Welcome To 1984, Folks…...

 George Orwell was just a few decades off, but…

"... this week, religious tyranny came to Michigan, with House Bill 5958, The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). This bill legalizes a Christian extremist’s religious freedom to discriminate, and commit other breaches in law and social mores. The law makes it legal to refuse service, deny employment, housing, and violate other citizens’ rights, any rights, if a theocrat claims it violates their religious freedom and objects on religious grounds."

http://tinyurl.com/o2jjyod

It has been reported by several outlets, yet this one goes into details that may have been glossed over..…and probably been hailed a "conservative Christian victory" on FOX. And it will be interesting to see what Justice Scalia has to say if Michigan's law is tested by the SCOTUS, since at one time he stated: "it would be “courting anarchy” to create exceptions every time a religious group claims that a law infringes on its religious freedom."

Right Wing media has turned reality on it's head, as usual. 
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/02/19/nbc-declares-war-on-christians/

There is no war on Christians or Christianity….it's just their war on everybody else…..

UPDATE

Some other little known facts regarding the Greens of Hobby Lobby fame. First, selling religion through crafts. Then using religion to discriminate. Lastly, pushing their view of history and the Bible in YOUR schools. (Not to mention  the Museum of the bible in DC.)

http://tinyurl.com/k479nc7

In case there are any of you out there that still believe that the SCOTUS's decision was strictly (or "narrowly", as they have said) on certain women's health/reproduction options……..think again.

Their "Founding Fathers and Freedom of Religion" schtick is beginning to crumble and be exposed for exactly what is it: an inroads to a sort of fundamentalist taliban. (I am not even going to dignify them with capital letters.)

The originators of such things as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were a varied bunch, with differing views on religion and its role beyond personal belief. One quick source on the subject is http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/annotation/2002/2002-mar.pdf.

"As mentioned previously, most of the Founders were associated with and/or attended Christian  churches.  But the Founders were a product of not only Christianity, but also the political ideologies of the Enlightenment.  They read scripture, but they also read the philosophies of John Locke, Voltaire, and Montesquieu. As Frazer says in his book The Religious Beliefs of America’s Founders, theistic rationalism was “a belief system for the educated elite.”  Educated elite describes not only founders such as Jefferson, Adams, and Madison, but also many of the Revolutionary Era’s preachers and seminary professors." http://greatamericanhistory.net/blog/the-religious-beliefs-of-americas-founding-fathers-christians-or-deists/

Nowhere in the list of the religious affiliations of these men is Baptist or Pentecostal or Fundamentalist even listed…these were later incarnations of Protestantism. (Notice the base word here….) Is it too far a stretch to see the beginnings of "free market" take root in some of these later denominations?  I apologize in advance for offending anyone. But, there used to be an old canard that went along the lines….."The missionaries went out there to do good, and they did very well."

And don't forget the Green's attempt at getting a Bible-based view of history pushed in our public school system.
" I am skeptical, however, that the scholars that Green has assembled for this job — a group that tilts like a listing ship toward evangelicals working at evangelical institutions — are capable of producing a textbook beholden to facts rather than faith." http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/05/11/green-hobby-lobby-bible-course-textbook-column/8974511/

But Hobby Lobby's latest win (or stunt) isn't being hailed as a success by all on the religious Right. http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/07/03/3456438/religious-exemption-letter-pushback/

You will notice that no large corporations jumped on the bandwagon in support of this. (And it is NOT only about contraception.) There is a reason for that:

"After all, incorporation’s basic purpose is to create a distinct legal entity, with legal rights, obligations, powers, and privileges different from those of the natural individuals who created it, who own it, or whom it employs.

That separation is what legal and business scholars call the "corporate veil," and it's fundamental to the entire operation."

