Ten Commandments Back In Front Of City Hall

By Jon A. Brake

They are back. And what a great sight, the Ten Commandments given to the world by God and removed by the Manhattan
City Commission and the ACLU.

This monolith is not written in stone, it is a car with the Ten Commandments written on the side. The car was first parked in
front of City Hall before Tuesday nights City Commission meeting. The car was again in front of City Hall Wednesday
morning. It is registered to a local political group called Manhattan Concerned Citizens Group. Paul Foltz is the President.

The fight started more than forty years ago when the Manhattan the City received the monolith from the Fraternal Order of
Eagles. A Legal History of the Ten Commandment issue was given to the Commission on October 28, 1998 by City
Attorney William (Bill) Frost. The legal history showed the right by cities to display the Ten Commandments had been upheld
by the Colorado Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. The Colorado Supreme
Court stated: "Upon consideration of the content of the monument itself, we conclude that it was not erected with the purpose
of endorsing religion. The monument at issue here does not reproduce exactly the Ten Commandments as accepted by any
particular sect."

In 1998 the City Commission voted to keep the monolith in front of City Hall. Six month later after an election the new
Commission voted to remove it. The ACLU filed a lawsuit and was later paid $12,000 by the City to drop the suit.

The car can be parked in front of City Hall for a period of 48 hours. It must be moved and then they have another 48 hours.