Candid camera

One of the comments on the blurb raises a point I've been wondering about. To whit, don't these people have a life? This is something that's puzzled me about Christian activists for decades now. Fundamentalists seem to have a large corps of people who don't have anything better to do than activism/brown-shirting people they don't like. The Left can organize some pretty good rallies from time to time, but it seems like moderates can't sustain any effort at activism because we have jobs, families, and school and all the other things that healthy people fill their lives with. Maybe dogemperor can shed some light on this. Are fundamentalist groups simply adept scheduling people for shifts or is there something more? I was impressed, and not in a good way, at groups like Operation Rescue who seemed to have legions of activists whose career was going to jail for the cause. If they are full time activists, how are these people supported?

In regards to fulltime activists, quite often they are sponsored by a dominionist group who will pay for their living expenses and even occasionally travel expenses. (Also, a number of fulltime activists are preachers *themselves* and pretty much earn their keep from tithes, "seed faith offerings", "freewill donations" and the like.)

Another group of fulltime activists are what I refer to as the "Mad Mommies"--housewives who have teenaged or adult children no longer living at home (or who have not yet had children) and who spend their time in protests as their husband is paying the bills (and, quite often, they are discouraged from working as it isn't "Godly"--protest is acceptable, though).

Most dominionist groups actually rely both on fulltime protesters (the preachers, professional protesters, and "Mad Mommies") *and* work in shifts--abortion clinic and adult-store protesters *will* work in shifts that rotate on a daily or even 8-hour-shift basis, and people can "pledge" to protest for specific shifts.

Totally unrelated (or maybe it is): I'm hoping to go to a Planned Parenthood sometime this summer so I can get on BC (not active, but I have been wanting to put a stop to the unwelcome monthlies). Do these assholes regularly harass PP clinics and if so, what can I do to keep them from bothering me? I can deal with them shouting stuff at me (I'd probably either ignore them or tell them to fuck off), but I *don't* want some psycho tracking my car/home and then making threats against me or my family.

Out of curiosity, any other categories of businesses that have been targeted this way? I know it's been applied to reproductive services and adult-oriented media, any other known targets in the statistics?

I would imagine the gay bars get hit pretty hard in some areas. I know of one that used to be quite popular near here that had to install 6' tall completely opaque fences around the property and have an enclosed private parking lot behind the building. It's either gone out of business or moved, now, not sure, so I don't think I'm endangering anyone by mentioning it.

Wow, I have to give the conservatives credit for their gumption. Admittidly, I have much better things to do with my time then to sit around with a camera and attempt to shame people for purchasing adult material. Certainly I think a porn shop is better than when they have those playboy magazines out in Brooks for kids to get an eyefull of. I know they are supposed to be in plastic covers, but I doubt that I'm the only one who's seen them unwrapped in the store lying around for anyone to see. At least with a porn store there shouldn't be any kids look through it.

One immediate problem I see with this plan is that people have to be ashamed of walking into a porn store. I personally wouldn't be. Also someone has to go look for people they know photograph on this site, which I wouldn't do. Really I see this as a method to keep temtation from the "flock"/ fellow church going Christians, but don't see this being effective against other porn store travelers.

Well, if the customers are prominent members of the community - anyone from city officials to bankers, lawyers, or other "pillars" - then they would have reason to be worried about getting caught. Also, if your employer happens to be a member of one of these churches and sees your photo up there, he or she could technically fire you for any number of trumped-up excuses, the most likely of which could be something about how your off the job behavior reflects badly on the employer and their business.

And even with all that aside, it's just a crappy thing to do, you know?

Please distribute this info widely.

I've actually been aware of this sort of "photographing people coming out of porn stores" thing for some time--the tactic and group actually started out in Louisville, and in fact the very dominionist group I am a walkaway from were some of the ringleaders (along with some other dominionist groups in the area). Notably, they targeted an adult bookstore not far from where the main campus of their dominionist megachurch is located.

The harassment got so bad--and the police did so little--that the bookstore finally started taking matters into their own hands (much like women's clinics have been forced to do)--including hosing down John Reneer and his band of idiots every time they would take pictures.

It's a tactic that's been borrowed directly from the scariest branches of the anti-abortion movement--specifically, they will take pictures of people and their license plates, and then direct targeted harassment (including cold calls, mailed tracts, and in some cases even harassment at the persons' home and directed at their minor children) at the persons photographed. In the case of the incidents here in Louisville, this ended up costing a firefighter his job.

