A progressive political blog that highlights the infringement of religion upon today’s government.

The more time that goes by with our soldiers in Iraq I find it harder and harder to understand why anyone would continue to support this war and this president. I came across this You Tube video at Crooks and Liars. I watched it twice, and I have to warn you that there are graphic images of what this war is costing both to Americans and Iraqis.

I was particularly struck by how the street prophets of Christianity clung to George W. Bush, because he prays and is a professed Christian. It didn’t matter to them that he is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, including babies and children. The most vocal of the two interviews even said that he wasn’t a political person but he supports Bush because he prays.

This illogical thinking is very scary to me and it is difficult to break through. A majority of my own family is exactly the same way. My own mother told me the other day that she has no interest in politics, she didn’t want to hear about the crimes committed by this administration. She has her God that she apparently shares with Bush so that’s all there is to it, he must be right, he’s a man of god.

The right wing of politics has become very good at polarizing their base to fight against the immoral left. They have shrunk everything down into abortion, homosexuality, and illegal immigration. The people who follow them don’t realize that they are being led down a very narrow road, not the one to heaven, the one to the desecration of democracy in this country. The one that will allow those in power to continue to abuse it while yelling out against the heathen in their midst.

What is going on in politics is the responsibility for every man and woman to make themselves familiar with. It’s not just about campaigns, ugly commercials, and overused rhetoric. Behind all of this is an administration who is perpetrating real evil on the world in the name of money god. There is also the possibility for change, real, meaningful change. It is our duty to reach every person of voting age in this country however we can and press them to stand up and take charge of their lives.

How do you speak logically to those who are hopelessly mired in illogical beliefs? I don’t know. It’s been my experience that you stay above the fray, so to speak, and try and find some sort of common ground to build from. It’s tedious, difficult, and sometimes maddening but it is important. Christianity is full of people with “blind faith” waiting around like sheep to be told what to do, think, and feel by whoever shouts god’s name louder. Somehow we need to find a way to inject a voice of reason and break through the apathy that surrounds them.

I know, I know, he’s gone, outta here; but, I have a very good reason for deeming him a Sinner today. The revelation that under his guidance the Justice Department had a “secret” opinion written in 2005 that made the definitions of torture very hazy and allowed things such as waterboarding, freezing temperatures, and other horrific physical and psychological techniques.

Of course, Dana Perrino insists that this is not true, it couldn’t be, the United States doesn’t torture. This “secret” opinion exists, she says but never overrode the 2004 opinion which did not endorse torture. One wonders then why there was a need for another opinion that was kept secret, is alleged to have never been used for anything, and yet contained within it allowances for things that later happened.

Early on in the race for 2008, I had decided that among all of the Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton was mine. She is an eloquent speaker, she has amazing composure, her stances on the issues that matter to me are right on target, she devoted a large portion of her life to helping children and families, and she is well versed in the political arena.

I did question her sincerity on ending the war in Iraq a few times and wondered why she just wouldn’t admit that authorizing force there was a mistake to begin with. I did not agree with her that we are now safer than we were but overall we went together very well.

I live in a red state where the Hillary Hating abounds so I was in a minority but found, to my surprise, that there were many others that supported her locally. I followed her debates, kept up on her web site, and spread her messages wherever I could.

Then I was betrayed. Somehow, what I had thought was a crazy little amendment that would never go anywhere, was passed by the Senate. I’m talking about the call to war with Iran that is the Lieberman/Kyl Amendment. There must have been a mistake somewhere, surely our Congresspeople could not seriously think that this was a good idea? I anxiously read the roll call and was stunned. Not only did it pass by an overwhelming majority but Hillary Clinton voted for it and Barack Obama didn’t even bother to vote either way!

Now MSM has not really covered this very well at all. Even in the blogosphere it seems, to me, to be an underrated story. Perhaps because two sections were removed that made it more palatable for Dems to support. It is still a scary piece of legislation that details the “sense of the Senate” regarding Iran. It places Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on our list of “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” which is basically an authorization to attack them. While the toned down version specifically states that we should do what we need to IN IRAQ and is not as aggressive as the first version, putting the Revolutionary Guard on this list would make them official targets in the war on terror. Theoretically, this could allow for attacks against them in Iran, which we are already hearing will be happening.

