Kentucky Representative Josh Calloway gave the speech shown above in support of Senate Bill 5 and his proposed amendments to it. In it, Josh Calloway made it clear that he sees books as one of the number one threats to our children. I decided to e-mail him about it that night. Below is our exchange.
My 1st e-mail:
Josh,
I’m listening to your inane speech on the floor and I’m wondering why you never talk about the very real danger kids face from being shot at?
What is your educational background exactly? Your personal education?
Your religion is not mine. You have no right to impose it on me or pretend it applies to me.
There are far greater threats to our kids than ones you invent. As we’ve seen numerous times in Kentucky, our kids are at risk of being abused in Baptist Churches, Catholic Churches, and more.
Focus on something that has real impact and stop your religious virtue signaling.
Sincerely,
Rob Mattheu
Louisville, KY
Josh's response:
Rob,
Perverting, distorting and deceiving the mind of a child is the greatest threat to our children and our society. The things you advocate for are part of the greatest threats our children face. As long as I have breath, I will never stop fighting your agenda others that believe the way you believe. It is evil, it is wicked and God is going to judge it. Praying for you.My response:
Josh
I noticed you didn’t answer any of my questions or comment on the fact that not everyone shares your religious beliefs, nor are they applicable to state or federal laws.
Again. What is your educational background? Your own personal education? Have you sought any laws to reduce gun violence to protect children from actual threats? How about laws to address abuse within religious faiths, or even homeschools?
My daughter’s school was locked down at least once due to gun violence nearby. She had to participate in ALICE drills that traumatized some students. We’ve had three mass shootings in Kentucky schools in rural areas. We see gun violence every day on the news inside our schools, including among kids who are barely out of kindergarten. And yet somehow that doesn’t seem to be part of the “greatest threats our children face.”
Her middle and high school were the target of abortion protesters, who approached kids as they entered the school, preaching against abortion (which wasn’t performed in or anywhere near either school) and the LGBTQ community. I don’t want people like that approaching my child because it’s clear their hearts are filled with hate.
I’m curious if you’ve ever talked to someone who has had their church tell them that they’re evil because they’re gay and what it’s like growing up in that environment. I’ve watched my niece suffer because of it. I’ve also seen the impact that hatred has on friends, coworkers, and family members who are LGBTQ.
If God is going to judge, then that’s up to him, not you. Your role is to be a lawmaker and protect all children, not just the ones that meet your own narrow definition of the Christian faith. If you can’t understand the pain that you and others like you inflict with your belief, then I suspect if there is a final judgement, you’re going to be facing a lot more questions than your colleagues who are trying to do unto others as they would have done unto them.
I don’t have an agenda beyond making sure that the people I love are kept safe from religious intrusions masquerading as law. I advocate for friends, family, and Kentucky citizens who have seen themselves attacked for simply existing by people who claim to follow a faith where attacking those on the margins of society was considered among the greatest sins.
You as a body had the ability to help work to protect kids from actual threats. You didn’t. You had the opportunity to pass laws to protect children from discrimination. Laws THEY helped create and promote. And yet the CROWN Act died once again.
Not everyone shares your faith, including fellow Christians. Regardless, pushing your faith on others is the antithesis of what this country was founded on. You weren’t elected to pray for people. You were elected to make laws that better the state, not push the views of your church.
Sincerely,
Rob Mattheu
Louisville, KY.
I noticed you didn’t answer any of my questions or comment on the fact that not everyone shares your religious beliefs, nor are they applicable to state or federal laws.
Again. What is your educational background? Your own personal education? Have you sought any laws to reduce gun violence to protect children from actual threats? How about laws to address abuse within religious faiths, or even homeschools?
My daughter’s school was locked down at least once due to gun violence nearby. She had to participate in ALICE drills that traumatized some students. We’ve had three mass shootings in Kentucky schools in rural areas. We see gun violence every day on the news inside our schools, including among kids who are barely out of kindergarten. And yet somehow that doesn’t seem to be part of the “greatest threats our children face.”
Her middle and high school were the target of abortion protesters, who approached kids as they entered the school, preaching against abortion (which wasn’t performed in or anywhere near either school) and the LGBTQ community. I don’t want people like that approaching my child because it’s clear their hearts are filled with hate.
I’m curious if you’ve ever talked to someone who has had their church tell them that they’re evil because they’re gay and what it’s like growing up in that environment. I’ve watched my niece suffer because of it. I’ve also seen the impact that hatred has on friends, coworkers, and family members who are LGBTQ.
