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TechnoratiThe Fall of The Godmongers: Praise Jesus, It's The Collapse of Evangelical Christian Rule in America. Rejoice!
Oh yes, by all means please take a moment to look around, ye who might be feeling a bit hopeful and optimistic right now.
Because indeed, you've got your wonderful and ever-accelerating green movement, your lovely mixed-blessing organic food movement and your rejuvenated attention to solar power and sustainable buildings and organic cotton and free-trade coffee and clean energy and CFLs and urban recycling and sleek gorgeous modern vibrator design to make hip women of the world swoon.
We've got urban smoking bans and Smart cars and women finally rising to the most powerful positions in the land. We've even got an increasing awareness (BushCo, the Middle East, and China gruesomely excepted) of industrial pollution and global warming, all maybe indicating a subtle but still profound shift away from traditional modes of waste and war and our everlasting thirst for death and all possibly pointing to a happy delicious karmic sea change toward light and health and love for all beings everywhere for all time, as the butterflies and bunnies and birds all hum and smile and sing. Mmm, utopian.
But wait, why stop there? While we're wearing these swell rose-colored glasses of momentary progressive bliss, let us go one big step further.
Because right now, there is perhaps no greater item we as a struggling human ant farm can be grateful for, no single social emetic we can look to for inspiration or hope or a happy tingly sensation in our collective groinal region indicating a possible move away from our long-standing Dick-Cheney-in-hell attitude of shrill bleakness, alarmism and religious righteousness than the simply wonderful implosion of the evangelical Christian right that's happening right now in America.
Do you know this clenched and panicky group? Of course you do. They're the throngs of megachurch lemmings Karl Rove masterfully manipulated and rallied and whored to Bush's very narrow advantage in two elections.
They're the ones who've made all the headlines and influenced all sorts of laws and national policy changes lo, this past half-decade concerning everything from stem cell research to gay marriage to evolution, sanitized school textbooks to failed abstinence programs to RU-486 restrictions to silly anti-science rhetoric, the ones who gasped in horror at a woman's bare nipple and made a disgusting mockery of Terri Schiavo and actually applauded when John Ashcroft spent $8,000 of taxpayer money to throw some heavy drapery over the shamefully exposed breasts of the bronze (female) Spirit of Justice statue in the Hall of Justice. And so on.
They are, in short, responsible for a great many of the most notable social and intellectual embarrassments in America since the new millennium took hold, and rest assured, we and the rest of the civilized world shall recall their bleak accomplishments for much of our natural born lives, and shudder.
Now then, your evidence of a new hope? Your reason for rejoicing? Right here: It seems the remaining core of politicized evangelicals, far from realizing its diminished influence and far from realizing the GOP has largely imploded and far from sensing, therefore, that it might perhaps be time to dial down some of its more unpopular, virulent agenda items, this group is actually aiming to step up its dogmatic demands from various GOP candidates this next election.
That's right. They want more. Or rather, less.
Apparently, Bush's GOP has let them down. They have not been content with BushCo's anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-sex, pro-abstinence, anti-women, anti-science, pro-war, God-hates-Islam stance, nor have they been content with having their trembling hands around the throat of the preceding Republican Congress for half a decade and clearly they have been insufficiently humiliated by the happy slew of right-wing preachers and politicians who've been revealed as meth-loving, restroom-lurking, boy-fetishizing gay hypocrites.
According to the new plan, any current GOP candidate who now wants the valuable evangelical vote will have to prove himself not merely guided by conformist religious zealotry in all things (Hi, Mitt!), but will have to prove his unflappable support for the GOP stance in key issues across the evangelical board, primarily regarding the Big Duo: abortion rights and gay rights. Or, more specifically, the total annihilation of both.
Do you see? This is exactly why we can now rejoice. Because this is the delightful thing about the fundamentalist worldview (and, for that matter just about any strict religious worldview you can name), the thing that absolutely and forever guarantees its frequent and eventual downfall: It can never be sated.
