I got this in an update from the Missouri ERA PAC. I experienced the electoral reach of fundie churches first-hand as they turned into a vast organizing machine in the run-up to the vote on Amendment 2, the gay-marriage amendment.
If you would rather not see this played out on a national scale, call Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas today!
If the Religious Right gets its way, churches will be able to legally endorse candidates and lend support to campaigns just in time for November¹s elections.
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 'lost an ideal opportunity' 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 'Safe Harbors Act,' 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, "UPDATE: 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."
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. With the strong network of right-wing organizations making calls, please immediately let every national organization you are affiliated with know about this.