Saturday, February 14, 2015

Roy Moore Versus the Constitution

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore made an appearance here on Augoeides earlier this year when he issued a statement that the First Amendment of the Constitution only applies to Christians. This month, after a federal court struck down Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage, Moore directed Alabama judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in direct violation of the court's ruling.

After the Supreme Court of the United States refused to stay a Federal injunction to allow marriage equality in Alabama, Moore pulled the judicial version of a George Wallace. He ordered judges to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples in direct defiance with the Federal Court ruling. Of course, Moore is all about defying higher court rulings because in his mind, laws are superseded by his God and that gives him the right to disobey Federal court rulings he doesn’t like.

The last time Moore was removed as Chief Justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court by a panel of judges because he disobeyed a Federal Court order to remove the 10 commandments from the court rotunda. Moore pulled a comeback and, once again, was elected Alabama’s Chief Justice in 2012. Now he’s trying to pull a George Wallace on marriage equality based on the same “logic” that got him removed before.

What's so funny and at the same time disturbing about Dominionists like Moore is that they pay relatively little attention to Christian teachings such as compassion towards the poor and oppressed, in favor of symbolic gestures like Ten Commandments monuments and preventing people who don't share their beliefs from marrying those they love. Only a complete idiot could read the Gospels and come away with the conclusion that the latter issues, and not the former, should be the core of Christian belief.

It also is quite telling that people like Moore claim to hold the Constitution in highest regard, but rush to defy it the moment a ruling goes against their archaic Poor Oppressed Christian beliefs. Moore may very well find himself removed as Chief Justice once more, and hopefully this time the people of Alabama will have enough sense not to elect him again.

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