Denys denies:

> Wirt writes,
>  "You can't make this stuff up. From today's NY Times:"
>  
>  Unfortunately, the NYT has quite the track record for making stuff up.
>  I will only believe it if it is found in another newspaper and
>  preferably not the LA times either.

Let me first apologize for being so long getting back to you. Nevertheless, I 
have attached below an editorial from two days ago, written by the Charleston 
(West Virginia) Gazette, which you may find informative:

========================================

September 22, 2004  
Absurd Campaign Distortions

JUST WHEN it seemed that every political gimmick to grab votes had been 
exhausted, an outlandish new one arrived on the West Virginia scene.

Republican leaflets claim that Democrats want to ban the Bible.

Holy Moley! Who concocts this gibberish?

In a mass mailing to Mountain State voters, the Republican National Committee 
apparently hid its identity as it sent pamphlets bearing a picture of the 
Bible marked “BANNED” and a picture of a gay wedding marked “APPROVED,” falsely 
implying that these are Democratic goals.

“The liberal agenda includes removing ‘under God’ from the Pledge of 
Allegiance,” the flyers assert.

It’s true that some militant fundamentalist churches have become a wing of 
the GOP -- but that doesn’t mean Democrats hold opposite views on religion. 
Millions of staunch Democrats are equally staunch churchgoers. They certainly 
aren’t inclined to ban the Bible.

Many researchers have pointed out that puritanical beliefs play an unusually 
strong role in the 2004 election. Part of this “faith factor” is attributed 
to the fact that President Bush once was a hard-drinking wastrel, but underwent 
an emotional conversion. White evangelicals identify with him.

As we’ve noted before, the Bush administration seems to contradict 
Christianity. Jesus taught peace -- but Bush started a needless war. Jesus taught 
compassion for the poor  -- but Bush handed trillion-dollar giveaways to the rich. 
Jesus opposed the death penalty -- but Bush boasted of many executions while he 
was Texas governor. Etc.

Bush speaks in absolutes: “We are in a conflict between good and evil, and 
America will call evil by its name.” In other words: we are the good guys and 
they are the bad guys. He says democracy is “Almighty God’s gift to every man 
and woman in the world” -- implying that he’s carrying out God’s wishes by 
imposing democracy on Iraq.

Such simplistic thinking apparently appeals to the kind of fundamentalists 
who see absolutes. They think abortion and gays are evil. They see kindred 
moralists as righteous. 

But most Americans see morality more complexly. Many think a higher morality 
is found in Christ’s command to help the needy, prevent war and pursue other 
humanitarian goals.

Churchgoers of this sort aren’t likely to believe childish allegations that 
Democrats want to ban the Bible.
 
=========================================

Wirt Atmar

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