The Slippery Slope: Part II

Yesterday, I posted about a U.S. Court of Appeals panel that postoned the removal of a "Ten Commandments Exhibit" near the courthouse steps of a Florida community. I argued that the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment clearly prohibts such religious displays. Further, I indicated that, in a truly free country, majority religious interests would and should be more sensitive to the feelings of those who worship differently or don't worship at all. I indicated that such superiority and intolerance of other points of view is a slippery slope and I pointed to Nazi Germany as an example of this phenomenon.

No sooner than the time I completed yesterday's post, the Detroit Free Press reported this story, in my own state, Michigan. Apparently, a young Jewish student attended a party in East Lansing, Michigan, just off the Michigan State University campus. Two 'sub-humans', allegedly, asked him if he was Jewish and, when he responded affirmatively, proceeding to raise their arms in a Nazi salute, shout "Heil Hitler" and beat him into unconsciousness. While he was unconscious, these despicable houligans, allegedly, called him a "fucking Jew" and stapled his mouth closed. He is recovering in a Detroit area hospital, this morning. Local police have, incredibly, indicated that their preliminary investigation reveals that this was not a hate crime. WHAT!?

According to Michigan Incident Crime Reporting data cited in the Free Press article, there were 21 victims of anti-Semetic hate or bias crimes last year, while there were 18 in 2010 and 20 in 2009. One is too many in a civilized, free, society. Hopefully, if the allegations against them are proven to be true, these vicious perpetrators are found, tried, convicted and imprisoned. The way this young victim triumphs over them is to finish his education and become successful in his chosen endeavor, while these predators rot and waste their lives in a prison cell.

Maybe there is no connection between a state sponsored religious display and a brutal attack on a religious minority citizen. Then again, maybe there is. A country whose politicians and right wing citizens often call a "Christian nation", and which wonders why free citizens of alternate persuasions and the ACLU criticize and seek to remove religious displays from government property, is a country ripe for occurences like this one.

We are not "one nation, under God", as much as it pains religious people. We are "one nation" under a constitution that allows us the freedom of religion or no religion, the freedom to believe whatever we wish, under the law. And, the freedom to live in peace, whatever our personal belief are. When we tolerate heinous acts like this one, when the police fail to call it was it is, we are all in danger, much like those groups in the Martin Neimoller statement that I quoted in yesterday's post. Its a slippery slope.

Mark M. Bello is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation where he is instrumental in providing cash flow solutions and consulting when necessity of life lawsuit funding is needed during litigation. Mr. Bello has thirty-four years experience as a trial lawyer and 13 years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the litigation funding industry. He is recognized as an expert in this field by ExpertPages.com and ALM Experts. Mr. Bello is a sustaining and Justice PAC member of the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, Justice Pac member of the American Association for Justice, Member of the American and Michigan Bar Associations, Member of Public Justice and Public Citizen, Member of InjuryBoard, out-of-state member of the Mississippi Association for Justice and a business associate of the Florida Justice Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the Consumer Attorneys of California. His articles have appeared in LawyersandSettlements.com, FindLaw, The West Reporter, The Safety Report, Plaintiff Magazine, Advocate Magazine, and other fine legal publications.