| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"johac" |
| Date: |
25 Jul 2006 02:09:24 AM |
| Object: |
Theocrats and their allies. |
Cynthia Tucker on the Religious Reich
---
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS HAVE POWERFUL POLITICAL ALLIES
By Cynthia TuckerSat Jul 22, 8:04 PM ET
Last week, Ralph Reed, once the golden boy of hard-core religious
conservatives, was defeated in Georgia's Republican primary for
lieutenant governor, his first attempt at elective office. Because he
rose to prominence as the cherubic face of the Christian Coalition, his
political remains have been autopsied by pundits nationwide, some of
whom are speculating that the cause of death was the more general demise
of America's theocrats.
But they're wrong. Reed lost because his hypocrisy on the issue of
gambling became too glaring for his ultraconservative constituents to
ignore. While he was recruited by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff to
work against gambling initiatives in Alabama, the project was largely
funded by the Mississippi Band of Choctaws, which wanted to protect its
casinos from competition.
His defeat, however, by no means suggests a loss of power for a small
group of vocal activists who wish to force all Americans to live
according to their benighted religious views. They still have an
extraordinary ally in the Oval Office. A day after Reed's loss,
President Bush vetoed a bill supporting federal funding for a broadened
program of embryonic stem cell research. The president used his first
veto in six years in office to strike down a proposal supported by
nearly 70 percent of the country, including many conservatives who
oppose abortion.
The president's veto means that federal funding will not be available to
support research on embryos left over from fertilization procedures,
even if parents are willing to donate them for that purpose. Hundreds of
thousands of such embryos are stored in fertility clinics around the
country; the vast majority of them will eventually be discarded as
medical waste. (Apparently, the discarding of those embryos doesn't
bother the president nearly as much as using them to find cures for
Parkinson's and Alzheimer's would.)
The theocrats thrive. Though they represent only a fraction of the
country's voters -- indeed, a minority of GOP voters -- they are a
powerful force in GOP politics, especially in the Deep South. Desperate
for their support in his anticipated bid for the presidency, Sen. John
McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., has kissed the ring --
metaphorically -- of an icon among the theocrats, Jerry Falwell; in May,
McCain gave a speech at Falwell's Liberty University. Six years ago,
McCain had rightly pegged Falwell and Pat Robertson as "agents of
intolerance."
Though they have not yet succeeded in remaking the federal courts in
their own image (that could still happen), this small group of
extremists has enjoyed significant victories over the last six years.
Even as U.S. diplomats and public officials battle the notion that this
country is at war with Islam, right-wing fundamentalists in uniform
intend to turn the armed forces into a haven for proselytizing. Last
year, congressional hearings were held after students at the Air Force
Academy complained about overt religious discrimination; the Air Force
issued regulations emphasizing "tolerance" and religious freedom.
But Focus on the Family, headed by Christianist James Dobson, quietly
lobbied the Air Force to weaken its regulations. Officers are once again
free to pressure cadets about their religious beliefs.
The theocrats have also intimidated scientists, stalled over-the-counter
sales of an emergency contraceptive called Plan B, and used their
political connections to get federal funds for their so-called pregnancy
resource centers, where they wrongly inform pregnant women that
abortions are linked to breast cancer and infertility. Several family
planning experts say that same group of rigid ultraconservatives is now
working to limit access to contraceptives.
They "are increasingly trying to portray contraceptives as ineffective
and trying to redefine some of the most popular and effective methods as
abortion -- such as birth control pills and emergency contraception,"
said Cynthia Dailard, senior public policy analyst for the Alan
Guttmacher Institute, which advocates family planning.
If these Christianists were genuinely interested in curbing abortions,
they'd support the use of contraceptives. But their goal is to turn back
the clock, to bring back the days when women had no control over
reproduction. Like right-wing Muslims, they rage against modernity
itself.
Don't be fooled by Reed's defeat. The extremists are still winning.
