Sooo... i havent posted in this forum before, but I wanted to let everyone here know about a serious conservative that has a solid chance of taking power. A bit long, but I trust you are all educated enough to read more than one sentence paragraphs now and then! Down here in Alabama, we have had some real winners for governors, as I am sure most of you are aware. Soon we may be able to add another to that list. His name is Roy Moore, and those who recall the big furor over the Ten Commandments in the Alabama State Supreme Court being removed may have heard of him. I have noticed this guy for some years now, rising from an Etowah County DA to being a judge in that county. He had a small wooden Ten Commandments plaque that he refused to take down. It became a national notice thing, and he won the initial battle and got to keep his plaque based on the fact that noone can tell a judge he cant have one in his own court. He was later appointed to the State Supreme Court as Chief Justice. His sole purpose for being there was to bring in a huge stone monument of the religious laws and place them in the State Court Rotunda. This was in the middle of the night, and filmed by "media" he invited. The media consisted of a television crew from a Florida religious TV station. He refused to allow any other religion to be represented in any way, and claimed that since the other beliefs were in the minority he was not required to allow them equal displays. He based this argument on the representation of the Commandments at the US Supreme Court - ignoring that it also shows the greek Justice, Buddha, and many other religious aspects of law together. He knows his laws well, as one who would use them to their own ends does. Even those who have worked with him fear and dislike him, refusing to do interviews and being unwilling to discuss his time as a DA or County Judge. I am sure you all know he was removed from office of Chief Justice by the vote of the other State Supreme Court Justices for defying the US Supreme Court ruling to move the monument now known locally as "Roys Rock". The former Judge has a deep legal background, and bases his arguements most eloquently on the fine print of Thomas Jefferson et al. To the legally knowledgeable, his position is shakey at best. But to the conservative population he is preaching the gospel from law books. This is going to get him elected. That, and the fact that those opposing him are not very strong candidates. One is a woman in the current administration - the admin that ousted Moore. The other is the Gov before the current one, and was federally investigated and sued during his tenure. Also, Roy has the backing of a nation of fervent christians, his political budget resembles more of a presidential campaign than a state office. His funds dwarf the other candidates by millions already, and he has just thrown his hat in the ring a week ago or so. Roy Moore is the most dangerous kind of person, ambitious. He doesnt give interviews, and when he does he sounds like a christian-ized Charles Manson of legal precedents. He has memorized the constitution, and quotes it and the bible often when speaking, derailing direct questions and avoiding admissions of one sided bias religiously. His background contains being a pro kickboxer in asia. He knows that there is a loophole in the wording about God in the USA, and seems to be using it to his advantage. I dont know how to do much about this, but felt compelled to write and warn the world that there is a fervor brewing here. There may be no limit to the conservatisim being invited by having such an ambitious man take a position of leadership, him having no previous experience in government that didnt result in his being taken to the US Supreme Court. just a warning about an ambitious southern politician. This one is worse than any i have seen in a long while.
