Separation Of Church And State?

This is a subject I have written on before and touched upon recently in the Liberty Jihad (1, 2, 3 ), but it looks as if the fundamentalist anti-Liberty Jihadists are gearing up for another push in Congress, using their leverage at the ballot boxes in order to advance their theocratic agendas. And, given the numbers of sympathisers in Congress who wish to retain their power it might just come to pass that these people could impose their theocratic will upon this country and its inhabitants using the bludgeon of government.

The Family Research Council, a leader in the anti-Liberty Jihad has issued numerous "fatwas" calling for restrictions on speech, scientific inquiry, freedom of association and are even tackling the current cause de jure, immigration. Their "Values Voters" are being organised to place pressure on legislators, at all levels to pass a number of anti-Liberty bills and to get at Amendments to the Constitution on ballots. An Amendment to "protect marriage", another to ban the burning of an American flag, new limits on abortion and scientific research into stem cells and a foray into the immigration issue, (90% of the respondents in an FRC poll on this issue favour arresting and deporting "illegals". 80% want a wall built along the US border with Mexico).

The fact that the Republican majority in Congress is willing to pander to these people for votes is more than obvious, given that their "leaders" have many times spoken to the "faithful" and promised to promote their agenda. We've seen it in the "faith-based initiatives" from the Bush White House. We see it in political endorsements (or condemnations).

One of the worst aspects of this is that most of these "Values Voters" will vociferously decry the actions of a group like the Taliban and will fail to see the similarities in what they wish to achieve. They pray for the day when this country is run entirely on Judeo-Christian precepts. All the while wrapping themselves in the flag and brandishing a lavishly re-interpreted and rolled up copy of the Constitution, presumably to whack the heathen dogs on the street into submission.

These same folks scream bloody murder when the government intrudes into their sphere and inconveniences them in some manner, (such as taxes) and yet...they will turn around and attempt to use the force of government to impose their will upon everyone else and gladly put out their hands for their own share of faith based tax money. The magnitude of this blind hypocrisy is phenomenal.

At a time when organised religions should be building the walls of seperation higher and stronger, they are climbing into bed en masse with their political masters and shattering any safeguards they may have been accorded by the 1st Amendment. Forgotten is the fact that when you deal with a devil he will extract his due, eventually. It has been painfully evident for decades that the government has broken with the 1st Amendment.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...."

And the race to further degrade it is being won by the very churches and religious organisations who wish to be protected by it. When any church, (regardless of religion) must petition the government for recognition as a "legitimate" church or religion, then there is no seperation of church and state. Churches are subservient to the government and exist at the leisure and pleasure of the Powers That Be. Now we get to see something that is almost incestuous in its depravity. Churches who are beholden to the government for their existence are willing to climb into bed with their masters for an epic orgy of anti-Liberty legislation which will do nothing but cement the power of the state over the rights of the individual. Many of these folks once upon a time denounced Communism as evil and yet they seemingly embrace the collectivist mindset with an unrivalled zeal in their rush to dictate morality for everyone else.

If this country, churches and idividual Liberty are to survive then people of good will must cease their attempts to use government to enforce their moral and ethical agenda on the people of this country. The time for you to live your own lives and cease interfering in those of others is here. If these folks, (and there are even a number of "libertarians" amongst them) cannot find it within themselves to resist the impulse to use the force of government in their rush to "Judeo-Christianise" this country then they had best prepare to face the Frankensteinian monster that they will help give life to.
While their zeal is commendable their goals are not, zealotry seldom renders the desired result, especially when government is involved.

So, grab onto your seats folks, in the months leading up to the November elections we are likely to see legislative pandering the likes of which we have never seen, as the overseers in Congress scramble to retain their power! May god/gods/goddess/fsm or whomever watch over us and protect us from his/her/their followers, because Nehemiah Scudder isn't just a fictional character, his spirit lives on.

Technorati Tags:
Republican, Family Research Council, Christian
Politics, Libertarian, Election 2006

Generals In Revolt

It looks like a the "few and proud" are managing to speak out against Rumsfeld, his policies and his competence, or lack thereof as Secretary of Defence. Good for them. My problem with this approach, tho is that they are speaking up from the safe zone of retirement, when they should have spoken up from the ranks. Sure, they would likely have been charged with insubordination, could have faced Courts Martial and been subject to the wrath of the very man they are now speaking out against, but such a protest would have carried vastly more weight with the American public than it does now. A very public and nasty trial of a dedicated cadre of General officers would have done more to focus the attention of Americans on the ineptitude of the current administration than any number of books, protest marches or op/eds.

This particular issue will be gone from the public eye within the next 48 hours, drowned out by American Idol, Survivor and the scandal du jour promoted by the press. There will be little outrage from any corner where it might do good and Rumsfeld, the White House and all the other interested parties will continue on with business as usual, even when that business is running the military into the ground and further mismanaging of the Iraq debacle.

Until dedicated officers who lack fear and love their men and country more than their pensions, come forth then we can expect business as usual at the Department of Defense. Mismanagement, denial and unnecessary death will continue to be the operative paradigm in this administration where the War on Iraq is concerned.

