Alabama lawmakers could vote on posting Ten Commandments in schools
Kelley's bill would require the Ten Commandments to be put in common areas — like hallways or entrances — of schools. Kelley said they used to be taught not too long ago in schools.
'You talk to a lot of people, they don't really have the true foundation of what our country was founded on,' Kelley said. 'There's a certain amount of accountability and responsibility that each one of us has, and I think it goes to that accountability.'
Kelley said schools wouldn't have to pay for it, as some groups have volunteered to pay for it. He said the Alabama State Board of Education would be required to make the materials available.
A similar law laying that foundation was signed in Louisiana and blocked by a federal judge. Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) said it's a waste of taxpayer dollars.
'That bothers me,' Daniels said. 'We're focusing on things that are going to take away and litigation that we're clearly going to lose and cost the state of Alabama hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions of dollars.'
Immigration judge requests information from US, attorneys before ruling on bond for Alabama student Alireza Doroudi
The Rev. Julie Conrady, president of the Interfaith Alliance of Central Alabama, said that's not the only cost. Conrady said it violates religious freedom.
'If we're talking about our Jewish friends, they would say posting them in English is not even appropriate,' Conrady said. 'When we talk about when we get to translating that text into English is when you start making actual theological claims.'
But Kelley said it's not about theological claims, it's about honoring the history of the law and the U.S.
'Well, this is just saying 'don't steal something' and 'don't kill somebody,'' Kelley said. 'You respect other people's rights. You respect differing opinions. You respect different processes.'
A House and a Senate version has passed out of committee in both chambers. Counting Tuesday, there are nine legislative days left in the session for lawmakers to vote on this bill.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
38 minutes ago
- New York Post
UFT backing Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor has members crying foul
Furious city teachers are threatening to pull their cash from the United Federation of Teachers' political activities fund after union leaders blindsided them and endorsed socialist Zohran Mamdani, The Post has learned. UFT President Mike Mulgrew and his top allies infuriated rank-and-file members Tuesday by pushing through a resolution to back Mamdani for mayor — approved by 63% of more than 1,000 delegates — with the vast majority of teachers on summer recess and caught off guard. A day after the endorsement, 90 educators vented their anger during a Zoom meeting held by the United Jewish Teachers and NYC Public Schools Alliance, groups battling antisemitism in city schools. 3 Mulgrew dismissed other candidates for mayor during a delegate meeting Tuesday at which the UFT endorsed Zohran Mamdani. Getty Images 'Mamdani's record includes deeply troubling associations with antisemitic and anti-American views,' said Karen Feldman, a middle-school teacher and co-founder of NYCPS Alliance. 'This goes beyond politics — it's about the safety of Jewish staff, the increasing ideological tensions in schools, and the breakdown of faith in a union meant to support, not divide.' Ramming through the Mamdani endorsement, Mulgrew never gave other candidates a real chance, sources at the meeting said. He dismissed incumbent Mayor Adams and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both Democrats running as independents, as 'beholden to very rich powerful people,' and ripped Republican Curtis Sliwa for proposing to extend the school year. UFT members can donate as much as they want to union's political action arm, the Committee on Political Education or COPE, but the more than 100,000 who contribute typically give $5 per biweekly paycheck. Some union delegates and school chapter leaders told The Post they're getting peppered with questions from co-workers on how to drop payments to the COPE, and whether it's worth pulling $1,700 a year in union dues, too. 'Why should I pay dues to a union endorsing a guy who is a socialist and whose beliefs I vehemently oppose?' said a Bronx-based school chapter leader and delegate. 3 Teacher Karen Feldman said Mamdani's views have 'deeply troubling associations with antisemitic and anti-American views.' Gregory P. Mango The Jewish teacher group's Power Point presentation at the Zoom meeting cited Mamdani's 'anti-Zionist stance' and criticisms of Israel, which they said could influence curriculum choices and classroom discussions, 'potentially leading to a one-sided or politicized view of complex global conflicts.' The slides also warned of Mamdani's interest in making ex-'Squad' Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a fellow socialist and former Bronx middle school principal, the city's next schools chancellor. 'Stop all COPE payments today!' the group urged, spelling out how to do so. 