Ten Commandment Display/Historical Documents Display - Agreement with the Liberty Institute for Legal Services Released - November 17, 2014 County Commission Work Session

Photo by G. Morgan of the Jackson County Commission immediately after swearing in of the new commissioners - Commissioners from left to Right - Commissioner Venable, Commissioner Ledwell, Chair of the Commission Matthew Hodges, Commissioner Guffey, Commissioner Miller

All articles on this blog regarding the County Commission Ten commandments Issue are listed at the end of this article.

Secrecy - Documents Released by County Commission Chair

The commission has participated in secret meetings to discuss the issue about the Ten Commandments. Reasonable members of the commission have stated this secrecy will not occur in the future. The commission held a secret meeting with the Liberty Institute to facilitate an agreement for legal representation. I requested verbally that the agreement between the commission and the Liberty Institute be released, the county attorney stated it was not a releasable document. I submitted an official public documents request earlier in the month, the agreement document was released by the Commission Chair last week. 

AGREEMENT FOR LEGAL SERVICES BETWEEN THE JACKSON COUNTY COMMISSION & THE LIBERTY INSTITUTE 

(click on image for an expanded view)

The document has been signed by both parties according to the Commission Chair.

Video in which Mr. Guffey made his statement that the Ten Commandments are one of the founding documents of our nation, He further states if the Commandments were removed our nation "would be a totally different country..." He says, "We have gotten away from what this country was founded on. If we want to return our country back to what made her great we must start at the local level. It is time for the majority to make a stand on what made this country great." 

PROBLEMS in Mr. Guffey's Ideology

Apparently Mr. Guffey does not realize we are not a Democracy, the majority do not rule; in a Republic we are a government of laws. A Democracy is a rabble of lawless individuals wishing to impose their wishes on the minority. Is it the intentions of Mr. Guffey and the Alabama Republican Party to return us to a time of Jim Crow?

 The Ten Commandments are not part of the founding documents of this nation and never have been. Members of our county commission were elected to represent the people and conduct the peoples BUSINESS of Jackson County on the County Commission and support the Constitution of the United States and the State of Alabama. Commissioners were not elected to determine what made our nation great or interject the political platform of the Alabama Republican Party. Relating to the Ten Commandments issue, it is a scheme and ruse of trickery to support hidden political agendas relating to National Health Care and Immigration Reform.

Republican Party purpose: Issue in the legislature - http://blog.al.com/wire/2014/02/things_i_learned_during_the_al.html  The issue did not pass in the 2014 Alabama Legislative session. Republican theocrats have resolved to bring the issue back up at the next session in 2015. More on the strategy - the maskirovka, why: Shrewd political strategy - for the promise of tax cuts for the rich is hardly an effective platform for rallying the Republican Party base in a midterm election year. The promise of the Ten Commandments, however, is how you get a person without healthcare to vote for the party whose platform is based on repealing the Affordable Care Act.  Read More at: http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/how-hyper-religious-political-stunts-republicans-keeps-their-voters-captive

 This right wing extremist theocratic ideology is a dangerous ideology which stands to diminish our county, state and nation.  I am offended that one of our county's elected officials thinks our nation needs to return to a time when we were great. What time does Mr. Guffey wish to return us to, a time of Jim Crow when  ignorance was perpetrated by racists and fascist like extremist in political power who murdered minority peoples and burned crosses as a sign of racial & religious purity as the psychopathic Ku Klux Klan leadership saw it; maybe Mr. Guffey wishes to return us to a time before our first Black President was elected?  

Secret meeting between the Commission and Liberty Institute


All articles on this blog about the Ten Commandments issue before the Jackson County Commission:  http://arklite.blogspot.com/search/label/Ten%20Commandment%20Displays


November 17, 2014 County Commission Work Session

VIDEO

Jackson County Commission Regular Session, Budget, Video and Agenda-10 Commandments Issue

Jackson County Commission: from left to right - Mr. Venable, Mr. Ledwell, Chairman Mr. Hodges, Mr Guffey and Mr. Miller 

AGENDA

BUDGET

Page 2

VIDEO

Liberty Institute and agreements: http://arklite.blogspot.com/2014/09/jackson-county-commission-attorney.html

Video citizen presentation

Jackson County Commission Attorney States Agreement with the Liberty Institute is Not a Public Record - More on the 10 Commandments Issue and What is the Liberty Institute?

Scottsboro, Alabama - September 22, 2014, The 10 Commandments issue continues. After the Jackson County Commission meeting I ask the Chairman of the County Commission with the County Attorney, John Porter present, if I could inspect the agreement/contract with the Liberty Institute once signed. Porter's comment, "You may not have a copy as it is not a public record." Commission Meeting article http://arklite.blogspot.com/2014/09/jackson-county-commission-regular.html

Section 36-12-40 Code of Alabama

Rights of citizens to inspect and copy public writings; exceptions.

Every citizen has a right to inspect and take a copy of any public writing of this state, except as otherwise expressly provided by statute. Provided however, registration and circulation records and information concerning the use of the public, public school or college and university libraries of this state shall be exempted from this section. Provided further, any parent of a minor child shall have the right to inspect the registration and circulation records of any school or public library that pertain to his or her child. Notwithstanding the foregoing, records concerning security plans, procedures, assessments, measures, or systems, and any other records relating to, or having an impact upon, the security or safety of persons, structures, facilities, or other infrastructures, including without limitation information concerning critical infrastructure (as defined at 42 U.S.C. §5195c(e) as amended) and critical energy infrastructure information (as defined at 18 C.F.R. §388.113(c)(1) as amended) the public disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to be detrimental to the public safety or welfare, and records the disclosure of which would otherwise be detrimental to the best interests of the public shall be exempted from this section. Any public officer who receives a request for records that may appear to relate to critical infrastructure or critical energy infrastructure information, shall notify the owner of such infrastructure in writing of the request and provide the owner an opportunity to comment on the request and on the threats to public safety or welfare that could reasonably be expected from public disclosure on the records.(Code 1923, §2695; Code 1940, T. 41, §145; Acts 1983, No. 83-565, p. 866, §3; Act 2004-487, p. 906, §1.)

A comprehensive guide to Alabama Records disclosure and exemptions from disclosure - Alabama Open Records Study Task Force, 2008 by the Law Firm of Balch & Bingham, 2008 and reviewed by the Alabama Legislative Reference Service. Alabama Open Records Study Task Force   Competent legal council has advised that contracts and agreements made by the County Commission are subject to be disclosed upon request. That a refusal to produce such records, such as an agreement with the Liberty Institute for legal council, would be a violation of 36-12-40. 

The mission statement of the Liberty Institute ( along with bashing the ACLU here is their mission statement: https://www.libertyinstitute.org/about ) contains a clause that some might consider radical and extremist. It is reflective of the same mantra as Islamic Jihadists. It states, "...true religious liberty consists of recognizing individuals’ God-given right to follow their conscience and to live and act according to their faith in every area of life.” About the Islamic Jihad and Islam http://islamicsupremecouncil.org/understanding-islam/legal-rulings/5-jihad-a-misunderstood-concept-from-islam.html?showall=1  How far does the Liberty Institute intend on taking their mission in each individuals God Given right to live and act according to their faith? Does that include actions of Christian or Islamic extremists?

HISTORY ABOUT JEFFERSON, ISLAM and the SEPARATION of CHURCH and STATE or Ignorance Breeds an Extremist Theocracy of the few.

"In 1765, eleven years before composing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson bought a Qur’an. This marked only the beginning of his life long interest in Islam, and he would go on to acquire numerous books on Middle Eastern languages, history, and travel, taking extensive notes on Islam as it relates to English common law. Jefferson sought to understand Islam notwithstanding his personal disdain for the faith, a sentiment prevalent among his Protestant contemporaries in England and America. But unlike most of them, by 1776 Jefferson could imagine Muslims as future citizens of his new country."