If God is going to judge, then that’s up to him, not you. Your role is to be a lawmaker and protect all children, not just the ones that meet your own narrow definition of the Christian faith. If you can’t understand the pain that you and others like you inflict with your belief, then I suspect if there is a final judgement, you’re going to be facing a lot more questions than your colleagues who are trying to do unto others as they would have done unto them.
I don’t have an agenda beyond making sure that the people I love are kept safe from religious intrusions masquerading as law. I advocate for friends, family, and Kentucky citizens who have seen themselves attacked for simply existing by people who claim to follow a faith where attacking those on the margins of society was considered among the greatest sins.
You as a body had the ability to help work to protect kids from actual threats. You didn’t. You had the opportunity to pass laws to protect children from discrimination. Laws THEY helped create and promote. And yet the CROWN Act died once again.
Not everyone shares your faith, including fellow Christians. Regardless, pushing your faith on others is the antithesis of what this country was founded on. You weren’t elected to pray for people. You were elected to make laws that better the state, not push the views of your church.
Sincerely,
Rob Mattheu
Louisville, KY.
Josh's reply (includes his comments to my previous e-mail in parentheses):
Rob,
I feel as or more just in my cause in fighting against what you are fighting for. One of us are severely blinded and will be judged by God. I promise you I will search my heart to see if it is me and I ask you to do the same. I have listed my answers to your questions below. Thank you.
-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Mattheu
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2023 10:24 AM
To: Calloway, Josh (State Rep.) (LRC) <Josh.Calloway@LRC.KY.GOV>
Subject: Re: When are you going to protect kids from being shot at?
Josh
I noticed you didn’t answer any of my questions or comment on the fact that not everyone shares your religious beliefs, nor are they applicable to state or federal laws.
Again. What is your educational background? (Graduated 12th grade and got Safety and Health Management Certification from Eastern KY University) Your own personal education? Have you sought any laws to reduce gun violence to protect children from actual threats? ( I support laws to reduce gun violence by trying to make it as easy as possible for good people to have guns instead of just the criminals) How about laws to address abuse within religious faiths, or even homeschools? ( I support the strongest penalties possible and would support legislation to even make punishments worse for anyone that would physically or sexually abuse a child)
My daughter’s school was locked down at least once due to gun violence nearby. She had to participate in ALICE drills that traumatized some students. We’ve had three mass shootings in Kentucky schools in rural areas. We see gun violence every day on the news inside our schools, including among kids who are barely out of kindergarten. And yet somehow that doesn’t seem to be part of the “greatest threats our children face.” ( More good people with guns could drive down these idiots doing stupid things with guns)
Her middle and high school were the target of abortion protesters, who approached kids as they entered the school, preaching against abortion (which wasn’t performed in or anywhere near either school) and the LGBTQ community. I don’t want people like that approaching my child because it’s clear their hearts are filled with hate. ( look at the emails you send. Filled with hate an contempt. You feel like you are saving lives and so do they. I do believe you can speak the truth in love, but either you are they are blinded and will be judged)
I’m curious if you’ve ever talked to someone who has had their church tell them that they’re evil because they’re gay and what it’s like growing up in that environment. I’ve watched my niece suffer because of it. I’ve also seen the impact that hatred has on friends, coworkers, and family members who are LGBTQ. (If what they believe is right then it's imperative they warn, if what you believe is right then they will have to answer, but someone is wrong. I challenge you to ask them to search their heart and you do the same)
If God is going to judge, then that’s up to him, not you. Your role is to be a lawmaker and protect all children, not just the ones that meet your own narrow definition of the Christian faith. If you can’t understand the pain that you and others like you inflict with your belief, then I suspect if there is a final judgement, you’re going to be facing a lot more questions than your colleagues who are trying to do unto others as they would have done unto them. (It's not up to me to judge, it is up to me to educate on God's standards and what the end result will be for those who don't follow those standards.)
