount to a win-win overall.

[CO Liberal]

23. Displays Like That Belong in CHURCHES

Not in public.

[mefoolonhill]

25. 10 Comnmandments

What the conservatives dimwits in this country fail to understand is that the notion of separation of church and state arose to protect religion, not suppress it. Keeping religious icons and monuments off public property is a matter of basic fairness, and is in everyone's best interest.