Fixed in Stone

By now, most of us understand that the Ten Commanments are not actually fixed in stone. They changed a couple of times even in the Old Testament, and are different among the larger protestant denominations even today. What is fixed in stone is the stupidity of the folks who want to beat others over the head with them. Try this next little gem from South Carolina:

COLUMBIA, S.C. (May 16, 1997 12:25 p.m. EDT) -- A state Board of Education
member, talking Tuesday about displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools,
had a ready suggestion for groups who might object to it.

"Screw the Buddhists and kill the Muslims," Dr. Henry Jordan said
during the board's finance and legislative committee meeting. "And put that in
the minutes," he added.

Dr. Jordon is a surgeon who presumably, at some point in his mean spirited life, might have read the Hippocratic Oath even if he never actually read the ten commandments. You know that pretty much every single version of the big ten has "Thy Shalt Not Kill" as one of the big no-no's.

Conservatives pay about as much attention to that one as they do the one that suggests, "Thy shalt not bear false witness."

Dr. Jordon's buddies tried to cover for him by removing the outrageous statements from the published minutes but the Newspaper got a copy of the tape:

The remarks made Tuesday were expunged from the written minutes, but were
recorded on tape. The (Columbia) State obtained the tape under the Freedom of
Information Act.

Donald Rumsfeld reacted to the digital pictures showing the outrages committed by Americans at Abhu Graib by banning digital cameras. I suppose the appropriate thing to do in this case would be to repeal the Freedom of Information Act. It does seem to cause a lot of trouble...Particularly for good christians like Dr. Jordon.

Peace,

Steve