LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This Daily Kos diary talks about possible presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's speech to the "Center for Reclaiming America for Christ".

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Faith is not present enough in politics as candidates and elected officials try to court voters too broadly, fearing their values will splinter their base, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister, said Friday at a Christian gathering.

Introduced as a "fine Christian American governor," Huckabee, who is considering a bid for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination, said he will always remain true to his beliefs.

"I don't think most Americans are turned off by people of faith. I think they're turned off by people who are phony," Huckabee said to a small group. He added that Christianity is not represented "nearly enough" in Washington.

Read the whole thing.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY rialian)

Prominent leaders from the Christian right have warned Republicans they must do more to advance conservative values ahead of the US mid-term elections.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This AlterNet article by Esther Kaplan talks about how religious morality is killing people.

Since George W. Bush's first day in office, Republicans in Washington have come up with creative ways to attach puritanical restrictions to U.S. foreign aid, often at a tremendous cost to public health.

First came Bush's revival of Reagan's Mexico City Policy, which canceled funds for any family planning organization that advocates for abortion rights, a measure that pulled tens of millions of dollars from International Planned Parenthood and others on the far right's enemies list. Then came a State Department missive to USAID missions that all funded programs, publications, even websites had to fall in line with Bush's social conservative worldview on everything from abortion to drug use. Then Congress used the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, to set aside $1 billion for abstinence-only education, which bars discussion of condoms and safer sex. Most recently, Republican congressmen introduced a series of anti-prostitution loyalty oaths, requiring any organization receiving U.S. funds to combat AIDS or human trafficking to condemn prostitution in word and in deed.

Read the whole article.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ns_kumiho)

But when some local leaders learned last summer about a curriculum package produced by the Bible Literacy Project out of Fairfax, Va., the problem seemed to be solved. The course presents the Bible in a historical and cultural context—giving students a better understanding of biblical allusions in art, literature, and music. More important, it has been vetted by conservative and liberal legal experts to withstand constitutional challenge.

One of the leading advocates of the Bible course, Dr. Randy Brinson, met me at the entrance to the state house. Brinson, a tall, sandy-haired physician from Montgomery who speaks with a twang and the earnest enthusiasm of a youth-group leader, is a lifelong Republican and founder of Redeem the Vote, a national voter-registration organization that targets evangelicals. Since discovering the Bible literacy course, he has successfully lobbied politicians in Florida, Georgia, and Missouri to introduce bills that would set up similar classes. But it is here at home that he's encountered the most resistance. “You should see who's against this thing,” he told me, shaking his head.

Indeed, when Brinson and the other supporters—including several Pentecostal ministers, some Methodists, and a member of the state board of education—entered the state house chamber to make their case, they faced off against representatives from the Christian Coalition, Concerned Women of America, and the Eagle Forum. These denizens of the Christian Right denounced the effort, calling it “extreme” and “frivolous” and charging that it would encourage that most dangerous of activities, “critical thinking.” The real stakes of the fight, though, were made clear by Republican Rep. Scott Beason, when he took his turn at the lectern. “This is more than about God,” he reminded his colleagues. “This is about politics.”

...

"That," he says, "was my first inkling that I wasn't one of them." If being a player in this world meant calling for the heads of moderate Republicans and ginning up fake controversies like a supposed "war on Christmas," Brinson wasn't terribly interested.

...

Randy Brinson chuckled as he reported this to me, saying, "This is smokin' them out. Now we see what they really care about. It's not religion; they care about power."

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/187/story_18742.html

Intresting article on the switching of liberal and moderate Evangelical Christians to the Democrats.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY amethyst_hunter)

From Pandagon comes this:

Peter LaBarbara of the Illinois Family Institute thinks GOP candidate Judy Baar Topinka is part of O NOES Teh Gay Agenda.

An excerpt:

Enter our friend Peter LaBarbara, of the Illinois Family Institute. He’s started up an anti-Topinka web site, aptly titled StopTopinka.com, which goes full-out in proclaiming that she is a shining beacon of the “Homosexual AgendaTM. From winger Matt Barber’s commentary in the Post-Chronicle. :

StopTopinka.com provides must-see video of Judy Baar Topinka’s annual participation in the Chicago “gay-pride” parade. By virtue of her active participation in the parade, one can only conclude that Topinka endorses its cause and message. This parade features nudity and lewd public displays - even though young children march in the parade and attend as observers. Additionally, it provides facts relative to Topinka’s pro-homosexual activism, and her diversion as state treasurer, of $10 million in state taxpayer dollars to build a “gay” community center in Chicago.

