The death toll stands at 20!

The death toll in Afghanistan from the Jones Holy War now stands at 20. The riots are still spreading, fueled by the Taliban.

Protests Reach Kandahar - School Bus Attacked

The riots created by Terry Jones continue. How many more lives they will take is speculation, but Jones is not phased in the least.

Zalmai Ayoubi, spokesman for the governor, said the rioters attacked the Zarghona Ana High School for Girls, burning some classrooms and a school bus. The school is supported by the United States Agency for International Development. The Taliban have opposed education for girls.

Creating a New Quandry for the Christian Right

Something to think about: the Christian Right had a hard enough time keep the likes Fred Phelps at bay, so how are they going to doing it with Terry Jones? Phelps' actions had severe emotional reactions, but Jones' actions resulted in DEATHS. Who be stoned this time? The media was certainly not at fault this time because it didn't sufficiently cover the Quran burning - the time lapse proves that. Karzai? He's only a politician some anti-American sentiment in order to keep the troops there (via reverse psychology). 

With world events being as quick (and atrocious) as they are, it will be easy to forget about this incident, but beware:

1. Afghan Muslims won't forget.

2. Islamophobes will use it to their best advantage.

3. Jones' supporters will be coming out of the woodwork (e.g. they already have - sponsoring his appearance at an anti-Islam rally)

UPDATE: The death toll for the riots is now up to 12 and the injuries are up to 83.

Keep an eye out for everything that happens in Afghanistan and the rest of the Muslim world.

Murder Is Popular

It seems that the last post was more popular than most. Check out the treatment on OpEdNews. Note that they didn't publish the photo (AP might have objected - I couldn't get permission in time). Feel free to comment there as well as here. 

Is the Murder of 7 UN Workers Enough For The Likes Of Pastor Terry Jones?

"There was somewhat of an awareness that there could be a violent reaction,"
                                                                              - Pastor Terry Jones
Yes, Pastor Terry Jones got what he wanted.
As the religious calendar of America wends towards Easter, some Christians might be prudent to think of their own sins as well as the sins of others that presumably placed Christ on the cross. But since a few in America's Christian leadership have a difficult time with "mea culpas," such soul-searching will be minor. For example: amidst all of the hand-wringing denunciations of the Afghanistan attack on a UN compound last week, there are some who are basking in a sun of self-righteousness: "See, we were right - Islam is a violent, evil religion."

Such self-righteousness is certainly not new* but what separates this case from many others, is that it was engendered by one man and not by deference to God.

"It time to hold Islam accountable."
In the past, the only being held accountable for disasters has been God. And the only entities held accountable for human atrocities have been groups somehow divorced from humanity and God. Pastor Terry Jones is neither. So should he be held accountable?

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Friday’s violence 

“proves why we were right to be concerned” when Jones made his original threats last summer. “Irresponsible words and actions do have consequences,” Morrell said. “This time, they were tragic, deadly consequences.”

"There was somewhat of an awareness that there could be a violent reaction,"
"Somewhat of an awareness" Can a more inanely defensive response exist? Knowledge of consequences is very close to malice of forethought. Knowledge of consequences is what weighs upon a country's leaders when they act aggressively. Knowledge of consequences can show a distinct lack of concern for others. Coupled with a supreme righteous arrogance, it was the same "knowledge of consequences" that led to history's infamous dictum: "Kill them all! God will take care of his kind."

It makes no difference to many on the side of the Righteous Right that too many parallels can be made with the radicals of Islam (e.g. using the Bible as justification for discrimination as strong as physical harm or relying on the premise of sacred exclusivity). So any direct link from Terry Jones to the Imam in Mazar-e sharif is irrelevant. Therefore, accountability is irrelevant.

But the accountability for Terry Jones in this case should be seriously considered: a man who holds a nation as hostage to his whims, relents, then acts anyway should, at the very least, be labeled a fraud. At most, putting military troops and innocent civilians in harms way should be considered treason. Jones' actions, however, will be covered up by the same proponents who (albeit covertly) supported Fred Phelps. The Westboro Baptist church has been causing real harm throughout the years, abetted by "social conservatives" under the disingenuous auspices of "free speech." And will continue to do so. Taking into account the strong possibility that Jones will never really be held accountable, will Jones be satisfied with his stunt? That may seem a prospect too horrible to imagine, but it must be faced: his twisted reasoning may give way to a "tally" of how many people are killed by "Islam."**

And taking Terry Jones as a lead, will other churches burn Q'urans to show just how "violent" a religion Islam is? Besides accountability, justification also hovers above the scene: Terry Jones' war against Islam can be seen as a righteous Holy War*** and parallels of Imams to ministers will cease altogether.

