In an editorial blasting Mitch Kahle, a Hawaii newspaper said Kahle was completely wrong in his attempt to remove crosses from the scene of a tragic mudslide inside of a Hawaii State Park on Mothers Day of 1999.
Crosses Mitch Kahle Fought To Remove
"CONSTITUTIONAL separation of church and state does not mean that government property must be devoid of any manifestation of religion. Eight wooden crosses memorializing the victims of the 1999 Mother's Day rockslide at Sacred Falls in Windward Oahu were an expression of First Amendment rights, not a violation of the same amendment's prohibition of government establishment of religion. The crosses, which were erected by a grieving relative of one of the victims, should be returned."
They continued:
"Mitchell Kahle, president of Hawaii Citizens for Separation of Church and State, complained last month that the crosses created "the appearance of a government preference for the Christian religion." Kahle's deduction was mistaken, as far-fetched as concluding that a cross seen at the location of a fatal traffic accident is anything more than the sign of a family's expression of grief."
Read the editorial in full below:
Restore the crosses
The issue: State parks officials have removed small wooden crosses from Sacred Falls after receiving a complaint that they violated the constitutional prohibition against government establishment of religion.Our view: If that was the basis for the crosses' removal, they should be returned to the site to restore protection of free speech.
CONSTITUTIONAL separation of church and state does not mean that government property must be devoid of any manifestation of religion. Eight wooden crosses memorializing the victims of the 1999 Mother's Day rockslide at Sacred Falls in Windward Oahu were an expression of First Amendment rights, not a violation of the same amendment's prohibition of government establishment of religion. The crosses, which were erected by a grieving relative of one of the victims, should be returned.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1984 that government -- the case involved a city hall Nativity scene in Pawtucket, R.I. -- could not place symbols indicating a religious preference on public property. Two years later, the American Civil Liberties Union caused the dismantlement of a large, illuminated cross at Camp H.M. Smith on Halawa Heights. The Camp Smith cross was an inappropriate memorial because it was erected and maintained by the military.
That was not the case with the eight three-foot-tall crosses at Sacred Falls. A relative of one of the eight people who were killed in the rockslide had erected the crosses at the entrance to the Punaluu landmark. Relatives went to the site periodically to replace flowers next to the crosses.
Mitchell Kahle, president of Hawaii Citizens for Separation of Church and State, complained last month that the crosses created "the appearance of a government preference for the Christian religion." Kahle's deduction was mistaken, as far-fetched as concluding that a cross seen at the location of a fatal traffic accident is anything more than the sign of a family's expression of grief.
State Parks Administrator Ralston Nagata said the crosses were removed after he received Kahle's complaint. But Nagata denied that the removal was a response to the complaint. He explained that, like the roadside crosses at sites of traffic fatalities, the crosses were considered temporary and abandoned and so were removed.
However, relatives of rockslide victims say the memorial was being maintained and object to the crosses' removal.
If government officials were mistaken in assuming the crosses had been abandoned, relatives should be allowed to retrieve the signs and return them to the Sacred Falls entrance. The government should not interfere with free speech by confiscating privately owned religious signs just because they were posted on public land.
L2R: Hoekstra, Huizenga, Garcia, Joe Haveman, Meekhof
By Brandon Hall (Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com) With Daniela Garcia neck-and-neck with Zeeland lawyer Geoff Haveman in absentee polling for the 90th District State House Republican nomination-a fact proven true by absentee results-Team Garcia got desperate. After all, along with their friends at the Chamber and other places, Team Garcia spent nearly $200,000 waging war on Haveman with desperate attacks for weeks-but it wasn't working. Garcia's campaign-headed by Zeeland political consultant Kurt VanKoevering and Huizenga Staffer Greg VanWoerkom-knew they needed a game changer. And quick. State Rep. Joe Haveman, Rep. Bill Huizenga, Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, and State Senator Arlan Meekhof were also key members of Team Garcia, and they had invested too much political capital to come up short. The Huizenga Empire couldn't afford to lose on their own turf and have a pro liberty State Rep. start causing trouble-that's how empires begin to fall. Subsequently, in a series of events that would make Lee Atwater proud, they rigged up a fake robocall saying that Democrats in the district should cross over and vote for Garcia because she was the most liberal candidate and would support ObamaCare. They then immediately sent out a robocall from State Rep. Joe Haveman that blamed the controversial robocall on Geoff Haveman. Joe Haveman told the Detroit News he had nothing to do with the first robocall. (Yeah, ok...)
