Jeff Sharlet’s book, “The Family” has gained a tremendous amount of attention recently on the heels of adulterous affairs by South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and Nevada Senator John Ensign.  It is an important book to add to your reading list and I have added it to my MUST READ list.

From Publishers Weekly
Checking in on a friend’s brother at Ivenwald, a Washington-based fundamentalist group living communally in Arlington, Va., religion and journalism scholar Sharlet finds a sect whose members refer to Manhattan’s Ground Zero as “the ruins of secularism”; intrigued, Sharlet accepts on a whim an invitation to stay at Ivenwald. He’s shocked to find himself in the stronghold of a widespread “invisible” network, organized into cells much like Ivenwald, and populated by elite, politically ambitious fundamentalists; Sharlet is present when a leader tells a dozen men living there, “You guys are here to learn how to rule the world.”

As it turns out, the Family was established in 1935 to oppose FDR’s New Deal and the spread of trade unions; since then, it has organized well-attended weekly prayer meetings for members of Congress and annual National Prayer Breakfasts attended by every president since Eisenhower. Further, the Family’s international reach (“almost impossible to overstate”) has “forged relationships between the U.S. government and some of the most oppressive regimes in the world.” In the years since his first encounter, Sharlet has done extensive research, and his thorough account of the Family’s life and times is a chilling expose.

Now you have to read an article written by University of Alaska Professor Alan Boraas last fall about how Palin has ties to the same power-brokers in The Family that Jeff writes about in his book.

Palin’s connection to what Jeff Sharlet has called “elite fundamentalism” is of interest now that she is an election and a heartbeat away from the presidency. Franklin Graham has been the keynote speaker for the Alaska Governor’s Prayer Breakfast the past two years. According to their Web site, the organizers believe, “God directs the affairs of Man and is the ultimate authority over human events.”

The Alaska Governor’s Prayer Breakfast is connected to the National Prayer Breakfast sponsored by The Fellowship Foundation, also known as “The Family,” which espouses similar beliefs. The Family is headed by Doug Coe, one of the most influential evangelicals in Washington, D.C. Coe’s group tends to operate behind the scenes organizing small cells attended by the power elite, mostly Republicans. George Bush was saved in such a cell while in Texas.

Elite fundamentalists believe, according to Sharlett, not only in religious determinism but that they are personally chosen by God to be in positions of power. By claiming divine legitimacy of their political power, elite fundamentalists relegate the opposition to being the devil’s tool. They are making a frighteningly close return to the pre-enlightenment concept of rule by divine right, which our founding fathers rejected as anathema to democracy and established, instead, the separation of church and state lest decisions be made on the basis of good versus evil rather than wise versus unwise.

I have spoken with both these men and we all agree that to dismiss Palin, or any of these other potential rising GOP leaders is irresponsible given that in order to rise to the top in their party – political dominionism ideology is a given.  The more ignorant the rhetoric and the more absurd they appear – the quicker we are to dismiss them.  That is where we are in error.

It’s kinda like “The artist formerly known as Prince”…whose name was Prince.  Hey!  This guys name is Prince too!  Are they brothers?  Could be…

Erik Prince is a piece of work.  Dominionist extraordinaire.  He has taken playing army to a frightening level.  Here is a blurb about this war-mongering racist ‘c’hristian:

“America’s Holy Warriors”

Erik Prince^[36] is “the secretive, mega-millionaire, right-wing Christian founder of Blackwater, the private security firm that has built a formidable mercenary force in Iraq,” Chris Hedges wrote December 31, 2006, in Truthdig.^[37]

Prince “champions his company as a patriotic extension of the U.S. military. His employees, in an act as cynical as it is deceitful, take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution.^[38] These mercenary units in Iraq, including Blackwater, contain some 20,000 fighters. They unleash indiscriminate and wanton violence against unarmed Iraqis, have no accountability and are beyond the reach of legitimate authority. The appearance of these paramilitary fighters, heavily armed and wearing their trademark black uniforms, patrolling the streets of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, gave us a grim taste of the future. It was a stark reminder that the tyranny we impose on others we will one day impose on ourselves,” Hedges wrote.^[37]

Vigilantism is dangerous no matter who initiates it.  And Prince is one of our favorite Dominionists who believes he is called in the Great Commission to take up where the proselytizers fail.  In other words, if you don’t convert and “accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour”, learn “speaking in tongues” as a second language and claim rebirth – well – Prince and Pals will be happy to remove you from the landscape…pretty much that simple.

