[Vision2020] Thank You Tom Trail (To the rest of you--this is important)

[Jim Meyer]

Thank you Tom for your alert concerning the Houses of Worship Free Speech
Restoration Act  .

The news that Tom brings us (see below) is very upsetting for several
reasons:
1. Because honest discussion/voting on very important issues can so easily
be circumventing by dishonest but legal maneuvering.
2. Because sound byte issues such as abortion and taxes are causing good,
church going people to support a radical agenda to destroy our
constitutional right to freedom of religion (as well as destroy our
environment and social safety nets while enriching the obscenely rich) .
3. Because supposedly church going people would use dead-of-the-night
maneuvers to force an issue that can't, on its own, stand by its merit in
the light of day.
4. Because potentially, a certain Moscow church could, legally, without fear
of losing nonprofit status, influence the outcome of local elections and
unashamedly run candidates that are "open to supervision."

The whole idea is contrary to our constitution and incredibly dangerous to
our country. Thank God for the Interfaith Alliance and their vigilance
against unholy threats to our nation. Right at the moment, I can think of
few things more despicable (and less Christian) than Tom Delay's actions.

Readers, this is something to be taken seriously.

Jim Meyer


 Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 16:58:59 -0700
From: Tom Trail <ttrail at moscow.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] Fwd: ALERT: Jones Bill moving: Calls to Senators
To: vision2020 at whale2.fsr.net
Message-ID: <f05200f10bd6be3e841ee@[64.126.181.33]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

>Visionaries:




>>   A bill to end the wall of separation between the institutions of
religion
>>and government by reversing IRS tax laws is on its way to being
>>attached to the American
>>Jobs Creation Act of 2004.  Please read the alert below and send it
>>out broadly.  I received this e mail from United Vision in Boise,
>>and I've

   contacted our Congressional delegation to vote against the measure

    Rep. Tom Trail

>>
>>
>>In a move designed to crush all opposition, House Majority Leader
>>Tom Delay and House Speaker Dennis Hastert have joined with Rep.
>>Walter Jones to attach the Houses of Worship Free Speech
>>Restoration Act (Jones bill/HR 235) to the American Jobs Creation
>>Act of 2004 (H.R. 4520).  If passed, the Jones bill would go far
>>towards eroding the wall of separation between the institutions of
>>religion and government by reversing IRS tax laws that prohibit
>>houses of worship from engaging in partisan politicking.
>>
>>The American Jobs Creation Act already passed the House and Senate
>>and is in conference committee. By inserting the Jones legislation
>>into this bill during conference committee , Delay and Jones ensure
>>that the House and Senate will never get a chance to vote on the
>>Jones bill, which the House has defeated in various forms twice
>>before.
>>
>>Shortly before the Congress moved into its August Recess, Rep.
>>Jones, according to The Hill newspaper, delivered a letter to the
>>Speaker signed by 131 lawmakers stating that the House ìlost an
>>ideal opportunityî to change IRS policy in regards to the ability
>>of houses of worship to endorse partisan candidates when the House
>>passed the tax reform bill on June 17. In that bill, The Interfaith
>>Alliance along with nearly two dozen religious denominations was
>>successful in leading a bipartisan effort to defeat the so-called
>>ìSafe Harbors Act,î a variation of the Jones bill that would have
>>allowed houses of worship to endorse political candidates up to
>>three times without losing their tax-exempt status.  Capitol Hill
>>sources say that the letter delivered by Jones to Speaker Hastert
>>is a clear pressure tactic reminding the Speaker that many
>>Republican votes for the larger tax reform bill are in jeopardy if
>>the Jones legislation is not included in the bill.
>>
>>On September 9, action alerts sprang up on Religious-Right websites
>>instructing their members to call Hastert and Delay stating,
>>ìUPDATE: WE NEED YOU TO MAKE CALLS TODAY!  The hope of returning
>>free speech to our pastors is closer than ever. There is a solid
>>possibility of inserting HR235, the Houses of Worship Free Speech
>>Restoration Act, into the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 that
>>is currently in conference committee on Capitol Hill.î
>>
>>TIA members and supports are urged to contact House Ways and Means
>>Chairman Bill Thomas and thank him for his past work in preventing
>>this dangerous and landscape-altering legislation from becoming
>>reality. Please ask Chairman Thomas to prevent the hijacking of the
>>Jobs Creation Act by Walter Jones and his Houses of Worship Free
>>Speech Restoration Act. His office can be reached by calling
>>202-225-3625.  Telephone calls are the only communication that will
>>make an impact at this point.
-- 
Dr. Tom Trail
International Trails
1375 Mt. View Rd.
Moscow, Id. 83843
Tel:  (208) 882-6077
Fax:  (208) 882-0896
e mail ttrail at moscow.com