[CIMC-work] Pastor Mike Treis and Hiding Posts.

[ChrisGeovanis at aol.com]

Chris, and all, just as a reminder -- our editorial policy has functioned 
historically under the following terms: spam can be hidden, and chronic spammers 
can be hidden. This person is a chronic spammer. What's the problem here?

christine

In a message dated 4/22/04 1:59:42 PM Central Daylight Time, 
ckaihatsu at myrealbox.com writes:
Dick,

Thanks very much for the background on Treis. I read it in its entirety.


Chris K.





___

Vanunu: Open Dimona reactor to international inspection
tinyurl.com/27obd 

Political Tendency Spectrum: An all-encompassing framework, by Chris 
Kaihatsu, 4-19-04
chicago.indymedia.org/media/all/display/9939/index.php
chicago.indymedia.org/media/all/display/9940/index.php








DickReilly at aol.com wrote:
>Hi all
>n response to Chris K's request for more substantial info, I'm posting the 
following background article which appeared on the N Texas IMC site about that 
black helicopter fearing, rapture ready, pistol packin fundamentalist known as 
Pastor Michael Treis of the Messiah Sabbath Day Ministry of Waxahachie, 
Texas. 
>Further info is readily accessbile via a Google search under 'Pastor Mike 
Treis'. My personal fave remains the post on RFID chips bearing the Mark of the 
Beast. Followed closely by a little missive  entitled 'Our Not So Sacred 
Capitol - which purports to reveal the Satanic iconography incorporated into the 
design of Washington DC. 
http://tallahassee.indymedia.org/newswire/display/2923/index.ph
>Then there is this news item from David Koresh country.  
>"Texas milita standoff continues" - AP wire  
http://www.rickross.com/reference/militia/militia31.html 
>IMHO, the good Pastor is on his way to matching the exploits of that 
venerable IMC troll Bobby 'Deaf Messager" Meade. 
>Yahoo,
>Dick 
>
Case Study in Hate: Far Right Infiltration in North Texas 
>By Cliff Pearson,  reposted from N.Texas IMC 
>Like most people, I am offended by the racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, and 
homophobic hate-spewing and religious-based bigotry of the Far Right. 
>Recently, a self-proclaimed "pastor," Michael Treis, posted such rhetoric on 
the open-publishing Web site of the North Texas Independent Media Center, in 
what I maintain were thinly-veiled attempts to gain credibility and 
validation, while covertly attempting to co-opt their listservs and Web site to further 
his Far Right agenda. 
>After being exposed as a "Christian Identity movement" minister, he made two 
last viciously homophobic attacks via the newswire, and then un-subscribed. 
>The following are the links and information exposing Treis' links to the Far 
Right, which ultimately led to him voluntarily leaving the list. Because of 
the possibility that this individual or others like him may try to infiltrate 
other progressive listservs and/or message boards, I provide you with the 
following as a Case Study in how the Far Right operates to infiltrate progressive 
sites: 
>1. TREIS' CLAIMED A "MINISTRY" THAT DOESN'T REALLY EXIST 
>This man, Michael Treis, claims to be the pastor of something he calls 
"Yahshua Messiah's Sabbath Day Ministry." A thorough search for this organization 
proves that this "ministry" doesn't actually physically exist. There is no 
street address, no phone number, and no Web site for such an organization. The 
only evidence for this organization is "pastor" Michael Treis' claim that it 
exists, and an alleged post office box in Waxahachie, Texas (Yahshua Messiah's 
Sabbath Day Ministry, general delivery USPO, Waxahachie, Texas 75165). This lack 
of a legitimate physical ministry looks to me like the work of either a 
confidence man, or someone trying to provide a modicum of credibility to his 
rantings. His credibility, therefore, is highly suspect. 
>2. TREIS USED OPEN-PUBLISHING SITES TO SPREAD RACIST THEOLOGY 
>"Pastor" Michael Treis posted a story to the Austin Independent Media Center 
that clearly demonstrates that he espouses racist, ultra-Right, religious and 
political views and uses IMCs to spread his ideology. 
>Excerpts from this man's posts include the racist theological views that 
White Europeans are the "real" Israelites, or are the "Lost Tribes of Israel," an 
ultra-Right view known as "Anglo-Israelism," advocated by – among others â
€“ the Ku Klux Klan, and the Christian Identity Movement. 
>In this excerpt, "Pastor" Michael Treis quotes from a "minister" named 
Sheldon Emry: 
>Some of the Celts moved into Spain and became known as Iberes, the Gaelic 
name for "Hebrews." Others poured into Britain to form the bedrock of the 
British race. Later, the Iberes moved into Ireland as Scots, and later into Northern 
Britain to establish the nation of Scotland. Your history books also record 
the Germanic tribes breaking up into many divisions - the Angles, Saxons, 
Jutes, Danes, and Vikings, to name just a few. Other Germanic tribes later poured 
into the lands vacated by the Celts and established the Gothic nations of the 
Vandals, Lombards, Franks, Burgundians, and others. The so-called "lost tribes 
of Israel" really, were never lost. They only lost their identity as they 
migrated westward over the centuries from the land of their captivity." 