I don’t have an agenda beyond making sure that the people I love are kept safe from religious intrusions masquerading as law. I advocate for friends, family, and Kentucky citizens who have seen themselves attacked for simply existing by people who claim to follow a faith where attacking those on the margins of society was considered among the greatest sins. (I have no agenda either. (All I am doing is pointing out what God says. (If I said I believed what God expected but didn't warn people of the consequences of not following his expectation, then I wouldn't be a true believer)
You as a body had the ability to help work to protect kids from actual threats. You didn’t. You had the opportunity to pass laws to protect children from discrimination. Laws THEY helped create and promote. And yet the CROWN Act died once again. ( I believe what we did and what I will continue to fight for does and will protect kids from actual threats. Again, one of us is wrong. I promise to search my heart to see if it's me, I ask you to do the same)
Not everyone shares your faith, including fellow Christians. Regardless, pushing your faith on others is the antithesis of what this country was founded on. You weren’t elected to pray for people. You were elected to make laws that better the state, not push the views of your church. ( the Bible teaches that God sets up governments and takes them down. God put me here and I am to represent the people of my district, but first and foremost represent God. If I follow the principles of the Bible, I will make good policy economically, socially and morally. Again, one of us is wrong. I promise to search my heart to see if it's me, I ask you to do the same)
I feel as or more just in my cause in fighting against what you are fighting for. One of us are severely blinded and will be judged by God. I promise you I will search my heart to see if it is me and I ask you to do the same. I have listed my answers to your questions below. Thank you.
-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Mattheu
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2023 10:24 AM
To: Calloway, Josh (State Rep.) (LRC) <Josh.Calloway@LRC.KY.GOV>
Subject: Re: When are you going to protect kids from being shot at?
Josh
I noticed you didn’t answer any of my questions or comment on the fact that not everyone shares your religious beliefs, nor are they applicable to state or federal laws.
Again. What is your educational background? (Graduated 12th grade and got Safety and Health Management Certification from Eastern KY University) Your own personal education? Have you sought any laws to reduce gun violence to protect children from actual threats? ( I support laws to reduce gun violence by trying to make it as easy as possible for good people to have guns instead of just the criminals) How about laws to address abuse within religious faiths, or even homeschools? ( I support the strongest penalties possible and would support legislation to even make punishments worse for anyone that would physically or sexually abuse a child)
My daughter’s school was locked down at least once due to gun violence nearby. She had to participate in ALICE drills that traumatized some students. We’ve had three mass shootings in Kentucky schools in rural areas. We see gun violence every day on the news inside our schools, including among kids who are barely out of kindergarten. And yet somehow that doesn’t seem to be part of the “greatest threats our children face.” ( More good people with guns could drive down these idiots doing stupid things with guns)
Her middle and high school were the target of abortion protesters, who approached kids as they entered the school, preaching against abortion (which wasn’t performed in or anywhere near either school) and the LGBTQ community. I don’t want people like that approaching my child because it’s clear their hearts are filled with hate. ( look at the emails you send. Filled with hate an contempt. You feel like you are saving lives and so do they. I do believe you can speak the truth in love, but either you are they are blinded and will be judged)
I’m curious if you’ve ever talked to someone who has had their church tell them that they’re evil because they’re gay and what it’s like growing up in that environment. I’ve watched my niece suffer because of it. I’ve also seen the impact that hatred has on friends, coworkers, and family members who are LGBTQ. (If what they believe is right then it's imperative they warn, if what you believe is right then they will have to answer, but someone is wrong. I challenge you to ask them to search their heart and you do the same)
If God is going to judge, then that’s up to him, not you. Your role is to be a lawmaker and protect all children, not just the ones that meet your own narrow definition of the Christian faith. If you can’t understand the pain that you and others like you inflict with your belief, then I suspect if there is a final judgement, you’re going to be facing a lot more questions than your colleagues who are trying to do unto others as they would have done unto them. (It's not up to me to judge, it is up to me to educate on God's standards and what the end result will be for those who don't follow those standards.)
I don’t have an agenda beyond making sure that the people I love are kept safe from religious intrusions masquerading as law. I advocate for friends, family, and Kentucky citizens who have seen themselves attacked for simply existing by people who claim to follow a faith where attacking those on the margins of society was considered among the greatest sins. (I have no agenda either. (All I am doing is pointing out what God says. (If I said I believed what God expected but didn't warn people of the consequences of not following his expectation, then I wouldn't be a true believer)
You as a body had the ability to help work to protect kids from actual threats. You didn’t. You had the opportunity to pass laws to protect children from discrimination. Laws THEY helped create and promote. And yet the CROWN Act died once again. ( I believe what we did and what I will continue to fight for does and will protect kids from actual threats. Again, one of us is wrong. I promise to search my heart to see if it's me, I ask you to do the same)
Not everyone shares your faith, including fellow Christians. Regardless, pushing your faith on others is the antithesis of what this country was founded on. You weren’t elected to pray for people. You were elected to make laws that better the state, not push the views of your church. ( the Bible teaches that God sets up governments and takes them down. God put me here and I am to represent the people of my district, but first and foremost represent God. If I follow the principles of the Bible, I will make good policy economically, socially and morally. Again, one of us is wrong. I promise to search my heart to see if it's me, I ask you to do the same)
My reply:
Josh,
I’ve spent the past 30+ years of my life searching my heart to get to where I am. It’s a journey that took me out of Kentucky, away from people who looked like me, talked like me, worshipped like me, and thought like me. In college I was exposed to a broad range of people and ideas and came out better for it.