 "A handful of the Founders, Jefferson foremost among them, drew upon Enlightenment ideas about the toleration of Muslims (then deemed the ultimate outsiders in Western society) to fashion out of what had been a purely speculative debate a practical foundation for governance in America. In this way, Muslims, who were not even known to exist in the colonies, became the imaginary outer limit for an unprecedented, uniquely American religious pluralism that would also encompass the actual despised minorities of Jews and Catholics. The rancorous public dispute concerning the inclusion of Muslims, for which principle Jefferson’s political foes would vilify him to the end of his life, thus became decisive in the Founders’ ultimate judgment not to establish a Protestant nation, as they might well have done."  http://www.monticelloshop.org/208079.html

It is revealing that the Liberty Institute attempts to demean the United States Armed Forces by the false accusation that they do not support religious freedoms. 

Does the Liberty Institute support the Islamic Jihad and are they anti-U.S. Military?  In this document the Liberty Institute falsely claims in testimony before Congress, "...the military used existing laws, regulations, or policies to justify its hostility towards religious freedom."  http://docs.house.gov/meetings/AS/AS02/20140129/101681/HHRG-113-AS02-20140129-SD011.pdf   The Liberty Institute's claim is a false claim, they use an Equal Opportunity  training course which describes hate and religious intolerance as a basis for their claim. Other right wing organizations then pile on supporting the attack on Race Relations Equal Opportunity Training in the military along with the usual bashing of President Obama. Reference: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/10/31/pentagon-training-manual-white-males-have-unfair-advantages/  Then as if it is a justification for absurdity and fallacy they use the opinion of a former military officer who is a disgrace, LTC Allen West who should have been Court-Martialed for his undisciplined actions and threats to Prisoners of War which included the coercion of false confessions by the threat of murder. West accepted non-judicial punishment and was forced to retire. The true story about a disgraced commander. Mr. West provides Fox News and the Theocratic Republicans their not so perfect African American token. http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2010/03/allen_west_military_career_abuse_iraqi_detainee.php  The right wing Republican Theocrats are always looking for additional tokens. Such as the case of the Alabama theocratic right : "see, we are not bigots, we pardoned the Scottsboro Boys." An act which could have accomplished much, such as race relations education. But of course, that is a real solution to problems and education costs money which right wing corporate theocrats do not wish to expend, they prefer their facts, not actual facts which support science, math and enlightenment. 

WHAT IS ALL OF THIS ABOUT? Simple, "the theocratic right, "Religous Right," regressive populism, and White racial nationalism make up a hard right political sector that is distinct from and sometimes in opposition to mainstream Republicanism and the internationalist wing of corporate conservatism." From the Public Eye - http://www.publiceye.org/lnk_antidem.html#Christian Right

"The best known sector of the hard right--dogmatic religious movements--is often called the "Religious Right" It substantially dominates the Republican Party in at least 10 (and perhaps as many as 30) of the 50 states. As part of an aggressive grassroots campaign, these groups have targeted electoral races from school boards to state legislatures to campaigns for the US Senate and House of Representatives. They helped elect dozens of hard-line ultraconservatives to the House of Representatives in 1994. This successful social movement politically mobilizes a traditionalist mass base from a growing pious constituency of evangelical, fundamentalist, charismatic, Pentecostal, and orthodox churchgoers."

"The goal of many leaders of this ultraconservative religious movement is imposing a narrow theological agenda on secular society. The predominantly Christian leadership envisions a religiously-based authoritarian society; therefore we prefer to describe this movement as the "theocratic right." A theocrat is someone who supports a form of government where the actions of leaders are seen as sanctioned by God--where the leaders claim they are carrying out God's will. The central threat to democracy posed by the theocratic right is not that its leaders are religious, or fundamentalist, or right wing--but that they justify their political, legislative, and regulatory agenda as fulfilling God's plan."

Enter Mr. McGill, Mr. Guffey, Jackson County Commission, their legal representative and the Liberty Institute; supported by right wing ultraconservative hypocritical theocrats.