It's true. No matter how clamped down we as a culture become, no matter how much misinterpreted Biblical dogma we're forced to swallow, no matter how many insidious laws are passed limiting behaviors and restricting independent thought and repressing sexuality and banning dildos in Texas, it will never be enough.
And why? Because the fundamentalist mind-set is not so much a firm and rational set of beliefs based on thoughtful interpretation of strict Biblical screed as it is, well, a paranoid wallowing in fear. Fear of the Other, fear of change, of progress, of the new and different and young and the sexual and the truly spiritual. And as we all know from almost seven years of Bush, fear knows no reason. It knows no stability. Fear is simply insatiable, voracious, and about as un-Godlike as Jesus with a machine gun.
But let's not get carried away. Make no mistake, tremendous damage has indeed been done. After all, this last batch of hotly politicized evangelicals that just passed through our nation like a giant kidney stone enjoyed one hell of a run, and much of what they accomplished will be felt for years and decades to come. The Supreme Court, by way of just one example, has now been so front-loaded with righteous misogynists, we've already lost great hunks of women's rights, environmental protections and many of the cornerstones of America's moral foundation.
Truly, the evangelical movement is still a significant enough threat, at least regionally, in areas where its megachurches still wield tremendous power and where cultural conservatism has held sway for decades and where the laws are already so misogynistic and homophobic and backwards we might as well lump them all into one giant state and call it Alabama.
But then again, the cheerful upside is tough to resist. Jerry Falwell is dead. Pat Robertson is so politically dead he's become nothing more than a sad punch line, a guy who makes the devil himself smile every time he opens his "gays-caused-9/11" mouth. Then there's the truly spectacular list of scandals and meltdowns and moral collapses that have befallen the "family values" party. Indeed, while cultural conservatives have certainly won a few nasty battles (and they'll doubtlessly win a few more), they're very much losing the war.
But when you come right down to it, the Great Truism has been validated once again: Righteous fundamentalism, be it Christian, Islamic, or otherwise, has the seeds of its own destruction built right into its very framework, a priori and de facto and by default. Powered by the deeply joyless engines of fear and shame, it can never quench its own impotent desires.
And for that, we can all praise Jesus indeed.
Thoughts for the author? E-mail him. Mark Morford's Notes & Errata column appears every Wednesday and Friday on SFGate and in the Datebook section of the San Francisco Chronicle.
© The San Francisco Chronicle
56 Comments so far
Show AllI would humbly offer my own take on the evangelicals, The Prince of War: Billy Graham's Crusade for a Wholly Christian Empire, here:
http://theprinceofwar.com
There are links to the first reviews. Available Nov. 15, though I believe you can nab a copy sooner at lulu.com. Yes, I'm peddling my book, but it bears directly on Morford's brilliant essay.
Rock on, Mark!
You wish! They're not going away, and they're not going to reform, or see the error of their ways. They don't recognize hypocrisy. They revel in it. For the average american christian, you only have to preface a lie with "god's message" or "jesus said" and analytical thinking is suspended. Belief is compulsive.
The big problem the religious nutcases face is some kind of voo-doo- to replace the one they've embraced because it's a drug. Have you ever been to a Baptist church and seen the ecstasy on the faces of the participants shouting and screaming for their chance to enter utopia.
Most of this religious garbage is based on fear, fear of being shamed by doing what is natural but repeated over and over again it's a sin.
The other tool the fascists in Washington D.C. are embracing is the fear of terrorists when they themselves are the terrorists.
I want you to get hold of the Charlie Chaplin film made in 1941 and listen to the speech at the end of the film and notice the similarity to today, it describes the present regime in Washington perfectly but it was targeted at Hitler and Mussolini.
Thanks again, Mark, great stuff.
But I'm sorry, my brother, it's a little too early to party.
Things might look fairly good from your place over in the Mission or whatever, but in the rest of our sad old country, they're more firmly in control than they were yesterday, no matter how bad or stupid they look to anyone with a grain of intelligence left.
The war's over and the assholes won, Man.
