Letters to the Editor
-
Huckabee may not be Hitler, but...
These christianists keep getting kookier.
Mike Huckabee is a standard character in the American story. He is the guy who gets along with religious people, and also with political people. But American history is changing.
I see the Christian fundamentalists in my part of the country hunkering down, and refusing contact with the outside world, more and more, all of a sudden. I myself believe this is a good thing, because they will have less chance of fogging nice people's minds.
Here is my prediction:
Christian fundamentalists will turn out to be about the same percentage of the US population as gays and lesbians, about fifteen percent. And more Americans will side with the gays and lesbians. And the fundamentalists will fade back into their fantasies, and evaporate politically.
-
Religious extremism
Ultimately there is no difference between these people and Islamic fundamentalists, who they purport to despise, yet use the same methods to impose their will on a terrorised populace.
-
Bring it On
You wouldn't expect this openly atheist, bisexual, libertarian-liberal to be a fan of The Huck, who would seem to be my polar opposite, but I actually am. He puts his real views out in the open. When he says a fetus' right to life and a heterosexual definition of marriage ought to be constitutional propositions, I say Right On. Take these culture-war battles out of the legislature and put our congreesspeople back to work on the practical business of running the country. Relegate these lunatic Christian fringe issues to Constitutional amendments that have no chance of passing in my lifetime, or ever. The man is saying to his base exactly what I would like to say: Put Up or Shut Up. And 25 years from now, when the old people are all dead and the amendments have either been tabled or repealed, we can have a little laugh about it. I agree that the "God [biblical scripture]-centered" and "people-centered" worldviews are irreconcilable, and I have no doubt which Americans will choose if forced to by honest politicians who discuss these things openly. Way to go Huck!
-
Patriotism, Religion, and Security
Why is it that policies set forth under claims of national security, religious conviction, patriotic values and democracy are not subject to the same criticism as independent policy proposals? Is it because these constructs remain extremely effective and highly repeatable insulators to open discourse? Policies put forth under these four umbrellas are packaged in this way just in order to silence dissenting views.
I hope that this candidacy is useful for many on the right to finally question the legitimacy of religious claims in setting public policy, especially now that Mike Huckabee may use such a construct to advance both a radical right social policy and a statist, large government economic agenda. Further, I hope that this candidacy allows all who still accept assertions that deities exist to see the fallacy and danger in such beliefs.
-
This is the Tipping Point!
As my friends and I sit and watch Bush, Cheney and the NeoCons use the Constitution as toilet paper, we all try to channel our old 60's era revolutionary zeal into constructive political solutions.
However, what we all agree on is that the threat of a Christian Right theocracy taking over the legal system will get us back in the streets performing civil disobedience in a major way. It will get very, very ugly quickly. Talk about being motivated. Bring it on Huckabee!
-
What I don't get about the Bible
Why is it that God's word consists of things such as condemnation of shellfish eaters, swearing children and homosexuals?
Wouldn't stuff that God really wanted us to know consist of things like "boil pond water before you drink it", "cook meat before you eat it" and "don't eat strange mushrooms that you find in the forest"?
If the Almighty is really interested in saving mankind, wouldn't practical, day to day advice like that be far more practical than telling us that it's important to kill our neighbor if he wears a cotton-wool blend?
-
We have these folks here
We call them VCY Christians.. aka WVCY Christians. These are folks who follow the preaching of a local radio FM radio station and national network called VCY America. And, yes, they are belivers the likes of Mike Huckabee. They would put anyone who tested HIV-Positive in detention centers, detain anyone who dared produce or even look at pornography and women who have abortions and doctors who provide them would be subject to trail as murderers. In the summer of 1992, WVCY - TV would park their van in front of a clinic where abortions were being provided and would videotape the entire morning. This was then shown unedited, complete with close ups of the patients and those who entered with them on TV that evening. In hopes that Grandma might see someone they know and help them to repent.
Put Huckabee in office and look for the outlawing of homeosexuality, people who are living together without marriage being dragged from their houses and thrown in prison and perhaps beheaded.
The funny thing is, this country went to war and cheered as it invaided Afganistan, claiming that extremists were doing things like beheading people it claimed were in violation of law based on religion. Will they when it happens to their neighbors?
How did they cheer when Hitler rounded up people who he felt didn't conform to his idea of perfection? Remember, homosexuals and couples living together without marriage where dragged out and killed same as the Jews.
Want that here?
-
The comfort and security of knowing that you are right.
A few years ago I attended a seminar in Plano, Texas. I did not know , initially , that it was conducted by fundamentalist Christians. The experience opened my eyes as to the power of this type of thinking. The fundamentalist appeal is powerful, for it frees you from having to think.
For many people, our world is threatening and filled with uncertainty - which is a condition many find unbearable.
Thus the sweet and calming appeal of faith based religion. It is a truly astounding experience to be in a room with about 100 people and realize that thinking and investigating are absolutely out of the question. Questioning or challenging authority is unacceptable.
It was at this moment I understood the appeal of George W. Bush, as he exemplifies a totally faith-based, non rational approach to life and to governing.
Mike Huckabee is clearly in this tradition. It is not a lack of intelligence - but a limited approach to understanding how life truly works - that is the problem. There are no guarantees in life; you can believe in God and there will still be poor people, natural disasters, wars and general all around unwillingness for governments to cooperate. All the faith in the world will not stop people and their respective leaders from being difficult, irascible and just generally being a royal pain in the ass.
Mike Huckabee would be a huge mistake, as George Bush has already been, because their world view is too rigid and naive. Essentially, both men are unsophisticated and naive because they think that their grasp of the world is expansive and correct. History has proved them wrong.
Belief in the inerrancy of the New Testament is no substitute for understanding psychology, politics, regional differences, tribalism and having a general grasp of history.We are not electing a Sunday School teacher but someone who has a grasp of how things work in the real world of people and institutions.