Minister, a Bush Ally, Gives Church as Site for Alito Rally

Minister, a Bush Ally, Gives Church as Site for Alito Rally

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: January 5, 2006


The Rev. Herbert H. Lusk II is a maverick black minister who took to his pulpit in Philadelphia in 2000 and pledged his support for a Bush presidency, a speech broadcast live at the Republican National Convention. Two years later, Mr. Lusk was criticized when he received a $1 million grant through the president's new religion-based initiative to run a housing program for the poor.



Tim Sloan/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images
The Rev. Herbert H. Lusk II in 2004 in Philadelphia, where the president spoke on AIDS and religion-based initiatives.


This Sunday, Mr. Lusk has offered his church in Philadelphia as the site for a major political rally intended to whip up support for the president's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., whose confirmation hearings begin on Monday.

The event, dubbed "Justice Sunday III," will be broadcast by satellite nationwide to churches and Christian radio and television stations, and organizers say it will reach 80 million households.

The speaking lineup includes the Rev. Jerry Falwell of Liberty University; James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, a multimedia ministry in Colorado Springs; and Senator Rick Santorum, Republican of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Lusk said he agreed to be the host of the event at his Greater Exodus Baptist Church more out of loyalty to Mr. Bush - "a friend of mine" - than out of support for Judge Alito.

"I don't know enough about him to say I actually think he's the right man to do the job," Mr. Lusk said in a telephone interview on Wednesday about Judge Alito. "I'm saying I trust a friend of mine who promised me that he would appoint people to the justice system that would be attentive to the needs I care about" - stopping same-sex marriage, assisted suicide and abortions for minors, and supporting prayer and Christmas celebrations in schools.


snip


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/politics/politicsspecial1/05church.html

If not am not going to get my feathers ruffled. Now if you want to launch a counter protest I will be there.

This is PRECISELY why SCOTUS judges are supposed to be appointed for life, to keep politics out of it. Bush has managed to fuck up that aspect of our society as well. Campaigning for SCOTUS judges? If you have to fight that hard to convince people, that should be the biggest motherfucking red flag on the planet indicating that IT'S THE WRONG GUY!

Let's investigate this church's status to see if they are tax-exempt.

party, right?

Someone needs to ask them to hold InJustice Sunday to oppose Alito. If they don't agree, then they are supporting republicans.

The IRS initiated an investigation into the tax attempt status of a more liberal-minded pastor recently.

I forget the pastor's name. But anyway, he gave a sermon shortly before the election. And he told his congregation he was not going to tell them who to vote for. He said the only thing he would tell them is to vote their Christian values. And remember that Jesus Christ was a man of peace, not war.

NOT ONE TIME in the sermon, did the pastor mention George Bush's name.

But just because he said to vote your Christian values and remember Jesus Christ was a man of peace, he got investigated by the IRS.

I'm not sure if they are still investigating, or if they finished the investigation.

But the fact that they would investigation this pastor at all is ridiculous.

All trumped up charges.

That was a waste of the IRS's time, and clearly a partisan move on their part.

"See, the IRS cleared them."

Same reason they impeached Clinton. So that it would be that much harder to impeach Chimp.

This is a common strategery for them.

so highly regarded and was doing so well in the polls.

I miss Slick Willy...

Who belongs to this congragation ?

That minister saying he doesn't know enough about Alito to know if he's the right person for the job.

You are going to hold a rally to support a man you know nothing about? You are admitting you have no clue if this man is qualified to be a Justice on the United States Supreme Court, and you're going to hold a rally in support of him?

It just goes to show you that Republicans put Party before all else. As long as it has an "R" beside it, it's ok. No questions asked.

and appear at conventions held by the political party that own all branches of government?

some fucking maverick. He really plays by his own rules! What a rebel!

The Times would never call a lefty preacher a maverick... he'd be a "political partisan" or somesuch.

On the other hand, we are witness to the suicide of hard-ass "Fundagelical" Christianity.

--p!

exempt status?

Oh, I forgot. They only do that to bona fide Christian groups when their political activities are actually compatible with Christianity.

If the Dems let Alito through after all that's happened, you can stick a fork in them. They're done for 2006.