In fact, the people behind "War-Line" are the same folks (aside from the dominionist churches, of course) that were pulling this stuff in Louisville. As it turns out, the operator of war-line.com is a convicted felon and a registered sex offender to boot (on probation for armed robbery, sodomy and murder) and when this came out in a Louisville paper he got out of town rather quickly. For those interested, the details are rather lurid: per multiple reports John Reneer is not just a murderer but a bona fide serial killer who has killed no less than three people by his own confession. (The Doe Files entry on one of his likely victims is telling</a>.) Whilst in prison, John Reneer tried to force the KY prison system to reveal HIV status of inmates engaging in "risky behaviour" (aka homosexual intercourse)

There's at least one good site exposing War-line's felonious, murdering head:

http://anti-war-line.tripod.com/main.html

Per Whois records, war-line.com is still registered in Oldham County, Kentucky (per GoDaddy); per Kentucky's sex offender registry database John Reneer is living in a lot at Minor Lane Trailer Park (which is just down the road from the dominionist group I am a walkaway from and which has assisted Reneer actively).

Technically, the photographing and displaying of pictures on war-line.com's site may consitute stalking and violation of RICO laws (such precedent has been made with the "Nuremburg Files") and also (due to Reener's status as a level 3 sex offender) he is required to legally register in areas where he is protesting (length of time pre-registry depends on your state's version of Meghan's law).

Re: Please distribute this info widely.

It's particularly interesting to see this given that war-line's masthead seems to be all up in arms about sexual assault and rape. I guess the sheer irony of that escapes him.

I was just thinking that posting photos of people online with intent to damage their reputation would be stalking at the very least. I would probably want to throw in invasion of privacy and unauthorized use of likeness as well, although I think both of those fall more into civil liability, and you know me, I think civil liability is used far less against these people than it should be. I doubt libel would hold much water, unless someone's car broke down and they just, say, happened to have to park in the parking lot of an adult bookstore and wait for a tow truck or something like that, and got photographed that way. Just a thought ..

More on the murdering, ass-raping (yes, literally) sonofabitch who runs war-line.com:

http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=4073086&nav=3w6o (re a taped confession hidden for 20 years where he admits he killed three people)
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=4058011&nav=3w6o (more info on the murders that Reneer confessed to)
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=4061386 (notes on how he was being reinvestigated for murder even as he was pulling the protests in Louisville)
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=4067371&nav=menu54_2 (More on Reneer's confession)
http://www.dirtfiles.com/archives/2003-11-06/Hypocrite-heal-thyself.html (notes on how Reneer is protesting even though he may in fact not even be legally allowed near an adult entertainment facility--he's a registered sex offender)
http://209.157.64.201/focus/f-news/1172756/posts (notes on how he worked with another church in the "Unholy Trinity" of dominionism here, Southeast Christian (which has lost its tax exempt status in past due to illegal electioneering); article also notes he literally anally raped a woman over a bad drug deal in his most recent imprisonment, and that he was recruited by dominionist preachers (likely affiliated with the dominionist group I am a walkaway from))
http://homepage.mac.com/mckainerwin/iblog/C881073003/E622364679/index.html (gives further info on both the KY Sex Offender registry and the legal definition of 1st Degree Sodomy)

Wait a second, I'm probably reading this completely wrong, but did John Reneer confess to three murders or audiotape DeWayne Bell confessing to the three murders?

This reminded me of this article from awhile back -

http://www.baptiststandard.com/postnuke/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=1758

KENNEDALE--Jim Norwood got so fed up with the negative impact sexually oriented businesses were having on his local community he began an unusual campaign to run them out of town.
And in the process, the Baptist minister was elected mayor.

The pastor of Oakcrest Family Church of Kennedale, a Baptist congregation in suburban Fort Worth, began taking digital photographs of cars parked at local adult businesses and mailing them to the homes of the customers.
Texas public vehicle registration records allow individuals to obtain addresses of vehicle owners just by taking down license numbers.
As his photo-taking efforts were in full swing, Norwood was elected mayor of the town of 3,600 in a two-to-one landslide victory over the incumbent mayor in mid-May.

The postcards Norwood sends have a photograph on one side.
On the other side is printed a message: "Observed you in the neighborhood. Didn't know if you were aware there is a church in the area ... Please stop by next time. We'd love to have you visit."
Also included is a schedule of church services and the church's counseling classes on sexual addiction.

Norwood said his first objective is to send a message to adult business customers that what they are doing is wrong and to make them aware of the help available to them at Oakcrest Church.
His other goal is to curb business at the local sexually oriented places so that they will be forced to move elsewhere.

