I bet you didn’t have to think hard. Click on the correct image below to go to the article about it:
Did you guess correctly? I bet you did.
Yes, if the governor approves what the legislature just did, we’ll have a prime violation of the First Amendment, one opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union:
Tennessee lawmakers have brushed aside constitutional concerns in giving final approval to a bill to designate the Holy Bible as the state’s official book.
The state Senate voted 19-8 in favor of the bill on Monday despite arguments that it conflicts with a provision in the Tennessee Constitution that states that “no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship.”
The bill now heads to the desk of Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, who opposes the measure but has not said whether he would issue a veto.
Yeah: can you imagine the re-election prospects in Tennssee of a governor who vetoes adopting God’s Word as the state book. No wonder he hasn’t said anything. We’ll see whether he’s a coward when the bill lands on his desk. (And what kind of governor would say he opposes the bill, which has no practical impact on his constituents, but refuse to say whether he’ll veto it?)
There’s also a humorous side:
Opponents argued that the Bible would be trivialized by being placed alongside other state symbols such as the tomato as Tennessee’s official fruit, the cave salamander as the state amphibian and the square dance as the state folk dance.
But Tennessee recently adopted an official state gun as well, and it’s not an innocuous weapon. Have a look at what the legislature and governor want as their Official Firearm:
God and guns: that benighted state has it all covered.
But don’t say that these people “cling to guns and religion” as Obama did or you’re a snob.
One of the things I’ve been astounded by, as a fairly recent Tennessee resident, is just how often I overhear religious sentiment in everyday conversation here. This place really is saturated in evangelicalism, and the majority of people here tie their every thought and action to their belief. Something good happens? Praise the Lord. Something bad? It’s the Lord’s will. Just a nice day? A gift from Jesus. I imagine they can’t even relieve themselves in the toilet without it being an act of devotion.
So I’m surprised this act took as long as it did. And they know it is unconstitutional and will be challenged, but that’s what they want, so that they can be seen as standing up to the secular persecutors who they think want to outlaw religion.
I strongly object to the “trivialization” of a masterpiece like, “A Confederacy of Dunces” being placed in juxtaposition with those other two pieces of trash fiction.
I agree and add my objection! I’m all in favor of the other 3 state symbols tho. Not the gun,just the tomatoes,salamanders and dancing. I hope we can keep them.
I clicked on that and it didn’t work. Oh noes! PCC is pandering to the Bible-thumpers!
cr
ploubere – Count Indiana and numerous other states as being very similar to what you describe; might be about time to move to New Hampshire and join the secession movement 🙂
Outside of Indianapolis was where I saw the ammo shop-church strip-building (so sort of one stop-shopping). Shame, because Bloomington is nice, if *tiny*.
Keith – we visit Hoosierland regularly [to see relatives, not as tourists :-)] and I always keep an eye out for outlandish church signs re upcoming sermons. Last visit it was “Evolution – the Big Lie” Thought about going, but that passed quickly.
Haslam has no chance of reelection as he will be term limited at the next election. In fairness, at least while I lived in TN he was not bad by local standards. I note that a veto in TN can be overridden by a simple majority vote of the two state houses.
He is also (apparently) the richest elected official in the US so I’m sure he will be just fine even if he bites the bullet and does the right thing.
My guess is that SCOTUS would view this as so trivially symbolic/deistic as to be legal. But that Tennessee constitution statement seems a lot more stringent; naming a holy book as the state book is certainly giving it a ‘preference’ over other holy books that are not the state book.
I kind of take some heart in it. If they’re grasping at this straw…
The Supreme Court would not approve this bill. What else have they let go that makes you write that?
The 5-4 decision about the cross at Mohave National Monument. Scalia insisted the cross is a universal symbol honoring the dead, and Kennedy said separation of church and state does not require removing all religious symbols from public land.
In addition to that sort of case, SCOTUS has also taken cases on, and decided to allow, ritual invocations during public meetings and some Ten Commandments monuments.
I stand by my guess. Actually if it goes to court my best guess would be that some lower court allows it and SCOTUS denies cert.
I don’t think Jesus would approve of a state gun.
How about a nail gun?
Ha! Or a supersonic rail gun to fling ferromagnetic crosses into space. This would be JC’s attempt to clean up space junk, while accomplishing the exact opposite. This is the paradox of faith (that’s what they should call it, not the mystery)
That is savage and I laughed. +1
Glue gun! That’s my answer, and I’m sticking to it.
http://i.imgur.com/umqqQ.png
Hahahaha… very good!