The situation is incendiary to say the least.

*recently, Cindy Jacobs e schewed the idea of relief for Japan in favor of positing that Japan's woes were brought upon by its innate paganism/atheism and the proof was that it is shaped like a dragon. It also did not respond sufficiently to he evangelizing attmepts several years ago.

** Doubtless, the UN staff will be given the status of martyrs or demons once their religious beliefs are affirmed.

*** "Justified War" has its basis in religion:

wikipedia: A religious war is a war caused by, or justified by, religious differences. It can involve one state with an established religion against another state with a different religion or a different sect within the same religion, or a religiously motivated group attempting to spread its faith by violence, or to suppress another group because of its religious beliefs or practices. TheMuslim conquests, the French Wars of Religion, the Crusades, and the Reconquista are frequently cited historical examples, especially in History Books.

What's In A Name?: Eddie Long Knows.

A delay in reporting can be serendipitous at times. Take the case of "Bishop" Eddie Long and his alleged gift-and-tryst escapades: I found out about it only 15 minutes after the initial AP story broke and was ready to do a BREAKING news flash for my blog when something personal arose and I'm just now getting back to the keyboard 24 hours later.

I was glad for the delay. This story's more entertaining than Ted Haggard's, and twice as important. The story has fleshed out considerably during the last 24 hours and it presents a clearer picture of what went on at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta.

CNN:

In a lawsuit, two men in their 20s now are saying the bishop, Eddie Long, took them on trips, gave them gifts, bought them a car, gave them cash, gave them jewelry, all as a ploy to have sex with them. And they say it was the church's money that he was giving to them.

(hat tip: Pam's House Blend)

And the scandal was giving ... and giving ... to the Bishop:

On the surface, this story is simply one of seduction with money and gifts. It's rather ordinary, and would only stand out in the news because of Long's name and because it involved homosexual undertones. The part that gets really interesting is this:

Eventually, it turned into such a relationship that the bishop had a ceremony with Anthony Flag called a covenant. Within that covenant, it was essentially a marriage ceremony where there were candles, exchange of jewelry and biblical quotes given, in order for Anthony to know and for the bishop to tell him, I will always have your back and you will always have mine. He would use biblical stories to talk about how important it was to follow your leader and your master and let him know that the acts he was engaged in were not necessarily meaning that he was a homosexual or that either of them was. But rather, the pastor, Bishop Long, was releasing his passion and his love for Anthony. (Italics, my own)

Considering his vicious attacks on same-sex marriage, this "covenant" now puts Long in the category of uber-hypocrite. Yes, "Bishop" Eddie Long is now in the Strom Thurmond-Ted Haggard big league: fostering disdain for one group of people while secretly having sex with them. Long's outspoken animosity towards gays has been prevalent for years.

SFGate:

Long has called for a national ban on same-sex marriage and his church counsels gay members to become straight. In 2004, he led a march with Bernice King to her father's Atlanta grave to support a national constitutional amendment to protect marriage "between one man and one woman."

Irony Alert! One of Long's book titles: What A Man Wants - What A Woman Needs.

All hypocrisy aside (which is tough to do, considering it takes a mental bulldozer to push it!), one of the main points of this scandal is that Long has used his titles to place him in authority, respect and even awe. He might have saved money by riding on his elevated credentials alone, but he chose to ply his sexual interests with gifts essentially bought by the church.
 
Dumb.

"Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm" (Psalm 105:15)

In the last twenty-five years, Long has built up a ministry with a little charisma, some bling and a whole lotta unfounded "respect". Like loaves and fishes, the church's membership multiplied exponentially, from 300 to 30,000. And Long's arm of authority clutched at 8 board memberships (one for Emory University), and numerous awards including honors from Center for Disease Control and the National HIV/AIDS Partnership for his work in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS (WIKIPEDIA)

(Aside: For those twenty-five years, the hypocrisy never stopped; e.g., his "work in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS" still toed the Southern Baptist Convention line in pointedly NOT ministering to gays. This is something I've had personal experience with: as a volunteer for the AIDS Emergency Fund, I saw the result of Long's "faith-based" work, and it wasn't pretty. Let's just say that the people who came to San Francisco, were hoping that it would be better than the hell Southern Baptists were making for them while they were SICK AND DYING!! Check it out. And while you're at it, see if you can find Rick Warren's name in any list of faith-based AIDS agencies. I'm just sayin').

