If you go to www.tennessean.com and click on the slide show for the Tennesse tax protests, you will see photos of anti-government protesters who were able to successfully intimidate five lawmakers into changing their votes to no on a revenue plan. Their efforts caused the plan not to pass.
This protest movement has been led almost entirely by prominent members of the Religious Right. The demand of the protesters is what is called the DOGS budget (Downsizing Ongoing Gov. Services.) Because of their success in preventing a workable revenue plan from being voted on, some of the cuts which will be enforced under the DOGS budget effective July 1, 2002 are:
- All state parks will be closed.
- 500,000 people will be cut off from health coverage.
- 9,000 public education teachers will be laid off.
- Several departments including Tourism will be abolished.
- Thousands of state employees will be cut.
- One prison and one of the state's only three institutions for the
developmentally disabled will be shut down.
- Medicare recipients will have medication cut off.
- Rural hospitals will face being closed.
- Nashville's General Hospital and the historic African American medical training facility, Meharry, face being closed, and so forth.
Right wing entities from all over the nation have been observing our
extremely successful anti-tax, anti-government movement so that they can duplicate it in their own states. Wednesday, the protests are slated to be repeated. What is happening in Tennessee is spreading to other states. A mob of protesters has already converged upon the State Capitol in North Carolina, copying our protests here, even using Dave Ramsey's tea bags as props.
When you (and all of you will) start feeling the effects of the cuts in
public services, you might want to know what the persons responsible all held in common, which is presented in the following list of major players. All are affiliated with one of four religious factions which contain the bulk of the members of the Religious Right. Also, many of the churches listed here are very large, wealthy, prominent, conservative activist and very influential in Middle Tennessee.
Most of the names in the following list are household names in Nashville because of their prominent role in the Media in fueling the protests. I believe this is the ultimate incursion of religion into state - religious right leaders successfully effecting the shutdown of significant areas of government on a massive scale detrimentally affecting millions in an entire state. I don't think it's possible to cross the line between church and state much more dramatically than that.
Those affected by the tax protests (i.e. every citizen of Tennessee) have the right to know that virtually all leaders and influences behind these protests are affiliated with ultra-Conservative religious groups which tend to be more susceptible to embracing a right wing worldview. Members of these denominations are influenced by right wing politics mainly through television and radio personalities, popular teachers, preachers, think tanks, and organizations outside their churches. If it had not been for the following list of people and entities, the Tennessee Legislature would have been able to pass an income tax in the session of 2000.
Note that most leaders are affiliated with four religious factions: Conservative Presbyterian (PCA), Southern Baptist, Charismatic/Pentecostal, Nazarene:
Steve Gill, radio host, incites horn honking protests and communicates anti-income tax rhetoric through Morning radio show and email List. Tells people he's SOUTHERN BAPTIST but attends Brentwood United Methodist Church.
Phil Valentine. WLAC radio host, incites horn honking protests. SOUTHERN BAPTIST. Woodmont Baptist Church.
Bobbie Patray. President Conservative Christian Tennessee Eagle Forum. Communicates anti-income tax info to conservatives on email List using biblical and religious references. Lobbies against state income tax. Frequent guest of Valentine and Gill. SOUTHERN BAPTIST. Member of Two Rivers Baptist.
Representative Donna Rowland. Anti-tax lawmaker. SOUTHERN BAPTIST
Tommy Hopper. Leader, Conservative Union. SOUTHERN BAPTIST. Attends Baptist church in Jackson, Tenn.
Kevin Shrum. Anti-tax activist writes for Nashville City Paper/frequent guest of Gill and Valentine. President of Tennessee SOUTHERN BAPTISTS. Pastor Inglewood Baptist Church.
Wilson County Christian Coalition. Provides info on income tax issues through e-group-leader. SOUTHERN BAPTIST.
Senator Marsha Blackburn. Anti-tax Senator. Frequent guest of Gill and Valentine. CONSERVATIVE PRESBYTERIAN. Founding member of Christ Presbyterian, Brentwood (PCA).
Joe Rodgers. TIPP founder and Board member of Gaylord, owner of Steve Gill's WTN. CONSERVATIVE PRESBYTERIAN. Member of Christ Presbyterian, Brentwood (PCA) with Blackburn.
Tennessee Family Institute (TIPP). Right wing "free-market" Christian think tank. Foremost provider of anti-income tax information for radio host protest leaders and Media. Representatives have been featured locally on Jay Scott's WGOW 102.3 afternoon talk radio show.
Michael Gilstrap. President TIPP, Lobbyist against income tax, works to abolish TennCare, very prominent and effective anti-government
activist/former conservative Presbyterian converted to Catholicism (attends several churches in Cheatham Co.) Has published hard-line reconstructionist writings presenting in the "Tactics of Christian Resistance" the strategy of preventing an income tax so as to "disable the tank of civil government."
George Grant. Influential Christian Reconstructionist leader and author. Mentor to Patrick Poole and pastor of Belmont Church. CONSERVATIVE
PRESBYTERIAN /member of Christ Community Church (PCA) in Franklin, TN.
Patrick Poole. Anti-tax author, former Policy Analyst TIPP. CONSERVATIVE PRESBYTERIAN. Reconstructionist former member Chalcedon Church, Franklin, Tn.
Sen. David Fowler. Anti-tax Senator calling for "cultural reformation"
and recommends authors popular among biblical law activists/author of popular tax plan that would change state's constitution which he has
presented on Valentine's show is a ploy to "put a wooden stake into the income tax." However, many lawmakers believe he genuinely acknowledges the state's funding crisis and regard his "bogus" income tax plan as a valid solution to be considered. CONSERVATIVE PRESBYTERIAN.
Various members of Belmont Church. INDEPENDENT CHARISMATIC church (senior pastor, is covert Reconstructionist and is closely connected with George Grant.)
Dave Ramsey. Radio personality - popular Christian Financial Advisor. INDEPENDENT CHARISMATIC. Member Christ Church - Nashville (Independent Charismatic, former Pentecostal.)
Bill Hobbs. Former Senior Policy Analyst TIPP, writes against tax in
Nashville City Paper (wants to reduce government by 90%). Hobbs is a primary source of information for the radio hosts. Libertarian, possibly QUASI CHARISMATIC. Member of Woodmont Hills Church (quasi-Charismatic). This church is described as being "like Belmont Church" which was formerly a Church of Christ but was disfellowshipped by the "denomination" when it became a Charismatic Church.
Adam Valle. County Chairman, reconstructionist Constitution Party. Networks communications between income tax opponents via email List. SOUTHERN BAPTIST. Member of Metro Baptist Church, Madison Tn Constitution Party aka US Taxpayers Party - political party of Reconstructionists. Participated in protests by networking information between anti-tax leaders.
Representative Mae Beavers. Anti-tax lawmaker running against Senator Bob Rochelle for the purpose of siezing leadership of Senate and cutting
government drastically. Appears frequently on Gill and Valentine's shows. NAZARENE.
Reconstructionist Influence:
Gary North (a primary leader of the Reconstructionist movement) claims that, "the ideas of the Reconstructionists have penetrated into Protestant circles that for the most part are unaware of the original source of the theological ideas that are beginning to transform them." North describes the 'three major legs of the Reconstructionist movement' as 'the Presbyterian oriented educators, the Baptist school headmasters and pastors, and the Charismatic telecommunications system.' Frederick Clarkson "Christian
Reconstructionism--Theocratic Dominionism Gains Influence" in "Theocratic Right: Eyes Right!"
Church Coalitions:
Some leaders were members of churches which form a coalition--one tight and one loose: Christ Church, Nashville (Dave Ramsey), Belmont Church (Tatyana Merriman, Jim Ortale, et. al.), Christ Presbyterian, PCA (Marsha Blackburn and Joe Rodgers), Christ Community, PCA (George Grant), Woodmont Hills (Bill Hobbs) form a "sisterhood" or tight coalition of churches as shown in Belmont Church's Welcome video.
Why are our public news media outlets not giving us the facts?
Bruce Wilkey
Signal Mountain