Theocratizing FEMA and Pregnancy
Posted October 17, 2005
onlinejournal.com
By Mel Seesholtz, Ph.D.
October 17, 2005
In the aftermath of hurricane Frances' strike on Florida
in 2004, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
used relief funds to buy votes for George W. Bush. But
the administration's use of FEMA to advance its agenda
was just beginning.
In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, the FEMA web site
promoted donations to Pat Robertson's "Operation
Blessing" as well as more than 20 other religious
organizations. Sometimes FEMA simply listed the main
offices of churches. But there were more theocratic
machinations still to come.
As reported by the Freedom From Religion Foundation
(FFRF), in late September FEMA altered its policies to
allow for the retroactive "reimbursement" of churches and
religious groups that helped with evacuees. In her
October 4 letter to the Philadelphia Inquirer, FFRF co-
president Annie Laurie Gaylor made the case:
The unprecedented change in policy by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency to retroactively "reimburse"
churches and religious groups for helping hurricane
evacuees is bad business -- and worse government.
There should be no payment or reimbursement where there
was no prior contractual agreement. FEMA's plan will open
the floodgates for future reimbursements without
government contract or public oversight.
Money is fungible. Any tax dollars given to churches for
"reimbursement" can and will be used for anything --
including proselytizing and prayer. Churches and
denominations already get taxpayer subsidy through tax
exemptions under the assumption they are charitable. But
churches are uniquely exempt from filing IRS forms other
charities must file, and they do not account for their
finances to the public or the government.
If a church expects or accepts payment from the
taxpayers, then it is no longer charitable. Once again,
churches get the credit, while taxpayers get the bill.
There was no legal "prior contractual agreement." That
being the case, one would think that if the federal
government is going to reimburse churches and religious
organization that helped, they should also reimburse
other groups that helped, including gay and lesbian
organizations. But it's highly unlikely anyone in the
Bush theocracy is considering doing that. "Equality" and
"ethics" are definitely not among the "traditional
values" they advocate.
No one begrudges any of the help given to victims of
Katrina and Rita, but the Bush administration's latest
means of funneling federal tax money to churches and
religious organizations that will, undoubtedly, use the
money to advance their common theocratic agenda is
repugnant to anyone who believes in the idea of
separation of church and state. (It should also be of
major concern to those worried about the ever-deepening
budget deficit messianic warrior George W. Bush and his
administration are racking up.)
Will Samaritan's Purse, the "relief" organization run by
Billy Graham's son Franklin, be receiving
"reimbursements?" As an Associated Press story pointed
out, "The organization has been criticized for delivering
gift bags to displaced children that include Christian
tracts and a stuffed lamb that plays ‘Jesus Loves Me.'"
Emergency relief shouldn't be a bribe or come with a
sermon. The "about us" on the Samaritan's Purse web site
makes clear their "relief" is both bribe and sermon:
We are an effective means of reaching hurting people in
countries around the world with food, medicine, and other
assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ. This, in turn,
earns us a hearing for the Gospel, the Good News of
eternal life through Jesus Christ. . . . Our ministry is
all about Jesus -- first, last, and always. [italics
mine]
That's "Jesus" according to the gospel of Franklin
Graham, of course. On October 3, Graham gave a speech at
a conference hosted by Jerry Falwell's Liberty
University. When talking about Katrina and New Orleans,
Graham said "There's been satanic worship [there].
There's been sexual perversion. God is going to use that
storm to bring revival. God has a plan. God has a
purpose."
Although he didn't overtly claim Katrina was "God's
wrath" against non-believers and homosexuals, Franklin
Graham certainly used the idea: believe, do and live as
We tell you to, or "God" will whack you again.
Intimidation and fear are the modi operandi of religious
fundamentalists and evangelicals. Not surprisingly,
bigotry is the main weapon of theocrats. All the above
were well represented in legislation proposed by Indiana
state Senator Patricia Miller (R-Indianapolis).
Sen. Miller wields considerable power in relation to
health care in Indiana. She is the chairwoman of both the
Health Finance Commission and Select Joint Commission on
Medicaid Oversight. She also serves on the FSSA
Evaluation Committee that "studies the organizational
structure of the Office of the Secretary of Family and
Social Services, the state's largest agency," and the
Health Care Account Advisory Board that "makes
recommendations to the governor, the Budget Agency, and
the General Assembly concerning the priorities for
appropriation and distribution of money from the Indiana
Health Care Account."
The Health Finance Commission she chairs was scheduled,
on October 20, to decide whether to recommend Senator
Miller's latest legislative initiative to the General
Assembly. Senator Miller wanted to make it illegal for
gays, lesbians and single people in Indiana to use
reproductive science to assist them in having a child.
Her bill defined "assisted reproduction" as "causing
pregnancy by means other than sexual intercourse,
including intrauterine insemination, donation of an egg,
donation of an embryo, in vitro fertilization and
transfer of an embryo, and sperm injection."
Sen. Miller intended to legislate much more, as the
Washington Blade reported:
A doctor cannot begin an assisted reproduction technology
procedure that may result in a child being born until the
intended parents have received a certificate of
satisfactory completion of an assessment required under
the bill. . . .
The required [assessment] information includes the
fertility history of the parents, education and
employment information, personality descriptions,
verification of marital status, child care plans and
criminal history checks. Description of the family
lifestyle of the intended parents also is required,
including participation in faith-based or church
activities. [italics mine]
Not only would gays, lesbians and single people be
automatically excluded, so would atheists, agnostics and
those who choose not to participate in faith-based or
church activities. One has to wonder if Miller's
definition of "faith-based" activities included those
associated with Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Or
was her intent to exclude all non-Christians?
Miller said she realized her bill would be "enormously
controversial." Aside from theocratic socio-genetic
engineering, apparently Senator Miller also has a talent
for understatement. And like her fellow faith-based
Republicans, she also has a talent for bald-face lying:
"We're not trying to stop people from having kids; we're
just trying to find some guidelines," said Senator
Miller.
A day or so after her proposed legislation drew media
attention -- and what GOP spokeswoman Jamie Jorczak
called "a firestorm" of criticism -- Senator Miller
withdrew the bill. Her one-line explanation read, "The
issue has become more complex than anticipated and will
be withdrawn from consideration by the Health Finance
Commission."
Senator Miller, your "issue" and the point of your
proposed legislation were always clear and quite simple:
legalize theocratic bigotry, homophobia and unprecedented
government intrusion into the most private area of
Americans' lives.
If you're so concerned about children and their well-
being, senator, why aren't you and other sanctimonious
Republicans -- as well as so-called "pro-family" lobbying
groups such as James Dobson's Focus on the Family and
Louis Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition --
campaigning for programs and legislation that would
provide social and legal recognition, economic security
and health care benefits to the 8 to 10 million children
currently being reared in families headed by same-sex
parents? Or perhaps your "concern" and their "pro-family"
claims are nothing more than steaming bovine-produced
fertilizer.
Miller's "1984" proposal is dead for now, but as Matthew
Tully reported in The Indianapolis Star, "Miller has not
ruled out resurrecting the idea when the General Assembly
meets in January."
More at:
http://christianaggression.com/item_display.php?type=ARTICLES&id=1129570390
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust
Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org
The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.
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