From the China Daily(!)
h/t Dependable Renegade
Silly flippin' season indeed.....a federal appeals court said Tuesday that an Oklahoma pastor can sue the state over its Indian "rain god" license plate, ruling that the depiction of a noted sculpture on 3 million license plates could be interpreted as a state endorsement of a religion. Oklahoma pastor sued a number of state officials in 2011, arguing that Oklahoma's standard license plate depicted Native American religious beliefs that run contrary to his Christianity. U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton dismissed the lawsuit in May 2012 but the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it Tuesday. (Associated Press).The sculpture represented on the car license plate is Sacred Rain Arrow by Allan Houser (1914-94):
"This monumental piece depicts a young Apache warrior shooting his arrow towards heaven with the hope of carrying a prayer for rain to the Spirit World. Houser represents the strength, dignity, beauty and spirituality of his people."
(HERE).
"How to Overthrow the System: brew your own beer; kick in your Tee Vee; kill your own beef; build your own cabin and piss off the front porch whenever you bloody well feel like it." --Edward Abbey
8 comments:
Well, Twilight, here in the open (de)ranges of Texas, Perry just signed this legislation:
"AUSTIN, Texas – Surrounded by sleigh bell-ringing Santa Claus impersonators, Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday signed a law protecting Christmas and other holiday celebrations in Texas public schools from legal challenges - but also stressed that freedom of religion is not the same thing as freedom from religion."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/14/perry-signs-merry-christmas-bill-into-law/
This is veering off your post, but Iain Banks, Scottish author, recently passed away. He authored many books of varying genres, one of which being dystopian Sci Fi...he authored nine books in this group. You have stated that you have an appreciation of this type of Sci Fi. Have you read any of his works? Some of his less gory fiction may appeal to me, but I've never read any of his books.
A past president said:
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
Abraham Lincoln
And another said:
“When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.”
Thomas Jefferson
mike ~Uh-huh... them Tecksuns - allus gettin' up ta sumtin' - Hayul yayus!
(Texas dictionary required). :-)
And the silly season proceeds apace, with Gov. Perry well ahead in the parade.
I'd not heard of Iain Banks, mike.
I took a quick peek at Wiki's page.
Hmmm he died young - 59! I'm not sure I'd enjoy his style from what I gleaned from a quick scan there. sounds a tad bloody for my taste. He was a nice-looking guy though.
I'm a very picky reader, but usually enjoy speculative fiction, some (only some) sci-fi
(I like the reference, probably Iain Banks' own?) to "skiffy" - lol! Latest book I've read is The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman - couldn't put it down - a good quick read. Am still getting through Les Miserables , but rationing it - for now.
Victor Hugo was a superb storyteller, gets into a ridiculous amount of detail about everything. I always feel as though I'm in a bar with him chatting over a few drinks as he tells the tale. Too much intake of both that and alcohol has undesirable effect. ;-)
I guess a reasonable solution is to charge an extra $18 for ALL license plates:
"This sculpture shows a Native American warrior shooting an arrow at the sky in the hopes of a rain god bringing rain, and Cressman, who is identified as a Christian, feels this is a violation of his First Amendment rights because he is forced either to display an image he finds offensive or pay extra money for a plate he finds more acceptable. The state does issue an "In God We Trust" license plate, but at an initial cost of $18 and an annual renewal fee of $16.50)."
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/06/14/oklahoma-man-allowed-to-sue-state-over-native-american-rain-god/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl7|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D329820
mike ~ That'd be pandering to an unreasonable attitude though, mike.
In Oklahoma, more than any state in the Union, there should be remnants of its past (often very sad) connection to Native Americans, and ways of honouring that history.
Someone should tell that so-called Christian to think about the way this country was founded - on the blood of its indigenous peoples, who, by the way loved this land more than any who have followed them.
If he finds an illustration of one of them, doing a action which had the intention of helping his beloved land, offensive - then I find his attitude offensive in the extreme, especially as his people have done more to harm it, and the planet than any who came before. GRRRRR!!!
I was being facetious, Twilight! Believe it or not, I'm a Potawatomi tribal member...headquarters are there in Shawnee, OK!
I was surprised that OK offered the "In God We Trust" plates, which I would think would appease Cressman, but guess he doesn't think he should pay for the extra mantra.
I'm not sure how much you know about American Indian history, but Indians from most of the USA were removed from the native lands around the country, herded to OK on foot, and forced to accept the plains as their new home (prison). We Potawatomi Indians were originally from Michigan, Illinois, and S.Canada. Can you imagine the transition to Oklahoma!
Your later posting of dystopia must surely have rang bells with my forebearers once Europeans arrived.
mike ~~ Oops! Oh my! Sorry - I hadn't picked up the satirical tone - it's hard to pick up online, when tone of voice and facial expressions are absent isn't it? :-)
Well....I'm pleased to know of your Native link, mike. Sorry, though, that I have to be representative of the
dystopian future your people faced, back then.
I know a little about the history of Native Americans and Oklahoma, Trail of Tears etc. from films and from reading about those times. I've always had an interest in that part of US history. A dark stain, it is - for sure.
Re car tags - I'm always happy to see the true Native American tribal tags, different ones for different tribes - proof that there are still some descendants of survivors around here.
For northern tribes to be deposited into the heat and dust of this area had to be horrendous. I can sympathise with them, and I have the benefit of AC!
What strikes me about the suit is the incongruity. Why do Christians seem to preach intolerance? And another thing: Aren’t there some more pressing issues at hand? Maybe it’s just his bid for his 15 minutes.
anyjazz ~ Agreed - that incongruity is apparent in lots of other issues too, but they can't seem to see it.
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