Saturday, April 23, 2011

Arrest Made in Lisa Miller Kidnapping Case - Christianists Appear to Have Assisted in Crime

An arrest t has been made in the Lisa "I'm No Longer Gay" Miller kidnapping case and not surprisingly it appears that Christianist whack jobs connected to Liberty University (see the screen shot above via the Advocate) and the late Jerry Falwell's Lynchburg church were likely involved in assisting Miller in fleeing the U.S. with her daughter, Isabella, after refusing to comply with numerous court orders. Miller and Isabella's whereabouts are still unknown, but hopefully as pressure is applied some of the loons will begin to talk. My gut reaction is that others besides the low level administrative assistant at Liberty University's law school were involved and it would be fabulous to learn that Matt Staver and/or anti-gay zealot Matt Barber were involved. In my view, Liberty is a major hub of the Christianist pestilence that haunts Virginia and the nation. It is disturbing that the "law school" ever received accreditation given the discrimination that goes on at Liberty and the fact that Staver and others in my opinion appear to have open contempt for the rule of law. In addition to the Advocate, Metro Weekly has coverage. An affidavit filed by the FBI describing the conspiracy to get Miller and Isabella out of the USA can be viewed here. First some highlights from the Advocate story:
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In a long-standing child custody case, an American missionary working in Nicaragua has been arrested on charges of helping a Virginia woman flee the U.S. with her daughter after a state court had awarded her former partner full custody rights.
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According to an April 1 affidavit by an FBI special agent, Timothy D. Miller, a Tennessee man who is associated with Christian Aid Ministries in Nicaragua, helped secure safe passage to Nicaragua for Lisa Miller and her 9-year-old daughter, Isabella (Lisa Miller is not believed to be related to Timothy Miller, according to the affidavit).
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Timothy Miller, 34, is one of several people named in the affidavit . . . who may have colluded in the international parental kidnapping of Isabella — including a “leader” with Liberty Counsel, the Christian legal group that has provided pro bono representation for Lisa Miller in the custody case.

In the affidavit, FBI special agent Dana L. Kaegel said that a series of e-mails as well as customer service notes from an airline company indicate that Timothy Miller helped to arrange flights to Nicaragua via Canada, Mexico, and El Salvador for Miller and her daughter, . . .
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In June 2010, Jenkins’s attorney, Sarah Star, received a phone call from an unnamed individual who said that Miller and her daughter were staying at a vacation rental house in Nicaragua owned by Philip Zodhiates, who was described by the caller as a “Liberty leader,” Kaegel said.
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According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Zodhiates heads the Christian direct-mail firm Response Unlimited. His daughter, Victoria Hyden, is an administrative assistant at Liberty University School of Law and was asked by her father to “disseminate a request to get Lisa Miller supplies.” Upon the news of the arrest breaking, Hyden's bio was taken down from the Liberty website as of noon Eastern time, but a screen grab of the page before its removal is available . . .
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Metro Weekly also cites a tie to an affiliate of Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church that appears to have been subsidizing Miller while she was in hiding and defying court orders:
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According to one FBI affidavit, the ''Lynchburg Christian Academy Payroll Account'' provided ''multiple payroll checks to Lisa Miller.'' The Academy is an affiliate of the late Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church.
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One can only hope that the FBI will seize records and determine just how high up the conspiracy extends both at the church and Liberty University and Liberty Counsel, a major player in anti-gay propaganda.

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