The worst part about this is the lack of evidence to support these statements and possible invasion of yet another country that was on Bush’s to do list. Iraq and Iran have a lot of interests with each other and that doesn’t necessarily translate into bomb making business. I would have hoped that our legislatures, many of whom now wish that they would have voted differently in 2002, would have taken a closer look at this disastrous amendment and really did the research and demanded more information.

I would encourage you to read Seymour Hersh’s column here for more information regarding Iran.

As Americans two of the core freedoms we enjoy are the freedom of expression and the freedom to make our own decisions. More than a book a day is threatened with removal from our public libraries and schools, censoring those cherished freedoms. As the religious right removes these books they remove your right as a free adult to choose what you read, feel, and think. It is critical that these censorships are contested because they are threatening our very culture and way of life.

This week from September 29 through October 6 local bookstores, campuses, and libraries are hosting Banned Book Week to raise awareness for this troubling issue. Join us by visiting your local library or bookstore and checking out or purchasing one of these banned books. Below is the top 10 most challenged books of 2006.

Part of living in a democracy means respecting each other’s differences and the right of all people to choose for themselves what they and their families read,” said Judith F. Krug, director, OIF. “We must remain vigilant to assure that would-be censors don’t threaten the very basis of our democracy.

You may also want to check out the top books from the 21st century. If you think that its just litary masterpieces from authors such as Mark Twain, J.D. Salinger, John Steinbeck, or Judy Blume under attack you will be shocked to see that Harry Potter tops the list for the past seven years.

The 10 Most Challenged Books of 2006

• “And Tango Makes 3″ by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
• “Gossip Girls” series by Cecily Von Ziegesar
• “Alice” series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things” by Carolyn Mackler
• “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
• “Scary Stories” series by Alvin Schwartz
• “Athletic Shorts” by Chris Crutcher
• “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky
• “Beloved” by Toni Morrison
• “The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier

~William~

p.s. I would be very interested in hearing what your favorite book is from the top 100 list found here. Mine is “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. Wonderful book and I’m glad we had to read it in freshman English. Steinbeck has always been one of my favorite authors and it saddens me that this masterpiece is at #6 on the list.

—* UPDATE *—

Well, Banned Books Week is over. Hope everyone got the chance to check out at least one of their favorite banned books. I am strongly recommending “Of Mice and Men” to my daughter, I was a little older than her when I read it but I think she’s mature enough. I’ll be posting our new “Take Action” alert shortly.

Remember though, just because the awareness week is over does not mean that the problem is over until next week.  Keep the pressure on and you can help keep these great literary masterpieces free for everyone.

The 7 deadly sins originate from Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th Century. They also played a large part in Dante’s The Divine Comedy. Unlike the venial sins these seven deadly sins carry the threat of eternal damnation unless absolved through confession. For this reason we feel that focusing mostly on our government and religious leaders who commit these deadly sins is essential in exposing the hypocrisy that is so common in today’s politics.

• Lust –
  The uncontrolled or excessive craving for the pleasures of the body.
• Gluttony –
  The over consumption of anything to the point of excess and waste. Thomas Aquinas listed 5 ways to commit gluttony as related to food.
• Greed –
  The obsession with accumulating personal wealth and possessions, especially when that wealth comes at the expense of others.
• Sloth –
  The refusal or avoidance of physical or spiritual work. This also includes those who refuse to work beyond the minimum required, or fail to live up to their potential as a result of a lack of effort.
• Wrath –
  The uncontrolled feelings of anger, hatred, prejudice, and spite.
• Envy –
  The desire for something which another has. Dante defined Envy as “love of one’s own good perverted to a desire to deprive other men of theirs.” and therefore envy includes the sin of promoting yourself by tearing down another.
• Pride –
  The most serious of the 7 deadly sins, pride is the desire to be more attractive, important, respected, or popular than others.

References

• Wikipedia – Seven Deadly Sins
• 7 Deadly Sins - Sins