Gives me an excuse to link to my favourite cartoon –
http://www.thepaincomics.com/weekly050504a.htm
Drawn 2005 and sadly still topical
cr
If you go to the second LTE you’ll notice they have your first amendment concern covered.
“Thankfully, the promoters of the Bible as the state book have agreed that the Bible is only a historical and not a religious book.”
I should think a manuscript of “Inherit the Wind” should be the state book.
I wonder which bible they mean? Vulgate? Breeches? That used by non-Protestant sects?
“Silence of the Lambs”. It goes with the gun.
…the one by GAAAAHHHD! He had such terrible hand writing that he got various unknown people to make it up.
Several states have official songs, and a few have official poems, but none so far have a state book.
(I’m just barely laid back enough on the first amendment to think that Colorado’s adoption of John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” with its line about “Talk to God..” is not really a serious 1st amendment violation.)
The only meaningful nomination for a state book is something specific to that state. For example, if Montana adopted the novel “The Big Sky” by A.B. Guthrie or Texas adopted “Giant” by Edna Ferber, those would be meaningful choices.
I would seriously object if my state of California adopted any book promoting Buddhism in spite of my involvement in that tradition.
Curiously, you seem to be right. They have official state everything else, just not books.
Minnesota considered Little House on the Prairie for its state book but – doubtless to the heartfelt relief of many Minnesotans – never adopted it.
cr
I like the fact that Virginia has an official state Gold mining interpretive center.
But the trivial nature of many of these ‘official state’ things probably works in Tennessee’s favor. Because it supports the argument that the designation doesn’t really create any material any other type of significant support or state favoritism. Symbolic support? Yes. Anything more than that? No.
Not surprised, I saw Deliverance.
It may or may not make a difference that “Deliverance” is set in Georgia.
If one considers this along with the North Carolina and Mississippi legislative activities and the crazy stuff going on with the Alabama governor – secession for many of these states just might be in order. It may not be slavery folks but it is sure looking like another country.
The scary thing is that it’s NOT another country; it’s THIS country- even if they seceded, we’d still have to live next to them!
We could just send Donald and Ted down to take over and suggest a name like maybe Confederacy II. Donald could build a wall.
The photo reminds me – has anyone seen a mediaevel arquebus – the thing itself, not a photo? They’re frightening things, and some of them are considerably bigger than that.
Not sure whether I’d be more frightened to be the target (who at least can run away) or the user. Guess who’s going to be closest to the thing when it goes off?
cr
It must be a good week for dolts and bigots. Missisippuh’s passed a law to legalize religious-based bigotry. I don’t see Missisipuh’s law getting past a constitutional challenge, but someone’s got to file the paperwork and show up.
Should have picked Roots! Alex Haley was from Tennessee…
Do you suppose that no state has a “state book” because no Republicon (sp) (or a Democrat in a contested district) would want to be on official record as voting for any book NOT the bible?
Here’s my sad, pessimistic take on it. Most of the more silly “official state” designations come from some local lobbying effort; some county opens up a local museum and wants the designation. Or some High School has an essay contest with the promise of forwarding the winning entry on to the Governor, and then the Governor sees a good PR moment in giving the kid his/her request. And voila, you’ve got the official state rodent or official state meat product (and in the south, they are the same… 🙂
So my guess is that the lack of books on such lists is because few High Schoolers think of reading as a good thing that should be celebrated. Likewise local communities don’t think of books – even popular, locally authored books – as that important that they would be an object of reverence. So nobody suggests them. Our culture is literate, but not very book-loving. 🙁
Maybe its time for each state to have an official State Injury.
In Hawaii it would be getting hit in the head with a surfboard.
In Maine it would be getting a finger amputated by a lobster.
In Tennessee it would be getting a large chunk of you blown off ( I don’t know the medical term) by a 50 cal.
Couldn’t be any dafter than an official state bacteria.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/03/official-state-bacteria_n_5080910.html
I do not subscribe to the “cultural appropriation” school, but I think that an official book by a state would make sense if written by an author from the state or having a plot about the state. That is, to promote the state and its culture. Last time I checked, no part of the Bible was written by a Tennessee resident, nor did it feature Tennessee. I find the bill ridiculous. An outsider could ask, “Hasn’t anyone from this state ever written any book worth reading?”.