>This ideology moves from strange but benign, to overtly racist and 
nationalist (if not fascist), as evidenced by the following quote from "minister" 
Embry's interview with someone named "Capt," which Treis also included in his post 
to the another post to the Austin IMC, in which he quotes Emry categorizing 
interracial marriage with "sexual promiscuity," "pornography," and "crime." 
>. . . for the same reason they [bankers] favor drug use, alcohol, racial 
intermarriage, sexual promiscuity, abortion, pornography, and crime. 
>3. TREIS ALLUDED TO HIS ULTRA-RIGHT, RACIST, AND ANTI-SEMITIC AGENDA 
>In the post to the Austin IMC excerpted above, Treis admits that his 
ideology is unpopular and is often regarded as ultra-Right by those with whom he 
disagrees. I quote from his post: 
>When some few Patriotic people or organizations who know the truth begin to 
expose them or try to stop any of their mad schemes, they are ridiculed and 
smeared as "right-wing extremists," "super-patriots," "ultra-rightists," 
"bigots," "racists," even "fascists " and "anti-Semites." 
>Additionally, "pastor" Michael Treis makes clear in his posts to the Austin 
IMC that he actively opposes Leftist philosophy, equating Leftists, such as 
socialists and humanists, with wickedness and evil. I quote him again: 
>Today the great Israel nation of America is surrounded and invaded by the 
socialist-Humanist Antichrist forces. The wicked of the earth, who are the 
enemies of Jesus Christ, have grown strong and arrogant in our land. They have 
infiltrated our schools, the news media, even churches and government in their 
attempt to keep you in ignorance of your identity as Israelites. They are 
attempting to steal your heritage that they may conquer America and take rule over 
the whole earth. 
>As if this isn't enough, "pastor" Michael Treis actively opposes such 
respected organizations as the American Civil Liberties Union and the League of 
Women Voters. Another excerpt: 
>Who are "they"? "They" are all of the politicians of the two old parties and 
elected officials. All "educational" groups like the League of Women Voters . 
. . and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) . . . . All economics and 
history professors at all colleges and universities . . . . All labor leaders. 
All televangelists, your local minister, priest or rabbi. All of the above and 
more are hiding the truth from you. 
>4. MICHAEL TREIS USED LISTSERVS TO ATTACK GAY PEOPLE 
>The following e-mail was sent to KVIL Station Manager Kurt Johnson by 
Michael Treis. This "pastor" also sent a copy of this e-mail to me, knowing full 
well that it was an unsolicited e-mail to an openly gay man and therefore an act 
of harassment on his part. Note the use of the slurs, "pervert" and 
"abomination." 
>From: Michael Treis 12/13/02 11:13 AM 
>Subject: Christmas fairy 
>To: cliffpearson at netzero.net, feedback at kvil.com, kjohnson at cbs.com 
>Dear Sirs: 
>In response to the "Christmas fairy" on KVIL, I must say anything labeling 
perverts as normal is wrong. The Word of God call them an "abomination". The 
fact we have to endure from radio, TV, even school boards the idea we must 
accept these perverted individuals as 'normal' goes beyond discusting. 
>If these perverts are unwilling to give up their perverted abominable 
behavior there is NO place for them in the Kingdom of God. The idea we must accept 
this perverted behavior as normal is equally abominable. It is this type of 
thinking that is destroying morals of our youth and this country. 
>Pastor Michael Treis 
>Yahshua Messiah's Sabbath Day Ministry 
>But "pastor" Michael Treis didn't end it there. He took his hatred of GLBT 
people to our listserv, and decided to also personally attack Monica Taher, 
whom Michael Tries knew did not want to receive this kind of hate mail, and whom 
he knew is a director of GLAAD – the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against 
Defamation. 
>Note also that the e-mail was directed primarily to Ms. Taher, and that I 
was once again singled out to receive hate mail from Mr. Treis. Note also that 
in this hate mail, Mr. Treis: (a) denies the existence of homophobia, (b) 
repeats the hateful comments that GLBT people are "perverts, and "abominations" and 
adds that God will "destroy" them – something to which he seems to 
approve, and (c) refers to homosexuality not as a form of human sexuality but as a 
"lifestyle." 
>From: Michael Treis 12/27/02 10:39 AM 
>Subject: Homosexual, gay, lesbian PERVERTS & ABOMINATION 
>To: taher at glaad.org 
>CC: davis.clay at att.net, cliff at cliffpearson.com, Ntimc_group at worldunrest.org 
>THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS HOMOPHOBIA! Only people tired of perverts telling 
them that what they do is normal. The Word of God otherwise known as the Bible 
calls these perverted acts, ABOMINATIONS. 
>Those who will not yield to the laws of God, Yahshua, will be destroyed. You 
have a choice. You can disobey His laws of face destruction. If you will not 
renounce these perversions and seek your Savior's, Yahshua Messiah's ( 
otherwise known as Jesus) forgiveness, you face everlasting destruction. Thats the 
plain simple Word of God. If you seek his forgiveness, and turn from your 
wickedness, you CAN have eternal life. YOU choose. 
>Those who will not bow to your wishes to be called normal in your 
perversion, are just following the Word of God. We do not have to accept anything that 
goes against God's law as normal. You can criminalize, it call it a hate crime, 
thought crime, it makes NO difference. Those who follow the will of the 
Almighty Father, His Son our Savior Yahshua Messiah, the God of Jacob Israel, 
Isaac, Moses, will not bend to your perversion as normal. It is those of you who 
follow a perverted lifestyle that have the phobia, a fear of the rath of your 
Maker. It is YOU that must change, or face destruction not us. 
>In HIS Service 
>Pastor Michael Treis 
>5. TREIS DID NOT CEASE EVEN AFTER BEING WARNED 
>Martin Wallace of the North Texas IMC Editorial Collective rightfully 
admonished "pastor" Michael Treis for violating the Mission Statement and Editorial 
Policy of the North Texas IMC listservs, and reminded him that this is not the 
first time he has needed to be warned. "Pastor" Michael Treis responded not 
by apologizing, or even by promising to follow the Mission Statement and 
Editorial Policy in the future, but by attempting to justify his behavior as "moral" 
and insisting that he will continue to attack GLBT people in the future as 
some sort of divine mission he sees himself on. 
>Note in the following message also that, while the language is toned down a 
little, "pastor" Michael Treis continues to spread homophobic and bigoted 
ideas: (a) GLBT people should not advocate for equal rights and acceptance in 
society, (b) young people should not have access to accurate and inclusive 
information about human sexuality and sexual orientation, (c) homosexuality is not a 
type of human sexuality but is a "lifestyle," and (d) GLBT Pride Parades are 
public displays of lewd behavior. 
>From: Michael Treis 12/27/02 2:59 PM 
>Subject: [Ntimc_group] Re:Your reply 
>To: Ntimc_group at worldunrest.org 
>I understand you feel I might be guilty of "hate" for homosexuals. I do not 
hate them. I wish however that they would abandon their ways. These are their 
choices. There is nothing right about them trying to force legal acceptance of 
their beliefs as normal, they are not normal. I do not advocate 'hate' of 
anyone. If they wish to continue in their lifestyles so be it. But they have no 
right to force anyone to accept their behavior as normal. 
>You can't say that aren't in your face about it either. They try to pass 
laws for acceptance, making it a crime to speak against such lifestyles. If they 
want to live this way according to the Constitution they can. But they have no 
right to force anyone to accept their behavior as normal. That is my the 
problem as I see it. Children should not have to be subjected to literature that 
condoned their lifestyle. It is up to their parents to decide what they should 
learn on those subjects. 
>People should not have to view nudity, sex acts, mock sex acts, in public 
parades conducted during 'gay acceptance' week or what ever. There are many 
instances of such behavior on their parts for such parades and demonstrations. If 
I or anyone else committed such lewd acts we would be arrested, and well 
should be the case. On the other hand they are ignored and passers by have to 
endure this lewd behavior. 
>As is my job, I warn people of the consequences of actions that are to their 
detriment or the detriment to others. I also equally tell of the Grace 
offered them as a free gift of salvation. This doesn't come from me, a church, or 
any pastor. It is a free gift of God that is their's for the taking. It is about 
a personal relationship with their savior and nothing else. I can't "save" a 
soul. However, If I do not warn them of the effects of the breaking of God's 
law, then I have the guilt of their blood on my hands for not warning them 
whenever I have the opportunity. 
>I have done so by answering the e-mail I received. I can't change anyone, 
only sound the warning. I will continue to do so, as is my job. I do not condone 
violence upon or hate of anyone, as we each will also have to answer for that 
also. 
>Pastor Michael Treis 
>6. FURTHER RESEARCH CLEARLY LINKED TREIS TO THE FAR RIGHT 
>Sheldon Emry, now deceased, was the founder of America's Promise Ministries. 
>Besides posting articles by Sheldon Emry, "pastor" Michael Treis CC-ed 
America's Promise Ministries in e-mail that he sent to the North Texas Independent 
Media Center listservs. He also uses the term "Yahshua Messiah" which you will 
notice is a phrase used by the Christian Identity movement to refer to Jesus 
Christ. 
>The Christian Identity movement is one of the most hateful, racist, sexist, 
anti-Semitic, and homophobic ultra-Right movements in existence. Notice what 
hate-monitoring groups say about this movement. 
>The Religious Tolerance Project, says the following: 
>The term "Christian Identity" has two distinct meanings: 
>Anglo-Israelism (a.k.a. British-Israelism): A theological belief that the 
Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Scandinavian, Germanic and associated cultures are the 
racial descendants of the tribes of Israel. Thus, by extension, Americans and 
Canadians, are composed of the descendants of the ancient Israelites of the Hebrew 
Scriptures (Old Testament). 
>Racist, Christian-based faith groups: A number of small, extremely 
conservative Fundamentalist Christian denominations which have accepted 
Anglo-Israelism, and grafted it to racist, sexist, anti-communist and homophobic beliefs. 
They view the Jewish people as descendants of Satan. Followers tend to be 
involved in political movements opposing gun control, equal rights to gays and 
lesbians, and militia movements. 
