Saturday, July 31, 2004 - Apache Junction, Arizona, USA
THE CHRISTIAN COALITION: ARE THEY REALLY CHRISTIAN?
Rev. Pat Robertson, Rev. Jerry Falwell, Rev. James Kennedy and their followers have one thing in common. They want to help the Christian Coalition remake the United States of America into a Christian Theocracy. What’s that? It would be a Taliban like society where the nation’s courts (including the Supreme Court), state legislatures, schools, Congress, and the White House would be overwhelmingly populated by men who subscribe to the theories of the Christian Coalition.
What would America be like under such rule? Gays and Lesbians would be driven underground or forced into “treatment” for their “illness” by commandment spouting judges like Justice Antonin Scalia who would overturn the Texas Sodomy decision. Capitol punishment would be routine and speedy, leaving St. Peter to sort out any mistakes at the gate. Women would have little say over their bodies as Roe v. Wade would be overturned. In fact, women would have little to no say in government whatsoever, as they would be forced into a submissive role under the headship of their husbands. The Bible would become the immutable authority on everything from zoning laws to foreign policy.
Not since McCarthyism and George Wallace have American Civil Liberties been under such an attack. In 1992, Republicans took control of both houses of Congress. In 2000, they took over the Oval Office. Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, has said, “We have enough votes to run the country. We are going to take over.”
“It's time to get Jesus into the judicial mix,” Mathew Staver of Liberty Council says. “Now we're working to establish Liberty University School of Law, which will open its doors in August 2004. We are going to teach lawyers to think in a biblical, Christian world view. They will indeed expand this area of litigation. Those students will in turn one day become instructors at other law schools, and, most important, they'll become judges,” he promises.
But the question begs, is this really what Christ would have his people do? If Jesus had wanted a Theocracy in this world, it would have been very easy for him to have established one when he was alive in Israel. In fact, the Bible tells us that the Jews on many occasions tried to make him King. But Jesus refused saying, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Do you think that Jesus would want tax breaks for the rich when he told the rich of his day to, “sell everything you own, give it to the poor, and follow me,”? The Christian Coalition wants to rule over others, but Jesus said, “I will tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” These “Christians” will tell you that the idea of separation between Church and State is a lie, yet Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
Are people who say things like, “Many of the people who supported Adolph Hitler were Satanists, many of them were homosexuals. The two things seem to go together,” speaking as Jesus would have spoken? Jesus not only said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” He also said, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
The Federalist Society, part and parcil to the Christian Coalition, was formed twenty years ago in reaction to the powers the Supreme Court was granting the federal government. It is a network of lawyers, elected officials and scholars who want to free corporations from government regulations. It is hostile to civil rights, environmental protections, worker safety laws, a separation between church and state and more.
Some prominent leaders of the Religious Right play a dominant role in the Federalist Society. For example former President of the Christian Coalition, Donald Hodel is a board member. Twenty four of President Bush's top cabinet members and most of his court nominations are members of the Federalist Society. The list includes John Ashcroft, Attorney General; Spencer Abraham, Secretary of Energy; Gail Norton, Secretary of the Interior; and Theodore Olson, Solicitor General. Other notable members are Justices Scalia and Thomas, Orrin Hatch, and Kenneth Starr.
Do not be misled. Unless we Americans react and react swiftly, these people will obtain their goal and America will be changed forever. The Federalist Society and The Christian Coalition do not represent God. They are not Christians. They preach fear and hate in order to gain what they want.
“I have known few homosexuals who did not practice their tendencies. Such people are sinning against God and will lead to the ultimate destruction of the family and our nation. I am unalterably opposed to such things, and will do everything I can to restrict the freedom of these people to spread their contagious infection to the youth of our nation.”
-Pat Robertson
“Homosexuality is Satan’s diabolical attack upon the family that will not only have a corrupting influence upon our next generation, but it will also bring down the wrath of God upon America.”
-Jerry Falwell
“There ought to be limits to freedom.”
- George W. Bush
The apostle John wrote, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” Clearly, by anyone’s reading of that scripture, these so called Christians do not love God because they obviously do not love their brother.
Hold men such as Senator Bill Frist, TN; Mitch McConnell, KY; Rick Santorum, PA; Bob Bennett, UT; Kay Bailey Hutchinson, TX; Jon Kyle, AZ; and George Allen, VA, accountable for their votes. Each one of them has a 100% score from the Christian Coalition, which means they voted with the Coalition’s agenda every single time. We need to take back America from these unchristian, un-American individuals. Vote in 2004 and 2006 against these preachers of fear.
