LOTS of Common Ancestors

Your Right Hand Thief struck the right tone today, noting the interesting juxtaposition of "news" from Tangipahoa Parish here in the Gret Stet...

Short version: Rev. Louis Husser (too bad his first name and middle initial aren't "Buford T.") has his panties all in a knot over the ACLU's insistance that church and state maintain a degree of separation. Rev. Husser, who apparently has forgotten Biblical admonitions re: public prayer, additionally distinguishes himself with one of the oddest conspiracy theories I've ever heard:

In the cafeteria at Loranger High School, a thumbprint machine to identify students has aroused the ire of parents who think the machine "is a forerunner of the Antichrist," Husser said.

"We know that there are electronic devices that will be used in the End-Time by the Antichrist," the minister said. "Some feel that it is leading into some of the tactics of the Antichrist, which is a cashless system."

Okaaay...

Tangipahoa, as you might expect, has likewise found itself in conflict with the ACLU over (what else) evolution...and, if you stop and think about it, folks arguing that the end time is manifest due to debit cards aren't exactly occupying the higher rungs of that ladder.

Meanwhile, the REAL agenda of the school district suffers:

But a few others in the parish are worried that one set of beliefs is struggling to establish dominance over all others, and liberties are getting lost in the process.

"I don't think the schools are the place for the prevalence for a particular type of religion," said Howard Nichols, a former school board member. "The people behind all this are fundamentalist Christians. They have stampeded the board by these massive demonstrations," he said. "I think we are diverting a tremendous amount of time that could be spent on improving test scores."

And he's concerned that a school district with a mediocre record -- it sits in the middle of state rankings -- is being distracted from academics.

Oh, and while the god mob bloviates, a group of fellow travelers is now under investigation for behavior that, if true, is just plain nuts.

On that note, let's sincerely hope that THESE allegations aren't what they appear, or are at worst confined to a few sick individuals. The article references the McMartin preschool case, which turned out to be a Reagan-era sham. Zealot prosecutors destroyed the lives of innocent people.

So, let's give these folks due process, even if their comrades are disinclined to such constitutional provisions. However, it's not a stretch to say the members of Hosanna church were, well, batshit-insane AND good Christians.

Those things seem to go hand in hand.