U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) made the following statement after Democrats voted 43-54 against his amendment to strike language from the economic stimulus bill that discriminates against students of faith. Senator DeMint’s amendment would have eliminated a provision that bans any university or college receiving funds to renovate buildings, from allowing “sectarian instruction” or “religious worship” within the facility. This would in effect bar use of campus buildings for groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Campus Crusade for Christ, Catholic Student Ministries, Hillel, and other religious organizations.
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) speaks on the floor about his amendment that would strike language permitting religious discrimination contained in the Democrat stimulus bill (Feb. 5, 2009).
This is a direct attack on students of faith, and I’m outraged Democrats are using an economic stimulus bill to promote discrimination,” said Senator DeMint. “Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for siding with the ACLU over millions of students of faith. These students simply want equal access to public facilities, which is their constitutional right. This hostility toward religion must end. Those who voted to for this discrimination are standing in the schoolhouse door to deny people of faith from entering any campus building renovated by this bill.
“This is now an ACLU stimulus designed to trigger lawsuits designed to intimidate religious organizations across the nation. This language is so vague, it’s not clear if students can even pray in a dorm room renovated with this funding since that is a form of ‘religious worship.’ If this provision remains in the bill, it will have a chilling effect on students of faith in America.
“It is in hard times that our society most needs faith. It provides the light that no darkness can overcome. This provision is an attempt to extinguish that light from college campuses, from the lives of our youth.
DeMint amendment to ban religious discrimination in stimulus funding fails, 43-54
Roll Call Vote
Grouped by Home State Alabama: Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Yea
Alaska: Begich (D-AK), Nay Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Arizona: Kyl (R-AZ), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Yea
Arkansas: Lincoln (D-AR), Nay Pryor (D-AR), Nay
California: Boxer (D-CA), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Nay
Colorado: Bennet (D-CO), Nay Udall (D-CO), Nay
Connecticut: Dodd (D-CT), Nay Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea
Delaware: Carper (D-DE), Nay Kaufman (D-DE), Nay
Florida: Martinez (R-FL), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Nay
Georgia: Chambliss (R-GA), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Yea
Hawaii: Akaka (D-HI), Nay Inouye (D-HI), Nay
Idaho: Crapo (R-ID), Yea Risch (R-ID), Yea
Illinois: Burris (D-IL), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Nay
Indiana: Bayh (D-IN), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Yea
Iowa: Grassley (R-IA), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Nay
Kansas: Brownback (R-KS), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Yea
Kentucky: Bunning (R-KY), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Yea
Louisiana: Landrieu (D-LA), Nay Vitter (R-LA), Yea
Maine: Collins (R-ME), Nay Snowe (R-ME), Nay
Maryland: Cardin (D-MD), Nay Mikulski (D-MD), Nay
Massachusetts: Kennedy (D-MA), Not Voting Kerry (D-MA), Nay
Michigan: Levin (D-MI), Nay Stabenow (D-MI), Nay
Minnesota: Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay
Mississippi: Cochran (R-MS), Yea Wicker (R-MS), Yea
Missouri: Bond (R-MO), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Nay
Montana: Baucus (D-MT), Nay Tester (D-MT), Nay
Nebraska: Johanns (R-NE), Yea Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Nevada: Ensign (R-NV), Yea Reid (D-NV), Nay
New Hampshire: Gregg (R-NH), Not Voting Shaheen (D-NH), Nay
New Jersey: Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay Menendez (D-NJ), Nay
New Mexico: Bingaman (D-NM), Nay Udall (D-NM), Nay
New York: Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay
North Carolina: Burr (R-NC), Yea Hagan (D-NC), Nay
North Dakota: Conrad (D-ND), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Ohio: Brown (D-OH), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Yea
Oklahoma: Coburn (R-OK), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea
Oregon: Merkley (D-OR), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Nay
Pennsylvania: Casey (D-PA), Nay Specter (R-PA), Yea
Rhode Island: Reed (D-RI), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay
South Carolina: DeMint (R-SC), Yea Graham (R-SC), Yea
South Dakota: Johnson (D-SD), Nay Thune (R-SD), Yea
Tennessee: Alexander (R-TN), Yea Corker (R-TN), Yea
Texas: Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea
Utah: Bennett (R-UT), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Yea
Vermont: Leahy (D-VT), Nay Sanders (I-VT), Nay
Virginia: Warner (D-VA), Nay Webb (D-VA), Nay
Washington: Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Murray (D-WA), Nay
West Virginia: Byrd (D-WV), Nay Rockefeller (D-WV), Nay
Wisconsin: Feingold (D-WI), Nay Kohl (D-WI), Nay
Wyoming: Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Yea
And on the same day yesterday Obama was doing this….but he must not have talked to the democrats and what they had put in the stimulus bill.
