Rep. Mike Ritze (do I really need to put R, because you know it’s going to be) wants to put up Oklahoma’s Ten Commandment statue from the ones that were donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles back in the 1950s after the movie The Ten Commandments was released. Except no one knows where the one that was donated to Oklahoma went. So he spearheaded the drive to get one placed, with private funds of course, and introduced House Bill 1330 (bill text) to make it all legal and stuff. It passed committee yesterday and will be going to the full House for a vote.

Wanna hear some of the bill text that makes them think it will be legal?

The Ten Commandments monument shall use the same words used on the monument at issue in Von Orden v. Perry, that the United States Supreme Court ruled constitutional. This monument shall be designed, constructed, and placed on the Capitol grounds by private entities at no expense to the State of Oklahoma.

…

The placement of this monument shall not be construed to mean that the State of Oklahoma favors any particular religion or denomination thereof over others, but rather will be placed on the Capitol grounds where there are numerous other monuments.

The last paragraph is the most confusing to me. Because Rep. Ritze has said himself that “he believes the nation has lost its moral compass and that the Ten Commandments is a reminder of basic values” and “A large part of our law comes out of the Ten Commandments. It’s another historical document that is part of our law.” So right there he’s favoring Christianity as a basis of laws and morality. Not to mention that the text of the bill itself says:

That the Ten Commandments found in the Bible, Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21, are an important component of the moral foundation of the laws and legal system of the United States of America and of the State of Oklahoma;

That the courts of the United States of America and of various states frequently cite the Ten Commandments in published decisions;

That the Ten Commandments represent a philosophy of government held by many of the founders of this nation and by many Oklahomans and other Americans today, that God has ordained civil government and has delegated limited authority to civil government, that God has limited the authority of civil government, and that God has endowed people with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Someone please tell me how that is NOT endorsing Christianity over everything else?

Now, I know that the huge majority of people here are Christians, including probably all of the elected people in the Capitol. And as a result any bill they introduce will have their religious influence in it. But despite what they believe, this law and display sounds more like the Kentucky case McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky, which was ruled unconstitutional. It was not the wording of the monument alone that decided Van Orden v. Perry in Texas. One big difference was that the monument had already been on display for 40 years.

Whether you are a believer, or like me one of the minority non-believers, this bill and monument is unconstitutional and our Reps need to know that. Contact your Reps and tell them to defeat HB 1330. Even though I’ve got a feeling this will pass easily. I just hope the ACLU is already preparing to challenge it.

Technorati tags: ten commandments, oklahoma, separation of church and state

For the last two years I’ve donated to Donors Choose. It’s an awesome site that connects donations with teachers who need the money to buy supplies for their students. Not just basic stuff, like microscopes, but also special items or for field trips. As tight as budgets are, things that we might think would be a “duh” teaching experience are often not used because there isn’t the cash available.

This year, Think Geek has a great contest going on involving Donors Choose. They are donating $500 toward a technology based request, and they want us to vote for which classroom we think needs the money the most.

Please take a look at DonorsChoose.org for classrooms you think need some geek love, and vote for your favorite by tweeting the url to @thinkgeek with tag #geek<3 or by writing your vote on our Facebook wall by 6pm EST on Friday, February 13th.

Everyone who votes will be entered to win a $75 ThinkGeek gift certificate, and if you vote on Twitter and Facebook you’ll be entered to win twice and we won’t call you a cheater.

I’m still trying to figure out which classroom I’m voting for. It’s really hard to say one is more deserving over another, when really all classrooms need help. And not just with technology either, there’s tons of projects in multiple fields.

I know a lot of people can’t afford to donate cash right now, but if you’re on Twitter or Facebook this is a great way to both help out some kids and maybe get some free stuff. Everyone wins!

Technorati tags: full of fun fridays, geek, donors choose

I was late to discover The Dresden Dolls. It wasn’t until after their second album had been out for a while that I started listening to them. And since I don’t follow the music scene much anymore, I didn’t hear about Amanda Palmer’s solo album until the whole Rebellyon with her label. That’s when my girl crush on her started. I picked up her album Who Killed Amanda Palmer, and I enjoy it greatly. More than The Dresden Dolls, really.