---
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucas/20060723/cm_ucas/religiousextremistshavepowe
rfulpoliticalallies;_ylt=AiowUGMdXKCRuSLA2hhF6lD9wxIF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYm
hvBHNlYwM-
or
http://tinyurl.com/fwrkn
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire
Contact - Throw a .net over the .com
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Theocrats and their allies. |
25 Jul 2006 02:26:45 AM |
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johac wrote:
Cynthia Tucker on the Religious Reich
---
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS HAVE POWERFUL POLITICAL ALLIES
By Cynthia TuckerSat Jul 22, 8:04 PM ET
Last week, Ralph Reed, once the golden boy of hard-core religious
conservatives, was defeated in Georgia's Republican primary for
lieutenant governor, his first attempt at elective office. Because he
rose to prominence as the cherubic face of the Christian Coalition, his
political remains have been autopsied by pundits nationwide, some of
whom are speculating that the cause of death was the more general demise
of America's theocrats.
snip
Cynthia's right. I sat through a couple of Cagle's ads. All references
to Abramoff were about laundering the casino money. At the end, the ads
all had "not a real xian" type stuff. Even the Demos down here are
spouting godspam (think Obama and Edwards).
-Panama Floyd, Atl.
aa#2015, Member Knights of BAAWA!
EAC Martian Commander
"..the prayer cloth of one aeon is the doormat of the next."
-Mark Twain
Religious societies are *less* moral than secular ones:
http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html
.
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| User: "Michelle Malkin" |
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| Title: Re: Theocrats and their allies. |
26 Jul 2006 09:40:53 PM |
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"johac" <jhachmann@sbcglobal.com> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-569779.22125325072006@news.giganews.com...
In article <1153812405.158704.121120@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
panamfloyd@hotmail.com wrote:
johac wrote:
Cynthia Tucker on the Religious Reich
---
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS HAVE POWERFUL POLITICAL ALLIES
By Cynthia TuckerSat Jul 22, 8:04 PM ET
Last week, Ralph Reed, once the golden boy of hard-core religious
conservatives, was defeated in Georgia's Republican primary for
lieutenant governor, his first attempt at elective office. Because he
rose to prominence as the cherubic face of the Christian Coalition, his
political remains have been autopsied by pundits nationwide, some of
whom are speculating that the cause of death was the more general
demise
of America's theocrats.
snip
Cynthia's right. I sat through a couple of Cagle's ads. All references
to Abramoff were about laundering the casino money. At the end, the ads
all had "not a real xian" type stuff. Even the Demos down here are
spouting godspam (think Obama and Edwards).
I unsubscribed from Obama's newsletter a couple days
ago. On the unsubscribe page, I was asked why I was
unsubscribing. I wrote back to tell them that I resented
Obama's bigotted comments about atheists. They haven't
written back to me.
He's lost any support I might have given him.
--
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
Michelle Malkin (Mickey) aa list#1
BAAWA Knight & Bible Thumper Thumper
^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
I know. That's a trend that has me worried. I don't think that the Dems
would attract many crazy End Timers, but I am disturbed by the country's
slow march to theocracy.
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit
atrocities"
-Voltaire
Contact - Throw a .net over the .com
.
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| User: "johac" |
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| Title: Re: Theocrats and their allies. |
26 Jul 2006 11:56:51 PM |
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In article <87edndwHCKkxulXZnZ2dnUVZ_v6dnZ2d@comcast.com>,
"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@sbcglobal.com> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-569779.22125325072006@news.giganews.com...
In article <1153812405.158704.121120@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
panamfloyd@hotmail.com wrote:
johac wrote:
Cynthia Tucker on the Religious Reich
---
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS HAVE POWERFUL POLITICAL ALLIES
By Cynthia TuckerSat Jul 22, 8:04 PM ET
Last week, Ralph Reed, once the golden boy of hard-core religious
conservatives, was defeated in Georgia's Republican primary for
lieutenant governor, his first attempt at elective office. Because he
rose to prominence as the cherubic face of the Christian Coalition, his
political remains have been autopsied by pundits nationwide, some of
whom are speculating that the cause of death was the more general
demise
of America's theocrats.
snip
Cynthia's right. I sat through a couple of Cagle's ads. All references
to Abramoff were about laundering the casino money. At the end, the ads
all had "not a real xian" type stuff. Even the Demos down here are
spouting godspam (think Obama and Edwards).
I unsubscribed from Obama's newsletter a couple days
ago. On the unsubscribe page, I was asked why I was
unsubscribing. I wrote back to tell them that I resented
Obama's bigotted comments about atheists. They haven't
written back to me.
He's lost any support I might have given him.
Same here. He's gone down a lot in my estimation. I find it sad that
some Democrats are finding it necessary to ape the Republicans. If the
Democrats offer the country real choices, they can win. If they offer
themselves as ersatz Republicans, they will lose.
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire
Contact - Throw a .net over the .com
.
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| User: "Michelle Malkin" |
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| Title: Re: Theocrats and their allies. |
27 Jul 2006 12:57:35 AM |
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"johac" <jhachmann@sbcglobal.com> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-81238C.21565126072006@news.giganews.com...
In article <87edndwHCKkxulXZnZ2dnUVZ_v6dnZ2d@comcast.com>,
"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@sbcglobal.com> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-569779.22125325072006@news.giganews.com...
In article <1153812405.158704.121120@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
panamfloyd@hotmail.com wrote:
johac wrote:
Cynthia Tucker on the Religious Reich
---
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS HAVE POWERFUL POLITICAL ALLIES
By Cynthia TuckerSat Jul 22, 8:04 PM ET
Last week, Ralph Reed, once the golden boy of hard-core religious
conservatives, was defeated in Georgia's Republican primary for
lieutenant governor, his first attempt at elective office. Because
he
rose to prominence as the cherubic face of the Christian Coalition,
his
political remains have been autopsied by pundits nationwide, some of
whom are speculating that the cause of death was the more general
demise
of America's theocrats.
snip
Cynthia's right. I sat through a couple of Cagle's ads. All references
to Abramoff were about laundering the casino money. At the end, the
ads
all had "not a real xian" type stuff. Even the Demos down here are
spouting godspam (think Obama and Edwards).
I unsubscribed from Obama's newsletter a couple days
ago. On the unsubscribe page, I was asked why I was
unsubscribing. I wrote back to tell them that I resented
Obama's bigotted comments about atheists. They haven't
written back to me.
He's lost any support I might have given him.
Same here. He's gone down a lot in my estimation. I find it sad that
some Democrats are finding it necessary to ape the Republicans. If the
Democrats offer the country real choices, they can win. If they offer
themselves as ersatz Republicans, they will lose.
I don'think Obama's an ersatz Republican. He's just a fundy.
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit
atrocities"
-Voltaire
Contact - Throw a .net over the .com
.
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| User: "johac" |
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| Title: Re: Theocrats and their allies. |
27 Jul 2006 11:52:36 PM |
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In article <7_6dnW7SO69byFXZnZ2dnUVZ_vednZ2d@comcast.com>,
"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@sbcglobal.com> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-81238C.21565126072006@news.giganews.com...
In article <87edndwHCKkxulXZnZ2dnUVZ_v6dnZ2d@comcast.com>,
"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@sbcglobal.com> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-569779.22125325072006@news.giganews.com...
In article <1153812405.158704.121120@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
panamfloyd@hotmail.com wrote:
johac wrote:
Cynthia Tucker on the Religious Reich
---
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS HAVE POWERFUL POLITICAL ALLIES
By Cynthia TuckerSat Jul 22, 8:04 PM ET
Last week, Ralph Reed, once the golden boy of hard-core religious
conservatives, was defeated in Georgia's Republican primary for
lieutenant governor, his first attempt at elective office. Because
he
rose to prominence as the cherubic face of the Christian Coalition,
his
political remains have been autopsied by pundits nationwide, some of
whom are speculating that the cause of death was the more general
demise
of America's theocrats.
snip
Cynthia's right. I sat through a couple of Cagle's ads. All references
to Abramoff were about laundering the casino money. At the end, the
ads
all had "not a real xian" type stuff. Even the Demos down here are
spouting godspam (think Obama and Edwards).
I unsubscribed from Obama's newsletter a couple days
ago. On the unsubscribe page, I was asked why I was
unsubscribing. I wrote back to tell them that I resented
Obama's bigotted comments about atheists. They haven't
written back to me.
He's lost any support I might have given him.
