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Pastor Ralph Ovadal will be on trial tomorrow in Room
309 of the City County Building in Madison, Wisconsin. Pastor Ovadal has
been charged with state disorderly conduct which carries a possible
sentence of ninety days in jail and a $1,000 fine plus court costs. The
charges are a result of an incident which took place during a WCU ministry
event on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources nude beach parking
lot near Mazomanie. The parking lot has been acknowledged by the State as
being an area where free speech is protected.
The DNR and the Dane County D.A. have alleged that
Pastor Ovadal frightened a woman and her dogs with his preaching and
followed her for a distance. The documented facts are that the woman got
out of her car and began mocking several young Christian men with filthy
language and a lewd dance after they offered her a salvation tract. At
that point, Pastor Ovadal preached a short message to the woman who
responded with more lewd dancing. Pastor Ovadal was approximately eight to
twenty feet away from the woman during the short incident and did not
follow her as she walked away. In the criminal complaint against him, the
DNR attributes to Pastor Ovadal things which others are heard saying on
the video, although even those things were constitutionally protected
speech. A video tape of the event will fully document all of this in
court.
The "scared" woman to whom Pastor preached on
May 28, 2001 is a regular at the Mazo nude beach, a place where children
are present. She has made a habit of going out of her way to seek out and
ridicule Christian men during WCU ministry events on the Mazo beach.
"What is taking place today has become
the modus operandi for the Department of Natural Resources. They are
feverishly working to put a pastor in jail for preaching a message in
defense of God's eternal laws and the minds, innocence, and perhaps bodies
of children who are being abused at the DNR's tax-funded adult
entertainment center on the Wisconsin River. When the nudists hurl obscene
words at the Christians who minister on the Mazo beach parking lot and
even physically attack us, no charges are filed. When a pastor exercises
his First Amendment rights after being provoked by a lewd woman headed for
the beach to strip naked in front of young men and boys, he is charged
with a crime. If I am found guilty by the liberal judge I am before today,
I will appeal. Either way, WCU will continue its campaign to put an end to
the tax-funded nudity at Mazo beach."
Ralph Ovadal, Director, Wisconsin Christians United; Pastor, Pilgrims
Covenant Church
The Dane County
DA, the DNR, and the Mazo beach nudists, working together to put a
Christian pastor in jail for protecting children and the rule of law. The
dates tell the story.
"Better trade that bullhorn for a harmonica,
Ralph. You're going to have LOTS of time to learn how to play it where
you're going"
July 3, 2001 e-mail to
Pastor Ovadal from naturist Brian Johnson, christian1234@apexmail.com
"The Dane DA has collected sufficient affidavits
to put you away. We are counting the days."
July 4, 2001 e-mail to
Pastor Ovadal from naturist Arthur Hewlett, MrChristian@e-garfield.com
"I agree that Mr. Overdahl is `begging' to be
cited or arrested."
July 6, 2001 e-mail from Dane
County DA Brian Blanchard to Dick Froemming, Board of Directors, Badger
Naturists
"We have been in contact recently with both Wayne
Schutte and District Attorney Brian Blanchard regarding the escalating
tactics of Mr. Ralph Ovadahl . . . As I have expressed to Mr. Blanchard,
Ovadahl's hate tactics and language have NO place in today's society or in
Wisconsin. . . . I agree with your inference that the protesters actions
and words have been very similar to those of a hate group . . ."
July 7, 2001 e-mail from Dick
Froemming, Board of Directors, Badger Naturists to DNR Regional Director
Ruthe Badger
"Now at last we have assurance that you will reap
your reward. . . . You will be prosecuted . . . Your time is coming sooner
than you think, Ralph!"
July 9, 2001 e-mail to
Pastor Ovadal from naturist Brian Johnson, Christian1234@apexmail.com
"[Dick Froemming] is also the writer of the E-Mail
to the Dane County DA partially resulting in the DA's intention to cite
Ovadal."
July 9, 2001 e-mail memo
from DNR Warden Wayne Schutte to DNR Regional Director Ruthe
Badger
"Praise the Lord that Ruthe Badger said she would
hold you and your group responsible for conflict caused at the parking
lot."
July 11, 2001 e-mail to
Pastor Ovadal from naturist "John Doe," christian54956@hotmail.com
Pastor Ovadal was
criminally charged on July 14, 2001.
"Dear Mr. Blanchard, I and most of the area
naturists are anxiously awaiting any word about the fate/future of Ralph
Ovadahl . . ."
Excerpt from a July 22, 2001
e-mail message from Dick Froemming, Board of Directors, Badger
Naturists to Dane County DA Brian Blanchard
The following
are excerpts of the short message Pastor Ovadal has been charged with a
crime for preaching:
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Nancy J. Erickson from a
video tape taken of the incident for which Pastor Ralph Ovadal has
been charged with a crime. Erickson directed a lewd dance toward
Pastor just prior to and during part of his message. |
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To the Woman Pictured:
"Why don't you repent, ma'am? Give your life to Jesus Christ. You are
acting like a Jezebel. You need to repent. You have no respect, no honor.
You're acting like a barnyard animal. Anyone can act like a barnyard
animal. . . . You ought to act like a godly woman. Give your life to
Christ . . . You ought to be ashamed. . . . Don't act like a whore, ma'am.
Give your life to Jesus Christ, and He'll make you a new creature. He'll
give you a fresh start. He'll clean you up. He'll do a godly work in your
life. You won't have to be ashamed of yourself. Listen to your conscience,
ma'am. You need to start over. You need to repent."
To DNR Wardens: "How many
young men are corrupted by whores who act like this? How many children are
destroyed? How many young boys get their start on a path of slavery
because of this sort of woman? . . . Why don't you tell her she's acting
like a whore? Why don't you be a real man? Do you care about the little
children? Do you care about the young men? How many young men will be
corrupted by the likes of this?. . . All the poor young men that will be
caught up in this woman's trap - Their minds destroyed; their bodies used
up."
"I feel I am a strong woman, but this was
overpowering, intimidating and very upsetting. I was very worried and
concerned for my dogs. It was very emotionally trying."
Nancy J. Erickson quoted in the criminal complaint against Pastor Ralph
Ovadal. Pastor is on trial for preaching to Erickson.
"For a
whore is a deep ditch . . . She also lieth in wait as for a prey,
and increaseth the transgressors among men."
Proverbs 23:27-28
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