Atheists Sue Over God Reference in Anti-Terror Law

A group advocating for atheists rights will file suit today against Kentucky's Office of Homeland Security because state law requires the agency to stress "dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."

American Atheists of Parsippany, N.J., and 10 nonreligious Kentuckians who are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit were prompted to file after reading a Lexington Herald-Leader story last week that installing a plaque in God's honor would be the first duty of the Homeland Security Office.

"This is one of the most outrageous things I've seen in 35 years of practicing law. It's breathtakingly unconstitutional," the lawyer for the plaintiffs, Edwin Kagin, told the Herald-Leader in a story published today.

According to the paper, the requirement to credit God for Kentucky's protection was added to the 2006 legislation by state Rep. Tom Riner, a democrat and Southern Baptist minister in Louisville.

"This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky," Riner told the paper last week.

The plaintiffs are asking that the law be stripped of its references to God. But they also want monetary damages for sleeping disorders and "mental pain and anguish."

The suit argues that the plaintiffs "suffer anxiety from the belief that the existence of these unconstitutional laws suggest that their very safety as residents of Kentucky may be in the hands of fanatics, traitors or fools."

Hat tip How Appealing.