BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) -- To shouts of "hallelujah" and "Amen!" from his audience, U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd on Monday denounced a Republican campaign brochure suggesting that electing John Kerry would lead to an attempt to ban the Bible.
Byrd said the brochure sent by the Republican National Committee to the homes of many evangelical Christians in West Virginia and Arkansas is "trash (and) it’s a lie."
"You’re being fed a bunch of trash," he told an interfaith group convened in Beckley to talk about how Kerry would keep traditional family values a focus of his administration. "The people who put this out (are) taking West Virginians to be gullible, ignorant fools." [Well, they elect you, year after year, don't they, Sheets?]
Waving the copy of the U.S. Constitution he always carries, [but doesn't respect] Byrd told the group "the Constitution will never let the Bible be banned."
Last week, the RNC acknowledged sending the literature that claims "the liberal agenda includes removing ’under God’ from the Pledge of Allegiance" and shows a Bible with the word "BANNED" across it. It also shows a photo of a man, on his knees, placing a ring on the hand of another man with the word "ALLOWED," a reference to same-sex marriage. Mary Diamond, the RNC’s spokeswoman in West Virginia, said the brochure highlighted a topic that has become an issue in the campaign, same-sex marriage.
Tut, tut, Mr. Klansman Byrd, didn't you get the word that the Constitution is a "living document" and means whatever liberal judges say it means?
If a "penumbra" or an "emanation" can be found that declares the Bible to be illegal "hate speech," well, the Bible will just have to go.