Letter to the Editor “Those Portable Rocks”
2-26-11 ”Those Portable Rocks” Letter to the Editor and submitted photo
They made another display of power so I had to speak my mind. I blurred the phone numbers because I don’t think the Commissioners need to be bothered with religious, over-the top activists.
*Corrections made per request of submitter*
Humorous Truth
Allow me to translate this sign for you:
We don’t care if you’re a Christian, a person that says you’re a Christian to be accepted by others, political or business reasons or just the average Joe that could care less where this monument goes. We don’t care that the ACLU has stated that they will sue Madison County and that right off the top it will cost the county $500,000 before the trial even starts. We don’t care what your religious beliefs are or if we offend you. We don’t necessarily follow these commandments but we want you to think we do. We are willing to do anything it takes to get these on the courthouse lawn to show everyone that we have power. Please disregard our childlike tactics of displaying these rocks all over town. We are trying to persuade or create fear in the County Commissioners to let us have our way. We already know we can persuade the simple folks and people that don’t realize what’s really going on here. If this doesn’t work, we will have one of our team members run against the Commissioners that are up for election. We only have one media that will follow along with our rhetoric. Madison Florida Voice doesn’t seem to fall for our game. We hope that well written editorial that states you are an Atheist or an Agnostic if you disagree with our ploy will convince people. All we need is one more vote. This has nothing to do with God. This is our last hope of holding power over you spineless peasants that are still afraid of us. No matter whom we hurt, what methods it takes or how much it costs you poor people of Madison County, we will get these rocks on the courthouse lawn! We’ll show you who is in charge. Oh, I almost forgot…Amen.
Editorial by:
Warren Dodge
Mobile, Alabama/ Madison, Florida
A level-headed Christian that can not believe there is still a city in America that lives in fear of a few people with a moderate bank account.
The truck around town with the ten commandments monument on it appears way overloaded. Last I saw it the springs were bottomed out and sitting on its bump stops. It would be awful if it couldn’t stop and killed someone. I wonder if it is being written off on taxes as a fleet vehicle. Is there some kind of religious exemption for such a use of a company vehicle that I’m not aware of?
All Hail His Noodely Appendage!! Ramen
If the citizens of Madison County REALLY want the ten commandments on public property then all who support this effort should put their name on a list so the county can divide the attorney fees up among them! That way they can support what they truly believe while the rest of us don’t have to worry about funding this nonsense out of our hard earned dollars.
The only other solution to this problem is to allow them to be placed at the courthouse and allow any other religion to place their monuments there also. This is the one I’m hoping for! As a practicing Pastafarian I look forward to seeing a statue of The Flying Spaghetti Monster in a proud place right beside the Christian monument! All Hail His Noodely Appendage!!
There are several churches lining Base St in Madison why don’t these things ever get parked on the lawn of one them? Why don’t any of these churches have the ten commandments posted on their lawns? That would be perfectly appropriate and legal, just as many people would see them and we could all see who was the most pious. BTW: The monument in Dixie County was placed with the word Adultery misspelled and no one noticed! Of course that’s the one that doesn’t apply to everyone just us heathens.
cow-baa-lee-toe:
You and Knottypine have about summed up situation. Manipulation of the peasants by religious means has a long history. Those in power know religious beliefs is what gets many of of us through the night as we wrestle with the various uncertainties of life. My message to those behind this is– “Don’t tell me what you believe. Tell me what you do and I’ll tell you what you believe.”
Knottypine,
I believe it goes further back than 1861. Might go all the way back to mankind cowering in the cave as the God of night fought with the God of day over which was gonna shine: the sun or moon. All of which is to say, it is more than the ignorance of seeking a confrontation with the feds. It is an attempt by some to keep what they got at the expense of those lower down on the economic ladder. The recent action in Wisconsin (likely to be repeated in Florida) to grant tax breaks to corporations while firing teachers and destroying the rights of public employees is illustrative of the point. Folks forget that public salaried employment, just like private salaried employment, means giving some of your life energy in return for coin of the realm with which to buy food and live. Okay, back on subject, the 10 commandment rocks is just a way to keep poor ignorant folks’ eyes off where the pick pocketer is working (outta their back pocket). I better quit for now before the Peasant jumps in here.
