"Jesus speaks through the Republicans"

A letter to mcall.com, November 8:

I hope the election of George W. Bush is seen as a wake-up call to all the liberal Democrats who oppose God's will. It is His doing that George W. Bush is still our president. Millions of born-again Christians helped win this election through our prayers and votes. Jesus speaks through the Republicans. The Democrats will not be able to win elections until they renounce their sinful ways and stop encouraging abortions, gayness, and trying to take away our guns.

Sounds mad, but Bill Clinton said much the same this week at Hamilton College:

I think the current divisions are partly the fault of the people in my party for not engaging the Christian evangelical community in a serious discussion of what it would take to promote a real culture of life.

America, how can I break it to you? The world doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, but you're scaring it shitless.

It's embarassing - a scandal, even - how intrusive private faith is in American public life. And not just any faith: credible presidential candidates need to swear allegience to the evangelical's Jesus. For 30 years now this has been the standard operating procedure for . Even George HW Bush embraced the expediency of claiming - albeit implausibly - to be "born again."

For a moment, try imagining Richard Nixon sharing his faith in Jesus, and you might see how the evangelical template has monopolized and constricted America's political discourse.

This is not harmless God talk. Many of those behind the Republican throne are Theonomists - Christian Dominionists - who enjoy lucid dreams of replacing the Constitution with Old Testament law. They also, coincidentally, own the bulk of the machines which tabulate ballots without providing a paper trail. Some 80% of Americans' votes are swallowed by their proprietary software. There is no audit; no possibility of a meaningful recount.

Are they accurate, despite their varience from exit polls in swing states? Can the Christo-fascists be trusted with America's vote? Oh ye of little faith.

How scary are the Theonomists? Go here to read Reverend William Einwechter's argument for stoning disobedient children:

First, the person in view is a not a small child but a grown son.... The case also indicates that the parents have tried to restrain their son, but all their efforts have failed.... All of this indicates that the son in question is no mere child, but, rather, a young man at least in his middle teens or older. As Wright observes, "The law is not talking about naughty children but about seriously delinquent young adults."

American power is held hostage in the Republicans' Madrasa. The centre-left, such as it still exists in the Democratic Party, won't take it back by joining them there, with bowed head and bare feet, for prayer.


By the way:

There is a must-read new article by John Pilger: "Fallujah, the US Elections and 9/11: A Matter of Normalising the Unthinkable." Like everything by Pilger, it's guaranteed to enrage, and make you make you feel less crazy for it.

Dr Steven Freeman of the University of Pennsylvania has published an important analysis of the unexplained exit poll discrepancies. A .pdf can be found here.

And Kevin Ryan of Underwriters Laboratories has written a letter to Frank Gale of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology questioning the "steel softening" theory of the WTC collapse. Read it here. As Ryan says, "This story just does not add up."