thou shalt not bear false witness

Someone thinks this story should make you angry about the big bad government and how it discriminates against poor persecuted Christians and robs people of fundamental liberties with its jackbooted thugs and politically-correct commissars. In other words, it is a typical SUN news story.

Naturally the story of how Michael Salman has been mercilessly hounded by the prayer police and thrown into prison for studying the bible in his own home and helping lead people to Jesus has been making the rounds of the all the conservative and christian websites, where the "morns" have been lapping it up like manna from heaven.

A little basic research and you realize that the SUN has left out a few inconvenient facts, in other words, it is a typical SUN news story.

Even FOX News and a conspiracy-mongering libertarian website did better jobs at presenting more than one side of the story. And these guys seem to have gone over the internet with a fine-toothed comb to find the good pastor's previous criminal convictions for impersonating a police officer, involvement in a drive-by shooting and a number of indications that he has been engaged in less-than-honest business practices.

Essentially, this boob has built a 2000 square foot church in his backyard and hosts services three times a week. The building does not conform with the building code or zoning requirements for a church. And despite his making a big martyr-flavoured whoop-de-doo about surrendering himself to go to jail, the authorities sent him home. But don't tell the rubes on the internet or that read the SUN that, or they might not get outraged about "liberal persecution" and send money to this con man.

Honestly, we require other consumable products to carry a label listing ingredients. If the SUN had to do likewise the label would read something like: "10% stereo ads, 10% hometown sports boosterism, 2% cheesecake, 77 % sheer bullshit, 1% white space.

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