Open Thread — Latest “Yes On Proposition 5” Commercial
By Linda Kellen Biegel
Here is the latest of the “Yes On Prop 5” commercials. The speaker is the wonderful Reverend Michael Burke from St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, where I must be in about seven hours with my little clarinet player for the first rehearsal of the 2012 Affetti Honor Band.
We stopped by the church for the Affetti Registration tonight and she was so excited to see Yes On 5 stickers all over one of the church tables. Have I mentioned how proud I am of my daughter for being excited about civil rights?
Anyway, talk amongst yourselves…I’m off to bed!
I’ve found a superb post by a Republican meteorologist who is upset by his party’s fight against climate science. I already posted it in The Forum, but it deserves wider readership, so here it is:
http://www.shawnotto.com/neorenaissance/blog20120329.html
It’s thoughtful, and refreshingly honest. Enjoy.
Pink slime,pink slime. Now where did I leave my pink slime? Don’t remember,but I do know rwnj love the stuff as so many receive campaign contributions from the maker of slime. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120401/NEWS/304010104/1024/ENT02-template/?odyssey=nav%7Chead
I am a bit mystified. The two largest demographics against prop five, are religious groups, and African Americans. I’ve never quite understood in either case. You would think that both would have some experience with discrimination, yet they desire to do exactly that to others.
It’s almost unbelievable to me that we’re even having a debate. I don’t understand how any group sees it as moral or just to discriminate against another. I find this especially true when they themselves are a member of a “protected” class. Hypocrisy reigns supreme.
I have a friend who is both lesbian and African American. She has experienced a lot of negative attitudes from the black community and had a difficult time finding a black church that would welcome her.
Living in a city that has a large population of African Americans and a large LGBT community, I was surprised, as you were, to discover how much prejudice there is by the former against the latter.
Sad that the empathy one would expect is nowhere to be found.
Prevo is looking into building the world’s largest cross: 230′ feet, with 198′ above ground. Nothing says “I’m a good Christian” like a giant cross, unless you go by Jesus’ words, “By their WORKS you shall know them.”
I’m sure any pilot slamming into that thing will go straight to heaven.
http://www.ktuu.com/news/anchorage-baptist-temple-plans-to-build-worlds-tallest-cross-20120330,0,1463345.story
Alaska is chock full o’ chain saws. And we love to shoot bullets into just about any kind of public sign.
He wants a better Tower of Babel because when people can understand what he is saying, they don’t come back to his church. And it is clearly his church, not God’s.
As a christian, this makes me so sad. Because we are specifically directed not to worship graven images. The cross, in my mind, has become a graven image. This makes me so sad. My faith has become so corrupted. I apologize to all of you for that.
Don’t apologize fishingmama. It is not your fault.
You always bring the best of what it is always supposed to be about here and I always look forward to your comments and remarks.
There’s an obvious difference between you and the wide beloved world which you live in and the narrow dark patch of ground the Prevo world occupies.
Go, Hollis:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/trayvon-martins-death-stalls-stand-your-ground-laws/2012/03/31/gIQA6v2QnS_story.html
March 30 (Bloomberg) — On the one-month anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s killing this week, the National Rifle Association was in Alaska lobbying for a law like the one at the center of the Florida shooting.
The gun rights group urged supporters to contact senators on the “stand your ground” bill, calling it “vital self- defense legislation.” A lobbyist worked the halls in gun- friendly Juneau, telling at least one senator that the highly- publicized slaying of the unarmed black teen in Sanford, Florida, is “irrelevant” to the debate in Alaska, according to Senator Hollis French, an Anchorage Democrat.
“You have to ask why they are doubling down in the face of this case,” said French, a former prosecutor and chairman of the judiciary committee, which approved the Alaska bill last week. “You are tipping the balance in favor of more shootings. There is no other way to put it.”
More on how the evangelicals are being bilked, this time by the world’s largest (so-called) Christian broadcasting network:
http://www.care2.com/causes/christian-tv-grifters-in-trouble-again.html
I appreciated the California pastor’s comparison to Tetzel, who sold indulgences.
Churches,as tax-exempt non-profits,are governed by IRS laws that state churches are prohibited from endorsing or opposing individual candidates. Rules governing church contributions to influence referenda elections are less clear.
IRS rules say churches endanger tax exemption if a “substantial part” of their work involves politics,including referenda,but is unclear what constitutes “substantial part. This comes from Rob Boston,senior policy analyst at Washington,D.C. based American’s United-a group that believes in seperation of church and state.
according to ADN. supporters of Prop 5 have raised five times as much moolah as those(Prevo) opposed to Prop 5. Hope it pays off.
Driving down the road yesterday in Anchorage I noticed large signs posted on more than one church property – against Prop 5. Reading here I am glad to see from the above that not all churches are against it.
That said, how is it that putting signs on church properties, handing out flyers on church properties, expounding on a certain political viewpoint, urging people to vote a certain way NOT A VIOLATION of their tax exempt status? Are not religious organizations tax exempt on the understanding that they do not involve themselves in politics? I think the religious organizations have pushed the envelop so hard on this one that they’ve burst out of the paper holder. We need some duck tape and/or government to get a backbone and say enough is enough and start taxing these mega churches. Their financial influence is just as insidious and damaging as Super PAC money.
How about a petition to an enforcing arm of the IRS? Let them employ some investigators. What happened to the investigation about the real estate – minister housing at city/state level?
The regulations prohibit churches from backing individual candidates.
The regulations allow churches to speak on issues.
Proposition 5 is an issue, not a candidate.
The IRS investigated an Episcopal congregation in Pasadena CA for a sermon opposing the war in Iraq — but that was Bush misusing Federal power to attack liberty. The war in Iraq is an issue, not a candidate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints_Episcopal_Church_(Pasadena,_California)#IRS_investigation
A civil rights advocate AND a musician? You’ve certainly done a good job with that (not-so-little) girl! 🙂
Linda, AKM, Shannyn, and guest contributors-
I realized this morning that I have been only half paying attention to the enormity and multiplicity of issues and elective seats you have at stake in this Anchorage City and Borough election this week.
I’ve mostly been paying attention as various issues and seats relate to things we all face in our communities and not thinking through how much you have at stake here with very deep consequences given our way of allowing home-rule entities large powers of self governance here in Alaska.
Sending very best wishes for good outcomes all around!
Linda, congratulations on having a daughter who is so excited about civil rights. I hope she’s not disappointed on Tuesday. Go, One Anchorage! Everyone, get out the vote! There are plenty of RWNJs who will vote against, and there’s no excuse for not voting, if you’re of legal age and registered.