Mike Frazier, the pastor of Landmark Baptist Church who conveniently - and ineffectively - attempts to disassociate his job from his personal opinions, is at it again.
A couple of years ago he showed up at the County Commission to advocate strengthening the law against public nudity. All but one of the commissioners bent to the will of Frazier and his congregants. It was the throng against the thongs.
Then, earlier this year, several members of Frazier's church announced their candidacies for County Commission. Frazier and the candidates claimed there was no concerted effort to grab control of the commission. They would have the public believe it was just a coincidence.
Either way, there was no real harm. There weren't exactly a lot of people running around Hernando County half-dressed before the law was rewritten. And, even the teeniest bikini could have covered the relevant parts of the Landmark candidates' platforms.
But on Tuesday, Frazier and several people who support his views went too far.
Addressing the county commissioners (ironically, mostly the same ones who jumped on his nobody-get-naked bandwagon in 2002), Frazier accused Commissioners Nancy Robinson and Diane Rowden of condoning terrorism.
That's right. These two women, who have led distinguished professional careers and served as duly elected representatives of Hernando County voters, have "comforted and supported an enemy of the United States," as one of Frazier's buddies, Chip Gripton, alleged Tuesday.
Shocking! Anti-American sympathizers right here in Hernando County! How very clever to disguise themselves as public servants while carrying out their covert schemes!
But, wait. That's not all. Apparently state Rep. David Russell Jr. and Sheriff Richard Nugent are in cahoots with Robinson and Rowden. Add it up and you've got the makings of a celebrity sleeper cell, just waiting for an order to launch into action.
Somebody call Robert Ludlum.
Okay, that's my satirical take on things. Frazier didn't allege any such thing. But he and Gripton did say this, which is almost as ridiculous:
When those elected officials attended an event in Spring Hill that was sponsored by the nonprofit Council on American-Islamic Relations, they were supporting a "terrorist organization." Gripton used the word "treasonous" to describe CAIR.
That's a bunch of irresponsible, alarmist, conspiratorial claptrap.
Actually Robinson, Russell and Nugent received plaques from CAIR in appreciation of their efforts to help tone down the rhetoric and stereotypes about Muslims that followed the 9/11 terror attacks. The event, held Aug. 25 at the Palace Grand Ballroom in Spring Hill, was attended by other elected officials who did not receive awards, including Rowden, Tax Collector Juanita Sikes, state Sen. Paula Dockery and Brooksville Mayor Mary Staib.
The purpose of the private gathering was more than appreciation, though; it was educational. CAIR took the opportunity to show a short film about Muslims, who represent a whopping 1 percent of the county's population. Most are physicians.
Frazier, based on the 2003 testimony of Matthew Epstein before a U.S. Senate committee, claims CAIR is linked to terrorist groups, a charge CAIR flatly denies.
On Tuesday Frazier waved the transcript and called on the elected officials who received the plaques to "return the awards and denounce terrorism." People in the audience shouted "Terrorist!" when Rowden tried to explain the purpose of CAIR's program and why she attended.
Reasonable people would say that doesn't add up to terrorism. But it is scary, nonetheless, because extremists like Frazier apparently think they have cornered the market on truth when it comes to faith and morality. Perhaps now they are the final word on national security, too.
So, who is propagating terror, fear and disunity in our community? The Muslims who are trying to communicate with the community about their faith and desire for acceptance? Or the fundamentalist zealots who use misinformation and exaggeration to stir the pot of intolerance?
You can't silence people like Frazier; he has a right to his opinion. But people who recognize his agenda have a right - make that a responsibility - to denounce it for what it is: a group so far to the right that it can't see the middle, much less the other end of the political and social and religious spectrums.
When this sort of irresponsible, character assault occurs, Hernando County residents need to speak up. A community's silence implies tacit approval.
