Michael Marcavage
Posted on 10/01/2004 6:27:16 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
Friday, October 1, 2004
An evangelical activist is being tried for reading the Bible at a meeting of the Lansdowne Borough Council in Pennsylvania.
According to the News of Delaware County, the president of the council called Lansdowne resident Michael Marcavage's reading "hate speech." Marcavage, who is director of the organization Repent America, faces charges for disrupting a public meeting.
Michael Marcavage |
The local paper reports Lansdowne Police Chief Daniel Kortan testified yesterday at a preliminary hearing. Kortan said Marcavage asked the council a question about comments made by recently appointed Councilman Kevin Lee, a Democrat and the first openly homosexual official in Delaware County. The chief says Marcavage then began reading from the Bible.
"I went to him and appealed to him," Kortan testified, according to the News. "'You had the microphone long enough. It's time to sit down and enjoy the meeting like the rest of the people or leave.' He refused. [President Norman Council] asked him to go back on target with a question … instead of just reading."
According to the report, the council president adjourned the meeting and council members and various members of the audience filed into the hallway area.
"I told him, 'now you're leaving.' He asked, 'are you arresting me?' I said, 'not yet, but you're getting close.' He said, 'I must exercise my right of civil disobedience,'" Kortan testified. The police chief said he removed Marcavage using "the fireman's carry."
Marcavage's attorney is Steven Shields.
"The council president, who I believe is Mr. Council, said that's hate speech. What better way to squelch the messenger or silence the message than to arrest the messenger?" Shields is quoted as saying.
Countered Assistant District Attorney Alyssa Kusturiss: "Council perceived what he was reading as hate speech. It would be homophobic today. They couldn't let him go on. You can't go up to the podium and start reading from the Bible."
Kortan verified he had not used the charge of disrupting a public meeting in 24 years of police work.
Marcavage's arraignment is set for Oct. 28. He is free on $2,000 bail. During the preliminary hearing, the judge dismissed a counter charge of disorderly conduct against Democratic Councilman Elliot Borgman, who Marcavage says "whacked" him on the arm during the hallway dispute.
Sure, if it is intended to mean let us.
Considering the group among which Freepers have a bad reputation, we can all consider it a badge of honor.
There are two homosexual couples (one male, one female) on my block. They are excellent neighbors. Any sin they commit is none of my business, none of Michael Marcavage's business, and certainly no business of anyone outside of our community.
Michael Marcavage is within his rights to be a bigot, if that's his idea of a religion. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to live near him. It looks like everyone would be happier if he just moved away.
And don't anyone try to put an anti-Christian spin on my words. The two best friends I ever had in this neighborhood were both Christian ministers; one still lives just down the street. I'd do just about anything for them. Theirs, at least, is not a false Christianity.
If any of you are thinking of backing this Marcavage guy up, please know beforehand with whom you associate. Here's an article from March of this year:
Preacher is jailed on sex charges
Against an emotional backdrop, a Philadelphia preacher convicted of trying to solicit sex from a West Chester teenager was sentenced yesterday to four to 10 years in prison.
The Rev. Craig Stephen White, a fiery street sermonizer known as "Brother Stephen," showed no reaction as Chester County Court Judge Anthony Sarcione imposed the punishment, which also included five years' probation.
"We are very pleased with Judge Sarcione's well-thought-out and appropriate sentence," said Assistant District Attorney Kimberly A. Callahan, who had requested four to eight years in prison.
Defense attorney Robert J. Donatoni said an appeal was being considered.
"Yes, it's a significant amount of time, but under the sentencing guidelines, it could have been worse," Donatoni said, calling the sentence "balanced and fair."
During the hearing, Donatoni presented witnesses who talked about the impact of White's ministry on children in North Philadelphia.
"I have nothing but positive [things] to say about Brother Stephen," said Evelyn Whitfield, a mother of five who credits White with encouraging her boys to pursue college.
White's wife, Lori, told Sarcione that her husband's imprisonment would be a hardship for her and the couple's three children, ages 5, 4, and 20 months.
Callahan presented testimony from the victim, his mother, and his aunt, who all focused on the negative impact of the crime.
"I feel degraded and feel no one has the right to rob someone of their innocence," said the victim, who is now 15 and finds himself "always looking over" his shoulder.
Speaking on his own behalf, White, 40, said he received a calling to be an evangelist at the age of 18. He said he came to Philadelphia 10 years ago because it was a spiritually needy region.
