Tuesday, June 27, 2006

A Win for the Commandments?

The Washington Post is today reporting that the Government of the District of Columbia is rescinding its order for us to remove our Ten Commandments display. Post reporter Michelle Boorstein writes that Lars Etzkorn, associate director of the office of public space management administration at the Transportation Department, “sent a letter to the group rescinding the earlier warning.”

The letter stated that, "In view of the First Amendment interests reflected in the installation of the Ten Commandments sculpture . . . and upon further consideration of applicable law," the city now believes that no permits are required.

We have not yet received the letter, so we are not going to lower our guard. The District of Columbia is sadly not known for its coherence. It’s possible someone higher than Mr. Etzkorn will rescind his rescindment! So, last night I released a formal statement to the media. You can read it at http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/63485424.html.

We will also keep up our petition drive. Just in case this rumored determination by the Government of the District of Columbia never materializes or is reversed, we want to be fully prepared to resume our defense. 20,000 signatures are prerequisite to that defense.
Our legal team is also continuing apace. Last night they faxed the letter they intended to send all along to Mr. Lamont Regester, the chief in charge of public space management for the Government of the District of Columbia.

We have maintained all along that this battle over our display of the Ten Commandments in our front garden is all about principle, not politics. If the Government of the District of Columbia is simply appeasing us as if we were just another political constituent group, then we say, thanks—but no thanks!

Our goal is to get on the record that placing a monument in your own front garden acknowledging God and His law is our God-given, constitutionally protected right. If that’s what comes of this, then all of can truly rejoice and—well—thank God!

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