My wish for the new year? That we permanently separate church from state.
(I know. I might as well wish for conservative Christians to actually live up to what their savior told them to do and feed, clothe and house the poor.
We had that for a brief moment on December 17, 1791 after Virginia became the eleventh state to ratify the Bill of Rights, thus adding it to the constitution. Maybe thirty seconds later, the preachers picked up their hammers to start trying to break it down.
NOGODZ20, The day is coming. And I think it will begin after the criminals are finally arrested. The U.S. was not supposed to PRIVILEGE religion yet we did. This was the beginning of a big failure.
15 years of craziness, divorced, remarried, kid deathly ill, me deathly ill, switched jobs twice and now unemployed looking for job. I wish I could retire but I’m not quite old enough.
The presumption that Christians employ when they lose their shit over someone like Mamdani, swearing on a Quran while taking the oath of office, is STAGGERING. "You HAVE to swear on a bible," they say, to which my response is:
Exactly WHERE In Any Government Document Is That Requirement Specified?
Whereupon you get a lot of "er-um-ah" [frequently repeated, along with their insistence that the US is a Christian nation, though the only mentions of religion in the Constitution are RESTRICTIONS on religion. Sadly, these are mere FACTS. Christians have been known for a while to ignore or otherwise discount facts, in favor of claiming either persecution or blasphemy.
Sooner or later, those who want to ignore facts in favor of their own, self-created "reality" will run headlong into the truth of the above quote. The collision and subsequent consequences will NOT be pretty.
Troublesh00ter, When the U.S. violated the Constitution and intentions of separating State and Church by privileging religion (primarily christianity), the abuse began and never ended. Tax breaks, AKA, Subsidies from us all should end.
The Constitution LITERALLY says, "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." Article 6, Clause 3. This is the ONLY mention of religion in the entire original text of the Constitution.
I’d opt for chocolate anything. Seriously though as a secular humanist an honestly practicing Muslim taking their oath on the Quran bothers me not at all. What does bother me is the zealot of any belief system. Zealotry of any stripe is a danger to life.
If you do that, you must let me know so I prepare make a batch of my spaghetti sauce, which was about five decades in creation before it was *just right*.
You don't have to stick your hand in my spaghetti sauce: a ladle will work just fine, and just pour it on the spaghetti.
The really good, home-made spaghetti sauces are as individual as fingerprints.
I was once arrested on a minor offence here in the UK. The police in the station demanded I be photographed. I told them I'm a Pastafarian and cannot be photographed unless I was wearing a colander on my head. After some whispered discussion (probably "This is a lunatic who should be in an asylum") they let me go without a photo. I wonder if anyone else has tried that?
While many of them think this way, I think Hemant is giving them too much credit. Just look at the quoted exchange between awake Tapper and Ted Crockett.
𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒’𝑠 𝑛𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒.
But so many of them think there is, because they get their legal knowledge from Fox "News" and reruns of 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯. That the Right Wing Outrage Machine seized upon this fact to gin up fear among the rubes is unsurprising, even expected at this point.
Right Wing policies are so unpopular and disastrous the only way they can gain enough votes is by courting the severely brainwashed and/or voter suppression/cheating.
When Keith Ellison , now attorney general of Minnesota, was sworn in as representative from Minnesota in 2007, he used Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Koran. It also sparked controversies. Several presidents have also used documents/books other than the Christian Bible. Theodore Roosevelt didn’t use any prop and LBJ used a Catholic missal found on Air Force One.
Why don’t these creeps just get over it and learn the history of the U.S.?
They have learned about U.S. history. In a nutshell, this land was set aside for virtuous white Christians who, through manifest destiny, took the land from savages and tamed it. Along the way they also enslaved their fellow humans and treated them like livestock. Helping the poor or non-Christian, non-white immigrants - that's just liberal clap trap.
I said it before that christian fascist get their history from the clergy, their leaders, and Hollywood. If Hollywood made a movie about it was an American that discovered the continent of America, most MAGAS would completely and unquestionably accept that as fact. That is the level of ignorance that the rest of us (including the world) has to deal with!