Haveman
All of this took place on what had been a quiet Sunday before the election in the church-heavy 90th... You don't do door-to-door in Ottawa County on a Sunday and you damn well don't do a robocall at dinner time. Then, the next day, (the day before the election) through the shady "616 PAC," Team Garcia sent out a disgraceful mailer accusing Haveman of trying to steal the election. Garcia ended up winning, powered by election day voters who had been subject to the false-flag robocall and subsequent mailer-all covered on the front page of the Holland Sentinel. In the aftermath of the robocall, politicians were full of rhetoric, but none of them actually did anything. Arlan Meekhof claims he asked local law enforcement to investigate, but WMP has found that not to be true. So I filed a complaint with Attorney General Schuette.
"Hall is requesting an investigation into the robocall.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Arlan MEEKHOF (R-West Olive) is asking local law enforcement to investigate, as well.
Meekhof sponsored the new law that requires disclaimers on all robocalls within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election, which became law in 2013. "The law that I passed...I take it seriously if there's some sort of violation," Meekhof said. "And we've asked local law enforcement to investigate."
Hall contends that whoever was behind the call is "seemingly" in violation of Michigan's updated Campaign Finance Act (Public Act 252 of 2013).
"It's time for substantial, meaningful action," Hall wrote Thursday. "This robocall must be investigated."
U.S. Congressman Bill HUIZENGA (R-Zeeland) weighed in on the situation via Facebook. "Last night, a deceitful and illegal robocall went out to Republican voters by the "Ottawa County Progressive Alliance," Hall said Huizenga wrote. "Do not be tricked and do not stand for this type of dirty politics.
"Please join me and vote for Daniela Garcia tomorrow, someone that actually fought against ObamaCare and for local control of our schools." Hall said he found it odd that Huizenga didn't call for an AG investigation himself."
Attorney General Schuette's office responded to the complaint with a letter this weekend:
I guess that means the next stop is Secretary of State Ruth Johnson.
Kudos to Attorney General Schuette for responding to the complaint!
By Brandon Hall (Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com) "The only thing missing were their hoods and robes" said Mitch Kahle on Facebook (via his personal account in a comment on the Remove the Cross Page), describing the pro-Cross rally organized by Spring Lake veteran Rick Phillips. "The "cross keepers" motorcycle group looked like the modern equivalent of the KKK parading around Grand Haven. All that was missing was a burning cross." Such hateful statements are "the way she goes" for Kahle, exposed by West Michigan Politics last week as a persistent bully who profits off of his anti-Christian hate. For Phillips, who served in Vietnam as a Navy Assault Craft Engineer from 1974-75, the fight to #SaveTheGrandHavenCross is personal. He organized the rally after disappointment with the Grand Haven Tribune's "Community Conversation." "It was just a platform for the opponents of the Cross, Phillips said. "They didn't ask a lot of our questions, it was childish and one sided-no conversation was going on there. So I thought about it all weekend and Monday it hit me-we gotta do something." Phillips pulled no punches in responding to the attack in an interview with West Michigan Politics Monday afternoon. "(Kahle) thinks we'll back down and he'll get his $200,000 like he did before," Phillips said. "He's got another thing coming-we'll run 'em broke. We'll build a war chest and hire lawyers if that's the game they want to play. There's millions of veterans in the U.S. and word is spreading about the Cross. It's not just a religious symbol-it's a symbol of hope. That cross got a lot of guys home from Vietnam-it got them through the horror." One of those guys was Billy Haynes. Billy was a "tunnel rat" in Vietnam, scoping out tunnels built by the Vietcong that held secret rooms underground. His wife died four years ago, and in his grief, he found solace in custom making his Veteran tribute bike, which he proudly brought to Grand Haven on Saturday. See below:
The Remove the Grand Haven Cross page posted the above pictures and falsely claimed "Loaded machine guns transported on motor vehicle in Grand Haven" They then cited Michigan law in a post, insinuating the "gun" was illegal. Here are some pictures of Billy's bike you may not have seen.
