Category Archives: Current Issues

See a Black Person? Call 911.

It’s getting crazy out there. Suspicious, paranoid, and/or racist/bigoted/idiotic white people all over are calling the cops on black people who are doing absolutely nothing wrong. They are just Doing Stuff While Being Black. This is why we have the 911 phone system–so terrified white people can call the cops anytime they see a black person Being Black.

In recent weeks, white folks have summoned the police to deal with many instances of Blacks Doing Stuff While Black.

A Yale University grad student seen napping in a common area of a dormitory. Four police officers showed up. She was Napping While Black.

Three black women–two filmmakers and an artists–were loading suitcases into their vehicle, outside their Airbnb rental, when six police officers and a helicopter showed up. A white woman across the street had called 911 about a burglary in progress. Checking Out While Black.

Members of a black sorority were cleaning up trash along a highway–a section they had adopted near Harrisburg, Pa.–when a state trooper pulled up, lights flashing. Police received a call about women fighting alongside the highway. The women, dressed in the sorority colors of blue and gold, were dragging trash bags and debris in an area marked “Adopt a Highway – Litter Control Interchange Area.” They were Performing Community Service While Black.

A black doctor was playing rap music on a Saturday afternoon, and cops showed up at his door because somebody called 911 to complain. Listening to Music While Black.

A white woman called the cops on a black boy mowing yards.

A black engineering student, 18, used his debit card to buy a $349 belt at the Barneys’ Madison Avenue flagship store in New York City. He was arrested outside by undercover cops, who told him his card was fake. They cuffed him and took him to the precinct station. Although he had shown his ID to the Barneys clerk, Barneys reported him, apparently thinking no young black men could afford such an expensive belt. He returned the belt and got his money back. Shopping While Black.

Nordstrom’s called the cops about three black men who were shoplifting “handfuls of products.” The teens showed the police their receipts and let them search their bags. Buying Stuff while Black.

A local government official was sitting in his car in a wharf parking lot reading Christian books by C. S. Lewis and Timothy Keller. As he drove home, he was pulled over by cops, who said they’d been called about a “suspicious black man in a white car.” This was in Canada. Reading While Black. He said, “I’ve been pulled over for driving in my own neighborhood. I’ve gotten asked where I’m from, and when I tell them I’m from my hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, the question is where are you really from? As if I can’t actually be from here.”

A black man was drinking Arizona Ice Tea in a North Carolina parking lot when a cop approached and ordered him to leave the property. When he refused, he was tackled onto the blacktop and handcuffed. Drinking Ice Tea While Black.

A black man, Air Force vet, was walking with a golf club, which he’d been using as a cane for many years. A white policewoman ordered him to drop the club, and ended up handcuffing him and taking him to the jail, where he spent the night. Walking in Public While Black.

Three black teenage boys were waiting on a schoolbus, which would take them to a basketball game, when a police officer ordered them to disperse. They explained that they were just waiting on a schoolbus, but were nevertheless arrested, cuffed, and charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing the sidewalk. As they were being arrested, their varsity basketball coach arrived and tried to reason with the cops, but to no avail. Waiting While Black.

In Dallas, an NBC reporter (Indian) and photographer (black) had the cops called on them by someone reporting a “Hispanic-looking” woman and black man with a “suspicious white truck.” Doing Their Job While Black.

Five black women were golfing in Pennsylvania, and a white co-owner called the cops, saying the women were going too slow and asking that they be removed. A golfer in the next group saw nothing wrong, that their speed wasn’t slowing down his group at all. Golfing While Black.

A black man, 27, sat down in a skyway between two Minneapolis buildings to wait ten minutes for his kids to be released from a school which met in one of those buildings. Private security asked him to leave, and then called the police. Waiting On Your Child While Black.

None of these things would happen to me. Because I’m white. Don’t tell me there’s no such thing as white privilege.

Two Native American brothers, on a campus visit to Colorado State University, were pulled from the tour after a parent told a 911 dispatcher that their behavior was “odd” and that their dark clothing had “weird symbolism or wording on it.” She said, “They’re not — definitely not — a part of the tour.”

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Children with Access to Guns: It’s a Problem

Disclaimer: This is not an anti-gun post. I own guns. It’s a pro-children and anti-stupidity post, intended to raise awareness.

