Someone sent me a news article about it this morning, and guess what, it's still not the most irritating thing I've read today. That prestigious award goes to: U.S. group sends solar-powered Bibles to Haiti.

Jesu.... err i mean wow, what's next solar powered bibles? Oh nm now they have those too, i'm sure Dr Evil himself would be jealous.

<devils advocate>
This normally would not be a huge deal considering 1) It has to be explicitly pointed out 2) You practically need a magnifying glass to read the text. Most of the people they are fighting wont exactly spend the time to try and figure out what the semi-obscured references are.
</devils advocate>

I'm not even sure what to make of this. It should come down to a question on whether it is legal for them to be a military supplier doing this.

As far as the solar powered bibles you know food and water would probably do them a whole lot better when a jabbering box will likely be stolen and sold on the black market for food and water. I'm certain Haitians right now have enough hope... that they wont starve to death.

ya there's a lot wrong with this. Not a lot of foresight went into these bible verse stampings eh?

Besides all that, what sissy verses to put on your instrument of destruction! I'd go with either Deut 32:41 or Psalms 144:1

But we are fighting a war of religious ideology. The people who started both wars were end-of-the-world proselytizers who wanted to fight Islam, not just the fundamentalist part of it. So should this be surprising?

*politics

Adding video to channels (Politics) - requested by NetRunner.

MAGIC IS REAL!

Jesus prefers high powered rifles, especially when used against heathens! PRAISE THE LORD!

Jesus is love people, especially when putting a bullet through some heathen!

Woot! First video in the top 15!

>> ^honkeytonk73:
MAGIC IS REAL!
Jesus prefers high powered rifles, especially when used against heathens! PRAISE THE LORD!


Jesus prefers the stopping power of the AK-47.

*fear
*islam

Wow, insidious.

Adding video to channels (Fear, Islam) - requested by blankfist.

And lo the Lord sayeth unto thee... "Boom, headshot!"

>> ^therealblankman:
>> ^honkeytonk73:
MAGIC IS REAL!
Jesus prefers high powered rifles, especially when used against heathens! PRAISE THE LORD!

Jesus prefers the stopping power of the AK-47.


I beg to differ. Jesus wouldn't use something that couldn't dismember with a single round. No, I believe that Jesus would pick this. http://www.videosift.com/video/Barrett-M95-Divine-intervention-not-included

I know that In-N-Out use to put Bible verses on the bottom side of their cups and french fry containers. They still may, I haven't been to In-N-Out in awhile.

>> ^thinker247:
But we are fighting a war of religious ideology. The people who started both wars were end-of-the-world proselytizers who wanted to fight Islam, not just the fundamentalist part of it. So should this be surprising?


Dude, that's supposed to be a secret.

SWEET! I have to check my ACOG next time I pull it out of the Armory!

Its actually illegal for the DOD to of purchased them.

Religious displays on government property breaks the establishment clause of the first amendment of the constitution of the united states.

The clause details any actions that are impermissible by the government on the grounds of establishing or supporting any one religion over another by the state....one of which being religious displays on government property.

Case citation to prove my point.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glassroth_v._Moore

A judge installed a monument to the 10 commandments outside his court house.
He was ordered to have it removed.
He lost his case, and refused to have it removed.
The district court stepped in, removed him from the bench, and had the statue torn down.

If someone files civil litigation, the DOD wont win.

It seems clear to me that it isn't a violation of the establishment clause, since the government is not establishing any religion by using this gear. The manufacturers may be trying to promote religion, but unless there is evidence that the verses were a primary selling point for the military, then the military was merely buying "the best product" without any religious consideration.

If the verses were more prominent, for example, in full text in large font, then I could see it being a problem, since that would lend credence to the idea that the military purchaser in question intended to promote a particular religion.

Having said that, this does seem impolitic, and it would be within our rights to demand that the military either change their supplier or require the supplier to change their product. This would not be a demand based upon constitutionality, but based upon our democratic authority, by influencing the congressmen who can enforce these rules.

Rifles are developed by private contractors. I doubt the government cared what was printed on the manufacturing decals.

Actually I don't even care. Trying to create smoke where there is no fire.

more like "Bible verse references inscribed on rifle scopes…"

>> ^maestro156:
It seems clear to me that it isn't a violation of the establishment clause, since the government is not establishing any religion by using this gear.


Actually think of it this way. I'm a christian with a gun and there is a Muslim in the room. I shoot him in the head... I think I've just established Christianity as the official religion in the room.

>> ^honkeytonk73:
MAGIC IS REAL!
Jesus prefers high powered rifles, especially when used against heathens! PRAISE THE LORD!


An AR-15 variant is NOT a high powered rifle... It's a low powered rapid-firing rifle.

It's one thing to carry a cross-bearing standard into battle, or to build a crucifix with government dollars, where the money is being used to promote a given ideology.
It's quite another to purchase equipment from a manufacturer who has chosen to encode a religious reference in an inconspicuous serial number.
Until now, who routinely reads serial numbers? (I acknowledge this is non-zero - these things have to be inventoried. And perhaps the soldiers they're issued to have to sign off on them, but I wouldn't expect it goes that far.)

But let's toe this line.
What if the company wasn't named "Trijicon" but "Tanakh Optics", but aside from that change was otherwise run identically - could the Gov't still contract with them? Could their name be printed on the devices?
What if they opted to donate all proceeds from one quarter to a Christian charity?
What if they donated ALL profits to a Christian charity and worked "at cost" out of the "goodness of their hearts"?

I'm with Rachel on this.

These are weapons that we are using to kill Muslims.

It's the difference between one of our own soldiers wigging out and killing people...or having the same soldier wig out, kill people, and shout "Praise Allah!" as he's doing it.

It gives the event a whole new perspective.

Just saw on CNN that the firm is now discontinuing the verses.