10th Alabama church in flames

[Sydnie]

Another Baptist church in Alabama was in flames Saturday night, becoming the 10th house of worship burned in recent weeks, police said.

Firefighters from several cities were helping to fight the blaze Saturday evening in Beaverton, a town of 200 people about 90 miles northwest of Birmingham

A Lamar County Sheriff's Department dispatcher said police are still trying to determine what caused the fire at the Beaverton Freewill Baptist Church in northwest Alabama.

<snip>

The ATF has said witnesses have reported seeing a dark-colored SUV near some of the fires. But it is not clear if the vehicle is linked to the blazes.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/11/church.fires/index.html

[xultar]

1. It isn't terra though. 2 white men were seen fleeing the scene.

[LostinVA]

25. Damn those gays!

[xultar]

30. They didn't say they were impeccably dressed and had all their teeth.

[LostinVA]

32. One report I read did say they had on Structure clothing...

[genie_weenie]

39. not only that

The ATF has said witnesses have reported seeing a dark-colored SUV near some of the fires. Those Queer Eye Guys have some balls!

[LostinVA]

40. *gasp*

[Selatius]

2. In the past, it was predominantly Black churches that were torched.

But several of them are predominantly White congregations.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[xultar]

4. I know a Black BUSHBOT Megachurch in ATL that shouldn't be forgotten

[wakeme2008]

5. Map from CNN

[theHandpuppet]

13. Interesting -- how does this compare to this map?

http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp?S=AL&m=3

I wonder how many known hate groups are near the areas where these fires are being set?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

15. .

[andino]

17. Funny...

By the way, racism is everywhere.

[theHandpuppet]

21. I don't really understand your comment

This was but one among ALL the state maps by the SPLC listing hate groups in America. But since the burnings are taking place in Alabama, the question was whether or not any of the hate groups listed for Alabama are located anywhere near the site of the burnings.

Of course there is racism everywhere. If you want a map of the hate groups listed for any state in the country, just go to the SPLC site and click on a map. Since this discussion is specifically about the Alabama burnings, the state map for Alaska probably won't do you much good if you're looking for clues. Perhaps you ought to connect the dots before you become so defensive.

[Army]

22. Obvious

The "Southern Bigots On the Loose" makes everyone up north and out west feel better about themselves. The map posted from the SCLC was implying "there go those southern racists again." But, as it does about every five years when the "churches burn in the south" news cycle makes it's way around in orbit, we will find out in a few months that hey, there weren't anymore burned this year than last, and hey, there weren't any more burned in the south than elsewhere in the nation.

Churches are burned all of the time by arsonist losers who want to show God a thing or two because it's HIS fault they screwed up their lives. As much as people want it to be about race or politics, I really don't think someone who would destroy a place of worship is concerned with political implications.

It's the same as the "Sharks Attacking The Nation's Beaches!" stories that pup up every few years. If we can whip up fear, we can sell more papers and get higher ratings.

And incidentally, how come they never interview Native Americans about the tolerance and open heartedness of those outside Dixie?

[theHandpuppet]

27. Sorry, but you are making assumptions here

The map was not posted to imply "there go those southern racists again". I myself have posted, just within this past month, several threads & posts regarding the rise of hate crimes in AMERICA, including two threads regarding the attacks on churches in Maryland and synagogues in the D.C. area.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=317917
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2099213
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=225&topic_id=173
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x137418
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x392239

This does not include my posts regarding the Nazi-lover from Boston who recently attacked gay folks who were doing nothing more than minding their own business.

The site from which I culled the map is one from the Southern Poverty Law Center, not the SCLC. I find your error most interesting as I was not citing the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as a source. Splcenter.org is a site I visit frequently and was one I referenced during a discussion about the rise of RW fanaticism in SW OHIO and the election of Jean Schmidt. The maps were useful in citing the number of organized hate groups in the counties where Schmidt's support is the strongest.

However, since we are talking of church burnings in Alabama, it is LOGICAL to explore the possibility that a local hate group might be involved. Since I am not that familiar with Alabama, the question was did this map in any way correlate with the previous map showing the site of the recent burnings.

If you or anyone else has a problem with the lack of MSM coverage of hate crimes in the U.S., then point your finger in the right direction. Where were some of you when I tried to no avail to keep a discussion going about the attacks on churches in Maryland or against the synagogues in the D.C. area?

Be that as it may, the discussion here is about the attacks on churches in Alabama and there have been several MSM mouthpieces who have suggested that these attacks may be the work of disgruntled liberals or gays, when the more likely scenario is the work of a local hate group. The map is pertinent to that discussion.

But if you'd like some more maps of organized hate groups, you can find one for each state at splcenter.org

Here's one for my home state, Ohio: http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp?S=OH&m=3

Here's one for West Virginia, where I now live: http://www.splcenter.org/intel/map/hate.jsp?S=WV&m=3

You can post one for every state in the union if you like, but they aren't pertinent to this discussion. Some folks need to get that log-sized chip off their shoulder.