>The Christian Identity movement is a movement of many extremely conservative 
Christian churches and religious organizations, extreme right wing political 
groups and survival groups. Some are independent; others are loosely 
interconnected. According to Professor Michael Barkun, one of the leading experts in 
the Christian Identity movement, 'This virulent racist and anti-Semitic 
theology, which is practiced by over 50,000 people in the United States alone, is 
prevalent among many right wing extremist groups and has been called the "glue" of 
the racist right. 
>The largest Christian Identity movement has traditionally been the Ku Klux 
Klan which was reorganized in 1915 by William Simmons, a Christian pastor. He 
had been inspired by the film The Birth of a Nation which portrayed the KKK as 
a champion of white civilization. The KKK slid into obscurity by the second 
World War, but was revitalized in the mid 1950's as a reaction to enforced 
racial integration in the southern US. 
>Other current organizations which follow Christian Identity beliefs are: 
American Nazi Party; Aryan Nations; Church of Jesus Christ Christian, Aryan 
Nations; Confederate Hammerskins; Jubilee, National Association for the Advancement 
of White People; The Order; radical modern offshoots of the original Posse 
Comitatus; Scriptures for America, White Aryan Resistance (WAR) and White 
Separatist Banner. Many small groups fade in and out of existence frequently. 
>The Southern Poverty Law Center, says the following: 
>CHRISTIAN IDENTITY 
>The Christian Identity religion asserts that whites, not Jews, are the true 
Israelites favored by God in the Bible. In most of its forms, Identity 
theology depicts Jews as biologically descended from Satan, while non-whites are seen 
as soulless "mud people" created with the other Biblical "beasts of the 
field." Christian Identity has its roots in a 19th-century English fad called 
British Israelism, which asserted that European whites were descended from the ten 
"lost tribes" of Israel and were thus related to Jews, who were descended from 
the other two Hebrew tribes mentioned in the Bible. But British Israelism, 
which was initially friendly to Jews, was adopted and transformed in the 20th 
century into a rabidly anti-Semitic creed by a number of racist preachers in the 
United States. 
>For decades, Identity has been one of the most important ideologies for the 
white supremacist movement. In its hardest line form, it asserts that Christ 
will not return to earth until the globe is swept clean of Jews and other 
'Satanic' influences. In recent years, deep doctrinal disputes, the lack of a 
central church structure, and a shift among white supremacists towards agnosticism 
and racist variations of neo-Paganism have weakened the Identity movement and 
reduced the number of its adherents. The total number of groups counted in 
2001 was 31. 
>Also, please note that Sheldon Emry, whose works were posted to the Austin 
IMC by "pastor" Michael Treis, is quoted favorably by a self-described 
Christian Identity movement "ministry" called Kingdom Identity Ministries. 
>Numerous organizations who monitor hate groups, list both Kingdom Identity 
Ministries and America's Promise Ministries as known hate groups. 
>You will notice on the Web site of America's Promise Ministries, that there 
are links to documents claiming that anti-Semitism doesn't actually exist, 
links to the rabidly anti-Jewish and discredited Protocols of the Learned Elders 
of Zion, (which includes a paragraph claiming they were not a hoax, but were 
real), and a link to Operation Rescue (known for vicious attacks on abortion 
clinics, gay bars, and GLBT churches such as Dallas' Cathedral of Hope). 
>Kingdom Identity Ministries is even more extremely right-wing, racist, 
sexist, homophobic and anti-Semitic than America's Promise Ministries. Their Web 
site has a page of available literature claiming to offer "the finest in 
Christian Identity Books and Tracts." 
>Note some of the titles offered on this site: 
>MISCEGENATION – by Earl Linville ("miscegenation" is another term for 
interracial marriage) 
>DO ALL RACES SHARE IN SALVATION? – by Eric Norseman 
>GOD'S ANSWER TO WOMEN'S LIB The Woman's Bible – Compiled by M. K. 
Hallimore 
>THE NEGRO AND THE WORLD CRISIS – by Charles Lee Magne 
>GOD COMMANDS RACIAL SEGREGATION – by Bertrand L. Comparet 
>The Kingdom Identity Ministries home page also has a link to an extremely 
racist, and anti-Semitic cartoon bout "liberals" that blatantly defends "White 
Racists," 
>Kingdom Identity Ministries' home page describes themselves as: 
>a Politically Incorrect Christian Identity outreach ministry to God's chosen 
race (true Israel, the White, European peoples). We proclaim the Gospel of 
the Kingdom (government according to God's Law) through books, tracts, tapes, 
videos, the American Institute of Theology Bible Correspondence Course, our 
international Herald of Truth Radio Broadcasts, a Prison Ministry, Biblical 
Counseling, Seminars, and other means. The Elect Remnant, Christian Patriots, 
Nationalists, Reconstructionists, Racialists, and all seeking a higher level of 
understanding will learn Biblical solutions to personal and national problems, and 
be given keys to unlock hidden truth. 
>Lastly, take a look at these excerpts from their Doctrinal Statement: 
>WE BELIEVE Yahshua the Messiah [note that this is the exact spelling and 
phrase used by "pastor" Michael Treis] (Jesus the Christ) to be the incarnate 
begotten son of God, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), born of the Virgin Mary in 
fulfillment of divine prophecy (Isa. 7:14; Luke 1:27) at the appointed time, 
having had His eternal existence as one with the Father before the world was 
(John 17.5, 21-22). 
