Well, it's been two days since the Arvada Colorado shooting, and the media trucks have left my neighborhood. The only sign that they were here are the deep ruts they left by hurridly parking in wet, muddy ground along the main road. Like migratory vultures, their trucks and satellite dishes and blow-dried reporters have moved south, to more fertile feeding grounds.

One group of reporters is hovering in Englewood, home of the gunman, interviewing family and friends and collecting every possible scrap of information about this sick nut.

Another group is camped out in Colorado Springs, where they are broadcasting damn-nearly-hourly "special reports" that are focusing on the sick psychopath who gunned down innocent people in an effort to emulate other sick psychopaths.

A second shooting has occurred in Colorado today, and additional victims have been reported.

Complete details are not being released, but this second shooting occurred at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. New Life Church, along with Focus on the Family, helped establish Colorado Springs' reputation as a lynchpin of Christian fundamentalism. Its congregation was estimated in 2006 at 14,000 members.

New Life Church was founded in 1984 by Ted Haggard, who was implicated in a drugs-and-sex scandal in November 2006 and resigned his position shortly afterwards.

Recently, there has been news (among other things, in this diary and this diary about Ted Haggard's reentry into the "Christ for Cash" market.

I've done some digging myself on some of this, and have uncovered aspects which haven't been highlighted so far on DailyKos, so I'll note these for researchers and the general public.

Among other things, Ted Haggard seems to be officially an Assemblies preacher (or working towards same), the charity to which he is soliciting funds for has not existed since 2007 (and has not been functional since 2005), and he could well be making some major booboos in soliciting funds meant for a 501(c)3.

An original report crossposted from ColoradoConfidential.com.

Have some extra cash? Feel like going to heaven? Then you might consider sending Ted Haggard and his family some monthly checks for the next two years while they move into a halfway house and get psychology and counseling degrees from the University of Phoenix.

If you haven't had enough of the Haggard/New Life Church saga, this week KRDO Channel 13 in Colorado Springs aired a story about a letter that Haggard sent to consumer reporter Tak Landrock, letting him know of the Haggard family plans to move into the Phoenix Dream Center to minister to ex-cons, recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes, and "other broken people," Haggard writes. "I identify."

Baaron Pittenger,  assistant news director of the ABC affiliate, says that Landrock has been communicating with the fallen former pastor of New Life Church via e-mail. The station broadcast the story about Haggard's new life and request for donations on the 10 p.m. news last night. Pittenger says he's not aware that there's been much response to the story.

Original story by Cara DeGette; cross-posted with permission from Colorado Confidential.com

"Mike Jones tells his story with such simplicity, unguarded openness and vulnerability that you feel like you know him and would like to know him better," says actress Judith Light, in an advance promo testimonial.

OK so far. Let’s open up the book. Whoa! Talk about cutting right to the chase! We're immediately introduced to the guy who calls himself "Art from Kansas City."

"Within minutes, the man with the light brown hair lay naked on my massage table. Silhouetted by the light from just one candle, he lay on his stomach with his arms at his sides … He was both excited and nervous about what was going to happen…"

Well, I guess we now know how the evangelicals in Colorado Springs embrace brethren who’ve lost their way. They banish them.

Kinda harsh treatment, I thought but apparently, the National Association of Evangelicals thinks it’s an appropriate punishment for disgraced former church leaders.

As part of his severance package from New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Reverend Ted Haggard, agreed to leave the 14,000 member congregation that began under his leadership in his basement. He also agreed to leave Colorado Springs, the city he helped make the paramount evangelical center in the country.

Rev. Haggard is still being deceptive with people in his church and in the public by not coming clean about the depths of his immoral acts. He is not immoral because of his obvious homosexual desires, but rather because of his violation of the sanctity of his marriage to his wife.

Enjoy "Meth and Man-Ass"  :-)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Now this is truly a song for talk radio to play.  I'm sure Haggard never dreamed he could be the inspiration for such creativity!  The Republican/Evangelical Extremist hypocrisy to finally being exposed...and we're all there to enjoy the show!

"Father, help us this next week and a half as we go into national elections, and Lord we pray for our country. Father we pray that lies would be exposed, we pray that deception would be exposed."

These are the words from the opening prayer last Sunday for what would be Pastor Ted Haggard's last Sunday morning sermon. His prayers were answered quickly.  By Wednesday, Haggard's own lies and deception would be exposed.  A Denver male escort made claims about being paid for sex and drugs by this leader of US Evangelicals, one tied tightly to the White House and passionate about the evils of homosexuality.

Removing a Disobedient Leader
Last week's sermon was either prophetic in its clairvoyance, or, maybe God was listening and said:  "Enough!"

http://www.9news.com/...

I don't know how much they will say

This is only an announcement

As quite a number of other people have written on the details of the scandal--and there is at least one other good diary on the subject of the possible consequences for Haggard's family--I'll let them focus on that aspect.

My article here is looking at this in rather a different way--specifically, my own thoughts as to what this may mean for members of the church, and for the future of both dominionism and of members (and potential ex-members).

Haggard himself is still taking the "I didn't inhale" defense--which makes no sense when you read the transcript of him clearly saying he wants to buy ~more~ meth--but his church turned authority over to an independent board that took 24 hours to investigate and summarily fire him.  

Hypocracy among leaders is inevitable. I only wish our congress acted as effectively as Haggard's church in executing their moral responsibility. Read how...

November 4, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Life Church
Colorado Springs, Colorado

We, the Overseer Board of New Life Church, have concluded our deliberations
concerning the moral failings of Pastor Ted Haggard.  Our investigation and
Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has
committed sexually immoral conduct.

More at Colorado Confidential.com

If you ask me, they're spooked.

According to the article:

The allegations against Haggard could further disillusion voters, depressing turnout, said Paul de Vries, a board member of the National Assn. of Evangelicals.

"If this is true," De Vries said, "it's obviously going to hurt a lot of people."

... more below the fold

If this is a political scandal, it is the politician's fault. The reason it has the potential to be a political scandal is because the politicians have intwined themselves with this religious figure and used him for support and resources. Absent that, it would only be a church scandal. The Catholic abuse issue was NOT a political scandal because of that lack of linkage

That is the important point.

Story at A New Dawn Breaks For Pastor Ted.

The allegations are murky. The motives for airing this story are murkier still.