ConWebWatch and News Hounds pick up on WorldNetDaily and Fox News promoting the misguided notion that the President's recovery bill would prohibit religious activity in schools accepting Federal funds.

From ConWebWatch:

A Feb. 6 WorldNetDaily article by Bob Unruh uncritically repeats claims by Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice that a clause in a provision in the stimulus bill that bans federal funding of construction of school facilities whose primary purpose is religious is an “attempt to censor religious speech and worship on school campuses across the nation.” Unruh makes no apparent attempt to seek out a response to Sekulow and Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, whom Unruh also quotes opining on the issue.

Too bad, because Sekulow and DeMint appear to be lying.

From News Hounds:

There is a saying that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” and “Grapevine” is a stunning example of that aphorism; as it offers short sound-bites on information that is presented as Fox “fact” without analysis or rebuttal.

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The February 4th article began with a sentence sure to get the pitchfork gang salivating: “Democrats in Congress have declared war on prayer, say conservative groups who object to a provision in the stimulus bill that was passed by the House of Representatives last week. The provision bans money designated for school renovation from being spent on facilities that allow ”religious worship." It has ignited a fury among critics who say it violates the First Amendment and is an attempt to prevent religious practice in schools." Naturally, the head of the religious right Liberty Counsel, Matthew Staver, was quoted at length. The article provided a brief rebuttal (Barry Lynn From Americans United for Separation of Church and State and a sentence summing up the ACLU position) but bookended the article with more commentary (whining) from “The Traditional Values Coalition.” The religious right had already set in motion their pre-emptive strike against the evil Democrats – see People for the American Way's “The 'Big Lie' Strategy: Religious Right Stokes False Fears of Religious Persecution” which details how the religious right “ratcheted up the rhetoric” of a “phony crisis” in advance of Republican Senator Jim DeMint's amendment to strip church/state protections from the bill and how they spun the resulting defeat of the amendment. The Fox News article was part of a culture war skirmish which even included Fox fave Michelle Malkin who indignantly stated, on her blog, that the defeat of the DeMint amendment was another reason not to support the stimulus package.

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I guess the religious right and Republican Senator Jim DeMint don't have a problem with “bearing false witness” because their attempts to galvanize the base by demonizing Democrats are a bold, fresh pile of steaming crap.