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America’s Churches Must Speak Out: Pulpit Freedom Sunday, October 7, is their Opportunity

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The 2012 U.S. presidential election season is getting vicious, and the nation recognizes that there is a great deal riding on this election. Despite the constant bantering and outright verbal attacks (between friends on Twitter and Facebook), the widespread interest is frankly much better for American than listless hopelessness. People care.

As it does on a regular basis, Americans United for Separation of Church and State is getting after churches for caring too much. Americans United has sent out a letter warning churches not to engage in politicking because, “tax law prohibits 501(c)(3) groups from supporting or opposing candidates.” The letter even warns about voter guides that are too one-sided in how they address the issues.

Most churches would like to keep their 501(c)(3) status and continue to offer tax deductions for tithes and offerings. They therefore tread very carefully during election time. Some pastors, however, are weary of being muzzled. These believe the church has a responsibility to address political issues, just as men of God have done throughout history, and they want to fight for their First Amendment right of free speech in their churches. These pastors will be speaking out very clearly about political matters and will offer their views on specific candidates on October 7, which has been dubbed Pulpit Freedom Sunday. If lawsuits ensue, these pastors hope that they will result in a Supreme Court decision to overturn the Johnson Amendment, the 1954 amendment to the tax code forbidding politicking in churches.

In an analysis of the history behind the Johnson Amendment, James D. Davidson of Purdue University said in 1998, “The ban on electioneering has nothing to do with the First Amendment or Jeffersonian principles of separation of church and state. The First Amendment speaks of religious freedom; it says nothing that would preclude churches from aligning themselves with or against candidates for political office…” Davidson argues that it was then-Senator Lyndon Johnson’s push against McCarthyism and effort to hold Democratic control over the Senate that motivated the amendment in 1954.

Even now, though, there’s no law that says churches cannot offer a microphone to political causes. They may right now, under current law, preach for or against candidates all they want. Churches and charities just may not keep their 501(c)(3) tax exempt status if they engage in overt campaigning.

What Should Churches Do?

Jesus told his disciples, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”(Matthew 5:14) That applies first and foremost to the Spirit of God in us, shining out in our everyday lives. Living for Jesus Christ and putting him first in our lives is the most vital thing we can do, whatever our political positions.

Because the government of the United States is in the hands of the people, though, Americans are in a greater position to move things politically than were the people of First Century Rome. We Americans have a responsibility to oversee our representatives, to hold them accountable, and to make our voices heard. Individual Americas, whatever their religious beliefs, are not only free but should speak out to make sure that our local and federal public servants are doing their jobs well.

Read more from this story HERE.

Radio Hosts Suspended For ‘Anti-Muslim’ Remarks (+video)

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By NewsGuy. A popular northern California morning radio team was abruptly suspended Tuesday, after calling on their listeners to make cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed to teach Muslims a lesson about American-styled free speech.

“Some of you people that are good with the computer – make an anti-Mohammed ad post it to Al Jazeera,” said Jack Armstrong of the San Francisco Bay Area morning team Armstrong and Getty on Monday. “We need to swamp them with ads until they grow up.”

The comments were brought about during a heated discussion about last Friday’s rioting in the Muslim world over a YouTube video defaming the Prophet Mohammed and Islam. “It’s absolutely unbelievable that we [the United States] have been put in a position where we’re apologizing [for the video], and nobody condemns them [for their violence],” Armstrong said.

Armstrong and Getty also mocked President Obama and the US State Department for what they described as an “apology” to Muslims about the video.

“Nobody delivers the incredibly complicated message of, ‘listen, you can burn this embassy or you can ignore it [the video] completely, the results will still be the same,’” added co-host Joe Getty. “Just settle down.” Read more from this story HERE.

Here’s a local news report on the co-hosts’ controversial statements:

Religious Liberty IS the Winning Issue this Election

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In a new poll from the Susan B. Anthony List, 69 percent of likely swing voters in Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Florida disagreed with the notion that “the federal government should force institutions to pay for drugs that violate their conscience or religious belief.” Fifty-one percent of them “strongly disagree.”