"When Billy built that bike...it was a real healing process," Phillips said. "The personal attacks on Billy and his bike-I resent anyone who says things like that. They twisted that and made it in to be something it's not. Billy worked on that bike for three winters after his wife died, we know what's in our heart. That bike has been to so many car shows and Vet memorials, some Cops in town have been to the shop and seen it-law enforcement was well aware it wasn't a real gun. It's just ridiculous."
Jeff Grunow runs the Keep The Grand Haven Cross Facebook page and has helped to lead Pro-Cross efforts. He shares Phillips' outrage.
Grunow
"That reference is so outlandish and insulting-it's just the stupidest thing (Kahle) has said to date," Grunow said of Kahle's Klan comments. "Honestly, it is of such a low level that it does not even deserve any kind of response, it just shows the attempt to push buttons- to stir the pot and get an intense and (hopefully ) violent response. which no one will entertain."
Grunow also said Billy Hayne's bike is amazing, noting that Kahle continues to spread misinformation.
."Obviously, people that have commented in a negative way only see the illusion of a machine gun behind a motorcycle, which truth be told isn't even real," Grunow said. "I wonder how many of them have also seen Bigfoot? The bike and trailer project have a story that is amazing, and I for one don't even think again it warrants any rebuttal, it is just more misinformation. Also, keep in mind that this was a rally organized by a group of Veterans in the Tri-Cities area...Did the fact that a veteran showed up with any kind of tribute that involved a weapon surprise anyone? What did he expect? A trailer full of teddy bears and rainbows??I think not."
Cross proponent William Hoffman is the father of a service member-he was shocked by Kahle's comments.
"How dare you Mr. Khale, Holly Huber, Kathy Plescher, Brian Plescher stand under the very freedom these men have fought and died to protect the freedom you now enjoy, comment on his bike, his freedom of expression and his freedom of religion while you sit on your couch and enjoy the freedom he helped insure for you.
Hoffman
He paid for his right of freedom speech, as did Rick and all the vets at the rally, They paid for it in untold horrors I hope none of us ever have to see nor endure. My son is enlisted and i pray he never has to see a battlefield , pull his wounded brothers out of harms way, or watch them die protecting our freedoms." Phillips worries Vets are too often forgotten as they struggle with returning home after the toll of war..
"No one wants to talk about it, but if you look back, the Tri-Cities took a disproportionate toll in Vietnam," Phillips said. "I struggled for 30, 35 years before I started going to Vets groups." As for Kahle and his ilk, they're just getting started. The next targets? The Nativity during Christmas, and apparently, Grand Haven Area Public Schools longstanding religious openness. Kathy Plescher on Facebook: "You are right, Anissa, they are bombarded in school with this, even at the elementary levels. Kids will bully other children if they say they don't go to church. There are also ministers trying to get into middle schools to hold lunch hour prayer meetings, and the schools are letting them!" Also, The Remove The Cross Page wrote Monday: "The cross and Nativity must and will be removed from Dewey Hill. It's that simple." Unfortunately the Tribune doesn't have the guts that local Hawaii papers did. One of them wrote an editorial chastising Kahle after he fought against a grieving family who put crosses at the scene of a tragic mudslide in a Hawaii State Park.
"CONSTITUTIONAL separation of church and state does not mean that government property must be devoid of any manifestation of religion. Eight wooden crosses memorializing the victims of the 1999 Mother's Day rockslide at Sacred Falls in Windward Oahu were an expression of First Amendment rights, not a violation of the same amendment's prohibition of government establishment of religion. The crosses, which were erected by a grieving relative of one of the victims, should be returned."
They continued:
"Mitchell Kahle, president of Hawaii Citizens for Separation of Church and State, complained last month that the crosses created "the appearance of a government preference for the Christian religion." Kahle's deduction was mistaken, as far-fetched as concluding that a cross seen at the location of a fatal traffic accident is anything more than the sign of a family's expression of grief."
Kahle is an agent of hate. Grand Haven can't play with kid gloves when dealing with a seasoned bully like Kahle-speak up, let City Council know where you stand.
"For everything there is a season...A time to be quiet and a time to speak..."
