Professor Rick Tepker of the University of Oklahoma School of Law gave the keynote address at the dedication ceremony for the Bill of Rights plaques that were donated to the Norman Public High Schools (Click here for more information). Professor Tepker is pictured above speaking at the Norman North dedication.
In his brief speech Tepker described the idealism and passion that was aroused in a young James Madison when he witnessed Baptist ministers being unjustly persecuted for preaching a version of the gospel that was not approved by the established church of Virginia. He mentioned the role of Baptist evangelist John Leland in encouraging Madison to add the Bill of Rights to the constitution.
Professor Tepker concluded by illustrating the role of the Bill of Rights in current events. He noted that currently a group of Republican Senators are defending the Bill of Rights by opposing proposed legislation by a Republican President that would water down adherence to the Geneva Conventions. He said many of the rights protected by the Geneva Conventions are extensions of the Bill of Rights into international law.
Below is a picture of the plaque at the entrance to Norman High School.
1 comment:
This is "Bill of Rights" week. We are all to have a special lesson on the Bill of Rights, they are posted all over the school. I'm afraid that this actually waters down the Bill of Rights. It takes members of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches to fulfill their oaths to uphold the Constitution in its entirety to give the Bill of Rights meaning.
That can't be done if the above mentioned branches of government allow Bills of Attainder (punishment without charge), or suspend Habeaus Corpus (indefinite imprisonment without charge). Summed up as DUE PROCESS OF LAW.
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