Nice to know Kentucky’s state legislature has its priorities straight:
The 2006 law organizing the state Office of Homeland Security lists its initial duty as “stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth.”
Specifically, Homeland Security is ordered to publicize God’s benevolent protection in its reports, and it 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.” …
As amended, Homeland Security’s religious duties now come before all else, including its distribution of millions of dollars in federal grants and its analysis of possible threats.
The language in question was inserted into the bill by State Rep. Tom Riner, a Southern Baptist minister, and overwhelmingly approved by lawmakers two years ago. Social Services for Feral Children writes:
That must explain why Kentucky has fared so well in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. That and the utter absence of any strategic or even symbolic targets within the state….
And to the extent the agency does serve a necessary function, I wonder whether it can attract the sort of seasoned anti-terrorism talent it needs with a stated mission that sounds more appropriate for a congregation than for a cop.
As a Southern Baptist… that is whack… and not even good baptist theology (think Roger Williams and Rhode Island)
Hey – I think that blowing up Ft. Knox would’ve been a great symbol of destruction of the Great Satan!
Though I take your point.
““The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God.””
That’s pretty convenient. If they have a security failure they can claim it wasn’t their fault and just blame God for not doing his job.
“That must explain why Kentucky has fared so well in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. That and the utter absence of any strategic or even symbolic targets within the state….”
That is not exactly true. You have the Kentucky Derby-and any part of Louisville during Derby day, as well as the Roebbling Suspension Bridge that connects Northern Kentucky to Cincinnati, and which is technically a part of Kentucky, because it goes across the Ohio River-also a part of Kentucky, and which might be a viable target in its own right. You have Mammoth Cave and Cumberland Falls, Renfro Valley, etc. True, they might not be considered of the same level as the WTC, but the point is, they are tourist destinations and might be vulnerable precisely because they might not get that same level of attention.
I’m not defending the language in the bill, by the way, just pointing out that Feral Child just doesn’t know what (s)he is talking about.
Reminds me of the old disaster joke. After a flood, a man crawled to the roof of his house. A rescue team in a boat came by and offered to him to safety. He declined, saying God would take care of him. Later, the water was even higher and a helicopter lowered a rescue worker to hoist him into the helicopter. Again he said God would take care of him.
It was getting dark, the water was still rising, and the man lifted his eyes to the heavens and shouted, “OH GOD, Have you forgotten me?” God replied, “I sent a boat and a helicopter… what is it exactly you want me to do?”
Some people refuse to insert smileys, winkeys, and similar emoticons to indicate sarcsam or general lack of seriousness when communicating on the internet. Regrettably, I am one of those people.
It looks like this one isn’t going uncontested:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008460349_apheavenlysecurity.html
Why even have an Office of Homeland Security? It sounds like the big guy has it covered.
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