10 Commandments in 'Ol Alabam

[richard duncan]

Mike Paulsen (or was it me writing as Mike--heck we're twins anyway,
but Mom always liked him better), defends me against Mike McConnell's
rebuke for admiring Gov. James' stand against secular extremism.

MSP's eloquent post speaks for me, and I don't have very much to add.

Just a couple of points:

1) I admire the Governor's "spirit of resistance" but I AM NOT IN
FAVOR OF INSURRECTION (but I am not as "fanatical" in my opposition to
insurrection as is, say, Sandy Levinson). I thought I made that clear,
but it's worth repeating.


2) I agree with Sandy, Marie and others that this is merely a
symbolic issue (and an unwinnable one at that) and therefore does not
merit an extreme response. That being said, I also find MSP's argument
about being faithful in the little things persuasive.

3) But secular hegemony must be resisted. When strict separationists
attack a religious symbol such as the posting of the Ten Commandments,
the best response is to absorb the symbolic step backward and devote
your energy (and the political advantage of resisting an unpopular
decision) to advancing *two* steps forward in a substantive area. That
is why I said the Alabama legislature and Governor should have
responded by enacting a voucher scheme in response to the attack on
the Ten Commandments. That is a *winnable* battle that would set
secular extremism back several steps. And it would greatly
benefit parental rights, religious equality, and freedom of thought
and formation of belief. Don't get mad, get ahead!

                   ----------
             Rick Duncan (rduncan at unlinfo.unl.edu)

"Tolerance applies only to persons, but never to truth. Intolerance
applies only to truth, but never to persons. Tolerance applies to the
erring; intolerance to the error." --Fulton J. Sheen