An Open Letter for Idaho’s God Squad

I posted a letter on Substack to some friends in politics while on vacation. They ignored me, but I received a lot of feedback from others. This is the letter:

A woman called me "Satan". She had been a guest on my radio program. She was a member of an organization opposed to vaccine mandates. I don't recall why she equated me with ultimate evil, but obviously, she was angry. Funny, I supported her position on mandates. Responding by calling her a "fruitcake" wouldn't have been nice.

I Planned to Stay Out of Politics This Week

I'm away from work this week. I'm not listening to much talk radio. That was the point of the vacation, but I did hear a comment this morning, and it demands a correction. A caller to my show said that Dorothy Moon had labelled a faction of her party the “God Squad.” She's the chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party. For the record, she didn't make that comment. I did, and I was referring to some legislators who call themselves the "Gang of Eight". Because, as we all know, gang has such a good connotation in modern America.

The "God Squad" was coined by an acquaintance in Carey, in Blaine County. The acquaintance is a gun-owning conservative and a Roman Catholic. She applied it to some allies of the gang, but not the group specifically. I found it accurate because sometimes it seems people in politics believe they were selected by God, and not voters.

I vote for good government, and have repeatedly said I don't vote for a pastor. Not on Election Day.

Bill Colley

Government Isn’t a Church

I don't mind if people have Christian principles, and if they believe they answer to a higher power, you'll get more thoughtful decisions, but I don't believe it's the government's responsibility to ensure constituents are right with God.

If Dorothy doesn't allow people to come by and lay hands on her staff at party headquarters, she's looking out for people who would find that uncomfortable. Would the gang be fine if a Catholic priest sprinkled holy water, or a witch doctor shook a rattle? Because this opens the door to all manner of requests.

I'm not opposed to prayer in schools or at public meetings. Would the gang be okay if it were the St. Michael's Prayer? If you object, then who gets to decide? Why not give everyone a moment to bow their heads and pray on their own? If they're not believers, they can take a minute and gather their thoughts. Or should we convert them by the sword?

Are You Conflating Your Personal Goals With Voters’ Wants?

You need to understand that not everyone belongs to your church. Nor do they want to belong to your church, and some don't want to belong to any church at all!

I supported the squad because they promised an end to government by lobbyists and heavy-handed legislative leadership. Instead of calling everyone else names, how about we concentrate more on bringing others into government who share our views on accountability? At the moment, you don't have the numbers, and if you keep pissing off former allies because you're somehow more godly, then you're setting up a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.

I'll even pray on it, and I don't need any laws or instructions from the government on the approach.

Once more, do your jobs! Your constituency is much larger than your congregation. You've lost sight of that as you equate what you want as being what voters want.

Finally, I understand the psychology when it comes to being the underdog. Like you’re on a great crusade, and you need something to fight against. Whether it’s Satan or straw men.