It's not a question of which way the battle goes any more. It's a question of revolution. Keep writing your heart out _ you're a ray of sun and hope in a world that's gone to absolute shit. Enjoying your life, being able to laugh, and saying the outrageous TRUTH are a hell of a weapon, and you're packin' a good one. Please keep it comin.
Contact: Sara Knaub
312.592.6841 (office)
773.485.2410 (cell)
Statement of Steve Trombley
President and CEO, Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area
September 20, 2007
Today's ruling by Judge Norgle means that Planned Parenthood will be back in court to present
additional material, facts and information that substantiate our request for an injunction to open
our Aurora Health Center. Unfortunately today's ruling means that, yet again, we will have to
reschedule appointments for our patients.
Our main concern is that every day our health center is not open, more women go without pap
tests, birth control supplies and breast exams. These are critical services that this community has
been lacking and that we will provide.
We anticipate being back in court shortly, and as per the judge's recommendation, we intend to
amend our complaint. Judge Norgle's ruling was very narrow in its scope and he encouraged us
to amend our filing and represent our case. In his words, "This case is far from over."
We are confident that when the additional material is reviewed, our health center will be allowed
to open its doors.
# # #
BLUEORBS. The Mayflower anchored off Plymouth Rock, 300 miles north of its intended port. They stopped there to make beer as they were almost out of their daily brew. So they weren't just radical Christians, they were also a bunch of boozers. They didn't get real good at the beer brewing until after the Revolutionary war. A great number of the Hessians stayed here after the end of that war, ran the Loyalists off to Canada and taught the settlers how to make good beer. Then a lot of them tired of the puritanical New Englanders, the polluted waters and moved off to Wisconcin and Minnessota. Those so called Pennsylvania Dutch, are mosly German stock, the Dutch mostly migrated to Michigan. History 101 D-, by Kem.
Depends upon the color.
are dildos really banned in texas?
Seriously, speaking of canned food. We purchased a case of off brand canned vegetables at a dollar store last week, $50 cents a can, good deal. Not so good after all, seven of the tops of 24 cans were slightly puffed up. The code number on the cans showed they were canned in Argentina. We then checked some off brand canned goods in a Wal-Mart store and found the same problem. They removed all of that brand from their shelves. ___ Beware.
Hi Siouxrose, good to see you posting, have missed you here lately. Canned goods are handy, they're great for target practice, you don't have to pick up broken glass. We have a years supply of toilet paper too, it's better than leaves. Better try and find ammo, understand it is getting hard to find. Someone posted an another string that Winchester and Browning are not making ammo for civilians anymore.
I see from reading posts on other strings here that Bush has followed the doctrine of Hitler to the T so far. It won't be long now, looks like the ducks are lined up. The final step is to declare martial law, be better to do that in cold weather.
Good discussion although it's tragic that the times require it.
PASTOR: It seems to me that every patriarchal religion--as instituted--falls all too naturally into the AUTHORITARIAN mode and mindset. Therefore these organizations ask a conformity of their followers (particularly based on rules that are purported to represent some form of rightness or righteousness) that undermines the very principles of democracy and/or a diversified society.
History does have too many examples of the ravages to our human brothers and sisters when any figure of power determines that "god" is on his side. It just mortifies me that this oldest of cons still works so effectively on so many, when time after time its blood stained evidence radiates with such brutal clarity.
This phase is either the end of war, when mankind "gets it," or we really do go back to stones and bones, those of us who manage to survive, DU damage included.
As a mystic, I am absolutely convinced that the greater the carnage of Bush's watch, the higher the response system from MOTHER nature and the elemental kingdoms. Even now, like that car rushing out of control, with brakes applied, too much momentum has been set into motion for the passengers to get out scott free. America has fallen to the worship of dark gods, the very church that would purport to represent the teachings of the Prince of PEACE have been usurped by the dark side, the old gods, that are empowered by mankind's bestial expressions.