Silly tradition is silly. Instead of swearing on holy books when one takes an oath of office, that oath should instead be taken on penalty of 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘺 for swearing it falsely (cue 90% of the government immediately ending up in the clink).
But as long as we allow one religion's holy book to be used for the purpose, I can think of no valid reason to refuse any other's. Even if we did have a law to that effect, that would just mean that the 𝘭𝘢𝘸 was wrong, not that the favored religion was better or more "American" than another.
Not that it would have made any difference. Many a scoundrel has placed his hand on a Bible, sworn to tell the truth and then promptly lied his ass off.
OT: And the Trump Admin looks dumber and dumber for cutting off daycare funding to Minnesota based on one idiot’s video. Paywall so I’ll copy some of the story after the link.
“ YouTuber Nick Shirley recently went to nine federally subsidized day care centers in Minneapolis, many operated by Somali Americans. In a 42-minute video of his visits that went viral last week, he claimed that the centers weren’t caring for any children because none could be seen entering or exiting the buildings.”
“ One day care manager told The Washington Post that security camera footage showed Shirley visiting her facility when it was closed. Another day care director said staff didn’t open the door in part because they assumed Shirley and six or seven men with him, some masked, were from Immigration and Customs Enforcement — which launched an operation in early December focused on Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis area.”
“Ahmed Hasan, director of ABC Learning Center, said the YouTuber showed up at the front entrance around noon on Dec. 16. During the winter, most parents use the back entrance and Shirley stayed no more than a few minutes, he said.”
“ There were kids here all the time,” Hasan said. “I was also here.”
“ Ayan Jama, manager at Mini Childcare Center, said her day care has also received threatening phone calls, including a bomb threat, and people have attempted to break in. She said Shirley visited in the morning before her center opened. Its typical hours are 12:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. to serve mostly Somali children after school while their parents work in the afternoons and evenings, she said.
“Why not come during operating hours?” she said. “This is a targeted attack on our community.”
Because only the working poor need daycare, since typically both parents have to work. The bahbul sez proper womenfolk need to stay home and take care of their own young'uns like Gawd ordained. Gawd will provide nannies to raise their kids for them.
This whole ball of shit smacks of christian white privilege nonsense. When I was still a churchgoer, I heard endless comments about children who might as well be orphans because their mothers thought they'd rather work than raise the children Gawd "blessed them with."
I propose that all religious artifacts be removed from secular oaths and that they be replaced with the Oath of Assurance to the almighty Ceiling Cat that the nip will be plentiful. Being that it's the only true religion.
I guess these goobers don't recall that when the Vile Orange Cretin was sworn in a second time, he didn't even touch the alleged Bible...prolly because either he or it would have burst into flames.
When I was being sworn in years ago for a DC jury, we were asked to raise our right hand and swear to fulfill our duty. The judge ended the oath with "So help me."
No "God" on the end. No nothing. I was surprised -- and impressed by the judge.
Last times I was in court (divorce) the presiding judge did the same. In talking with him.after the process, turns out he was a JAG officer and strongly supported church-state separation. Good times.....
I could never take an oath on any kind of a holy book, because the very act of doing so would mean that I don’t take the oath or my word seriously. It would mean that I would say or do anything for power.
Now that might apply to coffee or Ryan Reynolds, but not for power.
My wish for the new year? That we permanently separate church from state.
(I know. I might as well wish for conservative Christians to actually live up to what their savior told them to do and feed, clothe and house the poor.
We had that for a brief moment on December 17, 1791 after Virginia became the eleventh state to ratify the Bill of Rights, thus adding it to the constitution. Maybe thirty seconds later, the preachers picked up their hammers to start trying to break it down.
NOGODZ20, The day is coming. And I think it will begin after the criminals are finally arrested. The U.S. was not supposed to PRIVILEGE religion yet we did. This was the beginning of a big failure.
