My local fight

[MichaelHarris]

WASHINGTON — Nothing will motivate conservative evangelical Christians to vote Republican in the 2008 presidential election more than a Democratic nominee named Hillary Rodham Clinton — not even a run by the devil himself.--Jerry Falwell

Makes me wonder how this happens:

PASADENA, CA (AP) -- The leaders of a Pasadena church battling the IRS over an anti-war sermon just voted to resist an order to turn over documents, the Associated Press reports.

How does this country work? If you support Bush you don't get attacked by the IRS? If you speak out against the war you get audited? We have a Fundamentalist church here in Pullman that has Generals and Homeland security people giving speeches on Sunday in the church. They tell their congregation who to vote for, they pay no taxes.

I got into this discussion with someone recently. The responses came from the usual suspects, with the same challenges. Sometimes as liberals we ask ourselves why we do it.

In answering the questions posed:

Churches do not pay income taxes as long as they maintain a non-profit status, Michael. The Pres is not the guy who watches this kind of stuff. The IRS is, and you know that.
Your friendly ACLU is the one that is trying to shut down churches by having them audited for political endorsements. Them, and other Christian haters.

I'd like to know if you actually heard the speeches given by "Generals and Homeland security" too. If so, what were you doing in a fundamentalist church?
If not...Well, I'll comment on that after I hear your answer to the first question.

As far as home schools go, I'd love to hear your views on the public schools. You know, the place that tells our children that infanticide is a normal everyday thing.

I came to these conclusions:

The church here posted a public notice in the paper announcing the speakers. There is a group in Moscow and Pullman that attends these "sermons" and records them. I've read the transcripts. The church in Pullman is not the worst I've seen. The church in Moscow preaching the benefits of slavery was one of the most hate-filled sermons I've ever read. What makes the Moscow church so dangerous is they actually have home schools. I'm no Christian basher by a long shot and I'm pretty sure the ACLU was not involved in the church in California. I will be honest though, I am involved in the group that watches hate speech disguised as religion.

I've never seen infanticide taught anywhere in public schools. My wife taught high school biology for years before she became a doctor and has never seen it either. As far as home schools go I think most are attempts by parents to segregate their children. The people I know here that home school want to know what their kids are being taught but couldn't tell you where they were last Friday night. There are really only two reasons people home school, some may think there are three but one is just an excuse. First, and most prevalent (although none will admit it) is to separate the races. Second, one word, evolution. Third, and this is the excuse not a reason, violence. Their child has a better chance getting killed in a car, abducted at the mall, abused by a church member than being shot at school.

We could debate evolution until we are both blue in the face and accomplish nothing but the other two can be proven just by questioning people who do home school. At some point you see their true colors. I know of 2 girls home schooled by that church I mentioned, neither finished college, both have social skills among their peers that rival a brick. They don't know how to interact on any level with anyone except who they go to church with. I've sat and talked with them for hours at a time, not one could name any great American Lit or film. We discussed politics and the only topics they knew were anti-homosexual, abortion, race mixing, and creationism. There's nothing wrong with those topics but where is their youth? These kids should be talking about music, movies, friends, and things kids do.

If I had a video against home school I would use these two. Once, at WSU in a Biology class one of their Mom's came to the class and sat in during an evolution discussion. The Mom fought with the teacher. What message did that send to any potential friends this girl may have had? What damage did that do? I do know the girl has moved away from her Mom, disowned her and moved in with a ex-con. I am not related to these people, they are just family friends. Now I have a niece and a nephew who have both graduated from Texas A&M, neither home schooled. I have young friends here at WSU very well adjusted, safe not dodging bullets in a public school who were also not home schooled.

I look at it like an onion when it comes to people who home school. You peel away the layers or reasons they home school and you find the "real" people. Not the ones that fear crime, if that was the case wouldn't they not even let their kids out of the house? No, you find those that want to segregate, you find those that close their mind to discussion and reason.

Religion has a great influence on people's life, if that influence preaches hate, violence, or politics then it is not doing justice to it's followers. It should have one message, peace and love. Can a Democrat not be loved and accepted? We see everyday people like Falwell, Robertson, and the other so-called preachers of love lambaste Democrats. We have right-wing authors even write books labeling Democrats and liberals heathens. Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity come to mind. These are not peace loving people, these are people who only want to divide a nation, using God as the knife.

You mentioned presidents or people in his administration not using government agencies to go after individuals. Martin Luther King was investigated and monitored his entire public life by the government. A new movie covering Nixon's harassment of John Lennon is about to open. Nixon's tapes, finally released show he was out to get John Lennon.

Information released yesterday show the Bush administration threatening to "Blow Pakistan back into the stone age" show abuse of an administrations power. Bill Mahr fired from TV because of statements made on his show, The Smothers Brothers TV show where they took themselves off the air rather than give in to censorship imposed by an administration that sought to end dissent. We could go back and examine the careers of some great hollywood actors and directors who never worked again because of a crazed drunkard senator waving a blank piece of paper saying he had names. John Garfield, Paul Muni, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronin, and Will Geer. Those names don't mean alot to people these days but they all were denied work by a crazed government selling fear, just as they are today.

This just today, after Venezuela’s President Chavez addressed the UN blasting George Bush,

Venezuela’s foreign minister was detained at John F. Kennedy Airport yesterday while trying to fly home after the United Nations General Assembly meeting, prompting an apology from the State Department.

The minister, Nicolas Maduro, was returning to Caracas, Venezuela, when he was prevented from boarding his plane, said Joanne Moore, a duty officer at the State Department.

An administration that does not retaliate? This is an administration that climbed the backs of Christians to achieve power. This is the administration that followers were told to vote for. We only have to remember the Priest in Denver who told his parishioners that if you vote for John Kerry you can't take comunine.

Just what was the Branch-Davidians preaching in which they needed automatic weapons? What message did Tim McVey and the John Birchers want to get across by avenging Waco? When Rudolph, funded by churches in Ireland placed a bomb at the Atlanta Olympics did he intend a message of love? This was all done in their minds as the will of God. When Jim Jones led almost 900 people to their death what was his message? Was he tax exempt?

What group in America judges others others more than any other, when their own book tells them not to? Yes there are some crazy things done in the name of religion and fear, I just don't think preaching against war, and death is one of them.

Anyway, my head hurts from all the banging, thanks for reading.

Michael Harris