As a writer who realizes the importance of selecting names to suit characters, I have to pause at all the cues "reality" is demonstrating. How about Eric PRINCE as the owner of that company that is producing soldiers for war? How about this PRINCE being the prince of war, in the name of Christ? How about HUNT Oil, as in THE HUNT is on. How about burning BUSH as that Bush that would set aflame the cradle of civilization. It doesn't take much imagination to see these metaphors screaming for our collective attention and wake-up call realization.
KEM: I think I will stockpile some canned goods. I am dating a much younger guy who has a gun. Maybe that will come in handy?
Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that causes people to hear voicies others don't. Bottom-line if you are talking to God and he is answering, you my friend are suffering from schizophrenia. Honestly, anyone getting advise from God scares the hell out of me. History has shown man kind has spilled more blood in the name of God than any other reason. Please keep your God out of my life and our goverment. If others wish to by in to some religious fairy tale, so be it. Bush and Bin liden both claim they speak to god! So how has that been working for us?
Those fake X-mas trees are made specially for fake X-tians.
I would go further that this phenomenon never truly existed in the sense that it appeared to. I think it was more like the stock market. It got so much press that people believed it to be so and therefor with the illusion of it's prominence, was able to influence society and government and in turn be influenced by government.
So I hope you're right, and based on the illusion, you already are with said points of Fallwell, Haggard, Robertson losing their illusionary media properties, then a pliable society will also believe it.
I'd still not get to hopeful just yet, and watch these guys like hawks. It was decades in the shadows where they found their strength, and light needs to be shown on these folks, just not the light of a TV tube. I haven't seen a change of heart yet of these spotlight fundies, so I don't think they've thrown in the towel just yet.
I do long for a day when they disappear from mainstream discourse, and long even more for a day when fundamental Christians focus on love, tolerance, forgiveness, mercy and compassion to their neighbors and focus inward on human weakness and ego, which is the only one who can change the negative aspects of oneself.
All in all back to my original point, If we could ween America off of "Hype" perhaps we could get this dumbed down lemming culture back on track again, which I feel is more the root cause, and people turning to fear mongers more a symptom.
(P.S. I couldn't remember Haggard's name so just googled "Minister, Gay, Meth" and wiki's Haggard page was on top. Got a chuckle out of that one.)'
Evangelical Christian Rule, Lobbying, corporate interest have totally taken over
the USA political system. Voting machines are giving the illusion that the US citizen actually vote, however they are operated by private companies linked to the Republicans.
In Europe we are also confronted to similar aspects of the above but we haven't yet reached the USA scale of dictatorship and already visible front runner of fascism.
My question is are the USA citizen capable
to revert to REAL democracy?
State-Corporatism: the true opiate of the masses.
All must bend to its will.
Its dogma pollutes our governments, determines our daily routines, our priorities, thoughts and actions.
Its god is profit.
Its son of god: the corporation.
Its holy ghosts: fear, greed and alienation.
Its word: the lie.
Its pews: the car seat, the couch and the cubicle.
Its pulpit: the idiot box and noise media.
Its collection plate: the strip mall, the big box, the gas station, hospital and drug store.
Its pearly gates: credit cards.
It commands the four horses and has its own special number in the nightmare revelation.
In US of A it now sears the saddle of WAR.
WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP
Wasn't Alabama also one of the most racist states?
It's not so much the likes of Jerry Falwells, Pat Robertsons, and Roves that are a menace because such charlatans and quacks can easily be replaced so long as the general public remains gullible and afflicted with decreased cognitive complexity.
Yeah, but the paint the Chinese dipped the plasitc in is lead based.
frank,
you better get over to Walmart quick. They're having an early blow out sale on fake X-mas trees!
"the thing that absolutely and forever guarantees its frequent and eventual downfall: It can never be sated."
A truth that cannot be overstated. They cannot be stated because they require an enemy of some sort. Kill or imprison all the nonbelivers, and they will turn on each other and start burning heretics. Always.
milesofmusic: Thank you!! It's getting so late but just couldn't stop reading, and tension was mounting, shoulders up under my ears, and then....aah! relaxing giggles from your great post.