Well stated.
Thank you.
It raises the question, if Christianity is the cure for society's ills, why did we need a Civil Rights Act?
Hey NOGODZ20, it's been a long time since I've been here. Good to see you!
You too. Where ya been? :)
15 years of craziness, divorced, remarried, kid deathly ill, me deathly ill, switched jobs twice and now unemployed looking for job. I wish I could retire but I’m not quite old enough.
Damn. So sorry to hear.
I am happier than I was then. This husband is a keeper.
Good stuff. 🙂
(Sorry for the late reply. Life outside cyberspace happened)
The presumption that Christians employ when they lose their shit over someone like Mamdani, swearing on a Quran while taking the oath of office, is STAGGERING. "You HAVE to swear on a bible," they say, to which my response is:
Exactly WHERE In Any Government Document Is That Requirement Specified?
Whereupon you get a lot of "er-um-ah" [frequently repeated, along with their insistence that the US is a Christian nation, though the only mentions of religion in the Constitution are RESTRICTIONS on religion. Sadly, these are mere FACTS. Christians have been known for a while to ignore or otherwise discount facts, in favor of claiming either persecution or blasphemy.
It's sorta what they do. 😝
FACTS ARE WOKE! So says, not Zarathoustra this time; but Christian Nationalists.
𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑡, 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦.
-- Philip K. Dick
Sooner or later, those who want to ignore facts in favor of their own, self-created "reality" will run headlong into the truth of the above quote. The collision and subsequent consequences will NOT be pretty.
Troublesh00ter, When the U.S. violated the Constitution and intentions of separating State and Church by privileging religion (primarily christianity), the abuse began and never ended. Tax breaks, AKA, Subsidies from us all should end.
Let them have their tax breaks. If (and only if) they can survive the legal hoops that secular non-profits have to jump through.
The Constitution LITERALLY says, "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." Article 6, Clause 3. This is the ONLY mention of religion in the entire original text of the Constitution.
Yup ... know it (Article VI) well, cite it frequently, especially around here!
When I ever get elected I promise I will swear my oath with my hand on a plate of freshly cooked spaghetti.
I’d opt for chocolate anything. Seriously though as a secular humanist an honestly practicing Muslim taking their oath on the Quran bothers me not at all. What does bother me is the zealot of any belief system. Zealotry of any stripe is a danger to life.
And proudly wearing your colander.
R'amen! It would be hilarious!
With or without meatballs?
Depends on where they are worn.
Now, see, that's just heresy.
Meatballs all the way, of course!
If you do that, you must let me know so I prepare make a batch of my spaghetti sauce, which was about five decades in creation before it was *just right*.
You don't have to stick your hand in my spaghetti sauce: a ladle will work just fine, and just pour it on the spaghetti.
The really good, home-made spaghetti sauces are as individual as fingerprints.
I was once arrested on a minor offence here in the UK. The police in the station demanded I be photographed. I told them I'm a Pastafarian and cannot be photographed unless I was wearing a colander on my head. After some whispered discussion (probably "This is a lunatic who should be in an asylum") they let me go without a photo. I wonder if anyone else has tried that?
Piscivoruses eat Pisces, don't they? *Looks warily at piscivorus* I'm a Pisce! *Gets away quickly from the devourer*
This avis only feeds on ΙΧΘΥΣ
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41B6KOoe70L._AC_.jpg
Atheist fishes are safe
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Darwin_Fish_02.svg/960px-Darwin_Fish_02.svg.png
Honestly, I just wish that somebody would swear on Stranger in a Strange Land
Thou art God.
Share water!
May you grok deeply
Which one, the original or the unedited version that Ginny released after Robert's death? 😁 I enjoy both, but that second really needed some editing.
Haha honestly they'd both make people claim blasphemy! It'd be hilarious
Lol, I was about to comment something along those lines.
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑧𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 ℎ𝑒’𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑓𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦—𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖-𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚.