©2004 Marcia Ellen "Happy" Beevre
(2) comments
Rev. Pat Robertson, Rev. Jerry Falwell, Rev. James Kennedy and their followers have one thing in common. They want to help the Christian Coalition remake the United States of America into a Christian Theocracy. What’s that? It would be a Taliban like society where the nation’s courts (including the Supreme Court), state legislatures, schools, Congress, and the White House would be overwhelmingly populated by men who subscribe to the theories of the Christian Coalition.
What would America be like under such rule? Gays and Lesbians would be driven underground or forced into “treatment” for their “illness” by commandment spouting judges like Justice Antonin Scalia who would overturn the Texas Sodomy decision. Capitol punishment would be routine and speedy, leaving St. Peter to sort out any mistakes at the gate. Women would have little say over their bodies as Roe v. Wade would be overturned. In fact, women would have little to no say in government whatsoever, as they would be forced into a submissive role under the headship of their husbands. The Bible would become the immutable authority on everything from zoning laws to foreign policy.
Not since McCarthyism and George Wallace have American Civil Liberties been under such an attack. In 1992, Republicans took control of both houses of Congress. In 2000, they took over the Oval Office. Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, has said, “We have enough votes to run the country. We are going to take over.”
“It's time to get Jesus into the judicial mix,” Mathew Staver of Liberty Council says. “Now we're working to establish Liberty University School of Law, which will open its doors in August 2004. We are going to teach lawyers to think in a biblical, Christian world view. They will indeed expand this area of litigation. Those students will in turn one day become instructors at other law schools, and, most important, they'll become judges,” he promises.
But the question begs, is this really what Christ would have his people do? If Jesus had wanted a Theocracy in this world, it would have been very easy for him to have established one when he was alive in Israel. In fact, the Bible tells us that the Jews on many occasions tried to make him King. But Jesus refused saying, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Do you think that Jesus would want tax breaks for the rich when he told the rich of his day to, “sell everything you own, give it to the poor, and follow me,”? The Christian Coalition wants to rule over others, but Jesus said, “I will tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” These “Christians” will tell you that the idea of separation between Church and State is a lie, yet Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
Are people who say things like, “Many of the people who supported Adolph Hitler were Satanists, many of them were homosexuals. The two things seem to go together,” speaking as Jesus would have spoken? Jesus not only said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” He also said, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
The Federalist Society, part and parcil to the Christian Coalition, was formed twenty years ago in reaction to the powers the Supreme Court was granting the federal government. It is a network of lawyers, elected officials and scholars who want to free corporations from government regulations. It is hostile to civil rights, environmental protections, worker safety laws, a separation between church and state and more.
Some prominent leaders of the Religious Right play a dominant role in the Federalist Society. For example former President of the Christian Coalition, Donald Hodel is a board member. Twenty four of President Bush's top cabinet members and most of his court nominations are members of the Federalist Society. The list includes John Ashcroft, Attorney General; Spencer Abraham, Secretary of Energy; Gail Norton, Secretary of the Interior; and Theodore Olson, Solicitor General. Other notable members are Justices Scalia and Thomas, Orrin Hatch, and Kenneth Starr.
Do not be misled. Unless we Americans react and react swiftly, these people will obtain their goal and America will be changed forever. The Federalist Society and The Christian Coalition do not represent God. They are not Christians. They preach fear and hate in order to gain what they want.
“I have known few homosexuals who did not practice their tendencies. Such people are sinning against God and will lead to the ultimate destruction of the family and our nation. I am unalterably opposed to such things, and will do everything I can to restrict the freedom of these people to spread their contagious infection to the youth of our nation.”
-Pat Robertson
“Homosexuality is Satan’s diabolical attack upon the family that will not only have a corrupting influence upon our next generation, but it will also bring down the wrath of God upon America.”
-Jerry Falwell
“There ought to be limits to freedom.”
- George W. Bush
The apostle John wrote, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” Clearly, by anyone’s reading of that scripture, these so called Christians do not love God because they obviously do not love their brother.
