And it appears that there are precious few media outlets and the two I found don’t have LTEs. One had an online discussion forum. There are 3 posts in 2025.
My ancestors, who immigrated from Germany in the 1840s, settled a couple of counties away from this place. It’s probably the place in the US with the densest concentration of people in the world who share my very rare surname. (The last one in Germany died decades ago.) Let me say that nothing in the post by Hemant surprises me.
I’ve always wanted to try my hand at novelizing my family’s history. Maybe, when I retire in 2 weeks, 20 hours, 56 minutes, and 50 seconds*, I will make an attempt.
Kind of like Buddenbrooks but with the triumphant escape from mindless Lutheranism over the generations instead of the family’s descent into lower class status.
It isn't as if these monuments to the Ten Commandments are actually going to result in better people, because there is zero evidence to support that idea. It's also ironic that they be stationed in a court house given the fact eight of the Commandments would be unconstitutional should anyone try writing them into law. This is just more performance art on the part of the religious right. They either get to mark their territory in the public square, or they get to play the poor, persecuted victims of the godless left.
He spent County taxpayer funds on an illegal religious monument. It sounds to me like(admittedly, not a lawyer) that this idiot Sheriff is overdue for a letter from the Illinois AG demanding restitution at a minimum or an indictment.
Xtians: "Even though you are not an adherent of our cult, you must be subject to cult rules. We're putting up a stone monument to intimidate you into doing so."
Non-cultists: "Fuck you, we will see you in court."
The county didn't consult it's lawyer ahead of time. Then when it did, the lawyer told the county what it was doing was illegal. And the county kept doing it. Of course insurance doesn't cover it. That's part of pretty much every local government insurance policy: if there is any question of legality, consult with your own on-staff lawyer and make sure what you're doing is legal before you do it. Look insurance companies are often weasally, but this really standard stuff.
What I want to know is what the follow-up was about the chirper fund. It seems like that should get repaid, and it also seems like the Sherriff's taking money from it was embezzlement.
Maybe the county lawyer should have a yearly orientation session for all elected officials. Consult me on this. The county does not cover you if you do that. No, just because you heard someone on the internet say it was legal, does not mean it is legal.
Actually, that might be a good general idea, extending well beyond Jefferson county.
For the longest time, I felt that any incoming Congress person should be instructed in the principle of State / Church separation, and its importance to secular government. I would give real money to see such instruction implemented on the local, state, and federal levels.
I honestly think that all elected officials should have to pass a basic civics test. Far too few of them seem to understand how our government works, on any level.
They do get an orientation course. But I think it's mostly nuts and bolts stuff. How to request stuff. How to access places. Who to call if you need blah. Etc. If there is any orientation about how to interpret the law, I'm guessing their party whip makes sure they understand it exactly the way the party wants them to understand it.
Something that important should be in the hands of a qualified constitutional lawyer, not a party hack.
I like the idea of a civics test for all incoming lawmakers. If they answer any questions incorrectly they should be required to attend remedial sessions covering that specific area to make sure they understand it.
That should go double for those nominated to head federal agencies like Homeland Security. Looking at YOU, Kristi "Habeus Corpus" Noem.
I was just in Mt. Vernon, Illinois yesterday....turns out that's the county seat. I happened to drive past the Jefferson County courthouse while killing time playing Pokemon go and noticed they have a big kneeling soldier cross silhouette thing on the NW corner of the grounds. While I wasn't able to get a picture, Google streetview shows it quite clearly.
As a disabled combat Veteran, this shit annoys me even though I see the good intentions. There are better, more inclusive alternatives (helmet atop inverted rifle flanked by combat boots, for example).
It is, and I got curious, so I went and looked for more info. Apparently, it just has dates on it; finding more than that is a bit tough. I do get the impression that it hasn't been updated anytime in recent memory as well, which says quite a bit all by itself. Here's the page I did find, by the by: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=61904
I'm only vaguely familiar with Pokemon Go, but can you drop a Snorlax on it? Seems to me there may be several good choices of silly virtual things you can drop on that site as a form of passive, legal, subtle protest.
Snorlax looks bulky but comes in as a lightweight at 1,014 lbs. Guzzlord would be better at 1,957 lbs but tied for heaviest are Cosmoem and Celesteela at a whopping 2,204 lbs.