Every month, a number of very young children accidentally shoot themselves and others. You don’t hear about it, because it rarely gets attention beyond local newspapers, but it’s happening with alarming frequency. At one time, guns were kept locked away, or children were strictly taught to not mess with guns in the home. But now, guns are everyday accessories–often of people who are untrained first-time gun owners–so it’s not surprising that many irresponsible parents leave guns laying around like their wallet or keys. It doesn’t help that many states, like Indiana, require no training whatsoever to own a gun or even carry one around in public (which should scare us all).

When you compile the stories, it becomes obvious that we have a problem on our hands. Here are incidents from just THE PAST THREE MONTHS.

JUNE 2018

Washington. A boy, 13, was playing with a .357 revolver when it fired, killing his 2-year-old brother.

Arizona. Two teen boys, 13 and 14, were “messing around” with a handgun when it discharged, killing the 14-year-old.

Tennessee. A mother was driving with her 13-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. The boy began handling a handgun, and accidentally killed his sister.

Michigan. A girl, 4, found a loaded handgun in a toy closet and shot herself in the finger, which had to be amputated.

Louisiana. A 2-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the leg after being left alone in a vehicle where a handgun was stored. The father, 24, had stepped out of the car to smoke a cigarette. He said he didn’t think the boy could reach the gun in the console.

Missouri. A man, 21, was sleeping when his 2-year-old niece picked up his loaded firearm and accientally killed herself with a shot to the chest.

Kentucky. A boy, 6, picked up a gun from the kitchen table and took it to his room, where he accidentally shot and killed himself.

Lousiana. As the mother napped on the porch, her 3-year-old picked up a loaded gun and shot himself in the arm.

Tennessee. A boy, 2, shot himself in the head after finding his mother’s handgun atop a dresser. She was in the room folding clothes, and didn’t think he could reach it.

Chicago. A boy, 8, found a 9mm handgun under a mattress and accidentally shot his 5-year-old brother.

Indiana. Two juveniles were playing with a gun when one, age 9, was shot in the finger.

New Orleans. A child was playing with a handgun when it fired, hitting a 7-year-old girl in the neck.

Las Vegas. Three brothers in a car were looking at a handgun, and accidentally fired the gun. All three were hit–one through the hand, the others in the hand and leg.

MAY 2018

Oklahoma. A boy, 15, dropped the magazine from a pistol, aimed it at his 17-year-old brother, and pulled the trigger, killing him. He said he didn’t know there was still a bullet in the chamber.

Ohio. A boy, 7, shot himself in the hand.

Ohio. An 8-year-old boy, after finding a handgun in a kitchen cupboard, pointed the gun at a 9-year-old cousin and shot him in the abdomen.

Virginia. A boy fired his father’s handgun, killing his two-year-old brother.

Virginia. A two-year-old boy died after shooting himself in the head with a .380 handgun while alone in an apartment room.

South Carolina. A young teen brought a handgun into a relative’s home. Another kid pulled the trigger, shooting a cousin in the neck and spine.

Utah. A two-year-old boy died after shooting himself in the head with his father’s handgun.

Louisiana. At a sleepover, a 14-year-old boy pointed a gun at another 14-year-old boy and shot him in the chest. He didn’t think the gun was loaded.

Louisiana. Children were pillow-fighting in an adult’s bedroom when a 9mm handgun fell from the bed. One child picked it up, and it discharged, striking a girl, 10, in the arm.

Virginia. A 4-year-old boy found a handgun in his apartment, fired it, and killed himself.

Minnesota. A 7-year-old boy, arriving home from school with a couple friends, found a loaded handgun in a box and accidentally killed himself.

Mississippi. A 12-year-old died after accidentally shooting himself.

Kansas City. A young boy critically wounded himself with a gun left unattended at home.

APRIL 2018

South Carolina. A boy, 2, took a gun from the car console and shot himself in the leg.

Louisiana. An 2-year-old boy accidentally shot his 8-year-old brother in the arm inside a parked car, using the handgun his father had left there.

Philadelphia. A boy, 4, found his father’s gun on a bed and shot himself in the leg.

Louisiana. Two boys on a porch, one of them twirling a .22 handgun on his finger, when he shot the other boy in the leg.

St. Louis. A 5-year-old boy looking for candy found a gun in a dresser drawer. He took it into the next room and accidentally killed his 7-year-old brother, who was playing videogames.

