A certain Viv from Quebec City wrote to request an
explanation of Missouri’s latest amendment-based fuckeduptitude that will bring
before voter the question of whether to guarantee the right to pray in public
and the right of students to refuse to do shit that violates their religious
beliefs.
Pause…sip coffee…continue.
Why the hell not?
Here you go, Viv!
Governor Nixon signed a proclamation setting the election
for what I like to call The Already Guaranteed Right to Pray and Soon to be
Guaranteed Right for Students to get Their Hustle On Amendment.
We get to vote on this waste of time, paper, and resources
August 7th.
Anyone who has ever been to an LGBT Pride festival, state
fair, outdoor mall, charming little café on the corner…um, walked to a hockey game, tried to walk into a
grocery store…gone to get your Afro trimmed…I could go on and on…
Basically, all the public prayer and evangelizing going on
in ‘hoods across the land is proof that we the people already have and often
loudly exercise the right o pray in public.
Methinks this amendment has something to do with
conservative organizers wanting to lure their flock to the voting booth. Governor Nixon set an August election date so this shit won't be a useful tool to motivate public prayer adoring voters for the General Election in November. Tis like tasty kibble to those who
enjoy feeling persecuted despite the lack of persecution…and it likely soothes
the ruffled feathers of those who cross the line and disturb the peace then
turn around and scream that their right to pray in public has been violated.
I’m much more interested in the second portion of the
amendment.
Okay…I’ll confess – I’m a wee bit bitter that these fools
didn’t propose a ballot initiative saying students couldn’t be compelled to
participate in [insert class work here] that violates their religious beliefs
way back in the day when I was a student in Missouri.
Oh, come on!
This is a hustle waiting to happen if I’ve ever seen one!
And yes, I would have been the student citing religious
objections to all kinds of shit.
Geometry.
That frog dissection from hell in Junior High.
Pesky Latin translations that I neglected to prepare for.
I would have loved that shit!
But seriously, students are already protected from being
compelled to do things that violate their religious beliefs. I had friends who
didn’t say the Pledge of Allegiance because their religion states that their
only allegiance is to God…and I had other friends who didn’t participate in
Saturday events or Sunday events or sex education classes. Not a one of them got in trouble or a
failing grade.
The important thing to remember here is that amending the
Missouri constitution to address shit that is already addressed is a favorite pastime
here.
In keeping with that tradition, someone needs to propose an
amendment guaranteeing the right of state legislators to waste the people’s
time during session and fail to pass a jobs bill!
Blink.
3 comments:
The "problem" that the second part of that amendment is intended to "solve" is this kind of thing - grad students being told that no, you cannot refuse to work with LGBT people if you are studying to be a therapist of some kind. (Probably also meant to head off the extremely unlikely scenario in which some Missouri teacher assigns a project for Gay History Month or something. Because it's always, always about the gays.)
Thank GAWD* that this was moved up from November by Gov.Nixon. The last thing we need is GOTV bait that pastors are fully entitled to preach for without threatening the church tax exemption.
*God, A Woman Deity
This also may mean the right of students (read: anti-evolution parents) to skip out on certain science classes. Think about it.
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