From Deseret News archives:
Ten Commandments signs sprouting up in Utah's Dixie
Thou shalt get involved, one-man crusader believes
"This thing has taken on a life of its own. There's great support for it," said Anderson, a former Navy pilot and retired salesman from Salt Lake City who moved to St. George four years ago. "I've seen doors open left and right. There are a lot of good people here who recognized the need to do something."
The 24-by-18-inch corrugated cardboard signs are weather-resistant and have the Ten Commandments printed in white on a burgundy background. As of Wednesday, Anderson said 325 of the signs had been posted in windows, pounded into lawns or propped up in yards from St. George to LaVerkin. Another 125 signs await delivery.
"This is not an assignment anyone gave to me. It's not affiliated with my church," said Anderson, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "I've done this purely for service, not for profit."
A little more than three weeks ago, Anderson said he was at a public rally in St. George held to show support for the Ten Commandments and suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who refused to move a Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the state judicial building. Anderson mailed one of the signs to Moore Tuesday.
"I just thought if it's not me, then who? If it's not now, then when?" Anderson said, recalling the patriotic rally and a group discussion about getting the Ten Commandments posted on lawns throughout the county. "I really felt some strong inspiration to do this."
A local printer agreed to produce the signs at cost, which works out to around $6 per sign. Anderson said he sells the signs at the same cost. An initial order of 200 signs was gone within days, and a second order is halfway sold out.
As far as Anderson knows, none of the signs has been placed on public property. The American Civil Liberties Union and the courts have viewed placement of the Ten Commandments on public property as a violation of the separation between church and state.
"A lot of people are frustrated and angry with the ACLU. They don't know which way to go, what to do to show their support for the Constitution and the Ten Commandments," Anderson said. "This is an outlet. It rallies people and gives them a chance to talk and visit."
Peter Leadenham, who produces the "Senior Sampler," a weekly newspaper in St. George, has two of the signs posted on his lawn.
"This is a way of showing we're under the same God," said Leadenham, a transplanted British citizen. "It's a talking point. We as citizens should make sure people know we have moral standards. You can't better the Ten Commandments."
