Wow, some news strikes closer to home than others. Yahoo! News – Ala. Judge Wears Ten Commandments on Robe.
I’ve actually met this judge. We didn’t share a conversation or anything – he was at my father-in-law’s funeral and we shook hands at the visitation. I do know his son, though – went hunting with him this past Thanksgiving trip. Nice guy. For privacy’s sake, I’ll call him Bob. 🙂
And here’s a demonstration in upbringing and respect… Bob has seen me make a complete ass of myself at a highschool baseball game. I was heckling the home team while my (wife’s) cousins were on the visiting team in Florala, AL. The home team had been harrassing our batters, nobody else was giving anything back, so I decided I would.
So here’s this yankee, yelling with a fake french accent, “Shake that thing for meee… Oh yes! I like it VERY good!” “You’re Zeeper is down, you know. I like eeet!” etc. It horrified our aunt. It helped our team though – the home team’s scoring slowed down, and ours picked up. If only I’d started earlier in the game, we might’ve won.
Bob, like most other people sitting around me (including my wife), was both laughing, and keeping his distance – not wanting to be collateral damage when the Florala folks lost their southern hospitality and came after me.
And then… 4 months later on my next trip down… had the gall to call me “Sir”. Maybe I look old. Maybe he forgot about that May baseball game by November. But I think it’s more likely he’s been raised well, respects his elders – even if they’ve been public morons – and his parents have done a pretty darn good job raising him.
And that’s the sum of my experience with this judge in Covington County, Alabama. And combined with the fact that I agree with what he’s doing anyway, it’s more than enough for me to give him my respect and support.
I hope he’s getting other positive support, in contrast to the negative discouragement I know he’s getting. This is my display of it.