A Christian Navy veteran toppled a satanic statue at the Iowa State Capitol just before Christmas. Democratic prosecutors then slapped him with hate crime charges. This week, a judge ensured the charges would be finalized.
The Satanic Temple and Democratic prosecutors may want Michael Cassidy to end up behind bars, but his fate will be decided by a jury — including at least a handful of sympathetic jurors. likely to include God-fearing Americans.
Cassidy’s attorney, Davis Yontz, told Blaze News: “We believe the jury will have the opportunity to consider all of the facts of this case, including Mr. Cassidy’s military service and motives.” “His faith compelled him to act to protect others.”
“Enemy of Humanity”
The Satanic Temple is an anti-Christian left-wing organization that practices “unbaptism” in public. Advocates for mothers to kill their fetuses through “religious abortion rituals.”
Excited Blocking Chaplaincy in Florida Schools. He spread demonic literature to his children. performed a demonization ritual in protest of the canonization of the Catholic Spanish priest Junípero Serra. and promoted the LGBT agenda.
In recent years, ST has also enacted multiple satanic ordinances on public property across the country. Ahead of Christmas 2023, the Satanic Temple erected one such statue, a ram-headed Baphomet holding a red pentagram, along with a Satanic altar on the first floor of the Iowa State Capitol.
There was a lot of helpless anger in the face of this seemingly deliberate Christmastime insult to both Christians and Muslims.After all, Blaze News
previously reported Baphomet was probably born out of contempt for the Islamic faith.
UCLA Professor Zrinka Stafljak
shown “Baphomet” was originally a French corruption of the name Mohammed.British historian Peter Partner was suggested Additionally, the Knights Templar, who recaptured territory once occupied by Islamic armies, were accused by the Inquisition of worshiping Baphomet, perhaps as part of a 14th-century calumny.
Governor Kim Reynolds (Republican)
called He called the satanic altar “disgusting,” but encouraged critics to pray at the Capitol.
State Rep. John Dunwell (R), a Christian minister, outlined why this is the best response, saying that the Satanic Temple “filed a petition for the exhibit in August, which was approved with some modifications.” It pointed out.
Lucien Greaves, co-founder of ST, said: “Even those who don’t agree with the symbolism behind our values, whether they know what those values are or not. I hope you understand.” [are] If not, they will at least realize that allowing the government to choose the form of religious expression is certainly a greater evil. ”
“The reality is that the Iowa Satanic Temple chose symbols of hate, lies, death, and destruction to mock religious displays during the Christmas season,” Cassidy’s attorney, Yonts, told Blaze News. That would have been reasonable and appropriate.” We hope that the state of Iowa will deny that application, just as we hope that the application to display obscene materials and statues glorifying Adolf Hitler will be denied. ”
“This idol was displayed either as a sincere attempt to worship the enemy of humanity, Satan, and to promote lies, death, and destruction, or to demonstrate hatred for the Christian faith and traditional American values. , either it was set up as a deliberate effort to ridicule,” Yontz added.
Baphomet falls
After liking,
post Blaze News Columnist Aaron McIntyrea “regular reminder that the Religious Right is right about everything,” Cassidy, of Lauderdale, Mississippi, entered the Iowa State Capitol on December 14, 2023, and placed the head of a Baphomet statue. I cut it off.
“I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged. My conscience is tied to the word of God, not the dictates of bureaucrats. So I acted,” said the former F/A-18 Hornet pilot. said Cassidy, who served on the USS George Washington. ,
Said said in an interview with the Sentinel.
“The world may tell Christians to meekly accept Satan’s justifications, but none of the Founders believed that the government would sanction a Satanic altar inside the Capitol, which is protected by the First Amendment.” I wouldn’t have thought about it,” Cassidy continued. “Anti-Christian values have steadily become mainstream in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like frogs in the proverbial boiling pot.”
Cassidy was originally charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief. but,
Polk County Democratic Attorney Kimberly GrahamInvestigators, based on Cassidy’s statements to law enforcement and the public, indicated he destroyed the items because of their anti-Christian nature, or what prosecutors called “the victim’s religion.” Based on this, the charge was enhanced to third-degree criminal mischief.
The Sentinel suggested that Graham, an unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate, may be biased against conservatives.
highlight She reportedly received $300,000 in in-kind campaign support from the George Soros-funded Justice and Public Safety PAC.
Cassidy’s legal team similarly suspects that the decision to prosecute was the result of anti-conservative bias, and recently sought to have the hate crime charges dismissed. But on Tuesday, an Iowa judge rejected the motion.
“The State Attorney’s Office could not provide a single example in Iowa or across the country where a similar law was used to justify a hate crime charge by a ‘victim,'” Younts told Blaze News. Nevertheless, the judge ruled against our motion to dismiss.” It was an organization, not an individual. ”
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday. Mr Cassidy reportedly faces up to five years in prison.
“Our message is simple: America was founded by men and women, and the primary sources of its constitution and system of governance were the Bible and traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs,” Yontz said. “Thanks to the religious beliefs and influence of our Founders, America has experienced a deep history of religious freedom and prosperity. If we abandon these beliefs and Biblical principles that made our nation possible, Our society will continue to collapse into chaos and oppression.”
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