Brett , you ask what year it is in Madison . For the people pushing this monument effort it is still 1861 . As they see it they are still fighting what they call “The War of the Yankee Agression .” Some of them actually want a confrontation with the U.S. government . The end result will be the same as in 1865 .
Hey Brett, Let’s just say that Andy Taylor, Barney Fife and Aunt Bea are considered TOO RADICAL in our small town. AND color tv?? It’s all Black and White here, at least in some residents’ way of thinking…but, we are good folks trying to get a change started, Thanks to The Voice and President Obama.
Come Visit when You Can, it’s a real laid back experience and I understand why one hates to let that go, but, hey-it’s a New Millennium! Our Future Generations need us to get into the 2011′s if we want them to succeed!
ps. John, I keep forgetting to Thank You for putting spell check on the comment section. It makes me pick up a dictionary if I can’t spell words right…so Thank You!
I live 1,000 miles away but I feel like I live 100 years away. How old are these people that ride around with the monuments on their truck and the most immature sign on the back? If this ever goes national, they will be the laughing stock of the USA. What year is it in Madison Florida?
ps- I HATE TYPOS…anf=and, sorry!
Thank You Knottypine, for the info…maybe it was Chiefland I was thinking of and mixed it up with Mayo. I travel through that way, as well, and will have to look them up the next time I drive through anf there is a Walmart in Chiefland, so it’s a fun road trip.
I LOVE going to Williston for lunch at a place called Ivy House, YUM!! It’s worth the drive if one ever wants to take a looong scenic drive, just get there before 2. They are opened on Thursdays thru Saturdays from 5-8 for Dinner, but, I’ve never been, YET! LOL.
I will have to pencil in a trip ASAP so that I can check on the Levy County monument thang! Stay Tuned, teehee.
Dee , Mayo does not have a commandments monument to my knowledge . This Anderson fellow said that he supplied one to Divie County & it is on their corthouse entrance : they are being sued by the ACLU . He also supplied a monument to the City of Chiefland (Levy County) & a monument to Levy County with that monument placed at their courthouse in Bronson . ACLU informs they would sue both these entities if a resident there would come forward as a plaintiff but they assume most of their members there are afraid of retribution . Sound familiar ?
THESE PORTABLE ROCKS ARE LIKE TOMB STONES,THEY HAVE THE “TEN COMMANDMENTS” ON THEM, SINCE THEY “HAD TO” TAKE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS” DOWN IN THE COURT HOUSE,AND THEY WAS PUT ON THE LAWN OUTSIDE THE COURT HOUSE ,BUT HAD TO BE REMOVED AGAIN BY PEOPLE THAT DIDN’T WANT THEM THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE,SO RATHER THAN FIGHT THEM IN COURT AND COST THE COUNTY MONEY, THEY REMOVED THEM,THIS COUNTY IS A “DRY COUNTY” JUST BEER & WINE” AND A CHURCH ON EVERY CORNER, I WOULD SAY FIGHT THEM,AND AFTER THEY WIN COUNTERSUE THEM,,,IT KIND OF PISSES ME OFF,THAT A FEW PEOPLE CAN TELL ME WHAT TO READ OR DO..