Hold men such as Senator Bill Frist, TN; Mitch McConnell, KY; Rick Santorum, PA; Bob Bennett, UT; Kay Bailey Hutchinson, TX; Jon Kyle, AZ; and George Allen, VA, accountable for their votes. Each one of them has a 100% score from the Christian Coalition, which means they voted with the Coalition’s agenda every single time. We need to take back America from these unchristian, un-American individuals. Vote in 2004 and 2006 against these preachers of fear.
©2004 Marcia Ellen "Happy" Beevre
.
Thursday, July 29, 2004 - Apache Junction, Arizona, USA
A DISTINCT DANGER
For over 200 years, the United States of America has held the ideal of religious freedom and the separation of church and state to be two of the fundamental pillars of our Constitution.
George Washington said, “The United States should have a foundation free from the influence of clergy.”
John Adams said, “The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”
Thomas Jefferson said, “History furnishes no example of a priest ridden people maintaining a free civil government. Their political as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purpose.”
With the coming election of 2004, we sit on the brink of seeing not only the Constitution of the United States destroyed, but also the freedoms contained therein that every American holds close to their hearts. How can I say this? Because our country is heading down a road from which there will be no return if we do not act now.
The symptoms are visible to anyone who takes the time to look around. First, we had the Supreme Court of the United States select the president of this country on a 5-4 vote only four short years ago. Think it can’t happen again? If George Bush is reselected, the vote next time will not be so close.
The Senate introduced a Constitutional amendment that for the first time in US history would discriminate against a selected minority. The only reason it did not make it through was because the majority of Republicans in the Senate still do not subscribe to the views of the religious right. This is not the case in the House of Representatives.
In the House, bill after bill is being introduced by right wing Republicans aimed at strengthening their power and making it easier for them to be re-elected. Here are just a few:
H.R. 2357: In a bill drafted by attorneys working for Pat Robinson’s American Center for Law and Justice, the religious right took aim at campaign finance reform. The bill would have allowed churches to collect money for political campaigns. It was supported by the most of the same right wing organizations that supported the Federal Marriage Amendment including, The American Family Association, The Family Research Council, Focus On The Family, and TV preachers like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
The bill was narrowly defeated on October 2, 2002, by a vote of 178-239. Since that time, the religious right have increased their number by 18 representatives in the elections of 2002. The bill was reintroduced in January of 2003 and today sits in the House Ways and Means Committee with 160 sponsors, awaiting an assured majority for passage.
H.R. 3799: The Constitution of the United States does not mention the word “God” anywhere within its pages. The Constitution Restoration Act of 2004 was introduced on the House floor on February 11th, 2004. It would ban all federal court cases challenging state-sponsored acknowledgement of “God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government.” It would also overturn all existing rulings in this area and establish a mechanism for impeaching federal judges who dare to uphold church-state separation.
H.R. 2045: “The Ten Commandments Act” has 116 sponsors in the House. It would deny federal courts the ability to hear cases involving government display of the Ten Commandments and other religious symbols.
H.R. 3313: The bill requiring no federal court to be able to hear arguments against the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed the House early this month and is on its way to the Senate, where it will probably suffer defeat. If, however, in November’s election, the Senate strengthens its right wing Republican membership, you can bet the House will reintroduce this bill and pass all like-minded pending legislation. That is, IF the House regains the control that right wing Republicans now enjoy.
If George Bush gets re-elected with a strong majority in the House and Senate, America is in deep trouble. No less then three members of the Supreme Court are due to retire, most likely within the next four years. If Bush gets to select those three justices, right wing Republicans will control all THREE branches of the government. There is no doubt that Bush will nominate three justices similar to his good friend, Justice Antonin Scalia.
Justice Scalia is a frightening individual. Here are a few of his comments pertaining to American Law:
“Government...derives its moral authority from God. It is the minister of God with powers to 'avenge' to 'execute wrath' including even wrath by the sword.”
“America's Founding Fathers never meant to exclude God from the public forums and from political life."
The Texas Republican Party Platform reads:
"While it is true that the United States of America was founded on the sacred principle of religious freedom for all, that liberty was never intended to exalt other religions to the level that Christianity holds in our country's heritage."
"Our Founders expected that Christianity -- and no other religion -- would receive support from the government as long as that support did not violate peoples' consciences and their right to worship. They would have found utterly incredible the idea that all religions, including paganism, be treated with equal deference."
"Our party pledges to exert its influence to ... dispel the ‘myth’ of the separation of church and state."
My question to you is, IS THIS THE AMERICA YOU WANT TO LIVE IN?
