War On Christmas Becomes War On Christians

Or, what happens when a government feels it can empower itself limitlessly, with impunity and without consequences.  Or, why over-bureaucratic, nation-state-conglomerates like Europe have succeeded in eliminating religion virtually altogether ( in the very birthplace of Christianity, no less).  Seems as if the former democracies of the West have finally learned what Karl Marx and the Communists  knew long ago:  There is no room for both worship of God, and strict obedience to government.  One of the two must go.  And since the punishment that can be meted out by government is more immediate than what might eventually be handed down by the Lord, the government has been encroaching further and further upon The Creator's turf.

Sometimes, however, they overreach.  The story below is one case.  While it is not as media-friendly as the reports about the banning of the "C" word, it is much more insidious, as it is an attack on the Christian values that made this nation great:

Jessica Cross, 24, Benjamin Markeson, 49, and Jonathan "Keith" McHenry, 54, were arrested at 6:10 p.m. on a charge of violating the ordinance restricting group feedings in public parks. McHenry is a co-founder of the international Food Not Bombs movement, which began in the early 1980s.

The group lost a court battle in April, clearing the way for the city to enforce the ordinance. It requires groups to obtain a permit and limits each group to two permits per year for each park within a 2-mile radius of City Hall.

Arrest papers state that Cross, Markeson and McHenry helped feed 40 people Wednesday night. The ordinance applies to feedings of more than 25 people.

"They intentionally violated the statute," said Lt. Barbara Jones, an Orlando police spokeswoman.

Police waited until everyone was served to make the arrests, said Douglas Coleman, speaking for Orlando Food Not Bombs.

"They basically carted them off to jail for feeding hungry people," said Coleman, who was not present. "For them to regulate a time and place for free speech and to share food, that is unacceptable."

The penalty for violating Orlando's ordinance is 60 days in jail, a $500 fine or both.

What can one say about a government that refuses to arrest "occupiers" - who demand that private property be seized on their behalf -  and yet slaps cuffs on those who actually do redistribute their own private property to those who need it most?

Guess it depends on who is doing the distributing.  And who is getting - or not getting - a cut of the racket.

And on Christmas, no less.  Claire Berlinski at Ricochet:

But seriously: an ordinance against feeding the hungry? Are they deranged? Isaiah 58:10, Proverbs 28:27, Matthew 25:41-46, James 2:14-17, Luke 19:8-9, Jeremiah 22:16, Luke 3:10-11, Ezekiel 16:49, Proverbs 21:13--the Bible is really unambiguous about feeding the hungry. This isn't one of those, "Maybe that's what it means, maybe it's allegorical" things. There's just no doubt that Christians are supposed to feed the hungry. Ergo, an ordinance preventing people from feeding the hungry is effectively a ban on Christian practice.

Don't think God hasn't noticed. He has. And He has warned us. We have chosen to avert our eyes. And we will pay the price.