Read more of WMP's coverage on the Cross issue in Grand Haven below:
He claimed that the Hawaii State Senate's Ceremonial Opening Prayer was unconstitutional, and was actually successful in getting them to end the prayer. (Not before cashing in on a six figure lawsuit, one of multiple lawsuits he's profited off of while bullying people of faith.)
But the United States Supreme Court ruled this year that such prayers are indeed Constitutional, and now Hawaii's Senate may bring them back:
"(The) Supreme Court upheld decidedly Christian prayers at the start of local council meetings on Monday, declaring them in line with long national traditions though the country has grown more religiously diverse.
Though the decision split the court along ideological lines, the Obama administration backed the winning side, the town of Greece, N.Y., outside of Rochester.
The outcome relied heavily on a 1983 decision in which the court upheld an opening prayer in the Nebraska Legislature and said prayer is part of the nation's fabric, not a violation of the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of religion.
Writing for the court on Monday, Justice Anthony Kennedy said that forcing clergy to scrub the prayers of references to Jesus Christ and other sectarian religious figures would turn officials into censors. Instead, Kennedy said, the prayers should be seen as ceremonial and in keeping with the nation's traditions.
"The inclusion of a brief, ceremonial prayer as part of a larger exercise in civic recognition suggests that its purpose and effect are to acknowledge religious leaders and the institutions they represent, rather than to exclude or coerce nonbelievers," Kennedy said."
Of note:
"Kennedy himself was the author of an opinion in 1992 that held that a Christian prayer delivered at a high school graduation did violate the Constitution. The justice said Monday there are differences between the two situations, including the age of the audience and the fact that attendees at the council meeting may step out of the room if they do not like the prayer."
Kennedy also said that
"In their declarations in the trial court, respondents stated that the prayers gave them offense and made them feel excluded and disrespected. Offense, however, does not equate to coercion. Adults often encounter speech they find disagreeable; and an Establishment Clause violation is not made out any time a person experiences a sense of affront from the expression of contrary religious views."
Hawaii Leaders React After Supreme Court Rebukes Kahle's Position, Consider Restoring Prayers:
He also may be wrong about other things-aside from the structure of Grand Haven City government. (Read more here) Opponents of the Cross on Grand Haven's Dewey Hill said Friday (via Remove the Grand Haven Cross, a Facebook page likely run by Kahle) that the City has four options to consider while dealing with the situation: "The City (sic) adminstration has four options in responding to our complaint: 1) restrict use for government only; 2) establish a free speech zone open to use by all; 3) clear the hill and preserve the dune; or 4) face a costly lawsuit the City can never win." Actually, a recent Supreme Court decision could provide Grand Haven another option: sell the space on Dewey Hill to a private group. In that case, Congress transferred federal land to the VFW after a lawsuit threatened to remove the Cross memorial. The Supreme Court affirmed the right of Congress to do so. "TheMojave Memorial Crossis acrossformerly on public land in theMojave desertthat was at the center of theSalazar v. Buonolegal case before theU.S. Supreme Court.[1][2][3]The original cross was erected in 1934 to honor those killed in war.[4]The cross has been maintained by volunteers[5]and was reconstructed after being destroyed.[5]It was boarded up after lower court rulings declared it illegal because of separation of church and state constitutional concerns.
On April 28, 2010, the US Supreme Court ruled on Salazar v. Buono in a 5-4 decision sent the case back to a lower court.[6] The high court ruled there was no violation of the separation of church and state when Congress transferred the land surrounding the cross to a veteran's group.[6] Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, "The goal of avoiding governmental endorsement [of religion] does not require eradication of all religious symbols in the public realm"
Kennedy continued:
"The goal of avoiding governmental endorsement does not require eradication of all religious symbols in the public realm. A cross by the side of a public highway marking, for instance, the place where a state trooper perished need not be taken as a statement of governmental support for sectarian beliefs.
The Constitution does not oblige government to avoid any public acknowledgment of religion’s role in society. See Lee v. Weisman, 505 U. S. 577, 598 (1992) (“A relentless and all-pervasive attempt to exclude religion from every aspect of public life could itself become inconsistent with the Constitution”).See also Corporation of Presiding Bishop of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints v. Amos, 483 U. S. 327,334 (1987)
The Court has long recognized that the government may (and sometimes must) accommodate religious practices and that it may do so without violating the Establishment Clause,"
By Brandon Hall (Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com) Warning: Unfortunately, this story contains explicit language that may be offensive to some readers. I apologize, but felt the quotes were important to the story and needed to be exposed.
