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Blasphemy! Republicans are Kicking God Out of Virginia!
by The Angry Liberal
July 4, 2004
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou =
labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the =
LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor =
thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor =
thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made =
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the =
seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed =
it."
God, 4th Commandment
For those of you who read my column on a regular basis, you may recall =
my use of the term, "Pretend Christian." I don't sling this insult =
around lightly. A Pretend Christian is a religious nut who purports to =
believe every single word in the Bible, but ignores entire sections of =
it. They cluck their tongues at people who refuse to disengage their =
brains when contemplating God. They love their neighbor, as long as that =
neighbor isn't gay, an atheist, or a commie. Yet they have no trouble =
simultaneously supporting and opposing similar positions. They oppose =
aborting microscopic blobs of human cells from unwilling or unable =
mothers, but support their states in the murder of fully developed human =
beings who can't afford a Johnny Cochran defense. They love George W. =
Bush, who ordered the needless slaughter of around 12,000 innocent Iraqi =
civilians, lied about the necessity to go to war, the Abu Ghraib prison =
scandal, WMD, the Iraq-al Qaeda connection . . . Well, you get the idea. =
This guy has never met a Biblical commandment he didn't break, and the =
Pretend Christians are lining up to vote for him. Well, my friends, you =
are about to witness the final unmasking of the hypocrites I call the =
Pretend Christians.
Come with me, if you will, to the state of Virginia. It seems that State =
Senator Frederick Quayle recently authored a law that repealed several =
old "blue laws," which banned Sunday work. But this Republican rocket =
scientist repealed one law too many. It turns out that one of the =
repealed laws was itself responsible for repealing a very strict Sabbath =
law that dates back to the 1600s. After passage by the =
Republican-controlled state legislature and a signature by Governor Mark =
Warner (a self-proclaimed Democrat, but how liberal can somebody =
possibly be who lists his religion above his party affiliation on his =
web page?), a very surprised God once again had a say in Virginia law.
And what a law it is. It seems that these knuckleheads have =
unintentionally made it illegal for any employer to force an employee to =
work on any day that he or she identifies as the Sabbath. In addition, =
every employee is allowed to take a second day off, either immediately =
before or after the designated Sabbath day. That's right, America, the =
state of Virginia inadvertently voted to restore the Fourth Commandment =
to state law.
So, where is the big celebration by the religious right? After all, =
adding the Bible to U.S. law has been a long-held goal of the Pat =
Robertson crowd. Why isn't Pat congratulating the Virginia Legislature =
for a job well done? Why aren't these people demanding that every state =
in the nation pass such a law? After all, we're not talking about =
codifying some obscure proverb here. This isn't just biblical fine =
print, like the stuff conservatives use to oppose gay marriage. This is =
the text of the world's most important hunks of pottery. This is number =
four on God's all time Top Ten list. Despite this, the politicians in =
Virginia are actually embarrassed about their accidental religious =
victory. And in the upcoming months, the God-fearing Virginia State =
Legislature and Governor will scramble to keep their own law from taking =
effect. They will help challenge God's law in court, claiming that it =
violates the separation of church and state. (When is the last time you =
heard a Republican make that argument?) Of course, the law isn't any =
more of a church/state violation than any of other faith-based laws that =
we are bombarded with. It doesn't support a particular religion; it =
allows the citizen choose which day he or she wants to designate as the =
Sabbath. The real problem for the politicians is not that the good =
people of Virginia can finally obey God's command to honor the Sabbath. =
It's that they actually get to choose which days of the week they want =
to take off from work. Ladies and Gentlemen, the true face of the =
Conservative Christian is about to come into perfect focus: The only =
real faith Republicans politicians share is capitalism. They worship the =
false idol of the Almighty Dollar. Sure, they work in just enough talk =
about God to get the church-goin' dummies on the right to tag along. But =
make no mistake: When Christianity comes up against capitalism, =
capitalism will win out every time. And we can all watch it happen in =
the Republican state of Virginia over the coming weeks. Godless Virginia =
businesses have already petitioned for and received a 90-day injunction, =
keeping the new law from taking effect. And before those 90 days pass, =
you will likely see a special session of the legislature, which will =
kick God out of the Virginia law books and invite Big Business back in. =
Once again, the money-changers will resume their rightful place in the =
temple.
Just as embarrassing will be the response from the Pretend Christians. =
Bear in mind that these folks helped elect the large Republican =
majorities in the Virginia House and Senate. But the same people who =
were crying on the steps of the Alabama Supreme Court, praying their =
tiny brains out, and generally acting as if the world was ending, all =
over the removal of a display of the Ten Commandments, will not utter a =
single peep over the panicked removal of the actual Fourth Commandment =
from Virginia state law.
