August 28, 2003

Thursday and Friday evening, Aug. 28 and 29, major rallies will be held in Montgomery, Alabama, at the State Judicial Building to protest the removal Wednesday of the Ten Commandments from the building's rotunda.

The rallies will start at 7:30 p.m. Central Time. The Judicial Building is located at 300 Dexter Avenue.

Keynote speaker at both events will be Dr. Alan Keyes.

All supporters of the movement to return the Ten Commandments to the rotunda--nationwide--are encouraged to attend.

Earlier Thursday, leaders in the effort held a press conference at noon at the Judicial Building that was covered by Fox News. Featured speaker was Dr. James Dobson, of Focus on the Family.

In his press conference remarks, Dr. Dobson compared the movement to keep the Ten Commandments monument with the struggle of Rosa Parks in 1955, when Parks refused to move to the back of the bus to an area designated for blacks.

"She saw something that she felt was evil," Dobson said. "Yeah, it was part of the 'rule of law' we have been hearing about since last week. But it was wrong, and it was evil. . . . "I honor her today. She was a Christian woman who had a deep faith in God."

Dobson declared, "We're in a great moral struggle of our own, a great moral struggle. It can be said that people of faith are being sent to the back of the bus. And we're not going to go there!"

A new CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll released Wednesday indicated that 77% of Americans are in favor of leaving Judge Moore's Ten Commandments monument on public display in the State Judicial Building.

On Wednesday's Hannity & Colmes on Fox News, Dr. Dobson said, "This really is not about that monument, it's not about the Ten Commandments, it's not even about this good man, Justice Moore. It's about judicial tyranny, where the courts--and, especially, the Supreme Court--have been determined to take God out of every vestige of public life, any reference to Him, and to interfere more and more with our private lives."

"That's the issue, "Dobson said. "That's the reason I'm involved."

Dobson continued: "Thomas Jefferson was very concerned about the runaway court, and wrote about it and talked about it, especially after Marbury vs. Madison, and he saw the possibility of an oligarchy, of a small group of elites in black robes who would force their will on the rest of the country. That's what he was concerned about, and that's what we have."

"When I was in the fourth grade, Dobson added, "I remember it as though it were yesterday, my teacher went to the board and she talked about the balance of power, you know, the fact that the three departments of government balanced one another--checks and balances is what she talked about. And that's the way that the Framers intended it, but we don't have it. The court is out of control, and it is not being balanced by the Congress."

In summation, Dobson stressed, "We're really getting to the crux of it here, because for 41 years, the Supreme Court has been on a campaign to eliminate that perspective from public life. It started in 1962, removing prayer from the schools, the next year Bible-reading from the schools, most recently the Pledge of Allegiance because it says 'under God.' The Court is determined to shove this down our throats, and I think it's time to say enough is enough."

See:

• Recent transcripts

• "Ten Commandments wheeled away from view" (Aug. 27)

• "Judge Moore and Alan Keyes appear on Focus on the Family" (Aug. 26)

• "Keyes lambastes clique of 'lawless' judges" (Aug. 22)

• "Uncertainty Builds as Monument Deadline Passes" (Aug. 21)

• "Keyes: Come to Alabama Wednesday!" (Aug. 19)

• "C-SPAN to cover rally in support of Judge Moore" (Aug. 13)