I am so glad we live in a democratic nation….with liberty and justice for all. A land where a person's race, color, religion or creed has no bearing on how they are treated. A place where thoughtful discourse is conducted in the pursuit of rightful actions…….

Thanks to Michael Luciano at The Daily Banter:

http://tinyurl.com/n6p4we2

And of course, the police and other officials are going to get to the bottom of the Micheal Brown shooting ( http://tinyurl.com/qbrt8x5  ) any day now. I am sure shooting and killing an unarmed black teenager walking in the middle of the street was obviously called for…..they just have to dig deep enough to "find the facts" and also discredit the friend who saw it all happen. (Good thing this young man obtained a lawyer early in to the investigation….unusual events have been known to happen in such cases…)

Beaverceek, Ohio where we moved from a few years ago, also had a shooing....this time in Walmart. Again there are questions as to why a black man who was holding a BB gun sold in the store was shot by police. Alerted by an ex-Marine in the store with his wife, who followed him around, a rush of people to the exits also caused the death of a woman with a medical condition. Of course, a store video of all this would probably simplify things...http://tinyurl.com/qj4e2ds . Silly me! 

If we could just keep all those brown-skinned, poor little disease ridden immigrant children from our borders….. 

If we could just keep those "other" families in their place, in their own failing schools, taking low wage jobs, blaming them for all our troubles…

If we could just get everyone believing the Bible is the ruling concept of our country, that no religion besides fundamentalism is even worth considering, and that guns are the answer to a peaceful coexistence…

….then this truly would be a caucasian conservative Christian paradise.

Sometimes...

just a picture is enough.

(Taken today in West Knoxville, TN) 

Stock up on your Creationism and End of Times reading material today.

Didn't see Mike Huckabee or David Barton around anywhere….

"But This Country Was Founded On The Bible..."

We've all heard: 

"This nation, without reasonable doubt, was established on the firm foundation of Scripture. Our forefathers, brilliant as they were, openly acknowledged the true genius behind the new system to be the eternal principles of God's Word. The most fundamental concepts of the republic find their roots in the Bible. From the beginning, the basis for law and government in American society was decidedly biblical. What's more, the new land was forged through the energy of the Judeo-Christian work ethic."

http://patrioticnation.blogspot.com/2007/10/was-usa-built-on-christian-principles.html

Really?? There seems to have been a "lost in translation" moment somewhere during the last 300 or 400 years. This was in evidence last week when the Farm Bill was being debated in Congress by several lawmakers, including Juan Vargas and Doug LaMalfa. Included in the bill, which increased farm subsidies, was a cut to food stamps. The Repubs hate food stamps. Several "Christians" defended the cuts by saying "the Bible encourages people to help each other but doesn't dictate what the federal government should do. We should be doing this as individuals, helping the poor."  (But...the Constitution....)

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/05/house_panel_debates_cutting_fo.html

Yep, this is a Christian nation...no Muslims, no Jews, no Pagans, no Buddhists...at least in THEIR minds.  And remember the Bible is your FRIEND...when you want to find a reason for mans basic egotism and selfishness.

In that same Bible that the Conservative Right wants to use to point out THEIR standing, in the eyes of the Lord, you will also find: 

Matthew 25:35-40 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Romans 15:1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Luke 3:10-11 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”

Yes, there have to be checks and balances in all programs. No, big oil companies or those such as Apple, Exxon, GE, and Microsoft do NOT need any government subsidies. But the people who actually produce for those companies do, at this time.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) cited Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, "for by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."  This quote, I'm afraid to tell him, has NOTHING to do with caring for the poor. Jesus is talking about being saved by grace, but not by "good works." Your faith will be what saves you...not just pretending that you are doing good things, or keeping account of all the "good " that you think you are doing. Which, by the way, leads me to this verse:

Matthew 7:20 - Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Compassionate Conservative Christian Counseling

 According to the Tennessean, the Tennessee chapter of Christian group Family Action Council drafted a measure designed to “bar schools from disciplining students if they decline to treat clients with “goals, outcomes or behaviors that conflict with a sincerely held religious belief of the student.”
 Basically, the bill gives these counselors the right to deny help to any student they deem unworthy based on religious grounds.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/03/13/republicans-at-it-again-new-tennessee-bill-allows-religious-counselors-to-reject-lgbt-students/

If this country HAD been founded entirely on Christian Principles, as the Right would have us believe....we, as a nation, are to be ashamed of ourselves. The Republicans, who seem to claim they LOVE the Bible and it's teachings and who leave no stone unturned to make sure EVERYBODY in this country believes only as they do, apparently have skipped over parts of the New Testament.

