On Sunday, November 6th, 2005:

I attended church at Christian Life Center in Heath, Ohio. Preparing for the usual service, I was surprised to see an announcement on the big screen from Bishop T.L. Kirk, which asked the readers "Ever wonder how you should vote on certain elections issues ? ... After service, ask for a voter's guide from one of the ushers and on Tuesday vote for what you feel is right."

Now, I have known the history of this church in question. With the entire Leadership having knowingly voted for BOOsh in 2004, and all having - in some way - pressured all the church members to do the same...alongside other obviously right-wing neo-con views, but I still wanted to investigate. So, I got up and went to the front desk to pick up one of these "Voter Guides".

Recently, I posted a comment here on Democrats.com about a collection of Reform Amendments to the Ohio Constitution that will help restore dignity and trust to our elections here in the Buckeye State. I also noted that I am a huge supporter of these issues (more information can be found at www.reformohionow.org).

However, the literature that is apparently being distributed at my Sister's church, and many other churches, is from the extremist, right-wing fundamentalist group known as the "Christian" Coalition. Since I don't know how to copy-paste pictures from my computer onto a forum topic, I will just describe to you...word for word, what it says:

(From the Paper)

"2005 Christian Coalition - Voter * Education - Ballot Issues:
Christian Coalition of Ohio is advocation a NO vote on issues 1 - 5:

Issue One - Third Frontier Bond Money - Vote NO:
Issue One contains Governor Taft's Third Frontier program, which would fund the biomedical research firms conducting human embryo experimentation in the state of Ohio. Vote NO.

The Proposed Statewide Issues Two through Five:
* If passed, they take the right to vote away from Ohio voters, and increase the likelihood of election fraud.
* They create new bureaucracies that have a blank check to spend tax payer dollars, and are not accountable to Ohio voters.
* They give power to unelected, unaccountable political appointees who are not required to meet any minimum level of qualifications, and who could never be removed by the voters.
* They lock into the Ohio Constitution election rules and regulations that will be nearly impossible to change by Ohio Voters. This is a partisan initiative dressed up like reform.

Issue Two - No-Fault Absentee Voting - Vote NO:
* Clutters the constitution with election regulations on mail or absentee ballots or provisional ballots-regulations that could lead to election fraud and abuse without legislative recourse.

Issue Three - Deforming Campaign Finance - Vote NO:
* Allows special interest, even those out of state, to give ten times more money to a statewide candidate than any individual is allowed.
* Allows those special interests to keep the names of their contributor's secret.
* Wealthy Candidates have no spending limits, but citizens are severly limited in donations, leaving a tremendous advantage to millionaire candidates.
* Clutters the constitution with set-in-stone spending limits that won't reduce the cost of campaigns.

Issue Four - Appointment Board and Legislative Districts - Vote NO:
* Removes legislative district drawing power from well known directly elected officers and gives it to a politically appointed board whose members are not required to meet any minimum level of qualification.
* It uses a complicated mathematical formula to draw districts that has never been used in any state.
* This new bureacracy in Columbus will be granted virtually unlimited power to spend Ohio tax dollars with essentially no oversight by Ohio voters, elected officials, or the State Legislature. Could lead to fewer minority elected officials and reduced representation of minority communities in the Legislature and Congress.

Issue Five - Appointed Elections Commission - Vote NO:
* Takes away Ohioans' right to vote for the state's chief elections officer. Instead, it creates a new statewide elections board of political appointees who would never face election and would never be held accountable to Ohio voters.
* This proposal would give this new bureaucracy a blank check to spend tax dollars without oversight by voters or elected officials.
* Issue Five invites legal challenges at every election, possibly turning Ohio into a Florida."

There it is...word for word. On the paper, it also says, to get "more information on the issues", go to www.ccohio.org...I wouldn't go there, but for anyone that wants to investigate into this sick game of corruption...be my guest.

I sent a copy of this paper to my Local Democratic Club President, and she advised me (if I wanted to) to report the action to http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=issues_churchelectioneering ...I'm off to do that now.

Take Care.