Why aren't the Pretend Christians strapping on explosive belts and =
crawling on their hands and knees toward Richmond? Beats me. Maybe the =
"thou"s and "shalt"s are so confusing that they don't realize that the =
Fourth Commandment isn't just a good idea; it's God's law. Maybe it's =
that the thought of not being able to swing by Wal-Mart after church for =
a NASCAR beer cozy scares the bejesus out of them. Maybe it's that they =
never really had the bejesus in them in the first place. Whatever the =
reason, religious hypocrisy will shine throughout Virginia as secularism =
scores a major victory over Christianity with no opposition from the =
Bible nuts. The same folks who send death threats to Michael Newdow for =
trying to remove the phrase, "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance =
aren't lifting a finger to stop their own state government from =
destroying the freedom of every Virginian to honor the Sabbath. And I'd =
probably be more upset about this outrageous codification of secular =
humanism into Virginia law if I weren't laughing so hard.
I swear, if you put your ear up against those people's heads, you can =
hear the ocean roar.
.. . .The Angry Liberal
http://www.buzzflash.com/theangryliberal/04/07/tal04008.html
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<DIV>
<P><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3D2><FONT=20
color=3D#000000><STRONG>Blasphemy! Republicans are Kicking God Out =
of=20
Virginia!<BR></STRONG></FONT></FONT><FONT=20
face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3D2><FONT =
color=3D#000000>by The=20
Angry Liberal<BR><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D2>July 4, 2004</FONT></P></FONT></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" =
size=3D2><EM>"Remember the=20
Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all =
thy work:=20
But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou =
shalt not=20
do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor =
thy=20
maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy =
gates: For in=20
six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them =
is, and=20
rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, =
and=20
hallowed it."</EM><BR><A=20
href=3D"http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_10c7.htm"><FONT=20
color=3D#800000><B>God, 4th =
Commandment</B></FONT></A></FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3D2>For =
those of you=20
who read my column on a regular basis, you may recall my use of the =
term,=20
"Pretend Christian." I don't sling this insult around lightly. A Pretend =
Christian is a religious nut who purports to believe every single word =
in the=20
Bible, but ignores entire sections of it. They cluck their tongues at =
people who=20
refuse to disengage their brains when contemplating God. They love their =
neighbor, as long as that neighbor isn't gay, an atheist, or a commie. =
Yet they=20
have no trouble simultaneously supporting and opposing similar =
positions. They=20
oppose aborting microscopic blobs of human cells from unwilling or =
unable=20
mothers, but support their states in the murder of fully developed human =
beings=20
who can't afford a Johnny Cochran defense. They love George W. Bush, who =
ordered=20
the <B><A href=3D"http://www.iraqbodycount.net/"><FONT =
color=3D#800000>needless=20
slaughter of around 12,000 innocent Iraqi civilians</FONT></A></B>, lied =
about=20
the necessity to go to war, <B><A=20
href=3D"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4982092/site/newsweek"><FONT =
color=3D#800000>the=20
Abu Ghraib prison scandal</FONT></A></B>, WMD, the Iraq-al Qaeda =
connection . .=20
.. Well, you get the idea. This guy has never met a Biblical commandment =
he=20
didn't break, and the Pretend Christians are lining up to vote for him. =
Well, my=20
friends, you are about to witness the final unmasking of the hypocrites =
I call=20
the Pretend Christians.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3D2>Come =
with me, if=20
you will, to the state of Virginia. It seems that State Senator =
Frederick Quayle=20
recently authored a <B><A=20
href=3D"http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=3D1980397&nav=3D23iiOJ=
pl"=20
target=3Dhttp://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=3D1980397&nav=3D23iiO=
Jpl><FONT=20
color=3D#800000>law that repealed several old "blue =
laws,"</FONT></A></B> which=20
banned Sunday work. But this Republican rocket scientist repealed one =
law too=20
many. It turns out that one of the repealed laws was itself responsible =
for=20
repealing a very strict Sabbath law that dates back to the 1600s. After =
passage=20
by the Republican-controlled state legislature and a signature by =
Governor Mark=20
Warner (a self-proclaimed Democrat, but how liberal can somebody =
possibly be who=20
<B><A href=3D"http://www.governor.virginia.gov/Governor/GovBioHome.html" =
target=3Dhttp://www.governor.virginia.gov/Governor/GovBioHome.html><FONT =
color=3D#800000>lists his religion above his party affiliation on his =
web=20
page</FONT></A></B>?), a very surprised God once again had a say in =
Virginia=20
law.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3D2>And =
what a law it=20
is. It seems that these knuckleheads have <B><A=20
href=3D"http://www.tribnet.com/news/story/5255043p-5190618c.html"=20
target=3Dhttp://www.tribnet.com/news/story/5255043p-5190618c.html><FONT=20
color=3D#800000>unintentionally made it illegal for any employer to =
force an=20
