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Sandy Rios Speaks at Ten Commandments Rally 9/5/2003 This is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. CWA President Stirs Crowd at Ten Commandments Rally
UPDATE, 9/3/03: Click here to listen to CWA President Sandy Rios speak up for the people's right to acknowledge God in the public square. She delivered this inspiring speech to a crowd of 1,200 in Montgomery, Alabama on Saturday, August 30. CWA continues to stand up for Chief Justice Moore and the American right to religious freedom!
Click here to read a text version of Sandy’s speech.
"The issue is not just Justice Moore," says CWA President Sandy Rios. "It is our fight to acknowledge God in the public square."
In the Alabama Supreme Court Judicial Building in downtown Montgomery, the people are engaged in what has become a national showdown. There are those who, like Federal Judge Myron Thompson, fear that the display of a Ten Commandments monument amounts to the establishment of religion. On the other side, there are those who understand that the people have a right to display religious symbols and commemorate our nation’s heritage. If this battle is lost and Judge Thompson gets his way, he will set a precedent for the American people to lose all rights to recognize God in the public square. This country could begin to look more like Nazi Germany instead of the land of the free and the brave.
Down in Montgomery, vigilant Americans continue in prayer and are keeping watch in the courthouse. Some have camped out with sleeping bags for nearly two weeks. Some have been arrested. Volunteers are serving provisions while citizens pray, sing and hold signs. They’ve come from Washington, Indiana, Illinois, New England, New York, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Canada. CWA representatives came from our chapters in Georgia, Kansas and Missouri. Many have dropped everything to come, and at Saturday’s rally, about two-thirds of the people were not citizens of Alabama. This battle is far from over … won’t you join us?
JOIN THIS HISTORIC FIGHT IN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Information line: (334) 462-3203 (ask about details on free housing that is available).
For Hotel & Travel Information in Alabama, visit the Alabama Department of Tourism page at http://touralabama.org/index-FL.htm.
Alabama Judicial System Web site (for maps):
For the latest news and information, see also:
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO? Whether you can travel to Alabama or not, we need your help! See the bottom of this article for actions you can take from your own home.
A battle is raging in Montgomery, Alabama, as Federal Judge Myron Thompson has ordered the removal of a Ten Commandments Monument from the Alabama Supreme Court. Why? For fear that it establishes a religion. If our Founding Fathers, who authored our Constitution, and Supreme Court justices, who sit under engravings of the Ten Commandments in the U.S. Supreme Court, aren't worried, then why is Judge Thompson?
Activists are encouraging people to come to Montgomery, Alabama, to show their support of Chief Justice Roy Moore and to take a stand for religious freedom.
History of Citizen Activity in Montgomery:
Rally on August 19 at 8:00 p.m, at the Embassy Suites, downtown Montgomery. Sponsored by Christian Defense Coalition.
Candlelight prayer vigil on August 20 at 12:01 a.m. at the Alabama Supreme Court, sponsored by Christian Defense Coalition.
From August 20 forward, Christians will gather at the Alabama Supreme Court every day at 8:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, and 6:00 p.m. Evening rallies will be at 7:30 p.m. at locations to be announced.
Rally on Thursday, August 21, at which Deborah Young, State Director for CWA of Louisiana, gave opening remarks. Deborah read a statement from CWA President Sandy Rios and gave interviews for local TV and radio stations. Click here to read the statements by Deborah Young and Sandy Rios.
On Thursday, August 28, a crowd of 2,000-3,000 gathered to hear Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, speak at the 12:00 rally. That night, Alan Keyes addressed another large crowd.
CWA President Sandy Rios spoke to a crowd of about 1,200 protesters and citizens from all over the country at an evening rally on Saturday, August 30. Click to listen to or read her speech.
Christian Defense Coalition director Rev. Pat Mahoney stated, "We are going to peacefully and prayerfully kneel in front of the court to prevent the removal of the monument and will stay as long as necessary."
America21 has established a 24-hour prayer vigil for Chief Justice Moore. Anyone can sign up for one or more time slots to pray.
