On The Road: In Idaho, Preaching, Teaching And Déjà Vu All Over Again At The State CP Convention On The Pro-Life Issue
By John Lofton, Editor
GRANGEVILLE, Idaho — Well, it was, as Yogi Berra said, déjà vu all over again for me when I traveled recently to this beautiful state at the request of Scott Watson who with his wife Naomi and family showed me true Christian hospitality, as did others who received me.
In addition to attending the Idaho Constitution Party State Convention in Grangeville, I spoke twice at a Paul deParrie Camp Meeting at the Lewis & Clark resort in Kamiah hosted by Keith Humphrey. I preached on a Sunday evening at the Faith Evangelical Church in Boise. And I had the pleasure of meeting and being interviewed by Nels Wilson owner of the KBGN radio station in Caldwell, the first station in Idaho that was dedicated totally to Christian programming. Nels is a probing and articulate interviewer, I might add. KBGN carries our “The American View” radio show on Saturday morning.
I say that part of this trip was déjà vu all over again because part of the agenda of the Idaho Constitution Party State Convention dealt with the question of whether the Idaho CP should disaffiliate from the national CP because the CP National Committee refused to recognize — in Tampa, Florida, a few weeks earlier — that theIndependent American Party of Nevada was out of compliance with the national CP on the abortion issue.
In any event, the vote in the Idaho Constitution Party State Convention was 30-24 against leaving the national CP. A resolution did pass however that condemned the Nevada Party for its pro-abortion exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, fetal deformities and life/health of the mother. Another resolution passed overwhelmingly reiterating the Idaho CP’s 100% pro-life, no-exceptions position. Mary Rutkowski and her husband voted against this 100% pro-life, no-exceptions reiteration.
Now, the déjà vu part.
Just like in Tampa, the (wittingly or unwittingly) pro-Nevada, don’t-disaffiliate-from-the-national-CP folks in the Idaho CP argued for party over principle invoking a spurious “unity” instead of defending a 100%, no-exceptions, pro-life position.
For example, Bruce Annecky said, in part: “In relationship to the resolution, I feel very strongly that the Party itself is the important part of the issue. We have no ability to be growing, to make an impact nationally, if we are fragmenting ourselves in little splinters, on every little special interest position….If we break off we will lose our ability to be a voice in this wilderness.”
Well, no. To disaffiliate from the national CP would have sent a strong message that the Idaho CP is indeed 100% pro-life! And to call abortion “a little special interest issue” shows this speaker is clueless regarding the premiere moral issue of our time.
Annecky also said: “At this point in time it’s our opportunity and chance to step forward. This Party will grow like a weed because [of] the frustration that is taking place in mid-America and Idaho. Idaho can be a huge leader within this segment and within this growth period. So if you branch off and split off and you start another movement, all you’re doing is giving the devil another opportunity to fight you and build on his side.” Growing “like a weed” is probably not the way a party wants to grow. And going soft on the abortion issue is what pleases the devil.
Another anti-disaffiliation speaker, Jarod Eastley, said, incoherently, in part, concerning the abortion issue: “We need some amount of compromise in order to go forward. The atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ was an act of compromise. He was willing to atone for our sins that we might be able to come back to Him. He’s allowed us to make mistakes. And you know what? I’m far more concerned about those who commit those acts of abortion than I am about those unborn children because they’re spiritually returned back to their Maker. What we need to do is be unified. What we need to do is to pull together. Then once we have that unity, then absolutely we can fight against the abortion issues but not until then.”
Huh? But, “unity” in what?! “Pull together” to achieve what?! And the bit about our Lord “compromising” is ludicrous.
Eastley added: “Also, States have their rights….We are in Idaho. It is against the principles of representational government to interfere in the Party politics or any kind of politics in Idaho.” But, no state CP has any “right” to disregard the national CP Platform’s 100%, no-exceptions, pro-life position — which Nevada has done.
Ray Ritz, declining disaffiliation from the national CP, said, in part: “And may we remember in this fight, we need to be unified…. in disunity we will dissolve from this fight into a small group. And in the end the big battle is lost and the little battle means nothing, because you have lost the war. We must be unified to fight the main battle.” But, of course, the pro-life issue is a key part of the “big battle” we are in.
Incredibly, Paul Venable argued against leaving the national CP saying, in part, that “I do not believe it is possible that if we divide that we will conquer.” Noting, correctly, that only God can save our country, he added: “That is why God called… called Gideon, with three hundred men to show that God was in charge.” Excellent point! So, victory does not depend on numbers — as Gideon’s success proved!
Finally, Travis Hedrick, holding, of all things, his Bible, noted that some in the room were “probably surprised” that he was speaking against leaving the national CP — as many were. He said: “Whether you’re LDS (Mormons), a Christian denomination, whether you’re of a Jewish faith…I think we’re all resolved for the same thing. I think we do believe that the sanctity of life is so important, that we’re ready to argue, we’re ready to defend our side.”
But Mormon doctrine does not show a belief that “the sanctity of life is so important.” No way! Mormon teaching is that abortion is allowable for rape, incest, fetal deformities, life/health of the mother.
Hedrick added: “I want to remind you since many of you have brought up Scripture. I want to tell you one thing that is found in Isaiah. It says that “vengeanceis mine declares the Lord”. And unfortunately I think there are people here today, there are people who are trying to seek vengeance.”
Vengeance? What the people seeking to have the Idaho CP leave the national CP were trying to do was enforce the national CP Party Platform on abortion!
Hedrick said: “A hard stance ‘all or nothing’ will not work right now. Sorry, it will not.” Interesting. Interesting because the national CP Platform says there are to be no exceptions on abortion and this is also the Idaho CP’s position!
I was originally scheduled to speak at the Idaho CP convention but only after the disaffiliation vote had been taken. This was the rule because no one from the national CP came to defend the Nevada Party. I was ready. I had arrived earlier wearing my Tasmanian Devil “Battle Tie.” As things turned out, I declined to speak because there was nothing useful I could say since the vote already occurred.
To travel to Idaho is to visit a place where what’s in the news is totally different from what’s in the news in the Washington DC area where I live (Laurel, Maryland). In the DC area most all of the front-page news is about the Federal Government, what is being done by Congress, the President, the Supreme Court, etc.
But, when I arrived in Boise, the big headline on the front-page of the “Idaho Statesman” read, referring to the Governor: “Risch says save the sockeye.” The subhead read: “Conservation council votes to expand hatchery program after governor says, ‘We need to do more, not less.’” The story was about a plea from Governor Jim Risch to expand a salmon hatchery.
Another huge front-page story was about “Summer Of Peace” ceremonies. With this piece was a large photo of Nez Pearce Indians in native dress, one holding an American flag. These ceremonies kicked off what was referred to as “Idaho’s Lewis and Clark signature event.”
But, arghhhhhhhhh!, there was a one column front-page story about the Feds sticking their nose in Idaho’s business. This article told how the U.S. House of Representatives had voted “to block the proposed relocation of a portion of Boise Airport’s air-traffic control operation to Salt Lake City.”
On the editorial page of the “Idaho Statesman” things got worse — a lot worse. There were four letters-to-the-editor about homosexual marriage and efforts to protect man/woman-only-marriage. All four letters either endorsed the former or trashed the latter! One letter was from “a lesbian in a committed relationship.” Another writer was “ashamed” President Bush was for man/woman only marriage. A female “Reverend” called the Marriage Protection Act “immoral and distasteful.” Another writer denounced “the jugglers and the clowns” defending man/woman only marriage.
Finally, foodwise, I hate bland food. So, after my first time eating at Quiznos I have never eaten again at Subway. But, one evening, because I had no wheels, I had to eat at whatever place I could walk to from my motel. This meant eating at (yuck!) Subway. Have you ever noticed the difference between the way a Quiznos sub and a Subway sub look? When you unwrap it, a Subway sub looks like (a) it is anorexic and (b) an elephant sat on it. And it always amuses me I see Subway advertising its toasted subs have if they discovered — no invented — the toasted sub, which Quiznos does much better.
