Where Goes Your Tax Money and Where Goes God?

This is from the National Priorities Project.

If you can't sleep at night because you're wondering how the government is spending the hard-earned money you donate in taxes, this should either blow your mind or set your mind at rest. If you find it sets your mind at rest, run, do not walk, to your nearest psychiatrist!

Out of every federal income tax dollar:

Military spending - 42.2 cents
Health - 22.1 cents
Interest (non-military debt) - 10.2 cents
Anti-Poverty Programs - 8.7 cents
Education Training and Social Services - 4.4 cents
Government and Law Enforcement - 3.9 cents
Housing and Community Development - 3.3 cents
Environment Energy & Science - 2.6 cents
Agriculture Commerce and Transportation - 1.5 cents
International Affairs - 1 cent


Or, you can look at it this way. In 2007, median income families in the U.S. paid $2,628 in federal income taxes. Here's how that money was spent by your government:

Military - $1,109
Health - $581
Interest on Non-military Debt - $269
Anti-Poverty Programs - $228
Education, Training & Social Services - $115
Government & Law Enforcement - $102
Housing & Community Development - $88
Environment, Energy & Science - $69
Transportation, Commerce & Agriculture - $40
International Affairs - $27


Don't you wonder why a country described by our president as "a nation of prayer and compassion ... a nation that believes in religious liberty and welcomes the role of faith in the public square ... a nation that is not only 'innovative, creative and dynamic,' but also one of the most religious on earth" spends almost 50 percent of its money on the military?

Obviously, believing in religious liberty, blabbing about our faith in the public square and being really religious isn't sufficient. There either isn't any god or she doesn't much care what happens to the U.S.

Those are the only reasons I can think of why we have to spend almost 50 percent of our money on the military.

A Scandal or Much Ado About Nothing?

[This from Media Matters.]

"The scandal du jour on the campaign trail is the revelation that 'family recipes' posted in Cindy McCain's section on her husband's campaign website were apparently lifted from the Food Network. To beat back the inexplicable firestorm over ahi-tuna-gate, the campaign has said it was an unpaid intern who posted the recipes."

Right.

But George Zornick rightly asks why in God's name would an unpaid intern have "a final editorial voice on the website of the Republican nominee for president?"

If the unpaid intern story is true, which is open to question, then, as Zornick points out, other questions are raised. About money and "McCain's significant financial handicap."

An article by John Heilemann in New York magazine noted that McCain has only four full-time financial staff persons, and that he is way behind Obama and Clinton in total amount of monies raised. McCain: $11 million total. Obama: $40 million.

So what's going on here?

I still want to know if Cindy plagiarized those recipes!

The Pope & Bush & Hypocrisy

The Pope has arrived. President Bush laid out the red carpet in welcome. Nine thousand plus people gathered on the South Lawn of the White House to sing "Happy Birthday" to the papal leader.

Mr. Bush, smarmy as usual, said that the pope's visit "was a reminder for Americans to 'distinguish between simple right and wrong.'

"We need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism and embrace a culture of justice and truth. In a world where some see freedom as simply the right to do as they wish, we need your message that true liberty requires us to live our freedom not just for ourselves, but in a spirit of mutual support."

I wonder if Bush has a clue what all that means? It sounds much more like a sermon from a high priest than a message from a political leader. Did Bush put words in Pope Benedict's mouth? Would most Americans have even the foggiest idea of what Bush meant when he referred to a "dictatorship of relativism"? What would Bush know about "a culture of justice and truth?"

And if there is one thing Americans do not need is the pope to help us distinguish from "right" and "wrong."

There has never been a presidential administration since the founding of our country that has had less interest in "a culture of justice and truth." In fact, the exact opposite is more descriptive of George W. Bush's presidency!


This was the Pope's first visit to the United States. Even before landing, Benedict had expressed dismay at the sexual abuse uncovered in the American church. From what he said, it appeared he did not feel the problem was as great in other countries. If true, I'm afraid that's a very naive attitude.

Upon arrival, the message was more upbeat. He said he was looking forward to meeting "a great people and a great church." Standing next to Bush, Benedict said "I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the church in the United States and strengthen the resolve of Catholics to contribute even more responsibly to the life of this nation of which they are proud to be citizens."

Bush was even more maudlin. He explained to the Pope that America is very virtuous. It is "a nation of prayer and compassion, a nation that believes in religious liberty and welcomes the role of faith in the public square, and one that is the most 'innovative, creative and dynamic country on Earth' but also among the most religious."

And all the people said: "What a crock!"


Looking at the current situation in the United States and the position of the United States around the world, one may well conclude that Mr. Bush is either deliberately presenting a phony Christian nationalist picture of this country, or is so out of touch with reality he should be locked away in a room with padded walls. Just about everything he has done in the past seven years, when held up against this kind of public religiosity, defines him as one of history's biggest hypocrites.

The same might be said of Pope Benedict XVI. The sexual abuse scandals that have exploded across the face of our nation represent an institution that is corrupt at its core; an institution which, through its theology and practice, has created a culture that breeds contempt and abuse and hypocrisy.

The American church is not a "great" church. It is a hidebound institution committed to perpetrating ancient prejudices: desiring to impose its Catholic "values" relative to abortion, birth control, stem cell research, etc., upon all American citizens; continuing a celibate priesthood; espousing homophobia even as a goodly percentage of its clergy are of that persuasion; and denying one-half of the human race the ability to serve at Roman altars. No, the Roman church has little to offer in terms of "right" and "wrong!"

In spite of his comments to reporters while flying to the U.S., Pope Benedict XVI has much to answer for with regard to priestly sexual abuse in the United States. Being "dismayed" and/or chewing out the U.S. bishops for their laxity is not enough for exoneration!

Thomas Heiden of Stratford, Connecticut, wrote the following in response to an article in Media Matters:

"The Pope's protestation of distress at the abuse of children by Catholic priests is a total sham.

"Cardinal Law, who for many years routinely and knowingly transferred abuse priests from parish to parish in the greater Boston area, has a post of great honor in this Pope's Vatican.

"If Law were anyone else, he would be in jail in the United States. If Benedict is sincere, he should insist Law return to this country for trial. Instead, Law stands as the patron saint of pedophiles."


The Pope and Bush: Hypocrites writ large.

What is my number?

One morning, I crawled out of bed and looked at the clock on my nightstand. The LED said 800. 800 was a good number. I thought that must be my number.

Later that same day, I stood in front of the deli counter at the supermarket intending to buy some fresh bread and Boar's Head salami. No one waited on me. Then I realized the other people standing there had little pieces of paper with numbers on them. I went and got my own number: it was 42. That must be my number.

On my way home, I stopped at the Post Office to mail some bills. I had wised up, though, and immediately went to the little machine and ripped off a number; it said 62. Wow, that must be my number.


I lived with the number, 62, for several days. Then I went shopping at the mall. I bought two sweatshirts as the weather had cooled considerably. The clerk wanted my credit card number, which turned out to be 2212 3212 4432 9870. She was happy, but I was not. That was too long to be my number! How could I possibly remember that?

While at the mall, I thought I'd get a new cell phone as the one I had could not take pictures. I don't know why anyone would want to take pictures with a telephone, but from what I hear it's the latest thing so I thought I ought to get one. I stopped at one of those kiosks where behind the counter sat two youngsters with spiked, orange and black hair, four tattoos, and an attitude. Neither one of them seemed to know too much, and when they asked me for my current cell phone number, I walked away! I couldn't remember that! And that couldn't have been my number, anyway. Whoever heard of a cell phone number being your number?

Things got worse. On my way home I was stopped by a motorcycle cop for speeding. I couldn't have been speeding, 'cause I was thinking about my number and not paying attention to how fast I was going. But she wanted my driver's license number, which was likewise way too long to be my number. I became ever more frustrated.


Two weeks later, I came down with a nasty cough, so arranged to meet with my doctor. She's very nice and did not ask me for my HMO number. But the clerical staff in her office did. That, too, was a horribly long number and I was certain that could never be my number!

