wonderful smackdown of a far right fundie

[onenote]

Sorry if this is a dupe, but if it was posted before, I missed it:


On Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, in Annapolis 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, Raskin engaged in an exchange with a repub member of the state senate who stated that "As I read Biblical principles, marriage was intended, ordained and started by God — that is my belief. For me, this is an issue solely based on religious principles."

In response, Raskin had the perfect response:

"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."

onenote

[Faygo Kid]

1. Touche!

One to remember.

[redqueen]

2. That is so perfect.

I wanna send him a thank you letter. :)

[jedr]

3. And capitalism is an economic system, not a form of government;

Both of these talking points need to be repeated many times. What a wonderful response;short, to the point and easily remembered. Hammer it home!

[RamboLiberal]

4. According to Snopes Bill Maher and Jesse Jackson, Jr

made very similar comments.

Who should get credit for originating this quip is unclear, however, because the concept has been used before. For example, comedian Bill Maher said the following (in reference to the Terry Schiavo case) during the 1 April 2005 broadcast of his HBO television program, Real Time with Bill Maher:
The Federal Appeals Court in Atlanta scolded the other day for acting in a manner they said, "demonstrably at odds with our founding fathers' blueprint." There are laws named after one person, like the Miranda laws, but they don't just apply to Mr. Miranda. They apply to everyone. Not so with the Schiavo Law. Does George Bush remember that he put his hand on the Bible to uphold the Constitution and not the other way around?

And a 1997 article about Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois reports him as offering a similar sentiment:
Jackson voted against a House resolution supporting a judge who displayed the Ten Commandments in court. He was dismayed that it passed. "When I came here, I put my hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. I didn't put my hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/raskin.asp