Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The Bible As A Model For The Constitution

I looked at Living Next Door to Alice and RWorld a bit earlier. (See Recommended Sidebar) The latter referred to the former's quote of Mike Huckabee suggesting that we amend the Constitution to be more in line with the Bible.

I then did a bit of online research. I can’t find a video or a transcript of the entire Huckabee speech last night but here is what he had to say about it last night on Hannity & Colmes:

COLMES: All right, Governor, you made a statement at a rally in Michigan within the last 24 hours. You said, "I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution." You said, "I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it'd be to change the word of the living God, and that's what we need to do."

That makes people a little worried. It sounds like you're looking to have a theocratic state when you make statements like that...

HUCKABEE: Oh, no, Alan.

COLMES: ... going to make change in Constitution...

HUCKABEE: Not at all.

COLMES: ... in keeping with your view of God.

HUCKABEE: On two things. The context is two things, human life amendment, which I support
and which has been in the Republican platform since 1980. And by the way, Fred Thompson doesn't support it, nor does John McCain. And yet it's part of our platform. And it's a very important part of our platform to say that human life is something we're going to stand for. And the second thing is traditional marriage.

So those are the two areas which I'm talking about. I'm not suggesting that we rewrite the Constitution to reflect tithing or Sunday school attendance. I want to make that very clear.

COLMES: Fred Thompson was on the show just a few moments ago...

HUCKABEE: Alan. I think maybe you should obey those things.

COLMES: Well, thank you for the suggestion.

The YouTube clip that is everywhere has no such context in it; but, I don’t know what came before or after the infamous quote. That said, I don’t want a president that wants an amendment that takes a side in the abortion debate or “constitutionalizes” a view of marriage.

Got to watch those people from Arkansas, whichever side of the issues they’re on.

7 comments:

Posol'stvo the Medved said...

I'm with you on this one Dave. It worries me greatly when someone sounds like they want to legislate morality, because what that means is that they want everyone to conform to THEIR morality.

And I do not believe that there is only one correct morality. Name your issue, and there are myriad ways to look at it. I am not myopic or polarized -- I am *unable* to see things from only one perspective.

So, Huckabee talks about making the laws of this nation, that apply to everyone in this nation, a nation that was predicated on religious freedom, which laws are currently supposed to guarantee religious freedom to everyone, into something that in essense whacks out the belief systems of entire groups, and I suspect that, protestations aside, a theocracy is looming.

And I won't stand for it.

If this is true, I do *not* Heart Huckabee.

fermicat said...

Oh my.

My dream election would be Obama vs. McCain.

My nightmare election would be Clinton vs. Huckabee.

I'm not gonna have a lot of say about it voting here in Georgia, unfortunately. So I did the next best thing and sent some money to the person I would really like to see as president. It was my first political donation, ever.

Anonymous said...

That was an interesting way to back pedal. So he doesn't want to put all of "God's laws" into the constitution, just a couple of them. Will that pacify a vengeful god? Or will God next demand prayer in schools?

He sounds a little like Yogi Berra: "I didn't really say all those things I said."

Keith said...

Even though I believe in the Bible, I am totally against someone pushing it on others.

I also object to them trying to legislate morality.

If Huckabee gets in, it will be just like GW.

Lets keep the separation of church and state.

Jeni said...

Amen and Amen times two! (That does make four, doesn't it?)
Totally agree with the separation of church and state thing - which we really haven't had much along those lines now have we over the past seven years.
Fermicat - loved your description of a horrible election possibility too!

Dianne said...

Hi there Dave - I came over from Jeni's blog.

Huckabee - I call him Huck the Schmuck - scares me. People react so positively to his folksy act - he's just a judgemental jerk on a mission from crazy town.

I love the Yogi quote thomaslb!

The Exception said...

I think that everything has been said. (But I had to say...something!)