'We urge all members to pull out of COPE to send a clear message to UFT leadership that our hard-earned money will not be used to support divisive candidates,' said Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers, a group of more than 250 educators. The group leaders said they didn't recommend members leave the union 'right now,' but Spern predicted an exodus in coming weeks. 'I get why so many are pulling their COPE contributions,' said teacher Daniel Alicea, a member of a rival UFT caucus that tried to boot Mulgrew from his $321,482-a-year post in the union's May election. 3 At a meeting, teachers angry at the UFT's endorsement of Mamdani were urged to stope their donations to the union's political arm. Obtained by the New York Post 'Political contributions are protected free speech, so you are free to express it with your wallet. So many see that their union is acting as an entrenched political patronage partisan machine that doesn't bother to give members a voice in the process.' The UFT — with nearly 200,000 members, including retirees — reports collecting 'dues and agency fees' totaling nearly $174.5 million for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2023, according to its most recent federal financial filings. It spent $4.5 million on 'political activities and lobbying' and another $4.3 million on 'contributions, gifts and grants.' The union's decision to back Mamdani comes after it declined to endorse a mayoral candidate in the June 24 Democratic primary, saying members were torn among Mamdani, Cuomo and former Comptroller Scott Stringer. The UFT would not address the potential loss of COPE payments or member dues, and brushed off criticism that Mulgrew had orchestrated and railroaded the vote for Mamdani. 'Endorsements are the result of a lengthy union review process with the final decision being made by the union's Delegate Assembly, which is made up of UFT members elected from every New York City public school,' spokesperson Alison Gendar said.
Black America Web
an hour ago
- Black America Web
Trump's ‘Good English' Gaffe Is Proof He Still Doesn't Get Africa Or Grammar
Source: Anadolu / Getty Donald Trump's latest attempt at foreign diplomacy was once again marked by ignorance after turning a diplomatic gesture into yet another example of his inability to speak respectfully or intelligently about other cultures, especially those from Africa. Earlier this week, while hosting five African leaders at the White House in what he framed as a renewed effort to 'invest in trade, not aid,' Trump managed to simultaneously insult and embarrass us all after asking Liberian President Joseph Boakai where he learned to 'speak so beautifully?' 'Such good English, it's beautiful,' Trump said. 'Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?' Boakai, seemingly unfazed, responded that he was educated in Liberia, where English is, in fact, the official language. Perplexed, Trump said: 'That's very interesting. I have people at this table who can't speak nearly as well.' But this wasn't a compliment, it was a microaggression wrapped in ignorance, delivered with the smugness of someone who can barely string together a grammatically correct sentence himself. What's worse than the remark was the reception by President Boakai. Rather than seizing the moment to challenge the insult, he instead nodded along before later noting that Liberia cosigned Trump's MAGA message. 'Liberia believes in the policy of making America great again,' Boakai said, sounding like a man too grateful for his seat at the table to question the menu. Let's talk about that for a moment. Founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society, Liberia was birthed with the goal of resettling freed slaves in Africa. The country declared independence from the American Colonization Society in 1847. In truth, Boakai's deference exposes the flaws of post-colonial politics where former colonies are still put in the diplomatic position of having to show up at the empire's front door with their hat in hand, seeking approval, investments, and photo ops. Now, rather than continuing to stand in solidarity with fellow African nations building intra-continental partnerships as promised, Liberia seems to be forced into a return to the very apron strings its ancestors severed. Earlier this month, U.S. authorities dissolved the U.S. Agency for International Development and said it was no longer following what they called 'a charity-based foreign aid model.' That decision sent shock waves across Liberia, where American support made up almost 2.6% of the gross national income, the highest percentage anywhere in the world, according to the Center for Global Development. Following the inhumane decision with the backhanded compliment on President Boakai's dialect, many Africans who speak English, not as a second language but as a national one, view Trump's comment as not only offensive, but deeply condescending. South African politician Veronica Mente took to X to question why Boakai decided to remain in the meeting, writing: 'What stops [Boakai] from standing up and leaving?' While an unnamed Liberian diplomat reportedly told CNN the remark 'was not appropriate.' Foday Massaquoi, chairman of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change-Council of Patriots, told NBC that while the remarks were typical of Trump's engagement with foreign leaders, the condescending tone was amplified by the fact that the leaders were African. 