Jack Wu, the Westboro Baptist Church member running for the Kansas Board of Education, says that one of the nation's leading anti-abortion governors is not anti-abortion enough.
Because he believes Gov. Sam Brownback (R) isn't sufficiently conservative, Wu told The Huffington Post that he has no problem with Brownback not supporting him in his bid to unseat the education board's vice chairwoman, Democrat Carolyn Campbell.
Wu, a Republican who moved to Kansas to join the controversial church, has already generated headlines with his call for Kansas schools to stop teaching evolution, along with his assertion that public schools across the country are teaching kids to be "liars, crooks, thieves, murderers, and perverts."
He said he wants Brownback to do more to promote anti-abortion legislation in the state. Brownback, who in 2010 said he'd sign any anti-abortion bill that reached his desk, told HuffPost in February that he was ready to sign a sweeping anti-abortion bill that he hadn't even read. Among other provisions, the bill would have allowed doctors to withhold information from expectant mothers if that information might have encouraged them to seek an abortion, would have implemented a sales tax on abortion and would have jeopardized the state's medical education.
But Wu is not satisfied with the governor's level of enthusiasm. "He does not take strong enough stances on social issues. He's more into saving money for rich people," Wu said. "You should help people behave like God. He needs to be more involved in social issues. He is lacking on moral issues. He does not stand up for unborn children."
Wu's claim about Brownback surprised state Rep. Sean Gatewood (D-Topeka), who helped lead the fight earlier this year to defeat the anti-abortion bill. Gatewood, who generally opposes Brownback's proposals, took issue with Westboro.
"The governor is not going to stand on the sidewalk and protest the funerals of soldiers," Gatewood told HuffPost, referencing the Westboro Baptist Church's highly unpopular anti-gay demonstrations. "For me to be standing up for the governor is saying something. No one can meet up to Westboro Baptist Church's views on moral issues."
Gatewood then issued a challenge to Wu and the entire church.
"If you're so perverse to think that whatever you consider to be immoral behavior has brought God's wrath on our soldiers, you must really think something of me," Gatewood said. "If you want, the invitation is open to protest my house. ... You can bring it here, especially if it means one soldier's family does not have to endure it. I invite you to do so."
Among Wu's notable views on Kansas officials, he also claims that his opponent, Campbell, is not a Christian. He said that she isn't a Christian because she supports teaching evolution and other things "not from the Bible."
"Why don't you teach children what God said in his word?" Wu said. 'You don't want to have other kids raised as you raised your children. You are supposed to teach children correctly. You don't go along with a consensus because it is popular or mainstream."
Campbell told HuffPost earlier this week that she is a Christian but that she does not interject her personal beliefs into her board work. Indeed, the voicemail greeting on her home phone says, "May the Lord bless you and keep you," and several Kansas political leaders said Campbell is known for her faith.
Wu said that he wants more law classes in the schools and that the lack of such classes has led students astray.
Students "are engaging in bad behavior like drugs, alcohol, violence and fornication," he said. "They can abstain from these behaviors."
Tough punishments for prostitutes, a crackdown on shootings near schools and stricter punishments for murderers are also on Wu's agenda.
He agreed with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's crackdown on soda and sugary snacks in the schools but for different reasons. While both have said they want to promote healthy eating, Wu tied his call to his religious beliefs.
"We should offer students snacks with natural sugar, not snacks with sugar added," Wu said. "That is what God has given us."
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