While many of them think this way, I think Hemant is giving them too much credit. Just look at the quoted exchange between awake Tapper and Ted Crockett.
𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒’𝑠 𝑛𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒.
But so many of them think there is, because they get their legal knowledge from Fox "News" and reruns of 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯. That the Right Wing Outrage Machine seized upon this fact to gin up fear among the rubes is unsurprising, even expected at this point.
I saw that exchange in real time, and that *blink* *blink* goober was just never able to get his hamster wheel up to speed on it.
"But Ah swored on the BAAHbul!" was a running joke in my house for years.
Wait until they find out Raymond Burr was gay.
🤣
And Canadian
Well….that was surprising random. LOL!
But, it caught my eye because one of my adult children just bought me the entire boxed set of The Perry Mason shows.
And the boxed set of Perry Mason movies!
(I knew many years ago) 😉
Ugh…*surprisingly ((LY)) Hate it when that happens. 🧐
Right Wing policies are so unpopular and disastrous the only way they can gain enough votes is by courting the severely brainwashed and/or voter suppression/cheating.
But, but, David Barton said they have to use a bible. I'll make up a quote of him saying that if you don't believe me.
When Keith Ellison , now attorney general of Minnesota, was sworn in as representative from Minnesota in 2007, he used Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Koran. It also sparked controversies. Several presidents have also used documents/books other than the Christian Bible. Theodore Roosevelt didn’t use any prop and LBJ used a Catholic missal found on Air Force One.
Why don’t these creeps just get over it and learn the history of the U.S.?
Learn? Ha ha ha ha ha! You funny!
They have learned about U.S. history. In a nutshell, this land was set aside for virtuous white Christians who, through manifest destiny, took the land from savages and tamed it. Along the way they also enslaved their fellow humans and treated them like livestock. Helping the poor or non-Christian, non-white immigrants - that's just liberal clap trap.
I said it before that christian fascist get their history from the clergy, their leaders, and Hollywood. If Hollywood made a movie about it was an American that discovered the continent of America, most MAGAS would completely and unquestionably accept that as fact. That is the level of ignorance that the rest of us (including the world) has to deal with!
Learning requires a functioning brain.
The county executive took here took her oath on the US and Maryland constitutions.
Is it posted on took took ..... I mean TikTok. : )
Or as FauxNews calls it: TITKOK
https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA1xy9H6.img?w=768&h=511&m=6&x=283&y=175&s=100&d=100
You know, I corrected one typo before posting. Weird. Maybe auto-incorrect screwed me again.
Silly tradition is silly. Instead of swearing on holy books when one takes an oath of office, that oath should instead be taken on penalty of 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘺 for swearing it falsely (cue 90% of the government immediately ending up in the clink).
But as long as we allow one religion's holy book to be used for the purpose, I can think of no valid reason to refuse any other's. Even if we did have a law to that effect, that would just mean that the 𝘭𝘢𝘸 was wrong, not that the favored religion was better or more "American" than another.
Trump never laid his hand on the bible during his last inauguration.
Fourth picture down:
https://nypost.com/2025/01/20/us-news/donald-trump-is-inaugurated-as-the-47th-president-of-the-united-states-photos/#4
Not that it would have made any difference. Many a scoundrel has placed his hand on a Bible, sworn to tell the truth and then promptly lied his ass off.
He probably would have burst into flames.
I was hoping for a few sparks at least!!
Beat me to it. Should have scrolled down first. :)
I also noticed in another picture that Melania never lets her lips touch Trump...
Barf! Touching ANY part of Trump!
Especially with all that makeup on...
Looks like he showered in toxic waste.
OT: And the Trump Admin looks dumber and dumber for cutting off daycare funding to Minnesota based on one idiot’s video. Paywall so I’ll copy some of the story after the link.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/01/01/minnesota-daycare-funding-impacts/
“ YouTuber Nick Shirley recently went to nine federally subsidized day care centers in Minneapolis, many operated by Somali Americans. In a 42-minute video of his visits that went viral last week, he claimed that the centers weren’t caring for any children because none could be seen entering or exiting the buildings.”
