Holier Than Thou

There is a good reason for the separation of church and state.  Ironically, the  Value Voters Summit is a prime example of why.

I have no objection to believing in a Deity,  and  embracing the tome that justifies it in ones mind.  I do have an objection to one such group denigrating those who don't believe the same dictums, especially when it comes to the ability to capably lead our country.

We're not looking at radical Islam here.  We are looking at freedom of religion.  Freedom to worship as you believe without penalty from those who disagree.

The Value Voters crowd is not looking at what solutions the candidates have to solve the problems that are plaguing our country.  Economic meltdown, joblessness, crumbling infrastructure, instability world wide.  No.  They're looking for the candidates to bow to their dictates on social values.  The media eggs them on.  The candidates pander.  That pandering makes me take a much closer look at those who chose not to do so.  Jon Huntsman.  And yes, Newt Gingrich.

You see, I'm not a Christian Conservative.  I do not agree with much that they demand.  I do not believe it makes me an evil person, nor does it diminish in any way my abilities in the areas in which I am capable.

Preachers from their Mega churches seem to have the ability to mesmerize their followers into believing extreme views.  Like insisting Mormonism is a cult.  I could say all organized religions are cults because they do not believe as I do.  I can hear the hue and cry now!

I listen to how many of these people have actual conversations with God.  I should run.  I shouldn't run.  He told my husband and my husband told me.  Please. I have never, ever heard such voices and don't tell me it's because I don't believe.  I can't accept that as fact.  If God were having conversations with the candidates, why isn't He telling the rest of the world to quit having wars or beating our wives or killing our kids?

I also can't take a movement seriously when their pastors say, as truths, "Homosexuality caused the Holocaust."  Boy, is that an over used theme.  Or, "The government 'incentivizes' African-Americans to 'rut like rabbits'." Talk about racist.  It seems to me neither statement has a thing to do with the worship of God nor an indication that the pastor who made the statements is in any way capable of defining who would make a good presidential candidate.  Why are such people even elevated to the prestige of being a pastor?

There are so many religions in the world, and even a brief study of their symbolism indicates a penchant for peace and tranquility. Not divisiveness and hate. There are good and bad among all of them.   When the bad tends to be radical, though most haven't devolved to the extent of the radical Islams where heads are cut off and societies targeted for annihilation, they are getting precariously close.  Our society is just as threatened by 'Christian' radicals who would deny good people from serving because of their religious backgrounds as we are from the Islamic terrorist cells we're told are within our country.  They both aim to conquer.

With the country teetering on the edge of anarchy with the growing protests spreading from city to city, we had better band together in looking for qualities of leadership and sound policy rather than divisive self interest.  I'm not sure the country is any longer capable of it.

Speaking of divisive self interest - the media isn't helping.

Politicians And That Pesky Old Religion

Michele Bachmann is a headache!  Maybe even a migraine.  She certainly creates, in me, as per possible side effects of a migraine,  a degree of nausea and (a) disturbed vision!

Now, it seems she has left her church.  She is ~ was ~ Lutheran. After having belonged to the church for at least ten years even if she hasn't attended, in favor of another, for the last two.  It seems, after all those years, she finds herself questioning the Lutherans stand on the Pope and the Catholic view of how one attains salvation.

I left the church when I was in college for a number of reasons, not the least being witness to this doctrine being preached from the pulpit to numerous in the congregation from other countries and religions. I thought it showed an insensitivity to those exploring various religions, including Catholicism.  And, personally, I never bought into the idea that an old man chosen by a group of his peers is truly God's representative on earth and the only way to salvation is through the Catholic church.  I am also not Lutheran.

This, however, is beside the point.  Did Ms. Bachmann not know what Lutheran doctrine was when she joined the church?  Or is she just another politician saying, "Oops."   Can't offend another religion by dissing the Pope.  I wonder if her actions will really bring her more  Catholic votes than if she had said and done nothing.  And can that vote win her the election?

It's Friday, so I'm going to let my snarky side out.  I'm wondering if her husband suggested she leave her church, or if God told her to leave her church, maybe through her husband, or what?  If He instructed her as to who she should marry and what education she should pursue, certainly He had some say about this!

Is this not a good reason to leave religion out of politics?  What it shows to me is someone so insecure about how they 'believe' they'll flee at the first sign of controversy.  Come on.  A politician can't be all things to all people.  They need to understand that and so should the rest of us.  Leaving one's church isn't the best way to show you have convictions and are willing to stand by them!

