Avoid legal battle, remove monument

The Everett mayor and City Council should remove the Ten Commandments monument from government property. Our leaders need to show respect for all citizens and their rights, not just those who honor this monument.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens commented that any such display, which references “Lord” and “God,” was “…rather hard to square with the proposition that the monument expresses no particular religious preference.”

Any monument that states, “you will have no other Gods before me” posted right outside our police station is a dangerous message and unwelcoming and intimidating to anyone not holding the same belief system.

We can save many taxpayer dollars by ending this legal battle now. Carelessly risking money fighting a lawsuit based on personal religious principles is an irresponsible act by our civic leaders.

The circus-like atmosphere surrounding the behavior of Alabama State Supreme Court Chief Justice Moore reminds us just how quickly a zealot can inject emotion into an otherwise rational issue. We truly hope our leaders do not intend to call for such a demonstration.

The Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This law does not stifle religious freedoms; it protects them. Additionally, to understand the full context of the establishment clause, a person should read Thomas Jefferson to understand why he felt so very strongly about “the establishment of a wall of separation of church and state” and the role of religion in society.

We should use every opportunity to remind all of our leaders that we choose the calm reason of our common democratic values, and not the emotional traps of zealots who would use such issues to divide our nation for their personal gain.

Everett