WPLN News Archive; Ten Commandments (Scott Huler) 4 30 02; News Archive 4/15/02-7/8/02

more than fifty of tennessee's ninety five counties have passed resolutions to display the ten commandments and that the events of september eleventh have added volume an urgency to these resolutions aclu tennessee an executive director heady weinberg says it's nothing no well this has been going on for years and years to imagine any man we had a sense that there was an effort afoot in tennessee to get county commission's to post the ten commandments in favor of the display usually claim they believe the posting of the ten commandments will improve morality or public behavior the idea of putting it is trying to install some form of aware of the wall that we are presently under originated from commissioner lindsay half cup voted for a bradley county initiative to hang the ten commandments others late and all of them are retweeted from that but almost inevitably the posting of the ten commandments as followed by a common sound not join their grievances fouled the american civil liberties union says a

lawsuit against a candidate expected to put in the ten commandments in the courthouse in violation of the first amendment to the constitution he has faith that lawsuit was filed weeks ago in response to rutherford county determining to post the ten commandments as part of a display of historical documents such as the magna carta and the declaration of independence as weinberg points out in a kentucky case currently winding its way up or through the federal courts that exact display was declared in violation of the first amendment's establishment clause that's the one about making a lot regarding establishment of religion similar cases have made similar fates a nebraska pennsylvania and other states culpepper county continues to pass resolutions in rutherford county leann anderson believes that instead of improving morality posting the commandments as the government down a dangerous path i don't know who's going to stand up for what our country was founded on people are vying for to

come to this country they were told they couldn't practice a certain place of a letter making here and what the government tells what kind of religion that was was to practice or to favor one religion or the other yet it's a slippery slope and we're gonna find yourself in that situation so i felt like i needed to stand for that so anderson was one of the plaintiffs in the rutherford county aclu sued nobody's filed suit in bradley county yet they're high school student rachel case objected to hanging the ten commandments to make her point she thought maybe she would take the county commissioners at their word well not incriminate anybody can get out and that went well so kate avoided the courts are being run on that and a posting the cherished principles of judaism and christianity did not constitute establishing religion she reasoned the commission should show the same acceptance towards the islamic principles the commission has refused to discuss it

mike smith chairs the brevard county commission raffo says refusing as his commission has done to even consider hanging the document is simply doing what bridget kearney wishes commissioner karen hughes says the same the majority of the people and by lee county are christian an e and the uncharted the papal opened that they wanted the pink amendment as the majority of the people in my victory the tennessee attorney general of april third issued an opinion stating that hanging the ten commandments is unconstitutional smith isn't moved very general level i think that i don't agree with and if you get a quarter can make you take it down the know how and willingly take it down until that point i'll never vote i come down in yesterday's hamilton county case judge r l edgar said he will make a ruling in the near future the rutherford county case is scheduled for may turned as for bradley county no lawsuit has yet

been filed but ray takeyh says she's done what she set out to do you know you've got to be discriminatory you know non not holding it that way you know equality really being upheld in the game and if kate goes to court she'll have no help from the aclu the aclu opposes government posting of religious documents for national public radio i'm scott you