New Mexico. An 18-year-old shot an 8-year-old boy in the chest. He was playing around with a handgun, and thought the safety was on when he pointed it at the young boy and pulled the trigger.

Florida. A 2-year-old shot himself in the abdomen after getting hold of a gun in his parents’ home.

Indiana. A three-year-old girl found a handgun in their car and accidentally shot her 21-year-old pregnant mother in the upper back. The father was inside a store. A one-year-old boy was also in the car.

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Let Them Eat in Peace

There is nothing admirable or civil in kicking somebody out of a restaurant, somebody who just wants to have a peaceful meal with family. According to the Red Hen restaurant owner, Sarah Huckabee Sanders left without a fuss. Good for her. She’s the only person in that story whose actions I respect.

Then I heard Maxine Waters’ speech, calling for this kind of stuff to happen on a widespread basis–in restaurants, department stores, gas station. As a Christian, that disgusted me. Just imagine where such attitudes and behavior would take us–actually, probably WILL take us, since this snake is now out of the bag. I’m expecting more examples of this kind of ugliness in the days ahead. It could even become the norm.

Michelle Obama has modeled, “When they go low, we go high.” Well, looks to me like liberals decided they prefer going low.

I agree with David Axelrod: “I am kind of amazed and appalled by the number of folks on Left who applauded the expulsion. This, in the end, is a triumph for @realDonaldTrump vision of America: Now we’re divided by red plates & blue plates! #sad.”

I read one columnist who said this public shaming is justified–that the Administration’s actions in separating immigrant families are so despicable, drastic action is needed. But you can contrive what I’ll call “justified outrage” over any administration, of any party, at any point in time. Republicans will always have the abortion issue–“They are killing children, so we’re going to hound them wherever they go.” Democrats have a range of issues to get outraged about against Republicans–militarism, racism, policies affecting poor children, and more. There will always be something.

Who will step in to calm this stuff? I see nobody. Normally, you would look to the President. George W. Bush played that role after 9/11 to calm the anti-Muslim hysteria, which could have resulted in terrible domestic violence against everyday Muslims. I admired that, and America needed it. But the current President has never shown any interest in calming anything. Instead, after the Red Hen situation, he played his typical 7th grade Mean Girl role, tweeting out his usual juvenile insults. We desperately need grownups. God help us.

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Showing the World What We are Capable of

Earlier this year, we (barely) recognized the 50th anniversary of the My Lai massacre. It was drowned out by the latest presidential tweets, but some attention squeaked through. Up to 500 Vietnamese–men, women, children, and infants–were massacred by a couple dozen American soldiers in two different hamlets. Some women were gang-raped and their bodies mutilated. It’s disturbing to think that Americans could do such a thing, but they did. WE did.

The entire world learned about My Lai. Learned what America was capable of. It’s a stain on our national character. But it was 50 years ago. There has been nothing similar since.

Then, during the Bush Administration, we had torture, Abu Graib, Guantanamo, renditions. We justified torturing prisoners, and we tortured a lot of them, routinely and repeatedly. News reports in countries around the world delivered the news–that the United States approved of torture. It shocked them, dashed their image of America.

Our current president approves of torture, but the nation won’t allow it. We’ve realized it’s wrong. Hopefully the world recognizes our about-face. And it’s been 15 years.

But now, in recent weeks, news outlets worldwide are showing pictures of US authorities forcing children away from their parents and taking them to special facilities. Most everyone, worldwide, is shocked by this. Don’t traumatize children: it’s kind of a universal value. And certainly don’t use them as bargaining chips to pursue a political agenda, as the administration admitted it was intentionally doing. I don’t think any of us are proud of this.

The world has seen, once again, that the United States is capable of great evil. And they are disappointed, because we’ve always stood for what’s right. And so much good still comes from us.

We stain our national character in other ways. We’ve got the world’s highest incarceration rate. Throw in the continual mass shootings, which no other nation experiences. We are among the world’s leaders in executing criminals, though most Western nations long ago rejected the death penalty. Throw in President Trump’s threats to use nuclear weapons, an idea the world, since the 1940s, has tried not to even whisper about because the consequences are so grave.

We bring shame on ourselves in so many ways. And we seem to keep finding ways to show the world that we are capable of great evil.

