While I appreciate her motives, I think a better move would have been to add, not subtract. Put a copy of the Qu'ran, the Book of Mormon, and several other "holy books" with the bibles. Change the display from the Republican "pee on everything" mentality to a statement about inclusion.
Conservative Christians are always ready to play the victim at the drop of a hat. Poor me! Poor, poor me! Someone moved the magic book I've never actually read, but poor me, none the less. I suspect the people trying to manufacture outrage over this would go out of their tiny little minds at the mere thought of someone placing a copy of the Koran in their lounge. Republicans are conditioned to respond like toddlers over every little thing that upsets their narrow, backward-facing world view.
Okay, I’m also concerned about the trend that I know I’m not the only one noticing with the republicans jumping straight to expelling Democratic legislators that push back on their antics. The Tennessee three used bullhorns, well that was the trigger, the thing they were able to use, but the real reason was the Justins were pointing out the corruption of the republicans. Corruption that has caused at least one to step down since. There are a couple other cases of Republican legislators seeking to expel democratic legislators in other states for not falling in line with the white Christian nationalism, but I can’t remember details about it right this second. But this, nothing about moving bibles around a room seems like it would rise to the level of expelling someone from their duly elected position. This is retribution for pushing back on the morally and probably criminally corrupt actions of the Republicans.
Sure there are Democratic politicians pushing to expel Republicans, but the reasons for those cases are criminal corruption. Santos is a bald faced criminal liar who wouldn’t stand up to a single ethics investigation. But he’s still running our country. MTG was removed from her committees, not expelled from congress and she’s done some awful and dangerous crap in her position. She’s even leaking private, confidential and state secrets on her podcast. But she’s still in congress. There are sexual abusers and thieves and folks caught in fraud still in their positions of power that ought to be, not just expelled but incarcerated for them, that are still in halls of power making life worse for vulnerable people and everyone in general in the name of their so called moral superiority.
The GOP has moved another step toward fascism and theological dictatorship. We really need to do something to stop them. Vote, beat their gerrymandering and cheating tactics by turning out to vote them away. Don’t listen to them when they claim they don’t need oversight (I’m looking at you Gorsuch and Thomas) and ensure no one is above the law.
Gah! If I were in charge these criminal assholes would be making the privatized prisons very happy.
"I don’t quite understand the issue of having a Bible available for members to read."
Mr Grantham:
Do you have a phone? I have a bible app that gives me access to hundreds of english translations. If you don't want that, there is bible gateway. If you must have a physical copy, 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣. It's not rocket science.
Might want to read up on Stalin, Gillette. He grew up a Christian like you. He got top marks in his religious studies and was on his way to becoming a priest.
When he seized power, he promoted religion, opening religious schools. Churches flourished under him. He even reopened the Moscow Theological Academy Seminary that had been shuttered since the Revolution. He was also part of a committee to help elect a new church Patriarch (their equivalent of the Pope).
Stalin believed Jesus was real and said so to his own daughter Svetlana. He had books on Jesus in his personal library. And in all his writings, speeches and interviews, he never once called himself an atheist).
Try picking a different example, Johnny. How about a GQP favorite like Hitler? Oh wait...
Whenever I'm at the VA and I see religious material (and it is always Christian. Never any other religion), I round file it. It has no place in a government facility.
Even if Christian material was allowed, you'd have to have "literature" from every other religion, as well as nonbelief. Either everyone gets representation or you remain strictly neutral and allow NO religion at all.
They obviously didn’t read the part in the Bible about lying. The tweets from the republicans misrepresented what happened. They all claimed she stole the Bible’s, when in fact they never left the room. She wasn’t stealing them, she only moved them to a less obvious place.
From the screenshots, it doesn’t look like there are bookshelves in the lounge, meaning there is not much of an expectation that folks would be there to find reading material, or will be sitting there to read, so pretty much any book would be out of place. If any book would be out of place in that room, then the presence of the Bible was an intentional message. These republicans complaining are mad their dog whistle was heard by the wrong person.
Also, at first I thought this was pretty petty to shove them under cushions and such. But noticing that there aren’t bookshelves, where else would they go? Putting them on tables and prominently displaying them by themselves is intended as a middle finger to any who don’t appreciate the Christian nationalist message. The Bible’s did need to be better placed for a secular government facility. She did not intend to steal them or throw them away, but only send her own clear message. Still a little petty, but republicans don’t understand tactful anyway. It’s not nearly as petty or harmful as the intent of those who placed them there in the first place, nor the legislation they pass.
"An egregious violation of decorum?" Maybe the idiots who make such statements should first READ their bibles. They might actually get a proper example of what "egregious" means!
Would have loved to seen the explosion if she'd placed copies of the Qur'an and/or the Bhagavad Gita alongside those bibles intead. It would've taken the roof out.
An Arizona lawmaker was right to move Bibles from a State House lounge
While I appreciate her motives, I think a better move would have been to add, not subtract. Put a copy of the Qu'ran, the Book of Mormon, and several other "holy books" with the bibles. Change the display from the Republican "pee on everything" mentality to a statement about inclusion.
Christian makes point about separation of church and state, other Christians freak out with cries of "persecution". Yeah, that tracks.
