Former Chief Justice Roy Moore Campaigns on Return to Morality
Out on the campaign trail, U.S. Senate candidate and former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore defended his stance against same-sex marriage and religion in government on Monday night. Moore was the featured guest at a gathering of the North Jefferson County Republican Club in Gardendale. As an Alabama Supreme Court Justice, he was removed from the bench twice since 2003 – and for some, it’s helping cement his spot among the top three contenders in the August 15th Senate primaries.
Dozens of Republican voters noshed on pulled pork sandwiches and cornbread at a Jim ‘N Nick’s Monday night as Moore made the rounds greeting people and shaking hands.
Later, he told the crowd America is an immoral society. And the only way to change that, he said, is to go back to “God’s law.” Moore would, for example, tell President Donald Trump there’s no reason to discuss transgender rights in the military.
“We’re talking about something that would actually decimate the morale of the military,” he said.
A woman asked Moore about Shariah law, which is a framework of Islamic rules. She said she worries, for instance, about Muslims demanding breaks for prayer during the day. Moore said this is a problem.
“False religions like Islam who teach that you must worship this way are completely opposite to what our First Amendment stands for,” he said.
Moore has no regrets over the two decisions he made that led to his removal as an Alabama Supreme Court Justice – first refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the courthouse, and second, ordering state probate judges to keep enforcing a ban on same-sex marriage despite a federal Supreme Court ruling legalizing it. But it’s just that boldness that resonates with voters like Wanda Bennefield. She drove 45 minutes from Cullman to hear Moore speak.
“He sounds like what I was expecting and it just made me a little more sure that that’s who I’m wanting in there to help get us back on the right track,” she said. She’d always admired Moore, but she feared voting for him would mean a wasted vote. Seeing him in person changed her mind.
Plus, she says the attack ads that have been flying between the other two leading candidates — Congressman Mo Brooks and incumbent Sen. Luther Strange – have turned her off to them.
But Moore didn’t win over everyone. Retired Navy commander Reggie Daniels left Monday’s event not feeling totally sold on any of the GOP candidates. Daniels said he worries about Moore’s rocky history as the uncompromising Chief Justice Alabama’s Supreme Court, and how his actions might sit with the average American. Daniels said it’s a little familiar. “Well he kind of reminds me of Trump in a way, to be honest with you,” he said. “He’s a fighter. And that could be good, that could be bad.”
It just depends, Daniels said, on what he’s fighting for.
One of Moore’s opponents, 37-year-old Bryan Peeples, briefly spoke to the group, as did Jefferson County Commissioner David Carrington, who is making a bid for governor.
Peeples and Moore are two of eight Republican candidates running in the Senate primary.
Venezuela’s exiles in Chile caught between hope and uncertainty
Initial joy among Venezuela's diaspora in Chile has given way to caution, as questions grow over what Maduro's capture means for the country — and for those who fled it.
Sunday Puzzle: Pet theory
NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer plays the puzzle with KAMW listener Daniel Abramson of Albuquerque, N.M, and Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz.
Inside a Gaza medical clinic at risk of shutting down after an Israeli ban
A recent Israeli decision to bar Doctors Without Borders and other aid groups means international staff and aid can no longer enter Gaza or the West Bank. Local staff must rely on dwindling supplies and no international expertise.
Iran warns US troops and Israel will be targets if America strikes over protests as death toll rises
Iran's parliament speaker warned the U.S. military and Israel would be "legitimate targets" if America strikes the Islamic Republic, as threatened by President Donald Trump.
Bob Weir, guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at 78
For three decades with the Grateful Dead and three more after the group ended following the 1995 death of his bandmate Jerry Garcia, Weir helped build and sustain the band's legacy across generations.
Nationwide anti-ICE protests call for accountability after Renee Good’s death
Activist organizations are planning at least 1,000 protests and vigils this weekend. Officials in major cities cast Saturday's demonstrations as largely peaceful.
