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Home Front: Culture Wars
Cherokees vote to display Ten Commandments
2005-09-25
If you are nostalgic for the days when the Ten Commandments were posted in public buildings, you might want to consider visiting the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians.

The tribal council is making plans to mount a copy of the Ten Commandments in the council house where government meetings are held, and possibly display them throughout other public buildings in the Cherokee Nation of western North Carolina.

The idea was introduced by Councilwoman Angela Kephart last month. She said the tribe should display the Ten Commandments out of respect and devotion to God. The motion passed unanimously.

"We aren't saying you have to abide by the Ten Commandments," Kephart said, according to the Smoky Mountain News. "We are simply displaying God's Ten Commandments. That's what He expects from each and every individual. If you break that, it is between you and God. It is not between you and the tribal council; it is between you and God."

There is no First Amendment issue involved, and even if the American Civil Liberties Union wanted to make one, it can't. The U.S. Constitution does not apply to Cherokee, nor to any other Native American tribe for that matter, according to Cherokee's Attorney General David Nash.

"We are a sovereign nation and we can pretty much post anything we want in our council chambers," said Kephart. "For once the federal government is not going to tell us what to do. We can feel good about it because we are standing up for God. The more it becomes controversial, the more we need to stand firm."

Kephart was clear about her desire to promote Christianity.

"God has blessed our tribe," she said. "We have a very rich tribe, per se. We are operating on over a $200 million budget thanks to our gaming enterprise."
Posting the Ten Commandments doesn't prevent others from practicing their religion, explained Nash. "Anybody can practice any religion they want to practice," Nash said.
Posted by:Anonymoose

#8  Cherokees vote to display Ten Commandments

Cherokee Nation we forbid you!

and Aclu Allah knows best.
Posted by: Mullah Lawyer   2005-09-25 21:15  

#7  I love my tribe.
DIE ACLU! DIE!!!
Posted by: mmurray821   2005-09-25 20:59  

#6  I had heard, although I have never seen it verified, that one of the reasons the ACLU is so hard over about religion is that they make money whenever they bring a suit against a local government. So for these pieces of excrement it is not a matter of principle, it is just another payday. I am ashamed to say that San Diego dropped almost $950K on these parasites to abandon the boy scouts.
Posted by: RWV   2005-09-25 20:54  

#5  Heh. Must present a real challenge to the A.C.Screw.U.

On the one hand the Cherokee are publicly acknowledging the Christian God (horrors!) and we can't have that.

On the other hand, the Cherokee are an oppressed minority....

Heads exploding in 5, 4, 3.... :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2005-09-25 20:11  

#4  sovereign nation = ACLU f**k off
Posted by: Frank G   2005-09-25 19:33  

#3  News Alert. Cuba is also a sovereign nation. Didn't stop some ACLU and federal judicial types from extending American law [a.k.a. extraterritoriality = imperalism] onto their land. Its all about power. Unless the Cherokees have some real good casinos to pay for good lawyers and lobbyists, this one is headed for the docket.
Posted by: Charong Speath5297   2005-09-25 19:32  

#2  Ha! Ha!
Posted by: Nelson Muntz   2005-09-25 18:39  

#1  This must really piss the ACLU off.
Posted by: djohn66   2005-09-25 18:10  

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