Advice Goddess Blog
« Previous | Home | Next »

Excuse Me, But It Seems I'm Lost
I thought I was a US citizen, living in Los Angeles, but apparently, my entire existence has been particle beamed to The Vatican...or somewhere. I'm just not sure where I am anymore, but it isn't the United States I grew up with and read about in the history books, where church and state are separate. Check out this amendment a couple of creeps (fundamentalists in senator suits) are trying to stick into the Constitution:

`Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the Supreme Court shall not have jurisdiction to review, by appeal, writ of certiorari, or otherwise, any matter to the extent that relief is sought against an element of Federal, State, or local government, or against an officer of Federal, State, or local government (whether or not acting in official personal capacity), by reason of that element's or officer's acknowledgement of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government.'. (italics, mine)

The Yurica report explains this nifty paragraph as part of the "plan of the far right Dominionists who control Congress to reconstruct our constitution and “restore” it to subservience to a theocratic religion under God and under biblical law. It is the first step in a series of steps to take over and control the government of the United States of America as outlined in “The Despoiling of America.” This article, by Katherine Yurica, quotes Pat Robertson:

“God’s plan is for His people, ladies and gentlemen to take dominion…to reign and rule…There’ll be a reformation….We are not going to stand for those coercive utopians in the Supreme Court and in Washington ruling over us any more. We’re not gonna stand for it. We are going to say, ‘We want freedom in this country, and we want power…’”

Yurica explains Dominionism:

Dominionism is a natural if unintended extension of Social Darwinism and is frequently called “Christian Reconstructionism.” Its doctrines are shocking to ordinary Christian believers and to most Americans. Journalist Frederick Clarkson, who has written extensively on the subject, warned in 1994 that Dominionism “seeks to replace democracy with a theocratic elite that would govern by imposing their interpretation of ‘Biblical Law.’” He described the ulterior motive of Dominionism is to eliminate “…labor unions, civil rights laws, and public schools.” Clarkson then describes the creation of new classes of citizens:
“Women would be generally relegated to hearth and home. Insufficiently Christian men would be denied citizenship, perhaps executed. So severe is this theocracy that it would extend capital punishment [to] blasphemy, heresy, adultery, and homosexuality.”[10]
Today, Dominionists hide their agenda and have resorted to stealth; one investigator who has engaged in internet exchanges with people who identify themselves as religious conservatives said, “They cut and run if I mention the word ‘Dominionism.’”[11] Joan Bokaer, the Director of Theocracy Watch, a project of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy at Cornell University wrote, “In March 1986, I was on a speaking tour in Iowa and received a copy of the following memo [Pat] Robertson had distributed to the Iowa Republican County Caucus titled, “How to Participate in a Political Party.” It read:
“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 whenever possible, God willing.”[12]

And these people are different from the Taliban, how? Nicer "tents"? Shinier "camels"?

Posted by aalkon at March 31, 2005 8:14 AM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.advicegoddess.com/mt4/mt-tb.cgi/247

Comments

Margaret Atwood wrote about this in 'A Handmaid's Tale', in 1986 I think.

Posted by: Chris at March 31, 2005 8:07 AM

Who's do you all think is the illest guy? Pat Robertson, Falwell, Gary Bauer, Dobson, the Left Behind guy and his stepford wife?

I think Falwell is probably the least dangerously irrational of these people, but then again, he IS a dangerous nutcase. The Left Behind guy is dumb as a brick and doesn't seem to know the bible very well, but he probably reaches the largest audience.

Posted by: Little ted at March 31, 2005 11:03 AM

You should check out the Discovery Institute in Seattle. It's a very nice cave where many of these trolls are hiding out and putting on a mainstream face. Digby's got quite a post about the connection of Discovery to Ralph Nader and his recent diatribe against taking Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube out.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2005_03_27_digbysblog_archive.html#111202763462966966

Posted by: moe99 at March 31, 2005 2:03 PM

my grammer in the comments sections is sucks. I needs a proofreadings.

Posted by: Little ted at March 31, 2005 2:20 PM

As a believer in church/state separation, I am very wary of any legislation that might endanger it. However, I don't see anything dangerous in a law that protects nominees from being discriminated against for their personal beliefs. I would agree that, at worst, this proposed language is unnecessary, but I fail to see how it is dangerous. If it is a first step on the slippery slope, as you say, lets start fighting it once the descent enters an area that is clearly wrong. It seems that vocally opposing this possibly unnecessary, yet essentially harmless language forces liberals into a corner which inaccurately paints us as God-hating discriminators.

Perhaps that is the real trap intended by this proposal. Let's not fall into it.

Posted by: Rico at May 16, 2005 12:28 PM

Leave a comment