>WE BELIEVE the White, Anglo-Saxon, Germanic and kindred people to be God's 
true, literal Children of Israel. Only this race fulfills every detail of 
Biblical Prophecy and World History concerning Israel and continues in these latter 
days to be heirs and possessors of the Covenants, Prophecies, Promises and 
Blessings YHVH God made to Israel. This chosen seedline making up the "Christian 
Nations" (Gen. 35:11; Isa. 62:2; Acts 11:26) of the earth stands far superior 
to all other peoples in their call as God's servant race (Isa. 41:8, 44:21; 
Luke 1:54). Only these descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel scattered abroad 
(James 1:1; Deut. 4:27; Jer. 31:10; John 11:52) have carried God's Word, the 
Bible, throughout the world (Gen. 28:14; Isa. 43:10-12, 59:21), have used His 
Laws in the establishment of their civil governments and are the 'Christians' 
opposed by the Satanic Anti-Christ forces of this world who do not recognize 
the true and living God (John 5:23, 8:19, 16:2-3). 
>WE BELIEVE in an existing being known as the Devil or Satan and called the 
Serpent (Gen. 3:1; Rev. 12:9), who has a literal "seed" or posterity in the 
earth (Gen. 3:15) commonly called Jews today (Rev. 2:9; 3:9; Isa. 65:15). These 
children of Satan (John 8:44-47; Matt. 13:38; John 8:23) through Cain (I John 
2:22, 4:3) who have throughout history always been a curse to true Israel, the 
Children of God, because of a natural enmity between the two races (Gen. 
3:15), because they do the works of their father the Devil (John 8:38-44), and 
because they please not God, and are contrary to all men (I Thes. 2:14-15), though 
they often pose as ministers of righteousness (II Cor. 11:13-15). The 
ultimate end of this evil race whose hands bear the blood of our Savior (Matt. 27:25) 
and all the righteous slain upon the earth (Matt. 23:35), is Divine judgment 
(Matt. 13:38-42, 15:13; Zech. 14:21). 
>WE BELIEVE that the Man Adam (a Hebrew word meaning: ruddy, to show Blood, 
flush, turn rosy) is father of the White Race only. As a son of God (Luke 
3:38), made in His likeness (Gen. 5:1), Adam and his descendants, who are also the 
children of God (Psalm 82:6; Hos. 1:10; Rom. 8:16; Gal. 4:6; I John 3:1-2), 
can know YHVH God as their creator. Adamic man is made trichotomous, that is, 
not only of body and soul, but having an implanted spirit (Gen. 2:7; I Thes. 
5:23; Heb. 4:12) giving him a higher form of consciousness and distinguishing him 
from all the other races of the earth (Deut. 7:6, 10:15; Amos 3:2). 
>WE BELIEVE that as a chosen race, elected by God (Deut. 7:6, 10:15; I Peter 
2:9), we are not to be partakers of the wickedness of this world system (I 
John 2:15; James 4:4; John 17/9, 15, 16), but are called to come out and be a 
separated people (II Cor. 6:17; Rev. 18:4; Jer. 51:6; Exodus 33:16; Lev. 20:24). 
This includes segregation from all non-white races, who are prohibited in 
God's natural divine order from ruling over Israel (Deut. 17:15, 28:13, 32:8; Joel 
2:17; Isa. 13:14; Gen. 1:25-26; Rom. 9:21). Race-mixing is an abomination in 
the sight of Almighty God, a satanic attempt meant to destroy the chosen 
seedline, and is strictly forbidden by His commandments (Exo. 34:14-16; Num. 
25:1-13; I Cor. 10:8/ Rev. 2:14; Deut. 7:3-4; Joshua 23:12-13; I Kings 11:1-3; Ezra 
9:2, 10-12; 10:10-14; Neh. 10:28-30, 13;3, 27; Hosea 5;7; Mal. 2:11-12). 
>WE BELIEVE God gave Israel His Laws for their own good (Deut. 5:33). 
Theocracy being the only perfect form of government, and God's divine Law for 
governing a nation being far superior to man's laws, we are not to add to or diminish 
from His commandments (Deut. 4:1-2). All present world problems are a result 
of disobedience to the Laws of God, which if kept will bring blessings and if 
disregarded will bring cursings (Deut. 28). 
>WE BELIEVE men and women should conduct themselves according to the role of 
their gender in the traditional Christian sense that God intended. 
Homosexuality is an abomination before God and should be punished by death (Lev. 18:22, 
20:13; Rom. 1:24-28, 32; I Cor. 6:9). 
>In response to the above exposé, "pastor" Michael Treis attempted to make 
more or less point-by-point rebuttals to the exposure of his links to the Far 
Right Christian Identity movement, and tried to distance himself from the 
movement. 
>He also attempted to play wounded sparrow and act as though he has been 
victimized and is being treated hatefully. He even claims to have been "demonized" 
by those exposing him. 
>Besides the fact that no one ever addressed him personally, or sent him 
e-mail directly as he has me and others, no one has made any accusations that were 
not supported with fact. 
