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The Tennessean - "Tennessee House votes Bible as official state book"
Huffington Post - "Tennessee House Approves Bill To Make Bible Official State Book"
... Do I even need to explain why this is a bad idea?
No surprise, the sponsors and supporters of this legislation are conservative Republicans.
Interestingly, though, there seems to be a large contingent of prominent Republicans who are opposing the bill, including Tennessee's governor, attorney general, and the Republican leaders of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Oh, gee, ya think?
As expected, the bill's supporters have maintained that it does not establish an "official religion" for the state, nor does it abridge anybody's right to worship as they choose.
Which is technically true. But when a state government holds up the sacred text of certain religions as an official symbol of the state ... I have a hard time understanding how that does not constitute the state showing a preference for or endorsement of those religions.
How do you think this makes people who follow other religions feel? You don't think this makes them feel disrespected? Unwelcome?
Why would you even want to take the chance of going down this road?
Yeah, that is the part to focus on - how it's going to make Tennessee look crazy to the rest of the country.
Still, whatever his motivations are, at least he has sense enough to oppose this bill.
Another concern raised by the bill's opponents was the inevitable legal challenges it would face from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). It would almost certainly cost the state millions of dollars to defend the law in court, a fight that Tennessee is unlikely to win, anyway.
The attorney general has openly stated that he will not defend the law if it is legally challenged.
I particularly liked this response from the bill's sponsor :
Oh, I love it. They pass a law that they know full well is certain to be legally challenged, and which the courts likely won't uphold anyway ... but it's not their fault if the state has to spend a large amount of money to defend the law. Oh, no. It's the fault of the people who bring the suits. Or maybe the courts, or somebody else. Not them.
I know politicians love to play the blame game, but at some point, you've got to accept responsibility for the consequences of your own actions, especially when you knew perfectly well what they were going to be.
Huffington Post - "Tennessee House Approves Bill To Make Bible Official State Book"
... Do I even need to explain why this is a bad idea?
No surprise, the sponsors and supporters of this legislation are conservative Republicans.
Interestingly, though, there seems to be a large contingent of prominent Republicans who are opposing the bill, including Tennessee's governor, attorney general, and the Republican leaders of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The bill also has drawn criticism from religious leaders and others - including Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III - who say it violates the separation of church and state under the U.S. Constitution and Tennessee's constitution.
As expected, the bill's supporters have maintained that it does not establish an "official religion" for the state, nor does it abridge anybody's right to worship as they choose.
Which is technically true. But when a state government holds up the sacred text of certain religions as an official symbol of the state ... I have a hard time understanding how that does not constitute the state showing a preference for or endorsement of those religions.
How do you think this makes people who follow other religions feel? You don't think this makes them feel disrespected? Unwelcome?
Why would you even want to take the chance of going down this road?
"The controversy will not end in this chamber," Representative Martin Daniel said. "If we pass this, we're going to be ridiculed."
Still, whatever his motivations are, at least he has sense enough to oppose this bill.
Another concern raised by the bill's opponents was the inevitable legal challenges it would face from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). It would almost certainly cost the state millions of dollars to defend the law in court, a fight that Tennessee is unlikely to win, anyway.
The attorney general has openly stated that he will not defend the law if it is legally challenged.
I particularly liked this response from the bill's sponsor :
Sexton said it would be someone else's fault if the state had to spend money on any legal action that could arise if the bill becomes law.
I know politicians love to play the blame game, but at some point, you've got to accept responsibility for the consequences of your own actions, especially when you knew perfectly well what they were going to be.
And that was quite beautiful West Virgina using John Denver's Take Me Home Country Roads as theirs. As for ours (KY), you don't get much better than this (he was not only a governor but also the second Commissioner of Baseball too!):
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