Republican speaker draws community attention
The Bonneville County Republican Party will hold its Lincoln Day Banquet April 13 at the Melaleuca Corporate Headquarters building. It’s the latest meeting of the group, which split from the Region Seven Republican Central Committee three years ago.
Featured speakers will include Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin and WallBuilders founder David Barton. The theme will be “God and the Constitution.”
Barton brings with him some controversy. An article published by the Southern Poverty Law Center calls him “a radical evangelical promoting an extreme right version of history and religious patriotism”.
McGeachin drew attention during the legislative session after posing in support of a group of government protestors.
Barton’s appearance has prompted Idaho Falls community leaders to organize a counter rally highlighting “inclusion”. That event will be held in the Idaho Falls Friendship Garden, next to Key Bank on Broadway, at 5 p.m., April 13.
Idaho Falls City Councilman John Radford is one of the inclusion rally’s principal organizers. He voiced concern over Barton’s work, which has been criticized for promoting factual errors. He said one Christian publisher pulled one of Barton’s books out of print for that reason.
“We will not sit idly by as someone comes into our community to preach hate and intolerance,” said Radford. “He absolutely has the right to speak, but we’d like to visibly point out that there’s an alternative to the type of America Barton wants to build.”
Bonneville County Democrats’ chair Miranda Marquit and several other community members will also participate.
“We want to add to society, not subtract,” says Radford. “We know that inclusion matters, and that there is strength in recognizing all members of our community.”
“As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I understand from our history that hatred of religion can be deadly,” Radford continued. “We need to honor our ancestors and speak out when we see religious persecution of any type and of any faith, but we absolutely must do it when they spew hate.”
