MCSO Godly Decals: Fact or Fancy?

[XLFD]

Last month, on the Mason/Oceana County 911 Director Ray Hasil's page he displayed three photos of Mason County Sheriff's Office vehicles with decals that some find inspiring, others find provocative.  Four simple words found in the pledge of allegiance placed under the license plate on this one:  

And above the license plate on this one

The pictures do not look doctored, notice the reflection on the bottom photo, and Ray Hasil isn't likely to create a hoax as the 2014 911 Director of the year in MI, so one presumes these photos are genuine.  Yet when I went by the MCSO and saw six of their vehicles out in the public view nearly 50 days later, none of the vehicles sported these decals anywhere on the vehicles body. 

Was this a test run of such decals that they decided not to run with, do the two vehicles displayed still have these stickers on, or was this just a trial ballon put out by Hasil to see how the public would react?   On Hasil's Facebook page, he does get a variety of reactions, mostly positive.

If these decals are currently on MCSO vehicles do you think they are appropriate, conditionally appropriate or inappropriate?  Also indicate if you have seen (hopefully not taken a ride in) any of the vehicles with such decals.

[Willy]

I'm not saying the pictures have been photo shopped but it's a very easy process to create a reflection. I don't know if this would be a separation of church and state situation. I would imagine using the generic word "God" would be acceptable. If the slogan referenced a particular religious belief there may be a Constitutional issue involved.

For you up skirt guys out there.

[Jasper]

The positive comments mostly came from local MCSO deputies. David Gibbs wife is a former MCSO deputy living in Colorado. He commented negatively. Gibbs' wife was involved in some controversial BS in Colorado at her recent employment with law enforcement. Leave religion out of everything-------law enforcement, government at all levels. Religion has been and continues to be the cause of wars, etc.. throughout history. Get those damn bumper stickers off government property. They do not represent all peoples's beliefs in the cultural and diversified Country the U.S. has evolved into.

[XLFD]

Gibbs gave a good debate on the topic, but I'm wary of declaring the four word phrase as inherently religious just because the word 'God' is one of them.  It is a phrase from our "pledge of allegiance" without any religious connotation other than an underlying belief in monotheism, just like that other four word phrase "in God we trust", found on our money.  Atheists, agnostics and pantheists may not approve, but I'm not convinced these decals go any further than those accepted uses of the word 'God'.

[Tholen_4]

This post was informative for me as I don’t look for such things closely. Well, I am going to participate in trade show for promotion of our custom vinyl wrap and trade show displays service. I need some ideas for making our booth attractive. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

[John Doe Jr]

http://www.shorelinemedia.net/ludington_daily_news/police-no-injuri...

Both photos show "In God We Trust" on the rear bumpers of Official vehicles paid for by taxpayers.  Stickers most likely from Tykosky and his sticker business.This is clearly The Sheriffs doing. He has made many claims to God in many of his investigations,arrests and, holds prayer vigils at the Court House. Sure, many in this community get off on that statement but, it's pretentious. It is not the Officials right to apply such statements on taxpayer paid vehicles. This would discriminate to atheists, Muslim, and other faiths. Your beliefs do not belong on these vehicles.

[Willy]

I think the only people who would be offended would be atheists since most religions believe in God and even atheists could not be called atheists if not for others believing in God because it's a necessary fact that one cannot be an atheists without the existence of the word "GOD". The only thing the Sheriff is guilty of is using a quote off U.S. currency.

[XLFD]

Oops, John, the motto was "One nation under God". 

While I have no problem with "In God we trust" on our currency and the 'under God' section of the Pledge of Allegiance, I do find it inappropriate and wasteful of public resources to put the phrase "One nation under God" on the bumpers of our sheriff's vehicles. 

To me it indicates that our sheriff and deputies think they are on a divinely inspired mission when they run your plates and find you are late in paying your insurance, that they are doing God's work when they throw a nurse into the back of their cruiser just for trying to talk with her detained state trooper brother, that they are devout pilgrims because they seek trumped up charges against an angry veteran who shoots bullets into the ground behind a bowling alley. 

If they want to show their fealty to the pledge, loyalty to Godly values, and the foundations of this country, why don't they put this phrase on their bumper:  "Liberty and justice for all". 

And really mean it.

[John Doe Jr]

Haa Haa' Well I hate cops and I hate that they put stickers on my property without asking me! In God we trust is nothing short of a rolling ATM.  One Nation under God is a lie! Leave religion out of LE. And, leave your personal BS stickers off my property! There is no justice for all. Only justice for those who can hide behind their blue haze of deception and investigate themselves and find no wrong doing. So yeah, it doesn't matter what it says at the end of the day. Paid for by Tykoski.... LMAO

[Willy]

I also have to give an oops. The only thing my post would say differently is that the Sheriff is using a quote from the Pledge of Allegiance and I'm OK with that.

[stump]

I think we can all say that we all have trust in our God, not so much trust in our Police.