(via John Cobarruvias)
Leave it to bat crazy Shelley Sekula Gibbs to call for the end of the separation of church and state much like she solved world hunger, the Iraq war, eliminated our $9 Trillion debt to China, and reformed Social Security during her 4 week appointment as Congressman in 2006. (This all before her entire staff abruptly resigned.)
There’s a reason for the separation of Church and State. There’s a reason why churches enjoy tax-exempt status as long as they don’t engage in politically-oriented activities. Anyone who managed to stay awake during 8th-grade American history can tell you what those reasons are. The short very is that it’s because this country was founded by people fleeing religious persecution in their homeland. Now some Rightward-leaning Evangelical churches have discovered that if they make enough noise, they might just be able to have their cake and eat it, too. Even better, this story comes straight out of Hell Houston. Why am I (not) surprised at this? Throw in a couple of wingnuts like bat-shit crazy Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and Steve Riggle, and before you know it, there goes the separation of Church and State. Then again, this is a Christian country…and if you don’t like you can just go back to Berzerkistan or whatever Third World hellhole you came from.
Sekula-Gibbs may or may not actually believe that she’s doing the right thing. Either way, she wants to ensure that she secures the Republican nomination to run in CD22. When it comes to Texas Republicans, the best way to win their support is to appeal to their religious bigotry and intolerance. The Texas GOP, which isn’t exactly famous for it’s open-mindedness, just LOVES candidates who speak to their ignorant, self-absorbed self-righteousness. Sekula-Gibbs, who Wonkette lovingly refers to as “Dracula c—t”, could really care less about the Constitution, the intent of the Founding Fathers, or why and how this country came into being in the first place. For her, like most Texas Republicans, it’s about power and control.
As for Steve Riggle, he’s just another self-important Jesus salesman who honestly feels that everyone deserves to be Christianized, whether they want it or not. And Shelley Sekula-Gibbs is just the sort of enabler zealots like Riggle love. These two belong together.
And you wonder why I fear for the future of this country?
Gibbs has been making me laugh since she was labeled "Dracula Cunt." I can't believe she's spent over $1 million of her own money in this campaign. The upcoming debate should be a hoot.
Actually, Jack, you have shown that YOU are the one who slept through 8th-grade American History. The current rules on tax exemptions for ALL non-profits (not just churches) date back only to the 1950s. That is when Dallas businessman Bunker Hunt set up a tax-exempt group that spent a wad of cash on opposing Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson. Johnson, determined to crush the opposition, used every ou8nce of his clout to create a brand-new rule -- one prohibiting all tax exempt groups from engaging in politics.
Unfortunately, this prohibition included churches, which had historically engaged in a great deal of politicking. Look back at the Puritan churches of New England -- the custom was that the pastor would preach to his congregation about which candidates he believed were Godly men who should be elected and which were deficient in the eyes of the Lord. Heck -- churches were quite active in all parts of this country right up until Landslide Lyndon decided he needed to use the hand of the federal government to choke off the speech of those who opposed his candidacy.
Now I don't think this is necessarily the first bill that should be filed, but I do think it is an important one to pursue. After all, no less than John Marshall, our nation's greatest Chief Justice, noted that "the power to tax is the power to destroy." Current regulations would therefore seem at odds with no less than the Bill of Rights itself -- I think you would agree that the First Amendment clearly indicates that the federal government (and, via the Fourteenth Amendment, the states) may not destroy a religious organization for speaking out on matters that its leaders believe to be of important theological, religious, moral, or social importance.
Of course, there is the question of whether or not it is a good idea for churches to engage in political activity -- but that is an entirely different discussion.