You thought Alabama had it bad? Trend of manic southern judges continues...

[BigJim]

Mississippi Judge Ordered to Remove
Twelve-foot Burning Cross From Courthouse
By Ivor Biggun of the Country Gentleman's Pig Fertiliser Gazzette

----------------------------------------------------------


Jackson, MS - Judge Clinton Marburger continued his refusal to comply with a federal court ruling which ordered him to remove a twelve-foot tall burning cross from his courtroom.

The state faces fines and loss of federal funding if the cross is not removed before Friday at midnight.

"The cross is a symbol of God which is the moral basis for our laws," said Judge Marburger. "It's not endorsing any particular form of religion. All Christian denominations recognize the cross as an important symbol, so it really shouldn't be an issue."

"Furthermore," continued Judge Marburger, "the cross in my courtroom symbolizes the sacrifice that we all make in meting out justice, and the flames symbolize the warm feelings we have for all those who pass through our doors. Who could object to that?"

Supporters of Judge Marburger held hands on the courthouse steps and sang choruses of "Amazing Grace" and "My Mammy" during an overnight, cross-light vigil.

"Everyone knows that Jesus died on the cross, so why wouldn't we want to burn it? I mean would Jesus want to come back and see all these crosses around? I don't think he would want to be reminded of that time," questioned Tom Hayder, a supporter from Biloxi.

Other supporters wondered when the separation of church and state madness would end. Cheryl White from Jackson worried, "First they forbid the ten commandments in Alabama, now our burning cross in Mississippi. Next thing you know, they'll want to stop the re-enactments of the crucifixion during sentencing that the court in Texas does?"

The perpetually burning cross was installed late one night in July, and met with immediate objections from Civil Rights groups who decried it as a hateful symbol of racism and intolerance.


"Those people just don't understand," retorted Marburger. "When I make rulings in my courtroom, I take no consideration into the race or religious affiliation of the unseemly heathen, mostly black defendants in my courtroom."

A federal court ruled that not only did the burning cross promote a religion, but that Judge Marburger was "out of his fucking mind and should be removed from the bench with extreme prejudice."




😉

 

[Ghost2004]

Re: southern Judges and origin of "

Damn Jim.. U are gonna be stirring Up

 

[Ghost2004]

Southern Judges and Origin of "Fiery Cross"

Damn Jim U are gonna be stirring up trouble with our dear Southern Members?? You LOVE a good fight doncha? like any good Brit!
😛


Does anyone her know the true origins of the fiery cross/cross burning? Correct me if I am wrong, but I know it is started with the KKK, but I also remember reading somewhere that the fiery cross (burning cross) was used as a sympol to gather the clans to war in the Scottish Highlands. If this is how it started presumably it was brought to the colonies by the Scots immigrants

Just curious, not meanin to start a fight

Ghostie

 

[His Divine Shadow]

A federal court ruled that not only did the burning cross promote a religion, but that Judge Marburger was "out of his fucking mind and should be removed from the bench with extreme prejudice."

I want the judge who said that on the Supreme court NOW.😀 I may be an atheistic heathen, but Judge (If you can call him one) Marburger was just being a racist, hateful bigot. No religious stuff involved. He simply rode the wave of opinion following the removal of the Ten Commandments monument. Some people.

 

[JoBelle]

Ahem!

Newsflash!

That's would be one person's thougts. Judge, he could be, but that is NOT a representative of all people in the South. People here are as unhappy with that kind of thing as those elsewhere.

*sigh*
Joby

Hehe, Just picturing the outrage when a liberal group decided to roast marshmallows during a press conference...hehe This would be a great political cartoon.

 

[His Divine Shadow]

I'll second that. I grew up in the south for a great deal of time, and I now find, living in the North, that people were generally more courteous down south. So, as Joby said, one moron, not a region of 'em.

 

[BigJim]

Re: Southern Judges and Origin of "Fiery Cross"

Damn Jim U are gonna be stirring up trouble with our dear Southern Members?? You LOVE a good fight doncha? like any good Brit!
😛

Nah, not at all Ghostie. 🙂 There's plenty of southerners who think this sort of thing is as silly as I do. It's not the region that's in question, it's the mental state.

I'm always spoiling for a ruck, but only with biggots, morons, close-minded individuals... and the Dutch! There's only two things I can't stand in this world; people who are intolerant of other people's cultures... and the Dutch!

