According to the Palmetto Family Council in South Carolina, here are the most and least “churched” states.
Arkansas’ new lottery sheriff earns more than the head of the State Police Department.
That’s the latest news coming out of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. According to an article by Michael Wickline and Seth Blomeley, Governor Beebe is finally criticizing the exorbitant salaries lottery employers are receiving. In particular, Beebe does not agree with the lottery commission’s opinion that the lottery security director, Lance Huey, be paid over $115,000 per year–several thousand dollars more than the head of the State Police.
In the realm of politics, there are a lot of misunderstood issues, and “hate-crimes” legislation is one of them. It seems harmless on the surface, but don’t let appearances fool you—it could be used to stifle and even prosecute religious speech.
The Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Act (S.909), which is ready to be voted on this week in the U.S. Senate (probably as an amendent to the Defense Authorization Bill), would grant the Department of Justice alarming, broad-sweeping power. If passed, the DOJ would be authorized to investigate and prosecute certain bias-motivated crimes based on the victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.