| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
26 Mar 2006 08:11:57 AM |
| Object: |
The Republamentalists are dragging this nation down. |
Phillips, who was a Republican star when he wrote The Emerging
Republican Majority in 1969 and predicted the ascendancy of the party,
is now the town crier, warning America about what is to come if the
party remains in power.
According to Phillips, the dominating influence of fundamentalists and
evangelicals on American politics has "warped the Republican Party and
its electoral coalition, muted Democratic voices, and become a
gathering threat to America's future."
From The St. Petersburg Times, 3/26/06:
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/03/26/Columns/The_dangers_of_religi.shtml
The dangers of religious fervor in politics
By ROBYN E. BLUMNER, Times Perspective Columnist
In a rare public outing in which he took spontaneous questions,
President Bush was asked last week in Ohio whether he had a biblical
view of the war in Iraq and saw it as an apocalyptic struggle for the
Middle East.
"The answer is, I haven't really thought of it that way," Bush
responded.
"First I've heard of that, by the way. I guess I'm more of a practical
fellow."
This is a little hard to believe from our born-again president, who
initially used the word "crusade" to define America's fight against
Islamic terrorists and who justified going to war in Iraq with
nomenclature straight out of the Left Behind series by preacher Tim
LaHaye.
Former Republican strategist Kevin Phillips writes in his new book
American Theocracy that Bush's call to remove Saddam Hussein included
"jeering at the United Nations," proclaiming the evil of Saddam and
pretending that democracy, not oil, was the motive.
According to Phillips, that script followed nearly precisely what
LaHaye had written in his Left Behind books (in which an evil
Antichrist rose to power within the United Nations and was
headquartered in New Babylon, Iraq).
Not to say that we are at war in Iraq solely or even primarily because
the president thinks it will hasten the end times.
Just that it did not escape the administration's notice that certain
ideas resonate with Left Behind's 60-million readers, of which an
estimated 15- to 20-million are American voters.
This rapture-and-Armageddon crowd, more than any other group, makes up
the president's base, and he happily dances to its tunes.
It is flatly disingenuous for Bush to claim that he never before
considered the biblical currency of America vs. Iraq.
Phillips, who was a Republican star when he wrote The Emerging
Republican Majority in 1969 and predicted the ascendancy of the party,
is now the town crier, warning America about what is to come if the
party remains in power.
According to Phillips, the dominating influence of fundamentalists and
evangelicals on American politics has "warped the Republican Party and
its electoral coalition, muted Democratic voices, and become a
gathering threat to America's future."
He echoes the words of Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., who
despairingly declared in March 2005 that "the Republican Party of
Lincoln has become a party of theocracy."
The transmogrification has resulted in backward policies on stem
cells, global warming, disease control and evolution as well as the
rise of a dangerous American exceptionalism that says our country is
chosen and acts on God's behalf.
When faith trumps reason, you get people in power like James Watt, the
former interior secretary under Ronald Reagan, who sought to exploit
America's natural resources because, as he explained:
"My responsibility is to follow the scriptures which call upon us to
occupy the land until Jesus returns."
Many in the Republican base are actually encouraged by the despoiling
of the Earth, the increase in tsunami and hurricane activity and any
kind of conflagration in the Middle East.
They see it all as signs of the second coming.
According to Phillips, the influence of religious fervor on political
power has ushered in a period of "American Disenlightenment."
He says that when this "crusading, simplistic Christianity" is
combined with a foreign policy grounded in "petro-politics" and
supremely reckless fiscal policies - all of which have been promoted
by Bush - it is a convergence that can bring down our great nation.
And for those who think this is only a phase and the pendulum is bound
to swing back, think again.
As demographer Phillip Longman of the New America Foundation points
out in Foreign Policy this month, fundamentalism's growth is a
long-term demographic trend worldwide.
The reason is simple, Longman says.
The kinds of people and societies that embrace "patriarchal religion"
simply outreproduce "today's enlightened but slow-breeding societies."
He says this cultural dynamic in fecundity explains America's drift
away from secular individualism and liberal thought, and toward
religious fundamentalism.
The 2004 presidential election clearly illustrates the trend.
Fertility rates among the states that went for Bush were 12 percent
higher than those that went for Sen. John Kerry.
Children born to parents who embrace patriarchy, tradition,
nationalism and rigid religiosity are highly likely to adopt these
views and vote for the party that reflects the same values:
Republican.
The children of parents who are more cosmopolitan, progressive,
individualistic and supportive of women's equality - the Democratic
voter - will have never been born.
Kevin Phillips may be ringing the alarm that the Republamentalists are
dragging this nation down.
But pretty soon there won't be enough of us left to do much more than
go along for the ride.
__________________________________________________________
Scary, eh?
Harry
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| User: "Dan Kimmel" |
|
| Title: Re: The Republamentalists are dragging this nation down. |
26 Mar 2006 09:23:45 AM |
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"Harry Hope" <rivrvu@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:g98d22de3m3nmkjogdledcditf0m1poidi@4ax.com...
From The St. Petersburg Times, 3/26/06:
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/03/26/Columns/The_dangers_of_religi.shtml
He echoes the words of Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., who
despairingly declared in March 2005 that "the Republican Party of
Lincoln has become a party of theocracy."
Chris Shays is going to regret that he didn't change parties. There's going
to be a tsunami of upsets throughout the Northeast with voters kicking out
even moderate Republicans like Shays (and Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode
Island) in favor of Democrats, because Republican control of Congress is
part of the problem. Shays can have some good votes on issues, but when
he's also a vote to keep Denny "Yes, sir, Mr. DeLay, sir" Hastert as
Speaker, he's aiding and abetting the Bush regime. (And his silly
endorsement of Joe Lieberman for re-election will likely backfire against
both of them.)
.
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| User: "Seethis Pass" |
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| Title: Re: The Republamentalists are dragging this nation down. |
26 Mar 2006 09:45:49 AM |
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On Sun, 26 Mar 2006 10:23:45 -0500, "Dan Kimmel"
<daniel.kimmel@rcn.com> wrote:
"Harry Hope" <rivrvu@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:g98d22de3m3nmkjogdledcditf0m1poidi@4ax.com...
From The St. Petersburg Times, 3/26/06:
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/03/26/Columns/The_dangers_of_religi.shtml
He echoes the words of Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., who
despairingly declared in March 2005 that "the Republican Party of
Lincoln has become a party of theocracy."
Chris Shays is going to regret that he didn't change parties. There's going
to be a tsunami of upsets throughout the Northeast with voters kicking out
even moderate Republicans like Shays (and Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode
Island) in favor of Democrats, because Republican control of Congress is
part of the problem. Shays can have some good votes on issues, but when
he's also a vote to keep Denny "Yes, sir, Mr. DeLay, sir" Hastert as
Speaker, he's aiding and abetting the Bush regime. (And his silly
endorsement of Joe Lieberman for re-election will likely backfire against
both of them.)
It doesn't matter how people vote. That is one of the outrages that
didn't get addressed. The crookerd vote machines are set to change or
ignore your vote but you didn't fight against that. You and I lose.
Dream on about the vote changing anything until you grow a set of
balls.
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