Here comes the preemptive strike against the first amendment.

[tjwash]

Full story here.

Liberal church will decide soon whether to fight IRS summons

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - A liberal church at the center of a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service over a 2004 sermon will decide this week whether to fight an IRS summons.

The IRS is requesting a number of documents be produced by Sept. 29 and that the church's rector, Rev. Ed Bacon, testify before an IRS agent on Oct. 11.

The congregation of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena discussed the matter during a church service Sunday.

The church could lose its tax-exempt status because of an anti-war sermon delivered two days before the 2004 election by its former rector, Rev. George F. Regas.

Regas did not urge parishioners to support President Bush or Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., but was critical of the Iraq war and Bush's tax cuts, Bacon said in an interview last November when the investigation was announced.

Parishioners Sunday gave Bacon a standing ovation after he described reasons why the church might choose to resist the summons.

Resisting would mean the IRS would have to decide whether to ask for a hearing before a judge, who could then rule on the legality of the summons.

If a hearing were held, the church would argue that the IRS summons is "an intrusion, an attack upon this church's First Amendment rights to the exercise of freedom of religion and freedom of speech," Bacon said.

Also from the Huffington Post:

In a sermon two days before the 2004 election, Regas did not urge parishioners to support President Bush or challenger John Kerry but was critical of the Iraq war and Bush's tax cuts, Bacon said in an interview last November when the investigation was announced.

"He explicitly said, 'I am not telling you how to vote.' That is the golden boundary we did not cross," he said.

All Saints has a long history of social activism, dating back to World War II, when its rector spoke out against the internment of Japanese Americans. Regas, who headed the church for 28 years before retiring in 1995, was well-known for opposing the Vietnam War, championing female clergy and supporting gays and lesbians in the church.

So, let me get this straight...right wing churches can wave flags and hold pep rallies for Bush and the war, but if a liberal church tries to make a comment they are intimidated and harassed? Truly disgusting that people like Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist "church" time and time again proceed with their hate speech and gestapo style intimidation tactics, with a tax exempt status, and completely un-investigated by the IRS. What of the Mega-Churches and their political rallies? Televised all over the county and attended by members of the House and Senate, spreading their message of intolerance and hatred?

This practice of attempting to quell dissent or concerned citizens, is a kind of scare tactic that is becoming very common place.

I've said several times, that if Jesus was here today, he would be wiretapped, investigated, harassed and held in GTMO with all of his crazy talk of peace, and turning the other cheek. He would then end up right back on the cross and George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Shawn Hannity, and Bill Oreilly would be leading the mob with a box of 16-penny nails.

[ThomCat]

1. Using the IRS as a weapon.

A sermon against war, in a church? Damn, who'd have thought. :eyes:

I hope they fight this. There is no way they should be in trouble when so many churches campaigned for republicans openly. Those other churches are the ones that should be investigated. :grr:

[zbdent]

3. Ever notice that everything that they accused Clinton (pick one) of

doing is coming true under Bush?

war, recession, IRS as a weapon, high gas prices, communist/fascist tactics, etc. ...

[EFerrari]

4. Projection. You can usually figure out what these muthas are doing

by what they deny and what they accuse others of doing. Like their war of terror against the American people.

[Benhurst]

6. Here in BushAmerica,

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is dead.
Long live Jesus, the God of War!

[ThomCat]

7. Well said.

[tjwash]

8. Sad but true.

The Jesus that spoke at the sermon on the mountain, was against everything that these corrupt powers that are currently in charge of our government represent. Sad that they could take one such as him, and figure out a way to twist his words to justify war, greed, avarice, and hatred.

Sadder still, are those in our country that have bought into it.

[acmejack]

2. Arrested are the peacemakers.

[EFerrari]

5. And the journalists. AP is reporting that our military has been holding

one of their photographers for five months in Iraq. They went public because they're getting nowhere with them. Amy Goodman reported this today.

[gully]

9. You are correct, it is OK for a church to endorse/support/sell names of

attendees to the Bushista, but a church must not preach "peace" or else.