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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTennessee May Deliberately Exclude Muslim Schools From New Voucher Program
This is just amazing to me. The republicans are trying to get in vouchers so they can pay for religious education, but then they finally figure out "wait a minute, that means muslims could pay for muslim school too!"
Isn't that what we've been telling you about prayer in school for years you stupid rednecks?
So, now they want to use the money only for "judeo-christian" schools. What part of separation of church and state are that not getting here? Not only will public money support religious education, but now they want to pick and chose which one.
From this link:
http://thinkprogress.org/education/2013/04/03/1815461/tennessee-may-deliberately-exclude-muslim-schools-from-new-voucher-program/
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Several conservative lawmakers in Tennessee are throwing the brakes on a fast-moving bill that would divert money away from public schools and towards vouchers for students to attend private or parochial schools. Republicans are taking a second look at the bill after the possibility arose that some Islamic schools could apply for the same funding made available to other religious schools.
The bill is a top priority for Republican Governor Bill Haslam, but several anti-religion lawmakers in the state senate, led by Sen. Bill Ketron who sponsored several anti-Islam bills in the last few years, are hoping to strip away the ability for any school that caters to Muslim children and their families to receive public dollars:
This is an issue we must address, state Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) said. I dont know whether we can simply amend the bill in such a way that will fix the issue at this point.
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Ketron has cultivated a reputation as the states chief Islamophobe, proposing a bill in 2011 that could have introduced punishments of up to 15 years in jail for any Muslim who observed the holy month of Ramadan or prayed five times a day towards Mecca, a religious requirement for observant Muslims.
BainsBane
(54,465 posts)but when has that ever stopped them.
spanone
(137,414 posts)we are going down the rabbit hole....quickly
d_r
(6,907 posts)I have such a hard time getting my mind around it, but they really do.
Initech
(101,485 posts)Next step is to bring in crazy fundamentalists that make Pat Robertson look like an atheist sympathizer by comparison.
NightWatcher
(39,353 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)bluestate10
(10,942 posts)The courts will crush those assholes if they get this clearly unconstitutional legislation passed and signed by the equally stupid governor of that state.
jazzimov
(1,456 posts)TN is actually a Centrist State. Republithugs have taken over because of voter fraud and Gerrymandering.
Give us some time - eventually we will overthrow this stupidity.
Just as an example, TN used to have a Dem Majority which voted to get rid of BBV. As a compromise, they decided to let "one more vote" go through because the cost of the new switch from BBV to paper ballots. Surprise, the Repubs won the next vote.
The new Repub legislature voted to stick with BBV and repealed the paper ballot initiative because of "cost issues", and then they Gerrymandered the entire state.
Don't count us out, yet. The people of TN aren't going to put up with this travesty of justice for long.
NutmegYankee
(16,296 posts)The whole damn bill will get trashed by the courts.
Volaris
(10,531 posts)Christ, I think even Alito would vote with the majority, it's so...BALANTLY numbskull of them.