Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1821

The Staffers in This Sheriff’s Office Just Realized Their Rugs Don’t Say “In God We Trust”…

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (in Florida) recently spent $500 buying a couple of rugs with the office emblem on it:

But a few weeks after the rugs were delivered, someone noticed a problem with the motto…:

If you look closely, you’ll see a major typo within one of the crests — “In Dog We Trust.”

…

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office told Action News the error was made by the rug manufacturer, American Floor Mats. The company is currently working on giving the sheriff’s office a replac...

Rankin County School Board (in Mississippi) Creates Obstacle to Stop Students from Joining Gay-Straight Alliance

Rankin County School District in Mississippi has already been the subject of some major church/state separation violations.

But after a student approached a Brandon High School teacher about forming a Gay-Straight Alliance, the reactions of the school board and superintendent show that they’ve learned absolutely nothing over the years.

Check out what happened when Superintendent Lynn Weathersby (below) told the school board to adopt a new policy to prevent “gay clubs” from forming:

“I talked to...

U.K.’s Sky News Does Interview About Charlie Cover, Cuts Feed in a Panic When Interviewee Attempts To Show It

This clip comes to you thanks to the24-hour TV stationSky News, based inBritain. It’s an outfit that, like many others, purports to cover the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo killings without possessingthe intestinal fortitude to show any of the weekly paper’s Islam-mocking covers.

Which is a problem whenthe latest Charlie cover is the story of the day.

Caroline Fourest,a former Charlie Hebdo contributor, is appalled by the capitulation of various foreign media, and isn’t shy about saying it on c...

Saving Christmas and Left Behind Both Nominated for “Worst Picture” Razzies

The Razzies are given out every year (since 1980) to the worst films and actors that Hollywood has to offer.

This year’s nominees were just released and there’s no surprise when you look at the Worst Picture list:

Kirk Cameron and Nicolas Cage also received Worst Actor nods. Their films were nominated for Worst Screenplay, too.

And, in a lovely twist, “Kirk Cameron & His Ego” were nominated for “Worst Screen Combo.”

Knowing Cameron, though, he’ll probably win everything and then call Saving Chris...

I Had No Idea I Was Capable of Such Savagery

Last week, I posted about a resolution passed by the Winfield City Council in Alabama — suggested and endorsed by Mayor Randy Price (below) — which declared Winfield a “City Under God” with God as the city’s “owner.”

Price wasn’t happy with the fact that I drew a lot of attention to his illegal action.

I’m not surprised that conservative Christians would want this sort of resolution to go under the radar so they don’t have to answer to the media or non-Christian constituents, but I had no idea...

Kentucky Legislator Quietly Introduces Bill Banning Trans Students From Using Correct Bathrooms

A Kentucky legislator has proposed a bill that would single out, marginalize, and humiliate transgender students who useschool bathrooms — and with practically no media fanfare.

On January 9, Republican SenatorC.B. Embry Jr. (below) introduced the Kentucky Student Privacy Act (SB 76), which would force transgender students in public schools to use the bathrooms that correspond with their sex assigned at birth.

Here’s thebill overview:

AN ACT relating to the physical privacy of students and decl...

Reason Editor to Governor Bobby Jindal: If We Are to Avoid “Endless Turmoil,” Promoting Jesus Is the Wrong Plan

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has been widely viewed as a viable presidential contenderin the Republican Party for years. A moderate who has pushed for the availability of no-prescription birth control, and who has exhorted the GOP to stop being “the stupid party,” Jindal may yet prove to appeal to constituencies far beyond the Republican coreof conservative angry white men.

One plus point for the secular-minded is that the governor, though a Catholic, wasnevermuch of a Bible thumper — until...

Meanwhile, in Pakistan…

A memorial service forthe Kouachi brothers.

After Satanists Planned to Give Away Coloring Books, Florida School Board Halts Religious Distributions Entirely

In January of 2013, World Changers of Florida, Inc. held Bible distributions at a number of public high schools in Orange County, Florida. No student would be forced to take one, but there would be a table set up where interested students could take a copy if they wanted:

This alone could have been illegal, but the Orange County School Board agreed that non-Christian groups could also have a distribution if they wanted.

When the Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC) called their bluff an...

Oxford University Press Tells Authors Not to Mention Pigs or Sausage in Books to Avoid Offending Muslims and Jews

This is what happens when your fear of offending religious sensibilities goes too far:

Top academic publisher the Oxford University press has issued guidance that authors should avoid using pork-related words.

…

Today Programme presenter Jim Naughtie, who is married to writer Eleanor Updale, said: “I’ve got a letter here which was sent out by Oxford University Press to an author doing something for young people.

“Among the things prohibited in the text that was commissioned by OUP was the followi...