Good news for a change, never mind one more in the "W" column for the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the ACLU. Frankly, I don't care who was funding the 10C monument or what their intentions were. I care about State / Church separation and the Religious Reich's tendency to take any opportunity it can to indulge in territory-marking. The current status of State / Church separation is tenuous enough as it is with Cheetolini in the front seat. I don't want to see it compromised any further.
And a bit THANK YOU to the FFRF and ACLU for putting a stop to this foolishness.
What about the donations from the churches? Money that could have and (according to their dogma) should have been used to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, etc., used for a monument not unlike a certain 'golden calf' that got god lovers in a lot of trouble in the past. Seems like they need to spend some more time studying their book rather than trying to ram their idols down everyone's throats.
Xtians: "Yeah, those freeloaders need to get jobs." It's no coincidence that the most vile of people are "prosperity gospel" cheerleaders. Remember when Joel Osteen locked the doors of the church during flooding? Everything is about power and money and nothing in the xtian cult is about empathy.
OT: I saw this blurb on Scott Dworkin’s site and posted this:
“Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters, is now blaming fellow Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt for his most recent scandal. Walters is being investigated after several state school board members reported seeing inappropriate images on a TV in his office.”
What I love about this is that it's all over the Internet. Every reasonably progressive and some less than progressive commentor has talked about it at some stage. He cannot keep it quiet, so he has to find someone else to blame.
It's all about territorial marking. It's a handy little list they can use as shorthand for "Christian morality", and displaying the list everywhere they can sends the message that they are in charge and non-Christians are less than.
I think the term "territory marking" completely sums up the goal of the 10C's on public property. It's not about improving behavior or making a positive example or anything of a practical nature. It's about radical Christians pissing on secular institutions.
Bullard has such a hard-on for the 10C. I'd like to ask him how many poor people he's fed, clothed and housed like his Jesus said. Bet I can count them on one hand and have four fingers and a thumb left over.
Somebody's setting up a whites only town somewhere in Arkansas I think. Saw it on you tube– that young chap ex-J W whose name I forget. Owen Morgan – just popped into my head.
There are any number of issues here to unpack, but there's one I'd like to focus on for the moment: the money.
Christians never seem to have problems raising money when said funds will be used to mark their territory on some public venue. Money that could be used for most any other charitable endeavor instead goes to try and make the the world seem a little more Christian. Even just acquiring money through legitimate means sometimes seems to be something Christians cannot do, note here the money taken from an unrelated fund intended for another purpose entirely.
If anything the rest of us should note how Christians behave when money is involved, and respond accordingly. It's clear that when Christians and money are together, we find out exactly who Christians are and what they actually value, instead of whatever platitude du jour may be in vogue at the moment.
"the Monument’s legality, noting that “[a]n inconspicuous monument appears safer than a large prominent one”
Non, no, no, nein, nyet. Even if it was only visible by a microscope, a religious whatever has no place in a public building.
"but that this will also serve as a missions opportunity to point people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.”
I know next to nothing about the bible but as ignare as I am, I am willing to bet there is no mention of Jesus Christ in the OT.
"Clifford Lindemann"
So, it's true, every family has their black sheeps.
*Sigh*
"The separation of church and state guarantees that we all have the right to decide, for ourselves, which religious beliefs, if any, people should follow."
This, and not a religious text whatsoever, should be put in a prominent place, in every public building.
A good chunk of change wasted on useless nonsense that could have been spent on, I don't know, maybe feeding the hungry. Priorities people, priorities!
Sadly, their priority, such as it is, is to convince the entire world of their delusion. I don't think they're much concerned with reality or anyone else's priorities.
Two remaining questions:
- Did the sheriff pay back the $4,868 stolen from the County’s “Chirper Fund" ?
- Will he be punished for this theft ?
Class 3 felony. Should be jail, restitution, and fines. Should be.
Illinois Statutes Chapter 720. Criminal Offenses § 5/17-10.6 | FindLaw https://share.google/nV11JoqJq3i1IkvvT
Good one, you should do stand-...
Sorry, I thought you were joking.
It's *Joe King*. He'd never do such a thing.
My comment is for the fish eater 😋
I thought perhaps you had them confused.....one is Joe King, the other joking. 😉
Joe, please, never do comedy 🤪
I took stand-up lessons from Funnybot.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQSz90QyQG6_-lGUN70r9NoNGx1D1b3ad1pyA&s
No.
And no.
I'd like to know the answer to that too.
Hmm, perhaps a letter to the editor of a paper in that county is in order.
(Goes to do some research.)
And it appears that there are precious few media outlets and the two I found don’t have LTEs. One had an online discussion forum. There are 3 posts in 2025.
My ancestors, who immigrated from Germany in the 1840s, settled a couple of counties away from this place. It’s probably the place in the US with the densest concentration of people in the world who share my very rare surname. (The last one in Germany died decades ago.) Let me say that nothing in the post by Hemant surprises me.
I’ve always wanted to try my hand at novelizing my family’s history. Maybe, when I retire in 2 weeks, 20 hours, 56 minutes, and 50 seconds*, I will make an attempt.
Kind of like Buddenbrooks but with the triumphant escape from mindless Lutheranism over the generations instead of the family’s descent into lower class status.
* Love that countdown app!
What's the link?
Link to?
If you mean the countdown app, https://countdowntoanything.app
The countdown. I take it, it is on your puter and not the net.
It isn't as if these monuments to the Ten Commandments are actually going to result in better people, because there is zero evidence to support that idea. It's also ironic that they be stationed in a court house given the fact eight of the Commandments would be unconstitutional should anyone try writing them into law. This is just more performance art on the part of the religious right. They either get to mark their territory in the public square, or they get to play the poor, persecuted victims of the godless left.
He spent County taxpayer funds on an illegal religious monument. It sounds to me like(admittedly, not a lawyer) that this idiot Sheriff is overdue for a letter from the Illinois AG demanding restitution at a minimum or an indictment.
One day of jail by dollar wasted non reimbursed.
I totally agree.
The thing itself, being a graven image violates their own rule.
More religious bukkake. Only they ejaculate religious monuments, on secular taxpayers.
"It isn't as if these monuments to the Ten Commandments are actually going to result in better people,"
It seems to me that by the time someone is in criminal court, it is a bit too late.
Xtians: "Even though you are not an adherent of our cult, you must be subject to cult rules. We're putting up a stone monument to intimidate you into doing so."
Non-cultists: "Fuck you, we will see you in court."
Xtians: "OMG, WE ARE BEING PERSECUTED."
SSDD
𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑓 𝐽𝑒𝑓𝑓 𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑢𝑦 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠, 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑟𝑠: “𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑦’𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑦.”
The county didn't consult it's lawyer ahead of time. Then when it did, the lawyer told the county what it was doing was illegal. And the county kept doing it. Of course insurance doesn't cover it. That's part of pretty much every local government insurance policy: if there is any question of legality, consult with your own on-staff lawyer and make sure what you're doing is legal before you do it. Look insurance companies are often weasally, but this really standard stuff.
What I want to know is what the follow-up was about the chirper fund. It seems like that should get repaid, and it also seems like the Sherriff's taking money from it was embezzlement.
Almost all insurance policies have an illegal acts exclusion. The Sheriff was trying to find a loophole around the law that he swore to uphold.
Maybe the county lawyer should have a yearly orientation session for all elected officials. Consult me on this. The county does not cover you if you do that. No, just because you heard someone on the internet say it was legal, does not mean it is legal.
Actually, that might be a good general idea, extending well beyond Jefferson county.
For the longest time, I felt that any incoming Congress person should be instructed in the principle of State / Church separation, and its importance to secular government. I would give real money to see such instruction implemented on the local, state, and federal levels.
I am not, however, holding my breath.
I honestly think that all elected officials should have to pass a basic civics test. Far too few of them seem to understand how our government works, on any level.
May I take their place if I beat them ? 😋
Gladly.
Ah yes Tommy Potatotown not knowing the three branches of Gov't comes to mind.
They do get an orientation course. But I think it's mostly nuts and bolts stuff. How to request stuff. How to access places. Who to call if you need blah. Etc. If there is any orientation about how to interpret the law, I'm guessing their party whip makes sure they understand it exactly the way the party wants them to understand it.
Something that important should be in the hands of a qualified constitutional lawyer, not a party hack.
I like the idea of a civics test for all incoming lawmakers. If they answer any questions incorrectly they should be required to attend remedial sessions covering that specific area to make sure they understand it.
That should go double for those nominated to head federal agencies like Homeland Security. Looking at YOU, Kristi "Habeus Corpus" Noem.
And the consequences of his failure to follow the law can be summed up in four letters:
FAFO.
I wondered about that too. Why is this jackass not facing an auditing team already?
All the officials there are his brother/cousins.
That's typical of most small towns and rural areas. One family or familial group tends to be dominant.
I was just in Mt. Vernon, Illinois yesterday....turns out that's the county seat. I happened to drive past the Jefferson County courthouse while killing time playing Pokemon go and noticed they have a big kneeling soldier cross silhouette thing on the NW corner of the grounds. While I wasn't able to get a picture, Google streetview shows it quite clearly.
As a disabled combat Veteran, this shit annoys me even though I see the good intentions. There are better, more inclusive alternatives (helmet atop inverted rifle flanked by combat boots, for example).
https://maps.app.goo.gl/yxHyc1qhkW2zWGHJ9?g_st=ac
The war memorial with the cross is problematic too.
Yep. I noticed that as well but didn't get more than a glimpse as there was a vehicle parked there at the time.
I guess the blank side is for us atheists. ; )
If the cross symbolize a tomb, they should have represented a slab, like the ones at Arlington.
It is, and I got curious, so I went and looked for more info. Apparently, it just has dates on it; finding more than that is a bit tough. I do get the impression that it hasn't been updated anytime in recent memory as well, which says quite a bit all by itself. Here's the page I did find, by the by: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=61904
Thanks.
They don't call Korea or Viet Nam wars. I bet the vets of those two wars might have a different opinion.
So primitive: the building does not even have central air conditioning.
In case you (or any other PoGo players) are interested in adding friends:
94BrightAquaC4 - 2100 9717 2043
SharpedoTom - 4376 7369 2416
TakTheCreator - 8751 0208 4852
YetAnotherGod - 8913 0455 9422
🫡
I'm only vaguely familiar with Pokemon Go, but can you drop a Snorlax on it? Seems to me there may be several good choices of silly virtual things you can drop on that site as a form of passive, legal, subtle protest.
Snorlax looks bulky but comes in as a lightweight at 1,014 lbs. Guzzlord would be better at 1,957 lbs but tied for heaviest are Cosmoem and Celesteela at a whopping 2,204 lbs.
Good news for a change, never mind one more in the "W" column for the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the ACLU. Frankly, I don't care who was funding the 10C monument or what their intentions were. I care about State / Church separation and the Religious Reich's tendency to take any opportunity it can to indulge in territory-marking. The current status of State / Church separation is tenuous enough as it is with Cheetolini in the front seat. I don't want to see it compromised any further.
And a bit THANK YOU to the FFRF and ACLU for putting a stop to this foolishness.
The Orcs are running amok all over the country. They are promoting suffering, killing people, and cutting down all the trees. Enough is enough!
What about the donations from the churches? Money that could have and (according to their dogma) should have been used to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, etc., used for a monument not unlike a certain 'golden calf' that got god lovers in a lot of trouble in the past. Seems like they need to spend some more time studying their book rather than trying to ram their idols down everyone's throats.
Xtians: "Yeah, those freeloaders need to get jobs." It's no coincidence that the most vile of people are "prosperity gospel" cheerleaders. Remember when Joel Osteen locked the doors of the church during flooding? Everything is about power and money and nothing in the xtian cult is about empathy.
They are in it to fund christo-fascism, nothing about feeding the less fortunate goes through the cultist's (so-called) minds.
OT: I saw this blurb on Scott Dworkin’s site and posted this:
“Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters, is now blaming fellow Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt for his most recent scandal. Walters is being investigated after several state school board members reported seeing inappropriate images on a TV in his office.”
Head over to Friendly Atheist for more on this story: https://open.substack.com/pub/friendlyatheist/p/ryan-walters-tv-displayed-nude-women?r=pcltj&utm_medium=ios
So the governor put porn on in Walters office...?
Ryan's rule is simple: blame anyone except himself!
Lol, you know Walters has to cast dispersions on someone other than his oh so godly self.
And here I thought Republicans were the Party of Personal Responsibility.
Another illusion shattered. ;)
"The buck stops here... for a brief layover while I figure out who I can pass it to."
What I love about this is that it's all over the Internet. Every reasonably progressive and some less than progressive commentor has talked about it at some stage. He cannot keep it quiet, so he has to find someone else to blame.
Like Cancun Cruz and his little porn foible? 😂
Did he have one too? Good God I missed that.
It happened several years ago:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ted-cruz-porn-like_n_59b76b91e4b031cc65cc1be4
Why do xtians insist on making such a fuss over a set of rules that were only meant for the Chosen People?
Not only that, but they seem unable to get the RIGHT set of commandments.
It's all about territorial marking. It's a handy little list they can use as shorthand for "Christian morality", and displaying the list everywhere they can sends the message that they are in charge and non-Christians are less than.
I think the term "territory marking" completely sums up the goal of the 10C's on public property. It's not about improving behavior or making a positive example or anything of a practical nature. It's about radical Christians pissing on secular institutions.
And I don't take well to being pissed on.
Not even by Russian prostitutes ?
ESPECIALLY by Russian prostitutes! I leave stupidity like that to Donnie Dumb-Ass.
How I wish he'd picked up a disease or two from those hookers.
Who knows, maybe he has.
I suspect most of them never considered any "Chosen People." As far as their concerned, the 10C's apply to everybody, whether they like it or not.
This of course is where ignorance is not only bliss, but quite convenient.
The Chosen Person: Donald Trump.
Chosen by the Murican people...and God himself...to rule the world. And slap tariffs on those who do not obey.
This is the delusion 35% of this FUBAR nation actually lives.
The Jesus Delusion is alive, well and living in Jefferson Co., IL.
The USA are going to find out they only have one friend. One that is busy killing civilians as we speak.
And we all know the right wing do not care at all about Jews. They just happen to be in the country hosting the End Times. Nobody else put in a bid.
And I still have never seethed a kid in its mother's milk.
What about lunch?
Territorial pissings of the ignoratti.
Bullard has such a hard-on for the 10C. I'd like to ask him how many poor people he's fed, clothed and housed like his Jesus said. Bet I can count them on one hand and have four fingers and a thumb left over.
He would bring back sundown towns if he could.
Isn't he already trying?
Somebody's setting up a whites only town somewhere in Arkansas I think. Saw it on you tube– that young chap ex-J W whose name I forget. Owen Morgan – just popped into my head.
He would point to the jail and say thousands.
Sick burn!
Next step, remove the Sheriff to the unemployment line.
"In the unemployment line, in the unemployment line
I see a butcher and a baker, a faker and a quaker
And an old girl friend of mine
There's white collars, blue collars and no collars too
Talking 'bout the bad new times
And we all get together every Wednesday afternoon
In the unemployment line." - Shel Silverstein
Clerical collars?
Not enough.
Good! Remove them all from public lands and put them in front of churches where they belong.
I'm willing to bet that there are more than a few houses of worship where these monuments can find homes.
Put them in front of the churches, 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 the churches.
Priests obey the 10C about as well as cops obey the law.
There are any number of issues here to unpack, but there's one I'd like to focus on for the moment: the money.
Christians never seem to have problems raising money when said funds will be used to mark their territory on some public venue. Money that could be used for most any other charitable endeavor instead goes to try and make the the world seem a little more Christian. Even just acquiring money through legitimate means sometimes seems to be something Christians cannot do, note here the money taken from an unrelated fund intended for another purpose entirely.
If anything the rest of us should note how Christians behave when money is involved, and respond accordingly. It's clear that when Christians and money are together, we find out exactly who Christians are and what they actually value, instead of whatever platitude du jour may be in vogue at the moment.
That tacky tablet could be put to better use as gravel.
I know a crack that needs patched.
Maybe a map of the local area, with a "YOU ARE HERE" arrow! 😁
Or some nice countertops.
"the Monument’s legality, noting that “[a]n inconspicuous monument appears safer than a large prominent one”
Non, no, no, nein, nyet. Even if it was only visible by a microscope, a religious whatever has no place in a public building.
"but that this will also serve as a missions opportunity to point people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.”
I know next to nothing about the bible but as ignare as I am, I am willing to bet there is no mention of Jesus Christ in the OT.
"Clifford Lindemann"
So, it's true, every family has their black sheeps.
*Sigh*
"The separation of church and state guarantees that we all have the right to decide, for ourselves, which religious beliefs, if any, people should follow."
This, and not a religious text whatsoever, should be put in a prominent place, in every public building.
A good chunk of change wasted on useless nonsense that could have been spent on, I don't know, maybe feeding the hungry. Priorities people, priorities!
Or helping prisoners communicate with their loved ones.
Sadly, their priority, such as it is, is to convince the entire world of their delusion. I don't think they're much concerned with reality or anyone else's priorities.