Otus the Head Cat

Commanding monument going up not heaven sent

Workers install the head on the First Amendment monument being erected on the Capitol grounds. Fayetteville-born Otus the Head Cat’s award-winning column of humorous fabrication appears every Saturday.
Workers install the head on the First Amendment monument being erected on the Capitol grounds. Fayetteville-born Otus the Head Cat’s award-winning column of humorous fabrication appears every Saturday.

Dear Otus,

I knew that the Ten Commandments monument on the Capitol grounds was a done deal some time ago, I just didn't know it was going to be so big.


Disclaimer: Fayetteville-born Otus the Head Cat's award-winning column of 👉 humorous fabrication 👈 appears every Saturday.

I drove past last week and they were putting the top part on with a crane. I hate to say it, but it's sort of ugly.

-- Molly Cawdling,

Sparkman

Dear Molly,

It was wholly a pleasure to hear from you and to reassure you that what you saw being constructed was not the Ten Commandments monument, but one of two others that had sought and been granted approval.

The "done deal" was Act 1231 of 2015, sponsored by Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Bigelow). It required a Ten Commandments monument be permitted on the Capitol grounds.

When a perfunctory public hearing was held Dec. 14 by a subcommittee of the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission, Rapert summed up the situation by testifying, "The debate has already been had. The bill's already been passed. The governor's already signed the bill and it is the law of the state of Arkansas."

Many questioned why the subcommittee was bothering to meet at all since the monument, along with two others, had been approved for the southwest corner of the Capitol, near the grounds leading to the Arkansas Supreme Court.

State law requires a public discussion and that was it. Those speaking against the monument said it was clearly religious and cited the state Constitution where it says, "No preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment, denomination or mode of worship, above any other."

Rapert disputes the assertion that the monument is an overt expression of religion and a violation of the Constitution by claiming the "placing of a monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol would help the people of the United States and of the state of Arkansas to know the Ten Commandments as the moral foundation of the law.

"This has nothing to do with upholding a religion or denomination or a faith background over any other. It is a part of our history."

To further overcome criticism, the privately funded monument will be, in fact, a 12-foot statue of Charlton Heston in his iconic 1956 role as Moses. He will be depicted at the foot of Mount Sinai holding the tablets aloft. Yvonne De Carlo, who played Moses' wife, Zipporah, is kneeling at his feet.

The statue is in storage in Dallas pending finalization of legal details with the Heston estate.

After lawmakers passed Act 1231, the New York-based Satanic Temple applied for and received permission to erect an 8.5-foot-tall bronze statue of the demonic goat god Baphomet. That statue is still at a foundry in Cleveland awaiting horns.

The Baphomet monument will represent plurality, as well as be a symbol for those who fight against religious persecution.

Note: The plan to erect a statue to the Hindu deity Lord Hanuman, a monkey-faced god known for his strength as well as his exceptional hygiene, was deemed frivolous and rejected.

"We know these fringe groups are always trying to do outrageous things," said Rapert, the founder of Holy Ghost Ministries Inc. and an ordained minister with Sanctuary of Hope Church. But it was a "fringe group" that was ready to go once the site was chosen.

What you saw being constructed is the monument from the Arkansas Amalgamated Association of Atheists and Agnostics with backing from the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers, creators of the Winter Solstice display at the Capitol since 2009.

The AAAAA statue, carved from Newton County limestone by Eureka Springs artist Max Carlin, stands an impressive 22 feet tall and sits on a 4-foot, two-tiered base. It weighs 18,000 pounds and will dwarf the other two monuments.

Carlin notes the statue depicts the demigod Zuul, the Gatekeeper of Gozer and "is intended to honor the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

Until next time, Kalaka reminds you the ribbon cutting is set for Feb. 5. The ceremony is free, but you'll need a ticket.

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