From an Apollo Man in Michigan: I read the article on the cover page about gay marriage, with quotes from Bishop Robinson. A poll published in the Detroit Free Press indicates that the electorate in Michigan is becoming more open to the idea of gay marriage. (The Michigan "Constitution" is a remarkably easy document to modify, including by ballot initiative, and some years ago a ballot initiative won quite readily to modify the Michigan Constitution to ban gay marriage here and not recognize it from elsewhere -- in terms that some attorneys believe may violate the federal constitution, but with Clinton DOMA still in place, a moot point) At Right: The US symbol of tax fear, the IRS, which in these hard times is turning a hopeful eye to the tax free status of religious organizations that work for political causes.

For years it was thought that having a constitution that was so easy to modify, and to do so by ballot initiative, was a triumph of progressivism, a sign that power could be taken from politicians and wielded by the people. But with moneyed special interests, it is becoming, as it has become in California, that ballot initiatives provide a means for a passionate few to impose their will on the majority, via funding, hysterical claims, and misleading ads.

And of course the one of the biggest "special interests" in Michigan is the Roman Catholic Church, and to a lesser extent the Dutch Reformed Church (if possible even more conservative). Both work assiduously to prevent women's right to choose, forbid gay marriage and adoption (they failed on the adoption thing), forbid stem cell research (not just to cut off the funding, to outlaw the science), and some school systems are having fights about teaching Evolution.

So I'm back to, if the Church is going to behave like a political organization, than like any other political organization, including the ACLU and some of the gay political/legal foundations (like parts of Lambda), they should lose their tax exemption. Money for soup kitchens and homeless shelters and other genuine charities like that would be protected, but nothing else.