Religious Pork Outed in Senate Budget Bill
September 12, 2007
Today the American Humanist
Association drew attention to pork barrel funding for a sectarian religious
organization found in the Senate version of the $106 billion transportation
and housing bill. Though the overall purpose of the bill is to appropriate
funds to develop and repair the nation's bridges, highways and airports,
support Amtrak and provide grants for economic and housing development, the
legislation features numerous home-state projects. One of these originates
with Senator Sam Brownback, R-Kan. and allocates $850,000 for renovating the
Morning Star Ranch in Florence, Kansas.
According to the Morning Star Ranch website at http://www.worldimpact.org/ministries/camps/msr.php
the ranch belongs to
World Impact, an evangelical Christian mission organization, and is
primarily used for the group's "Christian Leadership Training Program," a
two-year program for "single, urban young men, ages 18-25, who have made a
commitment to Christ." The facilities are also "available to other Christian
groups."
"In other words, no Jews need apply," said American Humanist Association
President Mel Lipman, "nor any other non-Christians, including humanists.
This is a clear and outrageous violation of the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution."
"The First Amendment specifically prohibits Congress from this kind of
government entanglement with religion," added Roy Speckhardt, executive
director of the American Humanist Association. "This isn't an example of the
president using his discretionary funds to support his pet faith-based
projects. Though we stand firmly in opposition to the executive branch
misusing public funds in this way, what we see now is a new and disturbing
development with the Senate permitting such unconstitutional religious
favoritism and political pandering."
AHA President Mel Lipman concluded: "Congress hasn't passed any laws that
would have explicitly funded Bush's faith-based initiatives, but this bill
would step over that line. We humanists were hopeful that the recent changes
in Congress would have solidified its stance in support of Jefferson's Wall
of church-state separation, but now we're seeing Congress taking the first
step toward its own faith-based initiative. As there's still a chance for
this bad decision to be righted by the Senate or in the committee that
reconciles the House and Senate bills we'll be watching the result closely.
This will be a test as to whether an election-year Senate has become all too
willing to initiate legislation with a sectarian religious bias."
The bill now under consideration is H.R. 3074, the Transportation, Housing
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008.