 

[sceej56]

Uhm ... this is a gag. Look at the names "White" "Hayder" (Hater?) and I assure you that a federal judge might think someone out of their fucking minds (takes one to know one) but would not inculde it in his opinion. I think the Southern attitude toward all the well meaning people telling them what to do was summed up nicely by Ronnie Van Zandt of Lynryrd Skynyrd when he told the ever preachy Neil Young "a 'Southern Man' don't need him around anyhow!".

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Isn't it fun when he does this? 😀 Lol, I knew it.😀

 

[Haltickling]

Re: Southern Judges and Origin of "Fiery Cross"

Does anyone her know the true origins of the fiery cross/cross burning? Correct me if I am wrong, but I know it is started with the KKK, but I also remember reading somewhere that the fiery cross (burning cross) was used as a sympol to gather the clans to war in the Scottish Highlands. If this is how it started presumably it was brought to the colonies by the Scots immigrants

Right, Ghost, it's from the Scottish Highlands to summon the clan, either for a war or a blood-feud. How racist idiots like the KKK got hold of this symbol is a riddle to me... 😕

Maybe His Honor should wear a white hood and cloak in court. Or a dunce's cap... 🙄

 

[BigJim]

Re: Re: Southern Judges and Origin of "Fiery Cross"

Right, Ghost, it's from the Scottish Highlands to summon the clan, either for a war or a blood-feud. How racist idiots like the KKK got hold of this symbol is a riddle to me... 😕

Ah, symbolism throughout the ages. Oh Hal, THAT could be a 10,000 word post!

 

[His Divine Shadow]

I sense another conspiracy thread......😀 Go for it, Jim!

 

[JoBelle]

Reminds me of a little salute that was used a few decades back.
🙄
Jo

 

[sushi854]

not a 10,000 word post, but Klan and clan do rhyme...

In a nutshell, many of those who settled what is now the southern US were of Scottish, as well as English and Irish descent. Even without an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon, it would certainly seem plausible that angry whites would seek to use symbols that invoke their heritage as a means of demonstrating their allegations of racial superiority. Nothing against Scottish people of course, since my maternal grandparents were from Scotland 😀 , but I can certainly see the connection.

btw jim... great post 😀

 

[natural tickler]

Evil, indeed. Where do they find judges like this, and why do people in the South keeps electing people like this? You claim that not all people in the South are like that, and you may be right, but a vote is the voice of the people, and electing people like this must mean that the voice he's throwing out is yours too. Just a thought😀

 

[ticklebutton]

whoops honey, I think they're winding you up...

Mississippi Judge Ordered to Remove
Twelve-foot Burning Cross From Courthouse
By Ivor Biggun of the Country Gentleman's Pig Fertiliser Gazzette

...Supporters of Judge Marburger held hands on the courthouse steps and sang choruses of ..."My Mammy"...

A federal court ruled that not only did the burning cross promote a religion, but that Judge Marburger was "out of his fucking mind and should be removed from the bench with extreme prejudice."

Ivor Biggun of the Country Gentleman's Pig Fertiliser Gazzette? C'mon...LOL

Good parody, though! *laughing with delight*

Button 😛

 

[JoBelle]

Evil, indeed. Where do they find judges like this, and why do people in the South keeps electing people like this? You claim that not all people in the South are like that, and you may be right, but a vote is the voice of the people, and electing people like this must mean that the voice he's throwing out is yours too. Just a thought😀

See the website below for the picture that goes with this satirical piece.http://www.bbspot.com/politics/News/2003/08/burning_cross.html

Again, the South does not hold the exclusive honor of being filled with racists. I do agree it has a long and glorious history of being advertised as a hate filled place where white girls like me obviously can't abide anyone with so much as a tan. *sigh*

What is so apparent in the South now that people DO see is that many of the "old money families" that became such through racist activities (among others) still retain the wealth and therefore the majority of the power. THAT is why so called humor pieces like this one are so easy to believe as the majority, when really it's just few with the most cash that display those attributes. Given the economic disaster that fills much of the south, you can hardly assume that most of us are money grubbing KKK members. 🙄

But, then again....all Muslims are terrorists, all Germans hate Jews, all Blacks are followers of Louis Farrakan, all New Yorkers are thugs, all people from Los Angeles are implant studded coke heads, all people from Washington are filthy grunge fans, all people from WI are fat cheese eaters, all people from Russia are still the enemy...and all southerners are inherently racist. I'm sure there are more assumptions I forgot to list. 🙄

Regarding the Scots bit...I've never heard of a big Scottish settling in the South. It's not something I've ever run across in my life. Someone educate me please. 🙂 Thanks muchly.

