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I recently read that something on the order of 80% of the students receiving vouchers to attend private schools already attend those schools. Thus, tax payers wind up subsidizing private, religious education. There aren't many private schools in most places that do not have a religious affiliation. No religious institution should get one cent of public money for any reason. I see this as part of the long term goal of the religious right to destroy public education in this country.

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That seems to be the argument against Abbott's multiple special sessions trying to get a voucher program established in Texas. The biggest resistance is coming from the small rural school districts, most of whom are barely keeping their public schools open. If they are forced to consolidate, kids may have a 30 or even 50-60 mile bus ride to get to school.

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In the great majority of those little towns, there is no private school option.

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And, for a great many of those students, the private schools won’t take them even with the money (voucher or otherwise) in hand. Most private schools boast high performance only because they don’t allow students who aren’t already high performers. Any student with an IEP is disqualified, any student with family issue, or behavior issues (often related), even any student without the ability to pay tuition before the vouchers are all disqualified as well. Other sects of Christianity, other religions and no religion are also disqualifiers for these schools.

When they figure out the cost for educating each student, they should have used that information to divide up public school funding to the schools according to attendance, to help eliminate the disparities between suburban and inner city schools, or the property tax disparities. Instead, the politicians and private school owners took it as an opportunity to steal from the taxpayers.

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The false “BETTER school/BETTER education” promoted by private schools and the GOP is built entirely on the private schools not having the same requirements as public schools who ACCEPT all students.

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This has been the case in Michigan where Betsy DeVoss started her school voucher bs.

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𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑, 𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓; 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑖𝑡, 𝑠𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟, '𝑡𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛, 𝐼 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑒ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑑, 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑏𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑒.

-- Benjamin Franklin

As far as I'm concerned, secular government should have NOTHING to do with religion and religion likewise should have NOTHING to do with secular government. The school board's decision not to treat with a church organization is directly in line with this principle, and I applaud the school board members for their wise choice.

I only wish I saw such wisdom more often.

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An offer of $5k for apartments makes a lot more sense than $70k for a private school. The $5k for apartments means potentially hundreds of thousands in future revenue from property taxes to support the public school, as well as potential new students. The $70k for a 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 school sucking away that future tax revenue? Not so much. Perhaps we need to add the story of Jacob and Esau to the list of cherry picked scripture.

Of course the Christians are going to low key cry persecution. They aren't getting their desired outcome of eliminating public schools in favor of their brand of indoctrination.

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"We believe that communities benefit from having access to educational options that align with family values."

Translated from Christianese: "Public education is immoral and families that seek it are heathens. We don't want OUR children exposed to recorded history, scientific facts or anything else that runs counter to their religious indoctrination."

"Educational options" sounds like alternative medicine or even alternative facts. You know what THOSE are worth.

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Whenever they talk about family values they mean oppression of LGBT people and women. Probably people of color as well.

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The police blotters are full of Republicans and evangelicals who promote 'family values.'

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We can look at the Mothers for Lieberty founder for the real family values.

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Moms for “NO” Liberty.

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Moms for Fascism.

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Nazi Moms.

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Nazi Moms Nazi Moms Nazi Moms FUCK OFF!

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Moms Against Liberty.

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American Family Association, Alliance Defending Freedom, Family Research Council, First Liberty, Liberty Counsel, Westboro Baptist Church, etc. ad nauseum.

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Travail, famille, patrie (work, family, country) was the official motto under putain... Sorry I meant pétain.

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I prefer poutine. Far superior to Bad Vlad.

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Family, Freedom, Liberty. Red flags. People who actually care about these things rarely feel the need to make a big deal of their support.

People who actually work to change things, rarely promote themselves.

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Reporter is talking to two women about to get married. "What about family values?"

"What about them? We have families. We have values."

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You can count on it. Women=Eve=sin you know. Women will never live that bit of biblical propaganda down.

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Waverly already has a religious elementary school, but they're Lutheran.

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I find that secular public schools align with my family’s values.

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I’ve been saying this about vouchers for years. All it does is defund public schools and keep all children from accessing quality education. Vouchers are not how taxes work, nor should they be. The tax money set aside for public schools is not technically there to educate individual children, it’s there to provide a school open to all students. If individual students want a choice, they pay for the private or homeschool options, they don’t get tax money to educate their child separately. I don’t get parks and recreation tax money to have my own backyard pool since I don’t have to use the community pool, or my neighbors with a swing set in their backyard doesn’t get P&R taxes because their children don’t use the playground. That would be asinine, but folks think it makes sense for education. The vouchers rarely cover the tuition of the private schools, plus the private schools that have been getting voucher students have jacked up their tuitions since getting that tax money (often raising the tuition with no explanation for the additional costs).

