anyone but c4n3p

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 16:24:12 -0600

She should make her name Carole Keeton "Bigot" Strayhorn. Two years ago, Strahorn was angered by the fact that he Unitarian Universalist church stepped out of line from the common practice of Texas churches endorsing right-wing agendas because the Unitarian Universalists preach tolerance. The Unitarian Universalist church has a long history in America, going back over 200 years. Both the second American President John Adams and the fourth American President John Quincy Adams were Unitarians. The church is has congregations in every state, including about 50 in Texas, where there are about 10,000 church members here in this state alone. Among the seven principles that guide Unitarian Universalists is the belief that we must all respect the interdependent nature of all existence. This belief demands an attitude of tolerance. Never had any state or governmental agency questioned the Unitarians tax-exempt religious status because of this religious philosophy UNTIL Strayhorn. Ignoring the church's long religious history, Strayhorn claimed that the church wasn't really a religion so she could use that argument as the basis to yank the church's tax empt status because, in Strayhorn's own words, the Texas Unitarian church "does not have one system of belief." Of course, even conservative legal and religious scholars were shocked. Conservative University of Texas law professor Douglas Laycock, who specializes in religious liberty issues, was quick to point out that Texas has not always barred similarly inclusive religions from tax exempt status. Previously, even the Republican Texas Supreme Court had and other Texas courts had rejected this tactic, holding that such a bigoted practice "fails to include the whole range of belief systems that may, in our diverse and pluralistic society, merit the First Amendment protection." Strayhorn vowed to fight the Unitarian Universalist church to the U.S. Supreme Court, comparing the church to a "wannabe cult" with members who "dress up and parades down Sixth Street on Halloween." Just a week after this bigoted statement, Strayhorn reversed her biased decision and have up her persecution.

Austinist: News of the Lame: Carole Cougar Mellencamp for Governor

anyone but c4n3p