Stupid States - DU Folk, Please Fix

[IdaBriggs]

Is your home state embarrassing public stupidity? Looking for a New Year's Resolution? How about finding out what it takes to put a "constitutional amendment" on your ballot so your state stops looking STUPID? Here are two good causes (and you might know more).

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2012/12/11/atheists_and_capital_punishment_iheu_report_documents_criminalization_discrimination.html?wpisrc=obinsite

Seven states—Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas—have constitutional provisions banning atheists from holding public office.

Seriously? That is just ... Embarrassing. Fix it, please.

And if you live here -

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2012/12/29/maine_gay_marriage_same_sex_couples_get_married_in_maine.html

31 states have passed constitutional amendments restricting marriage to heterosexual couples.

It's time to help usher your state into the 21st century.

Fixing It?
Some useful information can be found here: http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Amending_state_constitutions

Initiated amendments

Eighteen states allow voters the right to amend their constitution through the ballot initiative process.

These states are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and South Dakota.

As a practical matter, it is considered nearly impossible to meet the ballot qualification standards in Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi and Oklahoma. In recent years, additional hurdles of also been enacted in Florida, Montana and Nebraska.

In Nevada, voters must approve a constitutional amendment in two separate elections before it goes into effect.

Well, that explains a few things, but Arkansas and Mississippi, surely you can find enough signatures to do a decent ballot initiative, right?

Any other causes out there? Can we clean some of this stuff up in 2013 or do we have to wait for 2014?

[John2]

1. North Carolina

is a very religious state, even though a lot of the citizens don't practice what they preach. They drink through the week and go to church for a couple of hours on Sunday. We have a lot of racists too.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

5. North Carolina is now run by a Teabagger gov and legislature for 1st time in 100 years

Last edited Sun Dec 30, 2012, 01:36 PM - Edit history (1)

There will nothing remotely sensible going on in that state therefore, for at least another 100 years.

[AlbertCat]

6. North Carolina is now run by a Teabagger gov and legislature for 1st time in 100 years

Yes.

The race straight to the bottom has begun.

NC used to be a state that supported the arts and was never like those "deep south" states. But we should be Alabama in no time.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

11. I figure a combo of Alabama and Michigan, or...

...maybe SC or Mississippi and Wisconsin. BFM - Big F*cking Mess. Within six months. Watch. It's virtually guaranteed now.

[BigDemVoter]

2. Heh, I guess I can't hold public office as I'm an atheist. . . .

Damn, if anything were more blatantly unconstitutional, I don't know what it might be!

[WinstonSmith4740]

10. It is unconstitutional.

Check my post below.

[loyalkydem]

3. I live in North Carolina now, lord help me

[Walk away]

4. The bad news is that 7 stupid states have laws prohibiting Atheists in public office....

The good news is that 99.99% of politicians will happily lie about anything so that rule won't hold anyone back.

[Dustlawyer]

7. You can clean this all up, state and federal, if we unite in demanding

COMPLETE CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM (CCFR)! If we can unite with enough pressure, we can do this both in state houses, and in D.C. Spread the word in every post, on every site! It is something you can do from home or work or where ever! We need our representative democracy back! They own most of the politicians so we must build a huge following to force them to deal with this issue! When you have people or corporations that are above the law like we do now, you no longer have a democracy! When the media is controlled by 6 corporations, some of which are also defense contractors, you have a problem. They are our airwaves that they use against us. Who is with me?

COMPLETE CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Major Nikon]

8. I see a federal law and/or federal litigation as the only way to fix this

The states you mentioned are filled to overflowing with religious nuts who are perfectly content with tyranny of the majority so long as they are the tyrants. They must be dragged kicking and screaming into the 19th century, let alone the 21st.

[WinstonSmith4740]

9. The first one should be fairly easy.

Seven states...—have constitutional provisions banning atheists from holding public office.

Article VI, Paragraph 3 states that all elected officials are bound by their oath of office "...but no religious rest shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

It's just plain unconstitutional, so I'll bet (and hope) there's a lawsuit by Atheists United or Freedom From Religion going on.

[IdaBriggs]

12. I think these laws have been in place for a while - any idea

Why those organizations haven't already taken care of it?

[AlbertCat]

17. but no religious rest shall ever be required as a qualification to any office

Yes, the religious will never rest!


I know... you meant "Test"....the "r" is right there next to the "t"...

[WinstonSmith4740]

18. Thanks!

That's what I get for posting before proofing!! But you're right...there is no rest for the religious!

[IdaBriggs]

13. For the record, I live in Michigan.

We had a little under 3.2 million voters for our last govern's race, so we need 320,000 signatures to get marriage equality on a ballot.

When would be the best time to make this happen, election wise?

[Lex]

14. "DU Folk, Please Fix"

DU Folk, Please Fix?

[IdaBriggs]

19. Yes. Do something about it.

In Michigan we need 320,000 signatures from voters to put marriage equality back on the ballot. It seems doable.

Talking about a problem is the first step. Then you DO (or DU!) SOMETHING!

[ROBROX]

15. ZOMBIE VOTERS

The brain dead can function as long as they obey their masters. They do as their micro brains understand without the bother of cognizance.

I am glad to have lived in and visited eastern and southern states (Tenn. Ga, SC, NY, NJ, TX, Ar, DC, MD, VA). All of the people I met were GREAT and freindly. California may be th home of the left on the left coast but there are plenty of GOP zombies who to try to screw up the mix. Hopefully the next two years in California could be a democratic dream majority legislature and Governor beginning democratic. This is enough of a change to stir up trouble for the GOP zombies to mumble and grumble.

[Throd]

16. Cali-fucking-fornia

I remember when we used to be able to have nice things.