"Dr." "Rev." and "Bishop" are among the most automatically revered titles a person can have in America.  Eddie Long uses them with abandon: the "Dr." comes from a degree in Pastoral Ministry from the International College of Excellence. (Unfortunately, The ICE was founded by Robb Thompson, whose own "doctorate" is questionable - televangelists take care of their own, it seems). The title of "Bishop", however, is even sketchier: since the Southern Baptist Convention supposedly has no hierarchy other than deacon and pastor, it's hard to find out WHO made him "Bishop." If James Manning of ATLAH Ministries* could give himself a doctorate, why not a title of "Bishop" for Long? In addition: the title of "Bishop" connotes authority of a group of ministers and churches. Which local churches have given pastoral sway to Long? 

This entire scenario may yet prove to people that in the realm of American religion, titles are almost worthless and scrutiny is very important. The idea that one can't question "a man of God," no longer holds true. America should have learned its lesson with Bakker, Swaggart, Haggard, Rekers, and all the Catholic clergy with "Fr." or "Rev." in front of their names. If Terry Jones had not an "Rev." or "Dr." (he used both) in front of his name, he might have burned a thousand Qurans with only his flock of 50 in attendance.  

But the trust in titles, the unearned respect to "men of God," is too difficult to erase. Watch the HERE video featuring unbelieving church members when questioned about Long. (NOTE: all videos of news coverage have been DISABLED for embedding and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church's website has been taken down. The ABC News item also includes pictures that Long sent to the two young men - pictures taken in his bathroom, and of course, of his muscles)

So my last question about all of this: who's to blame for this scandal? Of course, Long probably bears the brunt of it all, and the charges against him might even be a bit exaggerated. But the real blame goes to his congregation, those poor church members seemingly kept in the dark. Yes, the blame rests upon them because they had been warned about Long and the way his wealth was questioned.** Unrelated? Not really: if they had done some due diligence on his finances, they might have uncovered the "gifts" and the incomes he gave to the young men. 

It's time for people of faith not to place too much "faith" in titles.  Rooting through your pastor's past and finances is not a sin. Asking him to be accountable isn't either.

* "Dr." "Rev." James Manning is the head of the Harlem congregation who hoped Pres. Obama would die. He often calls Obama, "The Long-legged Mack Daddy." He became "born again" while serving a prison term for armed burglary. The "Seminary" he founded has one project called The Witch Doctor Project  Exposing the Magnificent Seven - Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Bill Clinton, T.D. Jakes, Louis Farrakan, Don King, and Cornell West, the American witch doctors.

** Click here for a copy of the letter sent to "Bishop" Eddie Long from Senator Chuck Grassley inquiring about Long's finances.

Rules From The Manual of Phelpsian Publicity Followed By Reverend Terry Jones

He Got What He Wanted From Taking 

The Fabulous Fred Phelps Course

In Demagoguery And Publicity

UPDATE (2:15PM - PDT) The Reverend Terry Jones has just called off his "International Burn A Koran Day". Millions of people are relieved. Now, of course, pundits and preachers will keep him in the news for at least the next several days. Until he comes up with another "stunt" (as the President called it). 

UPDATE (7:15pm - PDT) The "stunt" might be on again, so Jones is  saying that it has been "suspended." It seems that he assumed he would be flown over to New York for a confab with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. He assumed wrong.

The analysis of this "stunt" should begin with comparisons to that master of insult and public outrage, Fed Phelps. And the parallels of Rev. Terry Jones To Fred Phelps are, well, scary: it's already been documented that Jones is, in a way, a student of Phelps. And now that his exploits in Germany have become national news fodder, Jones has the same international cache of a religious martinet and demigod that Phelps has cultivated all these years. And some say the pupil might have outdistanced his trainer:

The Pitch:

Civil War-mustachioed Florida preacher man Terry Jones backed off his plans to burn the Islamic religious text on Saturday. So, after calling out Jones for stealing their church's 2008 attention-grabbing ploy, Phelps-Roper and her kin are picking up where Jones left off.