Sure did enjoy Morford's article and plan to let him know...and these comments were so good to read too.
'Night
pastor: Some of the most Christian people today, in terms of values, may be atheistic secular humanists.
I suggest we come to this realization today, and go with it now. Take it somewhere ASAP. Because we'll discover it sooner or later. Best not to arrive at this conclusion too late. There is a definition by cheap proclamation, and there is a definition by action. What sort of heaven on earth have these god-mongers issued?
Their actions show that their ideology is the reverse for the most part -- the stuff of hell itself.
Pastor: "I have been driven out of two churches because I do not endorse the views of the right wing" I agree I dont think Jesus would be comfortable with all the crap done in his name. What part of Prince of Peace don't they get???
frank1569 said:
"Sounds like someone's starting the War on Christmas a little early this season…"
So you're gonna drag that tired old canard around again, eh? It's not about Christmas, and you know it. Liar.
have a look at http://www.richarddawkins.net/
It is worrying that the clash of religious points of view and the Bush/Al Quaeda delusion of having a hotline to God is what is happening currenly and could result in the US engaging in National suicide bombing and deaths of millions of Americans.
The Christian Fundamentalists leader resides in the White House and they have infiltrated the Pentagon, and we are in perpetual war with Islam in what appears to be another Crusades, with attacks on Iran and Syria in the offing to pave the way for the Rapture, and you say they are finished?. Hoo boy. Let me have some of that cool-aid you're drinking.
first, a community service (or the hey what's that word mean file):
"there is perhaps no greater item we as a struggling human ant farm can be grateful for, no single social emetic we can look to for"
emetic: a medicine that induces nausea and vomiting
good one.
i'm not sure that i agree the premise that the religious right is dead, though.
they have a lot of money.
the author mentions ashcroft covering the maiden's nipple.
ashcroft, the guy who lost an election to a dead man.
apparently, though, he was finding himself with one indelicate erection after another while in the bare maiden's presence and something had to be done.
he felt it unbecoming to present the unread and little understood patriot act while "dilecto inflangrante", as they say.
that seems prudent.
it was truly his just reward to be lying in hospital, on his deathbed, being poked and prodded by the slimy mr gonzales.
but let's not be quick to count out any of them; jimmy(i have sinned) swaggert, ted (i am no longer queer)haggerty, larry (i am not now nor have i ever been queer) craig, or, needless to mention, the grand old (we are not queer either) party.
much as we'd like to.
At least these nuts were funny when they covered the brass boobs on the statues. Guess they couldn't stand the sexual attraction. They often prefer their women in burkas except the ones who like prostitutes, children, or gay sex in the men's room.
SINNERJIZM, tell us, how did you happen to pick such a lovely nickname? I agree with all you just wrote, with one exception. I'm not certain what action to take you mean.
The action I plan on taking right now, is to finish up my preperations for the coming depression and the shock waves which will result. There is not going to be any mass demonstrations of multi-millions of citizens marching to stop the madness in DC. We here at Common Dreams are a tiny fraction of the public, we know the truths, but we are not organized. If we are targeted to fill those 800 plus prisons readied for trouble makers, ten by ten we will be quietly rounded up and our neighbors will shake their heads and quietly say, "I knew they were trouble".
Hitler suceeded in controlling the masses and his blueprint for success is being followed step by step and most never saw it coming.
Perhaps I am full of shit, ____ perhaps not.
As a Christian minister, may I say that Morford's views are hopelessly optimistic. I have been driven out of two churches because I do not endorse the views of the right wing. We are watching every denomination be seduced by their power. When groups like the Institute on Religion and Democracy succeed in undermining the mainline denominations completely, they will have the best platform ever in history to force their political agenda on us. This being the pulpit of every Christian church in America. Where we need progressives to take action is to get involved in local churches and commit themselves to keeping a religious home available for all people, the Left and the Right.
Sounds like someone's starting the War on Christmas a little early this season...
Northpark: "Evangelicals only lose if Bush does NOT invade Iran. The invasion of Iran, would scare America right back into religious extremism."
