Today is the deadline for Roy “Theocracy Ain’t So Bad” Moore to remove his Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery. Of course, the deadline is somewhat anti-climactic, since Moore already announced that he will defy the federal court order and keep the monument where it is.
It does mean, however, that the district court’s fines kick in today, assuming Moore doesn’t change his mind and call the movers in sometime this afternoon. The fines will be $5,000 a day, which will double at the beginning of every week until Moore complies with the law.
Regular Carpetbagger reader Dr. Who recently reminded me that, through the miracle of “exponential growth,” these fines could grow to staggering heights. “If this isn’t settled by Christmas morning this year (only 4 months away), Bill Gates may be the only American who might have enough money to assist him in paying his total fine of over $14 billion,” Dr. Who noted. “Of course, if he can find a way to pay the fine, we may have a plan to eliminate the National Debt before my birthday. He will owe a total of $6.7 trillion on this Feb 25, and the daily fine will be up to $671 billion.” (I haven’t checked Dr. Who’s math, but I’m willing to take his word for it.)
In any event, Moore is keeping busy milking this controversy for all its worth. While I have little doubt that Moore is, indeed, a theocratic lunatic, I also believe he sees an opportunity to become a religious right martyr/celebrity, bringing him still-more fame and fortune from Christian fundamentalists across the country.
For example, multiple rallies have been held in Alabama over the last several days. At one event over the weekend, Moore went so far as to say he would be “guilty of treason” if he followed the district court’s order and moved his religious display from the courthouse. Yes, treason.
“Let’s get this straight,” Moore said. “It’s about the acknowledgment of God.”
I’m actually glad he put it this way. Some opponents of church-state separation who want the government to endorse and promote religion make the fallacious argument that these Decalogue displays are really about history or the role of religion in shaping the law. Moore is, at least, openly honest about his intentions. He wants to use his judicial office to promote his religious beliefs and endorse his faith tradition’s version of the Ten Commandments. It’s exactly what the First Amendment aims to prevent.
At a candlelight vigil this morning, the Rev. Greg Dixon, another religious right theocrat and Moore ally, said, “Even if they should remove this monument — and God forbid they do — they’ll never be able to remove it from our hearts.”
This really captures how the other side sees this fight. For them, it’s about those who love the Ten Commandments and those who don’t. Dixon seems to believe those of us who oppose Moore’s crusade want to try and undermine religion. He couldn’t be more mistaken.
Is it so hard for them to believe that everyone benefits when the government is neutral on religion? Moore and his allies can put up Ten Commandments displays in their homes, on their front lawns, and in their cars. They can wear Ten Commandments hats and t-shirts every day, and tattoo the Decalogue to their forehead if they’re so inclined.
Like Islamic theocrats in Iran or Afghanistan, however, Moore and his supporters seem to believe that government neutrality on religion is a crime. For them, politicians and public officials have to “help” religion, because from their perspective, matters of faith aren’t strong enough to thrive without government aid. It’s quite sad, really.
And lastly, I thought I’d share the remarks of Jerry Falwell, who spoke at the Moore rally in Montgomery over the weekend.
“When God gives you a champion, get behind him,” Falwell said. “We may have to visit [Moore] in jail someday. Like Martin Luther King and his army of a generation ago, we shall overcome.”
As disturbing as all of Moore’s twisted remarks have been, Falwell comparison of Moore to Dr. King may be the most offensive thing I’ve heard in a very long time.