I became depressed. Now, like most red-blooded Americans, when depressed I buy things. And it doesn't matter that I don't have any money because I can put whatever I buy on credit. Well, my car was several years old and had a lot of miles, so I drove from the doctor's office to a car dealer whose advertisement I had seen on television. I bought a new car. The paper work was massive. There were a lot of useless numbers, but then I had to provide my Social Security number! Could that be my number? No, it was also too long to be my number!


I drove my new car home, and home was much easier to find as I had had a GPS system installed. Pulling into the driveway, I noted the number 3179 on a wood block on the side of my house. I thought, "All right!" That's a great number and easy to remember! That has to be my number!

The rest of the day I felt really, really good. I knew my number! It was an easy number to remember! Or so I thought. About four in the afternoon, sadly, I realized I had forgotten my number. But when I went outside to check the side of the house, the wood block with the number had been stolen by vandals! Now, I'd never know my number!

My life was a mess!


Much later that night, I crawled into bed and under the covers. It was very, very cold. Suddenly, I heard a frosty voice: "Hey, buddy, your number's up!"

I screamed. "But what is my number?"

Everything went blank.

Setting one's teeth on edge

There's too much change these days and the changes come too fast. One cannot get truly grounded before the ground erodes away.

All of a sudden we're floating...

Take global warming, for instance. We've known for a long time global warming was going to lead to some problems, perhaps severe problems, but most scientists indicated we had time to deal with it, make the changes necessary to at least slow it down, if not halt it. (Well, most of us have known all this - some, like the fundys and the neocons and the Bushites have refused to believe it.)

Now, suddenly, we hear the glaciers are melting, ice caps are disappearing, various species such as the Polar Bear are threatened with extinction; we are told that soon flooded coastlines will be the norm, Miami as we know it may disappear, we can expect hotter summers, colder winters, and more and stronger hurricanes.

The effects of global warming are no longer in the future, but are here now!

Bush just found out. He's talking tough about how Congress better deal with this problem this summer, or else! Sheesh!


But it's other things, too. The price of gas has skyrocketed in just a short time. (A friend tells me it now costs $1,000 to fill his dump truck with diesel.) The economy, thanks to G.W. has tanked and the entire world is feeling the effects of American perfidy. Food costs have, in just weeks, gone through the roof.


Today's news tells how some of our major and favorite chain stores are closing which will mean a new and different look to many malls: Bombay Furniture, Sharper Image, Linens 'n Things, Ann Taylor, and Zales Jewelers.

Other stores, such as K-Mart and Old Navy are in trouble.


The end is not in sight. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. It's enough to set one's teeth on edge.

Obama & Lincoln or Will Lincoln Survive "Gettysburg" Comments?

The following is from the Tales of the Freeway Blogger. It is a response to the multitudinous inanities spewing forth from the mouths of the pundits at Fox News (and other, real, news services) as to whether Obama can weather his poor choice of words in some recent comments or whether he is doomed politically.


Will Lincoln Survive "Gettysburg" Comments?

Transcript from "Hannity's America" November 20, 1863


Sean Hannity: Well, we've got the transcript right here and it looks like Mr. Lincoln's really put his foot in it this time. The question for our panelists is: "After Gettysburg, Does Lincoln still have a chance for re-election?" Pat?


Pat Buchanan: I'd have to say no Sean. Right from the start he's set himself up as another liberal elitist, hopelessly out of touch with the voters. "Four Score and Seven..." The number he's looking for is eighty-seven. Maybe if he put down his chablis and brie plate for a minute he'd understand how real people actually speak.


Laura Ingraham: And the whole thing was written on the back of an envelope for cryin' out loud. Hey Abe, get a clue: It's called "paper." Not everybody can use a perfectly good envelope, which as all Americans know is meant for mailing things...and he uses it for scratch paper! Give me a break!


Sean Hannity: Let's go a little further down here to the comments that really seem to have set American's teeth on edge, the part about not being able to dedicate, consecrate or "hallow", whatever that means, this ground. It is wise for someone running for re-election to tell us what we can't do? Does he just hate Americans? Pat?


Pat Buchanan: Sure sounds like it to me.


Laura Ingraham: Well, he certainly doesn't seem to care much for women that's for sure: "Our fathers"? "Brave men"? "All men are created equal?" I tell you, if women could vote, they certainly wouldn't vote for him!


Sean Hannity: And here he says we're engaged in a "Great Civil War." Really, Mr. President? I bet there's a lot of Americans out there who'd like to know what you think is so great about it. He also says, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here..." I bet now he sure wishes we're not gonna remember!


Pat Buchanan: I know it's a small point, but isn't "Abraham" a Jewish name?


(Again, thanks to the Freeway Blogger!)

One Nation, Under God?

Some years back when I was teaching school, one of my peers began a brouhaha about the Pledge of Allegiance. Everyone, she claimed, was saying it wrong! The "wrong" came about as most of us said the Pledge with a bit of a pause, as if there were a comma between "one nation" and "under God." There is NO comma she reminded us again and again.

At the time I thought she was a little bit nuts, and in retrospect I still think that, but I also think she was expressing her wish that the United States was in truth a Christian nation, under God.


Yesterday, David Edwards and Nick Juliano at therawstory, wrote of a Republican congressman from Georgia who, like my school teacher friend, believes the deletion of the inserted comma to be of vital, national importance.

He's a freshman congressperson by name of Paul Broun who had the temerity, while leading the Pledge of Allegiance, to lecture the members of the House of Representatives as to the proper way to say the Pledge.

"There should not be a comma between 'one nation' and 'under God,'" said Mr. Broun, preachily.


It is well known that before 1954, the Pledge contained no reference to a deity. By the mid-fifties, however, many Americans had become convinced that the Communists were the greatest threat since Margaret Truman began singing. So, to reassure the deity that we were on her side, the phrase "under God" was inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance.

These days, the Christian fundamentalists love it because the phrase so succinctly expresses their notion that the United States was founded by Christians and is a Christian nation, and if it isn't, well by God it better be pretty soon or we're all gonna be left behind when Jesus returns to "rapture" his faithful Gentile followers.

But if we're going to get through to god, the Pledge has to be recited without that damn comma, or it's no good! It's like history professor, Matthew Dennis, said: "Without a comma, the phrase indicates that the central characteristic of the United States as a political community is its subordination to God." And that's what the Brouns of the world want.

Edwards and Juliano write that "A Broun spokesman even said there should be no pause to emphasize there is 'no separation or implied separation between nation and God.'" Arrrgh!

Okay. Here we have another bozo elected to Congress who doesn't understand the Constitution of the United States! Or he just doesn't care. He's a true believer who's job, he thinks, is to make sure all the rest of us believe like he does. In November of 2007, he lent his support to a bunch of revisionists haunting the halls of Congress who were (and are) trying to promote the Ten Commandments. At that time, he said "I commend the Ten Commandments Commission for their efforts to remind Americans that we are, in fact, 'one nation under God.'"

Who is Paul Broun, you ask. He's a physician from Athens, Georgia. He's an avid hunter, and has killed an African lion, a Kodiak bear, a red stag from Argentina, an eland, a cape buffalo, and a wart hog. "I've hunted wild mountain sheep in Africa, as well as Spain and Pakistan."

He also eats everything he kills. Lion is "not very tasty. It's really chewy."

Warthog is the best-tasting.

I guess all that killing makes him a "real" man?

Broun found Jesus (I didn't even know he was lost) back in 1975 when he saw a John 3:16 banner at a football game. And when he recently became a congressperson, Jesus told him what to do. Jesus said outlaw abortion, because all fetuses are people and abortion is an unmitigated evil. Thus Broun thinks "...it's my job in Congress to prove that the unborn are people under the law and deserve protection under the Constitution, so I will continue as long as I'm in Congress to introduce my Sanctity of Human Life bill every year..."

This is the funniest part! He ran for Congress as a Republican "because of the moral issues..." Ha, ha, ha, ha. These days it just doesn't work to include the words, "Republican" and "moral," in the same sentence. But, says Broun, "My faith is very important to me. The Republican Party was and is now the party of limited government and no intrusion into people's lives, and that's what I believe in..."

