Loudoun County’s tourism tax revenues are supposed to be used to promote tourism. But it’s a lot of dough — about $5 million last year — and our all-Republican Board of Supervisors, and its very partisan appointees to various county commissions and boards, have apparently found it to be a tempting slush fund to channel money to favored or politically connected businesses, organizations, and causes.
Among the events approved last month for a “Visit Loudoun Marketing Leverage Fund” grant, to the tune of $3,000 to support marketing and promotion of the event, is the “2013 Awakening Festival.”
This event, operated by something called “Awakening Ministries, Inc.,” turns out to be a “Christian contemporary music” “festival” whose avowed and unambiguous purpose, according to the Awakening Ministries, Inc. own website, is to proselytize:
“Our goal is to introduce Christ through the music, artists and the speakers.”
Perhaps the Board of Supervisors would like to consult the Constitution of the United States regarding this little matter of providing public funds for the direct promotion of a certain religion?
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