The Ten Commandments Brouhaha in Oklahoma.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma ruled in a 7-2 decision that the Ten Commandments statue on Capitol grounds violated the state’s constitution and therefore, must be removed. Since this ruling, Christians across the United States have been expressing self-righteous disgust, disappointment and anger over the court’s decision. 

As a Christian though, I refuse to be concerned or outraged by the legally-ordered removal of a mere object of decoration when several pressing issues are calling for attention. Isn’t this the United States where popular religions have largely been bastardized and turned into one big joke? This is a country where a guy (well-known in his community as a Muslim cleric) and who, actually was observing the current Islamic fasting season, went on a drive-by shooting of his rivals in the drug-dealing business. This is a nation where the most vocal Christians are the most racist, prejudiced and hateful of people different from their race. And this is God’s own country where a lot of the so-called religious people are closet gays, on-the-down low, pedophiles, sexual perverts and serial hypocrites. They preach one thing in public but practice something else in private.

By the way, George Carlin (American social critic, actor, and author) had the following reaction to the issue: "Here is the real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse: You cannot post 'Thou shalt not steal,' 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' and 'Thou shalt not lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges, and politicians."

What Manner of Justice in California?

Condemned murderers in California have every reason to smile lately. They will no longer be executed for their crimes against the society and humanity. On July 16, 2014, a Federal judge, Cormac Carney (pictured above) ruled that California’s process of executing prisoners is so dysfunctional that it amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment” and is therefore unconstitutional. And what was the US District court judge’s reason for making this decision? Of the more than 900 people sentenced to death in that state since 1978, only 13 have been executed. Among the implications of the landmark decision of judge Carney is that upon their cold-blooded murder, victims of crimes will automatically lose their constitutional rights. For instance, the pains, agonies and deaths of the many victims of Ernest Dewayne Jones (the convicted rapist and murderer pictured above) have become insignificant. This is because, according to the judge, the method adopted by California in executing prisoners constituted a “cruel and unusual punishment”. But did anyone tell the judge that all the victims of Jones were murdered in some nice, cool manners?