LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Here's AlterNet's look at yesterday's "Justice Sunday"...

At the beginning of the event, Family Research Council President and event organizer Tony Perkins stated, "We are not saying that people who disagree with us are not people of faith." However, the flier promoting the event read, "The Filibuster against People of Faith: The filibuster was once abused to protect racial bias, and it is now being used against people of faith." This was not the only attempt to rewrite history during the telecast. In denouncing the filibuster, Frist claimed, "I don't think it's radical to ask senators to vote.... I don't think it's radical to restore precedents that worked so well for 214 years." In 2000, Frist was among a group of conservatives who voted to filibuster an appeals court judge nominated by then-President Clinton, because he had already decided Judge Richard Paez was "out of the mainstream of political thought and ... should [not] be on the court."

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" A group of ministers representing about 17 Baptist churches in the Louisville area and a national Baptist committee that supports separation of church and state yesterday called on a Louisville church to cancel its planned "Justice Sunday" tomorrow.

""We see 'Justice Sunday' as part of a larger effort to link church and state in ways not seen in America since the Puritans were hanging Quakers on Boston Commons and exiling Baptists to Rhode Island," the Rev. Joe Phelps, pastor of Highland Baptist Church, said during a news conference yesterday."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Here's the NYT's opinion piece on the upcoming Justice Sunday simulcast: (thanks to twistedchick)

The fraudulence of "Justice Sunday" begins but does not end with its sham claims to solidarity with the civil rights movement of that era. "The filibuster was once abused to protect racial bias," says the flier for tonight's show, "and now it is being used against people of faith." In truth, Bush judicial nominees have been approved in exactly the same numbers as were Clinton second-term nominees. Of the 13 federal appeals courts, 10 already have a majority of Republican appointees. So does the Supreme Court. It's a lie to argue, as Tom DeLay did last week, that such a judiciary is the "left's last legislative body," and that Justice Anthony Kennedy, a Reagan appointee, is the poster child for "outrageous" judicial overreach. Our courts are as highly populated by Republicans as the other two branches of government.( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Today is the highly vaunted "Justice Sunday", where the Dominionists are going to beat the panic drum over the judicial system and scare whole churchloads of people into helping to destroy the checks and balances that have kept the US from falling apart.

I'll be interested in collecting any articles, commentary, eyewitness reports, etc. from folks here- and discussion is also welcome.

Also, next week is the NYC Open Center conference on the Religious Right. I am hoping to see some of you there. Get in touch with me via my Livejournal email (sunfell at live journal dot com) so we can exchange numbers, and arrange to meet. This conference should be very interesting, in the light of the goings-on of late.

Found the first report already:

Los Angeles Times (registration required)

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY heartlikeawheel)

Thank you Sunfell, for the welcome. As you asked, here is a repost of my email to Frist, sent a few days ago. I'm sure it went right in the trashcan, with all the other "dissidents":

Senator Frist:

The filibuster was A-OK when Republicans wanted to use it time and again to block Clinton's appointments. But now that it is the last tool available to Democrats for blocking the appointment of Christian Reconstructionist judges to the Supreme Court, i.e., those who would impose their religious views on all Americans by force of the Bench, you and your constituents say the filibuster is "unconstitutional" and seek to ban it.

I'd like to inform you of something. There is no government on this planet who could force me to conform to the "moral ethic" of ANY religion. I will decide what is moral for me, you will not. The religious fanatics who re-elected the President and gave the Republicans the majority in Congress are dangerous people on a level with Osama Bin Laden...same premise, different religion. And you and your kind embrace them to your bosom.

The day that government begins enforcing laws dictating how people should and should not live their personal lives is the day I abandon this country for a DEMOCRACY. This one, sadly, has more fascist elements than democratic these days. But I suppose today's Republicans like it that way. Lincoln, the founder of your party, is spinning in his grave.

The Founding Fathers will weep. You think they'd like a theocracy, I'm sure, with a judiciary interpreting law based solely on Mosaic Law. After all, isn't that what the Constitutional Restoration Act is all about? Indeed it is. No law shall be higher in the land than God's law, that is the gist of it, hidden behind such deceitful, patriotic language. What the Founding Fathers really envisioned was that the American people are entitled to be free FROM religion, as well as free to practice ANY religion of their choice.

You and your kind should be ashamed. But I'll wager you're not.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

"The Christian right counts on the religiously timid to keep their mouths shut. So why not exploit religion for their own ends? They will if we let them.

"And that's just it. Americans of faith -- and those lacking one -- ought to vigorously resist attempts by power-hungry zealots to impose their religious views on the nation. That means standing up to them at every turn."

"It means challenging them when they say of Americans who support a woman's right to choose; the right of two adults to enter into a loving, committed, state-sanctioned, monogamous relationship; the right to pursue science in support of life; the right of the aggrieved to launch aggressive assaults against racism, sexism and homophobia, that they are not legitimate members of the flock. Where do those on the religious right get off thinking they have the right to decide who is in and who is out? Who appointed them sole promoters and defenders of the faith? What makes them think they are more holy and righteous than the rest of us?"

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This article from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette talks about Sen. Mark Pryor's criticism of the evangelical attack on the US judiciary. Here's an excerpt:

WASHINGTON — Sen. Mark Pryor lashed out Wednesday at the Christian evangelicals who have joined the attack on Democratic filibusters of President Bush’s judicial nominees.
Their tactics threaten "to make the followers of Jesus Christ just another special-interest group," Pryor said in a conference call with Arkansas reporters.
"It is presumptuous of them to think that they represent all Christians in America, even to say they represent all evangelical Christians," added Pryor, 42, a first-term Democrat who has considered himself an evangelical Christian for 25 years.
The term generally refers to members of conservative Christian denominations that believe that proselytizing is an essential part of the religious experience.( Read more... )

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pecunium goes into depth about the Constitution Restoration Act and why it is so bad for our collective future as a Nation.