[DoYouEverWonder]

28. We had a guy like that in No FL

when the finally caught him, you could see he was just a very sad and disturbed soul. He wasn't connected to any group and he didn't have a 'political' agenda. He was an arson and most of them are just very sick people.

[Flubadubya]

6. Their doctrine was too liberal...

that's what I read somewhere. Wonder if it is true? Wouldn't be surprised. :(

[Drum]

7. Dammit! nt!

[Wheezy]

8. This is important, people.

Ten churches? TEN?

K&R.

Thanks Sydnie!

[Sydnie]

10. You're welcome Wheezy

I think it is very important too. We must pay close attention to this. Atlanta is burning again. :(

[Zynx]

11. It is definitely some organized campaign, but it doesn't seem to be

totally racially motivated, which makes this even stranger.

[PassingFair]

36. It MUST be them muslimoids!

:sarcasm:

[CornField]

9. This is so sad. Many of these churches were historical sites

They weren't new, big, state-of-the-art mega churches. These were small to medium country parishes. It's just sad.

[Maine-ah]

20. someone making way to put in a mega-church?

:shrug:

look at it on the cnn map, all the churches are blocked together with a big empty spot in the middle.

just a thought. I'm also on my first cup of coffee...

[donsu]

24. coffee or no your suggestion is worth thinking about

nt

[Maine-ah]

29. I guess I woke up with the hat on...

the more I think about it now, it does kind of make sense.

If you haven't read the article in Rolling Stone, called "God's Senator", I highly recommend it. It's about Sen. Brownback(R-Kansas). Scares me.

quote:

"Now, Brownback seeks something fare more radical:not faith-based politics but faith in place of politics. In his dream America, the one he believes both the Bible and the Consititution promise, the state will simply wither away. In it's place will be a country so suffused with God and the free market that the social fabric of the last hundred years - schools, social security, welfare - will be privatized or simply done away with. There will be no abortions; sex will be confinded to heterosexual marriage. Men will lead families, mothers will tend children, and big business and the church will take care of all."

[Wind Dancer]

38. Very interesting thought.

We have had the number of mega/corporate churches double in NC since 2001. It seems to be an orchestrated move that has gained momentum since the boyking took office.

[theHandpuppet]

35. Same story in the recent attacks on churches in Maryland

Small, out of the way churches of historical significance. Predominantly black congregations. Hmmm.... makes you wonder.

[DeadManInc]

12. Tell Robertson it is God's wrath

for them being hypocrites

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Algorem]

14. a 'too-early-to-call-suspicious' church fire in Ohio

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-22/1139704180264140.xml&storylist=cleveland

Investigators probe cause of church fire
2/11/2006, 7:07 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

...Members of the Full Gospel Sons of God Church, who spent the past two years raising money for the new church and doing most of the labor, said they are heartbroken...

Columbus fire investigator Josh Brent said it's too early to call the fire suspicious, but an agent from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was on the scene.

"They're automatically going to come on a church fire in this day and age," Brent said.

Church members could think of no one with a vendetta against them. Someone stole tools and scaffolding last year, they said, but it was nothing serious...

[Squatch]

16. Do you think it's related to the other 9

Alabama church burnings?

(I can't call it arson, because the last I heard CNN was only reporting that arson was "suspected")

[fasttense]

19. While the KKK is busy burning down churches that appear

too liberal, the FBI is busy spying on Vegetarians, Quakers and Peace activists. So where is all this wonderful domestic spying? Why isn't brush using it to catch these arson Terrorists? I thought domestic spying was suppose to make us safe from terrorists. Seems it only keeps us safe from liberals.

[QC]

26. Since you know who is doing this, you really should pass the information

on to the FBI or the governor's office.

[fasttense]

33. Oh come on now, burning churches is a favorite of the KKK

and other Nazi-like terrorists groups. Do you honestly think the KKK doesn't have a hand in this? Oh I know, it is someone who wants to look like the KKK. Maybe if the FBI were doing their job, we wouldn't be watching these churches burn.

[QC]

34. Half these churches are white.

Do try to keep up.

[donsu]

23. maybe the fires are being done by a baptist that was sexually abused

by their baptist christian breathern, or something along those lines.

[goforit]

31. US Papers are refusing to cover this travesty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Charlie Brown]

37. RELIEF INFO

http://www.alsbom.org/common/content.asp?PAGE=466&CONTENT=1847

The State Board of Missions will be receiving Disaster Relief contributions to assist with the rebuilding and/or repair of nine Alabama church facilities after fires on Feb. 3 and Feb. 6. If you would like to assist with this effort, please make checks payable to: State Board of Missions, P.O. Box 11870, Montgomery, AL 36111, "for Church Fires."