Once Again Repudiating my state License to Marry While Reaffirming God's Blessings & Dominion Over my Marriage

I applaud our Alabama counties refusing to issue govt. licenses to marry. I implore other counties to follow this course to get out of the marriage license business. True Christians do NOT look to government for definition, permission and validity to affirm and proclaim God’s blessings. Sad so many seem compelled to side with one of two flawed arguments as the next round of Roy Moore v. Myron Thompson, et al "Duel of Wits Between Two Unarmed Opponents" unfolds... just as BOTH sides were wrong about 10 Commandments, BOTH sides are again embarrassingly wrong on marriage.

I pray Alabamians will have the courage to get our State out of the marriage license business. As one of the 81% in support of the traditional definition of marriage, the fact that I could NOT get married without a state license (when in SC) was despicable to me and polluted one of the most sacred blessings/covenants God has bestowed upon me. I thought it odd in a state where such despicables as Gov. Campbell, Sens. Hollings & Thurmond, Lindsay Graham and more than their share of other corrupt local govt. politburo members of such poor character and morality were placed in a position to impede my ability to marry and establish/proclaim in my church one of God’s blessings I hold most dear. I made it VERY clear I did not want a government license soiling my covenant; my priest explained he was not allowed to perform this religious ceremony without a state license. Failing to ask for this despotic license on our wedding day and didn’t notice until weeks later when having to submit the paperwork; my priest reluctantly called for me to mail a copy to him. I reluctantly submitted to comply with this tyranny. The toast by my best man following the wedding noted he was certain it was true and forecasted lasting love if I were willing to subject myself to the marriage tax. Hard to imagine anything of this earth which has generated more joy for governments to extract from me than the marriage to my bride I love so dearly.

Why would anyone seriously look to State, federal or local bureaucrats and politicians for moral guidance when I see far too great an incidence of failed moral compasses and disregard for oaths (including their own marriage contracts) in their ranks? The chief law enforcement officer in my county seems comfortable proclaiming he ‘believes’ in corrupt individuals (later indicted on multiple felony charges) under active grand jury investigation in his county - hard to take seriously other ‘beliefs’ held by this Sheriff. While effective at advancing pro-command economy conservatives’ efforts promoting their god (govt.) and generating more revenue toward their ends; raising fees for failed contracts (dissolution of any commitment) being recorded in courts and even higher fees if to be determined by the courts makes more sense. I see no reason to further subsidize those who make poor choices in their commitments and contracts overburdening our courts.

I find it equally difficult to take Roy Moore or a gay couple seriously who thinks it really matters if the federal, State or local govt. recognizes or approves their marriage. In short, a commitment contract doesn't require a probate judge. Does anyone really care if a person of the Honorable Bill English's character and integrity (my probate judge) sanctions their marriage? Simply sign an agreed upon contract and get a notary at best. If an employer, et al wants to recognize my sort of commitment contract or demands it be recorded in court, OK - if not, even less taxing. I can look for employers who voluntarily subsidize my type of union, employees’ children, adoptees, etc. I'll look for the employer who pays the best (ceteris paribus) and buy my own insurance, pay for my own spouse, children, etc. and if I'm blessed, have enough to privately give to my church food bank, donate to cancer patients, etc. as I've done in spite of all that's been taken from me. I suffered far too much discrimination (esp. up in MD) for pay raises and other advancements as a single man and/or one currently without children, etc.

Most can not see the extremist conservatives on the right started this morass of getting govt. into the marriage license business. As if often the case, they were the first 'easy pawns' to empower despotic big govt. into the result we’ve ‘progressed’ into today. I do NOT want my govt. subsidizing my children, church, marriage, etc. My God (baptism, bar mitzvah, berith, spiritual confession, confirmation, marriage, etc.) does not require any ‘help’ from governments which has done more to thwart/impede truly Christian efforts in our society than advance them. Wrongfully giving preferential treatment to marriage, mandating benefits to married couples, children, etc. opened the door for big govt. liberals to assert those wrongful (mandated) wealth transfers also apply to others. It is most import to proclaim governments do NOT define my individual right to marriage, GOD DOES. My God, my church, my marriage, etc. doesn't require government assistance - what greater evidence can be provided that one doesn't have faith in their god, church, commitment, truth or ideals than advocating govt. mandates and subsidies to advance these ends? My God is greater than the Leftist so many fear and also stronger than the equally deleterious Right championing more govt. involvement in our spiritual lives. As more good folks fell for this tautology to advance tyranny, we've ratcheted ourselves further into the unsustainable leviathan/soviet result we’re suffering today.

