{"id":498,"date":"2024-10-09T17:05:54","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T21:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kawsachunnews.com\/w\/trump-bibles-perfectly-align-with-oklahoma-school-mandate-holy-grift-revealed\/"},"modified":"2024-10-09T17:05:54","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T21:05:54","slug":"trump-bibles-perfectly-align-with-oklahoma-school-mandate-holy-grift-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kawsachunnews.com\/w\/trump-bibles-perfectly-align-with-oklahoma-school-mandate-holy-grift-revealed\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Bibles Perfectly Align with Oklahoma School Mandate \u2013 Holy Grift Revealed!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On Friday, journalists in Oklahoma uncovered that the Christian Bibles promoted by former President Donald Trump might be the only ones that align with the criteria set by the state for its controversial decision to buy religious texts for public schools.<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe reporting by Oklahoma Watch<\/em> triggered a new round of condemnation focused on several issues: the former Republican presidential nominee’s ongoing exploitation of Bible sales; Ryan Walters, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and his plan to use millions of taxpayer dollars to purchase religious books for public classrooms; and the broader push by Christian nationalist groups to influence the contemporary GOP.\n<\/p>\n

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\n\tAs reported by Oklahoma Watch<\/em>:\n<\/p>\n

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\n\tOn Monday, bidding opened for a contract to provide the state Department of Education with 55,000 Bibles. The bid requirements specify that the Bibles must be the King James Version, include both the Old and New Testaments, and contain copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights; they must also be bound in leather or a similar material.<\/p>\n

\n\tA sales representative at Mardel Christian & Education noted that none of their 2,900 Bibles met these criteria. <\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, one Bible fits perfectly: Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA Bible, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, also known as the Trump Bible. Selling for $60 each online, Trump earns endorsement fees for each sale. <\/p>\n

\n\tMardel does not stock the God Bless the USA Bible or the We The People Bible, another Trump-endorsed Bible, which retails for $90.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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The publication also highlighted Walters’ support for Trump, citing his recent statement: “We are going to be so proud here in Oklahoma to be the first state in the country to bring the Bible back to every single classroom and every state should be doing this… President Trump praised our efforts. President Trump has been the leader on this issue.”<\/p>\n

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In response to this news, The Atlantic<\/em>‘s David Graham remarked, “Incredible grift.”
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Talking Points Memo<\/em>‘s Josh Marshall commented that “this is somewhere between hilarious and grotesque.” <\/p>\n

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Activist Olivia Julianna stated, “This cannot be legal.”<\/p>\n

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Indeed, she might be right. Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, a Democrat, told Oklahoma Watch<\/em> that “if the bid specs unnecessarily exclude most bidders, it could be considered a violation.”<\/p>\n

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The investigative work by Oklahoma Watch<\/em>‘s Paul Monies, Jennifer Palmer, and Heather Warlick has been lauded. Carol Giacomo, chief editor at Arms Control Today<\/em>, praised the team: “Local journalism, uncovering the facts\u2014and the grift.”<\/p>\n

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Prior to this development concerning the Trump Bibles, civil rights organizations had already been voicing concerns over Walters’ drive to enforce Christian teachings in public schools.
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Last Thursday, groups including the ACLU and Americans United sought “records relating to Walters’ announced funding for the mandate, made at a September 26 meeting where the Oklahoma State Board of Education approved a $3 million budget request for the 2025-26 fiscal year ‘to provide Bibles to the Oklahoma classrooms.'”<\/p>\n

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Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, expressed in a statement on Thursday that “Oklahoma taxpayers should not be forced to finance Superintendent Walters’ Christian nationalist agenda.”<\/p>\n

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“His latest scheme\u2014to mandate the use of the Bible in Oklahoma public school curriculum\u2014is a blatant and unlawful attempt to indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students,” Laser continued. “Not on our watch. Public schools are not Sunday schools.”<\/p>\n

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