Matthew 25:31-46

King James Version (KJV)

³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Where does it mention that cutting social services, eliminating a safety net for those seniors who have worked all their lives, taking food out of the mouths of poor children, denigrating those whose jobs have been taken away but who are looking for ANY kind of work, seeing that only the wealthy have access to affordable health insurance or higher education, gutting our public school system, deciding that contraception is not necessary, making sure that the votes of nonwhite folks are not counted, and humiliating God's people who were born with a different sexual orientation than theirs?

“With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion”

Steve Weinberg.

"And he said to them: Knew you not that I must be about my Father's business?" Christianity, The Franchise   

It seems like everyday we hear of some poor 

"Christian" business owner being "forced" to follow some legal business practices that would enrich the lives of his employees, but loe-and-behold, they go "against his religious beliefs." All of a sudden this becomes a growing indignity:

"Secaucus, NJ is not typically thought of as a hub of Evangelical Christianity, but the CEO and the managers of an Ashley Furniture store in the northern New Jersey town seem to have a difficult time separating their work lives from their religious beliefs and they’re being sued for it."

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/01/19/possessed-by-jesus-ashley-furniture-managers-allegedly-fired-lesbian-because-god-said-so/

It seems as if the store's CEO is a member of the C12 Group, which appears to be in the business of making money...for and from Christian businesses. Seems like being Christian is good business:

In God They Trust

by Eric Snyder 

A franchise group brings business owners together to learn to bring their faith into their businesses. No, it's not a nonprofit, it's a national, for-profit faith-based franchise. more

http://www.c12group.com/fortune-small-business-magazine/

Now, in order to benefit fully and faithfully from your faith-based enterprise you would certainly want to take advantage of the following:

"By investing $12,000 you can acquire and own a geographic franchise area where you will have the exclusive rights to host C12 meetings, use C12 proprietary content, material, and business improvement processes, and enjoy all the other benefits of being a member of the national chair corp.  New Chair Training Week and your Start-up Materials require an additional $3,000 investment.  To assure that you have sufficient start-up capital to market your business, C12 further requires a Franchisee to fund a pre-paid marketing account with $10,000 for the first year, essentially a deposit which you can draw down as needed.  Beyond this $25,000 total in start-up investment, we recommend that you have 6-9 months of your living costs in reserve so you have adequate provisions while generating the initial income stream from the C12 practice."

http://www.c12group.com/frequently-asked-questions/

And they are always looking out for you: "C12 seeks to provide highly targeted resources aimed at enhancing its members' ability to lead and serve while providing a "safe" environment for their ongoing professional and spiritual development.  Accordingly, C12 generally works to shield its members from the noise and distraction of those attempting to market services to them."

Sort of a Franchise for the Faithful, I take it. Amway for the Annointed.

Is it just me, or does this sound like some sort of cult or indoctrination..... the kind of thing that Rush Limbaugh and his ilk are always accusing President Obama of planning on doing? But, like the NRA, if there's a buck to be made.....

I Don't Even Know Where To Begin...

"What will religion look like in the year 2060?

Conservative Christians will be treated as second class citizens, much like African Americans were prior to civil rights legislation in the 1960s.

Family as we know it will be drastically changed with the state taking charge of the children beginning at birth.

Marriage will include two, three, four or any number of participants. Marriage will not be important, with individuals moving in and out of a “family” group at will.

Churchbuildings will be little used, with many sold to secular buyers and the money received going to the government.

Churches will not be allowed to discuss any political issues, even if it affects the church directly.

Tax credit given to churches and non-profit organizations will cease.

Christian broadcasting will be declared illegal based on the separation of church and state. The airwaves belong to the government, therefore they cannot be used for any religious purpose.

We will have, or have had, a Muslim president.

Cities with a name from the Bible such as St. Petersburg, Bethlehem, etc. will be forced to change their name due to separation of church and state.

Groups connected to any religious affiliation will be forced out of health care. Health centers get tax money from the state, making it a violation of church and state.