"The false prophet Terry Jones caved--like all false prophets do, and like we told you he would," Phelps-Roper bragged.

Some might argue that Jones still has a way to go in emulating Phelps, but let's face it: Jones definitely got what he wanted - PUBLICITY. For better or worse, his number of followers has grown exponentially and some are even calling him a "hero." He's solidified his base. 

He'll probably get a book deal.

So what are some of the rules/advisories that Jones cadged from Phelps? I've laid out the obvious ones.

From The Manual Of Phelpsian Publicity:

1. Plan an outrageously insulting event, like book burning or protesting at military funerals.

2. Make people angry enough for them to do most of the publicity work for you. Having religious leaders scorn you is OK, but get some celebrities, too. Angelina Jolie, for example.

3. Site all sorts of insane reasons for your actions, but always end up blaming God. That's easily done by putting words in God's mouth, like "God hates fags."

4. Be consistent. When you've got a good thing going, keep doing it the same way all the time. It's called "branding."

5. Make sure those apostate relatives don't get to the media before you do, if at all. They tend to spoil things. If they say that you beat them when they were kids, tell the media that they're lying, shake your head and tell them how sad you are that your children have been led astray.

6. Memorize no more than a dozen passages of scripture that support you and your actions. Anything more is unnecessary. If you get hit with a difficult question, just make something up and cite an obscure book of the Bible like Hosea. Who reads the Bible anyway?

7. Be proud of your ignorance. When asked a complicated question, hold your head up high and tell them that the Lord hasn't given you an answer to that one...yet.

8. Use your family at all times, except, of course, the ones who've run away.

9. Maintain your core group in a compound. And since America always strains to believe the little guy, it's OK if the compound is made up of small houses or trailers. Million-dollar estates tend to put people off.

10. Have a phobia, any kind of phobia. America's full of phobias. Find one and stick with it.

11. Get ostracized  by another country. This is always good publicity - it shows that people think you have influence.

And last: 

12. Keep repeating all of the above until you reach the Supreme Court.

Have aProblem? Burn A Book! Some Thoughts on The Flames Of Control

Burning books is an act of desperation and a lesson in futility. And a method of control. Forget the images of Fahrenheit 451 where books were kept from a hedonistic society by  the government. Censorship and distrust of literacy have almost always been in the provenance of religion - at least in Western Civilization. And it should come as no big surprise that the first major book burning in recorded history was caused by righteous zealots:

The Western world's great storehouse of knowledge was in Alexandria, a cosmopolitan Mediterranean seaport in Rome's Egyptian province, where the wisdom of the ancient world was supposedly kept on scrolls. That centuries-old knowledge was preserved until 391 CE, when Emperor Theodosius, a Christian convert, ordered all non-Christian works eliminated. The Library at Alexandria, storehouse of the world's knowledge, was burned, the first of many book-burnings "inspired" by Christianity.

                                           - from Don't Know Much About The Bible by Kenneth C. Davis

In other words, Rome had seen the light, became a "Christian Only" empire, and could no longer tolerate any form of non-Christian thought. Historians have opined for years that the reasons for stashing away the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Gnostic Gospels were primarily because of the Emperor's edict. In fact, after 391 CE, books were basically outlawed for several centuries, and the Gnostic Gospels were written in Coptic before the 5th century. During Nero's day, Rome boasted 29 public libraries. By the 5th century, there were none.

“There was a time when religion ruled the world. It is known as the Dark Ages.”

                                       - Ruth Hurmence Green, Freedom From Religion Foundation

With the Roman Rule of Religion came the closing of Plato's Academy and all other "secular" schools. When good Saint Augustine came along and invented Original Sin (as we know it) only the rich could afford to have their children tutored by the religious authorities (Augustine himself studied under Bishop Ambrose of Milan). Scribes of the Bible were encouraged in literacy only insomuch as it would help them make copies of the Bible. Then after the fall of Rome, monasteries gained control of much of Europe's land. Monks, priests and (some) nuns were highly literate, but they kept literacy to a minimum outside the walls of churches, monasteries and abbeys to a point where kings could not sign their own names to documents. Charlemagne was basically illiterate.

When the printed word started to become common, it was forbidden for Bibles to be written in the vernacular. In 1380, John Wycliffe produced on of the first English Bible translations... 

[Ken Davis] ... The authorities were not amused. Denounced as a heretic after his death, Wycliffe couldn't be executed. Church officials did the next best thing: they exhumed his corpse and burned it.

