A 9 March posting on the website of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Northeast Florida on the subject of blasphemy (taken from another source) describes Pastor Terry Jones as “a deservedly obscure Florida pastor with a congregation of less than 50”.
Presidential Candidate Terry Jones will address The Republican Liberty Caucus of Northeast Florida on the subject of “Freedom of Speech, Religious Liberty, Christianity & Islam.” Tuesday, April 3, 2012, 6:00 PM Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott – Jacksonville 4888 Lenoir Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32216
According to a report in the Florida Times-Union,
About 50 people attended the event, hosted by caucus chairman Louis William Rose. Jones’ presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session with the caucus’ members.
“We love to have controversial speakers,” said Rose.
He said the group values debate and noted that they had invited in five members of the Occupy movement, who were in the parking lot of the hotel, to participate in the question-and-answer session, but they declined. He noted that the group had previously had speakers they disagree with, including Gary Koniz, a candidate challenging Ander Crenshaw for his congressional seat.
However, while Rose (who has a website here) seems keen to suggest a bit of distance from his group’s invited speaker, his vice chair Karyn Morton was unequivocally enthusiastic:
Dr. Jones gave a very interesting & inciteful presentation. I think people were impressed with his background and his commitment to keep Shariah law out of this country.
Meanwhile, Charisma News reports:
Pastor Terry Jones is back in the news again. This time he’s getting some legal support to stand up for his First Amendment rights in a high Muslim-populated city.
…The Thomas More Law Center on Monday filed a federal lawsuit in the against the city of Dearborn—and its police chief—over the city’s new tactic to stop Jones from speaking out against shariah law. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Jones, Stand Up America Now and Jones’ associate pastor Wayne Sapp.
In February, Jones filed an application for a special events permit that would allow him to speak on Saturday, April 7, in front of the largest mosque in North America, which is located in Dearborn, Mich.
Dearborn, however, demanded that Jones and his organization sign a “Hold Harmless” agreement as a condition to granting the permit. The agreement requires Jones to surrender all of his legal rights if he wants to speak on public property.
Charisma is published by Strang Communications, which in 2010 brought out Jones’ book Islam is of the Devil (under the Creation House imprint). However, if Strang is so worried out Jones’ ability to get his message out, one wonders why the company decided to withdraw his book from sale and scrub all reference to it when Jones became internationally notorious.
As has been widely reported, the lawsuit in Dearborn has been successful. Of course, the Thomas More Law Center’s defence of Jones’ right to speak ought not to be conflated automatically into an endorsement of Jones himself, but the TMLC doesn’t seem to see any need to make a distinction. According to a post on its website:
The Thomas More Law Center currently represents several Christian missionaries whose first amendment rights have been trampled upon by the City of Dearborn, home to the largest Muslim population in the United States.
Stand Up America Now, headed by Pastor Jones, was established for the purpose of proclaiming the Holy Bible to Muslims and educating people about the threat of Sharia law to our Nation’s fundamental principles of freedom. As part of his outreach efforts, Pastor Jones travels around the country speaking about Christianity at Muslim events and mosques.
The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values…
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