                             Get involved! Sign THE STATEMENT."

                                              Sincerely,

                                       Donald E. Wildmon

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/01/02/1386001/afa-christians-2060/ 

This little gem was mailed out recently by the AFA to it's members. Darn...I was SOOOOO looking forward to receiving mine in the mail. I needed more paper to go into the recycling bin.

And they wonder why people are distancing themselves from Conservatism and their brand of Christianity.......

Rally 'round The Chicken, Boys


You've got to hand it to those on the Right: they certainly know how to throw an anti-protest. Just mention FOOD and they're all there.....

Anybody in this country can have a business. Anybody can have any point of view they want....be it religious or political. Where it gets tricky is when you openly state those views and make it known where you monetary support goes...you know that money that you make from that business you own.
This is where the politics of the situation shows it's ugly head.
The right, sensing a gain to made from this...exploiting again their "Christian family values" and the fact that the entire country must be "Bible-based"...had the likes of Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and others take the helm. The left, on the other hand, was simply standing up for their belief that all people are equal. With Fox along for the ride you see how that turned out:

"American Christians are facing uncertain times. Our nation’s values are under assault. Religious liberty has been undermined. We live in a day when right is now wrong and wrong is now right.

The vicious left-wing assault against Chick-fil-A should serve as a wakeup call to people of faith. It’s not about a chicken sandwich. It’s about the future of our country.

“Individuals have the right to decide whether or not to ‘eat mor chikin.’ But no government leader should restrict a business or organization from expanding to their district based on the personal or political views of the owners,” said Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/07/31/boycott-about-so-much-more-than-chicken-sandwich/#ixzz22PPRtdlf

Yep, you can have any business you want. To say something differently is wrong...and "undemocratic."
The next part is a little tricky: 
“Such evident discrimination and attempts to marginalize those with religious values have no place in American democracy.”Those who preach tolerance – are the least tolerant of all. And I suspect Councilman Kenney spoke for many when he issued a not-so-subtle threat to individuals like Dan Cathy who support traditional marriage.

“If he really, truly believes what he believes, that is his right to do so,” he said. “But there is often a price to pay for that.

In other words, Councilman Kenney wants people with dissenting views to shut up – or else face the consequences.

Apparently they've forgotten little matters such as this:
thttp://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2011/06/07/not-welcome-documentary-on-murfreesboro-mosque-controversy-rough-cut

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/08/17/kt-mcfarland-ground-zero-mosque-god-september-obama-imam-feisal/

Or maybe even, as this commenter asks:

"What did you think when the American Family Association called for boycotts of Ford, Pepsi, McDonald’s, and Campbell’s Soup because of their pro-Gay stance?

What did you think when OneMillionMoms called for a boycott of Starbucks because they support marriage equality, or a boycott of J.C. Penney because Ellen Degeneres appears in their TV ads?"

Chicken and fast food aside, it all boils down to this for me:

"Denying civil rights to others in the name of Christian love has damaged our witness, alienated millions (including many younger Christians) and done nothing to address the real threats to marriage: the lack of time, energy and material resources necessary to nurture the bonds of love that hold a family together. If the church is to be faithful to Christ, then our political action should focus on what the kingdom of God is all about: .......not gays."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-j-dunn-phd/why-christian-activism-against-gay-marriage-is-not-christian_b_1509200.html

Back To The Mayflower: 2012?

Observing events and listening to rhetoric of the last four years, it seems to me that we are right back where we started some four hundred years ago. Or conversely: every year that's passed has sent us one hundred in the OPPOSITE direction. So much for progress.......

Ok, it wasn't just overnight, but what happened? Immigrants and settlers came to this country for many reasons: some to escape religious persecution or to more freely expand their beliefs. Fine. But we've gotten WAY off track here: 

"It strikes me as odd that the free exercise of religious faith is sometimes treated as a problem, something America is stuck with instead of blessed with," Romney said. "Perhaps religious conscience upsets the designs of those who feel that the highest wisdom and authority comes from government."
"There is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action," Romney continued.     Romney 5/12, Liberty University

versus

  "What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society?  In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people… A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not."  --James Madison, A Memorial and Remonstrance, 1785 
.