Sixty-six percent said they’d reject candidates who support the HHS mandate. Forty-four percent of them said they are “much less likely” to support a candidate who supports such restrictive efforts.

If you’re wondering what you can do to make a difference not just in this election but in our future understanding of liberty itself in the United States, commit yourself to educating on this issue.

Mitt Romney’s best moment on this issue was in Ohio in July when he said “I feel we’re all Catholic today.”

He explained that: The president and his administration said they are going to usurp your religious freedom by demanding that you provide products to your employees, if you’re the Catholic Church, that violates your own conscience.”

Read more from this story HERE.

White House Caving to Islamic Blasphemy Agenda, Free Speech is Targeted Next

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Photo credit: Dan Costin

For the past two weeks, the American people have been encouraged by Team Obama — official representatives of the administration, its champions in the press and other partisans — to believe a number of national security calumnies that can be described only as surrealistically epic and dangerous deceptions. Far more than the usual political sleight of hand that can be expected in the run-up to an election, the mendacity of Team Obama is truly audacious, and the consequences of the public accepting it at face value are grave.

Take, for example, President Obama’s insistence that the surging violence in dozens of countries is a “natural” response by Muslims to a video produced in America that trashes Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. One can scarcely find an official or press account of these events that does not start with something to the effect that the attacks were precipitated by that (almost entirely unviewed) short film.

There are several things wrong with this proposition. First, in some places — notably Libya, where an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi resulted in the brutal killing of the American ambassador and three others assigned to that mission — there is no evidence that the film was even a pretext, let alone the real reason for what was, in fact, a disciplined, coordinated and successful act of jihad. In others, it was simply the latest excuse by Islamists to incite crowds to violence, just as Danish cartoons, burned Korans, a speech by the pope and defiled Afghan corpses have been at one time or another.

What this latest campaign of deceit by Team Obama is meant to obscure is its own national security malpractice, namely a dogged refusal to face the reality that America is at war with an enemy that it has been unwilling to name, has failed to counter and is actually emboldening. Such behavior has signaled to jihadists seeking to impose on the rest of us the totalitarian ideology they call Shariah that acts of violence — or even threats of violence — against us will be met with accommodations and concessions whenever the stated justification is outrage over some perceived insult to Islam.

The Obama administration has committed to engage in, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton put it, “old-fashioned techniques of peer pressure and shaming” to discourage such offensive behavior. This is but a milestone along the trajectory of the White House’s acquiescence to the Shariah blasphemy agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood’s state-level counterpart, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Read more from this story HERE.

Video: Interview with Facebook-posting Marine Veteran: “I am Scared for My Country”

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In an interview with Attorney John Whitehead today, Marine Veteran Brandon Raub describes his arrest for his Facebook posts, his incarceration in a psych ward, and the state of the country: “I’m pretty tough, so I rolled with the punches. But it made me scared for my country that a man can be snatched out of his property without being read his rights, I think it should be very alarming to all Americans.” Here’s the interview:

Video: Attorney says psychiatrist threatened to brainwash Marine vet Raub with psychotropic meds

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This is a great interview where Glen Beck talks to Brandon Raub’s attorney, John Whitehead. Both Glen Beck and Whitehead state that they’ve been “getting calls from everybody,” including veterans’ organizations, reporting law enforcement harassment of war veterans. In Raub’s case, not only was he involuntarily committed due to this harassment, but also a psychiatrist threatened to forcibly medicate him. Whitehead reports that he is preparing a lawsuit against the government due to this outrageous violation of Raub’s rights.

Va. judge, in surprise move, orders immediate release of Marine vet Brandon Raub

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In an unexpected ruling handed down today by Circuit Court Judge Allan Sharrett, the judge dismissed the government’s case against Brandon Raub, the Marine who was arrested by local police and FBI agents, detained in a psychiatric ward and forced to undergo psychological evaluations based solely on the controversial nature of lines from song lyrics, political messages and virtual card games which he posted to his private Facebook page. Judge Sharrett dismissed the petition for involuntary commitment on the grounds that the petition “is so devoid of any factual allegations that it could not be reasonably expected to give rise to a case or controversy.” Raub is expected to be released immediately.

