by Daniel Brackins, Honolulu Coordinator, Campaign for Liberty

(ED NOTE: The Hawaii State Campaign for Liberty is Chaired by Daniel Douglass, a recent unsuccessful candidate for Honolulu County Republican Party Chair.)

I was informed you have commented on members of  the Ron Paul campaign in relation to an article entitled “PINE RESPONDS TO SLOM’S STATEMENTS ON EXTREME TERRORISM” with the following statement:  “Editor's Note: Rep Pine has developed close ties to Hawaii supporters of the Ron Paul campaign.  Several are employed in her legislative office.”

I was one of those Ron Paul supporters employed in Rep. Pine’s office.  Your comment implies that I am in favor of government getting involved with religion.  I do not.  I believe government should have no place in supporting any religion.  On the other hand I do not support government officials equating Islam with terrorism.  Equating Islam with terrorism shows the ignorance of some people who refuse to take off their blinders.  Terror has been used in the name of many religions not just Islam, and yes this includes Christianity.  I know some elderly people today who hate all Japanese because off the attack on Pearl Harbor.  I also know Vietnam vets who hate all Vietnamese.  I know some Irish Catholics who hate all protestants.   There is no reason to blanket an entire group because of the of actions of a few.  (emphasis added)

While Ron Paul would agree with me on Islam and terrorism he would not completely agree with me on separation of church and state.  The following are his quotes on the matter:

“Through perverse court decisions and years of cultural indoctrination, the elitist, secular Left has managed to convince many in our nation that religion must be driven from public view. The justification is always that someone, somewhere, might possibly be offended or feel uncomfortable living in the midst of a largely Christian society, so all must yield to the fragile sensibilities of the few. The ultimate goal of the anti-religious elites is to transform America into a completely secular nation, a nation that is legally and culturally biased against Christianity.”

“The notion of a rigid separation between church and state has no basis in either the text of the Constitution or the writings of our Founding Fathers. On the contrary, our Founders’ political views were strongly informed by their religious beliefs. Certainly the drafters of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, both replete with references to God, would be aghast at the federal government’s hostility to religion. The establishment clause of the First Amendment was simply intended to forbid the creation of an official state church like the Church of England, not to drive religion out of public life.

The Founding Fathers envisioned a robustly Christian yet religiously tolerant America, with churches serving as vital institutions that would eclipse the state in importance. Throughout our nation’s history, churches have done what no government can ever do, namely teach morality and civility. Moral and civil individuals are largely governed by their own sense of right and wrong, and hence have little need for external government. This is the real reason the collectivist Left hates religion: Churches as institutions compete with the state for the people’s allegiance, and many devout people put their faith in God before their faith in the state. Knowing this, the secularists wage an ongoing war against religion, chipping away bit by bit at our nation’s Christian heritage. Christmas itself may soon be a casualty of that war.”

“Historically, religion always represented a threat to government because it competes for the loyalties of the people. In modern America, however, most religious institutions abandoned their independence long ago, and now serve as cheerleaders for state policies like social services, faith-based welfare, and military aggression in the name of democracy. Few American churches challenge state actions at all, provided their tax-exempt status is maintained. This is why Washington politicians ostensibly celebrate religion – it no longer threatens their supremacy. Government has co-opted religion and family as the primary organizing principle of our society. The federal government is boss, and everybody knows it.”

You, as a journalist, should research the positions of individuals before lumping them into one group.  Your statement is a blatant mischaracterization and I ask that you correct them to reflect the positions of those involved. 

Aloha,

Daniel Brackins

Honolulu County Coordinator Campaign For Liberty

www.campaignforliberty.com

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HFP asked Brackins to clarify which Hawaii government officials he was speaking of when he said: "On the other hand I do not support government officials equating Islam with terrorism." 

He sent this reply:

Sure let me clarify:

"I recall radical Islamists around the world cheering the horrors of 9/11. That is the day all civilized people of all religions should remember," said Republican Sen. Fred Hemmings

"I don't think there's any country in the history of the world that has been more tolerant than the United States of America, and because of that tolerance, we've looked the other way a lot of times, and many thousands of our citizens have been killed by terrorists," said Slom, a Republican.

Quoted form: http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-05-07-islam-day_N.htm

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The akamai reader will note that in the quotes Brackins finds to be "equating Islam with terrorism" Hemmings refers to "radical Islamists" and Slom speaks of "terrorists" but makes no mention of Islam at all.  Both are referring specifically to the September 11 attack.

Next...political Islamism and Islamic Lawfare in Hawaii...stay tuned.