Many of us have opposed voucher systems as thinly veiled efforts to publicly fund religious schools in addition to a system that undermines our public school system. Republican lawmakers in Tennessee seem intent on confirming the religious motivations behind the system this week in opposing vouchers because it has occurred to them that Muslim schools might be able to receive funding with Christian schools. They are threatening to block Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s school voucher bill unless they can find a way to deny it to Muslim schools — a suggestion that brings sectarian prejudices to the forefront of the debate.
State Sen. Jim Tracy (R) raised his “considerable concern” that tax dollars could go to schools that teach principles from the Quran . . . . as opposed to those schools that teach the principles from the Bible. Tracy is on the Senate Education Committee and, apparently more importantly, is a member of the Church of Christ. He wants to amend the law to exclude Muslim schools — something that is not just an act of raw prejudice but completely unconstitutional.
Kelsey triggered the debate by trying to expand the voucher program from the lowest 5 percent of schools to every school in the state. However, that would mean that at least one identified Muslim school could qualify — sending the legislators into a sectarian panic.
State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R) agreed that the fear of funding Muslim educational institutions was “just another reason for not amending the governor’s bill,” Norris pointed out.
The Tennessee legislator is in a frenzy over Islam. State Sen. Bill Ketron (R) seems to be fashioning himself as a type of Joe McCarthy of religion. He sponsored a bill to ban Sharia law in Tennessee and recently went public to demand answers from Senate Clerk Russell Humphrey on whether a floor-level sink installed outside the House chamber men’s restroom was intended to accommodate Muslims’ ritual of washing their feet before prayer.
It turned out to be a mop sink and Ketron and other legislators breathed a collective sectarian sigh of relief.
The death of the voucher bill puts the sectarian motives of some legislators in sharp relief. These legislators often deny that they have any interest in funding church institutions and simply want to improve educational opportunities for students (while refusing of course to actually fully fund public schools or commit resources to make them competitive with other states). The poor performance of public schools allows legislators to siphon off funds to religious institutions in the name of education. It is a perverse incentive. By not fixing their schools, religious legislators can get more money to Christian and Jewish schools. However, Tennessee is reminding everyone that one of the three Rs remains Religion and it has to be the right religion to receive public subsidy.
Source: Raw Story
Bron,
Mason doesn’t actually “mean” anything. He strings pejoratives together to indicate hostility. A long string of cursing and vulgarity doesn’t necessarily “mean” anything, beyond “I need my diaper changed, again.” That’s just his level of discourse. He’s deathly afraid of liberals. He’ll never meet any, while he’s hiding under his bed.
There’s only one group that wants to invade vaginas with ultrasound, establish a mandatory state religion, restrict access to voting, persecute gays, and provide easy access to guns by criminals. All while touting “small government.”
Which side is that, Bron? Is that an easy enough question?
The Indiana Suprem Court recently voted unanymously that vouchers are constitutional. A victory for parents w/ kids in failing public schools.
Bron – lets pretend your assessment is correct. It would still be nice to see the list of sins and sinners that are the lefts equivalent to these guys.
Lrobby has a start
Those Fascist Leftists; first they mandated seat belts-taking away our Constitutional right to fly face first through a windshield. Then came nutrition labeling that endangered the entire free enterprise system forcing kind hearted food conglomerates to list fat content, of all things. And don’t get me started on their Fascist persecution of Benevolent Big Tobacco, and their Fascist swipes at my freedom to smoke butts anywhere, anytime my True Blue American Heart desires. (cough, cough) Yes, those Fascist Leftists like nothing more than a strongarm national leader. Saddam Hussein has got to be their poster boy to this day. And unbridled corporatism is their byword. They secretly love the Koch Brothers, I just know it.
Getting rid of the vouchers is good, especially if they make that money available to the public schools. Their reason stinks.
If you believe that vouchers are a problem for public education, then it appears these guys are doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
I will settle for good policy over good intentions any day.