Oh, did I tell you that that her opponent Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis is trying to stay under the radar on this, but J. Matt Barber works for the Oberweis campaign?

It should be noted that Judy Baar Topinka has a reputation as one of those endangered species, the moderate, sensible Republicans. If I had to pick a Republican that I could tolerate replacing current governor Rod Blagojevich, it would be Topinka (Though I still hope Blagojevich stays on as governor).

On the other side, Jim Oberweis - famous for the Oberweis Dairy business, which sells ice cream, among other things - has a record of sucking up to the right-wing hardliners if not trying to appease them, for past screwups. (Oberweis attempted Senate runs in 2002 and 2004) Said screwups include an ad campaign that was perceived by many as racist and anti-immigrant, pissing off the zealot base by making a comment about likening adamant pro-lifers to the Taliban (to cover for this he pledged to support a state constitutional amendment concerning marriage), and signing a Renew Illinois pledge that defines Republican stands on taxes and homosexuality (No prize for guessing how those swing). With the latter, the pledge includes these nuggets of non-joy:

- supporting parental notification and consent for minors (Note: This is something I would ordinarily not have a problem with, except that it's a damn sure bet zealots will misuse this and deny even those females who are pregnant as a result of rape/incest - as we've just witnessed, several states have declared all-out war on female reproductive rights and while Illinois is at the moment better off than those places, the GOP attack squad is on the march to take over and instill their agenda what with the 2006 gubernatorial elections at hand)

- pledging to work to repeal taxpayer-funded abortions

- opposing government funding of embyronic stem cell research

- pledging to promote abstinence in public health education

- opposing mandatory health insurance coverage of morning after pills

Mark my words - watch Illinois this year. It will be a key battlefield.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY cheap_laugh)

x-posted to cheap_laugh

Hackett calls it: Religious right=Terrorists

"The Republican Party has been hijacked by the religious fanatics that, in my opinion, aren't a whole lot different than Osama bin Laden and a lot of the other religious nuts around the world," he said. "The challenge is for the rest of us moderate Americans and citizens of the world to put down the fork and spoon, turn off the TV, and participate in the process and try to push back on these radical nuts - and they are nuts."

Wish Ben Franklin a Happy 300th Birthday

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY cheap_laugh)

Poor Dobson. The Khristian Right's Agenda hasn't borne fruit:
From Media Matters
,blockquote>Dobson: Republican majority has "very little" to show for "pro-family, pro-moral" agenda; Santorum pushed marriage amendment in response
Summary: On his radio program, James Dobson complained that the Republican Party has "very little ... to show for it" in terms of accomplishing the goals of "the pro-family agenda, the pro-moral agenda, [and] the sanctity of life." In response, Sen. Rick Santorum expressed his desire for Congress to vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment, describing the amendment's purpose as "protecting marriage ... between one man and one woman."</blockquote>

Poor babies. That's what they get for selling their soul(s) for the Whole World - It profited them not a whit. Oh,and thier is audio.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY lihan161051)

Bill O'Reilly got into it with David Letterman last night. It was spectacular when the gloves came off.

My $.02: O'Reilly could have been a typical Letterman guest and loosened up and had a few laughs, but instead decided to try to make a scene of his appearance on the show, and it really cost him. Lesson learned: Don't f*** with a professional! ;-)

( Highlight of the show.. )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ammitbeast)

http://www.thefrown.com/frowners/becomerepublican.swf

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Ever wondered how the heck the Republican Party became so populated by Dominionists? Here's a peek at their 'marching orders' from Pat Robertson, circa 1986:

How to Participate in a Political Party

Rule the world for God.
Give the impression that you are there to work for the party, not push an ideology.
Hide your strength.
Don't flaunt your Christianity.
Christians need to take leadership positions. Party officers control political parties and so it is very important that mature Christians have a majority of leadership positions, God willing.