You have to wonder about a man whose mind allows him to proclaim he's for limited government and not intruding into people's lives and then wants to pass a bill that would ban abortion, or post the Ten Commandments in public places! Talk about overbearing government and intrusion into people's lives!


Well, what else can you expect from a man who spells Brown Broun? (I'm just kidding!) Still, it is really tiring to listen to the crap these right-wing fundamentalist hypocrites keep throwing at the rest of us. And when he talks about a god this nation is under, what god is he talking about? We all know, of course, he's talking about the Christian fundamentalist god created by biblical illiterates, but it's still a fair question seeing as how we've got all kinds of gods being worshipped in this "one nation, under God."

Furthermore, you'd think a first-term congressperson would sit down, shut up, listen to what his colleagues had to say and work on something of real importance to the country. That, however, might require a bit of effort, a tad of common sense, and a whole lot less religion!

Just say "No," Rabbi Yoffie

The word is out that Rabbi Eric Yoffie, leader of Reform Judaism in the United States, is willing to meet with The Wrong Rev. John Hagee, to "discuss their differences."

What a mistake that would be!

You will remember that Rabbi Yoffie, in a recent speech, suggested that Jews should shun Hagee and his organization, Christians United for Israel.

You may also recall that Yoffie's comments pissed off the Rev. Wrong John Hagee, who claimed that Yoffie not only lied, but did not show him the proper respect.

According to their respective spokespersons, both men are considering a sit-down.

We've dealt at length with the rantings of the Rev. Wrong Hagee, and no matter how many times you review what he has said, it doesn't get any better.

The facts are these: Yoffie did not lie and Hagee is insane.

Please, Rabbi Yoffie, do not meet with Hagee. To do so will only to provide him with credibility he does not deserve. This is the man who pretends to love the Jews but strives to start a war with Iran using nuclear weapons which will destroy the world, an event which he believes will bring about the 2nd coming of his Jesus. He also believes when that happens all the Jews who don't accept Jesus as the messiah will be slaughtered.

Read his book, Jerusalem Countdown.

He does not deserve your respect! Do not reward his madness with a mantle of credibility!

Let Hagee meet with himself.

No, No, Please, Not Iraq!

A few days ago we wrote about the new $600 million embassy in Iraq that is supposed to be open for business May.

We mentioned that last year when the State Department went looking for people to work in Iraq, there was a mini-revolt "among foreign service officers who objected to compulsory work in a war zone." In the end, however, the revolt fizzled as the State Department obtained a sufficient number of volunteers.

History is repeating itself. As before, this year the State Department has again sent out a warning that U.S. diplomats may have to serve in Iraq and that prime candidates will soon be identified for jobs at the new Baghdad embassy. That means if you're qualified (e.g., if you have the requisite language skills, or knowledge of the Mideast, or construction knowledge) you may be forced to fly off to the Green Zone whether you want to or not.

To be fair, some 20 percent of the 12,000 foreign service officers have already served in what are considered "major hardship posts," such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Still...a brand-spanking new $600 million embassy with a swimming pool and tennis courts...I mean, who wouldn't want to work there? Shouldn't be that bad when you're rocket-dodging skills have been perfected.

The Economic Wasteland of George W. Bush

Joshua Holland published a brief piece the other day on Alternet which summarized several of the main points of a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

The global slump is probably going to be worse than predicted, with a one-in-four chance of a global recession, which happens when world economic growth drops below 3.0 percent.

This year's prediction is that global growth will slow to 3.7 percent "amid the still-deepening financial crisis set off by rampant speculation on securities backed by shaky mortgages in insufficiently regulated U.S. financial markets." [My emphasis]

"The financial market crisis that erupted in August 2007 has developed into the largest financial shock since the Great Depression."

While Latin America and other "countries linked to the plummeting U.S. dollar will be hardest hit as the U.S.-led slump spreads around the globe," countries with growing economies, "such as China and India, will suffer the least pain."

Holland concludes by noting that "Economist Dean Baker has said that he could see average American incomes fall by as much as 40 percent before we hit bottom."


But Mr. Holland only presented a part of the picture. Much of the economic stagnation predicted for this year and next is due to the drop in housing prices, which have fallen 10 percent, but are expected to continue to fall further to between 14 and 20 percent.

And no matter that the U.S. government will provide "many billions of dollars in government spending to aid the financial sector, shore up consumer and business spending, and save homeowners from dispossession," the U.S. economy is going to grow by a mere 0.5 perecent in 2008.

Japan's economy will slow down and "The 15-member eurozone will see its growth slow to 1.4 percent." But, China will continue its robust growth: 9.3 percent this year and 9.5 percent next year. Similar growth is expected in India.


It gets even worse. The IMF said "that worldwide losses from the financial turmoil could top 945 billion dollars within two years. Others also have predicted costs around the 1.0-trillion-dollar mark."

What this means for millions of human beings is less food, and more costly food; " ...soaring commodity prices ...have removed staple foodstuffs from the reach of countless people in developing countries, where many citizens spend half their income or more on food alone."

Sub-Saharan Africa is in trouble as is South Asia, "home to most of the world's poor people and the planet's highest levels of child malnutrition.

"Worldwide ... 1.0 billion people lack access to clean water, 1.6 billion people have no access to modern energy sources, and 2.6 billion live without basic sanitation."


"The 'Bush Boom" is an Epic Bust," says Hale Stewart in an article by that title at the Huffington Post. What that means is that the United States is in deep trouble because of the Bush administration's financial policies and programs!

Mr. Stewart does a detailed analysis using data from The National Bureau of Economic Research, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, the St. Louis Federal Reserve of U.S., the Federal Reserve's Flow of Funds report and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Here's how Mr. Stewart sums up the situation after seven years with George W. Bush at the helm of our government:

1. The weakest job growth since WWII led to a declining median family income.

2. In order to keep spending the U.S. consumer continued to save less and borrow more.

3. At the national level, the U.S. government has issued over $500 billion dollars of net new debt per year since 2002. This has led to an increased reliance on foreign investors to finance our way of life.

4. The trade deficit has continued to expand, although oil is responsible for a fair amount of that increase.

5. In short, the U.S. continues to consume more than it produces.

Then he says, "At some point, we will have to pay the bill. This is the end result of the 'Bush boom,' or 'the greatest story never told.'"


Two specifics worth noting: When Bush took office, the government's total debt was $5,674,178,209,886.86.

The current debt is $9,437,425,175,221.31.

Because of the housing crisis, due largely to the Federal Government's lack of oversight of the financial markets, Mr. Bush plans to borrow close to $200 billion (from foreign investors) to give each taypaying family a few hundred dollars to spend (and thus consume) on foreign products.

The net result of which will put the U.S. deeper in debt, enrich those foreign countries from which we buy most of our products, and thus deepen our reliance on countries like China and Japan and Saudi Arabia for financial stability.


And finally, the "Bush boom" not only broke the bank in our own country but it's devastating impact is fueling the financial crisis around the globe.

Is George worried? Nah, he's feeling fine!

To reiterate: George W. Bush. The. Worst. President. Ever.

Is Obama a Godless Commie?

Andrew Sullivan has a brief article at Atlantic.com describing Bill Kristol's inane blasting of Barack Obama's "bitter" statement.

Sullivan rightly accuses Kristol of not only implying Obama's faith may be faux but also of painting Obama with the Marxist brush because of that so-called "bitter" statement which referenced "the way in which economic distress can alter people's tolerance for others."

Obama said of those who are economically distressed:

"It's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Sounds like a rather astute observation about human nature to me.

But to Bill Kristol it makes Obama a phony Christian and a "godless commie," says Andrew Sullivan.

Sadly, we are going to have to deal with an increasing amount of Kristol's kind of derogatory, defamatory, false, lying, unprincipled Obama bashing between now and November.

Read Mr. Sullivan's entire article here.

Hey, Pat Robertson - Does God Answer Prayer?

It is always interesting to visit Pat Robertson's CBN or 700 Club. One just never knows what the Rev. Mr. Whacko is going to be doing or saying next. In 2001, Robertson claimed the 9/11 tragedy was due to America's moral failures (homosexuality, abortion, no prayer in schools, etc.) and a few years later suggested it would be a good thing to assassinate the president of a sovereign country, so it isn't unreasonable for people to wonder what will be his next gross violation of ethical/moral behavior and common sense.

