KAHLE calls for removal of 30-foot cross in Kaneohe
The church says the cross was put up only for the Easter weekend
Here are some quotes from today's Star Bulletin story by Rosemarie Bernardo (see Star Bullein for full report)
A group advocating separation of church and state has called for the dismantling of a 30-foot cross outside a Kaneohe church, which intends to take down the temporary cross. "Not only is the cross a blight on the landscape, there was no permit to erect the cross," said Mitchell Kahle, president of Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of State and Church.

As noted in earlier postings here, although Mitch is an AU member, his non-profit group is not an affiliate of the national Americans United group or our Hawaii Chapter of Americans United. (Update: 6/6/01: Today's SB states that Kahle's group is not non-profit which suggests that any donations going to his group is not tax deductible, unlike the annual dues of our Americans United group which are tax deductible.) Update 6/27/01: We just received a note from Mitch stating that his Oahu-based group "does not accept donations of any kind." AU, of course, does accept tax-deductible donations anytime. See our main web page with details on this.

Kahle filed a complaint with the city Planning and Permitting Department and the Outdoor Circle yesterday to "order the immediate removal of the offending sign" from the grounds of the Hope Chapel. "The cross is oversized," he said. According to residential zoning regulations, the maximum size for a sign is 24 square feet. Also, a city permit is required. The cross stands 30 feet tall and 15 feet wide on Hope Chapel's property, which comprises nine acres at 45-815 Pookela St.
"The sign also has a fixed-lighting system, when illuminated signs are not permitted in residential areas," Kahle said.
The Rev. Rob McWilliams said he was unaware of the regulations and intends to have members of Hope Chapel dismantle the cross by the end of the week. Members of the church erected the cross before Easter weekend.

 

The Mayor's Annual Breakfast gathering is Thurs., May 3nd. AU-Hawaii member, Rev. Richard Uejo, is coordinator of this event. As noted at our last board meeting, this year, the focus is on Gender Equality. Americans United Hawaii will be recognized and asked to lead in patriotic songs as we did last year. Board members are reminded to arrive around 7:15am for a very short quarterly meeting because the event will start on time at 7:30am so that people can get to work after the event. Second VP Pamela Collins will brief us on the "reproductive rights" issue that some national members were considering incorporating into the activist AU agenda. The all-you-can-eat breakfast is $7 and checks may be made out to "Interfaith Dialogue Committee." Board members should check their e-mail for a note about the tickets. Members and friends in the Hilo area on Thursday are invited to participate. Phone AU member Rev. Richard Uejo, Coordinator, Interfaith Dialogue Committee, for more information (959-2777).

 

Freedom from Religion by Ellen Willis, Feb. 2001. Excerpt: "For democrats, it's as crucial to defend secular culture as to preserve secular law. And in fact the two projects are inseparable: When religion defines morality, the wall between church and state comes to be seen as immoral. This is what we're facing now--not only from Bush and the Christian right, but from the earnest centrists and liberals who are doing their dirty work." This somewhat "unorthodox" take is refreshing. Read the article by clicking on the title at the beginning of this post.

 

NEVER FORGET: Our constitution is under attack by extremists. As we go about protecting our constitution, particularly the critical first ammendment which makes our nation unique in the development of human governance on this planet, let us honor our Hawaii citizens who died to protect and defend our constitution and way of life here in multicultural Hawaii nei. Go to page one to check the honor roll. Note the names of "local boys" who made the supreme sacrifice. This would be a good time to reaffirm your commitment to Americans United and the evolving human experiiment in governance called the United States of America. Mahalo for taking the time to read this, and feel free to post a comment on our GUEST BOOK at the bottom of page two.

 

Page 2 Updated. For an expanded version of the piece on our newest member, Army Combat veteran, Rick Champion, go to page two.