Court of Appeals: Kentucky can credit 'Almighty God' for homeland security

[rug]

4:02 PM, Oct. 28, 2011

The state can continue giving official credit for its homeland security to Almighty God, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled Friday in a decision overturning a lower-court ruling.

A three-judge panel, in a split decision, rejected the 2009 ruling of Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate, who declared legislation requiring credit to the Almighty to have “created an official government position on God.”

A group of 10 Kentucky residents filed suit to challenge the legislation in 2008, saying the laws creating an Office of Homeland Security violated the Kentucky and U.S constitutions’ bans on state-sponsored religion.

Virtually every state legislator, the attorney general and both major-party candidates for governor had weighed in on the case, supporting the law with legal briefs or public statements of support.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20111028/NEWS01/310280054/Court-Appeals-Kentucky-can-credit-Almighty-God-homeland-security?odyssey=nav%7Chead

[WillParkinson]

1. Bull...

Puckey.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Pfft. Ridiculous!

[laconicsax]

3. What's next? A decision affirming Christ's "sacrifice?"

[Angry Dragon]

4. So many gods out there which god are they giving credit to??

I vote for either Zeus or Chaos
I think the need to name their god to make it official
and then proof would be nice

[struggle4progress]

5. Sure are a lot of blowhards in these Untidy States. We got some blowhards in Kentooky

decided it would be whole mess easier to stick words "Almighty God" into a bit of legislation, than to actually do something useful

Then we got some more blowhards decided it would be whole mess easier to be shocked! shocked! in court about this blowhard "Almighty God" business, than to actually do something useful

I spoze we oughta expect to see even more blowhardism around this before it's over

[darkstar3]

6. Preventing the creeping of theocracy is never a waste of time.

[cleanhippie]

7. Yeah, that second group of "blowhards" should have just kept quiet, right, s4p?

Yeah, they should all just STFU, right?




WTF, man?

[struggle4progress]

8. The one being thrown out of court, I shall now hope tother be thrown out of office

[cleanhippie]

9. Thrown out of court?

For what?

[NMMNG]

10. I'll risk Godwin's Law for this one

People constantly ask why the Germans sat idly by and said/did nothing as Hitler and his Nazi party took over Germany. Then each time people here speak out against acts that violate Separation of Church and state they're maligned as "blowhards" and worse. Should we just let the theocrats have their way, then in a few decades have people wondering why nobody said or did anything?

[struggle4progress]

11. To learn from the past, we must try to understand it as it was, not just as we might imagine it.

[laconicsax]

12. We must also understand the present, not imagine it as we hope it to be. n/t

[beam me up scottie]

13. You lucky dogs living in blue states should count your lucky kibble tonight.

And think good thoughts for those of us who dare refute that this is a 'christian nation'.

[struggle4progress]

14. I skimmed some briefs from the American Atheist website. As far as I can tell, the suit

rests materially on the fact that KRS 39G.010 asserts:

39G.010 Kentucky Office of Homeland Security executive director -- Duties -- Delegation of duties -- Notification of disaster or emergency ...

(2) The executive director shall:
(a) Publicize the findings of the General Assembly stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth by including the provisions of KRS 39A.285(3) in its agency training and educational materials. The executive director shall also be responsible for prominently displaying a permanent plaque at the entrance to the state's Emergency Operations Center stating the text of KRS 39A.285(3) ...

where KRS 39A.285 asserts

The General Assembly hereby finds that:
(1) No government by itself can guarantee perfect security from acts of war or terrorism.
(2) The security and well-being of the public depend not just on government, but rest in large measure upon individual citizens of the Commonwealth and their level of understanding, preparation, and vigilance.
(3) The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God as set forth in the public speeches and proclamations of American Presidents, including Abraham Lincoln's historic March 30, 1863, Presidential Proclamation urging Americans to pray and fast during one of the most dangerous hours in American history, and the text of President John F. Kennedy's November 22, 1963, national security speech which concluded: "For as was written long ago: 'Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.' " ...

Said director seems to have minimally discharged the plaque requirement by printing out the legislative findings on a 8.5 x 11 piece of paper and framing and mounting it: is seems to be the plaque in question:

http://kysecurity.files.wordpress.com.nyud.net:8090/2009/06/ky_plaque_3_small.jpg
http://kysecurity.wordpress.com/