Woefully Ignorant State Legislative Proposals

[DGTess]

You have to wonder what "services" (besides ALEC) are behind these when several states introduce almost identical legislation within a few months of one another. For example, Virginia this year introduced anti-UN21 bills, which opposition stridently denounced as "unnecessary" because UN21 is decades old (and then opposition introduced a bill ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, dontcha know, 'cause that's so timely).

[amIblue?]

This is not a state legislative proposal per se, but it certainly is an indication of the brain trust we've elected here in Tennessee.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2...state-capitol/

Also, an indication that these people have never done much mopping in their lives.

[DGTess]

As of today, we have finally in Virginia repealed the prohibition on unmarried persons cohabiting in a "lewd and lascivious" manner.

[Kevin]

Wow. Well, we had a bill in Oklahoma die in committee which would have made it no longer a felony to commit blasphemy, to swear obscenely and to break the Sabbath.

http://www.oscn.net/applications/osc...OKST21&level=1

(see Ch. 36)

[naraht]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Wow. Well, we had a bill in Oklahoma die in committee which would have made it no longer a felony to commit blasphemy, to swear obscenely and to break the Sabbath.

http://www.oscn.net/applications/osc...OKST21&level=1

(see Ch. 36)

Welcome to Oklahoma, set your clock back 70 years...

[Kevin]

To be fair, no one actually tries to enforce those laws. That said, a proposal to get rid of those laws died in committee this year.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by Kevin

To be fair, no one actually tries to enforce those laws. That said, a proposal to get rid of those laws died in committee this year.

I would like to be optimistic and say that they realized that their time was best served elsewhere, and not on worrying about trivial laws, however, that "time better spent" was probably golfing or other nonsense.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I would like to be optimistic and say that they realized that their time was best served elsewhere, and not on worrying about trivial laws, however, that "time better spent" was probably golfing or other nonsense.

No, the issue was that they were afraid of challenges from the right stating that they had voted to further this mythical separation between church and state which the founders never intended to exist.

You know how every once in a while, you'll hear about some courthouse in the South erecting a monument to the 10 Commandments on their courthouse lawn?

Well, I had a case in Marshall County, Oklahoma (just about half an hour east of I-35 from near the Oklahoma-Texas border). I snapped a photograph of just such a monument on the courthouse lawn. It's apparently been there for some time and either no one in the county wants to challenge it or folks are afraid of what would happen to them if they did.

[AlphaFrog]

I'm a conservative Christian, and these are the kind of people that make me ashamed to admit that. *Sigh*

[adpiucf]

Do well in school, little Timmy, or the government will force you and your family to starve in the cold. Well done, Tennessee. This proposed bill would deduct government assistance from needy families if their kids do poorly in school.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Well, I had a case in Marshall County, Oklahoma (just about half an hour east of I-35 from near the Oklahoma-Texas border). I snapped a photograph of just such a monument on the courthouse lawn. It's apparently been there for some time and either no one in the county wants to challenge it or folks are afraid of what would happen to them if they did.

You mean the one at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstephe...57623081962152
?

Note, actually stating what the laws are in that manner indicates what Religion or branch of Religion generally created it. For example if "Steal" is #8 and "no other gods" is #1 then you are looking at "Hellenistic Jews, Greek Orthodox and Protestants except Lutherans". The Jews combine the "No other gods" into #2 and have #1 as "I am the Lord your God". The Protestants and Lutherans shift everything by combining the Protestant #1 & #2 into #1 and splitting Coveting into #9 Wife vs. #10 House. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_commandments)

Given that this is in Oklahoma, it makes sense that the Catholics, Lutherans and Jews weren't involved in putting it up.

See http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/6...html?site=full for the story of why it was erected in 2001.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by adpiucf

Do well in school, little Timmy, or the government will force you and your family to starve in the cold. Well done, Tennessee. This proposed bill would deduct government assistance from needy families if their kids do poorly in school.

That Stacey Campfield who sponsored this is a real asshole. He was involved with the whole don't say gay bill embarrassment. This is an effing outrage. Let's starve children and put them on the streets if they're not doing well in school

Hateful, hateful asshole. This just makes me sick.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by naraht

You mean the one at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstephe...57623081962152
?

Yes, that exact one. I had a trial out there last Summer and had noticed the thing the first time I was there. I truly tried to be as inconspicuous as possible while snapping a photo of that curiosity. Wouldn't want the locals to think a lawyer from "The City" was cooking anything up. It's a long way back to the highway and I wouldn't want anything to happen to me. It's pretty backwards out there.

Not too far away in Kingston, OK, my grandfather was killed in a bar fight. The Marshall County sheriff tried to pass it off as a natural death despite the cause of death very obviously being blunt force trauma--lots of it. They were unsuccessful in maintaining that position though.. my father happened to be an attorney and was able to get a full autopsy done. No one in Marshall County ever investigated the incident and no witnesses ever came out of the woodwork. It's a different sort of place.

Given that this is in Oklahoma, it makes sense that the Catholics, Lutherans and Jews weren't involved in putting it up.

See http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/6...html?site=full for the story of why it was erected in 2001.

It's kind of a given that the onus for that came from a person of the Southern Baptist persuasion. There aren't a lot of English speaking Catholics in that neck of the woods.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

That Stacey Campfield who sponsored this is a real asshole. He was involved with the whole don't say gay bill embarrassment. This is an effing outrage. Let's starve children and put them on the streets if they're not doing well in school

Hateful, hateful asshole. This just makes me sick.

The unintended consequence of this bill (or at least one) will be a huge spike in the number of children requiring services from child protective services due to abuse/neglect.

Not to mention the fact that this could put teachers in literal mortal in some cases with angry students/parents.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Yes, that exact one. I had a trial out there last Summer and had noticed the thing the first time I was there. I truly tried to be as inconspicuous as possible while snapping a photo of that curiosity. Wouldn't want the locals to think a lawyer from "The City" was cooking anything up. It's a long way back to the highway and I wouldn't want anything to happen to me. It's pretty backwards out there.

Not too far away in Kingston, OK, my grandfather was killed in a bar fight. The Marshall County sheriff tried to pass it off as a natural death despite the cause of death very obviously being blunt force trauma--lots of it. They were unsuccessful in maintaining that position though.. my father happened to be an attorney and was able to get a full autopsy done. No one in Marshall County ever investigated the incident and no witnesses ever came out of the woodwork. It's a different sort of place.



It's kind of a given that the onus for that came from a person of the Southern Baptist persuasion. There aren't a lot of English speaking Catholics in that neck of the woods.

The scary thing to me is that *anyone* would think of Oklahoma City as a Liberal place, but I guess relatively it is...

And are there any Jews in the county at all?