In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
Oh, in case you do have an objection to tax-exempt Christian politics
you just might go to jail.
Is Americans United Executive Director Barry Lynn headed for prison?
If six U.S. senators have their way, he will be.
On July 2, Sens. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Don Nickles (R-Okla.) and Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) contacted Attorney General Janet Reno, seeking a criminal investigation of Americans United for allegedly trying to "intimidate" religious voters from going to the polls.
"Americans United is being singled out for attack for a simple reason -- because we have the nerve to stand up to Pat Robertson and his Christian Coalition," Lynn said. "It is clear to us that the senators' request for an investigation is politically motivated, and Helms, Robertson and their allies are hoping to intimidate us from telling churches the truth about the law. This is politics at its worst."
In fact, many observers believe that it was the abundant evidence given to the IRS by Americans United that ultimately helped prove that the Coalition was unworthy of a tax exemption. Particularly relevant was a secretly-recorded Robertson speech boasting of the group's Republican election successes and urging his top lieutenants to build a Tammany Hall-style political machine based in churches. [Emphasis mine.]
At this point, it is not clear how the Justice Department will act on the senators' request. John Russell, a spokesman for the agency, told reporters that the complaint has been received and is under consideration.
"It's being reviewed by the public integrity section of the criminal division, which investigates voter fraud, and we will respond in time," Russell said.
It is particularly ironic that Helms would be involved in accusing anyone of illegally intimidating voters in light of the ballot box bullying in his own past.
In the 1990 Senate race, the North Carolina Republican Party, working on behalf of Helms, instituted a "ballot security" project that sent 150,000 postcards to heavily African-American precincts, warning prospective voters that they faced "fines and jail terms" if they cast ballots at the wrong location.
A week earlier, Robertson said Americans United may be indirectly responsible for mass murderers such as neo-Nazi Benjamin Nathaniel Smith.
Observed Robertson, "[Americans United's] total goal is to eliminate Christianity and eliminate religion from the public square, take all vestiges of supernatural religion out of our state and make us a totally secular group. If we take the knowledge of the true God and the restraint of the Holy Spirit from society, we will have this kind of violence."
How do you like them apples? They're tax-free, in God's Little Acre.
- Michael 5:30 PM - [PermaLink] -
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