We claim to be a shining city on a hill. We usually have been. But that’s not what the world is seeing now. That really bothers me.

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The Immorality of Using Children as Bargaining Chips

On Friday, President Trump basically admitted, “We’ll continue traumatizing children until you give me what I want.” He then outlined what he wanted–funding his border wall and other immigration policies. He saw innocent children, crying for their mothers and fathers, as a convenient bargaining chip. He admitted it. Administration officials tried to spin his words differently, as they are regularly required to do, but the President spoke plainly enough. He told us what was in his heart.

I’d like to be outraged. But at this point, I’m just sad. Sad that this is what we’ve become.

This is not about immigration, per se. I support getting tougher to stop illegal entries. Crossing the border illegally is, well, illegal and should be treated as such. I agree with the recent decision to not permit domestic abuse as a reason for granting asylum. I agree that, with good intentions, we took in tens of thousands of foreigners as a result of natural or man-made crises–in Haiti, El Salvador, and elsewhere–but were wrong in allowing “temporary” to become “permanent.” I hadn’t realized how many such populations remained within our borders. I agree that laws should be followed.

But separating children from their parents is an elective policy. It’s not necessary. And it’s not humane. As Lindsey Graham said, the President could end it with one phone call. But he won’t stop the abuse of children until he gets what he wants. That is a sad commentary on his moral conscience, and on all of us.

Matthew 15:18-19: “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person. For out of the heart come evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”

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Christian Voices on the Separation of Immigrant Families

When it comes to moral and family issues, I want to hear from people of faith. I don’t take my moral cues from pundits, government officials, or celebrities. Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity, and all the rest have agendas apart from Scripture. They couldn’t care less about “What would Jesus do?” Unfortunately, my observation is that way too many Christians form their views from these secular sources, and don’t seek out views from the people they SHOULD be paying attention to–Christian leaders.

Although you may listen to Laura Ingraham or Chris Matthews five nights a week, I encourage you to not shape your views from their opinions. Rather, give extra weight to people who speak from a foundation of knowing and loving Jesus. THOSE are the people whose values align with my own, and I hope that matters to you, as well.

Here are Christian voices (mostly evangelical) addressing the issue of separating immigrant children from their parents.

Leith Anderson, President, National Association of Evangelicals: “The Bible says that families came first and government later. Let’s not buck the Bible by separating families.”

Franklin Graham: “It’s disgraceful, and it’s terrible to see families ripped apart, and I don’t support that one bit.”

Scott Arbeiter, President, World Relief: “I’m deeply troubled that as families fleeing persecution reach our border, children are being separated from their parents. I know that President Trump doesn’t want to separate families, either, and I pray he’ll do all he can to reverse these policies.”

Russell Moore, President, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention: “As Christians who care deeply about protecting families and children, we reject the idea that separating children from parents is a sensible component of any immigration policy. As Christians, we affirm both the rule of law and compassion for the vulnerable. Splitting up families is not in the best interests of the United States.”

Rich Stearns, President, World Vision USA: “The single most important relationship for all children, especially those at risk of violence or in high stress situations, is that of a parent. Separating children from their parents can have a devastating long-term effect on children’s mental, physical, and emotional development.”

Tony Suarez, president of the world’s largest Hispanic evangelical association: “God have mercy on those who seem so nonchalant to the plight of children being separated from their parents.”

Cardinal Timothy Dolan: “If they want to take a baby from the arms of his mother and separate the two, that’s wrong. I don’t care where you’re at, what time and what condition….That goes against human decency.”

Statement from the Evangelical Immigration Table, which includes groups with which the United Brethren Church is associated–the National Associatipn of Evangelicals, World Relief, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities: “As evangelical Christians guided by the Bible, one of our core convictions is that God has established the family as the fundamental building block of society. The state should separate families only in the rarest of instances.”

Jo Anne Lyon, former general superintendent of The Wesleyan Church: “Americans are divided politically, but this issue is beyond politics. Any of us can imagine the terror that strikes a child separated from her mother or father, and the despair of a mother whose child has been taken from her. It’s vital that we respect our country’s longstanding asylum laws, that we do all we can to keep families together, and that we resume our history of welcoming refugees.”