>Unlike Treis, I do not claim moral righteousness on the basis of my belief 
in a disputed religious book (the Christian Bible) or on the basis of my 
religious beliefs, as opposed to demonstrable facts. 
>In other words, despite his attempts to rebut the points I made in my 
original motion, Treis hasn't been very successful. The following are the answers to 
Treis' attempted rebuttals: 
>1. TREIS CLAIMED HE "NEVER ADVOCATED KILLING ANYONE," ETC. 
>Yet Treis sent personal e-mail to me twice, and sent unsolicited e-mail to 
the director of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, in which he 
threatened gays (and by association, me) with "being destroyed" by God – and 
seemed to approve of what he claimed was God's plans to destroy me and other 
GLBT people. He claims that he "didn't know" I was gay when he sent the e-mail. 
This is either a lie, or evidence of his irresponsible behavior. I said I am 
a gay man in the first sentence of the e-mail he claims he was responding to. 
And the letter he sent to Monica Taher of GLAAD he certainly knew was sent to 
a GLBT rights representative. 
>Additionally, despite his claims that he "doesn't hate" gays, he makes no 
apology for having called me a "pervert" or an "abomination" – in fact, he 
rationalizes his use of such terms as being part of his self-proclaimed divine 
mission. He also continues to maintain that preaching against gay people's 
sexuality is his divine duty, as he is "warning" gay people of their impending 
"destruction" by God (a fate in which he seems to agree), and that this "warning" 
is an act of love. 
>As one of Treis' objects of affection, I can tell you, I perceive nothing 
loving at all in his "warnings," behavior, or rhetoric. I have to wonder, if 
being called a "pervert" and an "abomination" is loving, what would he do if he 
hated me? 
>2. TREIS' CREDIBILITY WAS HIGHLY SUSPECT 
>"Pastor" Michael Treis' credibility is immediately called into question in 
looking at his attempts to rebut the points raised by North Texas IMC members. 
"Pastor" Treis made several claims that he was simply "responding" to e-mail 
"sent to him." This is misleading because, first of all, Mr. Treis was on a 
listserv. The e-mail he received was sent to the list, not directly to him, and 
he knew it. So he is not merely answering e-mail sent to him personally. 
>This same point applies when looking at Mr. Treis' hateful verbal assault on 
Monica Taher of GLAAD and me. His e-mail to both of us was sent to us 
personally, not merely to the list. If anyone had been simply receiving e-mail that 
"ends up in their box" it was us – not Michael Treis. In short, Michael 
Treis' attempts to create sympathy for himself fell short when we consider that it 
was he who launched the offensive by personally attacking others. Treis 
didn't start out on the defensive, despite how he tried to portray himself. 
>Treis took his incredulous wounded sparrow routine a step further by making 
the ridiculous claim that we were the hatemongers for exposing the Far Right 
nature of his rhetoric and his links to right-wing extremist theology. He even 
categorized the Southern Poverty Law Center and Hate Watch (highly respected 
anti-hate organizations) as being hateful themselves because they report 
extremists (such as himself) to law enforcement authorities. 
>Treis' credibility is further called into question by some of the claims he 
made about himself. In attempting to prove that his "ministry" physically 
exists, he defended the validity of his ministry by saying it's a "Sabbath Day" 
"truck stop" ministry. In other words, he hangs out at truck stops on Saturdays. 
He did not address the actual points raised about the legitimacy of  his 
"ministry" – it has no physical address, no phone number, and no Web site or 
other advertising. 
>Treis also claimed that he did not violate the terms of use for the North 
Texas IMC since he was first warned. This was a misleading statement, since he 
made it abundantly clear in his answers to warnings, and in his statements to 
me, that he had every intention of continuing to "warn" GLBT people to "repent" 
and "turn from their evil ways." In other words, Treis had no intention of 
ceasing to violate our rules by attacking GLBT people, because he believes he 
has a divine calling to "save" the gay people. 
>Lastly, Treis made the blatantly untruthful claim that he wouldn't "use the 
listserv as a pulpit." This was clearly a lie, since he had already done this 
more than once by declaring the wrath of God's judgment on GLBT people. He has 
also said that he would continue to do as he is "called" to do and proclaim 
God's "warnings." 
>3. TREIS PROMOTED RACIST PSEUODOSCIENCE 
>"Pastor" Michael Treis' credibility is further called into question by his 
promotion of pseudoscience and his use of erroneous information. Treis says he 
agrees with the "research" of "Bible archaeologist" E. Raymond Capt. Capt, 
however, is hardly a reputable or credible man of science. Capt is the author of 
numerous fringe science works, espousing such nonsense as the belief that the 
Egyptians were originally from the planet Mars, that the Great Pyramid of Giza 
has a secret code built into it, and the long-ago disproven theory that 
Stonehenge was used by the Druids. 
>Treis used erroneous information, and therefore promoted factual 
inaccuracies, in his attempt explain his use of the phrase "Yahshua Messiah" as being 
nothing more than the transliteration of the Hebrew words for "Jesus Christ." 
