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American Morning
Mayor of Small Florida Fishing Village Goes After Satan Himself
Aired January 29, 2002 - 07:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Paula.
We are going to turn now from the war on terrorism to what one town is calling its war against evil. Specifically, a battle to ban the devil. The mayor of a small Florida fishing village goes after the ultimate evildoer, Satan himself. But not everyone in town is sure this is a good idea.
Here's Gary Tuchman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In tiny Inglis, Florida, the devil made her do it. Or, to put it more directly, Mayor Carolyn Risher's hatred of the devil.
MAYOR CAROLYN RISHER, INGLIS, FLORIDA: Be it known from this day forward that Satan, ruler of darkness, giver of evil, destroyer of what is good and just, is not now nor ever will again be a part of this town of Inglis...
TUCHMAN: It's a proclamation written by the mayor on official town stationery banning Satan from Inglis. At a town meeting Monday night, the mayor, who cites September 11th as a major reason for the ban on Satan, had overwhelming support.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because we refused to stand up for God, we have let Satan take over. And each time we unite as Christians and say, "Devil, go back to hell where you came from. We don't want you anymore."...
TUCHMAN: A fence post entering Inglis reads, "Resist, request, repent." A copy of the proclamation is stuffed inside the post, which further reads, "The body of Jesus Christ, those citizens cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, hereby join together to bind the forces of evil and the holy name of Jesus." "The proclamation," says the American Civil Liberties Union, "clearly violates the separation of church and state."
HOWARD, SIMON, ACLU: This is the most extreme intrusion into religion by a public official that I have ever seen in my 27 years as being a director of the ACLU.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the ACLU makes me sick. All they try to do -- all they try to do is put fear in the heart of people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have all these problems with Islam and all these different religions, while they were not the ones that founded this nation. We did not have those when we started this.
TUCHMAN: The town's attorney says despite the fact the proclamation is on official letterhead, it's not an official municipal statement. But it has the support of the town council and of virtually all of the people in this room, who believe their mayor's words are inspired.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Next time she comes up, don't vote for her if you didn't agree with it. But, otherwise, shut up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
TUCHMAN: Not everyone in this room was willing to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I agree with her 100 percent what she said, but the way she did it was wrong.
TUCHMAN: The proclamation will remain a prominent part of life in this town...
(on camera): ... with the attitude among some here that if people don't like it, they can go to that place where Satan lives.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Inglis, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, the Satan episode has put the town of Inglis, Florida on the map and also made it the butt of some jokes, like this one on "The Daily Show."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "THE DAILY SHOW": The effects of the mayor's Satan ban were immediate and miraculous.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: And just like in the movie "Footloose," Inglis has adopted a strict, moral code where dancing can even be an issue. That's on top of its no Satan zone.
Joining us now from Inglis is the mayor, Carolyn Risher. Also with us, Polly Bowser, who opposes the mayor's stance on Satan, and Polly's 16-year-old daughter Michelle. Thank you all for being with us this morning. I appreciate you all taking the time to talk with us.
Mayor Risher, let me start with you. Are you trying to legislate morality?
RISHER: Yes I am. COOPER: What in your town of 1,400 people is so evil and how will your proclamation keep Satan out?
RISHER: If our churches band together and pray, our nation and our town can be a godly nation and a godly town. We can love each other, and this is what's happening. I see a drastic change in the people of the town of Inglis.
COOPER: Ms. Bowser, you have been critical of what the mayor has done. Do you think the mayor has simply gone too far?
POLLY BOWSER, INGLIS RESIDENT: I just think that when she put it on town letterhead, that she -- she crossed the line. There is an ordinance in our town that says that you do not use town letterhead for personal opinion, and that's exactly what she did.
COOPER: Well, mayor, what about that? Have you broken the separation between church and state?
RISHER: No I haven't, and that issue was settled last night.
COOPER: Well, my understanding is that the ACLU threatened -- actually, let me put up part of this proclamation that you wrote. Why did you decide to write this proclamation? How did this come about? Was this...
RISHER: I have been the mayor for 10 years and I have seen a drastic change in our town. When 9-11 happened in New York, it gave me the inspiration that these people need to be ready if something like this was to happen to the town of Inglis. We need to be ready to meet our maker. And I felt like that there were people in our town that needed to repent -- even myself, I repent daily -- that we need to trust God. And if this happens to us, I'd like for my town to be ready to meet their maker.
COOPER: Mayor, I note in the proclamation that you wrote you say you were appointed mayor of your town by God. Is that, in fact, your belief?
RISHER: I've never had opposition. And I pray, God, if you want me to continue representing the people of Inglis, then you'll put me in office. And that's what's happened, yes. I give God the glory for every good thing that's happened in my life.
COOPER: All right.
Michelle, you also have some opposition to this proclamation. How has it effected your lfie?
MICHELLE STOCKY, INGLIS RESIDENT: It has effected me in a way that they have put me down for being unmoral just because I made a mistake.
COOPER: This is because you -- what mistake do they say you made?
STOCKY: Having my daughter.
COOPER: I see. You had a bay out of wedlock and you feel the mayor's campaign on morals has been negative towards you?
STOCKY: Absolutely.
COOPER: Has -- the town, I understand, used to have some teen dances on Friday nights. And those have no longer gone on. Mayor, what was your concern with those teen dances?
RISHER: I'd like to go back. I have never mentioned this girl's name to anyone. This girl's name has never been mentioned at a town meeting.
COOPER: All right. Mayor, my question is -- mayor, my question is on the teen dances. What was your problem with what was going on with these dances?
RISHER: I don't have a problem with what's going on at the dances. All the town commission asked was for Mr. Craig (ph), the town commissioner, to get morals and to get address codes and a code of conduct. We're responsible as parents to see that our children have a great environment and a safe environment to have fun. And we did not have enough chaperones. And the town, you know, decided that we needed to get involved and give our kids a good moral place to have fun. And that's what we were trying to do.
COOPER: Mayor, you were threatened with a lawsuit by the ACLU. In the wake of that, the town has basically backed off the proclamation, saying it's not an official government act. Are you going to reimburse the town for the money you have spent on this proclamation?
RISHER: That's already -- that's already been done. Every money that was spent has been paid back, and everybody got a copy of the receipts at last night's meeting.
COOPER: All right. Well, Mayor Risher and Polly Bowser and Michelle Stocky, thank you very much. I'm sorry we don't have more time to talk with you all this morning. It's a fascinating story and we appreciate you coming in.
RISHER: Thank you.
BOWSER: Thank you.
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