Amen! The blogs are full of commenters speculating that Bush intends to invade Iran before he leaves office. Oddly, most of the rhetoric about invading Iran does not seem to be coming from the Administration, although as always, "all options are on the table". Does the man who believes that God wanted him to be president at this point in time also believe that God wants him to invade Iraq, thereby (in his mind) assuring Armageddon? How much influence do those who truly believe that we live in the end of times and are doing whatever they can to make sure "prophecy" is fulfilled so that Christ can come and destroy all of the evildoers have with the "decider? Way too much, in my opinion.
We are definately living in interesting times. Things may get a lot worse before they get better. If civilization survives the next few decades, perhaps reason and logic will prevail, and the world will become a better place again. But fundamentalistic extremism is still a potent force. We are not out of the woods yet.
I think that the origin of radical christianity in the North America is of interest in this discussion. One word: The Mayflower. The Mayflower brought over from Europe (Holland) to the Massachusetts shore (recently emptied of indigenous people by diseases from other would-be settlers) the worst of the worst radical christians. The noble "Pilgrims," or "Puritans" (what an awful word) were even too crazy for the crazy Protestant sect that they once belonged to. They were followed by an endless stream of other fundamentalist christians who were kicked out of Europe. So, via years and years of conditioning, fundamentalism remains strongly in our cultural DNA. There are many history books that cover this subject. One I'm reading right now is "The God Part Of The Brain," by Matthew Alper. Anyway, I think that setbacks for this movement will always be temporary. They'll keep pushing back. Getting rid of this disease for good will require the deletion of the underlying religious conditioning by meditation and mindfulness.
PS: Try not to ruin your "Thanksgiving" dinner this year by thinking of its association with the intolerant radicals who supposedly ate the first one.
lets start with this.
Evangelicals should be called by what they are:
Christianists.
This puts their agenda into a more easily understood perspective afterall, we have been conditioned to view muslim extremestis and 'Islamists'
That being said, We are by no means in a position to rejoice. This is the exact mindset that many of us had after Clinton was elected. We let out a collective sigh of relief, feeling that the religious reich suffered it's fatal blow.
Meanwhile, back in the jungle...
The Christianists have quietly taken over nearly every aspect of local politics, from schoolboards to city councils. They have taken over social services in many areas.
Now, they have their very own army (Blackwater) that is currently conducting urban warfare training in Iraq and is handling anti-terroritm training for the military in Paraguay. FYI, the Blackwater mercinaries in central America refer to themselves as 'pilgrims'
Our military is being evangelicized and there is even a ministry for them which has the ominous name of 'Force Ministries'
No dear ones, now is NOT the time to rejoice. Now is the time to take action
Karl Rove sensed that after 8 years of GOP rule, there likely would be some fall off in support and some disillusionment among the evangelical portion of the Republican base.
That's why the brain trust put so much time, money, and energy into building up an added Warrior Wing within the GOP, ideologically balancing off the peace wing of the Democratic Party, and compensating in part for the loss of independent voters scared off by the influence of the rabid religious fundamentalists. Come the 2008 campaign, they'll trade off a church rally or two for more photo ops with the troops on the military bases and fundraisers with the Homeland Security/Blackwater boys.
Bill from Saginaw
I love Mark Morford. Can't get enough of him - whether I agree with him or not - he is always a fricken scream. This piece is absolutely awesome!
Purvis Ames...Loved your quote from the Sage of Baltimore (159pm). Thanks.
And, of course, we can always count on Mark Twain for something relevant: "Nothing in the world needs reforming more than other peoples' morals."
Cindy for Congress!
Paul Bramscher,
I have always felt that many on the left gave the evangelicals too much credit. If an organization is composed of a great many rubes and a few shrewd Wall Street con-men, who do you think will have control and get the benefit and who is going to get suckered? I think the left unintentionally helped the con-men convince the rubes that the rubes were important and were even running the show.
