-Caveat Lector- http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=14471
>From Team Moon to VISTA David Caprara's journey from Moonie front group to Americorps leader (Eds. note: Read part one of this story, "The GOP's Man on the Moon," here http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=14455 ) No mention of David Caprara's connection to Rev. Moon-controlled organizations was made in the mid-December news release announcing his appointment as director of VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). Prior to moving to AmericCorps*VISTA, Caprara was the president of a Moon front group called the American Family Coalition (AFC). According to its Web site, the organization "is a national non-profit grassroots leadership alliance promoting family and community renewal through educational and faith-based initiatives. The efforts of AFC are made possible through the generous support of The Washington Times Foundation and other individual and corporate donors." In October, the American Family Coalition sponsored a seminar called "Relationship Intelligence: Teaching Our Children in the Age of AIDS." The presenter was Richard Panzer, the founder of Free Teens USA, a Moon front group that has insinuated its abstinence-only sex education curriculum into a number of school districts. In its news release, AmeriCorps Director Rosie Mauk noted that she and Leslie Lenkowsky were "very pleased to have David, John [Foster-Bey], and Wendy [Zenker] to lead our programs." Foster-Bey was named to run the AmeriCorps*State and National program, and Zenker was tabbed to head AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). "Their combined knowledge and experience will help us meet the President's goal of meeting our most pressing human needs through service and volunteerism," she added. "President Bush has called for service volunteers to play a critical role in strengthening faith and community groups that meet social needs, as well as emerging needs in homeland security," Corporation Board Chair Stephen Goldsmith chimed in. "The Corporation is pleased to have David, John, and Wendy to help meet the President's goal of engaging more Americans to be citizens, not spectators." According to the release, AmeriCorps*VISTA "works primarily with faith-based and community organizations in low-income neighborhoods to develop lasting solutions to poverty in the areas of housing, health care, literacy, community development, technology, crime prevention, and hunger. The 6,000 AmeriCorps*VISTA members nationwide assist these groups by creating and developing projects, recruiting volunteers, raising funds, and otherwise building organizations' administrative, technological, and financial capacity." "I salute the spirit of service and idealism of AmeriCorps*VISTA members as they contribute to empowering the poor and renewing our most impoverished communities," said Caprara. "I look forward to helping build on AmeriCorps*VISTA's long record of success." Caprara's record David Caprara has a long history of service to the conservative community and right-wing causes. He served three years as deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the first Bush White House, and later he worked for Virginia's conservative Governor George Allen as executive director of the Governor's Commission on Citizen Empowerment, where he launched the Governor's welfare reform plan. Caprara was one of the founders and is the former president of The Empowerment Network (TEN), "a resource hub for state legislators, grassroots organizations, and other civic leaders promoting American family and community renewal of civil society in the 21st century." According to its website, "TEN's grassroots network provides the winning edge on policy initiatives that support youth character and family revitalization, entrepreneurship and the unleashing of faith-based initiatives and cultural remedies." (For more on TEN see, "Team Bush funnels money to faith-based groups: Sens. Lieberman and Santorum's 'compromise' legislation in limbo".) According to a VISTA official, the director determines the priorities of the program and to a certain extent has discretion over how funds are dispersed. Will David Caprara use VISTA as a platform to boost the Unification Church's political and social agenda? Will Moon front groups play a more active role in VISTA programs and will they receive taxpayer money to do so? In a phone interview with Dr. Richard Land, the president of Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, he told me that while he was unfamiliar with Mr. Caprara's qualifications, he believed that "a person's religious convictions or religious beliefs should not qualify or disqualify a person for service." Land said "government must not decide which groups are kosher and which aren't." There's no question that "the Unification Church is a cult," Land said, and that many people acknowledge that it "in no way shape or form is associated with orthodox Christianity." Land added that although the Church has used deception around its sponsorship of events (like the pre-Bush Inaugural prayer luncheon) he was not worried about it setting the agenda for VISTA. "If the Unification Church supports the president, they are showing good taste." Mike Meneer of the National AmeriCorps Association, whose Web site describes the 20,000 member organization as "the only non-profit organization solely dedicated to serving the needs of AmeriCorps alumni and members," said he didn't know anything about Caprara's background, and although he received a courtesy call from the new director, he had yet to meet with him. Ironically, when President Bush announced his faith-based initiative in January 2001, some of its most vocal critics, including the Rev. Jerry Falwell and the Rev. Pat Robertson, were concerned that organizations like the Church of Scientology, the Krishnas and the Unification Church would be eligible for faith-based grants. As Rob Boston says, "Moon is certainly interested in leaving some kind of legacy." Will Caprara help make that happen? Are there other Bush administration operatives who come from the ranks of Moon's numerous front groups? These are just some of the questions that remain to be answered. ----- For more on Rev. Moon, see: Moonie World: The Rev., the cult, and the GOP -- http://moonieworld.blogspot.com/ True Parents Organization -- http://www.tparents.org/ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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