Joby

 

[sushi854]

Not so much the deep south, but Appalachia from what I understand. I assume this would include states like Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, where I also believe the KKK was quite active during its heyday. My grandma always said the mountains reminded her of home (Scotland) and that's why many Scots settled there. (She of course settled in northeast Ohio for some reason...) I'm not offering any indisputable facts as to why Scottish people settled this area, as I'm basing this all on things I've heard, but merely pointing out a possible connection between ancient clan rituals and more modern "Klan" rituals.

 

[Ghost2004]

Also, after the 1745 "Rising", many of the Scots who supported "Bonnie Prince Charlie"(Charles Edward Stuart) and were defeated in the battle of Culloden in the Scottish Highlands, were imprisioned and later deported as bondsmen and indentured servants, mostly to the colonies of PA,SC, NC, and Va and the territories making up Kentucky, Tenn, ect. When their terms of servitute were finished( usually 7 yrs) they ususally made that area or the wilderness around it their homes, in addition to the Scots who emigrated there voluntarily.

 

[BigJim]

What is so apparent in the South now that people DO see is that many of the "old money families" that became such through racist activities (among others) still retain the wealth and therefore the majority of the power.

OMG!!!!! 😱 Old money... having influence in the states... still influential...

You beginning to believe my geneology posts Joby? 😉 😛

THAT is why so called humor pieces like this one are so easy to believe as the majority, when really it's just few with the most cash that display those attributes.

I wouldn't say money was the deciding factor in predudicial attitudes. Certainly people of "old money" stock rise to prominence more often, but that's the same the world over. I think it speaks volumes about the fanatical, puritanical Bible-bashers of some parts of America (And this ain't confined to the south; there's a truck-load of em in Boston! They're descendants of Nantucket Quakers.) who are ever bit as bad in their attitudes as any Ayatollah. Some people who read this article actually believed in it's literal truth, because such a statement in America doesn't come as unusual. In fact, when I posted it, I deliberately changed the name of the author and the name of the publication just so it would be even MORE obvious that it was a joke. I mean, look at these bits...

"It's not endorsing any particular form of religion. All Christian denominations recognize the cross as an important symbol, so it really shouldn't be an issue."
That essentially says that the judge doesn't acknowledge anything other than Christianity as a religion. When he thinks of other religions, he's actually talking about other branches of the same one. That sentence in particular reminded me of Scott.
"First they forbid the ten commandments in Alabama, now our burning cross in Mississippi. Next thing you know, they'll want to stop the re-enactments of the crucifixion during sentencing that the court in Texas does?"
This one takes a crack at the excessively psychotic attitude of the judiciary in Texas. It compares their trial and judgement system with a Roman crucifixion. It also takes a dig at the previously mentioned case in Alabama.
"Those people just don't understand," retorted Marburger. "When I make rulings in my courtroom, I take no consideration into the race or religious affiliation of the unseemly heathen, mostly black defendants in my courtroom."
A paragraph that is hugely satirical of the big bias against coloured defendants in southern courts, especially where capital punishment is concerned. As Joby points out, an example of what those who are appointed to the system are capable of, not everyone living there.
n.b. Judges are ELECTED in the US?

But, then again....all Muslims are terrorists, all Germans hate Jews, all Blacks are followers of Louis Farrakan, all New Yorkers are thugs, all people from Los Angeles are implant studded coke heads, all people from Washington are filthy grunge fans, all people from WI are fat cheese eaters, all people from Russia are still the enemy...and all southerners are inherently racist. I'm sure there are more assumptions I forgot to list. 🙄
Joby

You forgot the one about all Brits being limp-wristed, S&M obsessed, imperialist, over-liberal twats. 😀


Well, maybe the S&M bit is true...

 

[BigJim]

I'm not offering any indisputable facts as to why Scottish people settled this area, as I'm basing this all on things I've heard, but merely pointing out a possible connection between ancient clan rituals and more modern "Klan" rituals.

Many rituals from seemingly unconnected peoples and places have striking similarities to each other. The same is true of symbology, as I mentioned to Hal.

 

[JoBelle]

Thank you Ghost. 🙂

Jim,
Genealogy is my middle name. 😛 On a side note, I have the book of "Who made Jo" that my mother and I have compiled over the last twenty years. We have three professional genealogists in my fam. 😛 I'm quite aware of the role that family history plays in the modern world.

