RESOLUTION NO. 06-03
A RESOLUTION REQUESTING CONGRESS TO ADOPT S520 AND HR1070 AND
IN SO DOING, PROTECT THE ABILITY OF OUR CITY TO DISPLAY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN
PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PLACES IN OUR CITY.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF CLARKSON VALLEY, ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI, AS FOLLOWS:
WHEREAS, on
Monday, June 27, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court in two razor thin majorities of
5-4, concluded that it is consistent with the First Amendment to display the Ten
Commandments in an outdoor public square in Texas, but not on the courthouse
walls of two counties in Kentucky, and
WHEREAS, a lot
of the American people are deeply puzzled as to how the Court could produce two
opposite results involving the same Ten Commandments, and
WHEREAS, it is
appropriate to observe that, based on the Kentucky decision, it is all right to
display the Ten Commandments in a County Courthouse provided you do not believe
in God, and
WHEREAS Justice
Scalia in the Kentucky case used these words to emphasize the importance of the
Ten Commandments to most Americans:
"The three
most popular religions in the United States, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam -
which combined account for 97.7% of all believers - are monotheistic.
See U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Census, Statistical Abstract of the
United States: 2004-2005, p. 55 (124th ed. 2004) (Table No. 67).
All of them, moreover (Islam included), believe that the Ten Commandments
were given by God to Moses, and are divine prescriptions for a virtuous
life", and
WHEREAS very
recent polling data by a major Washington, D.C. paper revealed that a huge
majority of the American peoples support posting the Ten Commandments:
"Seventy
percent of Americans would have no objection to posting the Ten Commandments in
government buildings, and eighty-five percent would approve if the Commandments
are included as "one document among many historical documents" when
displayed in public buildings, according to a survey conducted for the First
Amendment Center", and
WHEREAS S520
and HR1070 are statutes which will allow the display of the Ten Commandments in
public places in America. The
operative language provides as follows:
'Notwithstanding
any other provision of this chapter, the Supreme Court shall not have
jurisdiction to review, by appeal, writ of certiorari, or otherwise, any matter
to the extent that relief is sought against an entity of Federal, State, or
local government, or against an officer or agent of Federal, State, or local
government (whether or not acting in official or personal capacity), concerning
that entity's, officer's, or agent's acknowledgment of God as the sovereign
source of law, liberty, or government', and
WHEREAS
hearings were held on the same language in June 2004, in the Constitution, Civil
Rights and Property Rights Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Hearings were also held on this statutory language in September 2004, in
the Court's Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, and
WHEREAS Chief
Justice Rehnquist in the Texas case used these words to describe the obvious
duplicity of the U.S. Supreme Court in telling local governments in America that
they may not display the Ten Commandments in local buildings in their
communities while at the same time allowing these same Ten Commandments to be
present on these specific places on the building housing the U.S. Supreme Court:
"Since
1935, Moses has stood, holding two tablets that reveal portions of the Ten
Commandments written in Hebrew, among other lawgivers in the south frieze.
Representations of the Ten Commandments adorn the metal gates lining the
north and south sides of the Courtroom as well as the doors leading into the
Courtroom. Moses also sits on the
exterior east facade of the building holding the Ten Commandment tablets",
and
WHEREAS the
Kentucky decision will be used by litigants who want to remove God from the
public square in America. Sooner or
later, this effort will take place in our states. Reports have indicated that it is now underway in at least
twenty-five different places in America. Namely,
to require the removal of the Ten Commandments from public buildings or public
parks.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City of Clarkson Valley does hereby enact this Resolution requesting Congress to adopt S520 and HR1070 and in so doing protect the ability of our City to display the Ten Commandments in public buildings and places in our City.
Presented to the Board of Aldermen this 7th day of March 2006.