Conservative Christians are always ready to play the victim at the drop of a hat. Poor me! Poor, poor me! Someone moved the magic book I've never actually read, but poor me, none the less. I suspect the people trying to manufacture outrage over this would go out of their tiny little minds at the mere thought of someone placing a copy of the Koran in their lounge. Republicans are conditioned to respond like toddlers over every little thing that upsets their narrow, backward-facing world view.
She's the wrong type of Christian to them. You know, the type that cares about other people and the Constitution.
Okay, I’m also concerned about the trend that I know I’m not the only one noticing with the republicans jumping straight to expelling Democratic legislators that push back on their antics. The Tennessee three used bullhorns, well that was the trigger, the thing they were able to use, but the real reason was the Justins were pointing out the corruption of the republicans. Corruption that has caused at least one to step down since. There are a couple other cases of Republican legislators seeking to expel democratic legislators in other states for not falling in line with the white Christian nationalism, but I can’t remember details about it right this second. But this, nothing about moving bibles around a room seems like it would rise to the level of expelling someone from their duly elected position. This is retribution for pushing back on the morally and probably criminally corrupt actions of the Republicans.
Sure there are Democratic politicians pushing to expel Republicans, but the reasons for those cases are criminal corruption. Santos is a bald faced criminal liar who wouldn’t stand up to a single ethics investigation. But he’s still running our country. MTG was removed from her committees, not expelled from congress and she’s done some awful and dangerous crap in her position. She’s even leaking private, confidential and state secrets on her podcast. But she’s still in congress. There are sexual abusers and thieves and folks caught in fraud still in their positions of power that ought to be, not just expelled but incarcerated for them, that are still in halls of power making life worse for vulnerable people and everyone in general in the name of their so called moral superiority.
The GOP has moved another step toward fascism and theological dictatorship. We really need to do something to stop them. Vote, beat their gerrymandering and cheating tactics by turning out to vote them away. Don’t listen to them when they claim they don’t need oversight (I’m looking at you Gorsuch and Thomas) and ensure no one is above the law.
Gah! If I were in charge these criminal assholes would be making the privatized prisons very happy.
"I don’t quite understand the issue of having a Bible available for members to read."
Mr Grantham:
Do you have a phone? I have a bible app that gives me access to hundreds of english translations. If you don't want that, there is bible gateway. If you must have a physical copy, 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣. It's not rocket science.
"Stalin would be proud."
Might want to read up on Stalin, Gillette. He grew up a Christian like you. He got top marks in his religious studies and was on his way to becoming a priest.
When he seized power, he promoted religion, opening religious schools. Churches flourished under him. He even reopened the Moscow Theological Academy Seminary that had been shuttered since the Revolution. He was also part of a committee to help elect a new church Patriarch (their equivalent of the Pope).
Stalin believed Jesus was real and said so to his own daughter Svetlana. He had books on Jesus in his personal library. And in all his writings, speeches and interviews, he never once called himself an atheist).
Try picking a different example, Johnny. How about a GQP favorite like Hitler? Oh wait...
Whenever I'm at the VA and I see religious material (and it is always Christian. Never any other religion), I round file it. It has no place in a government facility.
Even if Christian material was allowed, you'd have to have "literature" from every other religion, as well as nonbelief. Either everyone gets representation or you remain strictly neutral and allow NO religion at all.
They obviously didn’t read the part in the Bible about lying. The tweets from the republicans misrepresented what happened. They all claimed she stole the Bible’s, when in fact they never left the room. She wasn’t stealing them, she only moved them to a less obvious place.
From the screenshots, it doesn’t look like there are bookshelves in the lounge, meaning there is not much of an expectation that folks would be there to find reading material, or will be sitting there to read, so pretty much any book would be out of place. If any book would be out of place in that room, then the presence of the Bible was an intentional message. These republicans complaining are mad their dog whistle was heard by the wrong person.
Also, at first I thought this was pretty petty to shove them under cushions and such. But noticing that there aren’t bookshelves, where else would they go? Putting them on tables and prominently displaying them by themselves is intended as a middle finger to any who don’t appreciate the Christian nationalist message. The Bible’s did need to be better placed for a secular government facility. She did not intend to steal them or throw them away, but only send her own clear message. Still a little petty, but republicans don’t understand tactful anyway. It’s not nearly as petty or harmful as the intent of those who placed them there in the first place, nor the legislation they pass.
Republicans misrepresenting what happened to generate outrage and a totally over-the-top response.
I swear to God, this is my shocked face.
I have a hunch that Hamilton is the first person to ever pick up those bibles. I bet they are in mint, fresh out of the box condition.
The only person who should be punished is the one that was responsible for decorating that place.
"An egregious violation of decorum?" Maybe the idiots who make such statements should first READ their bibles. They might actually get a proper example of what "egregious" means!
Would have loved to seen the explosion if she'd placed copies of the Qur'an and/or the Bhagavad Gita alongside those bibles intead. It would've taken the roof out.
Was this around Easter? Maybe she has a family tradition of hiding bibles rather than eggs.
Whatever the case, all the food in the fridge needs thrown out.
She has an interesting sense of humour. Lucky for her she is not a PoC.