I have issue with the idea that you propose that these families are in control for oh..gee...almost a thousand years. Even the most public of families that can be traced through times don't weild the power they once did. LOL In my post, I'm talking about grandchilden and grandparent. Generations where people actually KNEW the cousin that strung up the rope.

As far as the KKK. I know a couple of people in it. Would have called them friends through other organizations until I found out they were a closeted members of the scary sheet wearers. One of them lived in Montana and was in the area visiting for a gallery opening. He made the comment about "those blacks" to the wrong person and I escorted him from my home. I suppose he thought he was in the South so it was ok to say such things. I've always found it interesting that the KKK and burning crosses (etc.) is a dominant form of expression, however horrific, in the South. If you look at the race makeup of other areas in the country it begs to wonder why minority numbers are lower in traditionally less racist places. Probably a whole other kettle of fish. I wonder what types of less proplific anti-minority behavior occurs in those areas. Are they tied to the historical makeup? Or would we find that it's just easier to see in the South?

Jo

 

[sushi854]

Yeah, thanks for the history lesson Ghost..(maybe I was worried that peoplke thought I was just making up this shit 😀 ) I knew there had to be some historical connection to this phenomenon. Just like "hillbilly" music sounds remarkably reminiscent of Scottish and Irish folk music (dealing with different subject matter of course), I would certainly make the assumption that the burning cross being used as a symbol by both Scottish clans and the KKK is more than a mere historical coincidence. Maybe I should do some actual research...

 

[sushi854]

oh yeah, and...

That's a good question, Jo, about the correlation between minority population and seemingly higher concentrations of racist attitiudes and behaviors. I don't think the "southern" variety of racism itself is tied to any one particular ethnic group or historical event, but rather that the symbols used can theoretically be traced back to earlier origins. Speaking as a northerner, I do believe that northern racism is tied to the historical makeup of the region, mainly manifested in an attitude of indifference and ignorance. Northern whites, at least the majority of them, were not about to wear sheets and burn crosses to protest and intimidate, but certainly didn't really understand the blacks or their predicament and generally chose to avoid them. Not the overt racism prevalent in the South, but racism, or at least ignorance nonetheless. (This is certainty not to suggest that the Klan was not active in northern states as well) To some degree, I think this attitude prevails somewhat, and some would probably say it persists to a great extent.

I think the simple answer as to why there is/has been a larger percentage of minority population and a higher degree of overt racism in the South is that slavery was concentrated there, but maybe I'm not looking deep enough into the issue.

 

[BigJim]

I have issue with the idea that you propose that these families are in control for oh..gee...almost a thousand years. Even the most public of families that can be traced through times don't weild the power they once did. LOL In my post, I'm talking about grandchilden and grandparent. Generations where people actually KNEW the cousin that strung up the rope.

Almost a thousand years? Nah, I'm saying it's SEVERAL millenia! Three of the last four presidents can directly be traced back to Charlemagne and Alfred the Great (he of cake burning fame) and the link continues as far back as Rome, Greece and Egypt. That's just as far as it can be traced. I personally think it's likely that it goes all the way back to the formative times of human history. But it's not really correct to use the word family in this context. There are thousands of thoroughbred horses in Britain today. All of them can be traced to the same three arab stallions, important to this country several hundred years ago. Now it wouldn't be totaly correct to call all British racehorses the same family, but you could very easily say that they were descended from the same lineage, with the same genetics and characteristics. The same is true of most leaders in the world today. That's why George W. Bush's link to Queen Elizabeth 2nd as a 13th cousin seems quite remote, but isn't. They both carry the same percentage of "royal" genes from the original source.

Would have called them friends through other organizations until I found out they were a closeted members of the scary sheet wearers.

You don't have to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan to be a wizard under the sheets. 😉

I suppose he thought he was in the South so it was ok to say such things.

Was soon disabused of that one, wasn't he? 🙂

If you look at the race makeup of other areas in the country it begs to wonder why minority numbers are lower in traditionally less racist places. Probably a whole other kettle of fish. I wonder what types of less proplific anti-minority behavior occurs in those areas. Are they tied to the historical makeup? Or would we find that it's just easier to see in the South?

I don't know. If I was pushed to take a guess, I'd say it was because the areas with the most predominant presence of racism are the ones where slavery was the most common. In other words, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Florida, Virgina, the Carolinas, Tennessee etc. The states of the south. With slavery being most common there, more African-Americans have their roots there than most other places. I admit that this is a complete guess, and I can't vouch for it's accuracy.