Everyone in this country has the freedom to worship in whatever manner they so choose, with NO ONE Christian, Jew, Muslim, atheist or government dictating how they may do so. Conversely, no religion may have ANY undue influence in  government legislation. The extremists seemed to have gotten the message a little muddled.

Nothing seems to be beyond the reach of overly "religious:"

NEW YORK — Long a lightning rod for conservative criticism, the Girl Scouts of the USA are now facing their highest-level challenge yet: An official inquiry by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

At issue are concerns about program materials that some Catholics find offensive, as well as assertions that the Scouts associate with other groups espousing stances that conflict with church teaching. The Scouts, who have numerous parish-sponsored troops, deny many of the claims and defend their alliances.

Since when does a secular, community-based, loose affiliation of young girls...those taking the time and effort to become upstanding young women, citizens, and contributors to society....have to follow approved church-based (in this case Catholic) teachings? 

And then we all know about this: 

It all follows four months of headline-making salvos that, to some women at least, have begun to feel like a bombardment of sorts. Think: Susan G. Komen ending cancer-screening grants to Planned Parenthood (quickly reversed). And disputes over laws designed to protect women against wage discrimination (Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker last month signed a repeal of his state's equal pay law, while a U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan called a federal equal pay law a "nuisance.") 

Each side blames the other for the histrionics, and the end result is that  all women's rights, not just reproductive, are being whittled away. That's all well and good for those that actually believe these tenets. The rest of us SHOULD NOT be forced to bow to these archaic, unfortunate rulings, and politicians who say we do are simply pushing their own religious views.The rights of some should NOT mitigate the rights of ALL.
And don't get me started on the current treatment and denigration of unemployed workers, the poor, nonwhites, children, students, single mothers, seniors, people who don't know where their next meal is coming from, those without decent medical insurance.....

In the latest budget reconciliation package is a proposal to cut $400 million in bonus money used by states to find and enroll children who are likely to qualify for and benefit from CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program)...  “The whole purpose of the funds is to make sure that children who are eligible based on state-determined standards have an easier time — getting enrolled.

And Republicans think we need to nip that in the bud.Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/gop-to-states-stop-looking-for-poor-children-to-insure.html#ixzz1u0EurxdR

People found their way to our shores from England, Spain, Ireland, Africa just to name a few. They came to escape prison, to make money and own land, start a new life, for adventure, as indentured slaves (whites and blacks), as brides for settlers already here....for all sorts of reasons. This was the Land of Opportunity. Now in 2012, life seems as if it going the other way.....are the opportunities going to be elsewhere? Where is our Mayflower?  Do we have to board a ship, take to the sea, and search for a better land, or can we make our voices heard right here?  Or SOS? The choice is ours. Make your voice heard.

WHAT HAPPENED TO VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD ??Seems like the Repubs doth protest too much these days:

 Conservatives Coming to Ohio for Registration Drives

DAYTON – Two conservative policy organizations will bring their “values bus tour” to Ohio this week, with multiple stops planned in southwest Ohio as the groups aim to register Christians to vote. Family Research Council, which focuses on issues such as abortion and marriage, and the Heritage Foundation, which is promoting its Saving the American Dream fiscal plan, have taken the tour to about a dozen states.

“The main thing we’ll be doing, and we’ll do this at all the stops, is our voter registration project,” said Tom McClusky, senior vice president of the Family Research Council’s political action committee. “There are a lot of Christians who have not been engaged (in the political process).............from the Dayton Daily News 4/07/12

We've got to keep that conservative Christian "majority" voting bloc strong. No matter that the Right has been working over time, and not-so-silently, to keep everyone ELSE from doing the same thing. Blacks. Seniors. The poor. College students. Tech school students. And of course "illegals...you know how they vote in DROVES....

Then you have efforts like these by those on Right:

  http://www.rockthevote.com/about/press-room/press-releases/florida-assault-on-young-voters.html

http://www.lwv.org/content/statement-elisabeth-macnamara-president-lwvus-forum-entitled-excluded-democracy-impact

and in South Carolina: http://signon.org/sign/sc-government-stop-the

Oh, yes..that Family Research Council that is so diligently "getting out the vote?"http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/americas-third-party-will-just-be-anti-gay-marriage-says-frc/politics/2012/04/06/37664
Nothing says conservative Christian voter....like a hate group. Are people THAT stupid??