And as for the Quran or any other books written and read by Muslims, Queen Isabella's Spain trumped our own Rev.Terry Jones by 500 years and a few more books:

Thus on December 18, 1499, three thousand Muslims were baptized by force. These Moors had been told to bring all their books with them so they could watch them burn on the Plaza de Vivarrambla in Grenada. 

                                                                             - Lucien Polastron, Books On Fire

The blaze was so spectacular that the estimate of burned volumes numbered about one million. 

Control. Religious control. Of nations. Of denominations. Even the King James Bible itself came under fire when, in 1844, Catholics protested against it being read aloud in public schools.

In 1844, over the course of several days, nativists in Philadelphia claiming that Catholics wanted the Bible out of the schools killed thirteen people and burned a Catholic Church to the ground...Rioting in dozens of cities in the 1840s and '50s could be connected to the fight over the Bible in the schools.

                                                                                        - Noah Feldman, Divided by God

Control. I won't bother to talk about Germany's conflagration in 1933. It was about control. I wonder where Hitler got the idea?

"Knowledge Is Power" And whoever controls knowledge has the ultimate power. 

When Is Uganda hosting a bonfire? Ask Lou Engle, he'll know.

In Flagrante Delicto: Dangerously Stupid Bigotry In Action From Gainseville, Florida

"But in America, there is the freedom to be ignorant"

Today I looked up the definition of inflagrante delicto: it comes from Latin - "in a blazing offence" - from which we get the term "caught red-handed." So it may be it ironic that the act of burning a religious holy book has brought out the Christian Right's Islamophobia: it's been there all along, but this time it was caught in the act just as its homophobia was caught in the act with Fred Phelps' antics at Matthew Shepard's funeral. 

And while we might argue that anything associated with  Westboro Baptist Church would be discounted as in bad taste, an ally of the church - the Dove World Outreach Center of Gainesville, Fla, however, is trying to prove that bad taste can be deadly. In a news item that summarily falls into the WTF? category:

(CNN) -- The U.S. commander in Afghanistan on Monday criticized a Florida church's plan to burn copies of the Quran on September 11, warning the demonstration "could cause significant problems" for American troops overseas.

"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan," Gen. David Petraeus said in a statement issued Monday.

And to further solidify the proof of his idiocy, Pastor Jones of Dove World Outreach Center

...insists the event is "neither an act of love nor of hate," but a warning against what it calls the threats posed by Islam.

The website of Dove World Outreach Center (activew membership - 50) is a chilling affair, primatily because he so purposely demonizes Islam and the Christian Right's usual targets (the LGBT community and Obama, e.g.) referring to them all as "evil." The undertone of "destroy them before they destroy us"  is so prevalent that it renders his "neither an act of love nor hate" statement totally meaningless. He expounds on the "unbelivable cruelty" of radical Islam while negating the fact that his rhetoric will cause harm to Muslims in this country because, of course, there are no Muslims in America who are not part of radical Islam.

BTW: Jones boasts that he has never read the Quran.

There is, of course, a plethora of Christian leaders calling the proposed September 11th International Burn A Koran Day an abomination. The most insightful and glaring protests, however have come from the Gainesville, FL communities. One of them has a website to which people can affix their name to a petition.

From Please Don't Burn The Koran:

We the people of the City of Gainesville Florida, and others everywhere who support freedom of religion, sincerely request that the Dove World Outreach Center Church not proceed with their plans to burn the Koran on 9/11 or at any other time. Freedom of religion is a founding principle of our Constitution and the burning of any people's sacred texts is in direct opposition to this principle. If you proceed with your plans to burn the Koran, please understand that this act will not serve to lessen our respect for the Muslim faith, but will only serve to lessen our respect for you and what you are preaching.

This petition is now closed.

Please take action on these important issues below.

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Jones has refused all demands to stop the book burning.

CNN:

Jones canceled a planned appearance on CNN's "Rick's List" to discuss the controversy Monday afternoon. Plemon el-Amin, the imam of an Atlanta, Georgia, mosque, said that Jones' criticism of Islam is "really quite uninformed."

"But in America, there is the freedom to be ignorant," el-Amin said. "The only problem is in the world, many people don't understand that particular freedom. So what he is doing is like shouting fire in a theater, in a world theater, and people are upset."

