Itasca County, Minnesota, is due north of the Twin Cities. It's a large and mostly rural place, population 45,000, located one county south of the Canadian border. For 80 years, through 2012, its voters were solidly Democratic in presidential elections. A higher percentage of them voted for Obama in 2008, for instance, than voted for Mondale in 1984, which seems significant to me for a bunch of Minnesota voters.
They voted for Obama again in 2012 by a very slightly smaller percentage.
And then 2016 happened, and suddenly something changed, and almost the same percentage (54%) voted for Donald Trump as had voted for Obama in 2012. Trump did even better than that in 2020.
I give that as background to a story that appeared in the Star Tribune a few days ago, which told of Itasca County's new jail (gift link). The $75 million building includes Christian proselytizing quotes painted onto the walls, including a two-story tall version of the 10 commandments.
This illegal use of public funds and imposition of religion onto a literally captive audience is being challenged by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, which is a good thing.
The article also mentioned that one of the quotes is misattributed in what seems to be a particularly bad way:
Aside from the overt religious tone, some have pointed out that a few quotes are inaccurately attributed. One credited to the first U.S. president, George Washington, was actually said by George Washington Carver, a Black scientist and inventor.
I wish I knew what that quote was, but the story doesn't say.
I wonder if the people who planned to put these religious quotes would have dared to do this before the political turn occurred in the county in 2016. I doubt it. The last eight years have emboldened them, and they're not wrong to feel that way.
They have been given permission to do things like this, and if this ever gets to the Supreme Court, I expect it would be upheld.
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