Treis also says the term is used by "Messianic Jews." Actually, the proper 
transliteration of the name "Jesus Christ" from Hebrew to English is Yehshua 
Moshiach. "Messianic Jews" use the spelling "Yehshua" not "Yahshua." The only groups 
that seem to use the spelling "Yahshua" are Michael Treis and the Christian 
Identity movement. 
>4. TREIS DENIED AFFILIATION WITH CHRISTIAN IDENTITY 
>"Pastor" Michael Treis claimed not to consider himself a Christian Identity 
movement minister, but this claim – in and of itself – was neither 
relevant nor credible. Many other prominent Christian Identity ministers also 
disavow the term "Christian Identity." Take for example, Pete Peters. 
>Since 1977, Peters has been pastor of the LaPorte Church of Christ, a 
Christian Identity church with fewer than 100 parishioners in LaPorte, Colorado, a 
community on the banks of the Cache La Poudre River northwest of Fort Collins. 
>From the pulpit, Peters has expounded prolifically on Identity's biblical 
views, which include the belief that Jews are spiritually degraded and pose a 
threat to civilization, that blacks and other people of color are inferior to 
whites, that homosexuals should be executed and that northern European whites and 
their American descendants are the "chosen people" of scriptural prophecy. 
>While Peters and his church have been prominent in the Christian Identity 
movement for years, he has of late disavowed the term "Identity." Peters 
describes himself instead as "a Christian who is part of the restoration movement now 
underway – a movement in which Christian Americans call themselves simply 
'Christian.'" 
>But like Treis, Pete Peters claims Sheldon Emry as a source of inspiration. 
Pete Peters credits radio with indoctrinating him into Christian Identity. As 
he tells it, it all started on a drive one lonely night, when a young Peters 
turned his dial to the blaring voice of a preacher. That voice happened to 
belong to Sheldon Emry, who carried the torch for Christian Identity over AM radio 
stations from the mid-1960s through the 1970s. Hearing Emry on the radio that 
night changed Peters' life forever. 
>Peters is now hosting two radio shows of his own on WWCR-3, "Healthy Trinity 
Today" and "Scriptures for America." On the latter, Peters instructed a 
caller in 1997 on the proper etiquette to follow: "If you're going to talk about 
Jews on my program, talk about them as Antichrist Jews." 
>Peters' Colorado church first came to national notice in 1985, when it was 
revealed that several members of The Order, the most violent Far Right 
terrorist group of the '80s, had attended his church during the time they were active 
in their criminal enterprises. 
>Despite claiming not be a Christian Identity pastor, Pete Peters is a rising 
star in the movement. He seasons his extremist views with humor and, in so 
doing, is managing to reach millions, using the Internet, 
>short-wave radio and the offices of his Scriptures for America ministry, 
based at his LaPorte (Colo.) Church of Christ. 
>Peters was the organizer of the 1992 Estes Park, Colo., gathering of 160 
"Christian men" that brought together Far Right factions and set the course for 
much of the current movement. While he portrays himself as a relative moderate, 
Peters' racism is apparent in his past rhetoric. But he is continuing to 
reach out to others. Christian Identity expert James Aho of Idaho State University 
says Peters, 51, is seeking a coalition with non-Identity people. As a 
result, Aho says, Peters and his "soft" version of Identity together form "probably 
the most viable Identity movement in America." 
>Treis, like Peters, claimed not to be a Christian Identity minister, but 
espouses much of the same views of the Christian Identity movement, and like 
Peters, claims Sheldon Emry as a source of information. Sheldon Emry, as noted in 
previous posts, is linked heavily to the Christian Identity movement and is 
one of its most prominent figures. 
>Treis admitted to having posted the racist and anti-Semitic Emry treatise 
Heirs of the Promise and Emry's piece on the "international bankers'" conspiracy 
that allegedly runs the Federal Reserve. Treis claimed that he "doesn't agree 
with everything" Emry wrote, but Treis did not include with the Emry article 
posting on the Austin IMC site any disclaimer or explanation of what he did or 
didn't agree with. The implication was that he supported the ideas in the 
article, and posted the article in an effort to promote the ideology. 
>In fact, despite his claims not to agree with "everything" Emry wrote, Treis 
actually defended everyone of the questionable points quoted directly from 
Treis' post of Emry's treatise. So Treis' vague attempt to dissociate himself 
from Emry's racist "Anglo-Israelist" theories fell apart. 
>Treis also attempted to defend his "Anglo-Israelist" beliefs – the 
teaching that the White race are literally Israelites of the Bible – as being a 
religious belief held by benign religious groups such as the Worldwide Church 
of God, and the International Church of God. It's true that these churches also 
believe this, and are benign religious groups. But the idea is also a major 
tenet of the Christian Identity movement, and it was not Herbert Armstrong (the 
founder of the Worldwide Church of God) or Garner Ted Armstrong (founder of 
the International Church of God) that Treis quoted – it was Sheldon Emry. 
>Sheldon Emry is identified by all the groups that monitor and report on hate 
groups, as a major figure in the Christian Identity movement. Rightly so – 
as I pointed out by showing Emry's popularity with Far Right Kingdom Identity 
Ministries, Emry is as much a hero to the Christian Identity movement as he 
apparently is to Treis. 