Robertson is assuming a somewhat lower profile these days, thus his usual outrageous statements have not been forthcoming as often. Instead he is emphasizing the need and the importance of prayer. Robertson is one of those TV evangelists who knows the mind of God and thus puts no faith in recent studies which show clearly that intercessory prayer has no value, and in fact, in many cases, causes more pain and problems for the prayee.

In the minds of TV evangelists, nothing clears the air better than an anecdote. Anecdotal stories serve as evidence. Robertson loves them, and offers a diverse array of anecdotal stories about people healed by prayer. (All the better to con the folks out in TV land into sending him money!).


Here's one such story: It's about Ameng. Ameng was raised in Indonesia in a Buddhist family. But he was sent to a Christian school. Eventually, he "prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior." Ameng married a Muslim woman. His wife "began to suffer with a painful lump on her breast."

"We could not afford to see a doctor," said Ameng. "Besides, we were afraid that the doctor might tell us that it was cancer. We were definitely hopeless."

Ameng then came upon Indonesia's version of The 700 Club, called Solusi. Lots of people on Solusi said they'd been healed by prayer. Ameng began praying. His Muslim wife didn't mind. God soon began to heal his wife. "A short time later, the tumor and the severe pain were completely gone."

(This may be nitpicking, but notice that according to Ameng, he never took his wife to see a doctor so we do not know what was wrong with her. In the beginning she had a "painful lump," but at the end of the story he refers to "the tumor." The implication is that she had cancer, but that is never stated. The truth may be that nothing whatsoever was wrong with her.)

Then there's the story of Barbara Torra from Dunmore, Pennsylvania. She hurt her back and was suffering excruciating pain. It was unbearable. "I was crying all the time," she said. "I was just in so much pain."

This went on for eight months. But Barbara was sure that God would heal her. In the beginning she went to a doctor who said she had "suffered damage to the fourteenth vertebra in her back." Evidently, she did not go back to the doctor, and if the doctor prescribed any treatment she did not follow it.

What she did do was study the Bible and she "kept claiming Scriptures" [that's fundamentalist talk] and kept saying, 'No, that this pain is not going to be on my body. I just relied on God to heal me.'" And Barbara watched The 700 Club. One day she paid special attention to the prayer segment. "I just knew that day God was going to do something special for me. I think it was the second word of knowledge, and the host said, 'There's somebody out there being healed in their lower back, their L-4 disc, with bulging disc, and God is completely healing you and restoring your back."

Well, Barbara knew right away that he was talking about her and she got on her knees and praised God and cried and thanked him. Sure enough, "Over the next three days, Barbara realized she was totally healed."

Now Barbara says that she knows God is "always faithful," and she knows "God heals today. ... God heals today, and His word is the same today, yesterday, and forever."


There isn't any question that the medical profession has confronted instances where, in spite of all evidence suggesting healing is impossible, healing has occurred. It would also seem to be the case that for some people, their mental approach to a physical problem can be either beneficial or detrimental.

These two anecdotal stories, however, tell us nothing of the so-called "power of prayer." In the first instance, we have no knowledge as to Ameng's wife's problem. She may not have had a problem at all. There is neither evidence of a problem, nor evidence of healing. We have a tale told by Ameng which may or may not reflect reality, but in any case, there is no reason to assume the intervention of a deity.

In Barbara's case, again, we have only her word. We do not know if, in fact, she continued to see a doctor or if she underwent treatment by a medical professional. The implication is she did not, and I think she would have stressed the fact that medical procedures had not helped her. The rest of the story is pure malarkey. Assuming Barbara is a real person and that she really had a back problem, and that it is now better, I wish her well. But, again, there is absolutely no evidence of a god's intervention. It's all in Barbara's mind.

In fact, Barbara's back condition may have improved on its own. I've had the exact problem Barbara described and after a period of time, it did resolve itself - temporarily. Eventually, surgery was required. I wonder if The 700 Club will advise its viewers if Barbara at some point in the future undergoes the knife?

Again, in neither of these cases, is there a need to postulate a deity-healer.


CBN and The 700 Club offers up a glut of these kinds of stories. But because Robertson is the type of person who begs for contributions for planes to assist the needy in Africa and then uses them to haul diamonds from his mines, I wouldn't put it past him to make up most of these tales of prayer and godly intervention.

And while he may gloat over these "true" stories which he imagines point out the power of God, he also warns his viewers that sometimes "Your prayers aren't answered." Then he asks, rhetorically, "How come?"

Well, the number one reason for unanswered prayer is that "it's the wrong time." He quotes Paul, who said, "In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son." Even though people had prayed for the Messiah for years, it couldn't happen until the "fullness of time," which for Robertson meant that "The Roman Empire had to get peace. There had to be roads all over the Roman Empire. There had to be a common language. You go down the list of everything, and people's hearts had to be open. ... So that's number one. So you pray, and it's the wrong time; you don't get an answer."

Nothing! Nada! Not even a notice that it's the wrong time. How would you know it's the wrong time? Wouldn't you think God was ignoring you? If you are in dire need and praying desperately, it sure as hell is the "right" time for you!

Secondly, Robertson says prayers are not answered 'cause you're not ready. Ready for what? Well, says the reverend, there's something wrong in your life, like sin! "If there's sin in your life, you're not going to get it." Then, he confuses the issue by saying that what you pray for might be bad for you and destroy your life; but that doesn't fit his argument. Anyway, he concludes "So God's not going to give it, because you're not ready."

That sounds a lot like number one: the wrong time; not ready. Hey, I'm ready! I need your help, O God! This is the time! I need it today; I'm ready now! Where are you? You healed Ameng's wife and Barbara's back, why not me? Ameng's wife was a damn Muslim, for Christ's sake!

But Rev. Robertson has another reason you don't get your prayers answered. This sounds a lot like the first two, too. It is that "the answer you're asking for will hurt you. God will not give you the appropriate answer that you're asking for, because the answer to your prayer will hurt you." So, says the Rev, you don't know what you're asking, or you're asking for something selfish, or you're asking for something "to consume on your desire" (whatever that means).

The Pat tells this story: He wanted land for CBN. He tried all kinds of things, and of course, he prayed. "Nothing, just closed doors, because I was asking for the wrong thing. God was giving me something much better. Before it was finished--we now have, instead of six acres, we now have 700 acres along an interstate that is very valuable."

Whoopee! God wanted Pat to have something much better than what he was asking for. Wait, that doesn't sound like "the answer you're asking for will hurt you." I mean six acres may not be much, but it's six acres. How could that hurt?

Here's the best (worst?) part of this pious fraud's theology of prayer. Let's say someone you love dies. "And you say, 'Well I want him back to life again. And the answer here, very simple, is Heaven is better. And whether we like it or not on earth, we don't want to see a loved one taken away. ... But Heaven is better, and God says, 'He's with me, and I have brought him to this point ..." blah, blah, blah.

The life of a 26-year old mother of two young children was snatched away by cancer in our little town a few weeks ago. She and her husband, good Baptists that they were, decided this was God's will and God wanted her with Him in Heaven. That's how they got through the ordeal and believing that fantasy is what is helping the husband and her parents and friends get through the long, lonely days since she went to be with her Heavenly Father. That is all a fantasy, but hey, whatever works!


Robertson's theology of prayer is the equivalent of throwing a brick of moldy cheese to a drowning rat. It's a mishmash of pious nonsense that he's cobbled together from biblical passages and fundamentalist theology. Heaven is not better because we have no clue if, number one, there is a "heaven," and number two, what this heaven would be like! All we know and all we have is right here, right now.

To say that there is a god who kills people through car accidents, war, cancer or whatever, so He can bring them "home to heaven" is not only irresponsible but evil and immoral. Such a god would not be worthy of the slightest attention, much less worship and adoration.