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/07/hobby-lobbys-other-problem

So let's get down to the real nitty-gritty of what's going on here:

“Because I’m a man, number one and it’s really none of my business what women do,” Potter said. So, then, why bother suing? “Because I don’t care if the federal government is telling me to buy my employees Jack Daniel’s or birth control. What gives them the right to tell me that I have to do that? That’s my issue, that’s what I object to, and that’s the beginning and end of the story.” 

http://www.salon.com/2013/04/15/eden_foods_ceo_digs_himself_deeper_in_birth_control_outrage/

And it's all about sticking it to the "arrogant" President…the one that is actually getting things done in spite of their hatred for him and those on the left. I do not think they have thought the consequences of this move through very well……as Justice Ginsberg has so eloquently stated.

Color me surprised……the conservative SCOTUS led by Judges Scalia and Alito,  ruled again for the corporations of this country. At least the fundamentalist Christian ones. And not helping women again. On one issue, but just wait for the flood gates to open when all these lawyers (with the sign of the fish at the bottom their yellow page ads…) get ahold of enough clients who are being "forced" to go against something-or-another.

While those on CNN, FOX and all the other rightwing outfits are hooping and hollering about "beating down that Obama"…their main aim all along anyway….there is another side to all of this.

“One way to look at it is this: The whole point of establishing a corporation is to create an entity separate from oneself to limit legal liability,” he  (David Gushee) writes. “Therefore, Hobby Lobby is asking for special protections/liability limits that only a corporation can get on the one hand, and special protections that only individuals, churches and religious organizations get, on the other. It seems awfully dangerous to allow corporations to have it both ways.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/06/30/3453598/no-a-win-for-hobby-lobby-is-not-a-win-for-religion/

"..might be good news for the wealthy private business owners like the heads of Hobby Lobby, but for millions of religious Americans sitting in the pews....their sacred and constitutional right to religious freedom just became compromised."

Just one more step in erroding the rights and privileges of many of us in this country, but maybe it will also make people take another look at how they view the role of corporate/religion in their everyday lives. Seems like all the "democracy and liberty" the Repubs want to risk more lives for in the Middle East are slowing being yanked from us here at home. It is one thing to believe, pray, and worship a certain way. (I was raised a Southern Baptist myself…) It is quite another to think everyone else must do so also. 

To quote Justice Ginsburg in her dissent: “Workers who sustain the operations of those corporations commonly are not drawn from one religious community,” Ginsberg pointed out. “Indeed, by law, no religion-based criterion can restrict the work force of for-profit corporations.”

Another insightful take on this subject: http://southernbeale.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/religion-is-dead/

Voice From The Middle

I am a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, wife, and friend. I was born on an island and have lived in both north and south. My dad worked for the Air Force as a civilian as did my mom in earlier years. I attended college to follow my dream of becoming a "starving artist in a loft" and left to become the mother of four kids, eventually the grandmother of seven. I was brought up in the Southern Baptist church, and left in early adulthood. I have raised a family in tandem with a husband, as was the custom during the 60's, and ended  bringing the brood up over twenty years as a single mom when circumstances changed. I have always owned my own home. I have worked full time in offices while working part time evenings and weekends (maybe in a trauma center or maybe custodial work in a beauty shop) to augment my income. I watched my mother endure the downslide with Alzheimer's, and die of the disease. I have battled cancer twice (surgery, chemo and radiation)……once with insurance, and once without. I am keeping Melanoma at bay as we speak. My present husband and I are now retired, once having owned a small business. He has a part time job now working at a recycling center when he's not with his "Eat to ride, and ride to Eat" motorcycle buddies. My kids are raising families in another state…..two of them are enduring the downturn, hopeful they can find new jobs since BOA eliminated their old ones months ago. 

Why am I telling you all this?

 As I look back upon my life, I can see that I am a microcosm of many peoples' lives……an average Jill, so to speak. And as I see it the average person is no longer respected, cared about, listened to, catered to, consulted or even noticed in today's world, especially in this country. 

For example, I was lucky to get respectable jobs with decent pay for the 1970's after my divorce: $6.25 per hour starting in one doctor's office, where I today  would need $38.64 per hour to purchase the same goods/services needed for my family. The minimum wage that big businesses seem to rail against ($10.10 usually) would be the equivalent of $1.66 in 1970. Forgive me if I call "BS" on the Right Wing axiom that "these are just jobs for entry level, teenagers needing spending money." HAVE YOU BEEN IN A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT OR DISCOUNT RETAIL STORE LATELY? (Also "Republicans "tended to think the poor are poor because of individual failings, rather than lack of opportunities present … and that they have a poor work ethic rather than good jobs being unavailable.")

