Prosiac Questions about the Alabama Supreme Court/10 Commandments Sculpture

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Aside from the Constitutional ramifications, I’ve been wondering mundane things about the 2.5 ton sculpture of the 10 Commandments the Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice had installed at the courthouse grounds, as follows:

  1. Who paid for that thing? How much did it cost? Did the artist charge full price, or did he cut them a deal? (No pun intended.) Where did the money come from to pay for it?

  2. What are the limits of the Alabama Chief Justice’s authority to decorate the court grounds? For instance, if he wanted to install a life-size sculpture of “Dogs Playing Poker” what, besides good taste, would stop him?

These are hardly earth shaking separation of church and state questions, I know, but maybe the key to defeating these things lies in mundane procedure, rather than big Constitutional issues. Maybe the Chief Judge didn’t get a statue permit from the City Planning Commission or something like that.

2

I’m afraid none of that matters now. The issue has been defined as “For God” vs. “Against God”. There is no middle ground.

So, which side are you on? :wink:

3

Apparently, the rest of the Alabama Supreme Court overruled their Chief Zealot, and the hunk o’ controversy will be removed.

If I, a recovering Presbyterian, was about to have my case decided by my state’s Supreme Court, and I had to walk past a big chunk of marble with a list of Koran quotes, I would feel my hope evaporate. Such a monument would imply, “If you’re not muslim, you’re screwed.”

4

Interestingly, in view of the fact that some of the argument about it has been made on the assumption that it cost taxpayers’ money, I found out that it was a gift of the Rev. D. James Kennedy’s Coral Ridge (FL) Presbyterian Church.

5

Anybody else misread the title of the thread as Prozak Questions about the Alabama Supreme Court/10 Commandments Sculpture?