More on right wing extremism: http://www.hsaj.org/?fullarticle=2.2.3

   Welcome to Alabama - We Dare Defend Our Rights! When this motto was first conceived it was representative of white males. Commissioner Guffey has remarked, "We are the majority and we should not bow to the minority." What Mr. Guffey and others who stand for ignorant concepts of theocratic rule is this, we are not a Democracy nor a Theocracy; WE ARE A REPUBLIC, where the rule of law governs our nation and communities for the benefit of all Americans, not just a few or the majority.

Many of us have shed our blood and given our lives so that even ignorant citizens may rise to office. It is the citizens responsibility to insure our nation remains a REPUBLIC and not decline into the throws of a theocracy by right wing religious extremists..

Senate District 8 Political Race - Candidate Answer, Candidate Refuses to Answer

Jackson County Legislative Delegation Office (photo by G. Morgan)

On the 17^th of August, 2014 I sent two questions to the candidates for Alabama Senate District 8 race. Republican Candidate Steve Livingston and Democrat Candidate Horace Clemmons both received the same questions in the same format. One candidate, Horace Clemmons answered the questions; the other candidate Steve Livingston did not reply. I sent him multiple requests through his Face Book campaign site and his personal Face Book Page, all to no avail. Apparently this old soldier’s and poor citizen’s questions matter naught to Senate candidate Steve Livingston. Below you will find Horace Clemons answer after the questions and my comment to Steve Livingston.

THE QUESTIONS

What are your thoughts on the Ten Commandments and Historical Documents issue which Commissioner Guffey has brought forward in the Jackson County Commission?

Do you support the Republican Sponsored Ten Commandments Bill that was introduced in the House but did not make it out the Senate in the last session. Reference HB 45 which will allow citizens to vote on a constitutional amendment to allow displays of the Ten Commandments on state property and in public schools.

Your answer may be used on my blog and other community information postings.

Thank you,

Garry Morgan

“In the Boro”  http://arklite.blogspot.com

Horace Clemmons for State Senate District 8 web site (Fair Usage rights)

Horace Clemmons answer:  "I believe that this issue has been settled by the Supreme Court and would end up costing taxpayers a lot of money for legal fees - money that could and should be used for economic development and education.  Further, the damage to our District's image that would be done by the resulting controversy and court battle would make the already difficult job of attracting high paying jobs to our area even more difficult.  Let’s focus on education and jobs.”

“I would not support any legislation that is likely to be declared unconstitutional and result in spending millions of taxpayers’ dollars paying legal fees to high-priced private law firms.  The legislature has engaged in enough of that kind of foolish fiscal irresponsibility over the last four years.”

Steve Livingston for State Senate District 8  (Fair Usage rights)

My Comment to Mr. Livingston: Your refusal to answer equals my refusal to vote for you and is an indication that you think of yourself as above the questions of a poor, retired old soldier. A simple answer would be fine, but a refusal to answer indicates the thinking of an “elitist snob,” or a refusal to answer a question about what your political party of choice represents. Either way, no answer equals NO VOTE. 

 About your above propaganda depiction of you teaching school children to"Fight Obama" in your Face Book campaign video ad - this is the hatred which we have come to expect out of the extremist wing of the Republican Party - Shame on You Steve Livingston! If this is what you are about, we do not need you representing the 8th District in Montgomery.

Jackson County Courthouse , Scottsboro, Alabama Jackson County Commission Work Session August 11, 2014 - GOP Strategy, Ten Commandments to be Displayed, or Are the Taxpayers Seen as a Money Tree?

(Story last updated 10AM, Aug 13, 2014) Regular Session and the rest of the Work Session videos and agenda will be posted soon.

GOP Strategy at work in Jackson County Alabama - Politics do not equal religious values, freedom and liberty as outlined in our Constitution. How do you rally people to oppose the Affordable Care Act? "The promise of the Ten Commandments, is how you get a person without healthcare to vote for the party whose platform is based on repealing the Affordable Care Act."  

