Winston-Salem official places Ten Commandments at city hall [Vernon Robinson

01/19/2004 Associated Press A city council member placed a granite block bearing the Ten Commandments on a walkway in front of a city hall deserted on Monday's Martin Luther King holiday.

Vernon Robinson, a black conservative who has been on the city council since 1998, said he and four helpers acted on the holiday because the barren adjoining parking lot allowed him to move in a truck and crane to position the one-ton block.

The monument — inscribed on one side with the Ten Commandments and on the other side with the Bill of Rights — was positioned on a landing of the stairway ascending to the 1930s city hall at dawn Monday, Robinson said.

Robinson said he had no permit or other authorization to place the monument on public property.

The $2,000 cost of buying and moving the four- tall, blue-granite block was entirely his own, said Robinson, who is running for a vacant U.S. House seat.

Mayor Allen Joines did not immediately return calls seeking comment on the city's response.

"This display is intended to acknowledge the undeniable role that the Ten Commandments and Bill of Rights have played in developing the American legal tradition," Robinson said in a telephone interview.

"These are the ideas on which society has been built and these works encapsulate the belief system on which the republic was founded."

Robinson said he was inspired to act by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who ordered a 2 1/2-ton Ten Commandments monument placed in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building in 2001.

A federal judge found the monument to be an unconstitutional promotion of religion by government in 2002. Moore was removed from office last year for violating ethics rules by not obeying the federal court order to remove the monument.

Robinson said the monument was quarried and cut in Georgia and shipped from there.

"Something about your name, and the fact that you're dissing this man, that makes me wonder if you dislike certain groups of people (like black conservatives)?"

Nah, I don't think that's it; I have to assume his FR name was selected because he doesn't want Vernon to be the next JC Watts not for racial reasons, but because he's got his own dog in the fight. He's one of those Tabor fans (probably a campaign staffer) who only goes on FR to defame those who dare run against Tabor (who could make a fine Congressman someday, but really needs to take some baby steps before he running for the House). Here are his only posts on FR so far:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?name=jcwhat

Notice he defames Jim Snyder, Jay Helvey and Vernon Robinson, and doesn't post about anything else. He's almost certainly one of the cadre of 5th CD trolls Johnny was describing.

Apparantly, Vernon got this particular idea from Judge Moore. However, he has demonstrated similar trends in the past, in one instance generating a news event which resulted in a resumption of United Way funding for the Boy Scouts.

BTW, looks like this story has gone international! Here's the story from the Guardian (UK):

Commandments Honored at City Hall in N.C.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3643984,00.html

Monday January 19, 2004 10:16 PM

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - A city council member who said he was inspired by Alabama's ousted chief justice placed a one-ton granite monument to the Ten Commandments in front of City Hall on Monday while it was closed for the King Day holiday.

Vernon Robinson said he and four others acted on the holiday because the empty parking lot allowed room for a truck and crane, which they used to position the monument at dawn.

The 4-foot-tall, blue-granite block is inscribed on one side with the Ten Commandments and on the other side with the Bill of Rights.

``This display is intended to acknowledge the undeniable role that the Ten Commandments and Bill of Rights have played in developing the American legal tradition,'' said Robinson, a Republican who has been on the city council since 1998 and is running for a U.S. House seat. ``These are the ideas on which society has been built and these works encapsulate the belief system on which the republic was founded.''

Mayor Allen Joines said the city would move quickly to remove the monument.

``No one - the mayor, a city council member or citizen - can put anything on a piece of city property,'' Joines said. ``City hall must be a place that everyone must be comfortable with. It belongs to all the people of Winston-Salem.''

Robinson said he had no authorization to place the monument on public property. The $2,000 cost of buying and moving the monument was entirely his own, Robinson said.

Robinson said he was inspired to act by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who ordered a 2-ton Ten Commandments monument placed in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building in 2001.