I’m glad the school board can see the threat and took measures to avoid it, but that will only help so much. There will be other attempts and plenty of families that steal their money so that we won’t have any decent public schools anywhere.

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That makes so much sense...

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Too bad the Supreme Court didn’t use your logic. The private school phenomenon began with integration of our public schools and white flight. I don’t remember who or when vouchers got to be a thing but the steady erosion of the church/state/education line of separation has come pretty close to the ruination of public education in a lot of communities. That has been the point all along though, hasn’t it?

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I first heard of it from ¡qǝſ

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School vouchers have been gutting the Michigan public school system for years now. Every community/district/state should look at Michigan as a warning to NOT approve school voucher programs.

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Here in Wisconsin the subsidies devoted to private and parochial schools come right off the top of the already inadequate appropriation for general state aid to public schools. This is just one more aspect of former Gov. Scott Walker's loathing for public-school teachers, whose union bargaining rights he repealed with his notorious Act 10 a decade ago. And his fellow Republicans who dominate the most gerrymandered state legislature in America are more than happy to keep driving more nails into the coffin.

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I'm one of those teachers left over from Scooters debacle in Wisconsin. I was just thinking yesterday that Im just not paid enough to keep our schools a float. Our pathetic pay is a direct result of Republican’s intentional destruction of public education thru the deferal of public money to private/religious schools.

There is only so much individuals can contribute to keep public schools operating before it takes a personal toll. Anyone who participates in the WIS voucher program is responsible for the demise of public education. I'm sure people believe they are only doing the best for their children and give little thought to the fact they are helping to cheat all the children using public schools. I'm sure being a cheat is not what their God teaches them. Unfortunately, few of these folks have ever given much thought to what their “free” voucher has done to the education of the other students in the community or those of us who constantly GIVE to keep public schools open. Surely most that have bought into the GOP BS that public education is failing so take this “free” money and move your children to a BETTER private school, do not know or care that the free money is WHY public education is failing.

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My experience is most people don't give a damn about other people, so even if they know the voucher is hurting other students' education, they won't care. I've got mine, screw everybody else.

Texas just voted to raise the homestead exemption (basically a reduction in taxes on your home) for the public schools from $40k to $100k for each house. I paid $600 less than last year's taxes. Which is nice, but that's $600 the local school district isn't getting, multiplied by thousands.

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Yes that $600 is most likely coming out of the pockets of the educators the children depend on. Everyone will think the reduction is great until one day there won’t be any more educators. See Florida where they are short 10,000 educators & are now allowing anyone still breathing to interact with & teach children. Definitely one way to make public education horrible so eventually it fails completely. Good way too to keep the “greatest” nation headed towards total stupidity.

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Of course, public schools are just free daycares. Wonder what the kiddie rape rate in public schools in Florida will be in 5 years as they get desperate for somebody to babysit the kids.

No need for people who trained in how to educate. Much less the ones with the talent to educate the ones that learn differently and are either way behind the rest of the class or way ahead.

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With FL already at Rock bottom for educators pay, in 5 yrs they’ll be happy to prove that anyone can be a teacher by hiring straight from prison work programs.

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The point isn't so much that they got theirs and don't care. The real story is they took the GOP lie & free money, moved their children from the school they helped fail to a private BETTER school with a reputation totally built on false ratings. They believe the Republican BS— that their child will now be saved by a BETTER school, a school with zero requirements & guidelines, accountable to no one. However, if their child ever needs special attention or has behavior issues the private school will toss their child like a spoiled baloney sandwich. They’ll be right back at the public schools whining about how there aren't enough resources to help their child. And they’ll be complaining LOUDLY about the horrors of the public education they helped destroy. Not to forget that all this plus constant bad-mouthing drove out the very educators their children now need.

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Oh and note, there are other things property tax pays for, but the increase in the exemption only applied to school districts.

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"I've got mine, screw everybody else."

The consewertive credo. I call them pack animals because they don't give a shit about anyone who isn't a member of their pack.

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Cuz not caring about anyone but themselves is Christian behavior. Exactly why these folks are so terrified of the secular world. Sure wouldn't want their children to learn any morals, ethics or decent attitudes towards their fellow human beings. Yes the secular world is a true danger to maintaining proper Christian values cuz let us not forget-- hate, violence & cruelty is the point.

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"The conswervative credo."

Libertarian, too.

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I pray that you long-suffering folks will one day throw off your oppressors and re-establish democracy.

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Same here in Michigan.

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As some who has lived on both the east and west coasts, there is something that is very troubling to me and I don't understand. <i>You can buy property for $70,000?</i> Aren't you missing a couple of zeros there and a contract with the bank that allows them to claim your first born?

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As we have recently learned, property values are actually arbitrary abstract numbers that hold no true meaning and can change on a whim depending on who is looking at them and for what purpose. Almost as if Schrodinger's Cat was swatting away at a keyboard.

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This is small town nowhere, not much value to that land. Now, it it were productive farm acerage with a high CSR¹, then you're talking valuable.

(¹ Corn Suitability Rating, an actual thing, very important with regard to land valuation. https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2015/04/corn-suitability-rating-2-equation-updated )

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My neck of the woods. Waverly is the biggest small town in Bremer County. It's where the residents of all the other small towns goto to do their shopping. There are almost a dozen stop lights and a brand new Taco Bell.

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Well, I feel sad for the kids of this town. Firstly, they live in Iowa. Secondly, they now have to watch the Flintstones at home instead of in the science class. And thirdly they live in Iowa. They all must have had someone in the last seven generations that pissed of God.

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Iowa isn't quite that bad. I've been to Alabama.

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Granted, but if you hear someone playing a banjo in either state.. RUN!!!

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When I first went to work for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction back in 1972, I met a nice co-worker who one day mentioned she was originally from Iowa. I mused that I was kind of surprised, given that we were naboring states, that I'd never met someone from Iowa before. She replied, "Well, Iowa is a good state to be FROM."

FWIW, my lovely wife is also from Iowa and largely shares that same opinion.

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You've never been to Iowa, I'm assuming?

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Wow, that takes me back! I loved Three Dog night!

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Le clip pique les yeux par moments.

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It helps if you're on acid too.

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I ate a salad with vinaigrette for lunch. Does that count ?

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Might need something a little stronger.

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I am not sure. I might have been in Iowa, or I was in a mashed-potato food-coma at cracker barrel. My mental state at the time, prevented me from counting the number of soybean plants in the a ten foot radius (> 4 plants, you're in Iowa), which is the only way to positively confirm if you are in Iowa.

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Well, if you don't see pigs and corn, you're not in Iowa!

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As a proud Iowan, I must say, I resemble that remark. Go Hawks! (Waverly Shellrock HS is also the Hawks but I mean the University of Iowa Hawks. For HS it's GO Wildcats!).

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[I worry, though, that conservatives will treat this as a story of Christian persecution...]

They cry that when the barista hands them a red cup.

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“I worry, though, that conservatives will treat this as a story of Christian persecution when it’s really a story about how to best support public education.“

It’s really a story of Christianity persecuting public schools. You are right to be worried.

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A $70,000 offer for a school that cost millions is an attempted rip off of the community by those poor persecuted Christians.

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OT: Clever headline. - "Coach Tommy Tuberville routed in a 0-436 loss after the senator failed to prevent a single military promotion".

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Nowadays, active or passive support for public education IS seen as christian persecution simply because it supports the teaching of facts over myths.

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Ewww!

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When Zeus tried this trick it didn't end well for the woman.

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Zeus would stick it in anything that sat still long enough.

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While you are here. What do you eat for breakfast ? I can prevent my glycemia to spike most of the time except for breakfasts.

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I rarely eat breakfast. I got out of the habit back before I had the CPAP and barely got out of bed in time to shower before work.

When I did, I did poorly with things like Froot Loops with whole milk, because I found my blood sugar crashed if I used 2% milk. None of that helps you, I'm afraid.

I've found fats and proteins help to stabilize the blood sugar. OTOH, I've had a triple bypass so that may not be the best strategy.

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I saw an interview with Joyce Vedral (fitness guru and the author of 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘜𝘱!) where she said that you should never skip breakfast because it is the on switch for the metabolism.

https://www.amazon.com/Bottoms-Up-Joyce-L-Vedral/dp/0446394211/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=bottoms+up&qid=1703112713&sr=8-8

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Metabolism doesn't have an on switch. It's always on. If it's off, you're dead.

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I eat them for lunches and dinners. I was told at the hospital to use more oil, I even had olive oil twice a day. I usually eat whole wheat or rye bread with humus, fresh fruits and greek yoghurt or a fruit yoghurt for breakfast.

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I don't know. Our eating habits are practically polar opposites, so I don't have any foods to suggest. You might ask a nutritionist for some suggestions for breakfast.

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Sounds like you need more bacon.

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https://www.savorysimple.net/savory-baked-oatmeal-with-bacon-mushrooms-and-caramelized-onions/

Just made a triple batch this weekend because it's easier to do the onions in bulk. You can leave out the bacon obviously, I like to add diced roasted sweet potato. Also good with a bit of sautéed spinach and/or cabbage.

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I would have to leave out the oats. 🤧

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Send your oats to me.

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Oh jeez! Not sure I can unsee that piece of work. 🤬

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So the biblical god is a Russian hooker? Who knew?

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It's becoming increasingly clear that Christians are specifically attacking education as a methodology for indoctrination of younger generations to drive future church attendance. Watching the news last night and listening to Dennis Prager insist that teachers are lying about what they do and don't have time to teach last night was just beyond disgusting. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymqaena_6QA)

With that in mind, here's hoping Iowa sticks to that decision. There's decent odds that Inspired Life isn't going to stop here with just whining, they'll see if their lawyers can convince the courts to force the issue. Issues like this are one of the reasons I honestly wish I could completely bar religion from schools worldwide: Christians never seem to take the rejection with grace and bow out, they always at least attempt to force everyone else to kowtow to their wishes. Good luck to Iowa public schools.

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Christians know they only have a short time before their children grow and start to form their own ideas. Especially the Christian parents of children who attend public schools rather than private ones.

The Internet, for all its faults, is also something of a liberator, Little wonder that Christian apologist Josh McDowell has referred to the 'Net as the greatest threat to Christianity.

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Some time back, the YouTube producer Thunderf00t called the Internet: "The place where religion goes to die." He wasn't far off.

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Except religious leaders also use it, sometimes to great effect I suspect. At least judging by the "hallelujah you're so brilliant" comments you often see under their Youtubes.

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As I said, "for all its faults." :)

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And atheists existed before Internet. I kind of remember some NOGOOD.

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Becuz they are messagers for the fantasyman we should all respect/bow to their imagination by giving them anything they want. Obviously if they aren't handed a million dollar building for pennies they are being discriminated against, persecuted by us heathens.

Not bad enough we all pay more taxes so they can use their money towards indoctrination to keep the fantasy going and coffers filled. Churches in America are worse than bars, on every corner and leaving emotional carnage long into life. I personally have the childhood scars from Catholic nuns torture as proof. I'm sure that was done in love at the direction of the fantasyman. With those memories firmly entrenched, I do not want these people or their beliefs anywhere near children. CONGRATS to this Iowa city for protecting their community and youth from this spreading rot determined to imprison and hold all of the US hostage.

.

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“In Catholic school, as vicious as Roman rule

I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black

And I held my tongue as she told me

"Son, fear is the heart of love, " so I never went back”

--Death Cab for Cutie

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I've had a lifetime of knee surgeries. I cannot prove the nuns torture was the specific cause but kneeling on concrete every afternoon as punishment for playing basketball with the boys was not a real positive. Certainly playing BB was a major christian offense, with boys no less. Always thought the nuns behavior was a result of their brains being crushed all day in their penguin outfits. Their anger had to be released somewhere.

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The result of being forced into a convent because they were considered “too old” to find a husband? I’d be pissed off too, but not at the expense of children.

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I saw that part of the interview and wouldn’t you know it, my bullshit meter exploded.

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The board has a fiduciary responsibility to the school district. I cannot believe that school is not worth more than $70,000 - even in Iowa. The christians have a deep-seated need to bleat they are being persecuted - let them bleat.

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OT: Turns out Trumpublicans and Confederates lied to block the participation trophy to loser traitor scum from that most sacred ground. Go figure.

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/20/1220573980/confederate-memorial-arlington-cemetery-removal

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It doesn’t belong at the Virginia Military Institute either. There’s no heritage there to protect, there’s no reconciliation if it’s going to praise the institution of slavery, and there’s nothing valuable in the statue beyond the worth of the metal and marble they can reuse for a better memorial.

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"The heritage groups' lawyers contended that the legal issues were sufficiently distinct that it wasn't absolutely necessary for Alston to know about their legal defeat in the District of Columbia."

Way to piss off a judge by implying he is stupid*.

* I know there are stupid judges who shouldn't be on the bench, starting with one in Florida.

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Is this about the J6 organizers that lied to the National Park Service, or a different group of loser traitor scum. (I know it's different, lying seems to be a theme).

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RW always uses their best and most practiced skills to advance their agenda. Lies, lies and more lies plus WHINING— unfair unfair unfair but but but HUNTER

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The April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865 loser traitor scum. There was a participation trophy for them at Arlington National Cemetery.

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Didn't mention but I assume Youngkin is a Republican.

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