Ed Stetzer, Wheaton College and LifeWay Research: “As Americans, but even more as followers of Jesus, we should hold the family unit in high regard. God created the family long before there were borders….Separating children from their families is not a humane way to approach immigration policy, and it does not honor the dignity and respect afforded every human as made in the image of God. Yes, there are times when children must be separated from parents, but an immigration ‘deterrent’ does not make this list by a wide margin….We don’t want to live in a nation where children are unnecessarily and casually separated from their parents as a matter of policy….This is not a hard one, sisters and brothers. Yes, immigration is a tricky issue and debatable issue, but using the separation of families as a threat and a tool is not. We can (and must) do better.”

Bishop Daniel Flores (Texas): “Separating immigrant parents and children as a supposed deterrent to immigration is a cruel and reprehensible policy. Children are not instruments of deterrence, they are children.”

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishop: “Families are the foundational element of our society and they must be able to stay together. While protecting our borders is important, we can and must do better as a government, and as a society, to find other ways to ensure that safety. Separating babies from their mothers is not the answer and is immoral.”

Cardinal Sean O’Malley (Boston): “The United States is now openly before the world using children as pawns to enforce a hostile immigration policy….I have always taught respect for the civil law and will continue to do so. But I cannot be silent when our country’s immigration policy destroys families, traumatizes parents, and terrorizes children. The harmful and unjust policy of separating children from their parents must be ended.”

Statement from 26 Jewish organizations: “Taking children away from their families is unconscionable. Such practices inflict unnecessary trauma on parents and children, many of whom have already suffered traumatic experiences. We urge you to immediately rescind the ‘zero tolerance’ policy and uphold the values of family unity and justice on which our nation was built.”

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Messy Justice is Still Justice

I’m not a fan of celebrity pardons. I want to see justice done in the prison system, but not restrict it to people who either know the President, know somebody who can get the President’s ear, or get on Fox & Friends to state their case during the President’s morning “executive time.” I’d prefer a more thoughtful, objective approach to pardons and commutations.

However, I care more than justice happen, regardless of the process. And in the case of Alice Johnson, whose sentence was commuted today by President Trump, justice was done. That gladdens me.

Johnson was convicted of a nonviolent, first-time drug offense, and given a ridiculous life sentence. And she has served 22 years. Such a sentence should never have happened.

So thank you, President Trump, for freeing this woman from prison. Justice was done. And thank you, Kim Kardashian, for using your influence to make it happen.

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Using the Presidential Pardon Responsibly

In the 2016 election, prison and sentencing reform were among my top issues. The number of people America incarcerates is a national disgrace. The Bible is clear about seeking justice for prisoners. Jesus himself, in stating in Luke what he had been anointed to do, included “proclaim liberty to the captives” and “set at liberty those who are oppressed.” He spoke of remembering those in prison, and said, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.”

For that reason, I appreciate that President Obama pardoned or commuted the sentences of 1,927 persons. Most were convicted of low-level, non-violent drug crimes, though 500 were nevertheless serving life sentences. Many were victims of mandatory sentencing and over-zealous Three Strikes laws, which mandated life sentences even for minor crimes.

Among those he pardoned, there is only one name you might recognize: Chelsea Manning. The rest were anonymous, forgotten men and women with only this one last recourse. I honor President Obama for focusing on people like this–people society normally casts aside and prefers to forget about. Most likely, all of these were persons Obama didn’t know personally, people he’d never heard of. But a recommendation came to him from the Justice department, and he conscientiously and responsibly used his presidential power to “set the captive free.”

I’m delighted that President Trump is showing the same deep concern for the powerless, the voiceless, the forgotten, the oppressed, the victims of systemic injustice. He has now pardoned six people, and is looking to pardon two more.

  • Republican sheriff, fellow birther, and now Senate candidate Joe Arpaio.
  • Republican Scooter Libby, former chief of staff to VP Dick Cheney.
  • Kristian Mark Saucier, a former sailor who made his case on Fox & Friends, the President’s favorite news show.
  • Businessman Sholom Rubashkin.
  • Deceased (in 1946) black boxer Jack Johnson, whose case was championed to Trump by Republican actor Sylvester Stallone.
  • Republican activist and filmaker Dinesh D’Souza.

Today, President Trump said he is considering pardons for two more persons from his Apprentice TV show:

  • Democratic governor and former Apprentice contestant Rod Blagojevich.
  • Cooking mogul Martha Stewart, who led a spin-off of the Apprentice.