Same here. He's gone down a lot in my estimation. I find it sad that
some Democrats are finding it necessary to ape the Republicans. If the
Democrats offer the country real choices, they can win. If they offer
themselves as ersatz Republicans, they will lose.
I don'think Obama's an ersatz Republican. He's just a fundy.
In other matters, he is much closer to the Democratic base. However, his
appeal to to the evangelicals used some of the same rhetoric that the
Republicans use. It sounds as if he wants to further erode separation of
church and state. On that basis, I would find it difficult to support
him.
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire
Contact - Throw a .net over the .com
.
|
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| User: "Michelle Malkin" |
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| Title: Re: Theocrats and their allies. |
28 Jul 2006 01:27:27 AM |
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"johac" <jhachmann@sbcglobal.com> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-44337E.21523627072006@news.giganews.com...
In article <7_6dnW7SO69byFXZnZ2dnUVZ_vednZ2d@comcast.com>,
"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@sbcglobal.com> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-81238C.21565126072006@news.giganews.com...
In article <87edndwHCKkxulXZnZ2dnUVZ_v6dnZ2d@comcast.com>,
"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote:
"johac" <jhachmann@sbcglobal.com> wrote in message
news:jhachmann-569779.22125325072006@news.giganews.com...
In article <1153812405.158704.121120@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
panamfloyd@hotmail.com wrote:
johac wrote:
Cynthia Tucker on the Religious Reich
---
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS HAVE POWERFUL POLITICAL ALLIES
By Cynthia TuckerSat Jul 22, 8:04 PM ET
Last week, Ralph Reed, once the golden boy of hard-core religious
conservatives, was defeated in Georgia's Republican primary for
lieutenant governor, his first attempt at elective office.
Because
he
rose to prominence as the cherubic face of the Christian
Coalition,
his
political remains have been autopsied by pundits nationwide, some
of
whom are speculating that the cause of death was the more general
demise
of America's theocrats.
snip
Cynthia's right. I sat through a couple of Cagle's ads. All
references
to Abramoff were about laundering the casino money. At the end, the
ads
all had "not a real xian" type stuff. Even the Demos down here are
spouting godspam (think Obama and Edwards).
I unsubscribed from Obama's newsletter a couple days
ago. On the unsubscribe page, I was asked why I was
unsubscribing. I wrote back to tell them that I resented
Obama's bigotted comments about atheists. They haven't
written back to me.
He's lost any support I might have given him.
Same here. He's gone down a lot in my estimation. I find it sad that
some Democrats are finding it necessary to ape the Republicans. If the
Democrats offer the country real choices, they can win. If they offer
themselves as ersatz Republicans, they will lose.
I don'think Obama's an ersatz Republican. He's just a fundy.
In other matters, he is much closer to the Democratic base. However, his
appeal to to the evangelicals used some of the same rhetoric that the
Republicans use. It sounds as if he wants to further erode separation of
church and state. On that basis, I would find it difficult to support
him.
I like a lot of what Obama says, but feel that
he's attacked me and many of my friends and
acquaintences personally. That cancels out
whatever else he stands for. It makes him
undependable. And, to a certain degree, it
makes him dangerous. He didn't have to say
anything about atheists, but he did. To tell you
the truth, I was so upset when I learned what
he had said that I felt like crying. I'd felt that
he was a future hope for the Democratic Party.
He's ruined that. He's just another example of
religious bigotry messing things up.
--
Michelle Malkin (Mickey) aa #1
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit
atrocities"
-Voltaire
Contact - Throw a .net over the .com
.
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| User: "JTEM" |
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| Title: Re: Theocrats and their allies. |
28 Jul 2006 01:55:45 AM |
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Michelle Malkin wrote:
I like a lot of what Obama says, but feel that
he's attacked me and many of my friends and
acquaintences personally. That cancels out
whatever else he stands for. It makes him
undependable. And, to a certain degree, it
makes him dangerous.
I'm convinced that he is dangerous. And I say that
as someone who agrees 100% with the notion that
the Democrats need to make some attempt to
wrestle the bible out of the hands of the GOP.
