'God Should be 1st in Line of Defense'

LEXINGTON, Ky. - State law in Kentucky says God is its first line of defense against terrorist attack, and a state lawmaker said the job is just "too big for government."

The Lexington (K.Y.) Herald-Leader reported Friday that a 2006 state law says the duty of the state Office of Homeland Security is "stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."

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Additionally, the state law says the state must post a plaque at the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center that says: "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God."

State Rep. Tom Riner, a Southern Baptist minister, got the so-called God provision into the law. The Louisville Democrat said this week that the language is appropriate.

"This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky," Riner said, the newspaper reported. "Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap. The job is too big for government."

State Sen. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, said Homeland Security should focus on public safety threats not on religious work.

"It's very sad to me that we do this sort of thing," Stein said. "It takes away from the seriousness of the public discussion over security, and it clearly hurts the credibility of this office if it's supposed to be depending on God, first and foremost."