Monday, August 27, 2007
The grand entrance to the state courthouse in Brooklyn.
Four arguments that this does not violate the Establishment Clause:
1. Old things carved in stone should be left alone.
2. It would take an outrageous, destructive act to get rid of it, and that would send a message of hostility toward religion.
3. It is aesthetically pleasing to elite tastes -- unlike that 2.6 ton block of granite Judge Roy Moore plunked in the courthouse lobby in Alabama.
4. Moses -- whom I initially perceived as ready to crack the little people over the head with the stone tablets -- is pointing at the ninth commandment. The ninth commandment is the prohibition against bearing false witness, and that's a solid rule for a courthouse.
On the other hand... it's not stuck around back where it looks like a fast food drive-up order box. You can't portray it as part of a collection of various monuments. It's right there by the door, conveying a strong message that this is the state's idea of what goes on here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment