Ok, i’m going to be a bit cynical here, pardonnez moi.
“ “Today, Oklahomans are being compelled to fund Catholicism.” I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure the AG’s panties-in-a-bunch are expressed completely in the very last word. Had it been a baptist school being the first, nary a peep would have been heard.
Wow! Knock me over with a feather. Oklahoma State AG Drummond is calling the state on its proposal to support what amounts to a Catholic school with public funds?!? Next thing you know, they'll be indicting predator priests for child sexual abuse! To say this is welcome is to understate badly.
As for Ryan Walters and his butt-hurt allegation about atheism as a state "religion," I would remind him that there is a difference between atheism and secularism. I would also remind him that Oklahoma, like the rest of the United States, is a panoply of belief systems, never mind those of us who do not indulge in religious belief. It is government's duty to remain INDEPENDENT of religion, so it can be in the position of treating all people of all faiths and no faith EQUALLY.
I say this while acknowledging that Walters almost certain doesn't want to get that message.
I can't help but think the people pushing for this Catholic charter school would be going out of their tiny little minds at the mere suggestion the state might fund an Islamic school. No private religious school should get one red cent of public money, for any reason. It is not the job of our secular government to backstop religion. Any religion.
OT- Federal Judge tells noted domestic abuser and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that no, he can't just pretend he's bankrupt to avoid paying what he owes the people whose lives he wrecked and whose dead children he defamed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLP-mjI4a1s
No, Mr. Jones, you are not bankrupt if you're still raking in tens of millions every year. Pay your bills, you fucking parasite.
“It is time to end atheism as the state sponsored religion,” Walters said. “Suing and targeting the Catholic Virtual Charter School is religious persecution because of one’s faith, which is the very reason that religious freedom is constitutionally protected.”
Religious persecution is targeting religion for existing, not for refusing to allow a religious institution to force itself on unwilling participants. If this “school” didn’t demand to be considered a public school while not following public school rules and take public funds from actual public schools, no one would care if it was there. No one is rounding up Catholics to force them into camps and the Catholic school isn’t the only religious school not allowed to participate. This is not persecution, but it is a defense against persecution from the Catholic school.
“A warped perversion of history has created a modern day concept that all religious freedom is driven from the classrooms. I will always side for an individual’s right to choose religious freedom in education.”
There is plenty of religious freedom in classrooms. The students in public schools get to be any religion or no religion they choose, they can practice their religious beliefs however the want without the school getting involved. If they choose to attend a religious school they are free to do so, but if it costs them money, they have to pay for it themselves. There are more churches in the ISA than public schools and libraries put together and still the religious demand to be inserted in the schools. Take the hint, the public isn’t interested. There’s plenty of opportunity for the people to learn religion, and I’m gonna say that even in the rural areas, there’s plenty opportunity for Catholic children to attend church, there’s no need for this school to exist.
All religious freedom is not driven from classrooms, classrooms cannot have religious freedom if they are focused on one religion. How would a Protestant child have religious freedom in a Catholic classroom? The case that removed forced prayer from schools was brought out by Jewish parents as well as other religious folks with one or two atheists. How are their religious freedom served when the classroom is Catholic? What is warped is your statement, it was really unclear, but also religious freedom is not what’s being driven out of classrooms. What is being driven out of schools is the institution requiring one religion to be accepted as n the classroom with all others being ignored at best, but attacked in practice. You are either ignorant of the meaning of religious freedom, or willfully lying about what it means, and I’m certain it’s the latter.
And what I understood your statement “ A warped perversion of history has created a modern day concept that all religious freedom is driven from the classrooms.” to mean was that the classrooms teach religious freedom, like it is a drive by educators to support and educate the freedom, but what you meant was driving all religion out of classrooms. By using the term religious freedom when you mean religious dogma, your statement was unclear. Also it is a lie if you want to say there’s no religion mention allowed in schools. As there’s plenty of religion in the curriculum, it’s just not anything that states one religion is the true religion or that it’s inherently correct. Doing so is indoctrination, which is what you are trying to instill in the public schools, and intentionally conflating with religious freedom.
To my knowledge there are no institutions "teaching atheism." Atheism comes from thought and experience. People who go on about religious liberty want to be free to abuse it, in the same way Trump and his minions like to go on about freedom of speech while abusing it. The Constitution is clear, and I doubt that a right-wing SC describing themselves as "originalists" can get around it.
Holy smoke, an elected official in Oklahoma actually displays not only respect for the law but actual common sense!? Maybe I've been wrong all this time. Miracles DO happen!
OT: A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that we were getting a new TacoBell in the area (about 15 miles away). Last time I drove by they were still under construction. I guess now they are open because, today, I found a TacoBell drink cup in my front yard.
Completely OT. There was an Octoberfest in my town this weekend. It is common when the local paper covers a non-European ethnic festival for the local bigots to comment about how “those people” should assimilate. So whenever the paper has an article about a European festival — Octoberfest or St. Patrick)s Day or some Scottish thing, I put in a whingeing comment about “why can’t these people just become Americans?!?!” Sure enough, I’m being ragged on for not just shutting my trap.
I’m responding by bitching about them cancel culturing me.
Among other failings, the school did not include a Liberty University Police Department report regarding “an alleged rape that was committed by a former Liberty President” in its daily crime log, the Post reported. The findings reportedly did not specify which former president or whether the school investigated. Instead, it focused on whether the report was logged as required by the Clery Act.
Only two former Liberty presidents were alive when the police report was made. One of them, Jerry Falwell Jr., told the Post it was “absolutely” not about him. The other former president, John Borek, reportedly did not respond when the Post tried to ask him about it. Borek is on Liberty’s board of trustees.
My state sponsored public school completely failed to teach me atheism. I didn't even know what atheism was until well after high school.
Ok, i’m going to be a bit cynical here, pardonnez moi.
“ “Today, Oklahomans are being compelled to fund Catholicism.” I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure the AG’s panties-in-a-bunch are expressed completely in the very last word. Had it been a baptist school being the first, nary a peep would have been heard.
But the Scarlet Whore of Babylon*?!?!?!?
*actual quote from TimLaHaye nearly 50 years ago.
Wow! Knock me over with a feather. Oklahoma State AG Drummond is calling the state on its proposal to support what amounts to a Catholic school with public funds?!? Next thing you know, they'll be indicting predator priests for child sexual abuse! To say this is welcome is to understate badly.
As for Ryan Walters and his butt-hurt allegation about atheism as a state "religion," I would remind him that there is a difference between atheism and secularism. I would also remind him that Oklahoma, like the rest of the United States, is a panoply of belief systems, never mind those of us who do not indulge in religious belief. It is government's duty to remain INDEPENDENT of religion, so it can be in the position of treating all people of all faiths and no faith EQUALLY.
I say this while acknowledging that Walters almost certain doesn't want to get that message.
OT
It doesn’t bother me when a baseball player expresses thanks to God after pitching out of a jam or hitting a home run or winning a game.
I just want them to be consistent.
I want them to flip God off when they give up a grand slam or hit into a double play to end the inning and kill a rally.
I want someone on the losing side to say after a game, “God really fucking let us down that time.”
I can't help but think the people pushing for this Catholic charter school would be going out of their tiny little minds at the mere suggestion the state might fund an Islamic school. No private religious school should get one red cent of public money, for any reason. It is not the job of our secular government to backstop religion. Any religion.
OT- Federal Judge tells noted domestic abuser and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that no, he can't just pretend he's bankrupt to avoid paying what he owes the people whose lives he wrecked and whose dead children he defamed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLP-mjI4a1s
No, Mr. Jones, you are not bankrupt if you're still raking in tens of millions every year. Pay your bills, you fucking parasite.
“It is time to end atheism as the state sponsored religion,” Walters said. “Suing and targeting the Catholic Virtual Charter School is religious persecution because of one’s faith, which is the very reason that religious freedom is constitutionally protected.”
Religious persecution is targeting religion for existing, not for refusing to allow a religious institution to force itself on unwilling participants. If this “school” didn’t demand to be considered a public school while not following public school rules and take public funds from actual public schools, no one would care if it was there. No one is rounding up Catholics to force them into camps and the Catholic school isn’t the only religious school not allowed to participate. This is not persecution, but it is a defense against persecution from the Catholic school.
“A warped perversion of history has created a modern day concept that all religious freedom is driven from the classrooms. I will always side for an individual’s right to choose religious freedom in education.”
There is plenty of religious freedom in classrooms. The students in public schools get to be any religion or no religion they choose, they can practice their religious beliefs however the want without the school getting involved. If they choose to attend a religious school they are free to do so, but if it costs them money, they have to pay for it themselves. There are more churches in the ISA than public schools and libraries put together and still the religious demand to be inserted in the schools. Take the hint, the public isn’t interested. There’s plenty of opportunity for the people to learn religion, and I’m gonna say that even in the rural areas, there’s plenty opportunity for Catholic children to attend church, there’s no need for this school to exist.
All religious freedom is not driven from classrooms, classrooms cannot have religious freedom if they are focused on one religion. How would a Protestant child have religious freedom in a Catholic classroom? The case that removed forced prayer from schools was brought out by Jewish parents as well as other religious folks with one or two atheists. How are their religious freedom served when the classroom is Catholic? What is warped is your statement, it was really unclear, but also religious freedom is not what’s being driven out of classrooms. What is being driven out of schools is the institution requiring one religion to be accepted as n the classroom with all others being ignored at best, but attacked in practice. You are either ignorant of the meaning of religious freedom, or willfully lying about what it means, and I’m certain it’s the latter.
And what I understood your statement “ A warped perversion of history has created a modern day concept that all religious freedom is driven from the classrooms.” to mean was that the classrooms teach religious freedom, like it is a drive by educators to support and educate the freedom, but what you meant was driving all religion out of classrooms. By using the term religious freedom when you mean religious dogma, your statement was unclear. Also it is a lie if you want to say there’s no religion mention allowed in schools. As there’s plenty of religion in the curriculum, it’s just not anything that states one religion is the true religion or that it’s inherently correct. Doing so is indoctrination, which is what you are trying to instill in the public schools, and intentionally conflating with religious freedom.
Sorry for the rant folks.
It must be nice to have an AG that actually knows *and* follows the law.
Instead of an acknowledged criminal who your state legislature refused to remove from office.
To my knowledge there are no institutions "teaching atheism." Atheism comes from thought and experience. People who go on about religious liberty want to be free to abuse it, in the same way Trump and his minions like to go on about freedom of speech while abusing it. The Constitution is clear, and I doubt that a right-wing SC describing themselves as "originalists" can get around it.
Holy smoke, an elected official in Oklahoma actually displays not only respect for the law but actual common sense!? Maybe I've been wrong all this time. Miracles DO happen!
https://www.alternet.org/questioning-faith-is-believing-in-god-really-a-safe-bet/
Interesting article about Pascal's wager. Although it doesn't say anything much we didn't already know.
OT: " MS. POWELL WAS NOT MY ATTORNEY, AND NEVER WAS."
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/22/politics/trump-sidney-powell/index.html
I'm sensing a pattern.
OT: A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that we were getting a new TacoBell in the area (about 15 miles away). Last time I drove by they were still under construction. I guess now they are open because, today, I found a TacoBell drink cup in my front yard.
Completely OT. There was an Octoberfest in my town this weekend. It is common when the local paper covers a non-European ethnic festival for the local bigots to comment about how “those people” should assimilate. So whenever the paper has an article about a European festival — Octoberfest or St. Patrick)s Day or some Scottish thing, I put in a whingeing comment about “why can’t these people just become Americans?!?!” Sure enough, I’m being ragged on for not just shutting my trap.
I’m responding by bitching about them cancel culturing me.
OT - 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍!!! They are such good "Christians" that they would never have done these things!
𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬
Among other failings, the school did not include a Liberty University Police Department report regarding “an alleged rape that was committed by a former Liberty President” in its daily crime log, the Post reported. The findings reportedly did not specify which former president or whether the school investigated. Instead, it focused on whether the report was logged as required by the Clery Act.
Only two former Liberty presidents were alive when the police report was made. One of them, Jerry Falwell Jr., told the Post it was “absolutely” not about him. The other former president, John Borek, reportedly did not respond when the Post tried to ask him about it. Borek is on Liberty’s board of trustees.
https://religionunplugged.com/news/2023/10/10/liberty-university-broke-safety-laws-for-years-leaked-government-investigation-finds-report
A more comprehensive article from WaPo:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/10/03/liberty-university-clery-act/
got a good one for you all today.
https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1715871110309265452