Fla. County Appeals Ten Commandments Case

Officials in Dixie County, Florida are appealing to keep a Ten Commandments monument in front of their local courthouse building in Cross City.

U.S. District Judge Maurice Paul ruled on July 15 in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, which sued the county to remove the monument.

The monument was bought by a local businessman, who pays for its maintenance as well.

County residents say support for the monument is unanimous.

"We have not had one negative comment from the community," said county manager Mike Cassidy, a 48-year-old, fourth-generation Floridian who grew up in Cross City. "No one in this county has come forward and said, 'this should be removed.' It has been totally unanimous."

The six-ton, $20,000 monument still sits on the courthouse steps. Beneath the commandments, the monument reads in large capital letters, "LOVE GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS."

"There will be people standing around it to protect it when they come to remove it," said Donald Eady, a 38-year-old mobile mechanic. "The people here enjoy it. We should have that freedom, but they're taking our freedom away daily."

The Florida ACLU argued that an official government display of a religious monument violates a clause in the First Amendment that prohibits the government from promoting religious messages. The county argued that a private citizen owns the monument.

"The actual ownership of the monument, the location and permanent nature of the display make it clear to all reasonable observers that Dixie County chooses to be associated with the message being conveyed," Paul said in his ruling.

Attorneys for Dixie County filed notice July 26 at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to defend the county's policy allowing private displays of law and history. The appeal is pending.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in 2005 that displaying the Ten Commandments could be constitutional if its main purpose is to honor the nation's legal traditions, rather than religious traditions. Since then, lower courts have seen numerous cases on Ten Commandments display across the country.

The 1st Amendment was written, in part, because Colonist’s didn’t want another version of the Church of England forced on them. The ACLU was formed to eliminate Christianity from our way of life. You can do your own homework, but I researched their past and found that to be true, as well as the fact that their founders were Communists. Early in their war on Christianity, they had a court victory and coined the phrase, “Separation of Church and State”. Here is the 1st Amendment. The courts judge cases by what happened in previous cases instead of following the law. Ask yourself if the ACLU has the right to continually attack Christianity.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

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Vanderbilt University to Recognize Pagan Holidays

Vanderbilt University officials have decided to include pagan holidays on the school's list of religious holy days. The new holidays were included on a calendar sent to faculty by the university's office of religious life.

University officials say students can be excused from class to accommodate their religious beliefs.

A school spokesperson says they want their faculty to be aware of the pagan holidays so that they can be sensitive to student needs.

Christmas and Christmas Eve remain the only paid university holidays.

Joplin Students Head Back to School

Students in Joplin, Mo., are back in school for the first time since a deadly tornado destroyed their city.

In May, the country's deadliest tornado in six decades killed 160 people, including seven students. Six school buildings were destroyed and four others were damaged.

Some students were able to return to their same schools Wednesday, while others are meeting in makeshift locations like a shopping center. The Superintendent C.J. Huff is being praised for his commitment to see the schools reopen in less than three months.

"I'm sure the first week of school there's going to be a lot of hugs," said Laila, a high school sophomore.

Thanks to a generous donation, each student will receive a new laptop to start the school year.