A federal judge found the monument to be an unconstitutional promotion of religion by government. Moore was ousted from office last year for violating ethics rules by not obeying the federal court order to remove the monument. He is pursuing an appeal.

Did you see this from a few days ago on WXII News 12?

Rookie Officer, 62, Fired From Winston-Salem Police Force McCauly Scored High On Exams

POSTED: 10:55 AM EST January 15, 2004
UPDATED: 11:10 AM EST January 15, 2004

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- A 62-year-old rookie police officer in Winston-Salem, whose hiring triggered debate over race and age, is no longer on the force.

Reginald McCauley, who is black, was fired in December after five months on the job. He was one of 26 officers to graduate from basic law-enforcement training on July 25.

When he graduated, McCauley had not achieved the department's required minimum score on firearms training, but was to receive additional training.

City Councilor Vernon Robinson accused Police Chief Linda Davis of lowering training standards for new recruits to permit black recruits to graduate even if they have failing test scores.

Davis said McCauley scored high on exams and met all state standards for a police officer, including firearms training. But she said he failed to meet the Winston-Salem department's firearm standards, which are stricter than the state standards.

McCauley isn't commenting on his firing.

The following is from Robinson's press release, and comments on the historical basis for his gift of the monument:

Councilman Robinson says the display is intended to acknowledge the undeniable role these two great philosophical statements – the Ten Commandments and the Bill of Rights -- have played in the development of American legal thought and moral tradition: “In times such as these, it is more important than ever for Americans of all ages, but especially our younger citizens, to be confronted by these great legal and moral tenets, and to reflect upon their wisdom. These are the ideas upon which our society has been built. These words encapsulate as well as any document in the English language the belief system on which we constructed our American society. It’s important from a historical perspective that we remember them.”

Although some public displays of the Ten Commandments have encountered legal challenges in recent years, the Robinson display avoids these constitutional pitfalls. It is paid for entirely by Councilman Robinson’s personal funds, and therefore represents no investment of public monies. In addition, the inclusion of the Bill of Rights makes clear that the text is not an overt tribute to the Judeo-Christian religion, but rather a simple acknowledgement of the historical role these two great documents, one secular and one religious, played in the development and growth of our American legal system.

“This monument is not an effort to proselytize; it is a history lesson, pure and simple, Robinson said. “And history lessons are still constitutional. The atheists can whine all they want, but they can't change history. These words built our nation and made it great. We need to see them in more public places, not fewer. This is my own personal effort to do my part to bring that about.”

Robinson acknowledged that the monument may prove controversial, but says he is not concerned: “This is still a free country, and people are free to disagree with the ideas expressed in this magnificent monument if they would like. They are even free to believe that there is no God. But no one can deny the impact these words have had on America. We may be getting more and more pagan with each passing day, but this simple historical fact remains – our nation’s legal system and its moral code came from these great words and the notions of equality and justice and fairness and obedience and piety that lie behind them. If I were the last Christian left in America, that simple fact would still remain. All this monument does is memorialize that unchangeable historical fact. It is constitutional, and it is the right thing to do, now more than ever.”

Robinson also acknowledged that one or more of the liberals serving with him on the city council might ask that the monument be removed: “I can’t be held accountable for what the other council members choose to do. Over the years I’ve learned that many of them don’t like the Ten Commandments or the Bill of Rights. They keep trying to rewrite them. But if they have the votes and they vote to make me take it away, then I’ll do it. But you better believe I’m already having discussions with some our neighboring governmental bodies to find some other seat of government somewhere in this great country that will accept this monument with open arms.” In anticipation of resistance from some City Council members, the five men who erected the monument dedicated it with a prayer asking the Lord to soften the hard hearts of city officials.

Robinson said it is fitting that the monument be unveiled on the federal holiday honoring the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who is honored for his struggle against racist laws and rules and traditions that did not honor or observe the ideals of equality and justice implicit in the Ten Commandments and the Bill of Rights.

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