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Ten Commandments Controversy Hits Central Florida

Posted: 5:00 pm EDT September 10, 2003Updated: 5:44 pm EDT September 10, 2003

They're about to unveil a monument and all the controversy that comes with it in Central Florida. It's right at the heart of a national debate.

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Should the Ten Commandments be displayed on county property?
The monument, displaying the Ten Commandments, is now standing in the Polk County Courthouse (photo left). It is making some people wonder why the county, and the pastor sponsoring it, are trying to pick a fight.

Experts say, it's sure to spark a lawsuit, especially after a Ten Commandments monument was just moved out of a judicial building in Montgomery, Alabama. Federal justices ruled that monument violated the separation of church and state.

The Polk County monument hasn't been unveiled yet, but the mere fact that it's here has caused quite a stir. And with the Ten Commandments etched in stone, it could land the county between a rock and a hard place.

When you walk out of the elevators, try to get a building permit or even some information, it's the first thing you'll see.

It doesn't bother county employee Claudia Ruby. She works in the county's code enforcement office. "I'm just so proud we can stand up and say this is what I believe in."

The seven-foot granite monument contains parts of more than a dozen historic documents, including the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Ten Commandments.

"Why should it be controversial? You go to Washington DC and you see the Ten Commandments over the dais of the Speaker of the House," says County Commission Chairman Randy Wilkinson.

He is ready for the fight. He says, because a local pastor created the monument and paid for it with private donations, it should be okay. "We think this will withstand challenge and we don't wanna just bring on a fight."

But Attorney Larry Walters says the ACLU is already working on a lawsuit. "We're really surprised Polk County went through and accepted this religious document and put themselves on the firing line of a potential civil rights suit."

It's particularly surprising given the recent controversy in Alabama. Polk County says their monument is different.

"Not only does it have the Ten Commandments, it has the Magna Carta, it has the Declaration of Independence which, by the way, mentions God six, seven, eight times," says Wilkinson.

Claudia says she hasn't heard any complaints, but she's expecting the inevitable fight to start Thursday. The unveiling will be held at 5 o'clock in a ceremony to honor the victims of 9-11. A large turnout is expected. But so far, there are no plans for extra security or anything like that. They hope any protests will be peaceful.

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