Gene Owens' article in the Mobile Register on April 11, 2001 is irresponsible journalism and demonstrates him to be a dangerous man. If Owens has his way, Alabama will have a constitution without freedom of religion and other basic civil rights extending back to the original 1819 Constitution. Most of Owens' diatribe and incorrect characterizations of the 1901 Constitution are way out of line and are misrepresentations of truth. Most of the problems Owens sees with the 1901 constitution are nonexistent - having been replaced long ago by amendments that work. Where did he get the asinine idea that the United Nations is in control of Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia? Slavery does not exist under the 1901 Constitution and furthermore the 1901 Constitution could not and cannot institute programs such as Social Security, as Owens suggests. Should we listen to a man like Owens to help us make decisions about the infinitely important task of rewriting the constitution. Gene Owens of the Mobile Register is a dangerous man, unable to separate fact from fiction. [ Home]---[Search]---[Email]---[Next]---[Support CCR] Back then, men were men and children were laborers By GENE OWENS Mobile Register April 11, 2001 I'm shaking in my boots these days for fear somebody is going to tear down that noble barrier to tyranny erected in 1901 by our all-wise forefathers. I'm referring to the Alabama Constitution, which for 100 years now has guarded us against the inroads of atheism, one-world government, democracy and progress. If we allow constitutional reform to go through, we may end up like the poor citizens of Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and other benighted states that updated their basic laws during the latter part of the 20th century. As we all know, those states are now firmly under the control of the United Nations, their leaders are all atheists and Christianity is in full retreat (ask Bob Jones, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson). Don't be surprised if you see the United Nations flag replacing the Confederate Battle Flag atop the South Carolina State House. Even in Alabama, with its pristine constitution, the sinister United Nations is muscling in. At a rally in Montgomery, anti-reform champions warned that zoning, regional planning and movements such as Envision Mobile-Baldwin are all part of the U.N. plot. State Sen. Albert Lipscomb, R-Magnolia Springs, warned that with a new constitution, local officials elected by local people might be able to decide how local money should be spent. Such decisions, of course, should be reserved to legislators in Montgomery, who are much more virtuous, knowledgeable and wise than are local officials. Kelly McGinley, a host on Mobile radio station WMOB-AM, maintains that the 1901 document is superior to anything that could be written now because the men of 1901 "were less evil than they are today." By Ned, she's right. Those men were staunch, unabashed advocates of white supremacy, and they openly vowed to uphold this worthy principle. Had they not been subject to the tyranny of the godless U.S. Constitution, they could have (and probably would have) taken us back to the days of slavery, when the races dwelt peaceably in their natural relationship: master to servant. The constitution also protected us against the votes of women and poor whites, preserving the natural right of the wealthy, masculine elite. The fathers of the 1901 constitution even protected individuals from their own foolish inclinations when it came to marriage: no weddings between white folks and black folks. Free enterprise was in the saddle back then. Employers could hire children under the age of 12 and work them 60 hours a week without interference from a liberal-dominated government. There were no safety or health regulations to prevent employers from maximizing their profits. There was no Social Security; if you couldn't lay aside a nest egg for retirement, you could always go to the Poor Farm. And there was no Medicaid or Medicare to burden the economy. If you couldn't afford medical care, you died, relieving society of the burden of looking after you. "They want God out of our constitution," said McGinley, who apparently disagrees with the judgments of uncouth men such as George Washington, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, who crafted a constitution that made no mention of God. What did that give us? A nation whose people acknowledge God from a variety of perspectives - Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu; a nation without laws compelling or forbidding religious worship; a nation that tolerates even (gasp!) agnostics and atheists. This is indeed a shameful situation and Alabama should forthwith transform its little corner of the nation into a theocracy. We have no Moses to mediate a covenant between Alabamians and God, but we do have a chief justice who believes he knows how God wants us to live. We don't have a Mount Sinai, either. But maybe Roy Moore can ascend Goat Hill and fetch us back a constitution that will make the old boys of 1901 proud. (Readers may write Gene Owens at the Mobile Register, P.O. Box 2488, Mobile AL 36652-2488, call him at 334-434-8587 or email him at gowens@mobileregister.com)