Obama's "strategy" -- if I may call it that -- can not
win. It's a guaranteed failure. It's a failure because
not only is the other side selling the very same
thing, but they've been selling it for a lot longer,
and the people who buy it are already buying it
from the GOP.
The only people Obama can ever win over with the
GOP messege are the people who've been hearing
it from the GOP for years, and never once bought it.
Whoops, no. That's wrong.
Obama can only win over a SUBSET of the people
who never once bought the messege. He can only
win over the people who never bought it but weren't
turned off by it. He can only win over religious
neutrals... while pissing off the people who were
turned off by the idea that politicians are suddenly
the most moral people on Earth... moral leaders,
in fact... RELIGIOUS leaders...
So why a religious messege?
It is stupid, it is dangerous and it completely ignores
the only real-world model he has to go by (Bill
Clinton), which happens to have been a super successful
model.
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| User: "Michael Ejercito" |
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| Title: Re: Theocrats and their allies. |
25 Jul 2006 01:57:22 PM |
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wrote:
johac wrote:
Cynthia Tucker on the Religious Reich
---
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS HAVE POWERFUL POLITICAL ALLIES
By Cynthia TuckerSat Jul 22, 8:04 PM ET
Last week, Ralph Reed, once the golden boy of hard-core religious
conservatives, was defeated in Georgia's Republican primary for
lieutenant governor, his first attempt at elective office. Because he
rose to prominence as the cherubic face of the Christian Coalition, his
political remains have been autopsied by pundits nationwide, some of
whom are speculating that the cause of death was the more general demise
of America's theocrats.
snip
Cynthia's right. I sat through a couple of Cagle's ads. All references
to Abramoff were about laundering the casino money. At the end, the ads
all had "not a real xian" type stuff. Even the Demos down here are
spouting godspam (think Obama and Edwards).
That is understandable; they are pandering to their electorate after
all.
Michael
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| User: "Michael Ejercito" |
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| Title: Re: Theocrats and their allies. |
25 Jul 2006 01:57:12 PM |
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wrote:
johac wrote:
Cynthia Tucker on the Religious Reich
---
RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS HAVE POWERFUL POLITICAL ALLIES
By Cynthia TuckerSat Jul 22, 8:04 PM ET
Last week, Ralph Reed, once the golden boy of hard-core religious
conservatives, was defeated in Georgia's Republican primary for
lieutenant governor, his first attempt at elective office. Because he
rose to prominence as the cherubic face of the Christian Coalition, his
political remains have been autopsied by pundits nationwide, some of
whom are speculating that the cause of death was the more general demise
of America's theocrats.
snip
Cynthia's right. I sat through a couple of Cagle's ads. All references
to Abramoff were about laundering the casino money. At the end, the ads
all had "not a real xian" type stuff. Even the Demos down here are
spouting godspam (think Obama and Edwards).
that is understandbale; they are pandering to their electorate after
all.
Michael
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| User: "JTEM" |
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| Title: Re: Theocrats and their allies. |
28 Jul 2006 12:19:35 AM |
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johac wrote:
Cynthia Tucker on the Religious Reich
[...]
His defeat, however, by no means suggests a loss of
power for a small group of vocal activists who wish to
force all Americans to live according to their benighted
religious views.
Hi, "Fred."
They still have an extraordinary ally in the Oval Office.
Ally? Right. They have a prostitute in the Oval Office.
Bush doesn't give a ***** about them any more than he
does for black people from New Orleans. The two are
simply using each other.
It all about money. It's all about cash.
Their access to the President is worth HUGE bucks.
An entire industry -- PACS, Lobbying firms (K Street) --
is built on LESSER access. For the right people,
just an introduction, just a little meet time with the
President is worth millions. In addition to this, the GOP
is THE customer for Reich-wing databases... another
large cash business. And if that isn't enough, Bush has
pushed hundreds of millions of dollars DIRECTLY from
the treasury into their pockets.
Besides Bush's unconstitutional "faith based initative,"
just look at "Abstinance only" education.
What, you didn't think the materials they use to "teach"
abstinance-only were free, did you? Please. That's not
even funny. Hundreds of millions -- up to $100 million
in a single year alone -- flew out of the federal treasury
and into the pockets of the Reich-wing scammers.
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