Robertson's reasons for unanswered prayer are laughable. When you are truly in need and pray to a deity it is definitely NOT the wrong time and whether there is sin in your life is irrelevant (who hasn't "sin" in his/her life according to the fundy code?), and when you're praying for healing or a way out of a situation which is killing you, unless god is a horrible ogre, those are not the "wrong" things to pray for!

Finally, reflecting on Ameng's wife and Barbara, one must consider the incredible arrogance implied in those stories. Of all the needy people in the world, of all the starving children, of all the people in pain and torment, of all the people dying of cancer or who will never see or hear or speak or walk again due to disease or accident or war, why would the deity stoop to "cure" either Ameng's wife or Barbara and not do the same for others in much worse condition?

Is it that they prayed and others didn't? But we know that at this very moment, millions of people are praying desperately for relief, for healing, even for death. Here's my own anecdote. I know a 93-year old woman, nearly blind, on a respirator, crying out to god daily to take her "home," but god doesn't answer!

The New Testament figure we call Jesus said that the Heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask. Well, why doesn't he do something? And why would we need to try to manipulate him to focus his healing power in our direction through prayer if he cared at all?

People are certainly free to believe that god hears their prayers and answers their prayers. Unfortunately, such belief remains just that; a belief with no basis in fact! Pat Robertson should know, for god answered his prayer in 1988 by telling him he would be president of the United States, and, in 1992, god told him the same thing again. Whoops, god must have been wrong!


Robertson, a charlatan, but no fool, plays on this fantasy of answered prayer in order to manipulate his viewers into sending a continual flow of their hard-earned money to finance his extravagant lifestyle and his many fraudulent, but pious enterprises.

Let us pray!

Repudiating the Bushites...

This from Media Matters:


Altercation, by Eric Alterman (Pictured)

...

Take a look at the front page of today's Times, and you have to wonder how in Hell any candidate can possibly expect to win an election without fully and completely repudiating every single policy professed by the Bush administration. We have a story about the housing crisis it ignored spreading around the world and causing a global recession; exploding co-payments for prescription drugs following its insane Medicare giveaway that destroyed the program's long-term solvency to put money in the pockets of corporations; terrorist tactics against union leaders in Colombia for a trade pact designed to further enrich those who are paying the murderers; and massive spending on $10 million apartments and private jets for the extremely wealthy, who are doing just fine, thanks (though some of them are apparently too stupid not to have themselves photographed as examples of conspicuous consumption). You have to turn to page 6A to learn of the 1,300 fired Iraqi soldiers and members of the security forces who refused to fight in the Basra debacle, and of course, there's no room for a story of the administration's catastrophic environmental policies, or its failures in the Middle East, vis-à-vis Iran and North Korea, etc, but you get the point.

$600 Million Will Buy You An Embassy (In Iraq)

Ryan Crocker, a veteran diplomat, and currently the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, told reporters the other day that diplomatic workers should be able to begin moving into the new embassy in Iraq toward the end of May.

The embassy, a "fortress-like compound" next to the winding Tigris River in the heart of the city and within easy mortar range of the bad guys, is the largest embassy in the world - the size of Vatican City. It has its own security force (Blackwater) and its own power and water supply.

It is not just big physically, but the project has also been a big secret. At one point, a British tabloid claimed that even its location was a secret, which must have surprised the heck out of residents of Baghdad who stood and watched it being built. But until recently, embassy officials have refused to talk about it.

According to a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee report, the embassy complex consists of 21 buildings on 104 acres. It is within the fortified "Green Zone," a 4-square-mile area that contains a number of U.S. and Iraqi government offices, ringed by miles of concrete barriers.

Over 5,500 Americans and Iraqis work at the embassy, about half being listed as "security." It is much larger than any other U.S. mission in the world. Many Iraqis feel that this massive U.S. presence in the middle of the city symbolizes the power that the U.S. wields over their counry.


Construction of the mammoth facility began in mid-2005 and was originally scheduled to be compled in June of 2007. It is being built on land transferred to the U.S. in October 2004 by the Iraqi interim government, under conditions not disclosed.

The original cost was estimated at over $1 billion. Congress, however, appropriated only $592 million in 2005. A Kuwait builder got most of the money, but other contractors have also been involved. What the real, hidden cost will finally be is anybody's guess.



Last year, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) criticized the size and the cost of the embassy at a hearing with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He pointed out that massiveness of the embassy gives cause for the Iraqis to wonder how long we will be an occupying force in that country.

Certainly, the embassy is a cause of Iraqi resentment. Baghdad was recently rated as the world's worst city in which to live. Americans at the embassy will be living lives of luxury while the citizens of Baghdad try to survive on a little more than 5 hours of electricity per day.

The ambassador's residence alone contains 16,000 square feet. And as noted, the complex will have its own power and water supply, along with a sewage treatment facility and maintenance shops and warehouses. Additionally, the embassy employees will be able to enjoy a huge swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, a gymnasium, movie theater, beauty salon and social club.

One young Iraqi was quoted as saying, "People are very angry. It's for the Americans, not the Iraqis."


Nevertheless, the work is being completed and the move-in has been scheduled. Ambassador Crocker says the buildings are finished, but some have not been certified for permanent occupancy. The biggest problem, though, is that people are not safe, even in the "Green Zone." A recent round of rocket attacks killed several Americans.

Do you think that might be why the State Department has few, if any, volunteers for duty in Iraq and why the State Department has to threaten employees with loss of their jobs if they refuse to go to Iraq?

Crocker said "It's been a difficult few weeks, rockets are bouncing off your buildings, and maintaining focus can be an occasional challenge." Crocker claims that's why they need the security presence of the blackguard Blackwater boys. Things are so precarious that embassy personnel are ordered not to venture outside without helmets and body armor. Crocker says that the embassy personnel could not do their jobs without the protection of the Blackwater people.

Must be rather hard to swim in a helmet and body armor!


Crocker has his job cut out for him! Iraqis are angry about the embassy for many reasons. A major reason is that it was built primarily with imported labor. The main contractor, First Kuwaiti General Trading and Contracting, brought in at least one planeload of Filipino construction workers to work in Baghdad after telling them they were going to Dubai.

Furthermore, the embassy compound is a glaring symbol of American imperialism, as well as American isolation and occupation, and "a sign of how little confidence the US has in Iraq's future." Jane Loeffler, wrote this in Foreign Policy magazine: "Encircled by blast walls and cut off from the rest of Baghdad, it stands out like the crusader castles that once dominated the Middle East."

She goes on to say that while embassies are normally built to encourage interaction with the host countries, this one defies that notion. "Although US diplomats will technically be 'in Iraq' they may as well be in Washington."

Edward Peck, a former US ambassador to Iraq, noted that "The embassy is going to have a thousand people hunkered behind sand-bags. I don't know how you conduct diplomacy in that way."


Some questions:

Why has this huge, costly monument to American imperialism not been discussed in detail in the press? Where are the outraged Congressmen and Congresswomen?

Why have our leaders not questioned the need for this huge, costly monument to American imperialism? Could it be that, along with John McCain, everyone expects we'll be bleeding in Iraq for the next 100 years?

Was this massive mess ever vetted by the Congress of the United States? Who's in charge here? How does something like this happen?

Could it just possibly be that this embassy is an investment in the protection of Iraqi oil for the Bush/Cheney oil interests?

Now, aren't you glad that the United States invaded Iraq to bring peace, stability and democracy to that country? And it's only going to cost us about $3 trillion!

McCain a Christian Nationalist?

Frederick Clarkson at Talk2Action writes of an interview John McCain gave to Beliefnet last year. Clarkson says that in that interview, "John McCain came out as a Christian nationalist." Mr. Clarkson, rightly perturbed by McCain's perfidy, went on to say "This is a disturbing development from a man who has been profoundly critical of the religious right in the past, but has courted movement leaders, and received the endorsement of some while seeking the GOP nomination for president over the past year.

"In this interview, he comes out more strongly as a Christian nationalist and critic of separation of church and state than any nominee for either party in modern American history."


The interview was conducted by Dan Gilgoff and titled "John McCain: Constitution Established a 'Christian Nation.'"

Here's one of the questions and McCain's answer:

Q: A recent poll found that 55 percent of Americans believe the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation. What do you think?

