Bible or Constitution?

[Emit]

Bible or Constitution?
On Wednesday, March 1, 2006, at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor of law at AU, was requested to testify.

At the end of his testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said: "Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?"

Raskin replied: "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

The room erupted into applause. --Baltimore Sun

http://www.bushwatch.net/bush.htm#dems

With additional discussion via: http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/raskin.asp

[BuyingThyme]

1. kcik

[ChoralScholar]

2. kick-ass

and just plain old 'kick' too.

[Erika]

3. Fantastic!!

I think the rabid right wingers pushed us too far. We may love the Bible but we uphold the freedoms in the Constitution.

[donheld]

4. Fabulous Quote

One of the best I've seen in a long time.

[silverweb]

5. BAM!

Now that is a brilliant response!

:applause:

[northofdenali]

6. Kick ASS is right!

Big pat on the back to the prof. :kick:

[Alamom]

7. The TRUTH is always so impressive. n/t

[AndyTiedye]

8. Kicking This One onto the "Greatest" Page!

:kick:

[BlueEyedSon]

9. Constitution.

Oh sorry, I thought this was a multiple-choice question!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

19. bravo!

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. I'd like to see the part of the bible

that actually says that about marriage. I love the way xians make up their own versions of the bible.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

20. to the contrary, some biblical heros were gay.

The next time you run into any bible beaters who claim that having gay sex is a crime (don't use your car).
Try pointing out Ruth’s “claving” Naomi’s private parts; Ruth 1:16-17 and 2:10-11; the Jewish King David kissing and fondling his lover Jonathan; Samuel 18:2; or Daniel getting physical with Ashpenaz, Daniel 1:9.

[mcscajun]

11. Damn! I love this Raskin guy!

What a fantastic line!

[Avalux]

12. Good answer! lol!

Dumbass Jacobs should be forced to resign for her obvious diregard for the Constitution. This country was not founded on the bible, idiot.

[Strong Atheist]

13. Good. Keep the theocracy away... nt.

[bridgit]

14. good one...

:patriot:

[baby_mouse]

15. PERFECT. NT

[galatea]

16. brilliant answer

except that I would give a less diplomatic one:

The bible (lower 'b', that's right) is a fiction work written 2,000 years ago which only the very weak-minded follow.

[Minnesota Libra]

17. I've read that and I love it but I WANT A REPORTER or an.........

.....average citizen to ask ALL CANDIDATES one question, with a follow up. "Sir/Ma-am, if and when the situation arises where your religious/faith beliefs conflict with the Constitution, which one will you ultimately choose to follow?" If the candidate choose the Constitution - which they probably will - the follow up question/comment should be, "Sir/Ma am, after the last eight years of having the Bible crammed down our throats we certainly hope you mean what you are saying. Many Americans have definite religious beliefs but we don't want our representatives cramming their particular beliefs down our throats."

[Ufomammut]

18. Good for those in the room

[corkhead]

21. Oh, I thought this was a poll...

:evilgrin:

[mmonk]

22. A comeback line for the ages.

[Emit]

24. And one that should be repeated often! n/t

[CrispyQ]

23. Outstanding!!! --nt

[Emit]

25. More on Jamie Raskin here

By Frederick Clarkson
Wednesday, March 15, 2006


Raskin's fearless and focused response to the religiously-informed and anti-Constitutional statement of a top Christian Right state senator sets a new standard for what we should expect from our elected officials and candidates for public office. An upstart candidate running in the Democratic primary for Maryland State Senate may be poised to stage a remarkable upset. The candidate, Jamie Raskin is becoming nationally known as an advocate for marriage equality -- and for coining a phrase so important and so memorable that it deserves not only be to be widely quoted -- but considered part of an essential lesson that should be deeply learned by everyone concerned about the rise of the religious right, especially those who hold or aspire to public office at all levels.
Linguist George Lakoff is right about framing. And this is an instance in which the right phrasing helps us to crystallize the frame in a way that defends the Constitutional rights of all against the dominionist excesses of the Christian Right. The entire episode is worthy of some study as an exercise in reframing by standing up for the constitution rather than debating religion; and in how the longer term answer lies in electing better people to public office.

Jeremy Learming, writing at the blog, Wall of Separation, tells the story of the Raskin's testimony (which was covered by The Baltimore Sun) at a hearing in the Maryland legislature on proposed state constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage. Raskin, a professor of Constitutional Law at American University had been asked to testify by Equality Maryland, a marriage equality organization. More dramatic than his tesitimony was his exchange with Republican State Senator Nancy Jacobs who said, "As I read biblical principles, marriage is intended, ordained and started by God - that is my belief, ... For me, this is an issue solely based on religious principles."

Raskin replied:

"People place their hand on the Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution. They don't put their hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

Wow!

In one stark colloquy, the dominionist Christian view of law was demolished and rebutted as effectively as I have ever seen.

http://www.raskin06.com/news/06-03-15.cortex.php

[IrishBloodEngHeart]

26. Hey, that's been my signature line for about a week now.

[Rainscents]

27. Fuckin-A!!!

Kick ass and take name!

[stop the bleeding]

28. Well said

Bravo!!!:popcorn:

[Burma Jones]

29. How About the Bibletution

That's what we're up against.

[Raiden]

30. Amazing quote!

Kicked :kick:

[AllieB]

31. And the Constitution was written by Deists

not Christians, though the fundies would have you believe otherwise.

Article VI, Section 3: “...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”

First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...”

"The United States of America should have a foundation free from the influence of clergy."
-George Washington

Treaty of Tripoli, Article 11: Written during the Administration of George Washington and signed into law by John Adams.
“The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”

Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823
"One day the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in the United States will tear down the artificial scaffolding of Christianity. And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His father, in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter."

James Madison, Letter to William Bradford, April 1, 1774:
"Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise"

[in_cog_ni_to]

32. PERFECT REPLY!

:bounce: