Voting to Bring Together Church and State - A Republican Faithfest

A long time ago at the birth of a country far, far away; esteemed political leaders, the founding fathers, men of different faiths, crafted the worlds most vibrant form of government with a careful separation of church and state.

For 200 years, elected officials, again of varying faiths, respected the diversity of their citizens religious beliefs and governed along secular paths leaving religious faith as a personal matter for each to follow within their own beliefs.

George W. Bush has deliberately broken the words of our forefathers and allowed religious groups that mirror his beliefs to act as an extension of the Bush federal government. Not since the United States of America sought independence from Great Britian and the Church of England has this country come so close to establishing a defacto state sponsored form of religion.

"As discontent with the Republican Party threatens to dampen the turnout of conservative voters in November, evangelical leaders are launching a massive registration drive that could help counter the malaise and mobilize new religious voters in battleground states.

The program, coordinated by the Colorado-based group Focus on the Family and its influential founder, James C. Dobson, would use a variety of methods — including information inserted in church publications and booths placed outside worship services — to recruit millions of new voters in 2006 and beyond."

Ironically, those who should be most concerned with this arrangement are political conservatives, or what used to be a conservative in the sense of focusing on minimizing the role of government in our day to day lives. The government is now in your church.

Growing up, church was a place where my family went to listen to the words and songs of our faith that inspired us to be more loving human beings, to help others, to act with humility and tolerance for the greater good. Apparently this is no longer the focus of some forms of Christianity.

"The nation’s top ten Religious Right groups raked in nearly half a billion dollars collectively. (Some organizational budget figures are from 2004, and some are from 2005. The collective total is $447,368,625.) These groups are well organized, well funded and have specific [political] policy goals."

Wouldn't real Christians use a half a BILLION dollars in ways to help America's poor, our children, and our senior citizens live better lives rather than using it as a war chest to lobby political leaders?

This is not what God intended. This is not the type of government created by the founding fathers.

Americans must renew the call of the first Americans over 200 years ago and insist on the proper separation of church and state with a renewed respect and tolerance for Americans of all religious faiths. Give us strength.

You're Weekly Increase in Gas Prices

How much higher can the price go?

Lets revisit, from the latest news items backwards to our recent past the litany of reasons we've been given for why gas prices must go up, yet again.

- BP (foreigners) gunked up the Alaska pipeline and can't clean it without shutting down the entire pipeline. Hope it doesn't inconvenience a continent. We're snaking it as fast as we can.

- Israel and Lebanon are bombing the crap out of each other and the U.S. won't step in and stop the fighting. Middle East tension = increase in gas prices. Question: When the f*ck isn't there tension in the Middle East?

- There is a bill before Congress for off-shore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. You won't let us drill off-shore you pussy environmentalists. Gas Prices go up.

- Drilling in the Alaska still not permitted? Gas prices go up.

- Energy demand from record heat wave. Electricity and natural gas are somehow remotely related to oil production, a surge in any energy use means...gas prices go up.

- Its hurricane season. Gas prices go up.

- Tension in the Middle East. Gas prices go up.

- Its summer and we know you will drive more. Gas prices go up.

- North Korea sneezed and tried to launch a rocket or two at the same time somewhere near Japan. Japan uses energy, Japanese cars are popular in the U.S.; therefore, gas prices go up.

- More killing in Iraq and tensions in the Middle East (we know, this happens everyday, but its our stop-gap reason for raising gas prices when we can't come up with a rationale tied to a current events).

- etc., etc., etc....

Do a Google search for "gas prices go up" and you get 89 million hits. Some of our favorites: What happens if gas goes up to $5 a gallon? Why doesn't Bush care more about the American middle class getting squeezed by high gas prices?

"Before I talk about energy, I do want to share with you some thoughts about the war on terror."

A one track (and rather small) mind, or as they say in Texas - a one trick pony.

Perhaps a more visionary President, rather than linking a tax-cut for the estate taxes of the wealthy to the increase in minimum wage would have combined it with an energy relief act to hold fuel prices down for the middle class? Guess we'll never know. So its a contest, which runs out first - your money or the crude oil?

Oh, Madge (sigh). Madonna has Jolie-Pitt Envy

Madonna wants into Africa. She feels she can help. She identifies with the plight of children and the poverty of the country of Malawi. It's a spiritual thing.

Apparently, its a telepathic thing as well because this all consuming outreach effort is being organized without her ever setting foot in Africa.

While noble deeds, particularly in forgotten corners of the world, should probably be accepted regardless of the motivation, apparently if you are an international entertainment figure helping others only holds an appeal if there is a touch of the exotic. Why help the poor in London, Los Angeles or Detroit when you can be seen as a great (white) hope to the poor (black) huddled masses in a destitute swath of Africa?

While this may sound cynical, it is only so in comparison to the experiences of thousands of volunteers from relief agencies around the world who work for years in parts of these countries as unsung, and unpublicized heroes. They help others without needing to see their gestures reflected back upon them to affirm that they are more than just light-weight public figures. At the same time these volunteers are working with children and families trying to encourage a sense of dignity for self, and for country, something that is rather difficult to do when help arrives in the form of a savior-celebrity from a foreign land.

Its often said that its not what you do while people are watching that is important, its what you do and how you behave when no one is watching that offers a truer window into your soul. When a clebrity is on a mission it seems like someone is always watching, at just the right time. Because when the camera's are rolling for Angelina, or Oprah, or now Madonna, they rarely show the whole picture:

"A Western security force has effectively taken over the small African nation of Namibia. A beach resort in Langstrand in Western Namibia has been sealed off with security cordons, and armed security personnel have been keeping both local residents and visiting foreigners at bay. A no-fly zone has been enforced over part of the country. The Westerners have also demanded that the Namibian government severely restrict the movement of journalists into and out of Namibia. The government agreed and, in a move described by one human rights organization as ‘heavy-handed and brutal’, banned certain reporters from crossing its borders.

However, this Western security force is not a US or European army plundering Namibia’s natural resources or threatening to topple its government. It is the security entourage of one Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the celebrity couple better known for living it up in LA than slumming it in Namibia."

While Madonna may want to "get in on a good thing" in Africa, a modern day equivalent of ladies from the gilded age who wanted to be on the board of the local museum or opera company, if she is really looking to help others in ways that are equally meaningful then take a short walk through some of the poorest neighborhoods in London or Detroit. Does she really just want to pull a "Lohan"?

Lindsay Lohan is so excited about her charity trip to Africa, she's trying to convince all her celebrity pals to join her.

The actress will go to Kenya with chariorganizationion The One Foundation to visit local schools and clinics and help draw attention to AIDS and poverty in the East African country. Lohan can't wait to make a difference and has been ringing around her friends to persuade them to go as well. She says, "I'm really excited because I'm planning a trip to Kenya with The One Foundation. BONO introduced me to it.

"I'm also trying to get other people on board - in fact, I only just told KATE BOSWORTH about it last night. I want to set up orphanages for underprivileged and abused children. That's the main thing I'm focusing on in my time off."

Madonna, step off your high horse and out of your gilded cage and leave your PR assistant behind. If you are at a point in your life where your children and your religion have inspired you to help others, then pursue it with a pure heart. It's one thing to be trying to stay ahead of the trend curve to remain popular and relevant in the entertainment industry professionally, but when that obsession extends into works of charity it begins to seem almost...desperate.

Bill O'Reilly Quote of the Day

Because its a classic and he's such an ass:

"You would basically be in the shower and then I would come in and I’d join you and you would have your back to me and I would take that little loofa thing and kinda soap up your back… rub it all over you, get you to relax, hot water… and um… you know, you’d feel the tension drain out of you and uh you still would be with your back to me then I would kinda put my arm — it’s one of those mitts, those loofa mitts you know, so I got my hands in it… and I would put it around front, kinda rub your tummy a little bit with it, and then with my other hand I would start to massage your boobs, get your nipples really hard… ‘cuz I like that and you have really spectacular boobs…

So anyway I’d be rubbing your big boobs and getting your nipples really hard, kinda kissing your neck from behind… and then I would take the other hand with the falafel thing and I’d put it on your pussy but you’d have to do it really
light, just kind of a tease business."

Alledgedly

Mel Gibson and his Real Father?

How does Mel come by his deep, dark views on Jewish people and Israel. One picture may be worth a thousand words. Separated at birth?

But my words might be colored, tainted since I'm not one who is particularly gifted in bigotry, racism, homophobia, or convinced of an absolute correctness of one religion for the whole world -I'm no Christian dominatrix. Take it from some of Mel's people, the righteous souls over at Fox News:

"I believe that breathless revelations now about Gibson are designed for sympathy only. But he’s not going to get it.

For one thing, Gibson has not — I repeat in capital letters HAS NOT — entered into a serious rehab program for alcohol of any kind. He’s going to AA meetings, but he has not checked himself into a 28-day program at a place like the Betty Ford Clinic or Hazelden.

The director of such a program was quoted yesterday by wire services commenting on Gibson’s choice of rehab. This guy is right in Malibu at the Promises center. If Gibson were serious about his drinking or his apology, he wouldn’t have to travel more than a couple of miles to make it happen. The fact is he just isn't."

I'm back from my sabbatical and look forward to your comments and e-mails.