Fire me, I'm a Jew (audio)

Posted by Evan Derkacz at 4:28 AM on October 6, 2005.

This is something of a tragedy -- and not just for the obvious reasons. First, the facts.

Barbara Bradley Hagerty via Shakespeare's Sister reports [AUDIO] that about two years ago the Salvation Army began to vet its employees; they're now required to both report where they go to church and that they agree with the Army's mission: "To proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ."

The Salvation Army was subsequently sued and the case was recently decided:

"A federal court in New York has ruled that the Salvation Army may hire and fire employees according to their religious beliefs -- even though it receives most of its money for social services from the government."

Needless to say, the Bush Administration is pleased. Bush's man, Jim Toohey, who heads the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives made this creepy comment about the ruling: "It says to Faith-Based groups that we can do this work without having to secularize and sell our soul..."

Gee, does the Salvation Army really believe that to allow me -- a Jew -- to take money for the clothing and feeding of the needy is tantamount to the selling its soul?

This whole situation is offensive enough without my having to go too far into it. I fear the real losers here will be the charities who, I have no doubt, do good work. But aligning themselves with a bigoted, constitution-shredding leader will only increase suspicion and in the end decrease the very trust necessary to keep the donations coming.

I, for one, will politely decline to drop a coin into the bell-ringers' buckets this Christmas.

***

Update: Here's the last line of the Salvation Army's Mission Statement:
...AND TO MEET HUMAN NEEDS
IN HIS NAME WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION.

(via Shakespeare's Sister)

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Evan Derkacz is a New York-based writer and contributor to AlterNet.