If not, vote these people out of the House, out of the Senate, and most assuredly, elect John Kerry president of the United States of America. This November’s election is not only important, it’s CRITICAL to the continued freedoms our country still enjoys.
©2004 Marcia Ellen "Happy" Beevre
(3) comments
For over 200 years, the United States of America has held the ideal of religious freedom and the separation of church and state to be two of the fundamental pillars of our Constitution.
George Washington said, “The United States should have a foundation free from the influence of clergy.”
John Adams said, “The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”
Thomas Jefferson said, “History furnishes no example of a priest ridden people maintaining a free civil government. Their political as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purpose.”
With the coming election of 2004, we sit on the brink of seeing not only the Constitution of the United States destroyed, but also the freedoms contained therein that every American holds close to their hearts. How can I say this? Because our country is heading down a road from which there will be no return if we do not act now.
The symptoms are visible to anyone who takes the time to look around. First, we had the Supreme Court of the United States select the president of this country on a 5-4 vote only four short years ago. Think it can’t happen again? If George Bush is reselected, the vote next time will not be so close.
The Senate introduced a Constitutional amendment that for the first time in US history would discriminate against a selected minority. The only reason it did not make it through was because the majority of Republicans in the Senate still do not subscribe to the views of the religious right. This is not the case in the House of Representatives.
In the House, bill after bill is being introduced by right wing Republicans aimed at strengthening their power and making it easier for them to be re-elected. Here are just a few:
H.R. 2357: In a bill drafted by attorneys working for Pat Robinson’s American Center for Law and Justice, the religious right took aim at campaign finance reform. The bill would have allowed churches to collect money for political campaigns. It was supported by the most of the same right wing organizations that supported the Federal Marriage Amendment including, The American Family Association, The Family Research Council, Focus On The Family, and TV preachers like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
The bill was narrowly defeated on October 2, 2002, by a vote of 178-239. Since that time, the religious right have increased their number by 18 representatives in the elections of 2002. The bill was reintroduced in January of 2003 and today sits in the House Ways and Means Committee with 160 sponsors, awaiting an assured majority for passage.
H.R. 3799: The Constitution of the United States does not mention the word “God” anywhere within its pages. The Constitution Restoration Act of 2004 was introduced on the House floor on February 11th, 2004. It would ban all federal court cases challenging state-sponsored acknowledgement of “God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government.” It would also overturn all existing rulings in this area and establish a mechanism for impeaching federal judges who dare to uphold church-state separation.
H.R. 2045: “The Ten Commandments Act” has 116 sponsors in the House. It would deny federal courts the ability to hear cases involving government display of the Ten Commandments and other religious symbols.
H.R. 3313: The bill requiring no federal court to be able to hear arguments against the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed the House early this month and is on its way to the Senate, where it will probably suffer defeat. If, however, in November’s election, the Senate strengthens its right wing Republican membership, you can bet the House will reintroduce this bill and pass all like-minded pending legislation. That is, IF the House regains the control that right wing Republicans now enjoy.
If George Bush gets re-elected with a strong majority in the House and Senate, America is in deep trouble. No less then three members of the Supreme Court are due to retire, most likely within the next four years. If Bush gets to select those three justices, right wing Republicans will control all THREE branches of the government. There is no doubt that Bush will nominate three justices similar to his good friend, Justice Antonin Scalia.
Justice Scalia is a frightening individual. Here are a few of his comments pertaining to American Law:
“Government...derives its moral authority from God. It is the minister of God with powers to 'avenge' to 'execute wrath' including even wrath by the sword.”
“America's Founding Fathers never meant to exclude God from the public forums and from political life."
The Texas Republican Party Platform reads:
"While it is true that the United States of America was founded on the sacred principle of religious freedom for all, that liberty was never intended to exalt other religions to the level that Christianity holds in our country's heritage."
"Our Founders expected that Christianity -- and no other religion -- would receive support from the government as long as that support did not violate peoples' consciences and their right to worship. They would have found utterly incredible the idea that all religions, including paganism, be treated with equal deference."
"Our party pledges to exert its influence to ... dispel the ‘myth’ of the separation of church and state."
My question to you is, IS THIS THE AMERICA YOU WANT TO LIVE IN?
If not, vote these people out of the House, out of the Senate, and most assuredly, elect John Kerry president of the United States of America. This November’s election is not only important, it’s CRITICAL to the continued freedoms our country still enjoys.