After the hearing, the victim and his family expressed relief.
"Justice was served," the victim's mother said.
Lori White left the courtroom with about a dozen supporters.
"I maintain my husband's innocence," she said.
Michael Marcavage, a character witness at White's trial, had been ejected earlier after Callahan expressed concern about an Internet site that offered a $5,000 reward for information on both the victim and prosecutors that might help free White.
Marcavage, 24, of Lansdowne, became agitated, stood up, and accused Callahan of lying. He also admitted setting up the Web site before being escorted from the courthouse.
Continued...
Brother Stephen White was a notorious preacher of hatred here in the Philadelphia region long before being exposed as a pederast. That Marcavage tried to subvert the process of justice on behalf of a hate-mongering pederast speaks volumes. I hope nobody again tries to associate FreeRepublic with this filth.
It wasn't; it was used in the same sense as "allow."
Invoke Satan.
Oops!
Thanks for the update and the insight.
Okay, we'll go with guilt by association.
We'll call it "The Downside Legacy at Two Degrees of FreeRepublic". :-)
I believe that calling somebody homophobic should be perceived as "hate speech".
Surreal. Bible reading is now hate speech in America?
That's true, but in today's climate--the Koran reading would be an exercise in "diversity" while the Bible would still remain "hate speech".
I wish we could go back to the days of not being so afraid of words like "God' and "Christmas". I'm still waitng to see who was harmed during those days.
Re:
"The two best friends I ever had in this neighborhood were both Christian ministers; ... Theirs, at least, is not a false Christianity."
A phrase you might be familiar with, eh?
Of course I don't know, but let me guess, here;
One of 'em is a Unitarian, and the other a Congregationalist?
Well, I might have gotten the particular denominations wrong, but you get my drift.
I doubt that either one of these persons of the cloth would have any problem at all with a sodomite priest/priestess leading a "christian" fellowship, either.
Nor do I have much doubt as to how they will be voting, after encouraging others within their "flock" - from the pulpit if needs be - who to contribute to and vote for.
Check the front yard of their Churches for "War is Not the Answer!" signs... that would be your first clue, I opine.
And I would be extermely surprised to hear of any dissent against the barbaric practice of abortion within their hallowed walls.
Nay; the mere suggestion of limiting a "Woman's RIGHT to CHOOSE" would be met with far greater angst as a much greater sin and attrocity.
Should one seek for the Spiritual Lampstands of such Churches, methinks one would likely search long and in vain.
And those of you who have read the Word - you already know that of which I speak.
And I really don't think all that many FReepers have a major problem with anyone doing their own thing between consenting participants, as long as we are not forced to clean up their messes or pay to cure the plagues they leave behind, or have them getting up in our faces about it all the time, wanting to supress, control, or persecute US.
But it seems that what we have here is a prime example of where "tolerance", although loudly demanded, is not nearly enough when achieved; this sodomite activist on the Counsel by his overt "invitation" obviously wants to pack the voting resident population with his soddomite synchophants, in order to develop a power/ constituency base in that community so that they can eventually take it completely over.
...If in fact they have not done so already.
Then if the townspeople have issues with their children being soddomized at school, or being taught that the Bible is "Hate", that the traditional Family is a repressive, obsolete superstition of the past, and that nice, normal people should just go around soddomizing each other at will - then they can just bloody well get used to it or get the heck out of Lansdowne!
If the treatment of this one Rev. Marcavage is allowed to stand (assuming that his statement of facts is correct, which I have no reason to believe otherwise), then we may expect more of the same whenever evil and corrupt power is confronted in our communities.
It's when People like Marcavage just start "disapearing" that we REALLY want to put the lamps up in the belfry and sound the long roll!
And at the risk of sounding a bit "paranoid" - yes; it CAN happen here.
History tells us so, you know; and History hardly ever lies.
Se'lah.
I agree. There is insufficient information provided to know which it was.
THIS AUDIO FILE SEEMS TO CLEAR UP EVERYTHING:
http://www.repentamerica.com/hatespeech.wav
Applause.
Thing about this that they seem to neglect is the fact that this is a special "hate crimes" issue.
Actually, I found this post while researching info about Marcavage for this thread. RE: Christian protesters face 47 years in jail.
Countered Assistant District Attorney Alyssa Kusturiss: "...You can't go up to the podium and start reading from the Bible."
So was Kusturiss being misquoted?
I would have assumed he'd be quoting from Romans, as it is more relevant to Christians.
What made you think Leviticus?
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