It looks as if there are a number of interesting pools I could leap into this morning -- a (so-far) bloodless revolution in Zimbabwe! Judge Roy Moore's alleged predilections! -- though at least one of them is actually a cesspit.
The fact is that right now, Roy Moore is Alabama's problem and Alabama -- both the government and the citizens -- has demonstrated profoundly mixed feelings toward the man on issues far wider in scope than the current horrible ickiness: this is the fellow who famously hung up a copy of the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. That could be unremarkable; you'll find Moses holding a couple tablets in a sculptural grouping over the back entrance to the U. S. Supreme Court building where he's hanging out with Confucius and Solon, and inside the courtroom in a frieze with the likes of Hammurabi, Mohammad, King John(!), Solomon and Napoleon. Nope, it was Judge Moore himself who made the Commandments a problem, by specifically stating he had a religious purpose in posting them. This was not unpopular with the voting public; he rode the publicity to the office of Chief Justice of the state's top court and installed a much larger version of the Commandments in the court's rotunda, in granite. This, coupled with his public statements, roused the ire of ACLU and others and resulted in further legal action culminated by the removal of the monument and, eventually, Judge Moore -- who then managed a comeback via the ballot box! And then got crosswise again over an issue of judicial authority in a controversial matter and was, once again, removed from office. Yet it's a creepy habit of getting involved with High School girls that is the big issue with this guy? There are lots of folks still saying, "Better him than a Democrat." Personally, were I an Alabamian, I'd even take a flippin' Communist instead, if the commie understood and followed the laws of the state and the nation, pledged to do an honest job of representing his constituents and didn't cheat. In fact, Judge Moore himself was a Democrat until 1990 and you still don't see a whole lot of communism among Alabama Democrats.
And speaking of commies...! Too soon to tell if Robert Mugabe's actually on the outs in Zimbabwe or if the government there will see much change, but one can hope. They'd've been better off with an honest commie, too, instead of the crappy strongman socialism that has impoverished and starved a country that used to export food. It's too much to expect that the government will dip much of a toe in democracy, but if ever a place was ripe for it, Zimbabwe is. It's about time the people there got a break. Will they? If past history of even freely-voting people is any guide (see above), they will not; they will opt for more of the devil they know. Still, sometimes you flip a coin and it stands on the edge.
To be fair, it was King John who signed the Magna Carta. The real King John wasn't the King John of Ivanhoe and Robin Hood stories, or even of Shakespeare.
ReplyDeleteI haven't ever voted for a Democrat in anything other than purely local elections, and I don't really like Doug Jones very much, but I will be voting against Roy Moore. It confounds me that he's not been disbarred. The "charity" that he and his wife run seems to exist almost solely to benefit the two of them, and now the pedo stuff? No, thanks, I'm good. Jones it is, since there aren't any third party candidates.
ReplyDeleteWe're having our David Duke moment, it seems to me; like Edwin Edwards suggested, it's time for me to "Vote for the crook!"
Whether or not Moore is fit for office is a question for Alabama's voters. What bothers me is that there are congresscritters who are saying that, if the voters put him in office, they are going to kick him out of office. The same kind of mindset that the ImpeachTrump crowd is displaying.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but disenfranchising the voters because they voted in someone that you find icky isn't what impeachment is for. If it were, Ted Kennedy should have been removed from office.
And then there's the credibility issues with his accusers. I admittedly haven't spent much time researching (I don't live in AL, so no skin in this game) but the one story I've heard details doesn't add up). I know Hillary says they all should be believed (except the dozen or so she crucified in the press when they accused Bill) but there have been false accusations in the past (at least a few - Duke Lacrosse?) and there is a legal principle involved here.
ReplyDeleteTake him to trial first, or let AL voters decide. If the voters say yes and then the courts say jail, THEN it's McConnell's problem, but not today.
...So y'all are okay with focusing on the sexual accusations and giving him a pass on the theocratic stuff?
ReplyDeleteWell, he's Alabama's problem now. Let's see what they do.
Noooo no nononononononono, I am absolutely not OK with that stuff. Roy's rocks were a complete embarrassment. He and his wife have hijacked the Gadsden Flag for a license plate that theoretically supports their theocratic "charity." The problem is that there's a lot of people in Alabama for whom those are features, not bugs. My stepmother is a lovely woman, apart from her belief that people should be compelled to be evangelical Christians, and there's a lot of like-minded people in this state. I'd sooner vote for a Clinton than Roy Moore; they only belong in prison, where Moore needs a locked ward psych unit. The child-predation is just part of the list of things that make him completely unacceptable to me.
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