March 29, 2005
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TUESDAY POLITICSChurch and State
What with the Schiavo case taking up so much more media space than the war in Iraq or the economy or Social Security or even the Michael Jackson trial, I’ve been thinking a lot about the old church-and-state contretemps lately. I discovered there is an organization called Americans United which has been thinking about it actively since 1947. Non-sectarian, non-partisan, and independent of ties to political organizations, it has chapters all over the country. The headliner on its site at the moment is:
Caught Red-Handed!
The Family Research Council, a Washington-based Religious Right group, held a closed-door “Washington Briefing” March 17-19, 2005. During the event, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) addressed attendees and pledged that Republican leaders in Congress would work to implement the Religious Right’s controversial political agenda.
Americans United obtained a recording of DeLay’s and Frist’s comments. Americans United believes this recording underscores the growing power and influence of ultra-conservative fundamentalist organizations on our political system. AU released it to the media and public because the organization does not believe that powerful groups with controversial and narrow fundamentalist agendas that they seek to impose on all Americans should be permitted to plot and scheme in secret.So listen to the recording, check out the site, and while you’re at it, visit here for every sticker, logo, cap, magnet, shirt, etc. you could want on the subject. Evolve!
Deep Thought: “Every summer we’d get our baskets and buckets and go out into the hills and woods, looking for wild strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. We never found any, though.”
Today I am grateful for: Cat’s whiskers
Guess the Movie: “The days go on and on… they don’t end. All my life needed was a sense of someplace to go. I don’t believe that one should devote his life to morbid self-attention, I believe that one should become a person like other people.” Answer: Taxi Driver, 1976.
Republican Leader Invokes God in Schiavo Battle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In helping lead the charge to keep brain-damaged Terri Schiavo alive, House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay has invoked God, diverted attention from his own ethical woes and again become a lightning rod for critics of his party’s conservative agenda. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 9:00 pm
+ = Oregon getting lots of rain to help against the probable drought later on this summer.
- = Jesse Jackson now jumping into the Schiavo disaster?!!
Comments (19)
Unfortunately, if people vote these folks in, they’ll keep coming into power. A lot of them vote based out of sheer ignorance (if they are Republican then I’ll vote for them, they’re from my home state, etc.) but some actually want this kind of hardcore conservative gobbledygook. Fine for them, not for me, I’d rather run naked through a waterfall.
Thank god for intelligent, high-energy people like you! I have been in a deep funk for several months and am just beginning to crawl out of it. Your site is such a help and a pleasure to read. Kudos!
And the LA Times reported that DeLay pulled the plug on his own father. Now ain’t that the pot calling the kettle black?
Yeah, I’m a member of Americans United. They have a good newsletter, too.
What NickyJett said.
Also, funny you should mention Americans United…I just joined.
Also, I love the Darwin fish. I had one on my car and someone ripped half of it off (I don’t know how), and then I had a second one that was taken off when my car got repainted. I do have a Darwin fish magnet, though.
There’s also a really funny fish that says “Gefilte.” Hahaha.
I can’t bring myself to listen to the recording, but I did scan the transcript. I wasn’t really all that surprised, it was mostly the usual nonsense from the Religious Right.
Scary stuff. Thanks for the link to evolvefish.com. I shared it with my readers too! That sign you have on this post about seperation of church and state is very timely.
Isn’t there some foundation document…I THINK it’s called a constitution…that discusses separation of church and state?
Too bad we don’t follow it any more…
Just checking in and keeping tabs. Late, as usual.
T
I think it a big mistake to allow church and state to mingle in any way.
yeah i love church but it should stay out of the gov
I guess it’s only right that majority should bring about so much change… that’s what happens when you have a democracy, you have to let other people’s ideas win sometimes. It wasn’t too long ago the Dems had a majority, and the religious right was working up a sweat organizing and trying to go against what the Clinton administration was doing. It is a little odd that they would be working so hard to get involved in an issue like the Schiavo case. “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central had a good piece about the absurdity of passing a law for one person. Kind of fishy.
About that sight, it seems very reactionary, don’t you think? It claims to be supporting free thinkers, but it felt more emotional to me than thinking. I guess I took it a little to personally. I am a Christian so I get upset when I see people bash on it so much. It makes me think something is missing. Which sadly seems to be often the case among us religious nuts sometimes. Some of the material was actually very clever, though, and I’ve seen some of those quotes on the pins used by Christians as well. I guess commercializing any political/religious viewpoint is kind of distasteful to me.
randomized:: grr everyone has the right to their own opinionbut honestly the church should stay out of the govrn.. it won’t do any good, jus look at everywhere where the religion rules its like suck becuase they are never able to challenge anything…
Great info Lionne!! I registered at AU.org. As Nullwinkle said above, isn’t it in the Constitution to keep church and state separate? So now bush & co. are going to try to re-write that? BWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAHAAHAHA! Like all the buttons and stuff that are on Evolve. Thanks for informing us!
I’ve heard the recording, but I hadn’t realized who had done it. Thanks for the link.
As to Delay? Oy. What can possibly be said about the man?
great links and info for this thanks. Did you know that those people who donated to Terri’s fund for her parents will now be getting literature and solicitation from ‘pro life’ and anti abortion groups? Thought that might interest you…
Thanks for the link. We are in trouble, I think, not because of “these people” or “those people” but because the great “indifferent middle” and “armchair politicos” don’t get up off their collective butts to exercise their contritutional duties to VOTE on these issues– so the country ends up being run by the extreme ends of the spectrum because they DO get up off their butts to galvanize their supporters. If we had 90-95% voter turnout, this would be a VERY different country. Rant over.
I was a member and now you have reminded me to renew it. Thanks! :0)