It wasn’t bad enough that they shoved the 10 Commandments monument into an Alabama courthouse closet, but I got word on Friday that I won’t be hearing the name of Jesus Christ used in an invocation at any government-type meetings.

Such was a recent ruling handed down in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. It seems that invoking the name of Jesus might offend some that are not Christians, but I just don’t get it.

I’m confused… And, I’m angry! Just whom the heck should I slap? My high school civics teacher; my Sunday school teacher; the federal judge who made the ruling; or the minority of people who are gambling away their eternal life on the supposition that Jesus the Christ was never more than a human being who died a couple thousand years ago.

In this age of enlightenment, they find it impossible to believe in the Christ – that he was born of the Virgin Mary, that he was murdered by sinners like me, and that he amazingly rose again and ascended to God the Father. But, those same people find it easy to place their trust in an almighty dollar bill where it very clearly states &uot;In God we trust.&uot; If they trust God so much when it comes to the value of a piece of paper, then where is that trust when it comes to believing in the inspired, authoritative word of God?

I truly just do not get it. Would somebody please explain to me how this nation (one nation under God, by the way) was founded on religious freedom can be so demoralized and dominated by a minority of its population?

Statistically, there are more Christians in this nation than those who are not. Now, when I was being taught in school, I thought they told me that we are a Democracy and that the majority of the people prevail. How did America the Beautiful become so sordid? How did we lose sight of God Bless America? What about this Sweet Land of Liberty that I was taught in grade school?

How is it that we Christians, as a majority, are being beaten down and trampled in the dust of a crowd that is so far ahead of us they are running the country with a lack of morality and integrity that is reminiscent of the Scriptures’ description of Sodom and Gomorrah?

Could it be that we are just too complacent? As a Christian, I am washed in the blood of Jesus the Christ and no one will ever tell me that I cannot invoke his name anytime that I feel so moved. If we are so washed in his precious blood, then why don’t we pick up the armor of God and stand for our rights as Christians who live in this blessed nation?

Down in Montgomery, Al., they still have those five-ton stone tablets locked out of the sight of everyone entering the courthouse. They won the battle to lock the laws of God out of sight of men in search of justice inside that courthouse. How ironic… They seek man’s laws but shun God’s precepts.

And, do you know who demanded those stones be hidden &uot;where no man shall ever lay eyes on them again,&uot; according to the justice who calls himself a judge? It was a handful of lawyers who said the Mosaic Laws offended them. Do they really believe that God won’t make them answer for that action? My Bible tells me that if I try to hide the word of God, &uot;the stones will cry out.&uot; Well, do I need to say again that the 10 Commandments in that courthouse closet are written on stone? And those lawyers and a few others have not heard the last of those stones.

I’m also a little concerned this week over another issue that was brought to me. The brilliant people of the Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are studying on whether we know when its time to quit driving.

Now, this is not the first I’ve heard about us senior citizens and our driving abilities. Yes, there are those out there who should not be behind the wheel of a weapon like an automobile, but then there are those like myself who daily drive the roadways with care and compassion for others.

The people at Chapel Hill did admit that there is no &uot;magic DMV test that tells us if we’re safe or unsafe drivers.&uot; Well, excuse me, but people of younger age have accidents each and every day. Does that mean they are &uot;unsafe,&uot; or is it simply an accident? If they are like me, then they are truly safe and conscientious drivers who ran into some bad luck, if you’ll pardon my pun. I don’t see anyone screaming to take the license of a 40-year old that ran into the rear end of another vehicle. I certainly don’t see the license being lifted from a person who incessantly snubs their nose at the laws and drives through red lights and other objects that happen to move into their path.

Why pick on the seniors as a whole? I would humbly suggest that if a senior citizen is in good health (and not having black outs or some other impairing event) and they are responsible and independent, do not stop their driving at a certain age. In most cases, they are reliable and principled people and they observe the rules of the road.

Just think about it… I drive from my Drum Hill home each day and if they take my license when I turn a certain age… Well, you figure it out ’cause you are getting older every day right along with me.

If you would like to comment on anything you have read about in the Index, or if you would like to make a rebuttal on any of my personal comments in this Forum, please feel free to submit letters by Fax or, preferably, by email. All letters will be published as long as you keep them &uot;clean.&uot; Please include your name and the street or neighborhood in which you lives. No exact address is needed. The Fax number is 357-0963, and my email is suggiepie@hotmail.com. Suggiepie is my white Labrador retriever, (&uot;Suggie&uot; because she’s solid white and &uot;pie&uot; because she is so sweet) and she can’t spell, but she’s great at answering your emails! Now, how can you ever forget my email address? Keep those cards and letters coming, but make a phone call at least. 357-0960. See you in the paper!