A stated goal of leaders in the religious right is the destruction of an enemy - secular humanism, and they have determined that secular humanists are in control of the United States and that they are indeed evil.
I believe they have identified Nancy Pelosi as the high priestess of secular humanism having succeeded Hillary Clinton. And their other enemy is the cult religions. A cult religion is any religion in disagreement to their strict definition of Christianity. They believe that destroying our government through revolution will in fact allow them to gain control of it and restructure it into a theocratic form. And any of the cult religions would not fare well either.
If you read the current writings of this movement, you will find that they are indeed actually "Christianizing" the concept of revolution. They are bringing the founding fathers into the realm of Christian sainthood and laying the groundwork for aggressive political action to redeem our nation. This movement has been building since the 1950's ever creeping into the mindset of fundamentalist Christianity. It has been termed by some as Dominionism and by others as Reconstructionism or Theonomy. At some future time, if things go really awry, it may become deemed as the 21st century Crusades.
Revolution is the ultimate lack of diplomacy. Revolution incited by the right wing would be the antithesis of the Christian principles which they claim to uphold. They are following a new gospel of their own creation which does not preach salvation for all by the blood of Christ but salvation of a few by dominion over the many. They have moved from evangelizing the true gospel to save individual souls (John 3:16 - 17) to a politicized gospel that would bring down a sledge hammer on those who do not fit their mold of belief. One likes to think that our enlightened society is beyond this.
And the overriding question I have is, which of the hundreds of Christian denominations would be in charge? And secondly, how would those not in charge behave? Would there be counter-revolutions or would they some how work this out in Nicene Council fashion? The fact that there are hundreds of Christian sects begs the question of how a Christian theocracy could ever be established in this country.
As for me, I definitely think the Methodists should be in charge. Wait, we must be already because we believe in a SOCIAL gospel that supports the dignity of all individuals, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and assisting the poor. We must be the root of the evil empire.
Well, at least the religious right has that Mormon Glenn Beck on their side. Oh wait, the religious right considers Mormonism to be a cult. What now? And has anyone told Mitt Romney this?
Was McCain's selection of Sarah Palin a campaign gimmick or a game-changer?
My first reaction to the news was, "Sarah who?" and then it was, "Well, that's just a blatant attempt to attract Hillary supporters." But there is more to it than that.
If you are not aware of who Sarah Palin is, then you are obviously not part of the radically right movement. They love her! She has been the best campaign donation tactic yet. McCain has raised $7,000,000 in the past two days after naming her to the veep slot. And Rush Limbaugh is so happy he is quoted as saying that McCain has hit, "a home f***ing run."
McCain now calls Palin a "soul-mate." He said in an interview with Chris Wallace today on Fox News that when he first met with Palin that he met a, "partner and soul-mate."
After seeing his campaign bank account McCain is undoubtedly effervescent. Palin, which is pronounced, "Pay - lin" not "Pah - lin" is living up to her name.
First of all, I was wrong. This could not have been an attempt to grab for Hillary Clinton supporters. The women who support Hillary are all saying this in unison, "I know Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton!" No, this may seem like an olive-branch attempt to give the disenfranchised Clinton supporters their chance to shatter the glass ceiling, but it most certainly is not.
This is a desperate attempt to secure the voter base that McCain has been pandering to for months after seeing the success of the the DNC and the 76,000 people cheering in Invesco Field where it did not rain, even though one of James Dobson's cronies, Stuart Shepard of Focus on the Family, was spreading the word to their followers to "pray for rain" on the last night of the Democratic Convention.
"I'm talking 'umbrella-ain't-going-to-help-you rain," the former pastor and television meteorologist said.
In case you didn't watch the event, it was a beautiful evening in Denver, so I guess God didn't see fit to intervene on Shepard's or Dobson's behalf. God smiled on Obama and all was well.
Former presidential candidateGary Bauer on Friday called the choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin "a historic moment for women and for the Republican Party as well as a choice guaranteed to energize Values Voters. This is a grand slam home run for John McCain."
"Sarah Palin is an outstanding governor, an exemplar of all that is good and true,” said RNC for Life National Chairman Phyllis Schlafly. “She is a major leader in the pro-life movement and that is main reason we chose her as our keynote speaker for our ‘Life of the Party’ party at this year’s GOP convention."