Kolekole Pass Cross, Pre-Mitch Kahle
>>>The Cross was built in 1962 and stood on the hill for decades without incident...until Mitch Kahle had his way. Then it was destroyed.
I'm not talking about Grand Haven's Dewey Hill Cross, also founded in 1962-I am talking about the Kolekole Pass Cross, a Cross erected on a military base in Hawaii in remembrance of soldiers, dismantled after a demand letter from Kahle in 1997.
The Kolekole Pass Cross is just one casualty on Kahle's long hit-list of Anti-Christian attacks.
Families grieving the death of loved ones killed in an accident, 9-11 victims, monuments to fallen soldiers, and kids trying to put on a concert for poor Africans are some of Kahle's other victims.
Kahle, who dubs himself a "civil rights activist," now has his cross hairs aimed at Grand Haven, claiming his demand that the Grand Haven City Council remove the Cross on Dewey Hill or provide him a forum to display his politically motivated causes is all about "equal access."
In actuality, Kahle is nothing but a belligerent bully who is now trying to bring his disturbing, ruthlessly hateful agenda to Grand Haven. It's business as usual for Kahle-he profits by intimidating people to conform to his demented, bigoted demands.
Kahle has a long history of bullying Christians-shockingly so. In one instance, he was taken to task by Bill O'Reilly for suing a high school because of a poem:
Kahle's anti-Christian activism has its roots in Hawaii, where he is well known for ruthlessly attacking every aspect of Christianity in the state. Grand Haven, make no mistake: Mr. Kahle won't stop with the Cross-he wants the Nativity Scene on display for Christmas gone, and who knows what other entities Kahle will target... How can one make such a statement? Kahle's history is clear: he despises every facet of Christianity and seeks to destroy any mention of it every opportunity possible. Since 1997, Kahle has successfully fought for "the removal of church descriptions from the official Honolulu city Web site, the removal of crosses from various locations around O'ahu, and limitations placed on the use of nativity scenes in the annual Honolulu City Lights program." Such actions caused Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris to label Kahle "the Grinch who stole Christmas." Kahle also forced the cancellation of a school charity concert benefiting poor kids in Africa. You won't believe this: Christmas Grinch? Atheist Gets Hawaii DOE to Halt Winter Charity Concert Just Hours Before the Show "Moanalua High School students in the award-winning orchestra have proudly raised $200,000 over the last 6 years through their annual holiday concert.
These students, who have performed at Carnegie Hall in New York three times, don’t keep the money to buy new instruments, travel abroad or help their school.
Instead, they send $30,000 they raise every year overseas to a well-known charity, Mercy Ships, which is currently housing American doctors in Africa on a medical mission. These doctors help the poorest of residents – some who have never seen a doctor – with urgent medical and dental needs.
It is the students’ gift to the world during the holidays and their chance to make difference for others in need.
Moanalua High School Orchestra
The seventh annual fundraiser was set for this weekend, and students have been practicing for months to ensure their performance was perfect.
But an atheist activist, who has shown up to protest city hall Christmas tree lighting ceremonies as well as city council hearings and legislative events where there is prayer, has turned up as their Christmas Grinch and put a stop to the kids’ best-laid plans just hours before the show.
Mitch Kahle, founder of Hawaii Residents for Separation of Church and State, wrote a letter to the Department of Education on "Freedom from Religion Foundation" stationary on December 3 demanding state officials stop the concert. He claimed the public high school was in cahoots with New Hope, one of Hawaii’s largest Christian churches.
It’s true that some of the New Hope parishioners volunteered to sell tickets or work on the set. But the concert is run by school staff and features its students, and tickets are sold both on campus and by phone. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to Mercy Ships. Historically, Mercy Ships, which has been the beneficiary of the concert for 4 years, used the $30,000 from Moanalua's concert to get another $30,000 from matching donors.
“People are assuming this is a New Hope event when it is not. They cancelled a high school event,” said Chad Brownstein, a volunteer with the concert, graduate of the school and employee of New Hope.