Jeremy Scahill is the expert on Prince and Xe and this video is Scahill being interviewed by Keith Olberman on August 4th, 2009:

This next video is Mike Papantonio of Air America describing the frightening power of this mercenary military that is immune from oversight…you really have to watch this!

And the third, an excellent introduction as to exactly WHO and WHAT Blackwater/Xe is and how the Bush Administration used them as their own personal militia to engage in activities that would never be sanctioned under the rule of law.  In their minds they are truly the “hit men” for God with a mission to “cleanse” the world of what their definition of evil is.

No special meaning indeed. The same can be said for the identity, which is a bizarre cross between theold Xeroxbrandmark and the logo for Xena: Warrior Princess.As a result, the only X this rebrand deserves is for a new identity that has gone terribly, terribly wrong.In 2007, Blackwater Worldwide, the world’s largest private security company, made the wrong kind of headlines when Blackwater contractors allegedly shot and killed 17 Iraqis in a crowded square in Baghdad. This resulted in protests, congressional inquiries and the Iraqi government refusing to allow the organization to operate in the country. And now, in an effort to improve public perception, Blackwater has changed its name to Xe (pronounced ZEE).

Organizations that change their name usually do so to “better define” what they do, or to “clarify” a shift in services, and this is often in tandem with a repositioning of services or a shift in core competencies. Anne Tyrrell, a spokeswoman for Blackwater, explained that the company was changing its name because “the idea is to define the company as what it is today and not what it used to be.”

The Blackwater name has being expunged from all of its business units: Blackwater Airships (which offers surveillance services for intelligence gathering) has become Guardian Flight Systems. Blackwater Target Systems (the unit that develops and builds targets) is now being called GSD Manufacturing, and Blackwater Lodge and Training Center has been named the U.S. Training Center.

Not everyone agrees with Tyrrell. RJ Hillhouse, a national security expert and author of the blog called The Spy Who Billed Me, said the company is “obviously trying to distance itself from their image as reckless cowboys that’s etched into the world’s mind from the…shooting.” With a new name, “there are a lot of people who probably won’t connect the dots,” she said. “In a year or two, people won’t remember that’s Blackwater.”

When asked about the name change, Robert Passikoff, president of the New York marketing research firm Brand Keys, Inc. offered this: “There’s an old saying about brands: ‘When you can’t change the product, you change the packaging,’” he said. “It’s common for companies to rename in an effort to distance themselves from bad publicity, but in Blackwater’s case, things have gotten so bad that the company had little choice but dump the brand.”

Tyrrell disagrees. She countered that Blackwater’s past was only one of several factors involved in the decision. “The company leaders came up with and considered several new names,” she said. “Xe had the best potential for brand identity but has no special meaning,” she added.

No special meaning indeed. The same can be said for the identity, which is a bizarre cross between the old Xerox brandmark and the logo for Xena: Warrior Princess. As a result, the only X this rebrand deserves is for a new identity that has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

This is another article that gives you more information about this group of “brown shirts”, as I see them and yet another ‘incident’…  http://aftermathnews.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/xe-blackwater-sued-for-drunken-killing-of-iraqi-vps-guard-and-cover-up/

And here is the web site to their actual site…http://www.xecompany.com/

The Blackwater name has being expunged from all of its business units: Blackwater Airships (which offers surveillance services for intelligence gathering) has become Guardian Flight Systems. Blackwater Target Systems (the unit that develops and builds targets) is now being called GSD Manufacturing, and Blackwater Lodge and Training Center has been named the U.S. Training Center.

Not everyone agrees with Tyrrell. RJ Hillhouse, a national security expert and author of the blog called The Spy Who Billed Me, said the company is “obviously trying to distance itself from their image as reckless cowboys that’s etched into the world’s mind from the…shooting.” With a new name, “there are a lot of people who probably won’t connect the dots,” she said. “In a year or two, people won’t remember that’s Blackwater.”

