The American Spectator

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Political Hay

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At first blush, this tactic would seem at odds with the self-professed lofty aims of these august organizations. The SPLC "concentrates resources on protecting and enforcing the rights of the poor and disenfranchised" while fighting to "make a difference in the struggle for justice and tolerance." The ACLU declares itself "our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States."

To maintain its crusading image, the SPLC has repeatedly compared Judge Moore's defiance to the attempt by George Wallace to stand in the school room door. Worse, an editorial posted on the SPLC website likens Judge Moore's actions to those of the Taliban. Talk about weapons of mass distortion.

Moore is certainly not blameless in the whole affair. If, as he says, he really didn't believe there was anything wrong with his 5,000 pound monument, why did he bring it in in the middle of the night without so much as a heads-up to his fellow judges? Both times I've observed Moore speak he was so obviously caught up in his own celebrity that it's unlikely he would want to take his old job back. It would be like Pedro Martinez getting busted back down to the minors.

But if he did have the itch to run again, it seems strange that groups that make such a fuss about "intimidation" at the voting booth (e.g., "May I see a driver's license, please?") would now deprive voters of any meaningful choice. It's also comforting to know that even in this age of PATRIOT Act oppression, and in the midst of the epic battle over gay marriage, the ACLU still has the time to attack Southern Christians, rich and poor, black, and white alike. "All God's children," as Martin Luther King would say.

The upshot? In the end, the ACLU and SPLC lawyers will walk proudly away from this with a very symbolic, high profile victory under their belts. Judge Moore will ride his new celebrity to greater fame and higher office. And the other justices of the Supreme Court of the great state of Alabama, who voted to expel the Ten Commandments and their champion? "Say goodbye to your jobs," one woman told the Hunstville Times.

topics:
Television, Constitution, Law, Supreme Court