Now if we could just figure out how to turn their bigotry to legislate good tax and health care policy.
David Blauw:
I think GM means the people on the left who want to impose their ideas on the rest of us through government force.
I dont think he is saying the left are fascist as a group but he will have to speak for himself.
It is probably a reference to the book “Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning” by Jonah Goldberg
Freedom of Religion means that the government neither restricts nor promotes — financially or otherwise — the beliefs of any particular religious faith.
Yet to many Christian conservatives, this fundamental American principle carries a somewhat different meaning: the government shall not infringe upon the religious freedom of anyone … so long as said religion regards Jesus as the Savior. Furthermore, the government should both advocate and subsidize Christian faiths exclusively, as well as incorporate the tenets and mores of Christianity into public policy at the state and federal level.
Gee, Mason – please identify these lefty fascists. Please be specific in naming individuals in positions of power who are pushing laws that you classify as fascist. It would help also if you included what these laws are and how many of them actually passed any legislative hurdles.
If you can identify actual people with the actual power to enforce their religious beliefs or who are attempting to nullify the constitution of the United States for their own deluded ends I MAY consider “both sides do it”.
North Carolina trys to get into the act:
http://www.wral.com/proposal-would-allow-state-religion-in-north-carolina/12296876/
A bill filed by Republican lawmakers would allow North Carolina to declare an official religion, in violation of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Bill of Rights, and seeks to nullify any federal ruling against Christian prayer by public bodies statewide.
“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.”
I do not understand the term fascist left.
From Wikipedia,
Fascism (pron.: /ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of radical authoritarian nationalism[1][2] that came to prominence in mid-20th century Europe. Fascists seek to unify their nation through a totalitarian state that seeks the mass mobilization of the national community,[3][4] relying on a vanguard party to initiate a revolution to organize the nation on fascist principles.[5] Hostile to liberal democracy, socialism, and communism, fascist movements share certain common features, including the veneration of the state, a devotion to a strong leader, and an emphasis on ultranationalism, ethnocentrism, and militarism. Fascism views political violence, war, and imperialism as a means to achieve national rejuvenation[3][6][7][8] and asserts that “superior” nations and races should attain living space by displacing weak and inferior ones.[9]
One potato, two potato, three potatoe, four
Christ was a Muslim
Mohammed was a boar
Four legs are better
Two legs are bad
Vouchers for the Muslims
Vouchers for the Jews
Vouchers for non believers, who gets one too.
Patty cake, patty cake
Bakers man
Make me a cake as fast as you can.
[If you put public money into private schools, the pirates will go for the money and drown out the schooling..–Gov. Billy Graham]
G. Mason:
you got that right, its definitely a toss-up as to which group is worse. They both want to impose their will/belief on others.
Must be the South Winds from Arkansas oil spill messing with these folks heads….. This is kinda crazy… Maybe those Muslims don’t wanna learn nothin bout no bible…. Maybe the state can adopt the Chinese birth rate quota….that would limit welfare raff….
Tax payer money should never have and should not now go to any religious schools no matter what religion they teach. Unfortunately the Chrisitan right has abused to Constitution and tax payers to fund their religious indoctrination for so long that they forgot, if you give to one you must give to all. It never was about the kids, it always was about the money. Maybe now they will see the brilliance of the founders “separation of church and state”, too late, too late.
I feel like saying I told you so. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t matter because these idiots never learn.
Any education at all is better than the one G.Mason squandered. Unless, of course, that was an attempt at humor.
Frankly, I am not sure which is worse, the radical religious right or the fanatical fascist left. Both are equally dangerous to our Constitution
If you are feeling dizzy its easy to explain; we as a nation are rapidly swirling around the drain. Morons like these guys & the voters who elect them are paddling to make it go faster
What idiots! These same mental gants have proposed reducing a family’s welfare assistance based on thir children’s grades in school!