Last updated on 2014.06.06
Gordon Howie asks me what I think of religion in government. I could just say, No, thank you. Instead, I say, Down with the state motto!
Really, I think requiring all South Dakotans to labor under the motto "Under God the People Rule" improperly subjects non-believers to an unconstitutional, state-sponsored declaration of religious belief. All citizens can agree that the People Rule Under a Big Blue Sky, Under the U.S. Constitution, Under a Shared Commitment to Truth and Justice. But I do not believe we rule under any God, and I don't like the state telling me otherwise.
P.S.: As that statement and the video should make clear, I don't like Sharia law, either.
Cory, what are you trying to do, piss off Sibson first thing in the morning? You neo-Marxist, you!
I was once a South Dakotan, but moved away. The Bosworth fiasco brought me back, to here.
I've heard about the EB5 stuff... No excuse for this tea-crap to do what she did though.
But there is definitely something brewing with the EB5 stuff.... Or there should be. None of the stuff adds up.
Corey, are you working for the UCLA? LOL... just kidding.
There are much deeper problems to worry about than the word 'God' being in SDs state motto.
Cory, you should have mentioned to Howie Thomas Jefferson's deist beliefs.
Oh, thank you, Thomas Jefferson!
"Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person’s life, freedom of religion affects every individual. Religious institutions that use government power in support of themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of an established religion tends to make the clergy unresponsive to their own people, and leads to corruption within religion itself. Erecting the “wall of separation between church and state,” therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.” -- Thomas Jefferson, to the Virginia Baptists (1808) ME 16:320. This is his second known use of the term “wall of separation,” here quoting his own use in the Danbury Baptist letter. This wording of the original was several times upheld by the Supreme Court as an accurate description of the Establishment Clause: Reynolds (98 US at 164, 1879); Everson (330 US at 59, 1947); McCollum (333 US at 232, 1948)
Jenny, good luck convincing the right wing that rules this state of that. Until we get voters out in mass to remove them from power, nothing changes.
"One Divided State Under Wingnut Rule" sounds more appropriate for SoDak. god gives wingnut weinies a shield to hide behind so they don't have to be accountable for their antics and actions and especially votes. To hell with god and Babe Ruth.
Jenny's right Cory, it might be fun but you don't have to bite every piece of bait they wiggle in front of you. There are bigger fish to fry.
Enough of the fishing mixed metaphors.
Jenny, Nick, you're right... but hey! Gordon asked! I promise, however, when I am elected Governor, my first official act will not be to sign an executive order to remove the motto from all public buildings and documents.
Jenny is wrong. Once you allow those bastardas to take an inch-they want your life as well.
Whenever I hear someone claim that "this nation was founded as a Christian nation" or something similar, I remind them that the phrase in the Declaration is
"...endowed by their creator..."
THEIR creator - not necessarily YOUR creator or OUR creator.
Belinda and I are leaving our beloved Pass Creek. One of the reasons is the lack of both credibility, and accountability in this state. We want to pursue our interest in green technology and South Dakota just isn't the right place to build something like we want to build.
Cory , it isn't God you have to worry about, it's the people that use God to justify their actions.
Corruption has a brand new name and it is South Dakota. Change will come, but it will be slow and at what cost to it's people? Our electric rates are supposed to go up 25 % this year. Propane will dance around at 3 to five a gallon until they can increase the volume and the way it is delivered. That means it will "never" be like it used to be again, and that in turn means forced change. Nobody likes forced change, just ask the native americans.
I'm not leaving Madville, just vacationing while we move and get started building. We will still have personal and financial interest here so don't think you are rid of The Blindman. For some good reading and some of our history go to "Dithmer ranch for sale" on FB.
The Blindman
Bill I looked up the ranch and Pass Creek and that is a beautiful and special place. I am sorry that your leaving. Where are you going to pursue your interest in green technology? That's an area I've always tried to keep up with.
Good luck where ever you land Bill. I hope the moving truck has room for the chokecherry syrup and jelly, unless you've finished it all off by now.
Keep it touch, Bill: all the best to you and yours.
Lynn that would be Bethany Mo. Here is a link http://www.landsofamerica.com/missouri/land-for-sale/37-acres-in-Harrison-County-Missouri/id/1065653
Nick the jam is all ready loaded.
There is a lot of building to do when we get there but it is time while can still see good enough to follow the building process.
The Blindman
Thank you Bill and Best Wishes!
I almost forgot, when we get settled I have two books ready to Epublish. "Pass Creek, The Church Of Bill" and " Diary Of A Food Whore." I hope somebody reads them because they will make you smile.
The Blindman
Bill looks like your going to a great set up. An old friend of mine has a geodesic dome home right off the St. Croix river on the MN WI border. His utility bills are extremely low, no leaks and claims it has a much better chance of surviving a tornado with it's more aero dynamic shape.
Looking forward to reading about your green technology pursuit in the future
What an adventure, Bill, and you have Senator Clair McCaskill (love her!) representing you in Mo.
Blindman-don't go further South. I've got relatives in central Mo. and my dad was born and raised there. Mom and Pop got married in Palmyra,Mo. Good luck and good building. You'll be in top notch whitetail country as well.
While I agree with folks saying there are more important things. I did find this exchange interesting. Specifically that Gordon didn't reply to Cory's question about human fallibility. It is a core belief and once you understand it and try to live it turns Christians into much humbler creatures than some of my Tea Party, Bible thumping friends.
