Wayback Machine: Summer 2005
Hangin The Ten

   17 years ago Jimmy Sams was trying to get reelected to the County Commission. In a come from behind effort, Sams decided to gain some attention for himself by nailing a 10 Commandments display on the Commission room wall. He seemed proud of himself before  many locals showed up for a meeting demanding the religious display be removed. Their issue was separation of church and state rulings by the U S Supreme Court. Many more, a solid majority, wanted the display to stay. Sams was grinning from ear to ear.
  With his tail tied in a knot and after Prosecutor Jeff Davis told him, Nope, that's a religious display and can't be there, All H fell on Jeff.
  At the next CCC meeting, Davis changed his tune and told Sams, buddy Oh pal, you got to hang some other stuff side by side and call the "10" a historical display. Sams complied and still more showed up and complained. One feller, we think Jewish,  attended and demanded the election year tactic be removed. The crowd was ready to hang that guy.
  Clayberry came unglued.
  In support of separation of church and state, the Mel Gibson Look Alike published an article with fingers pointing at Jimmy Sams.   Shirt hit the fan. Nails were tossed in the Communicator parking lot. Threatening calls, letters, and emails were received. On the street the bald headed lad was shunned by many. Much like today, the local rabble felt new power and went ballistic.
  Back then there was a second local newspaper in town. In that butt wipe rag, article after article was published supporting the busting of a Supreme Court decision on the subject.
  The July 14th 2005, the Associated Press went to work and the Charleston Daily Mail (and many other national media outlets)  entered the fray with this article:
      The Clay County Commission voted unanimously before an audience of nearly 200 to leave a plaque of the Ten Commandments on
the wall of its chamber. The plaque is one of several historical documents -- which include the Bill of Rights -- that are on display, said
Commissioner Jimmy Sams. The display has been up for several years. The Commandments went up first and were followed a couple of weeks later by the other documents.
    "I knew the ACLU would say something, and we just didn't want that to happen," Sams said Wednesday. "But it happened anyway."
    County resident Jesse Sizemore has asked the commission several times to remove the Ten Commandments, citing the constitutional requirement of separation of church and state.  Sizemore couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday, but another resident opposed to
the display, Andy Waddell, said he thinks it's "scary" that the Constitution and rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court "are second class in Clay County."
    "The issue is, will Clay County, West Virginia, adhere to the Supreme Court and the law of the land? That's the issue," he said. Last October, the American Civil Liberties Union, which Waddell is a member of, sent a letter to the commission stating that if the plaque
was not removed, there could be legal action.
   The ACLU's West Virginia executive director, Andrew Schneider, said Wednesday that the group was still considering a lawsuit but  has not filed one. "It's not as if we haven't decided that the Ten Commandments plaque in the county commission room of Clay County is violating the law. . . . We are only considering how to deal with that violation," Schneider said.   "We view litigation as a last resort."   The Supreme Court issued split rulings last month on the legality of displaying the Ten Commandments at public buildings --
striking down framed copies in two Kentucky courthouses but upholding a 6-foot granite monument on a 22-acre lot surrounding the  Texas Capitol.
   The justices said Ten Commandments exhibits would be upheld if their main purpose was to honor the nation's legal, rather than religious, traditions, and if they didn't promote one religious sect over another.   Sams says the Clay County display falls into the legal
category. "I don't think it's religion, it's law," he said.
   But Schneider contends that the commission would "face a heavy burden of proving that the displays do not convey, and were not intended to convey, the religious message that the Ten Commandments clearly represent."
    "There are many different versions of the Ten Commandments," Schneider said. "The Catholic version differs from the Jewish  version, which differs from the many Protestant versions -- so how does one decide which version is best?  "The Ten Commandments
advocate religious beliefs that should be left to each individual. . . . People should not be made to feel like outsiders in their own community because they might not share the dominant religious view.
   "Religious freedom is alive and well in America precisely because government cannot tell us what to believe and cannot favor one religion over another," Schneider said.
   So many people attended Wednesday's commission meeting that the meeting was moved from the Clay County Courthouse to Clay County High School.  All but about five of those in attendance were in favor of leaving the display up, Sams said.....
 
   For Sams, that part  about the commandments not being religious but merely a reference to law, that went over like a you know what in a punch bowl.
  Jeff Davis was in the grease also.
  Sams lost his bid for office. Shortly thereafter, Davis resigned from the Prosecutor slot.
  It was a very trying time for the Communicator. Calling the Ace Cub Reporter a communist and an atheist , a county wide boycott was staged. Some local yocals pressured local distributors with loss of business if they kept selling the independent newspaper of choice. Some distributors bowed to the threat of loss of business.
  Instead of killing the struggling journal of record, circulation (subscriptions anyway) grew as did support for not boosting one religion over some other or no other.
   In the middle of night maybe or at least without anyone knowing about it, someone removed Sams' plastic over particle board display never to be seen again.
  Some local businesses put up signs in support of keeping the 10. Other wrote letters to that just mentioned wittle butt wipe rag.
  Here's a couple that flamed the fires:
  One of those public statements came from the local funeral home. In response:  Ya know, I had really hoped that some of the more educated in Clay would realize that The Supreme Court decision over the 10 Commandments is not against the 10 Commandments. It makes me wonder if you are the kind of establishment that would even have services of the non offensive sort for us who are terrifically offended by Christian Fundamentalists. What they are doing in Clay is a disgrace to the bible. What you've done to your page is so professional, NONE of my family will be using your services ever again.Posted by: Clay County Citizen
07/18/2005 07:17 AM

  Replying to the thought of loosing business, this was published:   Dear Clay County Citizen, I am concerned to find out that you and your family will not be using are services, I hope that you will reconsider your decision, and allow us the honor to serve your family in your time of need. We try to serve each of our families the way that we ourselves would expect to be treated. We would in no way ever discriminate against someone, or what they believe!!!! We live in a great country, that allows us the freedom of choice, to each their own. Just because we all do not believe and support the same things does not make either of us right or wrong it just makes us all different! I am sorry that this has upset you, but it is just what we choose to believe, and I hope that this will not keep you and your family from allowing us to serve you! Posted by: B.J. Smith
07/18/2005 11:59 AM

  The hard feelings remained as did the name calling and a second batch of nails in the parking lot. The out of control locals never realized how important it is for any and all to be able to practice their faith without government interference or preference.

  County Clay gained national attention once again and as usual, that attention was not in a good light.

  Art Buck's quote comes to mind: Politics has changed as of late, no longer can I separate the good lies from the bad.

AW