©2004 Marcia Ellen "Happy" Beevre
.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - Apache Junction, Arizona, USA
MARRIAGE IS ABOUT CHILDREN
The Federal Marriage Amendment is dead in the water. HR3313, in all probability, will fare no better in the Senate than the FMA did. Republicans, feeling the heat from constituents, are beginning to back away from their “gays are an abomination to God” stance and they are trying to take a different tact to convince middle class America that the values of the religious right are superior. They’re covering themselves with the flag of “family.”
Hear the words of PA Senator Rick Santorum: “There is an ocean of empirical data showing that the union between a man and a woman has unique benefits for children and society. Moreover, traditional family breakdown is the single biggest social problem in America today. In study after study, family breakdown is linked to an increase in violent crime, youth crime, teen pregnancy, welfare dependency and child poverty.”
They point to the Netherlands, where cases of out-of-wedlock childbirth have soared since the country has allowed gay marriage. They fail to mention that the main reasons for this that have nothing to do with lesbians and gays marrying. They also fail to mention that Canada, whose four most populated provinces have embraced gay marriages, have NOT had any such decline. Neither has the state of Vermont, which has allowed civil unions for the past for years.
“The children” are always brought up when speaking of gay families. Either it’s the fact that gays, like many heterosexual families, can’t have children, or it’s about what happens when children are raised with lesbian or gay parents.
The first point is ridiculous. Marriage has nothing to do with procreation. Each year, thousands of heterosexuals get married that will never have children. Also, many gays and lesbians start families each year through adoption, in-vitro fertilization, or by partnering with someone that has children from a previous marriage.
The second point is a three-fold argument. Either they quote Christian child therapists who support the claim that children do better when they have a mother and a father (Note they don’t signal out gays in this argument, but simply anything other than the traditional family.), or they speak of their fears that the children will be “recruited” to the gay lifestyle, which is as ridiculous as saying traditional marriage is doomed if gays are allowed to get married. Finally, they say children of gay parents are open to the ridicule of their peers, hence they will be depressed and stunted in their emotional growth. Let’s look at each of these arguments at length.
The first argument is self-serving. It would be like me quoting a gay or lesbian child therapist to prove that gay families fare well. In reality, there are now thousands of independent studies which show that children reared by two gay partners fare no worse in life than children of heterosexual parents. The American Psychological Association reports that, “not a single study has found children of gay or lesbian parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents. Indeed, the evidence to date suggests home environments provided by gay or lesbian parents are as likely as those provided by heterosexual parents to support and enable children’s psychosocial growth.”
The second argument is just plain silly and is based on fear and old wives tales. It can only be supported by claiming children have a choice in being heterosexual or homosexual, which they do not. Sexuality is decided at birth. People can not change their sexuality, no matter how much religionists wish that to be the case. Also, who in their right mind would raise their children to embrace the problems inherent with being homosexual? We know what it’s like and we certainly wouldn’t wish it on our children.
Which brings us to the third argument - that our children will suffer emotionally because of abuse from their peers because they have gay parents. “There's this belief that gay people are drag queens and transvestites or that gay guys want to be women or that they hate women,” Brandon Spirk, son with a gay father, says with a rueful laugh. “It's a real lack of understanding.”
The truth is, kids of gay parents are attacked by their peers, just as teens that have come out of the closet to their friends open themselves to attack. Think about the cause of it. When children go to church and hear their ministers and their parents refer to gays as an abomination, as evil, as perverted – how can we expect those kids NOT to go to school and attack gay kids and the children of gay parents in a like manner. If you think it isn’t going to happen, you’re naive. If you’re proud because your kids do this, you’re sick.
My parents are heterosexuals. My mother left home about a month after I was born, never to be seen again. My older sister’s mother did hang around for a couple years, but she soon left as well. My younger sister’s mother did the same. My father is a long haul trucker, so he was gone most of the time. My younger sister and I were raised mostly by my older sister. Life was hard, sure. But what advantage did I have in having both a mother and father? Many children of heterosexual marriages ask the same question.
The truth is - families come in many different forms. One kind of family should not be set up as superior to another. It’s a lie and it’s shameful for politicians like Rick Santorum to make such claims. All families need help from time to time. Our government (national, state, or local) shouldn’t be involved in the business of discriminating against families parented by any sexual persuasion. It’s un-American. As a nation, we need to stop it and stop it now.
©2004 Marcia Ellen "Happy" Beevre
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