Obama to create faith-based office
Yahoo news
President Barack Obama said Thursday he will establish a White House office of faith-based initiatives that will show no favoritism to any religious group and adhere to the strict separation of church and state.
Addressing the National Prayer Breakfast, Obama spoke of how faith has often been a divisive tool, responsible for war and prejudice. But, he said, “there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being,” and all religions teach people to love and care for one another. That is the common ground underlying his faith-based office, he said.
In personal terms, he talked about the role of faith in his life, from his Muslim-born father and a mother skeptical of organized religion to his own embrace of Christianity as a young man.
“In a world that grows smaller by the day, perhaps we can begin to crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding,” Obama told the gathering of lawmakers, dignitaries and world leaders. “This is my hope. This is my prayer.”
Wild Thing’s comment……….
“There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being”…..Obama said.
This man is KING of wanting abortions at any stage and also death to a baby that just might survive the abortion and he has the nerve to say such a statement.
DeMint sure is a good man, I wish he was in Florida.
GOD continues to bless the Palmetto State!
RINO Graham is ok, but Sen. Demint and Gov. Sanford are THE BEST!
– The SOUTH rises AGAIN 2009!!
Again, another perfect example of the Progressives’ ability to believe two diametrically opposing viewpoints at the same time. And because so many sheeples (52% to be exact)in this country will not even try to think for themselves, they don’t even see how utterly nonsensical it is.
Smoke and mirrors and another slight of hand brought to you by the one and only Captain Magic! Come one, Come all!! Step right up and prepare to be amazed!
If memory serves me, Amendment I was written to prevent what happened in England. To prevent the religious strife started when Henry VIII wanted an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn, proclaiming himself as head of the church for all his subjects.(Hmmn, must be related to the Kennedy’s somehow???) Prince Edward Moore Kennedy isn’t the first philanderer to murder his mistress and get away with it.
Nowhere in the United States Constitution are the words separation of Church and State found, only this provision:
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or
of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances.
Democrats can find their pet “Separation of Church and State” phrase here in their preferred constitution.
Anything less is unconstitutional under the United States Constitution. Since they all swore to uphold the constitution they are treasonous by trying to legislate it into law.
I applaud U.S. Senator Jim DeMint’s genius for recognizing that simple fact.
In the republic of mediocrity, genius is dangerous. – Robert G. Ingersoll
“there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being,” …Really ?
What about ‘I slam’ killing the infidels and their Jihad, The moslems HATE the Jews and want to destroy them, all for the glory of Allah and kill in that vain. Daniel Pearl was not an innocent. Barry has either got his facts bassackwards, again, or he is a complete pathological liar.
Face it everyone. We have become a PC nation that goes out of it’s way to favor Islam to the exclusion of all other religions. Barack Obama and the Democrat controlled Congress want it that way and so it will be. That’s just the price that we pay for letting the Kool-Aid drinkers decide elections.
http://www.conservapedia.com/images/d/dd/ACLU_and_Islam.jpg