There it is- in a nutshell. Let's break it down, shall we?

"Rule the world for God." Pretty much what the Dominionists want to do, to hasten the Second Coming.

"Give the impression that you are there to work for the party, not push an ideology." This is the top level of their stealth and deception: pretending to be just your regular party worker, not some flaming religious zealot out to rule the world for God.

"Hide your strength." "Don't flaunt your Christianity." I expect that this was probably the hardest for these sheepskin-wearing Christians to do. Pretend to be just another citizen, while fooling people into thinking that you don't have ulterior motives until...

"Christians need to take leadership positions. Party officers control political parties and so it is very important that mature Christians have a majority of leadership positions, God willing." The coup. Take over the school board, the town, county, and state governments. Take over mainline congregations. Take over the media airwaves. Take over the Republican party. Take over the country. Take over the world.

They've gotten to the White House using these tactics, folks, but it seems that their stealth is no longer serving them because folks like us are pulling off their sheepskin, revealing the wolves beneath. They're still formidible adversaries- listen to them creating the artificial "We're being persecuted!" dust storm when someone says, "Happy Holidays" or questions having a creche without other secular items on government property.

We have to keep uncovering them. We have to make it impossible for them to do anything without revealing their true intentions. They make it impossible for anyone to run for a public office without being some kind of churchgoer. We have to make it impossible for them to pretend to be something other than the deceptive people that they are.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

"...he points out, religious fundamentalism, which by its nature discourages any questioning of the status quo, has become an ally of corporate greed and political repression. This has resulted in disastrous wars undertaken on false pretenses, a social safety net that is under attack, and laws that increasingly encroach upon people’s right to speak and live in accordance with their own consciences. If Americans are to restore democracy, they must put their faith—whether in the god of profit or in the God of the Bible—to the test, demanding religion that is open, engaged, compassionate and humane..."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY hummingwolf)

"The politics of faith: Can Democrats get it right?"

But imagining that red-state voters will turn blue if only Democrats talk more about faith misunderstands the role of conservative evangelical Christianity in American politics. Conservative evangelical churches played a big role in delivering voters for George W. Bush in 2004 — but neither that nor Kaine's victory prove that red-state voters are simply hungry for "religion" and will reward whichever candidate speaks most convincingly about his or her personal faith.

Conservative evangelical churches were able to deliver voters for Bush in much the same way, and for much the same reasons, that labor unions and political machines like New York's Tammany Hall were once able to deliver votes for the Democrats: They offer material benefits to people with nowhere else to turn, and that is easily parlayed into votes at election time.

And here's a taste of sarcasm from the "conservative Christian" World Magazine Blog: Beware of the evangelical cabal!

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY dkmnow)

How The Christian Left Can Get It Right
by Todd Huffman

"A close friend recently lamented in conversation that the Republicans have “stolen God”. Maybe, I said, but at least we still have Jesus.

"While many on the righteously religious right say they’ve “found” him, the story of the Jesus they’ve found is the one they’ve written themselves – the one in which a vengeful Jesus wields his cross as a sword and a shield. That’s not the Jesus I know, nor the one known by many Americans, irrespective of their political affiliations.

"I personally know at least a dozen Republicans who voted against their party in last November’s elections in part because they recognize this..."


* * *


The real Christians in this country are finding their voices.

Let's hope it's not too late.

...speaking of political contributions:

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.asp?Ind=W05&Cycle=2000 has a list of church groups that have donated politically (something that one would think would be enough to shut down the tax exempt status of churches, but apparently not...though it should).

Apparently the AoG (through private individuals) was the second largest church-related donor in the *country* in 2000, with over $22,000 going to Republican candidates.

Per http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.asp?CID=N00005165&cycle=2000, nearly all of this money went to John Ashcroft's campaign for election--and he was *still* beaten by a dead man.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY britzkrieg)

From Reuters, via CNN:

A bitter debate about how to teach evolution in U.S. high schools is prompting a crisis of confidence among scientists, and some senior academics warn that science itself is under assault...

"Among the most significant forces is the rising tide of anti-science sentiment that seems to have its nucleus in Washington but which extends throughout the nation," said Stanford's Philip Pizzo in a letter posted on the school Web site on October 3...

