A Mountain Out Of A Molehill?

Once upon a time a few years back, I remember a very small break in the integrity of the vinyl covering of an old recliner that had sentimental value to me. It was an old chair that was very comfortable, it belonged to my grandmother, and they just didn't make them like that anymore.

At first, the hole was so small you wouldn't notice it unless you were right near it and looking for it. But over time, it got bigger.

It took awhile, because I babied it.

As my kids got into the age when they saw a button so it had to be pushed, and a hole that had to be messed with, it eventually got bigger. At that time, I put a cover over it to prevent it from getting bigger with the hard usage by the children and to cover what was rapidly becoming an eyesore of an otherwise sound and comfortable chair.

If only I had sealed it with a vinyl repair kit, when it first appeared.

So...where am I going with this story? The answer lies here in this article from the St. Petersburg Times.

The question of what law applies in any Florida courtroom usually comes down to two choices: federal or state.

But Hillsborough Circuit Judge Richard Nielsen is being attacked by conservative bloggers after he ruled in a lawsuit March 3 that, to resolve one crucial issue in the case, he will consult a different source.

"This case," the judge wrote, "will proceed under Ecclesiastical Islamic Law."

Nielsen said he will decide in a lawsuit against a local mosque, the Islamic Education Center of Tampa, whether the parties in the litigation properly followed the teachings of the Koran in obtaining an arbitration decision from an Islamic scholar.

Most of our states base their laws on the English system. Louisiana bases their state's law on the French system. And this is how attorneys are taught in Law School.

The story about the hole in the chair's upholstery is an appropriate metaphor in this case. I used this analogy because, all it takes is a small opening by Muslim activists who believe that Sharia Law should be in effect worldwide and they will poke, prod, rip, and tear until the opening becomes bigger and more difficult to manage.

Today, we can say with the utmost certainty that this very incident is a small hole that will be used to create a bigger one down the road, one that will eventually become too big to manage... if we do not demand that it be sealed now.

The first course of action should be to get this turned over on appeal, when the opportunity is presented. Then, this judge should be impeached by the people of Hillsborough County. While these things are taking place, the Florida legislature should immediately take this issue up and work to pass a law that forbids the use of a barbaric system of justice from being used, as a paradigm for resolving any issue within the territorial boundaries of the great state of Florida.

And.....why stop there?

Every other state should do the same thing in their legislatures, the U.S. Congress should take this up at the federal level too. If not, we will soon see Muslims demanding civil and (in some cases where infidels are the accused) criminal cases be judged under Sharia Law, in our courtrooms all across the nation.

If this is permitted to happen unabated, think about how law students will need courses on Islamic law just to contend with these outrageous demands. Think about how many cases will need to be thrown out at some point, because the judge, jury, and counselors were not educated in Islamic law to accommodate and appease.

What about other cultures and religions? Should we accommodate someone who wants to be judged according to Scandinavian, Russian, Chinese, or some other law that does not apply here under our Constitution? Would they do the same for us, if we asked them in their countries?

See how big this can become by one idiot judge trying to be politically correct and disregard the rule of law? This is how activist judges have taken over our judiciary, and how we will lose this nation someday.