The 10 Commandments monument was put in place on the Capitol grounds this morning and Sen. Jason Rapert, the evangelist who sponsored legislation to enable it, was on hand to preen before the cameras.

He insisted the monument — paid by private contributions — will withstand the legal challenge promised by the ACLU and others to state promotion of religion on the Capitol grounds. He rests his case on Texas’ similar monument — a relic from a movie decades ago that had become so enshrined and essentially invisible that the courts allowed it to stand when a challenge was raised many years later. More recently, courts ordered removal of a monument in Oklahoma.

Advertisement

As Rapert was giving TV interviews, a young man drove by and shouted, “Separation of church and state. It’s unconstitutional.” A man who’d accompanied Rapert to the event responded: “No it’s not.”

My comment to Rapert was that the visible symbol of the Biblical teachings so close to the Capitol surely will bring an end to lying, adultery and thievery of state money in the General Assembly. So there’s that.

Advertisement


I have a 45-second clip of Rapert’s declamation on Facebook, on below.

Advertisement

Be a part of something bigger

As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know we’re dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond – with your support, we can do even more. By becoming a subscriber or donating as little as $1 to our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage and continue to bring important stories to light. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Join us in the fight for truth.

Previous article 10 reasons why the pending health legislation is bad for Arkansas Next article Tuesday’s open line and the daily rant