June 18, 2008 - 1:09pm
Colorado Right to Life: wrong church, wrong pew
By Wally Edge
Category: US Senate, LocalTags: Bob Schaffer, Dick Wadhams, Bob Enyart, Colorado Right to Life, Joe Riccobono, Denver Bible Church, Leslie HanksTop Story: Opinion
When Dick Wadhams in a Rocky Mountain News article yesterday called members of Colorado Right to Life a "very small fringe group," he was more than right, he was brilliant.
In fact CRTL is so small that its leaders all go to the same church, Denver Bible Church, lead by pastor-who-would-be-king, Bob Enyart.
"Can you imagine any organization, especially a political organization, that would want all of its board members to come from the same church," asked one pro-life demonstrator in Denver a month ago.
One can understand the confusion of the pro-life demonstrator. She was applying logic to a question that has no logical answer.
And it has no logical answer because Colorado Right to Life isn't about politics anymore, as she assumes it is.
It's about faith.
The one true faith enshrined by Denver Bible Church lead by the very royal Pastor, Bob Enyart.
In fact, if you listen to the head of Colorado Right to Life's Joe Riccobono, it's all about Jesus and what's in your heart. But behind it all there is Denver Bible Church, the broadcast home, at least biblically, of Pastor-Monarch Bob Enyart.
It was about the time that Riccobono and his Denver Bible brethren adopted their "faith-in-Enyart-first" philosophy and scorned politicians, (like an altogether different Bob, Bob Schaffer, who tried to help pro-life causes but apparently lacks sufficient faith in Denver Bible Church to measure up to CRTL) that even pro-life politicians shunned the "very small fringe group," and began to scatter from them.
So CRTL did the thing that churches have relied on for centuries to keep people in line: they started stoning those people and politicians they considered heretics because they lacked faith in the one true king, Pastor Bob.
But now in GOP Party Chief Dick Wadhams they've found out, much to their shock, that the rocks they've thrown around at politicians with so much faith can be thrown right back at them and with much better accuracy.
Why, Wadhams asks in the Rocky, should the GOP be supportive of a group that won't support the Party?
Leslie Hanks vice regent of CRTL complains in a press release: "Wadhams banned the nation's oldest Right To Life organization from their state convention."
In fact the "nation's oldest Right To Life organization" has not just been banned by Wadhams. In fact it's been banned by the nation's largest right-to-life organization, National Right to Life.
One year ago, just after the Enyart coronation, National Right to Life booted Colorado Right to Life out its organization calling them a "rogue and divisive group."
And it's because they are considered "rogue and divisive" that smart people like Bob Schaffer refuse to meet with Enyart and his court.
They don't seem to share the faith in Enyart's ideas on bringing America a constitutional monarchy with himself as His Royal Highness.
And if, as Riccobono suggests, "shunning" Enyart is shunning the base, all we have to say of Wadhams is: brilliant!
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"The United States Senate has effectively recessed for the remainder of the year, and will not be considering new legislative proposals. I am retiring, and so my Senate career has also ended. Accordingly, I feel that your thoughts and views on this matter would be best addressed to my successor. The benefit of hearing from constituents on legislative and governance issues should be extended to Coloradoʼs newest Senator and not archived with me."
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Taking the Lead
Wally,
If you don't like my examples, then consider that 78% of GOP activists at the State Convention (who were elected based on their views by tens of thousands more GOP activists) supported Personhood at Conception (Amendment 48), which is CRTL's main focus right now?
If that 78% figure doesn't please you, then your definition of "GOP activists" includes a bunch of independents and Democrats, which is typical.
And if CRTL is on the outs, then why are their donations up since being kicked out of National Right to Life? And how did they join with coalitions of hundreds of thousands of other pro-lifers nationally to found American Right to Life as an alternative to National? And why are they always not just in the local news (and TV), but also regularly in the national news?
And why, if "National RTL affiliation" is such a measure of credibility, has their NEW affiliate basically dropped off the map, unable to communicate with their members, or even update their website more than once every 6 months?
Colorado Right to Life not only maintains its leadership of the Colorado pro-life movement, but also is a major partner in transforming the pro-life movement nationally. Big changes here and nationally in the past 2 years -- and much of it because of CRTL.
You miss...
If we were playing Family Feud you'd be winning. But we're not.
The "new crew" at CRTL has made itself politically untouchable by it's own actions and associations.
You all rejoiced in it while you were doing it.
Good for you if that was your plan. Now you have to accept the consequences.
But don't come crying because you've now been excluded from the political process.
Party politics is about winning elections, period.
The last time Roy Moore ran for office he lost by 66% of the vote in the Republican primary in 2006; Dornan ran in 2004 and lost by 84% percent in the Republican primary. These numbers hardly qualify them to speak for the "base" of the GOP.
Wally Silly on His Face
Wally,
Couple points.. (no, three... or four...)
First off, one commenter is correct that Pastor Riccobono and Pastor Enyart (both board members) are pastors of different churches. Now that was ridiculously obvious! There's more, even, but I'll stop there. Duh.
Secondly, National Right to Life is NOT the nation's largest pro-life group. The nation's largest pro-life group is the American Life League, which has been in alliance with Colorado Right to Life's new, energized stand since the new crew took over and started making outrageously true charges. The world's largest pro-life group (Human Life International), Operation Rescue, and several other major pro-life groups have also allied with CRTL in founding American Right to Life. Christian notables around the country like Bob Dornan and Judge Roy Moore are also on their side.
Thirdly, CRTL, ARTL and the rest of these groups are helping to change the pro-life movement nationally. If it's a fringe group (it's not -- it speaks to the heart of pro-lifers everywhere), it's having an awful lot of influence nationally.
Try again, Wally!
Wally
The Bible talks about talebearers and gossipers. Wally you take the cake.
More bad reporting from PolitickerCO.com
If only the author of this piece couldn't hide behind the pseudonym, Wally Edge. His/her poor journalism could be held against them. Can you please answer one question:
How is it that you can say that all the leaders of CRTL go to the same church, when CRTL's president, Joe Riccobono, is himself a pastor and pastors a church in a completely different part of the state than Denver Bible Church?
Will the real Wally Edge please stand up?
Err...nevermind, will the real Wally Edge please be fired so we can have at least some respect for PolitickerCO? Thanks.
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