“For the people at New Hope, this not an issue because they (activists) are not fighting against New Hope. But the students had practiced and rehearsed and were excited to do it.”
Kahle's horrendous hit list doesn't end there. The article notes:
"He’s protested the police department using the words “so help me God” in their oath of office, and got the Honolulu Police Department to remove the words from the oath in September 2002.
He has intimidated Senate leadership into cancelling its daily prayer during the 60-working day session.
He’s pushed the Honolulu City Council leadership into cancelling only prayer a month typically held before its monthly meeting.
And when loved ones lost their family members on Mothers’ Day, May 9, 1999, during a tragic land slide at Sacred Falls park, and they posted eight small crosses by the roadside in remembrance, Kahle insisted the state remove them from the public sidewalk.
Kahle also takes credit for getting Boy Scouts programs and oath restricted on public school campuses in 2002,
Getting the phrase “I believe in God” removed from Navy youth cards...
Getting “God Bless America “removed from the tax department and health department facilities shortly after the 9-11-2001 terrorist attack on America...
Kahle, in front of thousands of children, tried to shout down the Buddhist and Christian religious leaders offering prayers ahead of a tree lighting."
Kahle, along with his wife Holly Huber, actually makes money off of his bullying. In one lawsuit, they made $200,000 off of churches trying to make the community better.
"(Kahle's)lawsuit claims the churches committed fraud by paying substandard rent to the public schools in which they meet, even though the school districts themselves agree the churches have consistently paid all agreed-upon rents.
“Churches who serve the neediest in their communities should be welcomed, not driven out by false accusations,” says Alliance Defending Freedom senior legal counsel Erik Stanley. “The claims in the lawsuit are false and are driven by an atheistic agenda that is hostile to churches. The undeniable fact is that these churches were at all times truthful, and they have paid all required rent to the schools.”
“These churches have not only faithfully paid all of their rent, they’ve sacrificially given much more in service and funding to the schools and communities they love,” adds co-counsel James Hochberg of Honolulu, one of nearly 2,300 allied attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom. “This lawsuit’s accusations are not only false; they are downright shameful.”
The atheists, Mitchell Kahle and Holly Huber, filed their suit, Kahle v. NewHope International Ministries, with Hawaii’s Circuit Court of the First Circuit under the state’s False Claims Act. The law allows whistleblowers with inside information to expose fraudulent billing by government contractors; however, the lawsuit fails to cite a single instance in which the churches submitted a false statement to defraud the government."
Another article notes "Then Wednesday, Feb. 12, the Hope Churches announced that they would settle rather than undergo a costly legal battle. Through their parent company, the three churches will pay $775,000 of which $200,000 will go to plaintiffs Kahle and Huber for bringing the case to the courts. Despite the settlement, the churches never admitted to any fraudulent behavior."
Kahle also banked $100,000 after interrupting a prayer in the Hawaii State Legislature. He was involuntarily removed and sued-the State settled because they didn't want to have to deal with him in court, and the Legislature even passed a law giving the legislative security force more latitude in dealing with people like Kahle.
"Members of the Senate Public Safety, Government and Military Affairs committee chaired by Sen. Will Espero, meanwhile, were discussing a measure authorizing legislators to “take action against disorderly or contemptuous behavior or breach of the peace at the Legislature.”
Although the measure is informally known as the “Stop Mitch Kahle bill,” Espero said the measure “is not being considered for any single person, issue or organization."
Huber calls prayer at public meetings, ruled Constitutional by the Supreme Court, "coercion" and hates hugs, apparently. (View video)
She also calls Catholics "morally bankrupt" as she protests priests in another video. She is joined by Kahle, of course-they seem to have a particular disdain for Catholics.
Kahle also says that the Vatican "should be expelled from the UN and impose sanctions on Catholic churches worldwide."
In the same forum, he says "They really are sick people, the Catholics."
Perhaps that's why Patrick Downes, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Hawaii, says Kahle has adubious agenda, is hostile to Christianity, and "goes out of his way ... to reassert his faith-phobia."
Kahle should be ashamed of himself for his ignorant, idiotic comments about Catholics. Nope. His comments get worse on an Internet forum for fans of Atheist author Richard Dawkins.
