[Mb-civic] BUSH'S WAR ON PEOPLE OF FAITH

[Jef Bek]

Amen, brother!

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2005_11/007521.php

WASHINGTON MONTHLY

November 9, 2005

BUSH'S WAR ON PEOPLE OF FAITH....Today we learn that Bush's IRS is
investigating a prominent liberal Episcopal church because of a sermon last
fall in which the minister condemned Bush's policy in Iraq. (No word on
whether the agency is also going after the Baptist church that kicked out
members who voted for John Kerry. Or the churches that helped out the
Bush/Cheney campaign last year by sending in their membership directories.
Or the Catholic priests who told parishioners it would be a sin to vote for
Kerry.)

Don't cry for the Episcopalians, though. They had an out. The IRS offered
them a sweet deal: Admit that you violated the law, never do it again, and
we'll drop the investigation.

That kind of "deal" is usually called "intimidation."

If a Democratic administration went after a conservative church and
threatened its tax-exempt status over statements made during a sermon, it's
safe to assume all hell would break loose. You wouldn't be able to turn on a
cable channel without hearing some host intoning, "Is there a Democratic war
on faith?" Conservatives would fill the airwaves, newsprint, and blog pages
with condemnations of "liberal bigots who hate religion." Can we expect a
similar response from the left now