“This is a great victory for the First Amendment and the rule of law,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “Brandon Raub was arrested with no warning, targeted for doing nothing more than speaking out against the government, detained against his will, and isolated from his family, friends and attorneys. These are the kinds of things that take place in totalitarian societies. Today, at least, Judge Allan Sharrett proved that justice can still prevail in America.”

Brandon Raub, a former Marine who has served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was detained by FBI agents and police officers at his home in Chesterfield County based upon the nature of content posted to his Facebook page in recent months. Like many Facebook users, Raub uses his Facebook page to post song lyrics and air his political opinions, as well as engage in virtual online games with other users. On Thursday, August 16, 2012, police and FBI agents arrived at Raub’s home, asking to speak with him about his Facebook posts. They did not provide Raub with a search warrant. Raub was cooperative and agreed to speak with them. Without providing any explanation, levying any charges against Raub or reading him his rights, law enforcement officials then handcuffed Raub and transported him first to the police headquarters, then to John Randolph Medical Center, where he was held against his will due to alleged concerns that his Facebook posts were “terrorist in nature.” Outraged onlookers filmed the arrest and posted the footage to YouTube.

In a hearing before Special Justice Walter Douglas Stokes on August 20, government officials again pointed to Raub’s Facebook posts as the sole reason for their concern and for his continued incarceration. Ignoring Raub’s explanations about the fact that the FB posts were being read out of context and his attorney’s First Amendment defense, Stokes sentenced the former Marine to up to 30 days’ further confinement in a psychiatric ward and signed a court order for Raub’s involuntary admission to the Veterans Hospital in Salem. In coming to Raub’s defense, attorneys for The Rutherford Institute challenged the actions of Chesterfield County, Va. as procedurally improper, legally unjustified, and in violation of Raub’s First Amendment rights. Institute attorneys appeared before the Circuit Court on August 23 to request that Raub be transferred back to John Randolph Medical Center while Institute attorneys attempted to secure his release. However, Judge Allan Sharrett declared the government’s case to be lacking in factual allegations and ordered Raub immediately released.

Read more from this story HERE.

Video: Fox News Interview with Veteran Brandon Raub’s Attorney reveals info about Marine’s background, circumstances

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In this Fox News 19 “Reality Check,” Veteran Brandon Raub’s attorney is interviewed about Mr. Raub’s involuntary commitment at a mental hospital. Additional details about Raub’s background, including the fact that he was a straight-A student, are revealed in this newscast.

Video: Interview with Facebook-posting Marine Vet, now detained for 30-days in Psych Ward

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Veteran of the Afghan and Iraq wars, ex-Marine Brandon Raub was interviewed yesterday about his 30-day commitment to a psych ward because of his anti-federal government Facebook postings:

Fox News finally reports: Marine vet detained for another month due to Facebook posts

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A former Marine involuntarily detained for psychiatric evaluation for posting strident anti-government messages on Facebook has received an outpouring of support from people who say authorities are trampling on his First Amendment rights.

Brandon J. Raub, 26, has been in custody since FBI, Secret Service agents and police in Virginia’s Chesterfield County questioned him Thursday evening about what they said were ominous posts talking about a coming revolution. In one message earlier this month according to authorities, Raub wrote: “Sharpen my axe; I’m here to sever heads.”

Police — acting under a state law that allows emergency, temporary psychiatric commitments upon the recommendation of a mental health professional — took Raub to the John Randolph Medical Center in Hopewell. He was not charged with any crime.

A Virginia-based civil liberties group, The Rutherford Institute, dispatched one of its attorneys to the hospital to represent Raub at a hearing Monday. A judge ordered Raub detained for another month, Rutherford executive director John Whitehead said.

“For government officials to not only arrest Brandon Raub for doing nothing more than exercising his First Amendment rights but to actually force him to undergo psychological evaluations and detain him against his will goes against every constitutional principle this country was founded upon,” Whitehead said.

Read more from this story HERE.