typomaniac
12-17-2007, 12:42 PM
I just recently heard about this very interesting figure in California Politics, who served as governor in the early 1940s.
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culbert_Olson)
"Olson refused to say 'so help me God' during his oath of office to state Supreme Court Justice William H. Waste. Olson remarked earlier to Justice Waste that "God couldn't help me at all, and that there isn't any such person." Instead, Olson said, "I will affirm."[6]"
Imagine a politician doing something like that today...
More interesting things from the Wiki article:
"During his tenure of the governorship, Olson grew increasingly critical of the Roman Catholic Church and its presence in the state educational system. A secular atheist, Olson was disturbed by the State Legislature's passage of two bills in 1941, one to give free transportation to students attending Catholic schools, while the other would release Catholic children from public schools in the middle of the school day in order to attend catechism, leaving the schools and other students idle until the Catholic students' return. Olson signed into law the first bill, later citing the enormous pressure of the Catholic Church on his office and on state lawmakers. However, he vetoed the second ('early release') bill. [11]"
"Following his departure from the governorship, Olson returned to law. He regained the public spotlight again in the 1950s, when the Legislature voted to exempt Catholic schools from real estate taxes. Olson filed an amicus curiae brief to the state Supreme Court, asking the court to explain how the state's exemption of a religious organization from civil taxes was constitutional.
"In 1957, Olson became president of the United Secularists of America, a body made up of secularists, atheists, freethinkers.
"Olson on religion:[15]
"'It is certain that organized religion and prayers to their almighty deity have not been the means of saving humanity from want or from wars, a large proportion of which have been wars for power between conflicting religious dogmas. Nor have the principles of morality taught as a part of religious doctrine, become prevalent by that method. Witness the extent of selfishness, greed, opportunism, hypocrisy, and crime which now permeates our society.'"
A quote from Olson in another biography reads, "Well, it was a Mormon school [that I attended as a child] and the principal in his sermons to the children would arouse emotionalism and the children would become so emotional that they would declare they saw angels. Of course I did not see any angels and therefore did not join in the emotionalism. . .I was called into the principal's office."
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culbert_Olson)
"Olson refused to say 'so help me God' during his oath of office to state Supreme Court Justice William H. Waste. Olson remarked earlier to Justice Waste that "God couldn't help me at all, and that there isn't any such person." Instead, Olson said, "I will affirm."[6]"
Imagine a politician doing something like that today...
More interesting things from the Wiki article:
"During his tenure of the governorship, Olson grew increasingly critical of the Roman Catholic Church and its presence in the state educational system. A secular atheist, Olson was disturbed by the State Legislature's passage of two bills in 1941, one to give free transportation to students attending Catholic schools, while the other would release Catholic children from public schools in the middle of the school day in order to attend catechism, leaving the schools and other students idle until the Catholic students' return. Olson signed into law the first bill, later citing the enormous pressure of the Catholic Church on his office and on state lawmakers. However, he vetoed the second ('early release') bill. [11]"
"Following his departure from the governorship, Olson returned to law. He regained the public spotlight again in the 1950s, when the Legislature voted to exempt Catholic schools from real estate taxes. Olson filed an amicus curiae brief to the state Supreme Court, asking the court to explain how the state's exemption of a religious organization from civil taxes was constitutional.
"In 1957, Olson became president of the United Secularists of America, a body made up of secularists, atheists, freethinkers.
"Olson on religion:[15]
"'It is certain that organized religion and prayers to their almighty deity have not been the means of saving humanity from want or from wars, a large proportion of which have been wars for power between conflicting religious dogmas. Nor have the principles of morality taught as a part of religious doctrine, become prevalent by that method. Witness the extent of selfishness, greed, opportunism, hypocrisy, and crime which now permeates our society.'"
A quote from Olson in another biography reads, "Well, it was a Mormon school [that I attended as a child] and the principal in his sermons to the children would arouse emotionalism and the children would become so emotional that they would declare they saw angels. Of course I did not see any angels and therefore did not join in the emotionalism. . .I was called into the principal's office."