Two Kaufman County police departments have joined other Texas police departments in proudly flaunting religion by adding the motto “In God We Trust” to their police vehicles.
The Terrell Police Department and Crandall Police Department have chosen to thumb their collective noses at the First Amendment by showing that they are partial to those who share their religious beliefs. This is another perfect example of blindness in law enforcement by showing they are more interested in appearance than they are on doing the right thing. The “people” are secondary.
According to Terrell Police Department Captain A.D. Sansom, Chief Jody Lay suggested the addition of the motto to the department’s fleet which garnered support from the command staff. “Following a movement of several other area agencies, the familiar black and white marked police Tahoes will now proudly display the motto of the United States of America, ‘In God We Trust.’” stated Sansom.
Crandall Police Department Chief Billy Kilgore also suggested the addition of the motto to his department’s fleet last month and gained approval from the Crandall City Council. The motto was placed first on the department’s two new SUVs which were already being outfitted with decals before being placed into service.
In a surprise to absolutely no one, Governor Gregg Abbott applauds the action
Governor Abbott Tweets Support
Governor Abbott’s Twitter feed is littered with support for public institutions that proudly flaunt anything supporting Christian beliefs. While he hides behind “religious freedom,” it’s clear that this is only when its about the Christian faith.
In November, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a written opinion that authorities who displayed the motto on their vehicles would likely win any court challenges.
The opinion was issued a month after the Freedom From Religion Foundation challenged the Childress Police Department’s use of the phrase on its patrol cars. Paxton said displaying the motto is “a passive use of a motto steeped in our nation’s history that does not coerce citizen approval or participation.”
“Does not coerce citizen approval or participation”? WHAT? So now the state’s Attorney General thinks what public employees do with public property doesn’t need citizen approval, participation or even agreement? Still, there is is more to this than recruiting. This kind of thing shows preferential treatment. Are we to believe that a person flaunting their religion with the support of the government will treat people of other faiths exactly the same? How are people of other faiths supposed to feel like an equal?
How would Governor Abbott and AG Paxton feel if one of their police departments chose to put “Allahu Akbar” stickers on their city vehicles? As a lifelong Texan, I can assure you the outrage would be beyond comprehension. Of course, Texans like to throw out the “this country was founded on Christian beliefs”, which is nothing more than false justification. Some people don’t seem to understand the Constitution unless it goes against their personal beliefs.
As difficult as it might be to think this might happen in “Podunk” Texas, what if one of the officers that have to drive one of these vehicles is a Muslim? Could this be considered a hostile work environment? A man or woman being forced to support a religion he or she disagrees with hardly seems fair or equal. I’m sure we’ll still hear plenty of “if they don’t like it, they can go work somewhere else.” Of course, that just further justifies our point here.
Obviously, this is much easier here in the Bible Belt. They know that the volume of the good ol’ boy network will drown out any voices of logic and reason on this. Abbott and Paxton know votes are more important than law.
This isn’t about anyone trying to stifle anyone’s religious freedom. You can wear your cross around your neck as an individual if you want. This is about showing neutrality in law enforcement as an entity. That no matter what your religious preference is, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, Wiccan, or whatever, you are guaranteed the same in the eyes of the law.
Practicing religion should be left to the individual. God never said to force it on others…unless you favor things like the Crusades.
Typical Boobus Americans. Most of these modern “anti police state” libertards would never have survived in late 18th early 19th century America when the Founding Generation had the reigns of American society. You know, back when we had far more “liberty and freedom” than now, back when the Consteetooshun was generally followed (to the extent it was, anyway). You know, back when “Papist, Mohammedans, and atheists, agnostics, and universalists” were BARRED BY LAW from holding any public office, back when blasphemy, adultery, fornication, etc were ILLEGAL and punishable by law, back when America was “free, white, and Christian”. You know, back in the days of Jefferson, Jackson, etc. The “good ole days” in other words when America wasn’t a cess pool of Judeo-Communist filth and mass, rampant stupidity.
“back when blasphemy, adultery, fornication, etc were ILLEGAL and punishable by law, back when America was “free, white, and Christian”.”