Chief Justice Roy Moore's Ten Commandments Story:
On August 1, 2001, he oversaw the installation of a monument to the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building. The 4-foot high, 2-ton monument also bears quotes from the Declaration of Independence, the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, the Constitution of Alabama, and the Judiciary Act of 1789.
Private citizens commissioned the monument, which used no state funds for its creation or installation. Chief Justice Moore explained that it was installed at night, in after-duty hours, to not interfere with the work of the Court. The building manager, security, the marshals of the court and the legal staff were informed.
At a presentation ceremony the following day, Chief Justice Moore stated:
The institutions of our society are founded on the belief that there is an authority higher than the authority of the State; that there is a moral law which the State is powerless to alter; that the individual possesses rights, conferred by the Creator which government must respect.
On October 31, 2001, the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Southern Poverty Law Center filed two federal lawsuits against Chief Justice Moore. They represent several lawyers who practice in Alabama and found the Ten Commandments and statements from America's founders "offensive" and therefore, in their view, unconstitutional.
The offense, the complaint states, is that the Ten Commandments monument communicates the belief that "the law of God is the foundation of—and superior to—the law and institutions of the citizenry, and that God is necessary to the administration of justice."
On November 18, 2002, U.S. District Court Judge Myron Thompson ruled that the monument was an endorsement of religion by the state, and ordered Chief Justice Moore to remove it within 30 days. But Thompson stayed (postponed) that order to await a decision from a federal appeals panel. The appeals panel upheld Thompson's order last month.
On August 5, Judge Thompson lifted the stay and ordered the removal within 15 days. If not, Judge Thompson said he might fine the state each day the monument remains in place. This ultimatum raises serious questions, such as how a federal judge would collect the money and whether the state can refuse to pay.
One day before the order, Chief Justice Moore filed a brief contending Alabama's Constitution allows the acknowledgement of God by the state, and that Judge Thompson did not have the authority to deprive the state of that right. He will also appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Early in the morning on Thursday, August 21, 2003, a barrier was erected around the Ten Commandments monument by order of the associate justices of the Alabama Supreme Court. This action treats the foundation of our laws as if it were an obscene magazine. Justice Moore had the barrier removed later that day.
On Monday, August 25, 2003, Chief Justice Roy Moore's staff came to work only to discover that their locks had been changed and entry to the judges chambers impossible. An August 25 newsletter from Vision Forum stated, "In a series of stealth moves against Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama State Supreme Court, Attorney General Bill Pryor and Justice Gorman Houston have joined forces to suspend the Chief Justice, take away his staff, and block him access to his personal effects and documents, thus attempting to thwart him from mounting a spirited defense against them."
Amidst a chorus of protesters, workers removed the monument from public view on Wednesday, August 27. It was relegated to an undisclosed location. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley stated that he hoped the move was "brief and temporary" and said he would file court papers supporting Moore. Meanwhile, Attorney General Pryor defended the removal of the monument.
Chief Justice Moore told The New American, "Anytime you deny the acknowledgement of God you are undermining the entire basis for which our country exists. Rights come from God, not from government. If government can give you rights, government can take them away from you. If God gives you rights, no man and no government can take them away from you. That was the premise of the organic law of this country, which is the Declaration of Independence. Because, if there is no God, then man's power is the controlling aspect, and therefore power will be centralized."
To read an interview with Chief Justice Moore, as published in CWA's magazine, Family Voice, click here. [Adobe Acrobat's Free PDF Viewer required.]
ACTION ITEM
Gov. Riley has the authority to order the office open, and Attorney General Pryor has the authority to drop all charges against Justice Moore. (Attorney General Pryor has also been nominated to the 11th Circuit Court, a nomination we should all be watching very closely.)
Attorney General Bill Pryor: (334) 242-7300
To contribute to Chief Justice Roy Moore's defense fund, visit www.morallaw.org, or call 1-866-317-0800. |
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Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 488-7000 Fax: (202) 488-0806 |
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