Once upon a time, the statue of Lady Justice atop the Blue Earth County Courthouse dropped her scales following the unevent sentences in the Holland Ledbetter murder trial.
Or so the local legend went that we heard while young.
Yesterday, Mankato Free Press political beat writer Mark Fischenich reported in Lady Justice statue turns, drops sword:
Lady Justice -- the 5 1/2- ton, 34-foot-tall statue atop the Blue Earth County Historic Courthouse -- took a quarter turn to the left and dropped her sword on Wednesday, prompting county officials to restrict public access to areas below the iconic but no-longer immobile figure. . . .
Any suspicion that Lady Justice's sudden turn and sword-toss were a reaction to a court verdict below her would be unfounded. Courtrooms were moved in 2009 to the new Blue Earth County Justice Center, about four miles away on Mankato's east side and well out of sight even from her lofty perch.
Of course, it's possible Lady Justice was just looking for a sunset vista after a long, cold winter and after more than a century of gazing toward North Mankato. Unlike many statues of Justice, Blue Earth County's doesn't wear a blindfold.
We have another explanation: the all-seeing Lady Justice was reacting to recent political grandstanding by Representative Tony Cornish (R-Good Thunder). Last month, MinnPost's Doug Grow reported in Jesus 'enters' legislators' gun control debate:
“I’m a Missouri Synod Lutheran,” Cornish said. “In Luke, Jesus said, ‘Sell your cloak and buy a sword.’ ”
That Jesus was being presented as a Second Amendment guy startled everyone in the packed hearing room.
After the hearing, Cornish said he’s long been holding on to the verse from Luke 22:36 to toss into the gun debate. In his mind, Cornish said, that verse means that Jesus would have no problem with people packing a pistol “to protect their families.”
The Blue Earth County lawmaker seemed to have stopped reading the broader narrative in that chapter of Luke, which goes on:
47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
49 When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”
We agree with Lady Justice. Cornish's cherrypicking a chapter in Luke is enough to make a gal drop her sword and take a long view.
Photo: Lady Justice atop the Blue Earth County Historic Courthouse rotated left and dropped her sword Wednesday. Photo by John Cross, Mankato Free Press.
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