Judge's robe gets national attention (Update to 10 Commandments Robe Story

[Khephra]

ANDALUSIA -- Two days after Presiding Circuit Court Judge Ashley McKathan donned a robe in court displaying the Ten Commandments on his chest, staffers were busy fielding calls from media outlets and supporters across the nation.

"We've had calls from Texas, Washington state, Arkansas, California, New Jersey and Tennessee, plus the local calls," explained McKathan's secretary, Susan Sansom, looking over a legal pad listing the callers early on Wednesday. "Every one of them is supportive of what the judge has done. We have not had a single complaint called in."

Then there were media calls from local papers, radio and television and even the CNN and MSNBC cable news networks. The south Alabama judge seemed a bit surprised at how quickly word of his gold-lettered robe traveled.

"This is only the third day," he said, smiling and still wear ing the robe during a break in court proceedings. "I expected a little stir, but I never dreamed it would go so far so fast."

http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1103192240282300.xml

[slor]

1. Good God!

Can these people just keep it to themselves!?!

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. three days to report a judge wearing the ten commandments

But voter fraud? Not a peep. Our media is so biased and we're not in Kansas anymore.

[aikido15]

36. Media in US...

SUCKS.

[Spinzonner]

2. Though shalt not wear thy religion on thy sleeve

or any other vestment

[PartyPooper]

34. But, this sure gives new meaning to "man of the cloth".

:eyes:

[Child_Of_Isis]

3. That was his whole trip,

to get attention. "I expected a little stir". Is this the purpose of the bench these days?

[Florida_Geek]

4. I love it --- ad

I clicked on the link and the story came up with a books-a-million ad for Bill Clinton's My Life.

[Buns_of_Fire]

5. Now that we have your attention...

The back of Judge McKathan's robe is also available for personal messages, political messages, and advertising. Call for rates.

[Ilsa]

12. That is priceless! What a great idea.

You should call and ask for how much the judge's backside is for sale.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. It's funny how some fundamentalists have gotten a

bee in their collective bonnet about the ten commandments and are thinking up various ways to display an image of same and pay homage to it (think of the crowds going to view the traveling 10 commandments rock formerly in Judge Moore's courthouse.) Now Judge McKathan is wearing them on his robe. . . and I remember when I was a little girl, they made little girls' charm bracelets with ten commandment charms.

Yet, one thing I know about fundamentalist Protestants is that they almost universally disapprove of, if not downright hate, Catholics and Catholicism. Why? Well, one of the reasons they always give is that Catholics "worship" statues and other images, because we have statues in our churches and many of us wear crucifixes and/or medals depicting Jesus or a saint. They also look down their noses at these "graven images" of ours.

The irony is delicious!

[ashiebr]

8. Which Commandment is it...............

which says "Thou shalt not be DUI"?

[really annoyed]

41. How About a Commandment Belt?

Here ya go.

http://www.shopintuition.com/Commandment/belt.html

Or you can get a cuff.

http://www.shopintuition.com/Commandment/cuff.html

Maybe the judge is trying to be trendy? :evilgrin:

[lostnfound]

7. Folks, stop watching the waving scarves and keep eye on magicians.

This is ridiculous, true, but reacting to their ridiculous antics is allowing them to define the field.

[GOPFighter]