VIETNAM VETERAN CHARLES ATKINSON RESIDENT MADISON COUNTY
Peasant , the commissioners who voted for putting the monument at the courthouse were Wayne Vickers (just reelected) & Justin Hamrick .
cow-baa-lee-tow,
That’s pretty good thinking. Wonder if anyone remembers just who the commissioners that voted for putting this thing on the court house steps were. Anybody remember? Also, maybe the Voice could call some to clerical folks who spoke for this thing at the County Commission meeting to determine who and how they were contacted and what their position on this issue is today. Voice, why can’t I seem to find the video of that meeting? I really need to know which commissioners voted to get the county sued for an estimated $500,000. What were they thinking? Voice, maybe you could get an on-camera interview with them on this subject. Please let us know if they take your call.
This is a non-issue. The vote was taken and that issue was settled by good public officials after deliberation and thought. I suspect our grandpappies and grandmamas would find all this hub-bub to be what it is: A ridiculous and poorly thought out attempt to keep the peasants riled up about the decision that was made. Personally, I think they (supporters of the monument) are underestimating the mental capacity of most of our voters. If I was them and wanted to keep folks in office that had agreed with me by voting to place these marble idols on public property, I would keep silent. Likely the officials that voted for it should be replaced and if we keep getting reminded of this idiocy, some one just might decide to meet the challenge. Especially in these hard times when money is hard to come by, the last thing needed by the county is to be stampeded into having to pay legal fees and accompanying other costs.
Please! Please! Folks. We are missing the message here. The persons who are promoting this feckless activity do not hate everybody who doesn’t look, think, and act like them – it’s just that God does.
It may not matter if they are placed in the park , it is a city park , a government entity . The city (taxpayers) would get sued . The monument supporters , by their own words to date have said they will except nothing less than the courthouse site .
How about they plant them at the door of the Beer Hive inside their store. They would get so much more exposure there than at the courthouse any way.Lots of people pass through those doors daily.
Do the Ten Commandments make you uncomfortable? Is that why you don’t want to see them publicly displayed? This is a country with freedoms for all…including Christians, but that doesn’t mean we have the right to break the law. I agree, if a majority of the voting citizens in Madison don’t want the tablets displayed on the courthouse lawn then they shouldn’t be – and they aren’t. If private property owners want them displayed on their property then they have that right…….right?
People are full of themselves, they always have been. When God gave His people the ten commandments it was more about showing these same stiff necked people what they would have to do in order to approach Him.
If these people were (and are) honest with themselves in their soul searching, they realized they were not holy enough to be on the same level, or even speak to one who is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY.
In their self evaluation, these same people would get to the point where they realized the need for a champion, or mediator, intercessor, wonderful counselor, savior, comforter, etc., etc., etc.
Not every one goes this route. They do not have to. They may not feel the need, have the desire, or want to be bothered with thinking about it. This is called free will.
But , there is a book for believers. It is full of all kinds of common sense information on living one’s life. It covers things like walking closer to the One in whom, as a believer, one has placed their life and future. Nonbelievers can not even fathom this,it is foolishness to them.
On the other hand, our Founding Fathers, almost all of whom believed in this book, framed our Constitution and three branches of government on this same book.
Having had someone else’s religion crammed down their throat where they came from,they too, decided to put this under the heading of “free will’ and let everyone choose their own.
Contrary to what the atheists and agnostics believe, our Founding Fathers were believers with far sighted vision, they knew if they put a monument to their God on public land then sooner or later, being full of monuments, there would be no grass on the courthouse lawn and the ‘trustees’ would have that job taken away.
Is this a great country or what?
Heinrich
I found this Letter to the Editor article quite an eye-opener and thought the writer truly hit the nail on the head! While reading Yahoo News, I found another interesting article I thought I’d share, maybe you think it interesting too.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110226/ap_on_re_us/us_health_care_exemption
I am a Christian and I will not condemn the county for not placing the monument on the courthouse lawn. Although, I will say that I would applaud them if they did. The constitution and town laws in general were originally based on the Ten Commandments. I do understand that some laws have severly strayed from the original intent. Religious or not, If our community could remember the Ten Commandments then the courts would not be overflowed with petty cases (EX: Hot Coffee Burns). I for one am not trying to “CRAM” religion down anyones throat. But our country was founded on the belief and Love for God. Someone who has a problem with that should examine him or herself. A Christian is not someone who is better than society as a whole. It only means we acknowledge our sins (Ten Commandments) and are trying to become of good will like Jesus. -Suggestion- If not on the courthouse lawn, the four winds park overlooking the courthouse.