“ One day care manager told The Washington Post that security camera footage showed Shirley visiting her facility when it was closed. Another day care director said staff didn’t open the door in part because they assumed Shirley and six or seven men with him, some masked, were from Immigration and Customs Enforcement — which launched an operation in early December focused on Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis area.”
“Ahmed Hasan, director of ABC Learning Center, said the YouTuber showed up at the front entrance around noon on Dec. 16. During the winter, most parents use the back entrance and Shirley stayed no more than a few minutes, he said.”
“ There were kids here all the time,” Hasan said. “I was also here.”
“ Ayan Jama, manager at Mini Childcare Center, said her day care has also received threatening phone calls, including a bomb threat, and people have attempted to break in. She said Shirley visited in the morning before her center opened. Its typical hours are 12:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. to serve mostly Somali children after school while their parents work in the afternoons and evenings, she said.
“Why not come during operating hours?” she said. “This is a targeted attack on our community.”
Daycares don't just let people walk in. Shirley is a fückwït.
The same people obsessing over pedophiles and "groomers" are OPPOSED to daycares being locked during operational hours. Incredible.
Don't call me Shirley can't be said.
I just read somewhere that Trump cut daycare money for all the states until the daycares can prove they are legit.
Because only the working poor need daycare, since typically both parents have to work. The bahbul sez proper womenfolk need to stay home and take care of their own young'uns like Gawd ordained. Gawd will provide nannies to raise their kids for them.
This whole ball of shit smacks of christian white privilege nonsense. When I was still a churchgoer, I heard endless comments about children who might as well be orphans because their mothers thought they'd rather work than raise the children Gawd "blessed them with."
I propose that all religious artifacts be removed from secular oaths and that they be replaced with the Oath of Assurance to the almighty Ceiling Cat that the nip will be plentiful. Being that it's the only true religion.
Happy effing New Year's, you filthy heathens!
The oath will be concluded by knocking a glass of water off the table.
https://ibb.co/39jRGbT1
I guess these goobers don't recall that when the Vile Orange Cretin was sworn in a second time, he didn't even touch the alleged Bible...prolly because either he or it would have burst into flames.
Why not both?
Wouldn't that be sweeeeeeeeeeet!
I should have scrolled down. You beat me to it.
When I was being sworn in years ago for a DC jury, we were asked to raise our right hand and swear to fulfill our duty. The judge ended the oath with "So help me."
No "God" on the end. No nothing. I was surprised -- and impressed by the judge.
Saying you needs God's help to "fulfill your duty" gives credence to Jesse Ventura's claim that Christians are "weak-minded."
Pre-CISE-ly!
Last times I was in court (divorce) the presiding judge did the same. In talking with him.after the process, turns out he was a JAG officer and strongly supported church-state separation. Good times.....
That has got to be something of a rarity!
I was personally shocked by it. and was prepared to say "God" just out of force of habit.
Happy new year, everyone!
I could never take an oath on any kind of a holy book, because the very act of doing so would mean that I don’t take the oath or my word seriously. It would mean that I would say or do anything for power.
Now that might apply to coffee or Ryan Reynolds, but not for power.
Taking on oath on coffee or bourbon is a capital idea.
I’ll drink to that.
I don't want to send you to your bunk or anything, but how about Ryan Reynolds sipping a big mug of coffee?
As long as he’s doing it next to me, my bunk sounds like a great idea. In fact, it’s such a good idea that I’ll even buy a bunkbed.
https://ibb.co/nqT1ZXmJ
I doubt most average Christian fascist even understand the meaning of the phrases found in the American Constitution!
Most don't even know what is contained in the constitution. Just like their mango god.
Oh I dunno, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 of them must have studied it pretty extensively- how else could they violate it with such incredible consistency?
Exactly. That is the ONLY thing that makes sense in this context.
Nothing trigger maga morons like reality.