The rank and file Republicans will support their party leaders and the people they have placed in power as rulers, regardless of what is being brought forth by these officers. They will dismiss and deride them, spurred on by their propaganda spewing talking heads on the radio and web. In the end, the truth these men bring forward will mean nothing in the minds of the faithful. Even the Democrats, lacking in fortitude and as scatter brained as retarded hound dogs in a field full of butterflies will completely fail to seize the opportunity to drag this matter into the light. That's what happens when you vote for war, support the war and then decry it for votes and camera lights, rather than stand on principle.

Perhaps the actions and words of the these Generals will spur men still in uniform, still serving on the front lines...or close to them, anyway...to stand up and speak the same words from a place with meaning, the trenches. Perhaps then people will pull themselves away from their distractions, wake up to reality and attempt to do something to bring an end to Mr. Bush's War in Iraq.

Technorati Tags:

Rumsfeld, Bush, Republican
Democrat, Libertarian, Politics

The Names Have Been Changed....

But the liars are still the same. Clinton lied about sex, a fun and relatively harmless activity. George Bush on the other hand has now been caught in lying about covert activities, erroneous intelligence, leaked information, outing a CIA officer and who knows what else? Even people from his own party want to get at the truth. Good luck with that.

Of course, it's all fine and dandy, as President he's allowed to lie, right? And to lie about lying, apparently. Someone remind me, will ya...what was it that Slick Willie got in trouble for? That's right. Lying. Of course the boys in the White House are circling the wagons and doing all they can to justify their actions, even to the point of saying the President has the right to declassify materials in order to leak them. This whole thing stank when it began and now it smells worse, when you add in the odour of sanctimonious untruths, sweaty back pedalling and the increasing stench of White House corruption and lies.

The fact that a CIA agent was outed by the Bush White House seems incontrovertible now. The fact that Joe Wilson was correct in all the particulars has been undeniable and, now that the truth of the White House smear campaign looks to be out there for all to see we can at last get a grasp on the lengths that some politicians will go to, to get their own personal war.

As someone who has known and worked around folks in the foreign intelligence field, I can tell you that when I originally heard of this, it struck very close to home for me. And in the case of Valerie Plame it was even closer. Way back in the day my family and I were stationed with Joe Wilson, back when he was a State Department Admin officer. The person that the Bush administration and their sycophants were slandering was an old friend of the family and one whose wife had been outed, a career killing revelation for anyone in the intel field and one which may very well have signed death sentences for anyone who might have ever met with Valerie while she was overseas.

The Bush administration has spent a great deal of time wondering about why American intelligence on the ground is so abysmal. Well, Mr. Bush to find out why just drag your smirking face over to the nearest mirror and take a good look. No-one in their right mind helps out people when they could find themselves in front of a firing squad because some moronic politician decides to play games with peoples lives so they can score points in the press.

I can only hope that that there truly is some justice remaining in the universe and that the current resident of the Oval Orifice finds himself called before the bench to answer for his actions, but I hold out little hope for that. There are too many apologists, talking heads and sycophants dispensing wisdom and NewSpeak over the airwaves for anything resembling justice any more. When you even have a radio personality who is a supposed Libertarian as a Bush apologist there can be little chance of seeing the scales balanced.

Technorati Tags:
Bush, Politics, Joe Wilson
Libertarian, Valerie Plame, Scooter Libby

They're Just Now Catching On?

Over the weekend the good folks at Hammer of Truth posted a couple of entries on the run up to the next Middle Eastern conflict. Apparently Ron Paul has written on the subject and now it becomes something to be talked about. Well, at least they're talking about it, now. Even the Libertarian Party got in on the act late last week. Better late than never, I guess.

Of course now that the Powers That Be have evoked the nuclear spectre, people are sitting up and starting to pay attention. Even if the Bush administration eschews the use of nuclear weapons in the coming conflict, they are still seriously considering a conventional war. Now, I've spoken to this before, once or twice and will likely do so many more times and I really hope that folks will catch on to the lies and actually start putting the pieces of the puzzle together, (despite the convoluted lies from Mr. Bush and his spokespeople), before we are embroiled in yet another Bush War.

Of course with the multitude of Immigration Rally's going on and the resulting foofaraw that will inevitably result from that carefully managed issue, Iran will drop off of the radar again. I guess that's one of the perils of living in a country where the majority of people seem to suffer from ADD and selective blindness, especially where government and its actions are concerned.

The Bush administration says they are engaging in "diplomacy". That seems odd, given that the US has so far refused to engage in any talks on the issue and even the US Ambassador to Iraq isn't talking about Iran/Iraq issues...and no-one has been engaging in the "diplomacy" aspect of the Iran nuclear issue, except Europe. Are we expected to believe this blatant lie? My guess is that the faithful will certainly believe it, as will those too fearful to contemplate the truth of the matter. In the end people will be really upset, but will be unable to pull themselves away from the TV set when the bombs start falling in Tehran and all too few will even think back to this time, when they should have been telling their so-called "Representatives" that they had damned well better not support another war.

It's an election year, folks....now is as good a time as any to hold their feet to the fire.

Technorati Tags:
Iran, Politics, Bush
Libertarian, Iraq, News