BishopAccountability.org
	Editorial: Church Vs. State The New Hampshire April 8, 2011 http://www.tnhonline.com/editorial-church-vs-state-1.2149555 File it under "you can't make this stuff up." A Republican lawmaker in Concord attracted national attention this week when he apparently became enraged that the constitutionally-mandated separation of church and state didn't prevent a Catholic bishop from joining a group protesting the proposed budget passed by the N.H. House of Representatives last week. Bishop John McCormack appeared at a public rally last Thursday that protested the budget, which includes extensive cuts to social programs in an effort to reduce the budget. On Friday, House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt took to his Facebook page to refer to McCormack as a "pedophile pimp," a reference to suspicions that McCormack protected pedophile priests when he worked for Cardinal Bernard Law in Boston (no charges were ever brought against McCormack). Regardless of McCormack's actions, Bettencourt's statement was completely out of line, both for its potentially libelous nature and for the fact that Bettencourt felt he had the authority to make the comment in the first place. Perhaps inspired by Bettencourt's remarks, Rep. Andrew Manuse, R-Derry, on Wednesday said he was considering legislation to strip the Catholic Church of its tax-exempt status (he later said he never intended to file it, just to start a discussion). In the interest of Manuse's desired discussion, here are some thoughts. First, the separation of church and state (Congress shall "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof") doesn't mean that religious figures are prohibited from commenting on the government. One can disagree with a religious leader using his or her pulpit to discuss the government, but one can't inhibit their free speech or right to peaceful assembly. Despite Rep. Timothy Comerford's, R-Fremont, comment that Church leaders are "socialist-globalist leaning potentates," the activism of religious factions benefits and detracts from both sides of the political spectrum; while McCormack was aligned with a largely-liberal cause this time, one can't ignore the religious' alignment with the conservative right-to-life campaign (and the significant amount of political grandstanding that this affords Republicans). As for stripping the church of its tax-exempt status, Manuse appears unaware of the fact that the status is a critical part of the separation between church and state (one can't be separate from an entity if one is forced to pay taxes to said entity). The tax-exempt status is a clear part of the Constitution. It's perfectly fine to want a little less political preaching from the pulpit. But that's as far as you can go. It doesn't do much good to threaten to propose incendiary legislation. There are a lot of different religions. Don't expect them all to agree with you; instead, respect their right to disagree. Apparently, some of the lawmakers involved have recognized their mistakes. Bettencourt later decided his comment was inappropriate and met with McCormack yesterday and apologized. Previously, Speaker of the House William O'Brien had said that he agreed with Bettencourt's sentiment, if not his exact words. Perhaps the greatest voice of reason in this episode has been GOP Chair Jack Kimball, who said members of the House have lost focus on what they were elected to do, notably dealing on things that actually concerned the state government. "I'm talking about all representatives, Republicans and Democrats," he said, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. Not surprisingly, O'Brien then commented that he was convinced Kimball really meant only Democrats. Apparently admitting the truth would mean losing face. Perhaps the most amusing part of the whole situation is that Bettencourt continues the grand New Hampshire lawmaker tradition of getting into more trouble over Facebook posts than even the average college student (in addition to Bettencourt, see past posts by Democratic Rep. Timothy Horrigan and Democratic Rep. Nick Levasseur). This situation wouldn't have been an issue if Bettencourt hadn't felt the need to make a comment.
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