The religious language was tucked into a floor amendment by Riner and passed the General Assembly overwhelmingly. It lists the Homeland Security office’s initial duty as “stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth.”
Included in the law is a requirement that the office must post a plaque at the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center with an 88-word statement that begins, “The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God.”
Thomas Preston, Gov. Beshear’s Homeland Security chief, said he is not interested in stepping into a religious debate.
“I will not try to supplant almighty God,” Preston said. “All I do is try to obey the dictates of the Kentucky General Assembly. I really don’t know what their motivation was for this. They obviously felt strongly about it.”
Riner said crediting God with helping ensure the state’s safety is appropriate.
Just in case anyone in this neighborhood thinks some other part of the world is political leader of the loonies.
I’m waiting for the Jesus-on-the-dashboard missile defence shield.
Religious taliban infiltration in the Kentucky hillbilly legislature (or any red state for that matter) does not shock me.
The important thing is to preserve the separation of taliban and state at the federal level.
The stupidest thing is this guy is sincere. I wonder if he too used to be a Mall Rent-A-Cop.
I understand your concern and, in the spirit of support, invite you to send me all your In-God-We-Trust money.
RBG
Seems that nobody else notices how this country has tumbled since we kicked God out of it. He’s not allowed in our schools, our government buildings, and even in many workplaces anymore. Could this be the consequence?
Once again, “Dvorak.org/blog” shows it’s religious bigotry by posting innocent statements and choosing to declare people of faith lunatics as a result.
Why not just ban believers from your site and be done with it?
I see nothing wrong with putting a statement of faith in the bill’s language, so long as the government still does what they need to do to ensure the safety of their state.
I’ll rather pray for protection, and keep my gun loaded just in case.
Ftards
#6
” see nothing wrong with putting a statement of faith in the bill’s language, so long as the government still does what they need to do to ensure the safety of their state.”
Accept the fact that it is state sponsored faith and is therefore prohibited by the US Constitution. It may have been different had they used god instead of God, but…
Why do Christians feel it’s OK to tell everyone how to beleive? How pissed off would the religious right be if they were told how to practice their faith. When Muslims enforce their beliefs on their population and are backed by the government, then they’re called extremist and they get invaded and overthrown.
Everyone should have the right to practice their faith without undue influence from other people.
#5 – Big One
>>Seems that nobody else notices how this
>>country has tumbled since we kicked God out
>>of it.
No, we haven’t. Many of us HAVE noticed how the country has tumbled since the holy-rolling snake-handling tongue-speaking fanatics have tried to ram their version of God(R) down others’ throat in science class, in the bedroom, in the state and US constitution, etc.
Coinidence? I think not.
oddly those they are trying to defend us against, have similar wording on their doorways.. gee i wonder which side god will choose??
I find it ironic that those of you who demand that God be not mentioned or acknowledged by government (or I assume by anyone would be your real preference) accuse Christians of stuffing our beliefs down your throats.
#10
god will choose neither side. All god really cares about is getting props for touchdowns on Saturday and Sunday afternoons….
Imbeciles who live under rocks will vote or impose their fears on others as a matter of course. Secondly, in times of fear people of slight education will congregate with people who embrace and extend their fears.
Shoving god down other people’s throats is clear attempt to impose their will on anybody in their paths.
Witness Palin, Gingrich, Limbaugh, and other flat earth believers. It’s not about embracing love and peace, for if it was then Palin would be on her back embracing every lustful Republican she could. It’s about slamming others into their square holes.
#11 – RSweeney
>>I find it ironic that those of you who demand
>>that God be not mentioned or acknowledged by
>>government (or I assume by anyone would be
>>your real preference) accuse Christians of
>>stuffing our beliefs down your throats.
That’s because it’s written into that outmoded “goddamned piece of paper”, the Constitution.
If you prefer to sit in your panic room, eating canned tuna, cleaning your rifle, and praying that the terrorists won’t attack, more power to ya.
When I’m paying someone to protect me against enemies foreign and domestic, I prefer the secular approach, as did the Founding Fathers.
It’s the fault of the Jedi Knights. They used to maintain peace and the law in old Republic, but since they mysteriously disappeared everything has gone to hell in a hand basket.
Boy, you just can’t make this stuff up. Who wudda thunk it in 2008?
You do know “god is everywhere” and anyone can pray to him anytime they wish?
Why do religious nutbags think their freedom is infringed when they can’t force their views on other people? How does THAT happen?
I guess now we know which state will be the least safe in the union.
Societies worse off ‘when they have God on their side’
#5 – Ivor Tinyun,
Seems that nobody else notices how this country has tumbled since we kicked God out of it. He’s not allowed in our schools, our government buildings, and even in many workplaces anymore. Could this be the consequence?
Um … when exactly do you think god was allowed in this country? 1950, when our money was backed by gold instead of god? 1955, when our pledge of allegiance did not have the words under god in it? 1955, when our motto was still a unifying message of “e pluribus unum” (out of many, one) rather than a divisive “in god we trust” (which is not true for a significant minority in this once unified nation)?
When exactly was god allowed in?
In other words, little one, the separation of church and state was strong until the McCarthy era. It has been eroding ever since. There is more god in this country now than there ever has been. Hell, we even have federal funding of religious discrimination now, in the form of “faith based initiatives”, which are completely unconstitutional in every possible way.
