4.03.2013

when a place you love goes horribly wrong

I'm going to keep this one in my back pocket for the next time I hear Republicans whinging about how their religious liberty and/or the Constitution is under attack:

A bill filed by Republican lawmakers would allow North Carolina to declare an official religion...
 
House Bill 494, a resolution filed by Republican Rowan County Reps. Harry Warren and Carl Ford, would refuse to acknowledge the force of any judicial ruling on prayer in North Carolina – or indeed on any Constitutional topic:

"The Constitution of the United States does not grant the federal government and does not grant the federal courts the power to determine what is or is not constitutional; therefore, by virtue of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the power to determine constitutionality and the proper interpretation and proper application of the Constitution is reserved to the states and to the people," the bill states.

"Each state in the union is sovereign and may independently determine how that state may make laws respecting an establishment of religion," it states. 

...

SECTION 1. The North Carolina General Assembly asserts that the Constitution of the United States of America does not prohibit states or their subsidiaries from making laws respecting an establishment of religion.
SECTION 2. The North Carolina General Assembly does not recognize federal court rulings which prohibit and otherwise regulate the State of North Carolina, its public schools or any political subdivisions of the State from making laws respecting an establishment of religion.
The 1st Amendment has been incorporated many times over, of course. The most the bill's sponsors can hope for is to pass the bill and then waste state money defending it unsuccessfully in court.

Oh well...it's nice to know one state has money to spare these days.




10 comments:

Brian said...

It has to be said that the North Carolinian subspecies is truly exceptional in this regard.

Mr. D said...

Well, I'd be all in favor of establishing a state religion in North Carolina, as long as it's Zoroastrianism. Because that would rock.

Brian said...

I think UNC basketball is a likelier candidate.

Bike Bubba said...

That would leave the Blue Devils as the official state anti-Christ, no?

Brian said...

Pretty much, yeah.

Gino said...

the same NC that went for Obama not that long ago?

i'm shocked that AL or MS didnt beat them to it.

Brian said...

The same NC that was once represented in the Senate by Jesse Helms and John Edwards...at the same time.

It's always been a bit...schizophrenic...

Gino said...

second thought...
Baptists dont believe in 'religion'.
you sure this isnt from The Onion?

Brian said...

Oh, how I wish it were from The Onion. More than you know.

Bike Bubba said...

Wait a second here. Harry Warren is a Methodist and a Yankee, having been born in Ohio. Ford's bio is indeterminate on what church he goes to. Don't get me wrong; I'm glad as a Baptist to get blamed for all kinds of things, but we can't take blame for this one in toto.

That said, I am 100% fine with Duke as the official Antichrist. And it has nothing, nothing, nothing to do with the fact they beat my Spartans in the tournament. Really. Don't you believe me?