I don't see enough current Christians with the courage to get governments out of raising their children, subsidizing their marriage, determining morality, dealing with the poor and infirm, etc. to move our State & nation forward again. It may be the outcome has been distorted for so long it is impossible to move forward out of the mess we've 'progressed' into until the current system finally implodes/fails. It took about a million dead to change from a voluntary coalition of sovereign States (as we were designed) into the forced coalition of states we are in fact today; it is doubtful return to these traditional values will come easy. It grows increasingly difficult as more agree 'traditional values' result from hegemony instead of religious freedom where those of good spirit (many of whom saw the path and teachings of Jesus Christ worthy to follow) prospered and set an example for others to voluntarily follow. Left, Moderate, Right extremists hold government(s) as their god - in this regard I'm an agnostic... there are very few things where there's a legitimate role for govt. (esp. at the federal level) without sound support it is economically efficient for public provision over the private sector; yet most Americans want to empower their god(s) of govt. even more. Most churches have become political bedfellows with the State. Pro-government thugs cleverly understood churches were a natural/broad based coalition to stand up against tyranny. To not have churches suffer the same excessive taxation and empower government to take on the church's function of ministering to the poor and indigent was a huge short-term boon and the path to church corruption we observe today.

Some readers may recall delight in my Alabama “Reinstating Our Chief Justice to the Alabama State Supreme Court” column. Several asked why I voted for Judge Roy Moore in the Republican primary after reading past columns making it very clear how poorly I think Judges Moore AND Thompson argued the Ten Commandments monument issue where BOTH jurists were an ongoing, international embarrassment to Alabama. Judge Thompson will continue his ‘well intentioned’ path of destroying civil rights in our State as he remains unchecked by the 11th Circuit in Atlanta and now the Roberts’ Court in DC. On the other hand, Judge Moore was sufficiently rebuked for his poor arguments/hubris and I’d hoped and prayed matured enough as a Christian to be a sound jurist for our State.

Most in Alabama concluded long ago the nine elected to Congress via our corrupt duopoly political process do not possess the integrity, intellect nor spine to discipline/impeach ‘public servants’ like Thompson - the ‘honor code’ amongst political thieves is well enforced. You will only see politburo members call for impeachment of judges (e.g. Mark Fuller) who actually allow political corruption cases go to juries who may discipline the ‘graftmasters’ in our state. After Roberts showed in 2010 the nine SCotUS jurists in DC would not again discipline Thompson (esp. on something as important as our 5th Amendment civil right to property) the Republican primary offered a very rare opportunity to reverse a despotic judge like Myron Thompson. Republocrats were clearly rattled when barely enough (50.3%) primary voters decided to reinstate the duly elected Alabama Supreme Court justice to avoid wasting even more taxpayer money in a run-off. Many came out to vote in the primary to secure Judge Moore’s victory without run-off (as the two Republocrat establishment candidates split the remaining vote) simply because they wanted to reverse Thompson poor ruling and wrongful removal of our ELECTED judge. It was Moore’s previous election victory to become Chief Justice which proffered the result Judge Thompson didn’t like and had no problem going outside his authority to rule against Moore, setting the path toward his removal aided and abetted by the Hubbard, Riley, et al cabal. Moore being one of the highest elected judges in the nation and bucking other big government extremists in a manner they didn’t like could not be tolerated.

Our 1st Amendment civil right was further destroyed under the Moore/Thompson exchange in this first duel of wits between these two unarmed opponents. The establishment clause was put in place to prevent the FEDERAL government from asserting/subsidizing any church/religion since several States (as the sovereign unit in our once voluntary coalition of States) already had an established religion. In short, could our legislature/voters make Greek Orthodoxy (or Atheism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Druidism… to Zionism) Alabama’s State religion? - YES. Nothing could make me more ashamed of our State and I’d hope my church would be Christian enough to do everything possible to stop such a vulgar act. Again, what could be more revealing one does NOT have faith in the power of one’s argument, god, religion, etc., than it must be subsidized by government? I can assure you my God does not require the assistance of governments; observing many despotic governments and their minions destroyed by the Holy Spirit through the travails of time. Messrs. Moore, Thompson, et al can not change the power of my God one scintilla, but many disciples who have made government their god discovered long ago one way to destroy a once righteous religion is to let governments subsidize/capture a church and their clergy.

Sadly, this is what Judge Moore did not understand. He’s made clear these past weeks he still can not learn this important lesson - once Christianity is coerced or subsidized upon someone, the battle is lost. God’s word teaches us freedom/liberty is a powerful purveyor of the Holy Spirit. One who accepts Christianity under force or subsidy is of little conviction/use as they will simply morph to the will of the next despot or more promising largess over integrity and righteousness. How many are forever turned away from God because of ‘christians’ of this sort? What genius of Lucifer to use ‘christians’ so effectively toward his ends! Shamefully, when ‘christians’ slowly began to take positions of power in the Roman system, pagans were killed, persecuted, tortured (sawn in two, fed to lions, etc…) proffering the similar despotic result under a different name. Simply claiming Christian nomenclature doesn’t mean one is indeed following the letter and spirit of Christ’s path to our Heavenly Father.