And twistedchick has some more links about the upcoming "Justice Sunday", including some excellent links to more moderate sites with moderate Christians urging Frist to disassociate himself from the person running "Justice Sunday", hardliner David Barton. Lots of great links to visit, with moderate points of view.

Here's Chuck Currie's take on "Justice Sunday". Tons of great links.

The bottom line is that this a religious rally to drum up support for the Republican 'nuclear option' that will destroy the right of the minority party in the Senate to filibuster any bills (or nominations) they don't like.

Here's AmericaBlog's input on Frist and the TheoCons.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

The blog Balloon Juice (I love that name!) has their own take on the Dominionists little problem with persecution and the upcoming "Justice Sunday" broadcast:

Vote Republican Or You Hate the Baby Jesus

This is so patently offensive that I don't have adequate words to describe how truly wrong this is:

As the Senate heads toward a showdown over the rules governing judicial confirmations, Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, has agreed to join a handful of prominent Christian conservatives in a telecast portraying Democrats as "against people of faith" for blocking President Bush's nominees. Fliers for the telecast, organized by the Family Research Council and scheduled to originate at a Kentucky megachurch the evening of April 24, call the day "Justice Sunday" and depict a young man holding a Bible in one hand and a gavel in the other. The flier does not name participants, but under the heading "the filibuster against people of faith," it reads: "The filibuster was once abused to protect racial bias, and it is now being used against people of faith."

If you don't share our politics, you hate the baby Jesus.

If you don't share our politics, you hate religious people.

If you don't share our politics, you are evil.

Congrats, Republicans. Our leaders have now taken the traditional rhetorical demonization of our opposition and elevated it to heavenly heights. I assume my friends on the right are going to spend the week-end attacking me for being a 'religious bigot' because I rightly point out the inappropriateness of this behavior. The usual suspects are front and center:

Some of the nation's most influential evangelical Protestants are participating in the teleconference in Louisville, including Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; Chuck Colson, the born-again Watergate figure and founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries; and Dr. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

But why are you reading me? I hate religious people because I respect the role of religion in people's lives, but don't want religious texts or leaders dictating our domestic and foreign policy. And I really don't want them using God and religion as a weapon for petty partisan gain.( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

The Daily Kos has a fascinating 'poster' for next week's "Justice Sunday" (discussed in the link in the post below), along with the comment, "This is going to get ugly. And surreal. But the American Taliban have Frist in their grip, and won't relinquish until they have their Afghanistan-style theocracy."

And so it begins. Read the comments.

ADDENDUM: The Rude Pundit has some choice (and very rude- not work safe!) words about "Justice Sunday", along with links to the sites involved.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This New York Times article talks about the upcoming battle between the Dominionist owned Republicans and the "persecuting" Democrats over religion and judges:

As the Senate heads toward a showdown over the rules governing judicial confirmations, Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, has agreed to join a handful of prominent Christian conservatives in a telecast portraying Democrats as "against people of faith" for blocking President Bush's nominees.

Fliers for the telecast, organized by the Family Research Council and scheduled to originate at a Kentucky megachurch the evening of April 24, call the day "Justice Sunday" and depict a young man holding a Bible in one hand and a gavel in the other. The flier does not name participants, but under the heading "the filibuster against people of faith," it reads: "The filibuster was once abused to protect racial bias, and it is now being used against people of faith."

Organizers say they hope to reach more than a million people by distributing the telecast to churches around the country, over the Internet and over Christian television and radio networks and stations.

Dr. Frist's spokesman said the senator's speech in the telecast would reflect his previous remarks on judicial appointments. In the past he has consistently balanced a determination "not to yield" on the president's nominees with appeals to the Democrats for compromise. He has distanced himself from the statements of others like the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, who have attacked the courts, saying they are too liberal, "run amok" or are hostile to Christianity.

The telecast, however, will put Dr. Frist in a very different context. Asked about Dr. Frist's participation in an event describing the filibuster "as against people of faith," his spokesman, Bob Stevenson, did not answer the question directly.

"Senator Frist is doing everything he can to ensure judicial nominees are treated fairly and that every senator has the opportunity to give the president their advice and consent through an up or down vote," Mr. Stevenson said, adding, "He has spoken to groups all across the nation to press that point, and as long as a minority of Democrats continue to block a vote, he will continue to do so."

Some of the nation's most influential evangelical Protestants are participating in the teleconference in Louisville, including Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; Chuck Colson, the born-again Watergate figure and founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries; and Dr. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The event is taking place as Democrats and Republicans alike are escalating their public relations campaigns in anticipation of an imminent confrontation. The Democratic minority has blocked confirmation of 10 of President Bush's judicial nominees by preventing Republicans from gaining the 60 votes needed to close debate, using the filibuster tactic often used by political minorities and most notoriously employed by opponents of civil rights.

"Filibuster against people of faith". This is a prime example of classic Dominionist tactics at work: pretend to be persecuted and play the 'victim' card to the hilt, and make anyone who questions their bullying tactics look like some oppressor or worse. People like this love to play the martyr card, and anyone who questions them is seen as an attacker, who must be defamed and destroyed. Unfortunately, the 'lay' people who do not know how the Dominionists work take their cries of "victim" at face value, worsening the situtation. Keep a close eye on this- it will get worse.