>Treis claimed not to be familiar with Kingdom Identity Ministries, but this 
is irrelevant, and Treis missed the point. As shown by Sheldon Emry's 
popularity with this clearly Far Right "ministry" (and other Christian Identity 
groups, like Aryan Nations), Emry is hardly a benign religious leader, and is in 
fact a major figure in the Christian Identity movement. 
>5. MICHAEL TREIS DENIED LINKS TO GROUPS, NOT IDEOLOGY 
>"Pastor" Michael Treis claimed not to be affiliated with, or to support of 
the ideas of: the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, Aryan Nations, and other Far Right 
groups mentioned by name. Treis may not in fact be a member of any of these 
groups. But nevertheless, these groups share a great deal of theology, ideology, 
and goals with Treis. Despite Treis' vague assertions not to support these 
groups, like these groups – Treis promotes the theology and views of Sheldon 
Emry. 
>Sheldon Emry, now deceased, was the founder of America's Promise Ministries â
€“ a Christian Identity movement organization listed as a hate group by the 
Southern Poverty Law Center, Hate Watch, and other groups. Despite proof of 
established links to America's Promise Ministries (he included them in e-mail he 
sent to our listserv), Treis never attempted to rebut these allegations. In 
fact, Treis never mentioned this ministry at all in any of his attempts to 
rebut. 
>While it's true that Treis may not support violence, as he claims, America's 
Promise Ministries members have a history of violence: 
>In 1995, three Identity adherents – Verne Jay Merrell, Charles Barbee and 
Robert Berry – robbed a local bank and bombed the Spokane, Wash. offices 
of Planned Parenthood and The Spokesman-Review newspaper. One of them, Merrell, 
has close ties to America's Promise Ministries, headed by the Rev. Dave 
Barley. Merrell preached at Barley's Bible camps, and Barley sold Merrell's tapes. 
>Speaking of Dave Barley: 
>Dave Barley rose to prominence in the Christian Identity movement because of 
a legacy: he inherited the thriving ministry of his father-in-law, the late 
Sheldon Emry. Emry, who created the America's Promise Ministries in Phoenix and 
expanded its reach by buying air time on 30 radio stations nationwide, died 
in 1985. Barley took over the ministry in 1988 and moved it to Sandpoint, 
Idaho, an area where white supremacists flourish. 
>Barley and influential Christian Identity leader Pete Peters have come to 
represent a "softer" wing of Christian Identity belief, but Barley's links to 
extremism are well documented. Three recently convicted followers of the Phineas 
Priesthood, who robbed banks and bombed an abortion clinic and a newspaper 
office in Washington state, attended his Sandpoint church. The gang's leader, 
Jay Merrell, was a Barley protégé. Barley, 42, also is a close associate of 
former Klan leader Louis Beam. And he sells publications with titles like 
America: Free, White and Christian. 
>Louis Beam is well known as the former Texas Klan leader who advocated the 
murder of government officials, a one-time resident of the FBI's most wanted 
list and the "ambassador-at-large" for the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations. But the 
near-legendary leader of the radical right is also a Christian Identity 
proselytizer who has written for The Jubilee, the nation's leading Christian Identity 
publication, and has spoken at several major Identity conferences. Beam, now 51, 
joined an Alabama Klan group in 1968, then became Texas leader of David Duke's 
Knights of the KKK. In 1988, after a period on the run in Mexico, he was 
acquitted with 
>11 others in a sedition trial in Ft. Smith, Ark. He was a leading architect 
of the extreme right's communications systems. (On one bulletin board, he set 
up a "point system" to become an "Aryan Warrior" based on killing government 
officials and minorities.) 
>6. TREIS MADE UNBELIEVABLE CLAIMS NOT BE AN ANTI-SEMITE 
>Treis claimed not to believe in Far Right ideas, such as anti-Semitism, but 
this claim lacks credibility. I accept Treis' claim that he does not agree 
with the "seedline doctrine" of Christian Identity theology – the idea that 
Jews are the literal descendants of Satan – but America's Promise Ministries 
and Sheldon Emry teach this doctrine. Treis posted two articles – without 
any commentary or disclaimers from himself – written by Sheldon Emry 
(founder of America's Promise Ministries), and sent e-mail to them. 
>Additionally, while Treis may not believe that Jews are literally the 
children of the Devil, Treis did support the rabidly anti-Semitic Protocols of the 
Learned Elders of Zion – although he suggested they were written by "the 
Illuminati" rather by the Jews. (The "Protocols," by the way, have long been 
proven to be a hoax.) 
>Lastly, Treis declared that he supports the notion that the "international 
bankers" (a known code word for "the Jews") are part of a vast world-wide 
conspiracy to control the world. This is an old, and well-established, anti-Semitic 
conspiracy theory. 
>IN CONCLUSION . . . 
>While "pastor" Michael Treis' links to the Far Right are not reasons, in and 
of themselves, to remove Treis from a listserv or message board – should 
he attempt to infiltrate yours – these links are demonstrable and clear, and 
are reason to be watchful. I submit that Treis is a person whose agenda is to 
spread the ideas and agenda of the Far Right, and as such should be carefully 
monitored and his every post scrutinized. 
>
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