McCain: I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation. But I say that in the broadest sense. The Lady that holds her lamp beside the golden door doesn't say, "I only welcome Christians." We welcome the poor, the tired, the huddled masses. But when they come here they know that they are in a nation founded on Christian principles.


Abraham Foxman, national director of the ADL, wrote McCain about this interview last October. He said, in part, "We and others are confused and dismayed by the comments you made in the course of this interview.... you came to the conclusion that 'the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation."

McCain responded by saying "I did not assert that members of one faith have a greater claim to American citizenship than another....I believe people of all faiths are welcome here and entitled to the protections of our Constitution....I observed that the values protected by the Constitution -- such as respect for human life and dignity - are rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition. That is all I intended to say to the question: is America a Christian nation?"


The ADL replied that McCain's "clarification" with regard to "human values cherished in America....[as being] values cherished in the Judeo-Christian tradition" was heartening, but expressed disappointment that McCain did not specifically retract the statement that "the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation."


McCain was, of course, involved in the well-known exercise of eating his cake and having it, too. By stressing human values being rooted in the so-called Judeo-Christian tradition, he thought he could get the ADL and other "liberals" off his back, and by not specifically retracting his statement about the Constitution creating a "Christian nation," he could pacify his extremist supporters hanging far out on the Christian right wing.

Unfortunately, for John, one of these days he's going to flip-flop too hard, land on his head and it will be all over! Right now John believes anything you want him to believe so long as you vote for him. But that only works for a little while...


I don't know who wrote the following, but it demolishes this nonsense about the U.S. being a Christian nation rather effectively. It begins by telling Mr. McCain to "listen up:"

"It has often been said that to find God in the Constitution, all one has to do is read it, and see how often the Framers used the words 'God,' or 'Creator,' 'Jesus,' or 'Lord.'

"Except for one notable instance, however, none of these words ever appears in the Constitution, neither the original nor in any of the Amendments.

"The notable exception is found in the Signatory section, where the date is written thusly: 'Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven'". The use of the word 'Lord' here is not a religious reference, however. This was a common way of expressing the date, in both religious and secular contexts. This lack of any of these words does not mean that the Framers were not spiritual people, any more than the use of the word Lord means that they were.

"This lack of these words reveals neither a love for, nor disdain for, religion, but the feeling that the new government should not involve itself in matters of religion. In fact, the original Constitution bars any religious test to hold any federal office in the United States.

"So tell us again John, why you feel the Constitution establishes the U.S. as a Christian nation, given that the word 'Christian' nor any of its derivatives is even mentioned?


That says it very well! And it leads us to suggest that Mr. McCain take a course in American government as well as American history -- you know, just to get some of the fundamentals down.

Fires, Big Bucks, Christians & Atheists in Illinois

This is a confusing story. Two years ago, a Baptist church in Chicago caught fire and burned to the ground. The church had started its life as a synagogue, but had been bought by the Pilgrim Baptist group and things had been going quite well until the fire.

Illinois' governor, Rod Blagojevich, promised $1 million to rebuild the church. (By the by, the governor has also promised Rabbi Philip Lefkowitz $400,000 to build a non-sectarian community center in Uptown two years ago. That promise is as yet unfulfilled.)

One million dollars was disbursed, supposedly to rebuild Pilgrim Baptist Church. But, according to the governor's office, there was a "bureaucratic mistake," and the $1 mil went to a private school, the Loop Lab School, which rented space from the church. That space burned when the church burned.

Now things get weird. The Loop Lab School had been in trouble. State and federal folks were trying to collect thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes. Staff was not getting paid. The school's director, Chandra N. Gill, is a convicted felon (aggravated battery on a police officer). Gill was pardoned by the governor in 2007. The $1 million grant was already in the works.

Again the governor said it was a mistake but "If we find out -- and we're hopeful -- that this school that is in question is providing good services to kids, then we're happy that they get an extra million dollars to educate kids."

Right. What's a million bucks of state money anyway? It just comes from the taxpayers. Why not fund every private school in Illinois?

The governor said he intends to find another $1 million to help Pilgrim Baptist rebuild its administrative center.

Wait, it gets crazier. The Illinois legislature is looking into these expenditures; evidently even Illinois doesn't look kindly on a governor doling out millions of dollars in taxpayer money to private and/or religious institutions. So, the House State Government Administration Committee went into session to take comments from citizens.

A well-known atheist activist from Buffalo Grove, Rob Sherman, came before the committee to testify against using state funds for private and/or religious schools. All was well until one state legislator, Monique Davis (D-Chicago) began shrieking.

Here's how it went:

Davis: "I don't know what you have against God, but some of us don't have much against him. We look forward to him and his blessings. And it's really a tragedy -- it's tragic -- when a person who is engaged in anything related to God, they want to fight. They want to fight prayer in school.

"I don't see you (Sherman) fighting guns in school. You know?

"I'm trying to understand the philosophy that you want to spread in the state of Illlinois. This is the Land of Lincoln. This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God, where people believe in protecting their children... What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous, it's dangerous --"

Sherman: "What's dangerous, ma'am?"

Davis: "It's dangerous to the progression of this state. And it's dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists! Now you will go to court to fight kids to have the opportunity to be quiet for a minute. But damn if you'll go to [court] to fight for them to keep guns out of their hands. I am fed up! Get out of that seat!"

Sherman: "Thank you for sharing your perspective with me, and I'm sure that if this matter does go to court--"

Davis: "You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon."


Now, I may have missed something, but I didn't hear anything from Ms. Davis relative to the right of the governor to use public money for private and/or religious schools. What I did hear is a very angry, and disturbed woman who is out of control.

I have to agree with the assessment of the Council for Secular Humanism. Ronald A. Lindsay, director of the Council's First Amendment Task Force has called for Davis to resign as she does not represent all of her constituents. "She is unfit to serve in her office, just as a representative who told a Jew or a Hindu to 'get out of that seat' would be unfit to serve. If she does not resign, the Illinois House has an obligation to expel her."

Between the governor and Monique Davis, Illinois obviously does have a couple of problems . But it's nice to know that Florida isn't the only state overrun with fruitcakes!


Update from Rob Sherman: "Rep. Davis said that she had been upset, earlier in the day, to learn that a twenty-second and twenty-third Chicago Public School student this school year had been shot to death that morning. She said that it was wrong for her to take out her anger, frustrations and emotions on me, and that she apologized to me."

McCain's New Economic Advisor - Carly Fiorina

This post is essentially a summary of an article by Sam Pizzigati who edits the online weekly Too Much, and is an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. The article can be read in its entirety here.

McCain's new economic advisor is Carly Fiorina. Fiorina was once the CEO of the computer manufacturer, Hewlett-Packard, and "the first woman ever to run one of the nation's 20 biggest publicly traded companies.

Fiorina is quite pleased to be working for McCain and thinks that McCain is up on things economic. "He understands innovation," says Fiorina.

Whether that is true or not, one must wonder if he understands Fiorina. Upon her arrival at HP, she received a four-year contract of some $90 million. "Less than six years later, in 2005, that CEO stint would end with a kick out the door and $42.5 million in severance."

Hewlett-Packard thought Fiorina was the real deal. HP thought she would take the company to new heights of technologic achievement and financial success. She began this corporate revival by asking all of HP's 93,000 employees to "accept voluntary cutbacks." (Remember she had just been given $66 million worth of shares, "the biggest no-strings stock grant up to then in U.S. corporate history, and assorted other pay goodies worth another $24 million.)

HP employees could choose: take a 10 percent pay cut; a 5 percent pay cut along with losing four vacation days; or just toss eight vacation days.

Before a month had gone by "Fiorina rewarded" the sacrifices of those employees by announcing a layoff of 6,000 more workers.

Unfortunately, this didn't work, nor did a huge merger deal, nor did her rearranging HP's corporate bureacracy, and by 2005, Fiorina was gone!

Now McCain's got her. If McCain, god forbid, should get elected prezident, the rest of us will be stuck with her!

Arrrrgh!

The National Day of Prayer - Be There or Be Unamerican?

