Texas Lawmakers Want Attorney General To Support ‘In God We Trust’ On Police Cars
If we just put the word “God” in public places criminals will behave and we’ll have much better world. They’ll see the G-word, put down their guns, and pick up Bibles instead.
After fielding a complaint from a citizen of Childress, a Panhandle town of about 6,000, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent the town’s police department a letter last month asking it to stop using the motto.
The Wisconsin-based foundation, a national church-state watchdog group that claims to be the country’s largest association of atheists and agnostics, argued placing the slogan on an official police vehicle breaches the wall separating church and state.
In a widely shared response, Childress Police Chief Adrian Garcia wrote: “After carefully reading your letter, I must deny your request in the removal of our nation’s motto from our patrol units and ask that you and the Freedom From Religion Foundation go fly a kite.”
What a nice, Christian response.
Monday, the two state legislators representing Childress — state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, and state Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster — asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to weigh in on the question.
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22 responses to Texas Lawmakers Want Attorney General To Support ‘In God We Trust’ On Police Cars
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tracey marie October 6th, 2015 at 11:19
Separation of church and state is in the constitution, it is not our state or country motto. E Pluribus unum is untill the 50’s and the maccarthy red scare.
Larry Schmitt October 6th, 2015 at 11:47
Unfortunately, it is the official motto. E Pluribus Unum was never the official motto, but the godly one was officially named in 1956.
tracey marie October 6th, 2015 at 11:54
I stand corrected
Larry Schmitt October 6th, 2015 at 11:24
How does this help make them better police officers? More phony posturing from phony “Christians.” That motto is nothing more than a relic from the Red Scare of the 50’s, and most Americans don’t take it seriously. The fact that it’s on the money is bad enough. I laughed out loud when a facebook uproar happened when the new dollar coins came out with the motto on the edge. Someone was convinced that it had been removed, and it was shared all over the place, including by my sister, a reactionary right wing Catholic.
mea_mark October 6th, 2015 at 11:40
More #TexasDerp … Do something stupid, let it get thrown into the courts and waste taxpayer dollars.
Larry Schmitt October 6th, 2015 at 11:41
And then when a cop shoots an unarmed person, they blame god for it, right?
allison1050 October 6th, 2015 at 11:44
I guess that they don’t have more important business to attend to.
rg9rts October 6th, 2015 at 12:38
Maybe the AG can explain to them the separation of church and state
Dwendt44 October 6th, 2015 at 14:19
In Texass? Surely you jest.
rg9rts October 6th, 2015 at 14:28
The SCOTUS will
FatRat October 6th, 2015 at 14:14
Criminals will behave if the see the word “God”? Using that line of reasoning, I’d assume that no criminal activities will occur in any American motel room, since they are stocked with a Bible. /s
http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/gideon-bible_5.jpg
https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cartoonstock.com/religion-minister-priest-vicar-bible-gideon_bible-sbo0825_low.jpg
Jimmy Fleck October 6th, 2015 at 14:24
So while this may make no difference in crime, how is having the national motto on police vehicles against the law? Seems like this would be a frivolous lawsuit if one is brought. A judge should throw it out of court and order all attorney fees to be paid by the complaining party.
Dwendt44 October 6th, 2015 at 19:48
Case law for one. It’s an endorsement of religion by a government entity.
Jimmy Fleck October 7th, 2015 at 09:48
Case law like these? http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/speakout/is-our-national-motto-unconstitutional
bpollen October 7th, 2015 at 05:30
Then other religions could sue for equal protection… In Thor We Trust. In Allah We Trust. In Satan We Trust. In Flying Spaghetti Monster We Trust.
Jimmy Fleck October 7th, 2015 at 09:47
All of those organizations could petition to have the national motto changed to include those statements if they want. I think it would have to be a vote in Congress. I suggest they start lobbying their representatives to add this as part of their election campaign platforms to help people decide who they want to vote for.
bpollen October 7th, 2015 at 15:36
They could. Or they could just expect the Constitution to be followed. I find cop cars with “In Zoroaster We Trust” or “In Bacchus We Trust” to be more entertaining and an object lesson.
Jimmy Fleck October 7th, 2015 at 15:40
I am sure a court will speak up if they feel this use of the National Motto is unconstitutional. So far all of the cases I have found say it is ok.
bpollen October 7th, 2015 at 15:47
OK, well just how many cases did you find where the intent was to have other names of gods used? Where is precedent?
jasperjava October 7th, 2015 at 18:29
We don’t need an act of Congress. This so-called “national motto” is clearly unconstitutional, and always has been since its adoption. All we need is five Supreme Court justices to strike it down. I have no doubt they will do just that as soon as a case is brought before them.
We already have a national motto, E Pluribus Unum. I’m not surprised that conservatives despise it. They’re more interested in division than unity.
Jimmy Fleck October 7th, 2015 at 18:50
As noted below, E Pluribus Unum was never officially the national motto. And the courts have ruled several times that it is constitutional to have the official national motto of In God We Trust on our currency. I don’t see why a government vehicle would be any different.
jasperjava October 7th, 2015 at 19:05
Conservatives like “In God We Trust” because they like God and they think everybody ought to like God and worship in the same way they do. Fine if that’s the way they feel, but it’s simply wrong.
Yes, the courts have made many wrong-headed decisions over the years. But there will come a day when they realize that these decisions were faulty and need to be reversed. Be prepared.
Conservatives will throw a tantrum, of course. They always do whenever they don’t get their way. But the rest of the country will continue to grow up and build a pluralistic secular society just as the Founders envisioned.