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Protest erupts at 'In God We Trust' event
| Sunday, Jul 30 2006 10:36 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Jul 31 2006 8:22 AM
The "In God We Trust" celebration Sunday evening at Rabobank Arena was moving along swimmingly for the crowd.
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They sang the verse of the national anthem containing the controversial motto. Christian recording artist Carman had them shouting they loved Jesus to a swingin' twist-and-shout song.
Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan, who got "In God We Trust" affixed in Bakersfield council chambers in 2002, said 19 cities voted to prominently display the motto in their city halls.
Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, read a message from President Bush proclaiming the 50th anniversary of the national motto.
Brad W. Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, tried to start his speech about other legal hot potatoes involving religion.
Then volunteers for "The World Can't Wait: Drive Out the Bush Regime" walked in front of his podium. They unfurled a green banner, the same one they held outside moments earlier.
It read: "No to women-hating anti-gay Christian fascist theocracy."
A man in the audience shouted, "End to theocracy! Freedom of religion!"
Audience members rushed onto the stage and grabbed the protesters. They dragged one of them, Debra Schaffer-Hubert of San Francisco.
Another audience member shouted, "Get off the stage!"
"I'm sorry, this is not appropriate," Dacus said. "You know, in America today, we have something called freedom."
The crowd applauded and cheered.
"And folks," he continued, "freedom is the ability for us to gather and communicate and have our message heard, even in an intolerant society" -- and here his voice rose -- "that refuses to let that message go forth."
"I'm really proud to be here today because there's a lot of truth that a lot of people don't want to hear," he added.
Police rushed down a side aisle.
The event celebrated the anniversary of the adoption of "In God We Trust" as the national motto.
The nonprofit organization "In God We Trust -- America, Inc." put on the event. The mission of the group, started by Sullivan, is to encourage California cities and others across the country to display the motto prominently in city halls.
Representatives from other communities who have adopted to display the motto joined the celebration.
Lodi Councilwoman JoAnne Mounce said spearheading the effort in her city was one of the best things she's done on the council and "the most righteous thing."
"This was something that I was going to fight for because it was the right thing to do," she told the crowd.
Debby Abel of Bakersfield said she attended because she wanted to honor the tradition of the motto.
"I'm proud we can have a controversy in America without tanks in our streets and getting our heads cut off," she said.
Outside, Schaffer-Hubert and the other protesters waited on the corner of Truxtun Avenue and N Street.
"I didn't want to leave," she said. "I wanted to stay up there and get the message across, which is that we're moving towards a theocracy and their brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule."