Current Events

TOPICS:

Previous

PAGE: 

1 ... 

47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51

 ... 487

Next

_kungfoo_

_kungfoo_

Los Angeles, CA
April 2005

NOV 28, 2008 03:57 PM

Religious conservatives continue their quest to turn god into a caricature for everybody to mock (I can think of no other logical motivation for this).

AP

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) A lawmaker says the state's Homeland Security office should be crediting God with keeping the state safe.

State Rep. Tom Riner, a Southern Baptist minister who was instrumental in establishing that requirement in 2006, disapproves of the fact that Homeland Security doesn't currently mention God in its mission statement or on its Web site.

The law passed under former Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who prominently credited God in annual reports to state leaders. But Gov. Steve Beshear's administration didn't credit God in its 2008 Homeland Security report issued last month.

"We certainly expect it to be there, of course," Riner, D-Louisville, told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The law that organized the Homeland Security office first lists Homeland Security's duty to recognize that government itself can't secure the state without God, even before mentioning other duties, which include distributing millions of dollars in federal grants and analyzing possible threats.

The religious language was tucked into a floor amendment by Riner and passed the General Assembly overwhelmingly. It lists the 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.

"This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky," Riner said. "Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap. The job is too big for government."

But state Sen. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, a frequent critic of mixing religion and government, said requiring the department to credit God takes away from Homeland Security's mission.

"It's very sad to me that we do this sort of thing," Stein said. "It takes away from the seriousness of the public discussion over security, and it clearly hurts the credibility of this office if it's supposed to be depending on God, first and foremost."

FreakPirate

FreakPirate

Canada
November 2002

NOV 28, 2008 04:04 PM

Oh fuck right off. This is some truly ridiculous nonsense.

fountainofdreams

fountainofdreams

Batavia, IL
January 2005

NOV 28, 2008 04:07 PM

FreakPirate said:
Oh fuck right off. This is some truly ridiculous nonsense.



Feel glad you don't share a fucking border with them.

SockPuppet

SockPuppet

I'm lost
July 2006

NOV 28, 2008 05:21 PM

So, if they are so clear that God is on their side, why do they need a Homeland Security office, exactly?

_kungfoo_

_kungfoo_

Los Angeles, CA
April 2005

NOV 28, 2008 05:44 PM

SockPuppet said:
So, if they are so clear that God is on their side, why do they need a Homeland Security office, exactly?



Because... um... Jesus loves security?

Stiles

Stiles

Oakland, CA
November 2002

NOV 28, 2008 05:44 PM

Why is it that people feel the need to thank God when they succeed but blame themselves or someone else when they fail?

motorfirebox

motorfirebox

Pittsburgh, PA
March 2004

NOV 28, 2008 08:42 PM

Stiles said:
Why is it that people feel the need to thank God when they succeed but blame themselves or someone else when they fail?


i was totally going to catch that touchdown pass, but JESUS TRIPPED ME.

Pom_felo

Pom_felo

San Antonio, TX
February 2004

NOV 28, 2008 11:21 PM

*eye roll* Oh let them have it. States pass resolutions praising green beans and honoring the Boston Strangler.

The plaque is going a bit far, but it's barely worth the consternation. Yeah it'd be great if they removed it and the "In God We Trust" from the money, but in the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal.

malkav11

malkav11

Saint Paul, MN
July 2003

NOV 28, 2008 11:58 PM

I'd be a lot less concerned by the plaque than by them having to make a lot of noise about God on their website.

X_Racer_X

X_Racer_X

Philadelphia, PA
July 2008

NOV 29, 2008 08:39 AM

A Democratic Southern Baptist minister? surreal

RandomNerd

RandomNerd

I'm lost
January 2005

NOV 29, 2008 08:58 AM

X_Racer_X said:
A Democratic Southern Baptist minister? surreal



Depends on how old he is. Zell Miller, for example, was a Democrat, but more accurately, a Dixiecrat.
The "Solid South" Gave up on the DNC during the Johnson Administration.