#6 – Matt Garrett,
The article is from the Associated Press. And, if you think prayer is the answer to homeland security, perhaps you were unaware that no one on 9/11 was praying harder than the terrorists. If not for religion, at least that attrocity would not have been committed. And, yes, I know some still would be. Just that eliminating all of the ones actively caused by religion could not help but make the world a more peaceful place.
#9 – Mister Mustard,
Re: God(R)
Well put. God(R) is the one whose followers are advertising on the back of our money and in the pledge, advancing His(tm)* beliefs through faith based initiatives, and now in this law. It’s a good way to separate run-of-the-mill, harmless, moderate believers from Believers(c) or other wackos that have indeed been ramming their religion down the throats of others.
Perhaps if not for them, I’d be a mild-mannered, keep-it-to-myself, kind of atheist instead of the raging antitheist screaming for my few remaining rights that I have become.
* God(R) is far too misogynistic to be female. Unless, of course, God(R) is self loathing as well as a hater of most of humanity.
#11 – RSweeney,
I find it ironic that those of you who demand that God be not mentioned or acknowledged by government (or I assume by anyone would be your real preference) accuse Christians of stuffing our beliefs down your throats.
I’m about as antitheistic as one can possibly get. I support your right to believe the total fucking bullshit you believe. What I object to is when OUR government rams YOUR religion down MY throat.
How the hell is there any irony in that?
And, yes, I would prefer to live in a secular world than a religious one. I do not, however, have that option, and likely no one ever will if the religious(tm) folks get their way in science classes.
I would certainly vehemently oppose any LEGISLATION that took away your right to believe your complete and utter nonsense.
Why do you support legislation that takes away my right not to believe in your deity?
If you would oppose a message on every dollar bill stating “There is no God”, then you should equally oppose a message stating that there is a god, especially since it is an assertion that there is only one.
If you do not oppose such a government sanction, you are a self-righteous, holier-than-thou, intolerant, hypocrite.
Of course, that is unless you would support a measure where some percentage of all money would say “There is no God.” Some other percentage would say “In gods we trust”. Some other percentage would say “In Allah we trust”. Some other percentage would say “In Yahweh we trust”.
All such percentages would reflect the percentages of current beliefs of the people of this once great nation.
Would you support either removing the godvertisement from our money or making money with messages appropriate for the people of the nation?
#17 – Scottie
On the other hand, let’s not overlook the rebuttal to Gregory S. Paul’s article, published in the same journal by Moreno-Riaño, Smith, and Mach, which concluded that “What one can state with certainty is that one cannot in any way be certain as to the effects of religiosity and secularism upon prosperous democracies at least as based upon the methods and data of Paul’s study.“.
I think that what all reasonable individuals of good faith (heh) can agree on is that, whatever your belief regarding a power greater than yourself, keep it the fuck to yourself.
Don’t need it on the money, don’t need it in others’ bedrooms, don’t need it in science class, don’t need it publicly displayed in the courtroom. Your home, your family, and your place of worship (or anti-worship, as the case may be) should suffice.
I’ve got enough trouble trying to bail out every lame-ass dog-shit corporation that comes bellying up to the bar, without having to spend my hard-earned tax dollars on frivolous lawsuits over whether or not the charter of the Homeland Security department should include a clause about Jeebus protecting us from them thar liberals and towel heads.
#18: Scottie:
Interesting that today’s paper included this article:
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/269474.php
A little history for the knowledge deficient.
J/P=?
May Allah God bless Mr. Riner and grant his wives many strong sons.
#5:
“Seems that nobody else notices how this country has tumbled since we kicked God out of it. He’s not allowed in our schools, our government buildings, and even in many workplaces anymore. Could this be the consequence?”
I found Jesus working in a “Ripe Tomato” in Phoenix. Maybe he came in around Nogales. I’m sure his Dad can sneak back in too. A lot of people around here act like He’s never left.
21 Mis Scott,
I’m with you Scotty. Some people have quite the gall to force their unproven nonsensical beliefs upon the rest of us, even when their personal experience “proves” those beliefs must really, really be true. But enough about homosexuality.
RBG
#26 – Red Blue Green
>>But enough about homosexuality.
Oh my gosh. Have you had homosexuality forced upon you? Who knew? Give us the dish! Did the gardener make you give him a blow job? Did the diocese padre fuck you up the ass? Were you gang-raped by a band of marauding bikers from the Aryan Nation?
Or are you talking about those things you saw when you were standing on tippy-tippy-toe, peeking into other people’s bedrooms? Perhaps using one of those little mirrors on the end of a stick, like dentists and international men of mystery use?
Hmmm??
Lets just put “There are no gods” on our money. The Christians here believe it isn’t shoving a belief down anyone’s throat after all, eh?
Well, that’s certainly a RED FLAG for the ACLU !!! Expect LAW SUITS TO FLY !!! And the Plaque may lead to Kentucky being DISQUALIFIED FOR FEDERAL “SECURITY” FUNDING, in which case they will need to say their prayers !!!
No, far worse. They teach their superstitions to my kids.
I’d rather not think about what other sexual fantasies you must have to account for your own anti-religious spew.
RBG