A report from from The Oklahoman confirmed that Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters is pushing to put more Bibles in the classroom, but it appears the bid might have been rigged to benefit Donald Trump.

The Oklahoma Department of Education opened bids this past week to vendors to supply the Department with about 55,000 new Bibles to place in the public schools system.

According to The Oklahoman, the requirements for the vendors include:

“Bibles must be the King James Version; must contain the Old and New Testaments; must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and must be bound in leather or leather-like material.”

Is it a coincidence that few Bibles meet those requirements? The Bible endorsed by Trump, however, does. Trump receives fees for endorsing musician Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. Bible, which has been endorsed by Trump., and those Bibles likely would meet Oklahoma’s requirements.


🗳️ Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

  • Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    123
    ·
    29 days ago

    This feels so blatantly illegal. This isn’t surprising in the slightest.

    Inb4 No one will be punished and nothing is changed.

    • whotookkarl@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      42
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      29 days ago

      It violates the first amendment establishment clause they can’t privilege Christianity over other religions before even getting to the selection criteria obviously only one grifter can meet, but with the federal courts disproportionally filled by theocrats the separation remains very threatened.

      • _bcron@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        29 days ago

        It also violates collusion laws and also collusion clauses in their own terms found at
        https://sde.ok.gov/ev00000555

        Kinda odd that they chose to adbicate any fiduciary responsibility in order to prefer a book with an extremely specific physical design on the basis of durability, despite that design being so specific that it costs >10 times more than less specifically-designed books, when the only people who can acquiesce to such a request are political figures of the same affiliation

    • WaxiestSteam69@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      29 days ago

      I worked at a major public university for 14 years during the late 90s / early 00s. This happens more than people realize.

      • Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        29 days ago

        I believe you. It doesn’t make it right, and I wish we could do something. Justice feels fairly hopeless at this point

        • dubious@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          29 days ago

          it’s not. at any point, if enough people band together, we can make anything happen, with or without the government’s support. we are looking down the barrel of global catastrophe. at some point, we have to do something.