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Common Questions:
Will they be moving the original monument back? I like it where it is.
- No, they will be creating a new monument. This same design is on display in Bannock County, and was found constitutional when challenged in Federal Court.
What will this new monument cost the taxpayers?
- Nothing. 100% of the cost has already been donated by private citizens.
If this new monument is challenged by the ACLU or other liberal groups, who will bear the cost to defend the monument?
- One of the nation's leading law firms has pledged to defend the monument and the City of Boise if there are any future legal challenges. This will be at no cost to the city or the taxpayers.
A Brief History of the 10 Commandments Monument Debate
- 1965 - Fraternal Order of Eagles donates the monument to Boise City, in an effort to curb juvenile delinquency and crime.
- 2003 - Fred Phelps from Kansas threatens litigation against Boise, Nampa, and Caldwell over their public displays of the 10 Commandments.
- January 2004 - Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and the Boise City Council cave in to the threat, voting to remove their monument, claiming a fear of expensive litigation. Caldwell and Nampa mayors ignore the threat. (nothing has ever come of it in Caldwell & Nampa)
- For the next 70 days, a small group of volunteers brave the winter weather to keep a day & night protective vigil by the monument.
- March 2004 - Monument removed. 13 citizens, kneeling in prayer around the monument are arrested, while hundreds prayerfully watch in support of the monument.
- Keep the Commandments Coalition begins petition to collect the required 13,000 signatures in order to let the citizens decide!
- In under 90 days, 19,000 signatures are collected.
The city council refused to accept the signatures and announced they would not allow the initiative on the ballot!
- (Our Constitution clearly gives every citizen the right to petition their government for redress of grievances. This was ignored.)
- This ignoring of the right to petition is challenged in court, eventually making it to the Idaho Supreme Court.
- Summer 2006 - Idaho Supreme Court rules 4-1 in favor of the citizens right to vote.
- A new monument design is selected and 100% of the cost is donated. There will be no cost to taxpayers or the City of Boise!
- In a transparent attempt to mislead voters, Boise City uses the wording on the ballot "An initiative directing Boise City to purchase a Ten Commandments monument ..." The word "purchase" is used three times on the ballot, when they knew it was completely donated!
- Keep the Commandments Coalition discovers the deceptive wording as the ballots are being prepared! Caught red-handed, Boise City re-words the ballot.
- One of the nation's leading law firms pledges to defend the monument and the City of Boise if there are any future legal challenges. This will be at no cost to the city or the taxpayers.
- October 2006 - In a radio interview, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, attempting to confuse and distort the issue, expresses concern of the cost of the litigation that he expects will surely follow if the monument is replaced. He implied a concern for the cost to Boise!
- When asked what is the total cost of litigation Boise has incurred in fighting against the citizens right to vote, Boise replied they had no record of the amount! It is estimated at over $100,000! (remember, the removal of the monument and three-year fight against the Keep the Commandments Coalition was supposedly to avoid costly litigation!!!)
Mayor Dave Bieter and the Boise City Council seem to be shamelessly pursuing an agenda to defeat this proposal despite the will of the people!
Featured Article: An Eye-witness Account Published on www.tvcnews.org By Brandi Swindell “...And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) On November 7th, the citizens of Boise will have a chance to make history. They will have the opportunity to vote on the nation’s first voter initiative concerning the public display of the Ten Commandments. The outcome of that vote will have a profound impact on expressions of faith in the public square, across America, for years to come. As God called Esther to a place of accountability in order to save the nation of Israel, so God is now calling the faith community of Boise to stand strong in this struggle to protect religious freedom and liberty in America. Our prayer is that the Christians of Boise will show the same courage, faith, and resolve as Esther exhibited centuries ago. The History In January of 2004, the Boise City Council voted to remove a Ten Commandments Monument that had stood in Julia Davis Park for over 40 years. The reason they gave for voting to remove the monument was that they were afraid lawsuits would be brought against the city, and would cost Boise taxpayers thousands of dollars to protect the monument. It is important to remember that the neighboring communities of Nampa and Caldwell were facing similar threats of litigation for their Ten Commandments memorial displays. However, both cities chose not to be bullied into surrendering their First Amendment rights and a giving up a treasured part of their history. They chose to keep the memorials in place. Almost two years later, no lawsuits have been filed in either community and the Ten Commandments proudly remain in their rightful place. The reality is that the Boise Ten Commandments monument did not become controversial until the mayor and city council ordered it to be removed. Immediately after the Boise City Council voted to remove the Ten Commandments, a group of Christian and community leaders came together and formed the Keep the Commandments Coalition. The co-chairs were Brandi Swindell and the Rev. Bryan Fischer. The Coalition mobilized thousands of citizens across the Treasure Valley to stand as prophetic voice against the removal of the Ten Commandments and to seek God for spiritual awakening in our region. The