In the past five years, the scientific community has often seemed at odds with the Bush administration over issues as diverse as global warming, stem cell research and environmental protection. Prominent scientists have also charged the administration with politicizing science by seeking to shape data to its own needs while ignoring other research.

Evangelical and fundamentalist Christians have built a powerful position within the Republican Party and no Republican, including Bush, can afford to ignore their views.

Full Story

Per CNN and multiple other news-sources, Bush is withdrawing Harriet Miers' nomination for Supreme Court justice:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/27/miers.nominations/index.html

This is relevant to this community because--in large part--Miers may have been specifically selected because she was a dominionist rather than on her qualifications. The most infamous example of this link appears to be multiple reports that she was selected on specific information from Focus on the Family's leader James Dobson. Dobson refused to provide the info until threatened with a possible subpoena; more on this below.

Miers has links to other dominionist groups, as documented in this article (most of the evidence is in the responses), but I'll summarise the relevant info:

( links to dominionist groups, as noted by article above )

Interestingly, as more info on her links came out, the dominionist groups started backing away; Concerned Women for America was one of the few dominionist groups not to endorse her, and after a while Dobson started backpedaling. Most news sources are in fact reporting much of the reason she eventually lost the nomination was she wasn't enough of a hardline dominionist (as frightening as it sounds!).

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

Danforth criticizes Christian sway in GOP

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Article from Salon.com:

Rescuing Jesus
Bush & Co. have hijacked Jesus, using him as the poster child for their callous worldview. It's time to rescue Christ from his kidnappers.

By Alessandro Camon

Oct. 07, 2005 | Harriet Miers, should she be confirmed to the Supreme Court, will be the resident evangelical Christian. She shares her religious background with George W. Bush, whose claim to have chosen her based on "knowing her heart" has as much to do with the born-again faith he shares with her as with her long service in his inner circle. This choice might have left secular conservatives perplexed or downright dissatisfied, but is an obvious crowd-pleaser with the Christian right. Above all, it reflects the importance of Christianity for Bush, widely described as the most devout president in history.( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY thornewilder)

Hello All. I am humbled by your breadth of knowledge. I have a question.
Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI) Who are these folks? I believe they are charismatic/pentecostals but in my neck of the woods they seem to be functioning as the religious right arm of the republican party. They host events, work in media, pretend to be accepting....(will not allow Muslim's to be prayer leaders at their events and have anti-gay speakers)
I think they are a loose affiliation of all the churches that have no homes and support or entertain dominionist theology.

Any ideas?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY britzkrieg)

BusinessWeek reports on how the GOP's aggressive social agenda is alienating independents:

Independents Are Having Buyer's Remorse

Just nine months after giving George W. Bush the crucial swing votes he needed to best John Kerry, political independents are bolting out of the Republican Big Tent. Angered by GOP meddling in the Terri Schiavo right-to-die case, reeling from record gasoline prices, and depressed by the escalating cycle of violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, unaligned voters are suddenly lining up with Democrats to give Bush the lowest ratings of his Presidency...

Nearly 30% of the electorate describes itself as independent, though about half of those voters remain registered with a party. So while Republicans have signed up more than 4 million unregistered Christian conservatives in two years, a sizable decline in independent support in the 2006 midterm elections could leave the GOP a net loser outside the South...

The swing-voter stampede started after the extraordinary intervention by Bush and the GOP Congress in the Schiavo case. Now socially moderate independents -- who strongly favor expanded stem cell research and oppose overturning Roe v. Wade -- fear that the majority party is in thrall to the Religious Right. "These people lean more Republican because of fiscal issues, but they're much more liberal on social issues," says independent pollster Dick Bennett of American Research Group. "After Schiavo, they said, 'Wait a minute. We didn't buy in for that.'"

...The indie revolt worries some GOP veterans, but the White House seems unconcerned. Some insiders say Bush über-strategist Karl Rove believes Republicans can afford to lose socially liberal swing voters if they succeed in wooing indie and Democratic "values voters" and increasing turnout on the Christian Right. "They obviously have a strategy to change the electorate, and they're willing to give up independents and moderates," says Democratic pollster Stanley B. Greenberg.

Full Story