Really? Blasphemy, adultery, fornication, being made illegal by a government dominated and controlled by the Masonic dirty church were the first infringements, Sundry Laws, in violation of the 1st Article of the people’s rights, an absolute joinder of Church and State.
The state is not the church and the church is not the state and neither has authority to interfere in the free living of life by the individual, except in the common law, which is the Bill of Rights, which requires an American national, not as a church official nor a government official, to file a lawful complaint for a violation of right, of person, or property, to him or her personally.
These church laws you refer to here were in direct violation of the people’s Bill of Rights who do not live under either church nor government authority, but under their own individual authority, granted directly by God, if you believe in God, but dictated by nature, as the only avenue to peace and prosperity. Hence in the private conduct of one’s life where their actions do not directly violate another’s right is between them and God.
I will not tolerate a dictatorship over my private life, not even a godly one, and neither would the men who won this country by blood, as it was the corrupt Masonic dirty church cabal that made up the Colonial governments, working as the King’s agents, that inflicted the King’s tyranny upon the common man.
If you allow any infringement, you are open to every infringement, as you create an avenue through that which you have declared cannot be breached.
What I have just stated is mathematically absolute. The question is how many truly want real freedom and sovereignty as individuals.
Where DO they come from, Henry… 🙄
WELL SAID………….
Fred, religious freedom is one of the bedrock principles America was founded upon. Past failures to uphold that principle don’t change this. Those “laws” you mention clearly violated the higher law of the First Amendment.
Even setting that aside, it makes NO sense to try to impose or even favor a religion through law. If you could somehow make Christianity the official state religion, enforceable by law, guess what would happen? Some non-Christians would simply hide their beliefs, but many Christian believers would promptly begin fighting over whose denomination was the “true” Christianity that should be imposed. And if your particular version of Christianity doesn’t win the popularity contest, then what?
How is legally-imposed religion even compatible with Christianity? Where did Jesus or any of His disciples advocate the use of human law or force in converting anyone or silencing nonbelievers? Isn’t that just another variation of “throwing the first stone”?
How is it even possible to coerce someone to believe as you do? You can’t change belief through threats. At most, you can make people lie and claim to agree with you. And why would you want to do that anyway? Can’t the truth, or reasonable belief, stand on its own, without any need to be propped up?
“Following a movement of several other area agencies, the familiar black and white marked police Tahoes will now proudly display the motto of the United States of America, ‘In God We Trust.’” stated Sansom.”
Best change that to ‘In god We Trust’.
Satan is NOT God.
For the pigs, government is the true God. This is why they gladly enforce laws that people of conscience know are unjust. For the pigs and all other statist authoritarians, “right” and “wrong” are DEFINED by what is legal and illegal.
“In God We Trust”, eh?
If who you mean by “God” is Satan, maybe! I’ll believe cops–and Gov Abbott and the rest of the poseurs for liberty–trust in God when I see it! If they really trusted in God, they wouldn’t be doing the devil’s dirty work!
“Two More Texas Police Departments Flaunt Religion And Defy The First Amendment”
In which direction is the first amendment being defied?
The first amendment prohibits government recognition or endorsement of any particular religion, but the same amendment also guarantees freedom of expression.
The question here is whether writing “In God We Trust” on the side of a cop car amounts to official endorsement of a particular religion, or the cops’ free expression of where they put their trust.
I think it would require a specific “God-endorsing ” action on the part of the cops that violates another persons rights before a legitimate complaint can be made.
Valid points, and I can see how a case could be made on either side.
Personally, I don’t care what religious affiliation (if any) is displayed in public by the pigs, judges, mail carriers, private individuals, or whomever. I judge people by their words and actions, not by their stated religious views, because in my experience the latter is a very unreliable indicator of character.
YA GOT THAT RIGHT..I SHOULD KNOW, AT BEST IM A HALF ASSED CHRISTIAN….. AT WORSE A MURDEROUS INFIDEL………………
Naw the worst is like me a Infidel Goyam
My federal Tax money paid for those vehicles, even if they did not, the statement offends me, since I do not believe in G-D
THEN WHY ARE YOU AFRAID TO “SPELL IT”?WHO ARE YOU TRYING NOT TO OFFEND?