John Connell

[jerryswife]

[/quote]
Good thoughts.   

I will begin by forgiving you for listening to NPR.   (tee hee)
[/quote]

I was in the car, not a lot of choices on a Sunday morning...

[Tom Sawyer]

Good thoughts.   

I will begin by forgiving you for listening to NPR.   (tee hee)
[/quote]

I was in the car, not a lot of choices on a Sunday morning...
[/quote]


Denial is one of the signs of addiction.
Acknowledging one has a problem is the first step in overcoming one's problem.

"Hi, I'm a recovering Progressive."

[jerryswife]

eooow, I have never ever been a progressive.  I was born a libertarian, I believe I questioned authority while still in the crib, and I never did go through that socialist thing.  In college I argued with my prof and railed against the crap by Galbraith we were forced to read.  But one does need to see what the other side is up to and occasionally NPR does have an interesting story although all too often I will found out later that it was a lie

[Free libertarian]

eooow, I have never ever been a progressive.  I was born a libertarian, I believe I questioned authority while still in the crib, and I never did go through that socialist thing.  In college I argued with my prof and railed against the crap by Galbraith we were forced to read.  But one does need to see what the other side is up to and occasionally NPR does have an interesting story although all too often I will found out later that it was a lie

I know. Your libertarianism is not in question.

I was teasing you, because I'm like that...but the damn smiley emoticon was evading me.    Please forgive me. 

   

[jerryswife]

i get that you were kidding.  I guess I should have included some emoticons.

[KBCraig]

Duct tape warning:

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20160124/NEWS0606/160129363

Conflict between town and church at Grafton meeting following fatal fire
By DAN SEUFERT
Union Leader Correspondent

GRAFTON — Several people walked out Sunday during an emotionally charged meeting that included about 75 residents, two selectmen and the new board of directors of Peaceful Assembly Church, which suffered heavy damage in a Jan. 12 fire that killed its pastor.

The town's planned seizure of the church's deed for unpaid back taxes still loomed after the two-hour session, which began as a selectmen's meeting, and then continued as a meeting between residents and church directors. Selectmen said they would take no action until all three selectmen could be present.

Dave Kopacz, new chairman of the church board, said the directors would pay the past taxes pending appeals in court; the church has argued it should be granted tax-exempt status.

"I will be making this payment, but I am not acquiescing that we owe taxes," Kopacz said.

The building was purchased in 2010 by deceased pastor John Connell, who church officials said was a member of the Free State Project, several members of which had moved to Grafton in past decades.

The board of directors' former chairman, Tom Ploszaj, confirmed that Connell had been asked by the board to leave the church in September "because he had mixed too much of his politics with the church," Ploszaj said.

The cause of death for Connell, 57, who lived in the church, has not been released by state fire investigators.

Connell was still living in the church at the time of the fire "because we could not force him out; we believe in peace," Ploszaj said.

During Sunday's meeting, Kopacz had said there are "clear battle lines already drawn" in the town between church members and those against them. That led Selectman Merle Kenyon — who had just said he supported the idea of revitalizing the church — to say he took the words as "a personal affront." He then left the meeting.

Kopacz explained that the church had a plan to pay the back taxes for the past two years — a little more than $6,000. He said the directors had investors who would be willing to pay the entire back tax bill of $13,853.

Several people left the meeting after one resident said she wasn't happy that the group was opposed to paying its taxes as a traditional nonprofit group, and after Kopacz said "every penny" to pay the taxes would come from private citizens in Massachusetts. Residents were also upset when it was learned that the new board of directors was made up, in large part, of Massachusetts residents.

Another angry departure from the meeting came from a public school teacher after Kopacz, who said that he home-schooled his children, called public schools "re-education camps."

Selectman Sean Frost — who left after the selectmen's portion of the meeting — returned later, but left again telling the new church board that the church needed "to separate the politics from religion."

Kopacz said the new church would provide new services, including a full food pantry for the town to use, a food kitchen and a public meeting place for town events.

Fire Chief John Babiarz, in answer to a question from the audience, said the church was thought to be unrepairable until the day after the fire, when, he said, investigators found it was in remarkably good shape.

"As sure as I'm standing before you, I see that church being rebuilt," Kopacz said, adding that signs that Connell had posted in front of the 217-year-old church would be removed — the only point at which most of the audience applauded.

[Free libertarian]

   Property tax is an oxymoron.   

[Jay]

"The board of directors' former chairman, Tom Ploszaj, confirmed that Connell had been asked by the board to leave the church in September "because he had mixed too much of his politics with the church," Ploszaj said.

...

Connell was still living in the church at the time of the fire "because we could not force him out; we believe in peace," Ploszaj said"

Something seems very wrong here...

[Tom Sawyer]

eooow, I have never ever been a progressive.  I was born a libertarian, I believe I questioned authority while still in the crib, and I never did go through that socialist thing.  In college I argued with my prof and railed against the crap by Galbraith we were forced to read.  But one does need to see what the other side is up to and occasionally NPR does have an interesting story although all too often I will found out later that it was a lie

I know. Your libertarianism is not in question.

I was teasing you, because I'm like that...but the damn smiley emoticon was evading me.    Please forgive me. 

I'm so ashamed to admit that I secretly listen to NPR! Well, when I'm traveling in the car, I listen to a wide range of things. Some of the content I just have to turn the station, but some of it is interesting and worthwhile. 

[Tom Sawyer]

"to separate the politics from religion."

Now there is a problem.

"Hey that Jesus guy was OK until he decided to overturn the tables! If he would have just quietly done his little nonthreatening religious thing we wouldn't have had to nail him to a cross!"

[Russell Kanning]

The board of directors' former chairman, Tom Ploszaj, confirmed that Connell had been asked by the board to leave the church in September "because he had mixed too much of his politics with the church," Ploszaj said.





spittin mad here

[Russell Kanning]

don't you love it? you have a "town government" meeting where people are telling a church it should just pay its taxes and get out of politics

ever feel you are reliving a nazi police state?

[Jay]

don't you love it? you have a "town government" meeting where people are telling a church it should just pay its taxes and get out of politics

ever feel you are reliving a nazi police state?

Call them Nazis or whatever, it's what the leaders of "civilization", the State, have been doing at a basic level for thousands of years. Even when it was more closely integrated with religion.

Ain't gonna change overnight, and it requires a certain kind of fortitude to even try and take on.

[Jay]

I missed this part:

"adding that signs that Connell had posted in front of the 217-year-old church would be removed — the only point at which most of the audience applauded."

This is the kind of world we're dealing with...lol...

[Russell Kanning]

they can forget John and get back to business as usual