Health & Fitness
Councilman Ricks Advocates Godless Government, Says Abortion Not Local Issue
(We are far gone as a people, folks, in terms of knowing and believing what our Founders believed. The following is a God/Government interview I did on September 9, 2013, with H. Edward Ricks, a member of the Laurel, Maryland, City Council. Councilman Ricks --- retired from the Family Division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia --- has been on the Council for many years. -- J.L.)
By John Lofton, Director
The God and Government Project
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Recovering Republican
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Q: What is the purpose of government?
A: In my opinion the purpose of government is to serve the peoples’ wishes in such a way that they benefit from the tax money that they pay into the city coffers or the government coffers.
Q: Is there anything government ought not to do regardless of whether the people want the government to do it?
A: Say it again one more time.
Q: Are there any things you’d say government ought not to to even if the people wanted the government to do those things?
A: Well, I’d have to explore what that is and figure out exactly what that is. If the people want me to do something then I have an obligation to research the topic and have a dialog with the people so I understand exactly. But if I’m morally don’t agree with the people, with what they want to say, then I think I have to object to that and then step aside.
A: (Pause) I think that government can do pretty much anything it wants to within the laws of the state or the country as long as it doesn’t violate any moral or legal code.
Q: In your judgment, is there any law higher than man’s law that binds the government?
A: No, there wouldn’t be. I think man’s law has to be foremost.
Q: Are you a Christian?
A: I am.
Q: Does God have anything to do with government, in your judgment?
A: I think you have to separate God from --- the separation of church and state. I don’t think you can let one over-power the other. But in making judgments the church doesn’t necessarily interfere with it or come into play. I can give you an example. At one particular point years ago when I was on the Council somebody wanted to bring up the abortion issue. And I disagreed. I said that played no role in government as far as I was concerned and it was not my issue.
Q: But, my question was not about the Church. My question was about God. God is not a Church. In your judgment, does God’s Word set any limits to government or say anything about government?
A: No.
Q: What kind of Christian are you?
A: I’m a Catholic.
Q: OK. And on the abortion issue ---
A: I don’t want to go into the abortion issue.
Q: You raised the issue as an example where you thought the government had no role. I thought one of the roles of government is to protect innocent human life.
A: It is.
Q: OK. Then that would ---.
A: But not on a local government level is my point.
Q: So, in your judgment there is a level of government that is not to protect innocent human life?
A: No, I think you are reading me wrong. What I’m saying is that the city of Laurel is not in a position to control whether or not abortion takes place one way or another.
Q: Well, that literally is not true because the city of Laurel could pass an ordinance saying no abortion clinics would be allowed in the city. You could do that.
A: Well, I think, you know, we’re going to a stretch beyond where I care to get involved. This is not the kind of thing we deal with or the type of thing I would like to think about in such a way.
Q: Where do you think law originates? Where does law come from?
A: As far as government, it comes from the Constitution, from Constitutional law.
Q: Law originates there?
A: In my mind it does.
Q: So there was no law prior to our Constitution?
A: There may have been some. But the Constitution is what the United States of America relies on as a base. Whatever other law may exist was strictly depending on where that person is from. But our laws depend on the Constitution to lead us and guide us. That’s what the Supreme Court relies on all the time in deciding cases, whether it matches the Constitution.
Q: OK, but the question is about where law originally comes from.
A: Other than that (what he has said), I don’t know. Where does it come from?
Q: You asking me?
A: Yeah.
Q: Well, for America, for the West, [our law] comes from God’s Law, from Scripture.
A: Right. And that’s the thing I got to separate myself from because that is Church and State and -----.
Q: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! But, God is not a Church and ---.
A: Mr. Lofton, I am not going to get into this. Thank you very much.
He hangs up the phone.