On that note, Jon Huntsman is beginning to look interesting.  That he is a Mormon is of no matter to me.  In fact,  I've read that it's becoming cool to be Mormon since 'The Book of Mormon' opened on Broadway.  What does that have to do with politics?  Absolutely nothing.  And that's the point.

Maybe ALL Religions Need Scrutiny

When I saw the headline  'Jewish court sentences dog to death by stoning', I did a double take. I know Orthodox Jews live in a world of which I have no knowledge.  I didn't realize they also live in a different century and have beliefs that could certainly use some reinterpretation.

One wouldn't think a dog wandering into a court room, even a large one, would frighten adults.  But apparently one did.  Not that he was threatening or anything, but because he was a dog!

It seems that by Jewish tradition a dog is impure.  Not being able to get the dog to budge, one of the judges recalled a curse they had bestowed on a secular judge two decades prior because he insulted them.  They remanded his spirit into the body of a dog.  This one?

His spirit must pass from dog to dog because few live to be twenty years old and if they do they aren't likely to wreck havoc I wouldn't think.  Or whatever else the judges thought he might do.

Of course by now they were all worked up so one of the judges sentenced the poor dog to death.  By stoning.  By children.

Fortunately while all this was going on the dog went on his way.  Smart dog.

It just goes to show it isn't only Islam that harbors those with radical interpretations of their religion!  But having children stone a dog to death?  That they were even capable of thinking of that gives me the chills!

The Devil Made Them Do It!

I was the child of a mixed marriage. My Father was a Catholic, my Mother not much of anything. Other than her support, I had a characteristic that precluded me following in my Dad's devout footsteps. I liked to ask questions. I was never willing to accept the "because I said so" rationale that seemed to be the weekly dictum in catechism classes. Replace I with God, the bible, or whatever else was appropriate.

I had been long gone from the church when the scandals of pedophile priests began hitting the front pages. I had too many run ins with Priests and Nuns who told me I'd never be a good Catholic if I kept questioning. I agreed and took my leave. Perhaps I did them a disservice. Maybe if more people who questioned had stuck around continuing to do so, the problem would not have escalated to the degree it has.

Now they are shocked that it has become a world wide problem, not just one with we maverick Americans. Nor is it as new a problem as once believed. The Pope himself is believed to have been involved in the transfer of a know pedophile when he was Archbishop of Munich.

Who is at fault? A church that is has as it's ministry men and women who live the most abnormal of life styles? A hierarchy that protects rather than prosecutes? None of the above. It's because of the Devil! So says the Vatican's chief exorcist!

How this happens, how they've been able to keep it so low key, confuses me. Those possessed by the Devil display some rather obvious and horrifying traits, like vomiting nails and glass and speaking in ancient tongues. Headaches, stomach cramps and aversion to holy symbols. I'd have stomach cramps too if I were about to regurgitate nails and glass! I might also have an aversion to holy symbols if I feared being caught for my sexual peccadilloes!

At least there is finally an explanation for why this has gone on for so long. It has nothing to do with the type of men who are attracted to a life basically without women. Having himself conducted over 70,000 exorcisms, the numbers begin to fall into place. I thought perhaps the men coming forward as victims included many looking for a fast buck or their 15 minutes of fame, but 70,000... Well, they weren't all priests!

The financial settlements are bankrupting many dioceses. For instance the church is the largest land owner in Ireland but has little cash in the bank.

The Vatican sits on vast mountains of wealth. Since the buck stops there, why doesn't the Pope loosen the purse strings to help out?

There I go again. Asking questions. I just can't seem to stop!

What In The Name Of GOD??

I hadn't quite finished my coffee this morning so I picked up the current issue of Arizona Highways. Hub said, "Inside the back cover." I turned to the story; a memorial to a young soldier who had written to the magazine asking if they would send copies to his unit to give them something to read and remind them of home.

The staff was so taken by the young soldier's humility and concern for his friends they sent far more then magazines and soon they had a special bond - plus an inside perspective of what war was like in Afghanistan. He was killed January 10, 2010. I was wiping my eyes by the time I finished reading. They were grieving because they would now never meet this young man to say a heart felt "thank you", not only for serving his country but what he gave them.

It reminded me of my own GI who picked up one of many Christmas cards I had sent to his unit, several years ago now. You know, one of those special requests that come around the holidays. He was serving in Iraq. We too have a special bond, a warmth that embraces me, even though we've never met.

The stories of these soldiers brought to mind the story of the father of a young Marine who is suing a group of protesters that invaded the privacy of his son's funeral.

We know people protest any and everything these days. There is something so ugly about this, however, I'm finding it difficult to articulate how I feel. This group is claiming first amendment freedom as they spew their hate. The Supreme Court is going to hear the case. Chief Justice John Roberts has shown in recent days, due to his flap with the President from the State of the Union incident, that he understands the frustration of humiliation.

Beyond the legalities of these actions, is the vileness of them done in the name of God. These people claim to be Baptists and most are relatives of the founder, one Fred W. Phelps, Sr. A crotchety old man who is reveling in the publicity for his cause - spreading hate.

It's hard to grasp how deep this hatred for Catholics and Gays, and who knows what else, runs! How twisted are minds that think the war is "divine retribution" for America's sins!

It's will be a fine line for the Supreme Court to deal with. In the meantime, it seems to me the Baptist Church should denounce this congregation at the very least or forbid them to claim the Baptist Church before it is diminished by their actions.

Short of that they should all be placed under psychiatric observation. No one that hates so deeply they use the funerals of fallen servicemen, those who have died serving their country, to get their message front and center can be considered sane.

It is beneath contempt.

It's Time For American Muslims To Get A Grip

We give the Muslim community far more of a pass when it comes to scrutiny than most nations. They yell loud and long about profiling and we run away with out tail tucked between our legs. Even when we have them dressed in the uniform of the United States Army or a cab driver from Denver intent on blowing up the New York subway system. I'm sick and tired of Americans looking like the enemy!

Just what would you think? A group of Muslims in a parking lot in Henderson, Nevada. Seven of them. Praying. The scene made someone nervous and police were called. The Muslims were questioned for around a half hour. Now a complaint has been filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations stating the scope and length of the stop was unreasonable and served no legitimate investigative purpose.

Did it not? I'm sure it made whoever notified the police feel better. Remember, when in Islamic countries we are expected to act as they do and when it comes to attire, women must abide by their laws. The old adage of when in Rome do as the Romans do. It should go both ways but we seem faint hearted when it comes to expect the same. To go to prayer in a public parking lot is, to me, a gesture of "in your face America".

Why does it rile me so much? Because they want a pass on their unwillingness to reign in their own. Look at the map. Look at the proximity to Boulder Dam? The next picture is of the highway. It goes right across the top of the dam. After 9/11 the government was so concerned about an attack on the dam they rerouted truck traffic and instituted vehicle searches for others.

So great was the concern they are permanently re-routing the highway. This is the progress as of last fall when we went through, a bridge a long way from being finished. Meanwhile the vehicle searches continue and nerves remain on edge especially with the escalation of terrorist activity within our own borders.

I don't feel like being politically correct today. As far as I'm concerned the authorities should have been called and the questioning was prudent to say the least. If the Muslims want better relations with the Americans it's time for them to be more vocal against jihad and quit pretending they are shocked, shocked that they should be suspected of anything other than praying in a parking lot in Henderson, Nevada, a blink away from Hoover Dam.

Sowing the Seeds of Hatred

I am so disgusted as I write this I'm having to reign in my anger. The photo is of a section of land not too far south of Coeur d'Alene. It is filled with gently rolling hills coupled with forest land and farm fields. It is here, at the cross roads, a developer wants to build 141 storage units on ten acres. It would require a conditional use permit because the area is rural.

Area residents turned out in significant numbers when the County Commissioners held a hearing. They were against the project. Why? According to The Mica Kidd Island Property Owners Association the facility was opposed because they didn't want a precedent set for possible commercial sprawl, it would infringe on the visual tone of the community, create traffic hazards and would be incompatible with the historical atmosphere of century old farms, barns and Grange Hall. Among others.

The argument that the facility would have a barn like appearance to fit in with it's surroundings and there was a need for boat storage in the area was not enough to outweigh the objections of the area residents. The Commissioners, in my opinion, to their credit, turned it down.

Sounds like run of the mill procedure doesn't it? Right. Wrong. Today, the Coeur d'Alene Press headlined the fact that the developer, one Haitham Joudeh, has filed a discrimination suit against the commissioners and the Mica Kidd Island Fire District claiming religious and racial discrimination.

Please. This is the most preposterous allegation imaginable. I really don't believe the area residents nor the commissioners care one iota that the man is of Middle Eastern descent nor that he follows the Islamic faith. I doubt anyone gave it a thought until this came up!

I do not know if the claim that Grange members and the Fire District held an anti-Joudeh rally or not. If they did I should like to think it was to drum up support for denying his project and had nothing to with him as an individual.

We live in an area where the vestiges of the neo-Nazi's still haunt us. I find it highly unlikely that the Commissioners would partake in any action that even smacked of that kind of racial discord.

Steve Tucker, a Spokane attorney who would do well to stay in his own state and city, tells us Mr. Joudeh was born in Idaho and graduated from the University of Idaho. If true, he well knows the attitudes in this town about that kind of simmering suggestiveness and he should be ashamed of himself.

A $25 million lawsuit this day and age, in a community of this size where the majority of the wealthy only vacation here and the less then privileged well outweigh the privileged, is a slap in our collective faces in the name of prejudice of the worst kind.

I could be wrong in my assumptions. I have only the news report and the comments from the Owners Association web site to draw from, but I just can't get my head around malacious intent of such intensity. I should think Mr. Joudeh might want to consider moving on. I doubt he'll be welcome around here and it will have nothing to with his race nor faith except for the way he's using them to drive a wedge.

Maybe Spokane would welcome him. They have a higher level of tolerance. They have Steve Tucker.

Huckabee - What A Stretch!

Wow. The ink isn't even dry on the stimulus compromise and the religious right is already up in arms!

Mike Huckabee has declared it "anti-religious". What?? It must have really hurt to have to take both the Democrats and Republicans to task for this offense. After all, it is a 'bi-partisan' bill. Well. Hardly. Three Republicans signing on hardly makes it 'bi-partisan'!

What, however, was so egregious it warranted this response? Both the House and the Senate version banned higher education funds from going to either a school or department of divinity. What's his rationale?

Actually the Congress got this right. It's what separation of church and state is all about. If included, how would you explain it to the tax payers? How would you explain to one religious persuasion that their tax dollars were being spent to support a religious persuasion to which they might be strongly opposed?

I'm not sure higher education funds fit the parameters of "stimulus, but if they do, the Huckabee wing of the Republican party needs to do better than this. It will, for sure, "stimulate"! It will "stimulate" strong opposition from those of us who actually understand and support the premise of separation of church and state!

Has The "Politics Of Fear" Won?

A Detroit born anesthesiologist, a lawyer and their families including three boys ages 7, 4 and 2 were removed from an Air Tran flight headed for Orlando and not allowed to re-board. They are Muslims.

The TSA and Homeland Security has succeeded in impregnating fear into our psyches to the point where idle conversation between strangers boils it to the surface. Even if you aren't Muslim you are stripped of your privacy every time you take a flight. Talking among yourselves even puts you at risk. No jokes in the security lines. If you're Muslim, it's best not to talk at all!

What's most egregious about this incident isn't that it happened, but the fact that having been cleared by the FBI before the flight departed, they were not permitted back on the plane. The pilot was uncomfortable. Obviously some of the passengers were uncomfortable.

Okay. They were discussing which part of the plane was considered the safest in which to sit; one commented about how close other planes were to theirs. They were Muslim. Immediately suspect.

But consider this. They had been able to purchase tickets, get boarding passes, no name on the "no fly" list, and both their luggage and themselves had been thoroughly screened.

What have we done? I thought we had finally succeeded in putting unwarranted prejudice and fear behind us as we are about to inaugurate our first African American President. I think, perhaps, all we've done is replace one people with another.

The Atheists Are Winning!

I was looking for an illustration of a symbol of Atheism for this post and this is what I found. Talk about an identity crisis! The suggestion I like the best is just a blank space. It has far more dignity than any of the symbols represented in the religious war being fought in Olympia, Washington over Christmas displays at the Capitol.

Christmas displays. Like the one a Kansas group wants to erect that states "Santa Claus Will Take You To Hell." And another that states Santa is a child molester and the cause of U.S. troop deaths. "God's hate" is the cause of our economic woes.

We still lived in the area when Christmas Trees became Holiday Trees. That was at least fifteen years ago! I'm willing to wager a sign stating "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men," is no where to be seen!

Having recently finished reading The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins, I find the case made for non-belief in God seems more sound than most would find comfortable. If actions speak louder than words, the happenings in Olympia are a testimony to that premise!

Is it not bad enough that most wars are based on the hatred bred by religious differences? Is it not a warning when in our own country people who don't even reside within in the state of Washington are taking cases to court for the right to express their hate for those who don't share their views?

How does this apply to Atheists? At least for those who feel no need to organize? They can look at all the conflict and walk away unaffected. They don't believe in God, nor heaven, nor hell so there is no basis for hatred.

One thing I have noticed that has aroused my curiosity. All the "religions" involved have their names capitalized. Baptists, Evangelicals, Jews, Muslims, Catholics, and so on. Never atheist. Why is that?

As for Olympia and it's struggle with what to and what not to allow. Heck, let anyone put up a display celebrating whatever holiday that is meaningful to them. But leave the other guys alone. No more of this my god is better than your god nor damning others for not agreeing with your view. And send the out of state folks back to their own turf!

That just might incorporate the right tone for "good will toward men." One can only hope.

Black Friday: What A Way To Start The "Holiday"

Black Friday has come and gone. It is called "Black" Friday because it is the day when retailers go from red, if they've had a slow year, to black. Often, as is the case this year, the meaning may more closely follow along with these lyrics from Les Mis:

Red...The color of desire! Black...The color of despair!

So it was at a Wal-Mart where a worker was trampled to death by over zealous shoppers. So filled with desire were they that when store management announced in despair that people had been seriously injured and would everyone cease shopping and vacate the store, it was to no avail.

It leads me to wonder if we as a nation really ever take a close look at our behavior. If we did we'd understand why the rest of the world has come to dismiss us. This is a a prime example.

Here we are at the beginning of one of what Christians are supposed to consider the most Holy time of the year. It doesn't mean that any more, not at all. It begins the time of year where pious pronouncements rule. A headline shouts Atheists will post own display telling of another episode of demanding equal representation of displays on government property. I'm willing to wager this is a nationwide occurrence and has become as annual an event as the Black Friday shopping madness.

Also in this morning's paper was a superb column, Bible passages at times contradict Christian message . In it the writer talks of all the versions of the bible that are "out there" and how they vary from one to another. He also talks of how passages tend to be cherry picked and interpreted to suit various ambitions.

This is of course not news to those of us interested in such. People, at least in this country, are free to believe in what they like. What I have a problem with is hypocrisy. I couldn't live with myself if I knew I had been a part of actions causing a death in the name of getting a "bargain". For Christmas.

To me the reality of "Christmas" has been reduced to frenzied shopping, parades, lights, presents and more presents and the cheaper the better. No thanks.

When December 25th actually rolls around store decorations will have been up for over three months, the music will have gotten tiresome and the "spirit", if it isn't hot buttered rum or spiced wine, will be cranky. Actually attending a church service may be more obligatory then heartfelt.

No thanks. We'll have our tree. Yes. Tradition, memories of family and times long gone. Our peace and good will will be toward one another and those of our friends who make no demands on our views in the name of a book or a being that isn't being well served in the first place.

Religious Dictates Versus Critical Thinking

One thing I have never understood about organized religion is why, if it's teachings are for the glorification of it's God and His teachings, do they find it necessary to threaten it's members with eternal damnation for thinking for themselves.

When it comes to the blurring between church and state, it seems the thinking individual comes up the loser.

On one side there is the very vocal Christian Conservative movement that has made worshipping God seem like a secondary cause to trying to influence legislation. Trying to translate what they choose to believe into law that we would all have to follow. Dictating from the pulpit how individuals should think, even vote. The antithesis of what this country is about. Freedom of religion is also freedom from religion should one so choose.

Now, I'm not a student of the intricacies of the various religions but I know overkill when I see it. There is the categorization of "sins" by the Catholic church from venial (forgivable) to mortal (a complete separation from God leading to eternal damnation). There is confession and penance which usually involves praying the rosary.

Now let's have a look at critical thinking. By definition:

Part of Speech: n
Definition: the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion

How can a person who chooses to think be faithful to his/her church? Take the example of the South Carolina priest who told his parishioners that if they voted for Obama they had taken a spiritual risk. This is what he said, "Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil..." and "...the unholy slaughter of children in this nation is the greatest threat to the peace and security of the United States and constitutes a clear and present danger to the common good."

