A reader named Diane S. did some further research, and discovered that one little-known but influential individual is doing his level best to tear down the wall between church and state. The following words are Diane's, somewhat edited:
* * *
I found out that a bunch of churches in Fla are used for polling places. Ok, so be it. Same in Ohio.
Then I find a document that outlines "what pastors can and can't do" with respect to elections. This text was written by a guy named Bopp. He's an attorney for the James Madison Center for Free Speech, which represents Bush voters from Brevard County, Florida.
In reading this document, I got the feeling that this guy is definitely trying to tell members of the clergy that they should cross the lines (read #13) and abuse the "letter of the law". Basically, he's saying the "church" can't electioneer but a "pastor" can.
I became interested in who this Bopp guy is. I searched the net and discovered all sorts of documents about Bopp and his views and efforts.
This guy is worth exposing. Everybody needs to know what he's doing and why and how. I'm especially concerned about how he twists certain ideas to push his agenda.
* * *
JC speaking again: Bopp was also an attorney representing Bush in the great Florida debacle of 2000. He's a loud opponent of campaign finance reform (he seems to agree with the detestable Senator McConnell that donations are protected by free speech), and the main attorney for the National Right to Life Committee.
The document referenced above -- "What Are the "Do's" and "Don'ts" for Churches?" -- absurdly tries to convince the reader that clergy have insufficient freedom to make clear their views on abortion and similar topics.
This bias against churches has been codified in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code by the prohibition against activities considered "political intervention" broadly interpreted and enforced by the Internal Revenue Service...To put the matter simply: Right now, a pastor can say what he likes about an issue without affecting his church's tax-exempt status, but he cannot say "vote Republican" or "vote for Bush." Bopp argues that the free speech rights of church leaders have been unfairly restricted.
The solution is to reject the position of the IRS in regard to Section 501(c)(3) and to affirm the First Amendment.
Unreal!
Over the decades, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, the Reverend Moon and others have conducted a psychological blitzkrieg against their audiences. Their flocks have been force-fed a very partisan diet. I've never understood how Robertson, for example, keeps his 501(c)(3) status; if I were president, I'd have that guy off the air pronto.
Now Bopp wants to redefine 501(c)(3) status as broadly as possible. Although he still maintains that pastors should not directly instruct listeners to vote for a particular candidate, he clearly wants the religious life of our nation to become ever more intertwined with the agenda of the Republican party. Yet these religious broadcasters will still maintain tax-exempt status.
Some of you may recall the case of the Christic Institute, which tried to bring suit against CIA covert operatives during the Reagan era. The ill-fated effort was controversial, and still arouses bitter feelings among many progressives, not least among them the Institute's formal clients. I don't want to relive that history here (and I beg readers not to thrash out the matter in the comments section). For present purposes, I note only that the Institute had its 501(c)(3) status removed, even though they never aligned themselves with any party or candidate. In public forums, the Institute's stance on the two major parties was downright Nader-esque: "A pox on both your houses."
Bopp's argument, if I understand him aright, is that the IRS should adopt very lenient rules when dealing with churches. Non-religious tax-exempt non-profits will still have to watch their words carefully.
I have a sick feeling that Bush and co. are going to give this suggestion serious consideration.
No comments:
Post a Comment