Afghans burn an effigy of Dove World Outreach Center's pastor Terry Jones during a demonstration against the United States in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 6, 2010. Hundreds of Afghans railed against the U.S. and called for President Barack Obama's death at a rally in the capital Monday to denounce the American church's plans to burn the Islamic holy book on 9/11.

PLemon el-Amin was being kind  when he used the word "uninformed." Jones' foolhardy attempt at "evangelism" eerily conjures up the Christian Right's desperate attempt to gain control in a "Christian Only" nation and in doing so, magnifies its unreasonable and rather brainless world view. For example, the website for Dove World Outreach Center lists TEN REASONS TO BURN A KORAN. With it, Jones ticks off a litany that is so parallel to extreme/radical Reconstructionist thought  that it seems to simply switch the words Islam with Right Wingnut Religion. 

 - The Koran teaches that Jesus Christ, the Crucified, Risen Son of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords was NOT the Son of God, nor was he crucified (a well documented historical fact that ONLY Islam denies). Parenthetical expressions can effectively point out ingnorance: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and dozens of other faiths do not recognize Christ. The Koran, however, is an Abrahamic faith which does recognize Christ as a prophet. Also, Christ's crucifixion is only documented in one source outside the Bible. 

- The Koran does not have an eternal origin. It is not recorded in heaven. The Almighty God, Creator of the World, is NOT it's source. It is not holy. It's writings are human in origin, a concoction of old and new teachings. Hmmm...a lot of people say that about the Bible. Some reknowned Bible scholars are probably weeping at this statement.

- The Koran's teaching includes Arabian idolatry, paganism, rites and rituals. I wonder what he thinks about Catholicism and its Mariolitry or Eastern Orthodox and its reverence for icons?

- The earliest writings that are known to exist about the Prophet Mohammad were recorded 120 years after his death. ... Maybe Mohammad never existed. The earliest known writing about Christ (besides Paul's which did not chronicle Christ's life) were written over 50 years after the crucifxion in a language Christ did not speak. Some people doubt he existed.

 - Mohammad's life and message cannot be respected. And, of course, no one has ever attempted to arrange Christ's life and words to suit their own agenda.

- Islamic Law is totalitarian in nature. There is no separation of church and state. It is irrational. It is supposedly immutable and cannot be changed. The outcry of  "No separation of Church and State" by the Christian Right has totally obliterated Jones' reasoning here and he looks the fool for even mentioning it.

 - Islam is not compatible with democracy and human rights. The notion of a moral individual capable of making decisions and taking responsibility for them does not exist in Islam. The attitude towards women in Islam as inferior possessions of men has led to countless cases of mistreatment and abuse... Jones has never been to a battered women's shelter. The abuse continues. The irony that Fundamentalists have a higher divorce rate than the rest of the country is apparently lost on him. The Southern Baptist Convention still struggles with the definition of a wife being subservient to her husband.

 - A Muslim does not have the right to change his religion. Apostasy is punishable by death. It's a good thing Roger Williams didn't die after being ostracized by the Puritans. Anyway,  I supposed Jones' point could be well taken in that today's non-Christian only faces  extreme discrimination. The Christian Right is, however, making headway in Africa/Uganda.

 - Deep in the Islamic teaching and culture is the irrational fear and loathing of the West. Deep in the Christian Right teaching and culture is the irrational fear and loathing of the Middle East.

- Islam is a weapon of Arab imperialism and Islamic colonialism. Wherever Islam has or gains political power, Christians, Jews and all non-Moslems receive persecution, discrimination, are forced to convert. History will always come back to haunt us: Native Americans were forced into slavery (by the good Franciscan priests of the California Missions) and Puritans killed off whole tribes because they wouldn't convert. 

The next days will be frought with tension as to who will side with whom or who will start distancing themselves from Rev. Jones and his little band of bigots.  We've been hearing from organizations like Family Research Council about "protecting" our troops from "homosexuality" but will they be silent about protecting our troops from one of their own? 


At least American Family Association's Bryan Fischer has the courage of his own stupidity: he defends Jones in a way that only a hardline anti-everyone Rightwingnut can.

When atheists and secularists like the minions of the ACLU, get the Bible banned from schools what do Christians do? They make phone calls, send emails, and go to court. What do Muslims do under similar circumstances? They start shooting and throwing bombs.

So now the Christian Right has been caught in flagrante dilecto in its fight for a "Christian Only Nation." 

Too bad that lives will be lost.