If its going to cost Madison all this money in legal fees… why not just put them in the Four Freedoms Park facing the court house… just as many people will see them and more people will stop and read them. Lets face it if you are going into the courthouse or coming out either you are extremely happy, sad or just plain irriated so how many stop and read what is on the courthouse lawn? When you are in the park you are relaxing and noticing things around you.. Four Freedoms Park is ideal. After all isn’t believing in God and obeying His commandments one of our Freedoms. Makes sense.. So everyone stop all this fussing and just put them in the park. One of the commandments does say, “Love one another.”
everyone is intitled to their on believes. One thing that is clear, if you break the law speeding or other wise, you can’t say, I didn’t know. The same for the ten commandments, when we all come to the judgement day. people can’t tell GOD I didn’t know, no one told me. These laws were written many years ago and they haven’t changed. People has ignored them. This is why the United States is in trouble. The tryth will always stand. Read the ten commandments and analize them with our every day life. The aclu has a reckon day. If the commandments were abided by we would see a lot of differance in our land.
Honestly, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Where does religion honestly tie into our constitution? If any statue should be at our courthouse it should be one of the constitution. Without that document there very well would be no courthouse. I find it amazing when I begin to look how much this county is behind the rest of the world, advancing no where. Notice when the KFC gets the five dollar buffet, Rainbow Gardens lowers theirs. When gas rises to $3.48 in Madison it is $3.31 in Tallahassee. There are more churches than businesses. I see more police on one road every time I drive through town than there are traffic lights total in the whole county of Madison. Many people in this county are just a brainwashed group of followers. Please think outside the box for a change in your life people of this county.
I remember in the video of the meeting where this all came to be, the guy trying to cram this down our throats saying they had the same monument on the Mayo Courthouse grounds and I have been that way many times before and after that statement and have yet to find them. Maybe the Mayo Press could print a picture of it and directions on how to get there so that we could all enjoy the view…I’m just wondering where/how the heck this all got started and would love to know the ending of the chapter.
Gee Whiz Madison Monument Pushers, ENOUGH ALREADY!!! Give it a break/rest or maybe place your home phone number on a billboard so that all concerned could call you during Sunday Dinner after CHURCH!!
Mr. Wakefield at the HS once told me that God was a FACT, and not a theory.
i promptly dropped out
What right do they have to say ” the Citizens of Madison” uh duh I’m one of those citizens and I don’t think I gave you my permission to speak for me, oh that’s right you don’t care what I a Citizen of Madison thinks, it is only WHAT YOU THINK!!
Well I don’t think your Commandments belong on Government property, you want to display them on your property, I have no problem with that, but what I have a problem with as I always have had a problem with is the complete disregard for anyone in this county that believes differently than you and that you and others in this county believe they are above the law including the prayer at school. These laws right or wrong were enacted for a reason but most of the bible thumping so called Christians in this county don’t have as clue as to what that reason might be. Stop shoving your belief in my face!!!!!
:-/ let em do it, I honestly dare them to put it on the courthouse lawn. It will be good times for all..Promise that
LOL, I like that.
Spineless Peasants, Yeah I would say that’s about right considering they are afraid of them.
I’ll pray the commissioners have the strength to decide on this issue on what is best for the county and not what is best for their feelings. No one has the right to force religion onto anyone else, regardless on how much we want to. These people are put into office to serve our county and help decide what is best. It’s obviously not in our best interest if its going to cost an already poor county $500k.
That is calling it like it is here in Madison . The $500,000.00 figure is also probable & on the backs of all who pay taxes in the county .