Reply #6: UPDATE: Here's another from today, for the Democrats hate Jesus sites

[Up2Late]

Here's a new, and even MORE shocking example from today.

NOTE: For some reason, web published papers add double spaces between each sentence. I guess most newspapers do this make to it easier to read at their web site? I think it makes it more difficult to read here at DU, so I'm taking some of them out. Also, you'll see what the different colors are for below.

This was yesterday's article from the Houston Chronicle, below that is the "NewsTrack" hack job, and then below that is an annotated version that points out all that was manipulated.

<http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3510678.html>

Dec. 7, 2005, 11:32PM

Purpose of Bible display debated

Judge questions whether memorial at courthouse was erected with religion in mind

By POLLY ROSS HUGHES
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - A federal appeals court judge Wednesday asked whether a local politician pledging to return religion to government had "hijacked" a Harris County courthouse Bible display 10 years ago for political purposes. "It was in effect taken over for political purposes," 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge E. Grady Jolly said during oral arguments in the case, asking whether a reasonable person would conclude that "politics hijacked this monument."

Jolly was referring to former state District Judge John Devine who had campaigned to "put Christianity into government," and led the 1995 effort to restore the monument after it fell into disrepair. But Jolly added that recent politics surrounding the Bible display must also be weighed against its primary purpose when erected by the Star of Hope Mission 30 years ago as a memorial to a local, Christian philanthropist.

Last year a trial court in Houston ordered an opened King James version of the Bible removed from the restored monument outside the Harris County Civil Court Building, saying it signalled government endorsement of religion.

(clip)

Former Star of Hope President Carloss Morris testified in district court that the Bible in the memorial represented the Christian faith of late Houston businessman and mission supporter William S. Mosher. He also asserted that this is a Christian nation and the monument shows "we've got a Christian government," Staley's attorneys pointed out in a brief to the appeals court. "If everyone in Harris County ... accepted Christ as their savior, we would be better than if they were all Hindus," the brief quotes from Morris' testimony.

<http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3510678.html>
(More of the uncut version of the original story is at the link above)

(this is the "NewsTrack" edited version below)

<http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20051208-022504-3750r>

Appeals court to decide Bible display

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A federal appeals court is deciding whether a monument at the Harris County courthouse in Austin, Texas, is religious or a secular tribute.

A lower court judge ordered an open copy of the King James Bible removed from the display, initially erected in the 1950s to honor Christian philanthropist William S. Mosher. Harris County is appealing the decision.

Appellate Judge E. Grady Jolly of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals indicated during oral arguments Wednesday politics might have "hijacked this monument," the Houston Chronicle reported.

"I think it's very clear that the reason the Bible was out there was for a religious purpose," Houston real estate lawyer Kay Staley said. The lower court ruled the Bible signaled a government endorsement of Christianity.

"If this case goes against me, there's going to be jillions of monuments that are going to have all these kinds of Bibles that go up," she said.

Carloss Morris, former president of Star of Hope, the group that erected the monument, testified in the lower court case: "If everyone in Harris County ... accepted Christ as their savior, we would be better than if they were all Hindus," briefs filed in the case said.

Here's the annotated version of the "NewsTrack version of a Houston Chronicle article from yesterday.

Note the Houston Chronicle headline was "Purpose of Bible display debated," At UPINewsTrack, it becomes "Appeals court to decide Bible display."

Not so bad yet, until you see all the qualifying statements the they left out and even shifted some the words of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge that actually distorts the meaning of what the Judge said.

Note how they distorted the meaning of the original article it credits:

Appeals court to decide Bible display

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A federal appeals court is deciding whether a monument at the Harris County courthouse in Austin, Texas, is religious or a secular tribute. (No, the court was asked "...whether a local politician..."hijacked" a Harris County courthouse Bible display 10 years ago for political purposes)

A lower court judge ordered an open copy of the King James Bible removed from the (*fact removed) display, (UPI removed that it was the restored monument) initially erected in the 1950s to honor Christian philanthropist William S. Mosher*(*info deleted "...a Christian philanthropist who helped the poor rather than promoting religion....). Harris County is appealing the decision.* (*more info left out, "....Harris County appealed, arguing that the trial judge erred by focusing on the Bible and not the context in which it is displayed)

Appellate Judge E. Grady Jolly of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals indicated* during oral arguments Wednesday politics might have (words added) "hijacked this monument," the Houston Chronicle reported. (*word changed from asked to indicated)

"I think it's very clear that the reason the Bible was out there was for a religious purpose," Houston real estate lawyer Kay Staley said. The lower court ruled the Bible signaled a government endorsement of Christianity. (NO, this last sentence is a distorted, cut and paste, merging of two different sentiences from the original article. Also, qualifier removed "...said Staley, 63, who describes herself as a humanist who earned an A on a law school paper on church versus state issues....")

"If this case goes against me, there's going to be jillions of monuments that are going to have all these kinds of Bibles that go up," she said.

(There was so much rearranging and deleting in this last paragraph, created from 3 separate sentiences, I'm going to color each sentence below and mark each section in it respective color as it actually read in the original article above)

Carloss Morris, former president of Star of Hope, the group that erected the monument, testified in the lower court* case: (2)*(edit) "If everyone in Harris County ... accepted Christ as their savior, we would be better than if they were all Hindus," the brief quotes from Morris' testimony.
(*edited out "...He also asserted that this is a Christian nation and the monument shows "we've got a Christian government," Staley's attorneys pointed out in a brief to the appeals court....") (2)(changed from district court to lower court, and also edited out was "...district court that the Bible in the memorial represented the Christian faith of late Houston businessman and mission supporter William S. Mosher....")

<http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20051208-022504-3750r>

So, as I said in the Original post, after these edited articles spread like a virus, the original usually disappears, or their is confusion as to which came from first. tricky huh?