For all of these people, a Presidential pardon or commutation might be their last hope of clearing the hurdles needed to make something of their lives.

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The Evil of Separating Families as Government Policy

A couple weeks ago, my stomach turned when Jeff Sessions made it official: traumatizing immigrant children is now official American policy. When a family comes here illegally, rather than put them in a family detention center as previously done, the children are now ripped from their parents and placed in government care. The idea is to punish the parents by hurting their children.

Currently, an estimated 700 children are separated indefinitely from their parents. An estimated 100 of these children are under the age of 4. The government knows best regarding children? Right now, RIGHT NOW, there are children crying because they want to be with Mom and Dad and don’t know why any of this is happening. And it’s not necessary. The Obama Administration made accommodations to keep families together. Trump could, too. But the President, by all accounts, is the prime advocate for this policy.

THIS is now America?

I’ve been so disgusted, so revolted, that I’ve not even wanted to write about it. The Gospels clearly show how much Jesus loved and valued children, and he had harsh words for those who would harm children. Surely, Jesus is not pleased when he sees America–this country he has richly blessed–cause such distress for the young, innocent, and vulnerable.

Michael Gerson, an evangelical Christian opinion writer–a REAL evangelical, theologically, rather than one of those persons polls describe as “evangelical”–was similarly disgusted, but had no such qualms about putting it in writing.

Gerson wrote: “The debate over a border wall is a policy matter. The separation of children from their parents as a deterrent is a human rights abuse. And the Trump administration, at its highest levels, cannot tell the difference….Our country’s most basic commitment — and its limiting principle — is universal human rights and dignity. This does not prevent the government from enforcing reasonable immigration laws. It does forbid the government from inhumanity in the ENFORCEMENT of immigration laws.”

World Relief, the NAE relief organization with which the United Brethren Church is affiliated, issued a statement saying, “The way we treat asylum-seekers is proof that we can be a nation of laws and a nation of grace. The US government should do everything in its power to keep arriving families together, not separate them.”

For those of you who are inclined to support the President’s policies no matter what, I encourage you to think about this. What does the Bible say? And apart from the rationale you hear from conservative pundits, how do YOU, in your heart as a Christ-follower, really feel about forcing children away from their parents?

The prophet Nathan loved his king, but there came a time when he had to confront him and say, “David, on this, you are wrong.” And there were consequences.

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The Odd Cause of the Ten Commandments

In Alabama, voters will decide whether or not to allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed on government property. This was a big deal with Roy Moore. It always struck me as an odd cause. Only two of the Ten Commandments are actually illegal–murder, and stealing. Some would actually be illegal to enforce.

1. “You shall have no other gods before me.” It would be illegal–unconstitutional–to enforce this one. To display it on public property, without similar nods to the beliefs of other religions, implies something the Founders most definitely didn’t want.

2. “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything.” It would be an unconstitutional infringement on religion to prevent people from making idols as part of their religion. Catholics might even be in trouble, or anyone who wears a cross. There would be court cases to determine what is and isn’t an idol (or graven image).

3. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.” This is not currently illegal; the President does this, though evangelicals don’t seem to mind. Should we put a Buddhist or atheist in prison for what Christians would regard as misusing God’s name?

4. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Who is going to enforce this one? We all violate this commandment, at least as it was observed during Bible times. Are we gonna shut down all restaurants on Sunday? Better yet, consider that the Sabbath is technically Saturday.

5. “Honor your father and your mother.” This Commandment is not illegal.

6. “You shall not murder.” This one’s illegal, though we have laws which, arguably, allow the state to murder (war, death penalty, cop shootings). “Stand your ground” laws can be used to justify murder (Trayvon Martin, for example).

7. “You shall not commit adultery.” Not illegal. Again, the President. Do we really want to begin arresting people for adultery?

8. “You shall not steal.” Definitely illegal for most people. The richer you are, the more legal it is.

9. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Consider the daily Tweetstorms. In some legal contexts, lying is illegal or actionable. But generally, it’s perfectly legal to tell lies about people.

10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, or property.” Not illegal. In America, we tend to worship the idea of wanting more than we currently have.

Like I said, I don’t see the point of what Alabama voters want to do. But I can see how it would be easy to get people all worked up about it.

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