Bush's appeal to the corporate elite from the start was his talent as a rube charmer. If the man has a talent, that is it. He could keep them in line while his cronies robbed them, and the rest of us, blind.
I think the author has been drinking the laced Kool-Aid.
You can never rejoice as long as these people are roaming the planet like the animals they are. They spray everywhere they go, marking their territory. Nothing is off-limits to them.
And don't think for a minute that Pat Robertson's millions (or is it billions now?) isn't being used in apparent non-Robertson ways. He is a wolf in somebody else's clothing.
It is when they are quietest that you have the most to fear. There is no remission with these human cancers.
kivals: Big Money, Big Guns, Big Fear, Big Pharm, Big Bibles, Bib Oil and Big Energy can't all stay in bed together forever. Someone will fall off or cry foul eventually.
The problem is that the dissolution isn't an up/down issue, but more of a disagreement among scoundrels. They'll regroup, or go elsewhere (like to the Dems?), but they won't just disappear without broader cultural change at the bottom.
Why ridicule the evangelicals for waking up and realizing they have been made fools of by the Republicans? The approach of the left should have always been to drive a wedge between the evangelicals and the party of Wall Street by helping them understand they have mostly just gotten lip service from the more corporate party while their futures and their children's futures were sold down the river. Their agenda has largely been ignored by the corporate elites who run the Republican Party, when the elites were not laughing behind their backs.
Cheer on the evangelicals in their quest. Maybe now they will become as irrelevant as progressives who will only consider voting for third parties with absolutely no chance of winning.
Great article, Mark, and a lot of what you say makes sense. But I don't think it's quite time to do the happy dance just yet.
It's true the social conservatives are displeased with Romney and with Giuliani, because neither quite wins the Bush look-alike contest. And so what worries me more than those two is that totally empty suit, Fred Thompson. He's absolutely perfect for them...a religious conservative, has little experience, doesn't read, doesn't like to think too much, hates to campaign, against gays, minorities, women's rights, loves war, and is an actor to boot. He had no idea about the battle over drilling for oil in the Everglades when he was in FL last week. He's already #2 in the Republican presidential poll, and he's hardly said two words! And the comments he has made are dumber than a bag of rocks. I think he's the one to watch. He's just scarey enough to pull this off.
The unifying factor in all those who support right wing causes is, and has been all along, intolerance. They all call themselves believers, but they do not believe in anything good. They only believe in evil. They preach hell and damnation so that their followers will fear--fear anything new, fear anything liberating, fear any who disagree. Most of the most intolerant people in America claim to be Christian. And yet Jesus' central message was tolerance and forgiveness. ("Unless you forgive others your heavenly Father will not forgive you."). The intolerant ones will always be around and easily able to exploit any problem so as to spread intolerance as a simple answer to always complex issues. In the 40's and 50's, right after we had smashed their fascist friends, all evil came from suspected communists. In the 60's all evil came from the peaceniks and hippies. In the 70's and 80's all evil came from liberals. In the 90's all evil came from the Clintons and liberals. Now all evil comes from democrats and liberals. The one thing that these religious extremist cannot tolerate is truth.
The fundamentalists effectively ran Europe from like Constantine to perhaps the Age of Enlightenment. At this point it's hard to say whether we're going back to a neo Dark Ages, or whether America is just experiencing growing pains as it attempts to modernize and cast off its early baggage.
Has anyone noticed that Bush has made a huge impact even on those that despise him?
The phrase "Make no mistake."
Bush uses it alot. I see it being used by people on the left.
Dont succumb to the temptation!
Evangelicals only lose if Bush does NOT invade Iran. The invasion of Iran, would scare America right back into religious extremism.
I would like to think the average Amerian was not a rabid bigoted Christian, but those who aren't, are too busy watching American Idol to do anything about it.
Who is he kidding?
The fundamentalists have been winning in Asia for 1600 years with their barbarism and violent suppression.
Give them power for a longer period of time, and that is exactly what will happen here.
Just remember who these pieces of human filth are. As H.L. Mencken stated so eloquently, they are the people who are worried out of their minds that someone somewhere might be enjoying themselves.