"Being a chaplain at the jail, I deal with a lot of sex offenders," he said.
"And almost everyone I talk with says, 'Even if it would have been of the negative nature, I wish there would have been some intervention so it wouldn't have gotten to this point.'
"And unfortunately those are pastors, youth ministers, teachers and coaches that I talk to who have watched their lives totally crumble around them because of what happened."

Norwood also has noticed the negative image his community has developed with the abundance of adult businesses.
He added the pornography industry has overflowed into the general public as magazines are left on the streets and lewd acts are performed in parking lots.
For those worried about the problems such a postcard could cause upon arrival at a house, Norwood said the outcome is worth it.

"The thing I tell people is that if the husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend are on the same page, regardless of what page they're on, then my postcard isn't going to have any effect," he said.

"But if they're not on the same page, I can look at this as possibly bringing attention to a problem a wife might want to know about to protect the children, to confront their mate.
"And there aren't just husbands down there, there are wives I've seen too.
"At least maybe it would open up a line of communication between the two so that they can talk about the problem."
Despite any criticism he may receive for his postcard-sending campaign, Norwood said he and the volunteers he has gathered are determined to keep it up.

"We'll continue the emphasis as long as the Lord says so, but I did hear ... one particular store that's probably the nastiest of them all has plans to move out of the community," he said.
Also, since the effort began in December 2003, Norwood said the church has seen or received calls from 12-15 people who either saw the media reports or received a postcard and were seeking help with sexual addiction.

"One thing I would attribute our victories to is that we have a group of people who pray on a consistent basis from different churches around the community," Norwood said.

"And I believe the spiritual emphasis does more than anything else we do."

Texas public vehicle registration records allow individuals to obtain addresses of vehicle owners just by taking down license numbers.

Is this still true? I had heard this has been made more difficult recently specifically because of harassment from this sort of thing as well as escalation of road rage incidents. Supposedly you pretty much have to be a law enforcement officer (or maybe a licensed private investigator?) to get this information now. Not that that stops some organizations with law enforcement connections ..

WOW. So if I go into an adult store to buy myself some not-so-mainstream lingerie, to be used in the confines of my happy (if sometimes slightly kinky) marriage, I'm still debauched and corrupt and deserve to have my photo posted on the intarwebz as a dangerous pervert?

ROCK ON! e_e

Verily! \m/

And by a certified, registered rapist and murderer if you're lucky :P

they've done this to patrons of gay bars, too.

Yup--they have, and gay bars are another area where literal assaults and even bombings have occured by dominionists (much as they have with women's clinics); the stunts they're doing with adult bookstores are a repeat of the same tactics of harassment and stalking that have been done with clients of women's clinics and patrons of gay bars. :P

If I recall correctly, Army of God claimed responsibility for one fairly high profile attack on a gay bar with the double-bomb tactic aimed at the first responders as well.

(I'm still wondering what is up with that, although obviously they have issues with anyone responding to a bombing attack and maybe helping the injured..)

I was thinking more along the lines of recording the license plate numbers of everyone parking at their church for use as reference material, but this would do as well. Take note, however, of my comments with regard to civil liability. Chances are you WILL be sued if you use their personal info that way. (One reason I don't think these people should be given any quarter in terms of civil litigation for activities like this. This is one of many ways they take advantage of the tolerance with which their neighbors treat them. Tolerance that can be revoked at any time, but all too often isn't.)

They are terrorists.

This is what happens when you take away their scarlet letters and public stockades, and then turn around and give them digital cameras and websites.

And the sad thing is, Jarin, evil fucks (and yes, I don't hesitate to note this guy as *evil*, though I rarely use the word) are not only tolerated but encouraged by the very church I left.

And you wonder why I have nightmares. :P

A guy wrote into my local paper a few weeks back about how he was going to do something similar at an adult store not far from where I live. He specifically said he'd be taking pictures of the cars' license plates and putting them in ads in the paper, though. Of course, I sincerely doubt the paper would have published it, if he made good on his threat, but the point is, this shit isn't just going down in IN. It's also happening in NY.

It'll happen anywhere people think they can get away with it. Probably won't take long for the idea to propagate to other groups around the country since it's appeared online and been given high profile media coverage. One reason it's probably a good idea to develop effective defenses now, to make sure it doesn't continue to be a useful intimidation tactic. It's also a good reason to look at ways of documenting this behavior and getting photos or videos of the people doing the data gathering. I'm betting angry looking white guys in white shirts and suspenders scanning parking lots with a high power telephoto lens would make for some rather sobering pictures ..