Thread: Trump Vows to ‘Destroy’ Law Banning Political Activity by Churches

Trump Executive Order Draft Could Curtail LGBT Rights

The religious liberty mime isn't about jobs, trade, wages, budgets, deficits, or fixing our country.

The religious liberty mime is only about exploiting one's religion to discriminate against women and gays.

President doesn't understand that. He's viewing it as the right of a Pastor to speak for him or someone else at a Rally during a campaign without losing the tax-exempt status of the church. But that isn't why churches want this "religious liberty". They want "religious liberty" to refuse birth control coverage in an employer health insurance program, to eliminate the choices of pregnant women to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, and the right of store owners to refuse gay couples a cake.

There is no "liberty" involved here, religious or otherwise, only forcing religious beliefs onto employees, women and gays.

Americans already have all the religious liberty anyone could dream of right up to the point where this so-called "liberty" infringes on the rights of someone else. Do I care who bakes the cakes for whom? No. Do I care how gay people feel when they bounce in to order their wedding cake and are told to leave and refused service, their feelings hurt, their self-esteem destroyed? Yes, the same as I cared when black people were refused a coffee at a diner counter, the same as I cared when black people were refused a seat on the bus, or a good school with white kids in it, or a job at equal pay with equal benefits.

What's going on under the false banner of "religious liberty" isn't right, it's wrong all the way up and all the way down.

This needs to get straightened out, FAST.

Too many great things are happening in our country for "religious liberty" to pull US down.

Stop it now.

Trump Promises to 'Totally Destroy' Limits on Churches' Political Speech


Trump Vows to Overturn Johnson Amendment

The president also slammed the poor ratings of the new host of ‘Celebrity Apprentice.’

By Gabrielle Levy | Political Reporter Feb. 2, 2017, at 12:38 p.m.
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Trump Vows to Overturn Johnson Amendment
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President Donald Trump vowed to "totally destroy the Johnson Amendment" at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday. (EVAN VUCCI/AP)

President Donald Trump vowed to remove the limits barring churches from making political endorsements, telling a gathering of religious leaders in Washington, D.C., on Thursday he would overturn the law that mandates that faith-based organizations restrict their political speech or risk losing their tax-exempt status.

"Among those freedoms is the right to worship according to our own beliefs," he said at the National Prayer Breakfast. "That is why I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and let our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution."

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"Freedom of religion is a sacred right, but it's also a right under threat all around us. And the world is under serious, serious threat in so many different ways," he added.

The president's comments recalled a pledge he made on the campaign trail when trying to win the support of a skeptical evangelical community.

In order to overturn the Johnson Amendment, the 1954 rule that prohibits nonprofit organizations from political campaigning, Trump would have to rely on Congress to pass a law changing the tax code. Tax reform is already at the top of congressional Republicans' list of priorities and, given that many are simultaneously in favor of granting more influence to religious organizations and lowering taxes, a proposal for the repeal of the Johnson Amendment would likely be welcomed.

Trump's remarks to religious leaders also touched on the overnight dust-up after his calls to the president of Mexico and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia. The Washington Post reported that the latter call was ended abruptly by Trump, who tweeted that a deal between Turnbull and former President Barack Obama for the U.S. to accept some refugees from Australia was "dumb.".

On Thursday morning, Trump said such tough talk was long overdue.

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"When you hear about the tough phone calls, don't worry," he said. "We're being taken advantage of by countries around the world. It's time for us to be a little tough. It's not going to happen anymore."

And he again tweaked his "Apprentice" successor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, over the television ratings for the show.

"We had tremendous success on 'The Apprentice.' When I ran for president, I had to leave the show. That's when I knew for sure I was doing it," he said. "They hired a big movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger to take my place, and we know how that turned out," he added. "The ratings went right down the tubes. It's been a total disaster."

Schwarzenegger hit back, suggesting Trump might like his old gig back if he thought he could do it better.

"Hey, Donald, I have a great idea," the "Celebrity Apprentice" host – and former California governor – said in a video posted to Twitter. "How about we switch jobs?"

"You take over TV because you're such an expert in ratings, and I take over your job," he said. "Then people can finally sleep comfortably again."

http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/...litical-speech