employee to work on any day that he or she identifies as the=20
Sabbath</FONT></A></B>. In addition, every employee is allowed to take a =
second=20
day off, either immediately before or after the designated Sabbath day. =
That's=20
right, America, the state of Virginia inadvertently voted to restore the =
Fourth=20
Commandment to state law.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3D2>So, =
where is the=20
big celebration by the religious right? After all, adding the Bible to =
U.S. law=20
has been a long-held goal of the Pat Robertson crowd. Why isn't Pat=20
congratulating the Virginia Legislature for a job well done? Why aren't =
these=20
people demanding that every state in the nation pass such a law? After =
all,=20
we're not talking about codifying some obscure proverb here. This isn't =
just=20
biblical fine print, like the stuff conservatives use to oppose gay =
marriage.=20
This is the text of the world's most important hunks of pottery. This is =
number=20
four on God's all time Top Ten list. Despite this, the politicians in =
Virginia=20
are actually embarrassed about their accidental religious victory. And =
in the=20
upcoming months, the God-fearing Virginia State Legislature and Governor =
will=20
scramble to keep their own law from taking effect. They will help =
challenge=20
God's law in court, claiming that it violates the separation of church =
and=20
state. (When is the last time you heard a Republican make that =
argument?) Of=20
course, the law isn't any more of a church/state violation than any of =
other=20
faith-based laws that we are bombarded with. It doesn't support a =
particular=20
religion; it allows the citizen choose which day he or she wants to =
designate as=20
the Sabbath. The real problem for the politicians is not that the good =
people of=20
Virginia can finally obey God's command to honor the Sabbath. It's that =
they=20
actually get to choose which days of the week they want to take off from =
work.=20
Ladies and Gentlemen, the true face of the Conservative Christian is =
about to=20
come into perfect focus: The only real faith Republicans politicians =
share is=20
capitalism. They worship the false idol of the Almighty Dollar. Sure, =
they work=20
in just enough talk about God to get the church-goin' dummies on the =
right to=20
tag along. But make no mistake: When Christianity comes up against =
capitalism,=20
capitalism will win out every time. And we can all watch it happen in =
the=20
Republican state of Virginia over the coming weeks. Godless Virginia =
businesses=20
have already petitioned for and received a 90-day injunction, keeping =
the new=20
law from taking effect. And before those 90 days pass, you will likely =
see a=20
special session of the legislature, which will kick God out of the =
Virginia law=20
books and invite Big Business back in. Once again, the money-changers =
will=20
resume their rightful place in the temple.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3D2>Just as =
embarrassing will be the response from the Pretend Christians. Bear in =
mind that=20
these folks helped elect the large Republican majorities in the Virginia =
House=20
and Senate. But the same people who were crying on the steps of the =
Alabama=20
Supreme Court, praying their tiny brains out, and generally acting as if =
the=20
world was ending, all over the removal of a <EM>display</EM> of the Ten=20
Commandments, will not utter a single peep over the panicked removal of =
the=20
<EM>actual</EM> Fourth Commandment from Virginia state law.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3D2>Why =
aren't the=20
Pretend Christians strapping on explosive belts and crawling on their =
hands and=20
knees toward Richmond? Beats me. Maybe the "thou"s and "shalt"s are so =
confusing=20
that they don't realize that the Fourth Commandment isn't just a good =
idea; it's=20
God's law. Maybe it's that the thought of not being able to swing by =
Wal-Mart=20
after church for a NASCAR beer cozy scares the bejesus out of them. =
Maybe it's=20
that they never really had the bejesus in them in the first place. =
Whatever the=20
reason, religious hypocrisy will shine throughout Virginia as secularism =
scores=20
a major victory over Christianity with no opposition from the Bible =
nuts. The=20
same folks who send death threats to <B><A=20
href=3D"http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,267702,00.html"=20
target=3Dhttp://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,267702,00.html><F=
ONT=20
color=3D#800000>Michael Newdow</FONT></A></B> for trying to remove the =
phrase,=20
"under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance aren't lifting a finger to =
stop their=20
own state government from destroying the freedom of every Virginian to =
honor the=20
Sabbath. And I'd probably be more upset about this outrageous =
codification of=20
secular humanism into Virginia law if I weren't laughing so =
hard.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3D2>I =
swear, if you put=20
your ear up against those people's heads, you can hear the ocean=20
roar.</FONT></P>
<P align=3Dleft><FONT face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" =
color=3D#000000=20
size=3D2><A><FONT color=3D#800000><B><I>. . .The Angry=20
Liberal</I></B></FONT></A></FONT></P>
<P align=3Dleft><A=20
href=3D"http://www.buzzflash.com/theangryliberal/04/07/tal04008.html">htt=
p://www.buzzflash.com/theangryliberal/04/07/tal04008.html</A></P>
<P align=3Dleft> </P>
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