The above image is not the seal of the city of Rutland. Well, most of it is. But the Latin motto at the bottom is a mischievous addition. “Quidam amici optimi mei sunt Musulmanus” translates, more or less, to “Some of My Best Friends Are Muslim.” The actual city seal does not feature a Latin motto at all; instead, across the bottom it says “A Town Sept. 7, 1761, A City Nov. 19, 1892.”

We’ll get to the history in a moment. But first, breaking news. This fake seal somehow ended up on the front cover of the city government’s annual report for the fiscal year that ended last June. You can’t see it terribly well, but here’s a picture:

You may or may not be able to make out the words, but it’s clearly the Muslim-friendly Latin, not that boring Town/City stuff.

Oopsie.

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