The above video with historical information about the Republican Party in Alabama regarding the 10 Commandments issue has been censored, thus far, 3 times on al.com's Scottsboro Forum. The item is currently up as posted by friends of this blog on Aug. 13, 2014 at 9:50AM. http://www.al.com/forums/scottsboro/index.ssf

This is the censored posting: 

9264. Republican Party of Alabama and the Ten Commandments by EagleN4457, 08/13/14 9:50 AM

Al.com article on "Things I learned during the Alabama Legislature's Ten Commandments debate today - Should Alabamians be able to hang the Ten Commandments in public buildings, including schools and courthouses?" http://blog.al.com/wire/2014/02/things_i_learned_during_the_al.html

WAFF coverage: http://www.waff.com/story/26262680/jackson-co-seeks-input-on-ten-commandments-installation-at-courthouse

Local issue in Jackson County-Historical Documents Display Ten Commandments, Declaration of Independence, Constitution - I guess folks failed to realize that the Declaration and the Constitution are outside of Courtroom #1 on the wall under glass and has been there for years. Some are saying this is an issue to rally citizens to support the GOP for the purpose of defeating the Affordable Care Act: http://youtu.be/15x9rYdO0R4 

Item 4 on the Work Session Agenda: Jackson County Commission to decide on display of 10 Commandments along with Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution as Historical Documents related to the founding of our nation. Commissioner Tim Guffey brought forth the discussion. It was stated by the Chairman if costs for the displays could be acquired, the issue could be voted on at next Monday's meeting. Has the budget problem suddenly disappeared, can the citizens of Jackson County now enjoy this type of expenditure?

WAFF NEWS Report by Steve McLamb on issue with video

4:30PM WAFF news report by Steven McLamb: Mr. Tim Guffey has stated no county funds will be utilized for this display. Further news updates will follow.

6PM WAFF by Steve McLamb: "He believes the country is moving away from the foundation it was formed upon, and feels those documents collectively would serve as a public reminder...Guffey hopes this starts a grassroots movement and hopefully encourages other counties to do the same. He hopes to take the rest of the month getting input from residents before introducing the resolution for a vote." http://www.waff.com/story/26262680/jackson-co-seeks-input-on-ten-commandments-installation-at-courthouse  4:30PM WAFF news report by Steven McLamb: Mr. Tim Guffey has stated no county funds will be utilized for this display. Further news updates will follow.

I'm wondering if folks realize that outside of Court Room 1 in the Jackson County Courthouse, a copy of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution are posted under glass on the wall, been there for years.

RIGHT WING POLITICAL-RELIGOUS HYPOCRICY

Alabama GOP/Tea Party Issue - "According to the Pew Research Center, Alabama is the second most religious state in the nation with 74 percent of residents saying religion is very important in their lives. Number one is Mississippi. It is a pitiful irony that those states that are most religious are also states with the most individual suffering. More than 30 percent of the children in these two states suffer extreme poverty. In both states, the primary reason for abject poverty is that more than a third of children have parents who lack secure employment, decent wages, and healthcare... these poor saps vote for the party that rejects Medicaid expansion, opposes early education expansion, legislates larger cuts to education, and slashes food stamps to make room for oil and agriculture subsidies on top of tax cuts and loopholes for corporations and the wealthy."

POLITICS DOES NOT EQUAL HISTORICAL FACT NOR MAKE A CHRISTIAN

In the last session of the state legislature, the Alabama Senate attempted to legislate for the display of Ten Commandments in public buildings, such as courthouses and schools.

State Sen. Trip Pittman (R-AL),  "We talk about the constitutionality of them, but we have to understand the purpose of these is the laws of God," he said. "And we think they may have passed irrelevance because of the constitutional question, but beyond that, which is the most important, it's also about behavior and conduct through the ages."

State Rep. DuWayne Bridges (R-AL) declared, “School shootings, patricide and matricide are due to the Ten Commandments not being displayed in schools and other government buildings.” Bridges also said, "The Tenth Amendment [sic] was adopted before the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea because Moses didn't get to cross the Red Sea.”  

Shrewd political strategy - for the promise of tax cuts for the rich is hardly an effective platform for rallying the Republican Party base in a midterm election year. The promise of the Ten Commandments, however, is how you get a person without healthcare to vote for the party whose platform is based on repealing the Affordable Care Act.  Read More at: http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/how-hyper-religious-political-stunts-republicans-keeps-their-voters-captive

Supreme Court of the United States Symbols Displayed

Representations of symbols in the Supreme Court and their official descriptions may be found here, this includes the descriptions of the "Law Givers:" Confucius, Mohammed and Moses, among others, are displayed.   http://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?Search=Courtroom+Friezes&type=Site

The American Center for Law and Justice has this to say:  "The Public Display of the Ten Commandments on Government Property May be Constitutional if Done Properly. While the Court decides these issues on a case by case basis, it seems that the display of the Ten Commandments in courthouses and capital buildings does not violate the Court’s view of the First Amendment when there is a secular purpose for the display, the display is paid for by private parties, and the display includes other equally prominent foundational documents."  http://aclj.org/church-state/ten-commandments

Applicable articles questioning whether the Ten Commandments should be displayed.

"The idea that the United States could be a “Christian nation” is theologically problematic.  The only “Christian nation” which the New Testament envisions is the Kingdom of God, which transcends national, cultural, and ethnic boundaries.  Were the United States to be a “Christian nation,” she would have to do more than celebrate Christmas as a federal holiday and display the Ten Commandments in her courthouses.  If she were held to the same standards to which the New Testament holds the Christian community, the United States would have to embody Christian principles, including the mandate to love one’s enemy, eschew power, put away the sword, give freely without any expectation of repayment, and – because she is very rich – sell all her material possessions, donate the proceeds to the poor, then take up a cross of discipleship.  The consumerism and materialism which characterize so much of the American ethos – Jefferson’s “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” was a modification of John Locke’s “life, liberty, and the pursuit of property,” and indeed most versions of the American Dream equate property with happiness – seem to be at odds with most versions of core Christian values.  In short, the United States is not a “Christian nation,” and simply displaying representations of the Ten Commandments in public locations does not change this reality." http://www.stateofformation.org/2011/01/five-reasons-why-i-a-christian-oppose-the-public-display-of-the-ten-commandments-part-i/

RECENT NEW MEXICO CASE "Peter Simonson, ACLU of New Mexico's executive director, praised the ruling, calling it “a victory for the First Amendment's protections against government endorsed religion...We firmly support the right of individuals, religious groups and community associations to publicly display religious monuments, but the government should not be in the business of picking which sets of religious beliefs belong at city hall...”"
http://www.daily-times.com/four_corners-news/ci_26296273/federal-judge-rules-ten-commandments-monument-front-bloomfield  AP report on case: http://www.heraldstandard.com/united_states_ap/judge-rules-ten-commandments-monument-must-go/article_e27ec7cb-5329-5bdc-bb39-4b5a5ffb5778.html

SUPREME COURT OF THE U.S - MCCREARY COUNTY vs ACLU, 2004 - Discussion -  "The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued three Kentucky counties in federal district court for displaying framed copies of the Ten Commandments in courthouses and public schools. The ACLU argued the displays violated the First Amendment's establishment clause, which prohibits the government from passing laws "respecting an establishment of religion." The district court and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the displays violated the establishment clause."

Decision - "In a 5-4 opinion delivered by Justice David Souter, the majority held that the displays violated the establishment clause because their purpose had been to advance religion. In the case of each of the displays, the Court held, an observer would have concluded that the government was endorsing religion. The first display for presenting the Ten Commandments in isolation; the second for showing the Commandments along with other religious passages; the third for presenting the Commandments in a presentation of the "Foundations of American Law," an exhibit in which the county reached "for any way to keep a religious document on the walls of courthouses."  http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2004/2004_03_1693#argument

The Tax Payers are not "money trees."

If the Ten Commandments, The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are an issue which demands immediate attention for a display, then I would suggest that public funds not be expended for any of the display. A non-profit organization should be founded and they raise the money for the displays. The county commissioners may decide where the historical documents may be displayed.

(Updates - 9AM, 5PM, 6:15PM Aug 12, 2014)