***UPDATED***
KOCO.com reports the following:
Federal Reserve examiners come every four years to make sure banks are complying with a long list of regulations. The examiners came to Perkins last week. And the team from Kansas City deemed a Bible verse of the day, crosses on the teller’s counter and buttons that say “Merry Christmas, God With Us.” were inappropriate. The Bible verse of the day on the bank’s Internet site also had to be taken down.
“I don’t think there should be a problem with them displaying whatever religious symbols they want to display,” said Amy Weierman, a Perkins resident.
Specifically, the feds believed, the symbols violated the discouragement clause of Regulation B of the bank regulations. According to the clause, “…the use of words, symbols, models and other forms of communication … express, imply or suggest a discriminatory preference or policy of exclusion.”
The feds interpret that to mean, for example, a Jew or Muslin or atheist may be offended and believe they may be discriminated against at this bank. It is an appearance of discrimination.
This is absolutely ridiculous because of this:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Freedom of religion is a constitutionally protected freedom and if the bank wants to challenge the Feds on this they will have to spend tons of money doing so in the form of a lawsuit. Is it worth it in the end? For the nation, yes. For the bank, I’m not so sure. It really depends on how profitable they are as to whether they could withstand this.
But even more so, the idea that having Christian symbols and Bible verses is not discrimination. The bank is not forbidding Jews, Muslims, or anyone else for that matter from doing business with them. They are welcome there if they so choose. If they don’t like the crosses or verses, then they can bank somewhere else. It’s that simple.
While this is going on, the Department of Justice is suing a school district for not granting unpaid leave to a Muslim teacher who wanted to go to Mecca for her pilgrimage. They are calling this religious discrimination. How absurd!
Glenn Beck is right. I don’t recognize my country anymore with this Leftist regime running it.
H/T: The Blaze
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UPDATE: Sen. Jim Inhoff (R-OK) and Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) are on the case!
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