'As a matter of fact, it also proves that the West is not taking us seriously as Africans,' Foday Massaquoi said. 'President Trump was condescending; he was very disrespectful to the African leader.' Source: JIM WATSON / Getty Kula Fofana, spokesperson for Boakai's office, told The Associated Press: 'I believe that as journalists, it is important to focus on the substantive discussions at the summit.' The optics are troubling. Instead of prioritizing the continued forging of stronger alliances with fellow African nations or investing in regional partnerships that prioritize African interests, Liberia is clamoring for U.S. approval and economic investment, and for what? A seat at a table where they are met with surprise at their ability to speak English? Liberia was created to escape the very systems of marginalization its leaders now seem willing to tolerate in exchange for attention from Western powers. Trump's fixation on English is a recycled political tool, a symbol of nationalism, and a Jim Crow-tainted litmus test attempting to determine worth and value by its proximity to whiteness. From mocking South Asian and Middle Eastern reporters for their accents to repeatedly praising the 'good English' of white European leaders, his comments reflect a deeply embedded bias. It's a bias that elevates whiteness as the standard of intellect and civility while dismissing everyone else. What makes his comments all the more absurd is his own often incoherent and error-riddled speech. This is a man who created words like 'covfefe,' signed an executive order declaring English the official language of the United States, and once told an English-speaking reporter he couldn't understand him 'because of the accent.' So when Trump marvels at another leader's ability to speak English 'beautifully,' the irony is almost laughable. The White House later defended the comment, calling it a 'heartfelt compliment,' but to many observers, it was yet another example of Trump's consistent failure to engage with the world respectfully or competently. At a time when Africa is emerging as a vital force in the global economy and a strategic player in the geopolitical arena, leaders like President Boakai must ask themselves: Are we here to build partnerships rooted in respect and mutual progress—or are we willing to trade dignity for diplomacy with a man who sees our brilliance as an anomaly? Because while Trump may have praised 'good English,' the world heard something far more familiar, the echo of condescension from a man who clearly benefited from teachers grading on a curve. SEE ALSO: Trump's Firing Of Carla Hayden Is Another Attack On Knowledge And History Donald Trump, Executive Overreach, And Project 2025's Blueprint SEE ALSO Trump's 'Good English' Gaffe Is Proof He Still Doesn't Get Africa Or Grammar was originally published on
Los Angeles Times
12 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
California mayor warns residents amid immigration raids. ‘Do not go out unless necessary'
The mayor of an Inland Empire city is urging residents to stay indoors and be wary of people they do not know amid ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the area. 'Stay home and do not open the door to strangers,' Perris Mayor Michael Vargas said during a video message on Instagram. The city posted the video in Spanish and English Wednesday after receiving reports of ICE operations in the area. 'We urge all residents to remain calm, stay indoors when possible and know your rights,' Vargas said. 'Do not go out unless necessary.' Roughly 78% of the Riverside County city's 83,000 residents are Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 'This message is for awareness and safety,' Vargas said. 'The city is committed to protecting the dignity and well-being of all our residents.' In a statement to The Times on Friday, Vargas said, 'It's unfortunate to see masked agents arresting individuals within our community. 'However, the City of Perris does not have the legal jurisdiction to interfere with federal immigration officials during their investigations and as such we do not have the ability to do much beyond encouraging residents to research and to know their legal rights,' he said. For more than a month, a heightened sense of fear has rippled through the immigrant community in Southern California as the Trump administration has intensified its immigration enforcement efforts, including arresting U.S. citizens and hundreds of undocumented immigrants without any criminal record. Immigration agents have targeted car washes, shopping centers, swamp meets and other businesses — pushing immigrant community members underground and leaving many typically lively areas deserted. Vargas' message was released a day after Bishop Alberto Rojas of the Diocese of San Bernardino told his roughly 1 million parishioners that they could stay home on Sundays to avoid Mass given concerns surrounding the ongoing federal immigration raids. Rojas' guidance included encouraging members to 'maintain their spiritual communion' by praying the rosary or reading scripture.
