After signing legislation requiring every public classroom to display the Ten Commandments, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) stated, “This bill mandates the display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom - public elementary, secondary and post-education schools - in the state of Louisiana, because if you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver, which was Moses.” Meanwhile, critics promise to challenge the law in court, calling it unconstitutional and warning that it will lead to religious coercion of students.
Gee, so they want to put the Ten Commandments in public classrooms? No kidding? Okay, but this legislation sure feels kind of weird coming from a MAGA Republican, given that Republicans seem to view violating the “10 Commandments” and the “7 Deadly Sins” - as sort of a “To Do List” rather than something to be avoided. For example, I guess its okay to overlook the “Thou shalt not commit adultery” commandment as long as you have enough cash to pay off the porn star you’ve committed adultery with. Why, its almost enough to make one yearn for those “good old days” when they were stoning adulterers.
The thing is, about the only commandment Trump hasn’t broken so far is, “Thou shalt not coveteth thy neighbor’s manservant.” To be honest, I really could care less about the fact that you’re not supposed to “Have any other Gods before me” or “make idols.” That’s right, because I reserve the right to prominently display my “Shohei Ohtani bobblehead figurine” on my car’s dashboard instead of Jesus. Why, you may ask? Because Ohtani is batting well over .300 this year and will probably blast out over 40 home runs. Not to be critical, but how many RBIs does Jesus have?
Now, we all know MAGAs aren’t really all that good at math, but perhaps someone ought to mention to them that before their cherished 2nd Amendment, there was a 1st Amendment with an "Establishment Clause" that reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Of course, Republicans have never concerned themselves with Biblical or constitutional rules they don’t like. So, what’s likely next on the MAGA agenda? My guess would be a bill requiring that all future toast that pops out of Louisiana toasters must have a “likeness of Jesus on it.”
Of course, the truth is these laws do absolutely nothing to improve children’s education. Louisiana, along with most other “Red States,” is consistently ranked on or near the bottom in education. Republicans would rather pass bullshit laws like this rather than actually fund public education. They really don’t want an educated constituency. They much prefer ignorant masses they can easily control and manipulate. Of course, Republicans say, “This law has nothing to do with politics or religion” and is only meant to teach children “morality and ethics.” And what could be a better example of “morality and ethics” than a party that chooses a convicted felon, rapist, and conniving con artist who tried to overthrow our democracy - to head up their party? I guess when you’re a celebrity, they let you do that.
Speaking of which, as one might suspect, Trump responded to this legislation by saying he “really loves those Ten Commandments” and is all in for displaying them everywhere. Oh really? Then perhaps a good question to ask during the presidential debate would be, “So, Mr. President, given that you love the Ten Commandments so deeply, exactly how many of your properties are currently displaying them?” As for me, I think the real question folks ought to be asking is, “What has actually killed more people over the years - religion or rattlesnakes? And believe me, when put that way, compared to religion, rattlesnakes really start looking pretty damn good.