Bill Keller is at it again. The man who claimed “A vote for Romney is a vote for Satan” has now declared that Obama is “God’s Enemy” (as shown on his web site).
You can watch his “analysis” of Obama here:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qta_BspVVVo&hl=en&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6]
It’s long – over 8 minutes – so be prepared.
So why should you care about any of this?
I’ll tell you.
You and I subsidize this nonsense.
Yep, Keller’s website, liveprayer.com, is a public charity. It’s part of Bill Keller Ministries, a 501(c)(3) organization. And one would assume that as a 501(c)(3) organization, Bill Keller Ministries knows the rules. And one would also assume that as a self-professed Christian, he would honor those rules. But he clearly doesn’t.
According to the regs, 501(c)(3) organizations are specifically prohibited from making statements for or against political candidates. You can read more about what is and is not allowed here.
And yet, Keller feels that these rules simply don’t apply to him. He is currently under investigation by the IRS for his statements about Mitt Romney, including:
*ROMNEY GETTING ELECTED PRESIDENT WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD MILLIONS OF SOULS TO THE ETERNAL FLAMES OF HELL!!!
Keller claims that he is allowed to say and do as he pleases because it’s both God’s calling and free speech.
Funny, I was raised in a Christian home and the tenets of faith as taught to me include love, patience, tolerance and understanding. I don’t remember the part of the Bible wherein Jesus says, “Attack thy neighbors.” I’m pretty sure that it went something like this:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.Matthew 22:36-40
The kind of hate filled speech that comes from the Keller camp doesn’t sound very Christian to me – ironic, since this go round he accuses Obama of not acting very Christian.
On the free speech front, Keller and those who support him claim that the idea of free speech absolves Keller from his comments about candidates. It does not.
Free speech is not absolute. There are limits. You cannot yell “Fire!” in a crowded theatre. You cannot spread lies about another person.
And, as with many other rules and regulations, there are limitations on your speech depending upon what category you fall into… In this case, Bill Keller’s organization made the conscious decision to “opt in” to IRS tax-exempt status. This status grants certain benefits, such as not being subject to federal tax on profits and allowing donors the benefit of a tax deduction for making a contribution to the organization. In exchange, the organization agreed to follow the rules. And the rules say no active politicking. It’s quite simple.
There are political activities that 501(c)(3) organizations can engage in without jeopardizing their exempt status. Organizations are allowed, for example, to take a stand on particular issues or legislation (i.e. abortion, the environment) and providing education on those issues. Organizations cannot, however, publicly endorse, oppose or contribute to a particular candidate. To be clear, the IRS does not require that the organization actually use the words “Don’t vote for…” to violate the standards.
The courts have upheld this the authority of the IRS to revoke status for tax-exempt organizations that engage in prohibited campaign activities. The case that is pointed to the most is Branch Ministries v. Rossotti, 211 F.3d 137 (D.C. Cir. 2000), where the court wrote:
The government has a compelling interest in maintaining the integrity of the tax system and in not subsidizing partisan political activity, and Section 501(c)(3) is the least restrictive means of accomplishing that purpose.
Let’s think about this for a moment. Donations to candidates are restricted by Campaign Finance law. If we allow tax exempt organizations – which do not have such limitations – to effectively as agents for or against candidates, what will that do to our political process? Any organization – from Greenpeace to Bill Keller Ministries – could then effectively circumvent campaign laws to tout their favorite candidates at taxpayer expense.
That last bit is particularly important. Remember, as taxpayers, we subsidize tax exempt organizations…
My personal bottom line: I don’t care what Bill Keller has to say about the GOP, the Dems, Romney or Obama. Just don’t do it on my dime.
