Terry Kemple is a man with a mission. As the founder, president and sole employee of the Community Issues Council, he's out to disprove what he calls the lie of "separation of church and state". Thanks to a $50,000 cash infusion from retired businessman Gregg Smith, a total of ten billboards have been rented for the next six months in Florida along well-travelled roads and highways in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. The intended message is, as explained on Kemple's NoSeparation.Org site, that America is a Christian nation and that "our Founding Fathers knew that America 's government was made only for people who are moral and religious. It's not suited for governing anyone else."Seven or eight of the billboards have already been erected. The one illustrated, which lies along US 19 in Pinellas Park, quotes the second half of a sentence from George Washington's Farewell Address. The others have quotes from other founding fathers, all apparently in support of a Christian government. Not all of them can be shown to have actually come from the people they're attributed to though. There is no evidence, for instance, that George Washington ever said, "it is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible," a fact which doesn't faze Kemple in the least.
"I don't believe there's a document in Washington's handwriting that has those words in that specific form," Kemple said. "However, if you look at Washington's quotes, including his farewell address, about the place of religion in the political sphere, there's no question he could have said those exact words."Terry Kemple and his one-man Community Issues Council have a long history of evangelical activism in Florida. He has campaigned against gay marriage, teaching evolution in school and against the openings of adult businesses. He hasn't always achieved the success he's desired though. In one case, as a matter of fact, Kemple's filing of a appeal to prevent a bikini bar from opening actually achieved the opposite effect. According to Luke Lirot, the establishment's attorney, "Had Mr. Kemple not filed his appeal, the true flaws would have been more difficult to prove. In essence, he assisted us."
Some in Florida consider Terry Kemple to be a joke; someone local media can rely on for entertainment on a slow news day but otherwise not worth any attention. In 2007 he held a press conference to denounce gay marriage and nobody showed up. With the advent of these billboards and the national attention they are receiving though, some are starting to take him more seriously. He has now achieved the dubious distinction of getting his own individual file on People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch.
Photo Credit:
1) One of the anti-church/state separation billboards (Drew Harwood, Times)
2) Terry Kemple
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Comments
Seriously, a good article and I enjoyed it (although I didn't enjoy seeing those billboards. Fictional quotes is a new low.)
Once again my home state has made the news for something repugnant. So let me point out that we have beautiful weather in November (just in time for a quick Thanksgiving weekend trip) and that we have many beautiful state and county parks for when you tire of Disney.
And most importantly, most of us are not quite as crazy as the above might make you think!
Florida is a lovely state and doesn't register anywhere near the top on the crazy-ometer. Texas, which has a governor who appoints creationists to the board of education and sometimes talks about secession has you sooo beat!
:)
Yeah, Thomas Jefferson could have said "Christianity is a load of crap" but does that mean he did? fact is, statements that a historic figure makes aren't necessarily factual, and statements they could have made are even less so.
Florida is a tacky, tasteless, and exclusive destination. The christian government that is operating the state works against the state's main industry, tourism. Instead of offering incentives that a world class, international destination might offer, the christian government shows it's visitors that if you don't subscribe to their hateful religion, get out!
The christianist population has destroyed the real estate market. Their presence is a huge turn off for would-be home owners.
They love their road stained Jesus', and parking lot churches. But, most of all, they love absolute power, and control, over our private lives!
Who the hell granted them this power?
LOL. On a trip to Italy I ran into another American tourist who, with a straight face, told me, "Italy is a wonderful country -or at least it would be if it weren't so full of Italians."
:)
Oh man, I am so embarrassed for that guy. Can you imagine if he was your dad or brother or uncle?
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