Every red-blooded American will be expected to kneel down before the main god of the Christian Trinity, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, on the National Day of Prayer, which falls on May 1, 2008.

If you've never heard of it, The National Day of Prayer is an "official" event, sponsored by the United States government, according to the National Day of Prayer Task Force. The U.S. Congress established this event in 1952 via a joint resolution which was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. At the time, some Americans, very worried about being blasted to kingdom come by the atheistic Soviet communists, thought a day of prayer might entice the Christian deity to rise up and protect them. President Ronald Reagan, a casual believer, set the date of the celebration to be the first Thursday of May.

The National Day of Prayer Task Force (known hereafter as NDPTF) says that the day is "founded on the constitutional rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion and can be celebrated by all Americans." (That, of course, is a sneaky little Christian right-wing verbiage to make you think that the National Day of Prayer has something to do with freedom of speech and freedom of religion which it does not!)

The NDPTF insists that this day of prayer is not just for Christians. They lie. They say the NDPTF will act "specifically in accordance with its Judeo-Christian beliefs." (See below)

The NDPTF says the day is not a political event. It is for everyone. And every American can observe the National Day of Prayer in his or her own way. The first part of that's a lie, too!

The NDPTF is chaired by Mrs. Shirley Dobson, the wife of James Dobson, infamous leader of the far-right extremist Christian group known as Focus on the Family. Ms. Dobson is a volunteer, and the NDPTF is not affiliated with Focus on the Family, but it is headquartered in a building owned by Focus on the Family.

If you know anything of the organization Campus Crusade for Christ, you will recognize the name of Bill Bright, who headed up Campus Crusade for many years. Bill Bright was a far-right Christian theocrat who believed in the dominionist program of turning the U.S. government into a Christian theocratic state. His wife, Mrs. Vonette Bright, led the NDPTF prior to Ms. Dobson's reign.

The NDPTF insists the National Day of Prayer is not a Christian event. As we said, that is a lie! In fact, on the same web page where they say it's not a Christian event, they refer to "Christian leaders" on two occasions. It is quite clear there is no place for non-Christian leaders in their organization.

And in a previous year, when referring to National Day of Prayer Sunday (!), the NDPTF writes "...in Churches, when 40 million Christians come together to worship..." Not too much question as to expectations there!

But that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.


Let's look at this event more closely. As noted, the NDPTF lies about its not being a political event, too. It is as much a political event as it is a religious event, and thus it is unconstitutional! As an "official religious observance," it breaks down the wall of separation of church and state. The government has no responsibility or power to promote or encourage religious activity of any kind.

That did not, of course, stop President Bush from making this statement in 2002: "NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2, 2002, as a National Day of Prayer..."

There is nothing in our constitution that gives the president authority to declare a national day of prayer. "Our politicians, the president included, are not authorized to make religious decisions for the citizens."

The people of this country can pray whenever they wish for whatever they wish. The president has nothing to say about it. So, when George says "by virtue of the authority vested in me..." he is blowing smoke. He has no authority "vested" in him to establish a Day of Prayer.

He needs to read (hah!) Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in a letter to the Rev. Samuel Miller in 1808, that "Certainly no power to prescribe any religious exercise or to assume authority in religious discipline has been delegated to the General Government..."

James Madison, considered by many historians to be the "Father of the Constitution," said that prayer proclamations were inappropriate, although he did issue a few "prayer day" proclamations while president. But he regretted his actions, and wrote that these kinds of religious proclamations "seem to imply and certainly nourish the erroneous idea of a national religion."


Another major problem (other than the whole thing is unconstitutional!) is that the National Day of Prayer has become a vehicle to promote the agenda of fundamentalist Christianity and the Republican Party.

The NDPTF is up front about its fundamentalist view of the world and its claim that the United States is a Christian nation. The Texas Freedom Network warns that "the NDP Task Force has cloaked the National Day of Prayer in a political mantle. Adopting the culture war language of the Christian Right, the group explicitly instructs participants to pray about social issues such as 'condom distribution, the promotion of homosexuality and a refusal to acknowledge God [in public schools].'"

As mentioned previously, another very large lie relates to the NDPTF's claim that the event is for all Americans, not just Christians. In fact, the NDPTF explains that "Our expression of ... involvement [in the National Day of Prayer] is specifically limited to the Judeo-Christian heritage and those who share that conviction as expressed in the Lausanne Covenant."

It's interesting, but I've never found anyone who could explain, with any degree of cogency, that phrase, "Judeo-Christian heritage." It definitely has nothing to do with the Lausanne Covenant, and most Jews I know reject it out-of-hand. Christians, from Paul onward, have been very clear about disavowing the most important facets of any Jewish heritage, and today the Christian churches in all their myriad forms have, at best, only faint glimmerings of anything Jewish, many being openly anti-Jewish.

The Lausanne Covenant you probably wouldn't know about unless you are a fundamentalist Christian. This derives from a 1974 attempt made by fundamentalists to put into writing the essence of what they believed must be believed to be a Christian (the better to dismiss heretics within their midst.) The Lausanne Covenant is a good example as to why the notion of a Judeo-Christian heritage doesn't cut it; The Lausanne Covenant instead disses all persons as unworthy of salvation and unable to attain salvation, who do not accept the following formulations (There are other components of this covenant, but these are the most significant for our purposes):

1. Bible inerrancy - "We affirm [that the Bible is] without error in all that it affirms, and [is] the only infallible rule of faith and practice."
2. Christian Exclusivity - "Those who reject Christ repudiate the joy of salvation and condemn themselves to eternal separation from God.

In addition, the NDPTF materials are filled with references to "Christ," and their sample materials assume that only Christian pastors and leaders will be involved. Other religious groups are not only not wanted, but are banned from participation as happened in Plano, Texas in 2005 when local NDPTF volunteers refused to allow non-Christian faith representatives to be part of the prayer festivities.

At one point the NDPTF website included this quote: "We can and must win this cultural war." How to do that? Well, in 2005, of the "five great things to pray for," one was the media, because the media is "hostile to those who voice their belief in Christ," and another was education, because public schools are bent on "promoting a radical social agenda," which includes "condom distribution, the promotion of homosexuality."

Other "cultural war" concerns involve abortion, gay marriage, and the courts.


The NDPTF encourages all of the states to participate in the National Day of Prayer. Most of them do, all of the time. Governors adopt the NDPTF "theme" and utilize NDPTF materials, and help to establish celebrations for their states. One who refused was the former governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura. Always a maverick, and often right on target, Jesse was pressured in 1999 by the Minnesota Family Council, a far-right Christian group affiliated with the Washington-based Family Research Council.

But Ventura did not bow to that pressure and refused to "formally endorse" the National Day of Prayer. Jesse told reporters "I believe in the separation of church and state. We all have our own religious beliefs. There are people out there who are atheists, who don't believe at all. They are all citizens of Minnesota and I have to respect that."


Each year the NDPTF selects an "honorary chairman," who is supposed to promote the affair and say all the right and godly things and put together a terrific prayer for the actual event. Slacktivist, a cynical blogger (thus a favorite of mine) wrote this about the 2004's event:

"The honorary chairman," he says, "ideally should be someone who embodies the civil religious, next-to-of-course-god-america-i-love-you values of the NDP. The person should be prominent, widely admired -- a hero.

"Pat Tillman would have been a good choice -- a man who walked away from fame and a million-dollar career to serve his country. Except of course that he wasn't religious and now ... he's dead."

"John McCain, likewise, is a popular war hero, but he has never mastered the kind of platitudinous piety the role requires.

"Mel Gibson is, alas, not an American. And beside, Mel has never been convicted of lying to Congress to cover up the covert funding of terrorists.

"Thus for honorary chairman, the National Day of Prayer organizers chose the only appropriate man for the job: Oliver North. ...

"I was willing," cries Slacktivist, "to at least try to take this thing seriously, but Oliver North? Couldn't they at least pretend this event had something to do with genuine prayer or faith? Couldn't they even try to be at least a little bit subtle in wielding their piety as a partisan political club? Oliver freaking North."