Owning and taking care of a home is also a thing of the past for most couples….let alone single folks. Buying a three bedroom brick home in a good middle class neighborhood for $16,900 (you heard me right), improving it, selling and moving up every few years is a forgotten dream. That will buy you a hovel in downtown Nowhere….I get it.  The point is wages are not keeping up, and banks are NOT your friends anymore….you can only borrow money if you can prove you don't really need it. And the expense to heat and cool a home will kill you. 

Women have always been "the little women" to society. To have to be the bread winner, mother, school bus, housekeeper, lawn maintenance crew, urgent care nurse, cook and bottle washer, nurturer, educator, and look like you just stepped out of a magazine shoot….and not be too ASSERTIVE on the job…is not a task to be taken lightly. Thousands of women do this same thing every day. But those men in the GOP seem to think THEY have the authority to make health and medical decisions for them as well as mock them for being "too emotional to make decisions on anything important."

Single moms raising several kids are just the SCOURGE of society..why those children will never amount to anything. They are children of divorce and they will have developmental problems all their lives. They will probably not finish school, go to college, have several out-of-wedlock kids, end up in jail, have no ambition, and wear smelly dirty clothes. (Of course, they COULD learn the value of not having everything handed to them. They COULD learn that the "best" is not always necessary. They COULD learn that co-operation and compromise are to be valued, and that having your own way is not always going to happen. They COULD learn that friends of all races and beliefs are a good thing. They COULD learn respect for elders…...and that mom will kick your butt when you need it.) Bible quotes have their place, but common sense is more important.

Getting sick was almost NOT an option…ask my kids. Two aspirin, hot tea with lemon and honey, a warm bath, and good nights sleep HAS to cure everything. ("Mom didn't take us to the doctor unless we were bleeding…") My son was treated for several bad cuts and illness by one of the doctors I worked for……OB/GYNs. Luckily, all they had were minor childhood diseases. First time I had cancer, my employer provided insurance. The second time, I had just started a new job and no insurance was in effect at the time. (This was when I first bought an answering machine…I was inundated by doctors and hospitals for bills I could only pay a minimum on for years….4 or 5 years of complete insanity.) Thank you, Mr. President, for helping others to NOT have to go through this same thing!

Working hard, owning your own business and putting everything you have into it is the American way. Just ask any Republican running for office these days. Only LOSERS do not get anywhere in life, and they should be mocked for the "bad decisions" they have made, and that "we" have to pay for. That is all well and good…until YOUR business becomes another statistic from a bad economy, and suddenly you are "overqualified" for the very jobs you once had. Yes, early retirement has it's benefits. 

Now, suddenly, after working for years, paying your dues (and taxes, I might add) you "are not contributing to society." You are sucking up "your children's future" with all your "entitlements." Well, if you had planned it right….you could have been BORN into enough money, or used other people's money to get even richer…..or have the SCOTUS rule in your favor, anyway.

Our Founders did their best to put this country on the right track….I just don't believe they accounted for the vast sums of money being used to power the train. All the Framers of our democracy had other positions and callings BESIDES working in the government. They did what they could…and moved on to let others carry the load. Today a government job, or a political position ITSELF is the end result. Once you get in the "system", with a little luck, good friends and lots of BS you can stay there forever. With donor money, government rules, insider knowledge, glad-handing, and taxpayer support you can live the good life forever. If that doesn't work out…you can always hit the media circuit. There is always a place on one network for fading GOP stars.

As I look over what I have lived through, what I have accomplished, what I have seen, what I hope for my family and others like them….I see that I could only have been what I am. And you cannot make yourself bigger by making someone else look small. And I can only support those who can put themselves in others' shoes….people with empathy. People who are Dems.