Greetings,
Within academia there have been many who argued that the postmodern critique is nothing but a shambolic move by some irrationalists who don't comprehend the very basic assumptions of knowledge pursuit. So, whatever the popularity of their criticism there would not be any social consequences of 'postmodern' kind. But I found this article of interest and I think there is more to the deabtes of relativism versus rationalism and the respective consequences of each within political sphere are to be seen, both locally as well as globally, no?
November 14, 2003
Judicial Courage in Alabama
he Court of the Judiciary in Alabama acted courageously yesterday when it removed Roy Moore, widely known as the Ten Commandments judge, as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Given Mr. Moore's knack for demagoguery, and the large following he has attracted, it would have been far easier to dodge the issue. But the court rightly found that Mr. Moore lacked the most basic requirement for judicial office: respect for the rule of law.
Mr. Moore gained notoriety by putting a Ten Commandments monument the size of a washing machine in the Alabama Supreme Court's rotunda. When two federal courts ordered it removed because it violated the separation of church and state, he refused, asserting "state sovereignty."
The nine-member Court of the Judiciary - made up of Democrats and Republicans, some of them elected officials - had to vote unanimously to remove Mr. Moore and, impressively, it did. It is not the only Alabama institution to do the right thing in this case. The judicial ethics commission suspended him from office in August. And Attorney General William Pryor Jr., once a Moore supporter, prosecuted the case in the Court of the Judiciary.
Mr. Moore's "state sovereignty" claim never had any validity, but even he should see that it is ludicrous now that Alabama's own judicial authorities have ruled against him. He has promised an announcement next week that "could alter the course of this country." He refused to elaborate, but he should know that Americans have a respect for the rule of law that will not be dislodged easily.
The same Constitution that Mr. Moore showed contempt for guarantees his right to say whatever he wants about the federal courts and
church-state doctrine. But thanks to the nine members of the Court of the Judiciary, he will now be excoriating the law in a more appropriate capacity, as a private citizen.