It was pretty enlightening and helped me to grow out of my childish fears of other people. It also taught me that people in the minority in Kentucky internalize a lot of their own sorrow, anger, and fear to those they know won’t listen or understand. I completely understand it. It’s easier to get along than try to buck a system that doesn’t care much about you.
To address a few of your points:
1. Good people with guns don’t solve gun violence. As we’ve seen in countless school shootings, including most disturbingly in Uvalde, police and people with guns freeze up, get they’re too late to stop much of the carnage, or are NOT the ones to stop the shooter. Our teachers and administrators don’t need to be packing heat, nor do I imagine many of them want to. And frankly, I’d worry about the ones who are enthusiastic about it.
2. You’re correct that I have contempt for the majority of the people in your party. It’s based on the GOP’s contempt for good government, professional medical opinions, the agency of women and families, educators, science, books, and those who don’t look, love, worship, or come from the same place as them. This session was a colossal waste of resources to hurt a tiny fraction of Kentucky while doing little to help anyone who needs it. I’m sure that many of you were pleased with yourselves or pleased someone in your party or on your donor rolls. But you hurt Kentucky.
3. The people that came to my daughter’s school were an offshoot of a radical anti-abortion group. They spent their days making women miserable regardless of the reason they may have been to the clinic. As your body heard last year, there are indeed people who desperately want their child whose pregnancies need to be terminated for many reasons. Those protesters aren’t interested in helping those women or easing their pain. They want to increase it.
4. I am not concerned with God’s judgement. I’m more concerned that people here on Earth are taken care of and treated with dignity and respect. If God’s days are spent moving you and your GOP colleagues to create the heartache and misery you’ve created this session, there are better places to be than in God’s company. If a loving God exists, I suspect he’s not spending his days worried about the same things you are.
5. It is not your responsibility, duty, or business to “warn” anyone you do not know. “Love” is a two way street. If your version of “Christian” love makes others feel hated, then you’re not loving, and it’s YOUR fault, not theirs. My gay friends, coworkers, and family tend to be much more loving, giving, and provide better outreach to those who are marginalized in our society. They have no “agenda” except living a happy and productive life.
6. Your job as a legislator is not to warn others about your religious beliefs. Within your district you no doubt have Christians, Jews, Agnostics, Muslims, Atheists, Wiccans, Pastafarians, Unitarians, and more. The purpose of legislation is not to favor one group’s beliefs over another. It’s quite alarming to think that so many of you feel you’re the only people in the room when you speak. Your Christian upbringing and my Christian upbringing led us to very different places. I grew up Catholic, but don’t think we should be banning meat sales on Friday, or divorce. JFK gave a wonderful speech in his campaign for presidency about the need for separation of Church and State. Your faith can guide your decisions, but ultimately laws must be made that favor no one faith or belief. It’s what our 1st Amendment is steeped in.
7. These bills didn’t protect kids from harm, nor was that the spirit in which they were intent ended. LGBTQ minors exist. Parents, doctors, teachers, and many of us in the community want to help them lead safe and happy lives. None of this was on anyone’s radar until your party started to play it up on a national scale through the active network of astroturf groups and propaganda mills. It got attention, it scared the base, and ultimately it’s doing little but harming a small but vulnerable group of people.
8. the Bible is not the US or state constitution. It provides no legal protection to you or any other believer. The same is true for the Torah, Koran, Book Of Mormon, and any other religious text. If you can’t separate doing what’s right for all of your people through any lens but imposing your own faith belief on others through law, then you really need to pursue another line of work. Your faith can guide you in what is right or wrong, but it shouldn’t keep others who worship differently from accessing healthcare, or other basic rights simply because it makes you uncomfortable under your faith.
Thanks for responding and reading these.
I’ve spent the past 30+ years of my life searching my heart to get to where I am. It’s a journey that took me out of Kentucky, away from people who looked like me, talked like me, worshipped like me, and thought like me. In college I was exposed to a broad range of people and ideas and came out better for it.
It was pretty enlightening and helped me to grow out of my childish fears of other people. It also taught me that people in the minority in Kentucky internalize a lot of their own sorrow, anger, and fear to those they know won’t listen or understand. I completely understand it. It’s easier to get along than try to buck a system that doesn’t care much about you.