Sing Hallelujah, yeah, and then get your asses right back in the trenches!
It is never over. Each generation has their great effort to put forth to keep the dark forces of Mordor at bay! Just like the "Founding Fathers" of the US didn't mean for us to rest on their laurels, and Ghandi didn't think that his generation had solved India's problems.
Coming up - a possible turn of the Supreme Court to a backwardly conservative majority. And that's a generation of struggle right there.
secretarybird
Yeah, union negotiations are just like political diplomacy. You work out a compromise that neither side considers perfect, but they can live with it.
We used to do that in government, too. Maybe you should run for congress, sounds like you remember how to do it. Wear your flack jacket.
"These are still scary times, so we shouldn't be rejoicing because the religious clowns have be exposed as big hypocrites."
If the people have no real power, then it's futile to lay bare the actual workings of the regime. We did not 'choose' many of the officials we were obliged to elect in order to remove direct power from the Rethugs, but the 'opposition' remains complicit. And as Mr. Morford points out, the damage to the Supreme Court was already done -- which will require nothing less than either the impeachment & imprisonment of all who espouse the fuhrer-principle under the label 'unitary executive' or, better yet, the utter abolition of the 'Supreme Court', whose sole task, outside the 20-25 year interregnum, has been to protect privilege at the expense of popular rights.
And remember, it wasn't the religious reich, but the refusal of Democrats to expose black voter supression in 2000 and 2004 which allowed them to grab executive power in the first place.
I think Mr. Morford is too optimistic about the extent of the implosion. My fear is that anyone who buys into a religion that thinks that people and dinosaurs co-existed, that being gay is somehow wrong, that women are inferior, that sex is dirty, that Islamic people are inherently evil, and so on, are also able to continue the farcical existence we have today by the force of their collective idiocy. Somehow, we are still at war with Iraq; in what world does that make sense? For some reason, we stand on the brink of a serious recession, and yet the wealthiest one percent are more obscenely wealthy than ever, and I haven't been this poor since my graduate school days 25 years ago. There are still people denying the overwhelming evidence of drastic climate change while they drive their monster trucks and SUVs in defiance of rationality. I fear that when reality gets so disconnected from perception by so many people, our optimistic outlooks get reduced to some kind of happy pill that shields us from a world that is just to dramatically wrong for us to bear.
Anyway, kudos! Please contribute to Commondreams.org often.
Oh, good. I just knew it would turn out like this.
Some years ago, as a humble junior trade union representative, I was told by the head of my union (Britain's National Union of Journalists) never to promise my members something I could not deliver - because I would weaken the union's position vis-a-vis our employer, and the disappointed union members would tear me limb from limb when I failed (figuratively, at least). So I've watched the Republican Party fall into this very trap by appeasing/exploiting their fundamentalist supporters, with sardonic amusement.
Oh, yeah - I negotiated a good deal for my members - they didn't like it, but the management liked it even less :-)
"Powered by the deeply joyless engines of fear and shame, it can never quench its own impotent desires."
Hits nail bang on head with huge hammer.
Indeed, for any movement to grow and then persevere, it has to be built upon, and motivated by, positive virtues.
Rejoice!
This is not a time to rejoice. While the religious right may be suffering from some temporary setbacks, the neoconservative movement is still alive and well. The neoconservatives can still move forward with their fascist agenda, with or without the evangelicals. Many of the neonconservative leaders and thinkers are atheists, agnostics or Jewish; too many "moderates", including many Democrats as well as phony "liberals" have bought into the neoconservative creed of never-ending war, unquestioned devotion to apartheid Israel and getting "tough" with Iran. These are still scary times, so we shouldn't be rejoicing because the religious clowns have be exposed as big hypocrites.
We must describe Christian fundamentalists as they really are. They do not hold the teachings of Jesus paramount, but rather the power of Christ and the Churches. They have been seduced by the Anti-Christ, who has disguised himself with the rituals of the true followers of Jesus. Let us call them what they really are:
Satanists