The Christian Coalition in a press release about Palin said, "Christian Coalition of America commends Senator John McCain for his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, a pro-life conservative mother of 5 children including a Downs Syndrome baby born during April."
Roberta Combs, President of the Christian Coalition of America said: "Governor Sarah Palin is a bold choice for Vice President who is a courageous advocate for unborn children. In addition, she is a conservative who is a reformer not afraid to shake up the establishment. I congratulate Senator McCain for his outstanding selection for his vice presidential running mate."
In an interview with Top of the Ticket, Ralph Reid, former executive director of the Christian Coalition, had this to say about the qualities the veep pick by McCain should have:
Reed: He needs a running mate who is 1) a proven, credible conservative to energize the grass roots of the Republican Party; 2) someone with a demonstrated crossover appeal among women, independents, Democrats, and preferably Hispanics; 3) can pass the laugh test among both voters and the chattering class as someone ready to become president down the road.
Whatever one thinks of Dick Cheney (and I think he's gotten a bum rap), he has transformed the vice presidency into the second most important office in the nation. This is a real change, and the bar is now higher for running mates.
And given McCain's age, he needs a running mate who will be seen by voters as someone who could succeed him.
Finally, if Obama does not pick a woman, especially after beating Hillary, then McCain should look seriously at qualified women. I'd prefer not to get into names because the bench is so deep and there are so many qualified people (and I don't want to offend any friends who are on the list!)
John McCain was obviously not shy of offending the long list of qualified candidates. But with only having met Sarah Palin once and that just six months ago and with a very fast and incomplete vetting process, is McCain ready for the Pay-dirt that will soon come rolling out about Sarah Palin? Already rumors are starting to swill and bubble up. (Who scrubbed Wikipedia the day before the announcement?)
Did she overstep the power of the Governor's office to fire Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan? What is the controversy about her fifth child with some speculating that Trig is actually her grandchild? And if this is false, then was it grit or incredible lack of judgement that moved Palin to continue with a thirty-minute speech at a conference in Texas on April 18th even though she was supposedly already in labor? After the speech she did not check into a local hospital in Texas but flew over 12 hours to get back to an obscure hospital in Alaska and then returned to work just three days after delivering a premature, special needs infant. Either she is the last of the idyllic prairie woman type that delivered a baby and then went back to the field to plow or there is more to the story.
For McCain to have offered and for Palin to have accepted the veep slot for the Republican ticket says volumes about them both and only time will tell exactly what that is. It is sure to be a long walk in mukluks to Washington, DC for Sarah Palin as her splash on the national scene plays out over the next two months. Whatever you think of Sarah Palin, it would behoove all those that believe to keep her and her family in their thoughts and prayers. It's going to be a bumpy ride. (picture of Sarah Palin from Vogue Magazine story, Feb '08)
Just what would 'ya say you do here in the office of Vice President of the United States of America? "What is it exactly that the VP does every day? I am used to be very productive and working really hard... This is a pretty cool job here being Governor of Alaska." - Sarah Palin
Hillary Clinton called herself a "proud supporter of Barack Obama" after Democratic convention delegates greeted her with a standing ovation: "Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our president."
The best speech and the biggest presence of the Democratic convention was Hillary Clinton on night two. Hillary brought home why she ran for office and asked why her supporters backed her. "Were you in this campaign just to support me or that young marine and other like him figghting in Iraq?" "Were you in it for me or to support that single mother fighting cancer and struggling to support her family?" "We don't have a moment to lose or a vote to spare." "Obama will revitalize our economy and support working people."
She hit it out of the park. Her speech was historic and a shining moment in her career. It was the speech that will be a hallmark that is the turning point that makes Hillary more than a politician, it is the doorway that puts her on the path to be a true stateswoman. She is the greatest female political leader in the Democratic party and in any party.
Dennis Kucinich Speech at Democratic Convention 2008, Night Two
Create a computer wall paper or screen saver from the above images. For wall paper, double click any image and when new window pops up, right click on the image and select "set as wall paper." For screen saver, first create a folder named "Obama". Double click on any image, then when new window pops up, right click the image and click "save image as" and save to the Obama folder. In windows control panel, select change screen saver. In screen saver dialog, select photos as screen saver. In settings, select the Obama folder. Save changes.
