WTF? O'Reilly Just Claimed the Magna Carta Didn't Influence the Const.! [View All]

[liberalpragmatist]

:wtf:

O'Reilly had on two guests -- a Cardoza Law School Professor and some judge -- the Fox News "Judicial Analyst". They were talking abt the 10 Commandments/Roy Moore controversy and discussing a constitutional proposal to allow displays of the 10 commandments, prayer in schools, the pledge of allegiance, and other Christian religious displays (ALL of them).

O'Reilly and the Judicial Analyst claimed that the 10 Commandments were a historical display b/c they were the originator of our law! The Law Professor objected, citing the TRUTH that the constitution and the American legal system is based on the Magna Carta, English Common Law, the English Bill of Rights, Hammurabi's Law Code, and other historical examples.

Then O'Reilly (and his brilliant "Judicial Analyst") claimed that the Magna Carta had ZERO influence on the Constitution. Then, demonstrating his considerable ignorance, he went on to claim that there was no way in hell that the Americans would have based their legal system on the Magna Carta and English common law because we just fought a war against the British, who were our enemy! Then, demonstrating this ignorance even more fully, he declared that the Magna Carta was the antithesis of the Constitution (not in those words) and that it set up a hierarchical system that was diametrically opposed to the "American" idea of "all men created equal" (which, according to him comes from the 10 commandments and the Bible) since the Magna Carta declared the King could do whatever he wanted!

This is shocking (though I guess I shouldn't be so shocked -- it is O'Reilly after all...I admit I watch him from time to time, I need laughs like this one). Tell me, I'm not an expert on the Bible (and I don't mean to deface Christianity or the 10 commandments or anything) but WHERE in the 10 commandments does it say anything about "all men are created equal"? The ten commandments say things like "you shall have no other gods before me" and prohibitions on adultery, idol worship, speaking God's name in vain, jealousy, plus a demand to keep the sabbath holy. The only ones that relate to ANY American law are "thou shalt not murder," and "thou shalt not steal," and those are contained within EVERY single law code in history!

Ok -- rant over.