To address a few of your points:
1. Good people with guns don’t solve gun violence. As we’ve seen in countless school shootings, including most disturbingly in Uvalde, police and people with guns freeze up, get they’re too late to stop much of the carnage, or are NOT the ones to stop the shooter. Our teachers and administrators don’t need to be packing heat, nor do I imagine many of them want to. And frankly, I’d worry about the ones who are enthusiastic about it.
2. You’re correct that I have contempt for the majority of the people in your party. It’s based on the GOP’s contempt for good government, professional medical opinions, the agency of women and families, educators, science, books, and those who don’t look, love, worship, or come from the same place as them. This session was a colossal waste of resources to hurt a tiny fraction of Kentucky while doing little to help anyone who needs it. I’m sure that many of you were pleased with yourselves or pleased someone in your party or on your donor rolls. But you hurt Kentucky.
3. The people that came to my daughter’s school were an offshoot of a radical anti-abortion group. They spent their days making women miserable regardless of the reason they may have been to the clinic. As your body heard last year, there are indeed people who desperately want their child whose pregnancies need to be terminated for many reasons. Those protesters aren’t interested in helping those women or easing their pain. They want to increase it.
4. I am not concerned with God’s judgement. I’m more concerned that people here on Earth are taken care of and treated with dignity and respect. If God’s days are spent moving you and your GOP colleagues to create the heartache and misery you’ve created this session, there are better places to be than in God’s company. If a loving God exists, I suspect he’s not spending his days worried about the same things you are.
5. It is not your responsibility, duty, or business to “warn” anyone you do not know. “Love” is a two way street. If your version of “Christian” love makes others feel hated, then you’re not loving, and it’s YOUR fault, not theirs. My gay friends, coworkers, and family tend to be much more loving, giving, and provide better outreach to those who are marginalized in our society. They have no “agenda” except living a happy and productive life.
6. Your job as a legislator is not to warn others about your religious beliefs. Within your district you no doubt have Christians, Jews, Agnostics, Muslims, Atheists, Wiccans, Pastafarians, Unitarians, and more. The purpose of legislation is not to favor one group’s beliefs over another. It’s quite alarming to think that so many of you feel you’re the only people in the room when you speak. Your Christian upbringing and my Christian upbringing led us to very different places. I grew up Catholic, but don’t think we should be banning meat sales on Friday, or divorce. JFK gave a wonderful speech in his campaign for presidency about the need for separation of Church and State. Your faith can guide your decisions, but ultimately laws must be made that favor no one faith or belief. It’s what our 1st Amendment is steeped in.
7. These bills didn’t protect kids from harm, nor was that the spirit in which they were intent ended. LGBTQ minors exist. Parents, doctors, teachers, and many of us in the community want to help them lead safe and happy lives. None of this was on anyone’s radar until your party started to play it up on a national scale through the active network of astroturf groups and propaganda mills. It got attention, it scared the base, and ultimately it’s doing little but harming a small but vulnerable group of people.
8. the Bible is not the US or state constitution. It provides no legal protection to you or any other believer. The same is true for the Torah, Koran, Book Of Mormon, and any other religious text. If you can’t separate doing what’s right for all of your people through any lens but imposing your own faith belief on others through law, then you really need to pursue another line of work. Your faith can guide you in what is right or wrong, but it shouldn’t keep others who worship differently from accessing healthcare, or other basic rights simply because it makes you uncomfortable under your faith.
Thanks for responding and reading these.
Josh's reply
Rob,
Thank you for your response. It is evident that we disagree on what the truth actually is, not just in regard to religious view, but actual, factual, foundation truth upon which everything is established. It also seems evident that I am established and unmovable in what I believe and that you are as well. I want to help people and protect people and you express that you do as well. As I’ve said before, one of us is wrong. The gravity of either one of us being wrong has enormous consequences. I have and will continue each day to search my heart and motive and do what I know to be right and I ask you to do the same. If I said I believed what I believe and was passive about it, then I would be a hypocrite, because what I believe and embrace truly deals with life and death matters. I have very rarely, maybe never, taken time to have this much dialogue with someone who criticizes so harshly what I believe and then publicizes and is critical of what I say personally to them. With that being said, I have no problem saying these things in public as I believe them to be the truth. Thank you for taking time to read what I sent to you and when I said I will pray for you, I sincerely meant that. The seriousness of what we are discussing is definitely not a flippant matter and I know that you would agree with me on that. Thanks again.