Jenny and Nick
Come on, liberals can multitask, with a couple of skillets we can fry as many fish necessary.
Roger, turn on Argus, the latest Bos Circus is on now.
Thanks Jenny, will do
Dividing God from state: hmmmm, here's another possibility that comes to mind. Civil Marriage licenses from the state, and if a couple want to get married in a church, the church can issue a "Holy Matrimony" certificate. This way the state can stay in its proper role of being concerned with the legal side of marriage, and leave the religious issue to the churches.
Having recently moved from South Dakota, partially to get away from the oppressive people running the state...I've determined that gODD has nothing to do with government especially when one considers the corruption in government that exists across the nation and has never really been researched thoroughly in South Dakota. People fear their leaders in South Dakota. Because it's such a small state it would be very easy to abuse the power some men in government have. We've already seen that with a late governor. I think when people remind us of the SD State Motto....they are providing an opprotunity to "wink, wink, nod, nod"....it's not serious. It's a way for the powerful to "lord" their power over those who have no power...because they believe they rule for gODD. The treatment of homosexuals in South Dakota is nothing if not appauling...and the government doesn't even see it because fear rules...
Barry, that's an interesting point of view. Mine is a bit different.
I moved here a little more than 20 years ago. I've lived in Pierre that whole time.If there's one characteristic of South Dakotans that I would bank on, it is that they do not fear people in authority, even when they should. The politics and social ambience (for lack of a better word) are decades out of date; the Republicans have a stranglehold on power, and corruption and indifference are rampant in certain circles. But tell a South Dakotan he or she can't do something when he or she knows they have a right to whatever it is and you've got a fight on your hands.
Here is an article about the way the church has deteriorated. She also describes how the Christian church can survive. The author does this by harking back to the words of Jesus Christ. Gee, I think he ought to be considered a pretty authoritative source.
http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/06/04/church-has-been-left-behind
Howie did not comport himself well in that video. Too much smirking superciliousness. That's never a way to create a respectable character.
Sorry, Cory, I have to do it. I am a Republican and a Christian, maybe I am one of few of the above who believe differently; but, I do not believe that those things pertaining to government should involve religion. Correct me if I am wrong (I am sure you will anyway). When I read historical accounts of the persecution of the people before they founded the United States of America, part of that persecution was related to the fact that they did not, in their home country, have the freedom of religion that they desired; they wanted to be able to believe and practice any religion they saw fit to practice.
Since the beginning of time it has been determined that there are different belief systems, we have found that we do not all believe in the same God and there are those who also do not believe in a deity of any kind. I believe our country was founded with that in mind, that everyone should have the opportunity to have that choice. The word God, in my opinion, was used when establishing this country by those who did believe in a Christian God, but I also believe, in studying the men who made the largest imprint in our beginning as a country, that if you asked any of them if they would declare which God that is and if they expected it to be only the God of their belief system, they would answer an emphatic 'no.'
I see it as very trivial that people have a problem with the use of the word Godin government, because, even though I am a Christian, I can look at that word, couple it with my knowledge of history and say that you can perceive that to be any God you choose, even if you've determined that God is you. It is all in how you personally define the word 'God'.
Now, I know there are those who will vehemently disagree, will stand on the rooftops and scream that our Founding Fathers were most definitely Christian, and for some of those men, it was true; but, research will prove that some of them would describe God as a deity, not necessarily the Christian God. That is why I too can rest in the fact that if they could be that open minded, still establish this great nation, and give us the beginnings of the greatest freewill country in the world, then we can as well.
If you are familiar with the Bible, (I have to give you a dose of my religion and belief as that is how I shall make my point) I believe that Jesus felt the same. Some of the men who belonged to the religion and had the belief system that He was brought up in wanted Him to answer the question of whether God was to be in government and if God's rule (the God they chose to believe in) should be the only one who could demand servitude. Jesus said the famous (and often misquoted) words, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's." There are also other Scriptures in which the Bible separates man's governing of man and God's governing of man. Anyone of any religion should tell you that they will follow the law of the land as long and until it violates their religious views. Thankfully, the only command I am left with is to love my neighbor as myself and to love God with my whole heart, mind and soul. Lucky for me, in America, I can do both, loving the God of my choice (or no God) and treating my neighbor as I would want to be treated and I won't be stoned.
West, if a word means whatever any person wants it to mean, it has no place in a formal, logical statement. It adds no value to a state motto.
Consider the illogic of including an entirely personally defined "God" in the state motto when you attempt to encompass my definition: "God: a supernatural entity that does not exist." I would never ascribe to the statement, "The people rule under a supernatural being that does not exist." I thus must reject South Dakota's state motto.
Bill, your new state will be richer for your presence. If you have time to keep sharing your thoughts with us, you will continue to make this blog richer.
Under god, Homestake stole treaty ground, raped it, then gave it to a corrupt chemical toilet.
http://www.ksfy.com/story/25720295/land-in-spearfish-canyon-could-be-next-state-park#.U5RTDhUXJNk.twitter
Under god, farmers and ranchers destroyed an entire state:
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/noem-asks-for-comments-on-proposed-epa-water-rule/article_27b5bb45-7e06-5290-bb55-a9f46f8bd44a.html
christians believe the world is going to end so why save it?
http://www.npr.org/2014/06/08/319831143/climate-scientist-climate-change-is-a-christian-issue-too
But they also believe that the meek will inherit the earth. Not nice to force people to live in a cesspool.