Talk about having nothing to fear but fear itself! That's all there is. Fear. Are religions so insecure in their beliefs and so afraid themselves that their members may actually think, all they can do to keep them in line is to instill fear?

What I don't understand is how a thinking person can buy into something as blatantly symbolic as praying the rosary to exonerate sin. Does it, in the eyes of the church, exonerate a Catholic who practices birth control then receives communion? Or for that matter, one who voted for Obama for a multitude of reasons more important to that individual than the fact that Obama believes in a woman's right to choose?

I understand, full well, why I have opted to exercise my spiritual side by recognizing and appreciating everything that surrounds me is so because of a power greater than my ability to understand. I'm quite comfortable with my little place in the universe and all that may be beyond. I've thought it through.

Loose Lips And Fact Free

I'm tired of looking at pictures of Sarah Palin so when I saw this I thought it made a good metaphor. Old Navy man John McCain being the ship. Hahahahaaaa.

Yep. It's all beginning to get to me. I read Bill Crystal's pander to Palin in the New York Times and thought there she goes again!

Crystal was having a little chat with Sarah discussing among other things Obama's associations with Reverend Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers. Now, we knew Wright was going to be resurrected didn't we? Specifically he wanted to know if Wright wasn't in fact the bigger issue because of Obama's closer connection with him.

She had this to say:

"To tell you the truth, Bill, I don’t know why that association isn’t discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our great country, and to have sat in the pews for 20 years and listened to that — with, I don’t know, a sense of condoning it, I guess, because he didn’t get up and leave — to me, that does say something about character..."

Discussed more? Where were you during the primaries, honey? It was beaten to death and then some!

First, it was explained, ad nauseam, that Reverand Wright did not spend every single sermon lambasting America. And, by checking the dates of the offensive sermons against Obama's schedule found his claims that he was not present to be true.

Oh, I'm getting so weary of Ms. Palin playing catch up and in so doing not doing her homework. Attacking Obama's character can be treading on thin ice. There is the Keating Five issue with McCain now getting some play; there is his Brazilian hottie and the treatment of his first wife that are all ripe for exploitation.

As for Palin, it's out there honey - your alleged affair with your husband's one time business partner not to mention hubby's involvement with a secessionist group. If seceding from the United States isn't anti-American I don't know what is!

Oh yeah, it's all out there. The bloggers have been having a field day with it. The main stream press is beginning to pick it up. But don't blame them for gottcha journalism.

Gottcha!

Separation Of Church And State? Up Yours!

So says Christian ministers from 22 states who plan to endorse candidates and give political sermons this coming Sunday. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times , Reverend Wiley S. Drake of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, CA, went so far as to say this, "I'm going to talk about the unbiblical stands that Barack Obama takes. Nobody who follows the Bible can vote for him." Says who? And just who are you?

And we wonder what has happened to the moral leadership in our country! Here we are agonizing about the collapse of our financial institutions because of greed from the unqualified buyer to the greedy lender and are wondering how this could happen! How un-American! Well, when the clergy bands together to defy a federal ban on campaigning by nonprofit groups, why shouldn't anyone or everyone who has an ax to grind thumb their nose at the law? Let chaos reign as long as it suits my purpose!

Let's look at this from the top down. Part of the reason this country exists is so people can worship as they choose. Worship their deity; not have their political views dictated to them under fear of divine damnation.

The Bible has been dissected and translated and interpreted by so many for their own ideology over the centuries, if it is looked at as anything more than a template for right and wrong, good and evil, you're not thinking for yourselves.

How about that? Have we become such sheep that we think this act by these preachers is right? Are we so lazy that we need them to dictate how we think and who we should choose to lead us? Do we hold these men, and that is all they are, men, to be so all knowing? Do we not suspect they just might have a teeny weeny agenda of their own?

The current administration has already stripped us of many Constitutional rights. Now we have clergy trying to strip us of more. The world is watching this election along with the struggles we're having as a nation. What they see is racism, gender bias, greed, manipulation - a Congress that can not get beyond the self interest of it's individual members and a segment of the religious community thumbing its nose at the very institution that allows it to exist. And the people. The voters. We, the sheep.

Is it any wonder why we are defied when we try to force our way of life upon others? We don't have to look at what has happened to them when we have failed. All we have to do is look at ourselves. What we've become. And what we haven't.