The sage old retort asserts, “Two wrongs do not make a right.” This certainly applies to the current posturing as it did the past Moore/Thompson debacle. One could be more forgiving to Moore as I sincerely think he did not know what he was doing. Also, Moore was placed in the subordinate position to Thompson who should (although given his ivy league education, likely ignorant as well) have known better and guarded/preserved Moore’s civil rights even when the victim is not of a mind to know/understand his own rights. Most despairing, it appears Judge Thompson enjoys opportunities to use Roy Moore types to further destroy our civil rights in Alabama. It is long past time for Chief Justice Moore to mature and be an effective advocate for our state under federal hegemony.

It is important to be very clear why both were embarrassingly wrong over a decade ago. A Chief Justice can not assert a State to be Atheist, Christian, Druid, Hebrew or otherwise. It may be legally established by citizens voting or the legislature; not solely by the executive or judicial. Obviously, many things of this sort are de facto true.

For example, after the Battle of Ft. McHenry (Sept. 14, 1814) the Star Spangled Banner became our national anthem following our victory in the War of 1812. Was it indeed any less our national anthem before being established as such by the federal legislature (Congress then signed by President Hoover) in 1931? The Chief Justice has no authority to establish Christianity for our State, however true it may be in fact - it violates the rights of citizens/voters to determine or change it. In fact, very few states have legalized ‘gay marriage’ as reported - only three last I checked, nowhere near the 37 reported by the mainstream extremist press. Definition of marriage (just like a State may foolishly establish a religion) is up to voters/elected representatives to decide, not executive or judicial fiat. Time for Justice Moore to put away his childish thinking and man-up to the warfare he’s actually engaged in; not the lawful world he thinks should be enforced. The Republicans ended State sovereignty several scores ago. In our current lawless environment where outcomes are indeed determined by short-run politics over logic and reason, the long-term response is to get Alabama out of the marriage license business. What makes this outcome even more appealing is the State had no compelling reason (spiritual or otherwise) to ever get into the matter. Justice Moore had an INDIVIDUAL civil right (States do not have rights, they have sovereignty) to express himself as an Atheist, Buddist, Christian,

Druid, Hebrew, etc. If he wanted to put a Ten Commandments monument in the Rotunda; fine! If the next Chief Justice elected is an Atheist and wants to put up their “Atom Sign” to venerate the fallacy of negative proof; fine! The Chief Justice after that a Buddist wanting a Buddha statue in the Rotunda; fine! The next a Druid who wants to plant a tree; fine! You get the idea. Roy Moore failed us because he (as a Christian or otherwise) didn’t have the courage to stand up for his specific individual civil right, allowing a despotic judge like Thompson to use his flawed argument and hubris to take even more of our civil rights. It is time for Justice Moore to mature and understand it is time to let others individual right to commit/contact in the manner of they decide.

Let’s be a true Christian example to follow instead of another champion of big govt. tyranny to fear and loathe turning even more away from the Holy Spirit which shepherded our nation to greatness. Don’t again be an effective vehicle for some judges to advance their god - the federal government. On a related note, it will be helpful to have a righteous man as Chief Justice to re-affirm convictions of those who may actually be sentenced for their corruption - some who took delight in removing Moore to advance their god. I type with a full heart and Spirit, God doesn’t need your help Justice Moore; you can’t impact His power on earth one scintilla regardless of all your efforts, posturing and rhetoric. God IS well served for you (Roy Moore) to be an effective, righteous jurist to curb the increasing corruption and tyranny enveloping us in the current economic, legal, political, spiritual warfare voters elected you to be an integral part of. If you do fail to be an input toward God’s ends, He will find another way in sadness of the increased time in suffering which results, regardless if advanced with the best or worst of intentions. You’ve been given a wonderful second chance to use past failure well - don’t squander it; a great deal depends upon it.

Voters did their part to reverse the decision of a despotic federal judge and his minions persecuting a duly elected Judge who’s individual rights required protection for the protection of us all; please live up to that righteous outcome Justice Moore. We reinstated a Christian man worthy of forgiveness who I prayed had learned from past mistakes and hubris to be a sound Chief Jurist of Alabama; it doesn’t look promising it was wise to give this second chance. Before the primary I sat at a table with Roy Moore in Auburn. Perhaps he simply can not comprehend a Christian who is so confident in God’s word, message and power that I find those who wish to impose my faith on others repulsive. Please try to tolerate Christians who believe and think this way; learn to defend the civil rights of Alabama in this regard and see where God may again shepherd us with less government impediments and subsidies toward those wanting follow and venerate Jesus’ path to their Heavenly Father.