"Show me an evangelical Christian organization and I'll show you a fraud. They are all in it for the money and power over helpless and desperate people.
"Oh yes, there's a sucker baptized every minute."
"Driving churches out of the public square- Fine by me, I won't miss them at all,"
"The Religious Right already wants the death penalty for "fornicators, homosexuals, and blasphemers" so I'd guess the Taliban/Al-Qaida can be seen as being in league with the Republican Tea Baggers."
"If "God's in charge," he's one major fuck up! Tell me: why do Christians so consistently denigrate their notion of "God"? They make Him out to be meaner than Hitler and dumber than Sarah Palin. Is this the best they can imagine?"
"Volunteer Minister? That's like being a "volunteer panhandler"! WTF do "ministers" supposedly do anyway, except hold their hand out for money? F-ing losers!"
"Mother Teresa was a fraud. Virtually all of the millions of dollars raised to "help poor of Calcutta" was sent directly into Vatican coffers to pay off child molestation cases."
"Indeed. For me the word Christian is synonymous with arrogance. Claiming to have knowledge, refusing to provide evidence, and then demanding acceptance and respect is the highest form of ego."
"I'll blaspheme Ham's lord: Fuck Jesus!"
"Why not just abort Jesus for our sins? Perhaps that was God's original plan after all."
"These people (Christians) all think like 2nd graders (my apologies to 2nd graders)."
"Typical of the comments I read from many Christians on the Internet and in hate mail my organization has received over the years. It is mostly ignorant, hostile, laced with profanity and often includes threats of violence. I'd say intolerance is a trait that is common to many Christians, along with arrogance and hypocrisy."
"Hitler was undeniably a wacked-out Christian; a victim of childhood indoctrination (aka child abuse). No apologies for the genocide; he was definitely a monster, but there's no doubt Hitler was a product of his upbringing in a Christian society responsible for bringing the man to power."
Kahle's Facebook also streams anti-Christian rants ad nauseam.
In one post, he says "Prayer is the most failed experiment in human history."
In a speech, Kahle said that "I want to clarify that I always use the term “state and church,” not “church and state,” and that’s because the state is superior to church always. We need to remember that."
Scary stuff.
Kahle Mockingly
Dresses As Jesus To Protest Good Friday
Kahle also said "I am personally, deeply offended when I am forced to participate in some sort of a prayer. It causes a disconnect in my brain, and I have to say I actually get angry."
In Kahle's Orwellian world, Christianity is equal to RACISM!
"We don’t tolerate overt statements of racism, at a party, for example. You just don’t tolerate it. We have to sort of adopt that tactic when it comes to religion. This might be controversial to say, but religion is a form of discrimination. We have to say something against it."
Mr. Kahle, make no mistake: Grand Haven won't be bullied.
Attacking grieving families, 9-11 victims, monuments to fallen soldiers, and kids trying to put on a concert is beyond the pale. Kahle's divisive, disgusting behavior will not stand in Grand Haven-we'll fight.
Kahle doesn't seem to grasp that fact-he seems delusional.
After the recent "Community Conversation" hosted by the Grand Haven Tribune, Kahle took to Facebook, writing, "At least 350 people attended our forum last night. Some in the crowd were a little unruly at first, but by the end of the evening our arguments had won most of them over."
We couldn't possibly have attended the same meeting-Kahle had a maximum of 15 supporters-and that's being charitable.
What's his goal with all this, aside from big lawsuit checks?
"To be saved from God's followers," he told a news website years ago.
Grand Haven, it's time to speak out against the deplorable brand of hate and bigotry Kahle profits and thrives off of. He is an agent of hate-bottom line.
Don't give up on the Cross and let Mitch Kahle impose his disgusting, divisive, hateful ideology on Grand Haven-fight back. Contact Grand Haven City Council today.
Kahle doesn't want a "community conversation," he wants to destroy the Cross on Dewey Hill and the Nativity Scene through a political and legal war. Well-he's got one! Unfortunately for Kahle, he picked the wrong town to mess with.
The issue: State parks officials have removed small wooden crosses from Sacred Falls after receiving a complaint that they violated the constitutional prohibition against government establishment of religion.
