Of course, Democrats rarely need a real reason to cry "bigot" as it's part of their DNA, along with "racist" and "sexist."
A color ad published Thursday by the Augusta County Republican Committee positions a GOP vote in the local election as preserving religious heritage for Christians.
"Preserve our Christian Heritage! VOTE REPUBLICAN" on Nov. 3, says the inserted ad in The News Leader.
What's
it mean to talk about America having a "Christian heritage"? What
actions in public office will Augusta County Republican officials take
to preserve it?Readers have started to weigh in.
"What does it mean?" wrote local author and Democrat Cliff Garstang. "It means that the local Republicans (probably the national party also) are bigots. Non-Christians not welcome. Pure and simple. ... I have been outraged since I opened the paper this morning and saw it. The only thing missing is the swastika."
Tim Martin, GOP candidate for Commonwealth's Attorney, said he didn't see the ad before it ran, but kind of laughed when called Thursday. "That's funny. I'm Christian, so I don't have a problem with it. ... As a prosecutor I will be guided by my Christian values. Paramount in my book, is justice, mercy, fairness and the positive values enumerated in the Bible."
"In this line of work there is a balance between protecting the public safety and seeing it to it that mercy is doled out appropriately to individuals. I feel commanded to love them. ... I’m proud to be a Christian and I’m proud to have that associated with me. ... If I were to have invented the ad, I might have substituted 'values' rather than heritage. But parsing words is a dangerous game. I don’t distance myself from it."
"Christian heritage" of the United States is an idea that has been claimed by groups beyond the mainstream. The white supremacy group Council of Conservative Citizens pushes the political idea in its statements of values, according to the Washington Post. "We believe that the United States of America is a Christian country, that its people are a Christian people, and that its government and public leaders at all levels must reflect Christian beliefs and values," the group's statement of values reads. "We therefore oppose all efforts to deny or weaken the Christian heritage of the United States."
The Republican ad was designed by 87-year-old Larry Roller, who is a member of the Augusta County Republican Committee. He said he was aware of white supremacy groups using the idea of Christian heritage when he made the ad.
"There are quite a few Ku Klux Klans trying to maintain the Christian heritage," he said. "Just because some people have misused the words does not mean there is anything wrong with using 'Christian heritage.'"
But Roller, who is a former educator and educational administrator, said the nation's founding fathers were clear about who should hold a political office.
"They said a person should not be allowed to run for office if they were not a Christian," he said. "Our Constitution is based on Judeo-Christian principles and biblical principles, and they would not understand how to implement them if they were not a Christian."
Nationally, the "Christian heritage" phrase seems to differ whether it's a personal statement, an academic argument about history or a political statement.
SOURCE: North Carolina News Leader
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MEME REPORT:COUNTING THE REWARDS