group filed a federal lawsuit seeking to keep the monument in place. They also organized prayer vigils, rallies and services at the display in Julia Davis Park. For 70 days, hundreds gathered through the brutal cold, bitter snow and rain, howling winds at all hours of the night to stand in obedience to God and to fight against the erosion of religious liberty. Sadly, in March of 2004 the City of Boise removed the Ten Commandments as myself and 12 other Christians were arrested as they peacefully knelt in prayer around the Commandments. Hundreds stood praying in Julia Davis Park while thousands more saw the drama played out on their television screens. Throughout the entire 70 days, the emphasis of the Keep the Commandments Coalition was not on keeping a stone monument in a public park. Rather, it was centered on calling the Christians of the Treasure Valley to passionately seek God for revival, crying out for Christian unity and radical Biblical obedience and resisting the growing trend of stripping religious freedom and expression from the pubic square. It is important to remember that if the Boise City Council can vote to remove the Ten Commandments from a public park today then no public expression of faith is secure throughout our city. What is to keep Boise officials from voting to prevent gospel outreaches in public parks like the powerful Luis Palau Festival several years ago? Or, under the guise of separation of Church and State, to restrict sharing the gospel at outreaches like the “Feeding God’s Children” ministry at Julia Davis Park by the Vineyard Christian Fellowship? No, the struggle over the Ten Commandments was much more than keeping a large piece of stone in a public park. It is about ensuring that future generations will have the right to publicly worship God according the traditions of their own conscience free from government harassment or intimidation. Once the Ten Commandments was removed, most groups would have given up. But not Keep the Commandments Coalition. After a season of diligent prayer and discussion, the group decided to take an extraordinary and historic step. They agreed to become the first city in America to have the citizens vote on the public display of the Ten Commandments. The Keep the Commandments Coalition was giving the citizens of Boise the opportunity to decide to put the Ten Commandments back in Julia Davis Park. Citizens were to choose if they wanted these eternal truths from God to be publicly displayed as a way of uniting and strengthening our community. Throughout the brutal heat of the summer of 2004 scores of volunteers worked diligently to gather the 13,000 signatures needed to hold this historic voter initiative. Most of the political experts in Boise felt it could not be done. However against overwhelming odds, on August 4th the Keep the Commandments Coalition turned in over 19,000 signatures to the Boise City Clerk. Many more thousands of names were turned in than were actually needed. Sadly, the Boise City Council trampled the democratic process and the wishes of their own citizens, and refused to put the Ten Commandments voter initiative on the ballot. Again, most groups would have given up. But the Keep the Commandments Coalition would not surrender or yield. Like the widow and the unjust judge in Luke 18, they continued to persevere and seek God during this challenging situation. In the fall of 2004, the Coalition filed a lawsuit seeking to have the courts allow the democratic process to move forward. After almost two years of court battles, the Idaho Supreme Court stated, in a 4 to 1 ruling, on August 4th, of 2006 that the Ten Commandments had to be put on the ballot. Just as Esther did many years ago, the Christian community of the Treasure Valley stands on the edge of history. Like Esther, will we rise to the occasion? Where We Are Today On November 7th, the eyes of the nation will be on Boise as they become the first community in American history to vote on the public display of the Ten Commandments. The outcome of this vote will impact expressions of religious freedom and liberty for years to come. It is a vote we must not lose. The Keep the Commandments Coalition has already heard that many communities intend to follow in our footsteps and press for voter initiatives on the public display of the Ten Commandments. Who would have thought the efforts of a small band of Christians would have such a powerful impact on the nation? The Keep the Commandments Coalition is asking for the Christian Community and people of good will in the Treasure Valley to join with us in this historic struggle. Please go to www.keepthecommandmentsidaho.com to see how you can be involved. The Coalition needs your prayers and generous financial support immediately. Here are some key points to remember about the voter initiative.
- The new Ten Commandments display will be paid for by private funds and will not cost the taxpayers a dime.
- The display in Julia Davis Park will be the same one that is in front the Bannock County Courthouse. That display was already declared constitutional by a federal judge in Idaho.
- If a lawsuit is filed, leading Constitutional public interest law firms have said they will defend the City of Boise for free. Again, saving thousands of taxpayer dollars.
We believe God is doing extraordinary things in this hour. His desire is to ignite a spiritual renewal and awakening that will sweep across this nation. On November 7th, the citizens of Boise can have a small part in being a part of this great awakening. Now is the time for the church to step out of their fear and timidity and into the purposes of God for this generation. To contact Keep the Commandments Coalition, please go to www.keepthecommandmentsidaho.com or e-mail contact@keepthecommandmentsidaho.com Donations may be mailed to: P.O. Box 140031, Boise, ID 83714. Stop by our offices to volunteer or pick up your sign at 202 N. 9th Street, Boise (on the 4 th floor of the McCarty building on the corner of 9 th and Idaho in downtown Boise). |
