Judge: Kentucky can not order people to be dependent on God

[ck4829]

It is one thing to trust in God, but quite another to be ordered to rely on protection from above during national emergencies, a judge has ruled.

Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate said in Wednesday's decision that references to a dependence on "Almighty God" in the law that created the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security is akin to establishing a religion, which the government is prohibited from doing in the U.S. and Kentucky constitutions. Ten Kentucky residents and a national atheist group sued to have the reference stricken.

"It is breathtakingly unconstitutional," said Edwin Kagin, national legal director for American Atheists Inc. in Union, "and Judge Wingate goes to great detail as to why it is."

The judge wrote in the 18-page ruling: "The statute pronounces very plainly that current citizens of the Commonwealth cannot be safe, neither now, nor in the future, without the aid of Almighty God. Even assuming that most of this nation's citizens have historically depended upon God, by choice, for their protection, this does not give the General Assembly the right to force citizens to do so now."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090827/ap_on_re_us/us_god_reference

[liberal N proud]

1. Boink

:crazy:

[Echo In Light]

6. LOL +1

[Delphinus]

2. Well,

if this state can wake up, there's hope for the nation.

[lefthandedlefty]

27. I live in KY if we are waiting for KY to wake up we are in a

world of hurt

[zbdent]

3. God sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter ...

why didn't you use them?

(punchline to an old joke ...)

(implied "instead of sitting on your roof and praying for God to save you ...)

[moriah]

8. I've always been fond of that one... n/t

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. Yep!

[badgerpup]

18. Wow...

:wow:
That was the first thing that went through MY mind when I read this...:banghead:

I dunno...maybe we SHOULD let 'em pass this resolution...and then just sit back while they cope with the aftermath.

Sometimes ya gotta let things come to a crisis before anybody realizes
"HEY! We've got a serious PROBLEM here that needs to be DEALT WITH!"
:shrug:

[malaise]

4. Sanity is returning slowly

K&R for reason

[era veteran]

5. Kentucky

When your from KY people don't cut you any slack. If you do something right people have to comment in a negative way. NOT very progressive or kind. Please try some liberal thinking and quit putting down Kentucky.

[boobooday]

10. Thank God for the judge in Kentucky who was sane!

How's that?

[Vickers]

12. Dude, try being from FLORIDA around here.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Ikonoklast]

14. I will personally kiss every Kentuckian that votes Chinless Mitch out of office.

Which may or may not be well recieved by all, but I promise to shave real close that day.

[B3Nut]

16. And Kentucky is the birthplace of the nectar of the gods!

I lurrrrve good bourbon whiskey! :9 So I can't diss Kentucky. Well that, and I have family in West Liberty and Louisville (paternal grandfather hailed from West Liberty) so I have roots down yonder. Also, Kentucky is freaking gorgeous...I love driving through there.

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[PVnRT]

22. Huh? Who was commenting negatively before you got here?

[Bill McBlueState]

25. I wondered the same thing

Seems like the poster is looking for something, not really finding it, but complaining about it anyway.

[zoff]

7. Given the godliness some (purportedly christian) people have shown ..

.. it isn't a surprise that people reject religion, god and everything else these alleged christians stand for. Legalize dependence on almighty god? WTF!!!

Kudos to those who defended the principle of the separation of church and state.

[hobbit709]

11. The idiot that wrote this bill

The language in the 2006 legislation had been inserted by state Rep. Tom Riner, D-Louisville, a pastor of Christ is King Baptist Church in Louisville.

Riner said he planned to ask Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway to seek a reconsideration of the order. Conway has 10 days to do that, and 30 days to appeal.

"They make the argument ... that it has to do with a religion," Riner said, "and promoting a religion. God is not a religion. God is God."

Some people are exceedingly slow learners. Maybe he should stick to preaching and get out of legislating.

[ejpoeta]

13. how is god not a religion??? of course god is a religion.... well, maybe not a religion,

but a religious notion... if you choose to believe in god and to pray instead of helping yourself, that's your business... but it has no place in government. they always talk about everyone trying to push stuff on them... but it always seems THEY are the ones doing all the pushing.

[JBoy]

17. The underlying message is that HIS religion is the one true religion

and therefore fact. So what could be wrong with putting a "fact" into legislation?

[JohnnyLib2]

15. And he'll get votes in his next election for that stand.

That's political life in KY...

[PVnRT]

20. Louisville? Really? Isn't that where Yarmuth is from?

I would have figured this would come from someone from Hazard or something like that, not Louisville.

[undeterred]

19. If God is all we need to protect us, why so much military spending?

:shrug:

[Toasterlad]

21. 2009. It's 2009, And This Bullshit Is Still an Issue. 2009. Holy Fuck.

[derby378]

23. Say AMEN, somebody!

I said, say AMEN, somebody!

Stick your finger in the light socket and FEEL THE POWER!

I'm comin' on up! Lord, I'm comin' on up!

Thank you, Jesus, for Judge Thomas Wingate!

I feel like running in circles now - help me, somebody!

:woohoo:

[ensho]

24. thank you Judge

sanity wins

[lib_wit_it]

26. K&R for Truth, Justice, and the American way!