[guest post by Dana]

If you’re planning to watch, you can catch it here:

The debate will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern and will take place at a CNN studio in Atlanta.

CNN has offered to let other networks carry the debate feed; ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, PBS and C-SPAN will all do so.

And if you get bored, you can always play a drinking game!

my 2024 debate drinking game, enjoy: pic.twitter.com/i0JqmO76Vi

— MJ (@morganisawizard) June 27, 2024

—Dana

[guest post by Dana]

On the heels of Louisiana mandating that the Ten Commandments be posted in every public classroom and after Oklahoma’s Supreme Court said *no to a publicly funded religious charter school, Oklahoma’s school superintendent announced today that the Bible will now be in every public classroom and used as a teaching resource:

At a State Board of Education meeting, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said the Bible is “one of the most foundational documents used for the Constitution and the birth of our country.”

“It’s crystal clear to us that in the Oklahoma academic standards under Title 70 on multiple occasions, the Bible is a necessary historical document to teach our kids about the history of this country, to have a complete understanding of Western civilization, to have an understanding of the basis of our legal system,” Walters said.

Every classroom in the state must have a Bible and all teachers must teach from the Bible in the classroom, Walters said. . .

Oklahoma’s directive “is in alignment with the educational standards approved on or about May 2019, with which all districts must comply,” according to a news release.

“The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,” Walters said in the release. “Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation.
This is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.”

*Walters’ reaction the Oklahoma Supreme Court decision re publicly funded religious charter schools:

Walters called the ruling “one of the worst” decisions the state Supreme Court has made and pledged to “fight back.”

“What the court did was rule against the parents of Oklahoma who have demanded more choices for their kids. We have a great opportunity to make sure that parents have the most options of any parents in the country here in Oklahoma, by giving them the ability to go to a public school, charter schools, private schools, this would have been the most unique charter school in the country,” Walters said.

Along with the civil liberty violations, this opens the door for any crackpot teacher to espouse their own belief system, no matter how much of an outlier it might be. Proselytizing to minors in a public school classroom will be very problematic, and it will happen. Moreover, what happens to kids who tell said teachers that they reject Christ and Christianity? This too will surely happen (especially in upper grades). Will there be some sort of subtle or even blatant retaliation for their rebellion?? In a very Red and very Christian state like Oklahoma, this whole idea will open a can of worms when enacted.

—Dana