Saturday, August 18, 2012

Christian Republicans really hate democracy (and Jesus)

It isn't any secret although it would be nice to see the mainstream media point out to the country that Christian Republicans are not only just plain mean, but they do not like democracy and their actions betray their savior on a daily basis.

Democracy first.  Democracy is government of the people, by the people, for the people.  The assumption here is that it is of, by and for ALL the people, not just the rich, not just the "authorized" citizens, not just white people, not just religious or Christian people - but ALL the people.

Christian Republicans don't want that kind of democracy.  It's obvious.  That's why in state after state during this election cycle, CRs have attempted to stop legitimate voters from voting by draconian laws demanding ID information that is damn near impossible for many people to obtain.  The CRs are trying to justify this by pointing to "massive voter fraud."  In truth, and they know this, what voter fraud they've discovered has been miniscule.

Christian Republicans oppose democracy by shutting down or shutting out opponents at political rallies.  This has been going on for years, but there have been two recent incidents worth mentioning. One involved a Ryan rally, where a woman protestor was knocked on the floor only to have Ryan laugh as she was carried out.

The other incident occurred in The Villages, an enclave of old folks in central Florida, most of which vote the straight Republican ticket.  Every Christian Republican running for political office feels the needs to make a pit stop in The Villages.  The people who own and run The Villages with a iron fist, do not like Democrats nor do they like democracy.  So, while Ryan visits The Villages today, no  counter rally by the Democrats is going to happen.  Furthermore, no one wearing an "offensive" shirt will be allowed into the Ryan rally.  Freedom of speech is not something Christian Republicans care to defend unless it is their freedom to tell grotesque lies about the Democratic Party or Democratic candidates. 

Thus, the clown from Iowa, Steven King, can go on national TV and swear solemnly that the Affordable Care Act means death panels - that the government can decide whether or not to end your life.  This continues to be one of the biggest lies Christian Republicans tell, but the hoi polloi believe it so they'll continue using it as long as it is effective!

The Christian Republican animosity toward democracy is also seen in the actions taken by a number of states to propagandize students in public schools with Christian fundamentalism.  Thus, in Texas, students learn God created everything that exists in seven days, 6,000 years ago.  The same is true in Louisiana, Kentucky, and other states, and where that is not yet happening a concerted effort is ongoing to make it so. 

An amusing aside to the above has to do with the State of Kentucky.  Students have been denied the truth of evolution in Kentucky in favor of Creationism.  Teaching evolution, state leaders believed, would damage the young mind of their public school students.  Well, a recent survey of college professors indicated that Kentucky kids come out of their educational system just plain dumb!  It seems that if you want to pass biology in college you must have some knowledge of evolution!

Democracy has to do with telling the truth not fabricating religious or other propaganda and foisting that upon the public schools or any other public entity!  Christian Republicans don't like democracy.


And they don't much like their Jesus who told his followers not to judge, to take care of the poor and the needy, to render unto Caesar (the government) what was due Caesar.  Jesus didn't speak of the importance of war, warplanes, war budgets.  Jesus would probably put people before the latest drone. Jesus would no doubt suggest that political operatives have an obligation to ensure their constituents enjoy clean water and clean air and be free from the results of Global Warming.  Jesus would definitely not have given a damn whether the rich got another tax break, because he believed that rich people had put themselves beyond the reach of a loving God.  Jesus also said the revenge belongs to God, to turn the other cheek, to not do to someone else what you wouldn't want them to do to you, to love your "brother" as yourself ...

So how do Christian Republicans act?  How closely do they adhere to the teachings of their savior?  They act very unChristian and they adhere almost not at all! 

For example, one Christian Republican in the northeast refused to sell her baked goods to people on food stamps.  Her "position is that the American taxpayer should not be footing the bill for people's dessert purchases."  Can we call that mean and judgmental?

The Arizona governor, a wingnut by name of Jan Brewer, just signed a law "barring undocumented immigrants who qualify for temporary legal status in the United States from receiving any state of local public benefits."  They are also barred "from obtaining an Arizona driver's license or a state-issued identification card," which means, of course that they can't vote (and most of them might vote Democratic!).  Meanness personified!  In the name of what?

Romney, in an interview with Fortune magazine, discussed his budget and it turns out that he'd cut all kinds of programs that serve the people, such as Amtrak, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Medicaid he would "block grant" and "send programs like housing vouchers and food stamps back to the states.  That, of course, means that millions of people would immediately suffer as the states are already too strapped to meet their current needs.

Romney is not going to cut anything in the defense budget, though.  He says he would cut defense spending by stressing efficiency and cost savings, but the money realized from this would be spent to increase the number of active-duty personnel, replace military equipment, and "invest in the coming technologies of warfare."

I can just see Jesus out in front, leading Romney from the White House to the Pentagon, beating drums for the military and war.

Romney also promises to repeal Obamacare, although he doesn't have that power.  But essentially, his budget is such that the rich get richer, the warriors get more stuff to kill people with, and the rest of the country suffers even more than they're suffering now!  Nothing in that budget about the nation's needs, about jobs, and our crumbling infrastructure, about strengthening our educational systems, preserving our environment, etc.

The Kansas governor, Sam Brownback, has called for truly draconian cuts in spending in his state.  Agency heads have been instructed to cut their budgets by 10 percent!  This at the same time as a tax plan goes into effect which "includes dramatic personal income tax cuts and the elimination of most business taxes." 

Brownback's plan, supported by a legislature controlled by the Koch brothers, means the people of Kansas are going to be hurting big time, with social services and education taking, perhaps, the biggest blow. 

All of this so the budget is reduced and the rich keep their good-gotten or ill-gotten gains.

What follows comes from the latest issue of Sierra magazine:

Consider our Congress and the matter of the environment.  In the Arctic, CO2 levels have reached 400 parts per million.  "Many climatologists say the level necessary to avoid climate disaster is 350 ppm."

Temperatures in the U.S. from June 2011 to May 2012 were the hottest in history.

"According to the National Research Council, global sea levels are LIKELY TO RISE 20 TO 55 INCHES by 2100."

When it comes to the environment, the "Republican-dominated 112th Congress ... is the most anti-environmental House of Representatives in history, exceeding even the 104th Congress, which under Newt Gingrich launched a 'war on the environment' in the mid-1990s."

Some stats:

247 anti-environmental measures have been passed as of mid-June.
77 votes have been cast to undermine Clean Air Act protections.
37 votes have been cast to block action on climate change.
94% of Republicans have cast anti-environmental votes.
85% of Democrats have cast pro-environmental votes.

Let us pray.

No comments:

opinions powered by SendLove.to