Two years ago, Kentucky state Representative Tom Riner put an amendment into a homeland security bill ordering the state Office of Homeland Security declare its initial duty as “stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth.”
The Lexington Herald-Leader spelled out the requirements of the bill:
Specifically, Homeland Security is ordered to publicize God’s benevolent protection in its reports, and it must post a plaque at the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center with an 88-word statement that begins, “The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God.”
As amended, Homeland Security’s religious duties now come before all else, including its distribution of millions of dollars in federal grants and its analysis of possible threats.
Yes, the first line of defense against terrorism in Kentucky is God. Of course, the state spends $28 million on an Office of Homeland Security too.
Under Governor Ernie Fletcher, the state posted the plaque and credited God in its reports for providing safety and security.
When the current Governor Steve Beshear took office, he did not know of the requirement to credit God for the state’s protection from terrorists. His administration checked to make sure the plaque was still in place. However, they failed to mention God in the 2008 Homeland Security report.
Riner expressed disappointment about the absence of God in Homeland Security’s mission statement and website.
Riner said the purpose of the bill was to publicize that God is essential to our security.
”This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky,” Riner said. “Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap. The job is too big for government.”
Not all agree that the cost and effort to emphasize God is appropriate for government.
But state Sen. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, said Homeland Security should worry about public safety threats instead of preaching religious homilies.
“It’s very sad to me that we do this sort of thing,” said Stein, a frequent critic of efforts to mix religion and government. “It takes away from the seriousness of the public discussion over security, and it clearly hurts the credibility of this office if it’s supposed to be depending on God, first and foremost.”
Yes, but maybe Riner is on to something. Kentucky has not been hit by the terrorists yet. Unless you count the KKK, but they were God-fearing Christians, right? Then again, Connecticut has not been hit by the terrorists either, and they have gay marriage. I am not sure what Riner thinks about that.
dear God please dont let rfid become legal in kentucky h.s. uses everything to torture me and my teenage sons, my entire family the town of Remington Indiana, they use lsd-pcp, mecury based methane gas to make us look and sound violent. Please stop them people are fleeing rfid in other states. they use radiated dna, and hydro-cloning also dont let them in your state fight or be tortured and your children. my own husband turned us in. we cant work because of rfid movies, soon no one will care about them because everyone in indiana knows its becoming police state. they use women in sherrifs dept, for sex slavery using drugs legally