9. Good point

~~~

[Khephra]

11. One of the members here at DU had to deal with this joker

It IS important. Don't fool yourselves. Real life people have to go before this wacko. The way that he acts in doing this reflects his judgement in other areas...namely his place as a JUDGE. Do you really want to put your life or your loved one's lives in the hands of a judge who ignores the law of the land and basically flaunts it?

[lostnfound]

26. I had a certain fondness for that querky judge 'Harry' on a sitcom..

what was that show? --and maybe his judgment was pretty poor at times ;)

Seriously, I agree this is totally inappropriate and I think this judge sounds like 'not a member of the reality-based community'..but if you're going to go after judges for poor judgment, there's probably better criteria than lettering the commandments on his robe. Like how he actually handles his cases.

[Griffy]

39. Night Court... funny show nt

[flordehinojos]

10. it ain't all the crazies the ones who are locked up.

[BlueEyedSon]

13. He should be fired. Or defrocked. Or whatever you call it.

His job is to uphold the laws of the US and his state. Not the laws culled from a superstitious fairy tale.

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. If he can wear the ten commandments, can another judge wear

the Koran? How about the American flag.

[manly]

16. judge's robes

this idiot is so monumentally stupid, i can't believe it. another bush supporter.

[quaoar]

17. He's just following the Roy Moore path to political fame and fortune

Roy Moore was just a local judge in Gadsden until he posted the Ten Commandments on the wall in his courtroom. The next thing you know, he wins a statewide election to be chief justice of Alabama.

I guess Judge McKathan fancies himself in appellate robes as well.

[leesa]

18. Well, it seems McKathan's secretary needs a few reality-based calls

Can anyone get her contact stuff...I'm off to work.

[JitterbugPerfume]

19. his "antic" is important because

it is the steady drip drip drip of these crazies imposing their will upon the rest of us . He is in a place of authority over the freedom of others

scary Sh@ if you ask me

[saigon68]

20. THE NINTH CHRISTIAN CRUSADE

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[quaoar]

23. Hey

< on edit: not going to stoop to your level >

[Bake]

22. Anybody seen a pic of this robe?

I tried Google but came up dry.

Bake

[Krupskaya]

24. Someone please tell me how this isn't an activist judge. n/t

[Ferretherder]

31. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

...and you took the words right outta my mouth!

Funny how a guy who believes the way this wacko does, ISN'T an activist in the eyes of the GOP....only people who try to interpret the law as it applies to MODERN LIFE and MODERN PROBLEMS....in other words, those who think logically.

[quaoar]

25. An editorial from The Macon Telegraph

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/opinion/10424781.htm

May we address the court, your honor?

That opening is but one of the many written and unwritten rules of order that apply to courtroom proceedings, great and small. Others outline how and when lawyers address the presiding judge and prescribe the professional conduct and dress for lawyers and judges.

A courtroom is not the place to make statements. It's a place of decorum, of justice, of equality, of equal representation under the law.

But another judge in Alabama has taken it upon himself to use the assumed powers of the judicial bench as a pulpit to express his moral outrage that the law does not publicly equate to his personal religious preferences.

[bloom]

27. If another judge can be suspended for what he wears outside of court

This guy should be removed entirely for wearing partisan attire while in the court.

[Hobarticus]

28. "Judges who don't follow the rule of law, but follow their own agenda..."

Think I heard that from the Prince of Lies himself.

[quaoar]

29. The last graph in the Macon Telegraph editorial says a lot

While the label "activist judge" is most often associated with liberal judges who the labeler feels injects personal beliefs into judicial rulings, how much more "activist" is a conservative judge who wears any symbol in the courtroom like a billboard on his chest?

[hollowdweller]

30. We need to find a Pagan or Islamic Judge to display the same way

Also isn't wearing a robe like that violating the graven image commandment?

[bloom]

32. Most people wouldn't want to sacrifice their career to make the point.

There should be some way to illustrate how unacceptable this is.



To your question - I think the law givers used to be very much church/gov't intertwined. So the robe is almost priest-like. Too bad this judge didn't get the message that that's not the case anymore.

[murielm99]

33. Just another Pharisee

eom

[aikido15]

35. They really are taking over...

We are fucking doomed...evangelical hell, that's what this is.

[purduejake]

37. Who does he think he is, God?

This just pisses me off because it's as if he thinks his decisions are backed by God. Anybody else get that feeling?

edit: typo removed.

[aikido15]

38. Ah, yeah!

I get that feeling every frigging day. "Happy Holidays" offends these people somehow..why do they feel the need to SHOVE THEIR BELIEFS DOWN OUR THROATS?:puke:

[JohnLocke]

40. "...you shall not be as the hypocrites...

...that love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen I say to you, they have received their reward."
--Matthew 6:5

[aikido15]

42. so true...

I so wish they would practice what it is they think they stand for!

[Starlight]

43. They're desperate, attention seeking narcissists.

Religion is just a means to get attention & bully others.

http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/attent.htm#Need

Human beings are social creatures and need social interaction, feedback, and validation of their worth. The emotionally mature person doesn't need to go hunting for these; they gain it naturally from their daily life, especially from their work and from stable relationships. Daniel Goleman calls emotional maturity emotional intelligence, or EQ; he believes, and I agree, that EQ is a much better indicator of a person's character and value than intelligence quotient, or IQ.

The emotionally immature person, however, has low levels of self-esteem and self-confidence and consequently feels insecure; to counter these feelings of insecurity they will spend a large proportion of their lives creating situations in which they become the centre of attention. It may be that the need for attention is inversely proportional to emotional maturity, therefore anyone indulging in attention-seeking behaviours is telling you how emotionally immature they are.

Attention-seeking behaviour is surprisingly common. Being the centre of attention alleviates feelings of insecurity and inadequacy but the relief is temporary as the underlying problem remains unaddressed: low self-confidence and low self-esteem, and consequent low levels of self-worth and self-love.

Insecure and emotionally immature people often exhibit bullying behaviours, especially manipulation and deception. These are necessary in order to obtain attention which would not otherwise be forthcoming. Bullies and harassers have the emotional age of a young child and will exhibit temper tantrums, deceit, lying and manipulation to avoid exposure of their true nature and to evade accountability and sanction.