Tilting at the Scales of Justice

Local zealot and pious pol, Don Dwyer, has decided to throw in with non-local zealot, and former Alabama Judge, Roy Moore, in the fight to protect us from the Constitution. Mr. Dwyer, a member of the Maryland General Assembly, representing Glen Burnie, has drafted a resolution that “would call on Congress to pass a law preventing the federal judiciary from hearing cases involving the public display of the Ten Commandments and the pledge of allegiance,” called the "Maryland Religious Independence from Federal Courts Act." The bill, also derisively referred to as the “Maryland Independence from the First Amendment Act” by some of its opponents (me) would, if passed, bring embarrassment to the State, akin to that lavished upon Kansas after its School Board was infiltrated by anti-intellectual, religious fundamentalists. Taking it upon himself to speak for the guy and gal on the street, Dwyer sputtered, "The average citizen is outraged … Without God and moral law, there is nothing left to determine right from wrong other than the fallible decisions of man."¹ I don’t know about Dwyer, but this “average citizen” is able to navigate the modern world’s sometimes uneasy seas just fine with my own moral compass. I certainly don’t need bluenoses, like Dwyer, trying to abridge my rights and hamstring the courts on the public dime. But, should Delegate Dwyer feel the need for additional biblical instruction, let me direct him to the following passage:

Matthew 6:5-6: "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men....when thou prayest, enter into thy closet and when thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret...."

¹ The Capital, December 8, 2003.