...in more ways than one. Read this, and weep, folks:
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A lawmaker says the state's Homeland Security office should be crediting God with keeping the state safe.
State Rep. Tom Riner, a Southern Baptist minister who was instrumental in establishing that requirement in 2006, disapproves of the fact that Homeland Security doesn't currently mention God in its mission statement or on its Web site.
The law passed under former Gov. Ernie Fletcher, who prominently credited God in annual reports to state leaders. But Gov. Steve Beshear's administration didn't credit God in its 2008 Homeland Security report issued last month.
"We certainly expect it to be there, of course," Riner, D-Louisville, told the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Follow me past the jump, after you're done banging your head on the keyboard...
The law that organized the Homeland Security office first lists Homeland Security's duty to recognize that government itself can't secure the state without God, even before mentioning other duties, which include distributing millions of dollars in federal grants and analyzing possible threats.
The religious language was tucked into a floor amendment by Riner and passed the General Assembly overwhelmingly. It lists the office's initial duty as "stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."
Included in the law is a requirement that the office must post a plaque at the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center with an 88-word statement that begins, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God."
I...I don't even know what to say about this. I'm still dumbfounded that a Democrat was stupid enough to to suggest a law like this, but that it actually PASSED... What, if terrorists attack Kentucky, is this Riner guy going to blame people for not praying enough?? What does it look like inside the mind of someone who thinks this makes sense? I know there are some...interesting people in Kentucky (read Chris Jericho's chapter in A Lion's Tale about wrestling fans in rural KY for some examples), but I'm not so sheltered-yankee that I think EVERYONE in the state is nuts, especially to this degree.
Mercifully, there's examples of some sane people in the state government in the article:
Thomas Preston, Gov. Beshear's Homeland Security chief, said he is not interested in stepping into a religious debate.
"I will not try to supplant almighty God," Preston said. "All I do is try to obey the dictates of the Kentucky General Assembly. I really don't know what their motivation was for this. They obviously felt strongly about it."
Sounds like he's as confused as I am. I just imagine the guy coming in the first day of work, looking at that plaque, and just blinking at it in disbelief. Poor dude, it's probably harder to repeal something this crazy than it is to pass it - "WHY DO YOU HATE GOD????"
Here's another voice of reason:
But state Sen. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, a frequent critic of mixing religion and government, said requiring the department to credit God takes away from Homeland Security's mission.
"It's very sad to me that we do this sort of thing," Stein said. "It takes away from the seriousness of the public discussion over security, and it clearly hurts the credibility of this office if it's supposed to be depending on God, first and foremost."
Ms. Stein, if you ever run for higher office than state senate in Kentucky, you have my support. That's a great point: if the rest of the country can handle homeland security without the intervention of a higher power, that doesn't speak very well for Kentucky.
Buuuut....
Riner said crediting God with helping ensure the state's safety is appropriate.
:LDKJASLK:DJ LKvna;kda;lfkdj oh man I'm sorry, I just can't get past this one line. "APPROPRIATE." Appropriate!
"This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky," Riner said. "Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap. The job is too big for government."
You know, I always just kinda shrugged it off when Republicans accused Democrats of wanting bigger government, but I guess they were on to something if we have state reps that want the holy ghost heading the Homeland Security office.
This is incredible. This isn't even an article about how the law is threatening to be passed or has been passed, or even about putting a religious plaque on a government building - that all happened TWO YEARS AGO. No, it's the fundie who got it passed getting his halo all bent over the new, apparently less-crazy Governor not specifically thanking God in its 2008 Homeland Security report. It's a government report, not an Oscar acceptance speech!
Now, I realize this doesn't really affect any day-to-day things, but it disturbs me something awful that as the rest of the world goes forward towards 2009, apparently some elected officials in our own country are trying to actively go backwards to 1609. I'm gonna go eat some leftover pumpkin pie and listen to some Judas Priest.