Headscratcher laws, proposals, and some such things

[Heidi]

Arkansas' state legislature is in session right now. And more specifically, their education committee passed a Bible bill today that would support an elective course, "an academic study of the Bible" course in the public schools .

I agree with Rita Sklar's (from the ACLU) response to this:

"I think a course properly taught would be invaluable to students," Sklar told the committee. "We have science classes in Arkansas in which teachers cannot refrain from teaching religion instead of science. I think it would get a great strain on small schools who perhaps think they will not get a lot of scrutiny or don’t quite understand the guidelines. I think it would be hard for them to do it in a way that followed the strictures of the statute and it would put them in danger of litigation."

Bible bill passes education committee

Frankly, I'm not surprised.

What about your legislators? What sort of boneheaded bills are they introducing to the state senate and the state house?

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Concealed firearms bill may pass in Illinois this year. "Illinois on Tuesday moved a step closer to becoming the 49th state to allow its citizens to carry concealed firearms."

Our attorney general, Lisa Madigan, wants to make public the names of all Illinois gunowners. This is just her desire, and doesn't have the force of law, of course. Legislators are introducing bills to counteract it, to mandate that gunowners' names remain private.