This was the same year Shirley Dobson, on The 700 Club, portrayed (as usual) the United States as a Christian nation. She said "We live in the land of the free where 'we the people' can openly call upon God for wisdom, protection and blessing. In order to realize the potential outlined in the Declaration of Independence, we must continue seeking Divine counsel, asking for His intervention and direction."

Notice the words, "we the people," and "Declaration of Independence." None of those words have anything to do with prayer. But she ties them together nicely and one might even think that we are a wonderful, religious nation, with a wonderful, religious government. One might even forget that "we the people" can pray anytime we wish and do not need our government involved whatsoever; that in fact the Declaration of Independence was predicated on a government that could NOT tell people how or when or what to pray!

I can't help but wonder, too, why these fundamentalist Christians believe they have to pray all the time. Does their god not know their needs? And how does god grant them their wishes for wisdom and protection and blessing? And why should any god grant those wishes? And what is the potential outlined in the Declaration of Independence? And exactly how does god intervene and direct so that we can realize that potential - whatever it is?


We said before, that when it comes to the National Day of Prayer, non-Christians need not apply. I have a copy of the program for the 2005 National Day of Prayer for the city of Artesia, California. The people involved included a Methodist, an "Evangelical," a Roman Catholic, a "New Life" Christian, what appears to be a Messianic "Jew," someone from the World Full Gospel Mission (Pentecostal), and a pastor Dave from the Calvary Chapel. Not a real Jew anywhere. No Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, not even a Lutheran or Presbyterian. Sheesh!

On the national level in 2005, the Honorary Chair was Henry Blackaby, a "noted Southern Baptist discipleship leader." He urged "Christians to pray about his upcoming message," and he said that he was very worred about terrorist threats and the moral decay of American society.

Ms. Dobson was ecstatic about Blackaby. "His prayer for the nation couldn't be more appropriate for the culture we find ourselves living in today," she said. "He has graciously attended to our requests and his book, 'Experiencing Prayer with Jesus,' is garnering good attention in the market. Dr. Blackaby is a man of God and [we] have been incredibly blessed by his active support this year.

Blackaby is ready! Heck, his book is selling like hotcakes, and he knows about prayer 'cause he used to head up prayer stuff for the Southern Baptists. He also knows about bombs and chemical weapons and thinks that terrorists have "dirty bombs" and chemical or biological weapons at their disposal, and that's why "Blackaby considers prayer the nation's most powerful line of defense."

"That's why I'm convinced this National Day of Prayer is so urgent, because there's an immediate danger," said Blackaby. "Only sincere, God-honoring prayer will cause the hand of God to keep the enemy from hurting us badly." (Did Bush put him up to saying that?)

Another problem, of course, is the moral decay of the country. My god, there's talk of same-sex marriage "and we're plagued with increasing attempts to keep any references to God from the public square. Blackaby said the root of many problems is turning away from the Creator."

"The nation that honors God, He will honor," said Blackaby.

What a god these folks believe in! He (always "he") is going to sit back and allow his chosen people (Americans) to be destroyed by bomb-carrying, chemical weaponing terrorists because we don't pray on the National Day of Prayer? Or because we allow two people who love each other to be married? Or because we don't talk about God in the "public square?"

And doesn't this so-called "doctor" know that, according to the bible, praying is not what god considers as honoring her? Has he not read that god requires justice and mercy, not prayer?


In 2008, the 57th Annual National Day of Prayer will take place on Thursday, May 1. This year's theme, inapt as it may be, is "Prayer! America's Strength and Shield."

The honorary chairman is Dr. Ravi Zacharias, a "evangelical" minister, philosopher and evangelist. His doctorate is also "honorary," although he does have a Masters of Divinity. Dr. Zacharias believes that Christianity can answer all the important questions.

And Ricky Skaggs, the country singer, "a man of prayer," will also be praying on May 1. Ricky Scaggs grabbed his guitar and said "We are praying that a drawing toward Christ in relationship would take place. Prayer always precedes revival...no revival ever started without prayer. Prayer shows a dependency upon God."

I didn't know Ricky was an evangelist, too! And I didn't know that the National Day of Prayer was supposed to ignite a Christian spiritual awakening, or a fundamentalist revival in our fair land. And don't all you mainline Christians, and Jews and other non-Christians feel welcome and like full partners in this government authorized Jesus Christ prayer event?

Oh, yes, Coach Tony Dungy is going to pray, too - to Jesus.

And, you will be really glad to know that in 2007, "The Furniture Row # 78 CUP program, sporting the NDP paint scheme was on the track again at Talladega Motor Speedway [April 29] for the NASCAR Aaron's 499 Cup." I didn't know that, either. But "Featured on ABC News and the Speed Channel, the National Day of Prayer # 78 has been a huge success."

So, the National Day of Prayer is about car racing, too. Wow! Well, lots of NASCAR fans pay homage to "the man upstairs," so why not?


The National Observance will be held in Washington, D.C., our nation's capital (as the NDPTF is quick to point out!), from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. (EDT) and will be broadcast LIVE via webcast. I wasn't able to determine exactly where this great event would take place. Evidently, if you haven't been invited, you're not wanted.

You can link to it, though, to hear such luminaries as Condoleezza Rice, Mrs. Shirley Dobson, Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Ravi Zacharias, Rep. Mike McIntyre, Judge Janice Rogers Brown, Chaplain Barry Black, and Charles Billingsley.


Then again, you may want to forget all about it if you're a Jew or non-Christian, 'cause you're definitely not wanted and considered apostate. And if you're a Christian, well you can forget about it, too...because --

Jesus said, "...when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogue [read church or state or national capitol] and at the street-corners, for everyone to see them [read public square.] I tell you this: they have their reward already. But when you pray, go into a room by yourself, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is there in the secret place; and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.

"In your prayers do not go babbling on like the heathen, who imagine that the more they say the more likely they are to be heard. Do not imitate them. Your Father knows what your needs are before you ask him." -- Matthew 6:5-8

And finally, "Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of my heavenly Father. When that day comes, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast our devils in your name, and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them to their face, 'I never knew you; out of my sight, you and your wicked ways!'" -- Matthew 7:21-23

Let's kick the pray-ers out of our national and state capitols -- the "public square." Maybe there's still time to turn things around before god gets really pissed and the world blows up in our face!

Florida Senate Committee OKs Child Abuse

Well, maybe not child abuse in a technical sense, but close enough.

These fundamentalist Christians just never quit! In spite of the fact that the teaching of evolution has now been mandated in Florida's public schools, the state's Senate Judiciary Committee voted (along party lines!) to allow teachers to "present scientific information relevant to the full range of views on biological and chemical evolution."

In other words, the Republican morons on the Senate Judiciary Committee have approved child abuse. What else can you call it when you permit the teaching of nonsensical non-science, which will not only give children a false view of the universe and the world in which they live, but seriously handicap their chances for success if they should select a scientific field of endeavor as their life's work?

The sponsor of the bill, one Ronda Storms, a Republican (naturally) from Brandon, Florida, claimed that teachers and students in Florida's schools are afraid to discuss other "theories" of how life developed, such as intelligent design.

Ronda said "The bill is needed because the new science standards present the theory of evolution in a dogmatic way. Both teachers and students feel muzzled from expressing their views."

Actually, the true situation is the reverse of what Ms. Storms claims. Studies have shown that in this most backward of states, some science teachers are afraid to teach evolution because fundamentalist Christian parents complain and that can lead to a teacher's dismissal by a school board in fear of the wingnuts.

Furthermore, if a science teacher is so stupid as to teach Intelligent Design (which is nothing more than a cover for Creationism), then he or she should feel "muzzled." It is not appropriate to teach Christian religious dogma in a public school in Florida or anywhere else.

This bill is, of course, another attempt by the Religious Right (in this case, the Christian Right) to force their theological doctrines upon the children of the state. It has nothing to do with fairness because Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory but a religious dogma. And typical of the Christian Right, it tries to hide its true purpose behind the notion that it's only fair to teach "alternative theories of life's origin."

So, we'll say it again: There are no valid, scientific "alternative theories of life's origin!" There are merely unjustified and unscientific religious mythologies!

To teach public school children unjustified and unscientific religious mythologies is child abuse!