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Those who are regular readers of our blog know that we have for some years lobbied for either a balancing memorial at the Lauderdale County Courthouse or the removal of the current CSA monument to the Florence City Cemetery. Our take on the current situation is that it's the Lauderdale County Commission barring the removal at this time.
It's also our take that the current standoff between the city and county will be solved only by the repeal of the 2017 monument legislation that forbids such a relocation. Cost? If the law is repealed, there will be no fine, only the actual removal charges that the city would pay to complete this task legally. With city workers to perform the removal, it shouldn't be an astronomical cost.
So what's new? It seems a relocation is in the works, legal or otherwise:
Like so many of the things going on today, we only get part of the story. The Alabama Memorial Preservation Act is a good example of this. In listening to the news reports about moving the Confederate statues, I heatd there is a $25000 fine for violating the law, and I thought, "this can't be all there is". As it turns out that is not all there is. The officials who approve moving the statue not only have violated thier oath of office and can be punished for violating the law, they are subject to a $5000 a day fine until the statue is replaced.
ReplyDeleteThe bill says;
This bill also reduces the proposed penalty increase from $10,000 per day on entities that fail to get a waiver to rename, relocate, remove, alter or otherwise disturb public property until the property has been restored to its original condition to $5,000 per day until the entity has taken full restorative action to comply with the provision of this bill. However,this bill provides that the Attorney General may state the fines upon submission of supporting documentation that therestoration has begu
The Alabama attorney general said;
“First, any elected official who removes a historic monument or statue in violation of Alabama law has broken the law. He has not simply decided to ‘pay a fee’ so that he can lawfully have the monument or statue removed. He has committed an illegal act.
“Second, any elected official sworn into office by taking an oath to uphold the law, who then breaks a duly enacted and constitutional law, has violated that oath.
“Third, despite what some newspapers might have you believe, any elected official who disregards the duties of his office in this manner has done so not out of courage, but has done so out of fear. This should not be celebrated, for disregarding the law subverts our democratic system.
The law is clear, why is it not enforced?