samson I certainly agree with the importance of what you are talking about. I want to acknowledge that, I don't want your post to go un-noticed or unappreciated. It may be unlikely Roy Moore will get very far with his ambitions but then again it may be that he will. He is, I agree, at least potentially, among those whom we would classify as the most dangerous kind of people. What I want to do is suggest what can be done about it. The problem is I don't know what to do about it. Sorry to sound like I'm dissatisfied with my own life but, listen, I DON'T KNOW what it is that leads to being influential and powerful. Otherwise I'd be influential and powerful myself and as it turns out most of the time I feel like I'm the most uninfluential person on the face of the earth. Sorry. I'm having a bad day. What does it take to be influential and powerful? How did Roy Moore get where he is and what would it take to stop him? Well I guess different things can lead to power and influence. Many times people who are leaders are upbeat, helpful, trustworthy and confidence inspiring. They don't hold grudges. People gravitate toward them because they're inspiring and helpful. We like star athletes and celebrities and such, especially if they're nice guys. At work or school we'll vote to make team leader the most knowlegeable and helpful individual. (But watch out. Power corrupts. Don't be so eager to adore others. Good guys can turn rotten. Or may not have been so good in the first place.) But then there are vicious leaders like Stalin, Hitler, Saddam Hussein. (This doesn't mean I support the Iraq War. I don't. I do not feel it was or is the right tool for the job. As events appear to demonstrate.) Roy Moore probably falls in this class. They had humble beginnings. How did they get to the very tops of their societies? I'm not sure how they got to the top. They probably had certain of the positive attributes I mentioned which got them started. Hitler incredibly I believe had a certain charm. Saddam Hussein a certain panache. Stalin I don't know much about. Then once they had enough power to protect themselves they were ruthless and used fear to operate and could get away with whatever they wanted. I also remember reading about Hitler he would just go on and on and on and finally people would get tired and just give in and let him have his way. I believe luck plays a role. Now let me switch gears a little bit and go from persons to "things". Things that I can't prove but that I strongly believe that may be of relevance. I guess here there is one main thing I want to stress. It absolutely does not matter what any DOCUMENT says. The Bible or Constitution or whatever. "Christians" will go bananas about the Ten Commandments one of which is thou shalt not kill and in the next second go right out and kill (or support killing as in war, capital punishment). Or the Constitution will say that you have a right for example to legal representation and no incarceration without charges and in the next breath they will invent some reason about why that doesn't apply to you because "Oh you're an enemy combatant" or "Oh we're at war and that doesn't apply anymore." So documents are "worthless" -- BUT what this MEANS is that the skillled can USE documents to their advantage no matter what. The skilled can and will use documents to prove ANYTHING. They baffle the gullible with their bullshit while shoving a book or document (the bible, the constitution) in their face to "prove" it and the less capable just stand there and say "Oh yeah well hey that sounds good to me so it must be TRUE." Documents are invaluable propaganda tools it seems to me. You can use a document to prove ANYTHING and the powerful use documents precisely to this end. And I'm switching gears again but another important factor is probably hate. Lots of these unscrupulous leaders use hate to their advantage. Bigotry. Antigay antiblack antisemitic antimuslim antiamerican whatever the particular circumstances happen to be. It may be the case that much hate is actually fear. So education may be helpful. But there may also exist just plain hate in some cases that is relatively unamenable to correction. Or sadistic pleasure. So where does this leave us? What to do about Roy Moore? I'm running out of time. I would say fight him, thwart him at every turn. Do not give in. Harrangue and harrangue just like Hitler did until he (they) tires and just gives up. Use documents and propaganda tools to your advantage. Try to get under the skin of the opposition, be trustworthy and inspiring and helpful and win them over to our side. It's hard. But just don't fucking give in or give up. Yet at the same time don't exacerbate things unless it serves a good purpose. ORGANIZE on a grass roots level. Operate on every (legitimately moral and legal) level. But the grass roots level is essential. *** Say samson here's a question I've had for some time. I don't know much about the deep south Alabama etc. Isn't there a very considerable black population? And efforts were made way back in the 60s to get people registered to vote. So how is it that these states always go Republican? Are there just not enough blacks together with other democrats to make a majority?
ah, southern politics, what a topic. To answer your question, there are large parts of the demographic here that are democrat, but the way its all broken up has been repeatedly investigated for the possibility its racially biased. Also, the education level here is such that many of the voters simply believe what republicans tell them. Since they have most of the money here, they have the louder voice. Also the political landscape here is shaped by the shadow of George Wallace. His early platform of segregation became associated with the democratic party of the time. Noone noticed when later he ran as a republican, and its been republican dominant ever since. As for "uncle roy", he seems determined to use the state as a stepping stone to bigger things. During the news-frenzy with his monument, he made concerted efforts to liken himself to the Wallace Courthouse Stand. It seemed to work, as the conservative christians came out in force nationwide. Since he was using a far reaching networking method to spread his agenda, I figured I should add in to let everyone know that the other side had a strong weapon. Moore has no scruples about using his position for his own plans, and ignoring anything else. To remove him from his office took the unanimous vote of the State Supreme Court. Moore vowed they had not seen the last of him. Strangely, removal from office here does not mean that you cant run again, likely a holdover from pre-civil rights era politics. thanks for the input SDS