But now comes more controversy. Seems that the next single, “Oasis”, isn’t meeting the approval of the TV & radio outlets in the UK. They take issue with the song making light of rape, abortion, and religion. Amanda wrote in her blog about it.

can i simply state:

WHEN YOU CANNOT JOKE ABOUT THE DARKNESS OF LIFE, THAT’S WHEN THE DARKNESS TAKES OVER.

ok?

the song is not a lecture.
the song is a SONG.
it’s a reflection, a character sketch.
as i was walking over to the bbc the other day and my label rep mentioned that they might not let me play “oasis” on the air, i suggested that i might be allowed to play it if i just slowed it way down and played it in a minor key.
think about it. if they heard the same lyrics against the backdrop of a very sad and liliting piano, maybe with some tear-jerking strings thrown in for good measure, would they take issue?

…

you’re damn right this shit makes people uncomfortable.
it makes people uncomfortable to hear ANYONE talking about abortion and rape bluntly, much less talking about it LIKE THIS….

and i think it makes people uncomfortable to hear the truth about a very real and sick situation:
if you don’t know - or have never encountered - a teenager who is going through intense heavy experiences (like rape, abortion, eating disorders, abuse, fill-in-the-blank)
and is laughing these things off like THEY DON’T MATTER, then you are not ALIVE and AWAKE and living on this planet.
IT’S HAPPENING EVERYWHERE. i see it all the time. it’s called being a confused teenager. it’s real. it SUCKS.

abortion is serious. rape is serious. lots of things are serious. do they think i’m blind?

the song isn’t even so much ABOUT those topics, it’s about denial, it’s about a girl who can’t find it in herself to take her situation seriously.
that girl exists, everywhere. you probably know her. you’ve probably met her. you might be her.

Can I just get this out of the way first? Amanda I fucking LOVE YOU!!!!

Ok.

The whole post is worth the read. She also talks about the freedom to be able to use humor as an outlet and freedom to let people express through their art. All points are very true.

But the one item that stuck out to me that wasn’t addressed was this:

i emailed back and asked which outlets. the reply:

”NME tv, Scuzz, kerrang, MTV, Q, the box … to name a few. There is only a few networks: bauer, chartshow and MTV. They control all stations and they all had the same issue….”

A few networks control all the stations. That’s a huge issue all around the world, and has a devastating effect. Those few people decide what the music/news/television/etc public get to consume, and as a result, there are fewer views and opinions available. That’s why it’s so important to keep net neutrality, internet radio, and really the interwebs themselves available to as many people as possible and free from monopolies and censorship.

For those who want to support Amanda, she lists the contact info for the outlets in the UK for fans who want to voice their displeasure. And if you haven’t picked up her album…do it. You can get it via her website, in addition to the usual places like Amazon and iTunes. Although if you get it from her site, she will get a larger percentage.

Now, if only she’d made a tour stop here in Oklahoma I’d be a very happy fangirl.

Technorati tags: amanda palmer, censorship, oasis

For those who live in Enid, there is a City Council election coming up on February 10th. Why is someone from OKC trying to bring this into light? Well, there is one man running who really has no business getting elected.

His name is Gary James, and he is the owner of the Chicaro Club. That in itself is no big deal, but it’s his discrimination that matters. Let’s just let him say it in his own words.

“If you come in here with all the in your face and a limp wrist, no I don’t really want you in here and my customers damn sure don’t want you in here,” James said.

James, who is also running for a spot on the Enid City Council, is keeping out what he calls “trash” and “people on welfare.”

Earlier this week, he told the local paper anyone who wears a hat inside a building is gay, and will be asked to leave.

Holding a public office and trying to do right by every citizen in Enid doesn’t sound like something he could do. How can he, when he obviously has a distaste for anyone who isn’t a manly macho white hetero man.

Next Tuesday, people. Look at the other candidates and vote for someone besides him. Let’s not have another national embarrassment like Sally Kern.

Technorati tags: enid, oklahoma, vote