And they aren’t kidding!  They truly rely on us being that stupid, that we really won’t remember…

Verb “Xe“

1. To block – (To fill (something) so that it is not possible to pass) or (To prevent (something or someone) from passing).
2. To catch – (act of catching a ball).
3. To fill – (to make full).
4. To seal – To prevent people or vehicles from crossing (something) or (To close securely to prevent leakage).

I will close this post with that…and please tell me what your interpretation of “Xe” is.  I know I have my own thoughts.  This was certainly a thoroughly thought out choice, and I am not comfortable with the meaning.

I received 2 interesting “comments” today that I am going to share with you by pasting the verbiage from Sandra Yeager’s rant at me about my posts on her letter sending out a rallying cry to “her churches”.  Below is the ‘comment’ that she posted to BOTH of my blog articles “Fellow Christians?“ and “Con Con”:

“My name is Sandra Yeager. I am the state coordinator of the We the People Foundation that drafted the church letter up for discussion. This letter was sent to my church affiliates to notify them of the Continental Congress 2009, which is being held in November to grant us all relief from any law that violates our liberty and the Constitution. The We the People Foundation has filed numerous lawsuits against our government for the past twenty years for violating the constitution. We have served the government with eighteen (18) petitions for redress for grievances since 1995, not just since the election. 

A Continental Congress has only taken place once in history, in 1774. It’s time to do it again. The first one gave us our founding documents which gave us the experience of freedom like the world has never known. The next one in November of this year has the sole purpose of holding the governmental accountable to the people for their violations of the Constitution. We are reaching out to constitutional scholars all over America. Their religious status is not a qualification. These delegates will be nominated and elected by the people of their state. 

As my alleged hate letter clearly states, if you know someone that is a constitutional scholar, please nominate them on the website to be a delegate. I have strict religious beliefs, as does my church. In America, that is our right. It’s called freedom of religion. I also have a right to send an email to my church affiliates about my thoughts, it’s called free speech. The same 1st amendment right allows you to scrutinize my letter. Isn’t freedom wonderful? We live in a country like none other, and we need to keep it that way. If we don’t agree, we can just disagree. 

A Constitutional Convention is a convention called by members of Congress (government elected officials) to change or amend the constitution. We definitely do not want any part of that, nor are we members of Congress that would have any authority to do so. We believe our founding documents are already perfect, and us religious extremists even go as far as to say they were endowed by our Creator. 

Our intentions are very well explained in this slide show presentation: 

<a title=”View CC2009 is Your Civic Duty on Scribd” href=”http://www.scribd.com/doc/17599422/CC2009-is-Your-Civic-Duty” style=”margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block; text-decoration: underline;”>CC2009 is Your Civic Duty <object codebase=”http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0″ id=”doc_414064834516605″ name=”doc_414064834516605″ classid=”clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000″ align=”middle”height=”500″ width=”100%” ><param name=”movie”value=”http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=17599422&access_key=key-4mkfm7ro0aavo4hiexu&page=1&version=1&viewMode=”> <param name=”quality” value=”high”> <param name=”play” value=”true”><param name=”loop” value=”true”> <param name=”scale” value=”showall”><param name=”wmode” value=”opaque”> <param name=”devicefont” value=”false”><param name=”bgcolor” value=”#ffffff”> <param name=”menu” value=”true”><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”> <param name=”allowScriptAccess” value=”always”> <param name=”salign” value=”"> <embed src=”http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=17599422&access_key=key-4mkfm7ro0aavo4hiexu&page=1&version=1&viewMode=” quality=”high” pluginspage=”http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer” play=”true” loop=”true” scale=”showall” wmode=”opaque” devicefont=”false” bgcolor=”#ffffff” name=”doc_414064834516605_object” menu=”true” allowfullscreen=”true” allowscriptaccess=”always” salign=”" type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” align=”middle” height=”500″ width=”100%”></embed></object> 

Finally, as this letter was not sent to any of you, please realize that there was no cramming down your throat intended. I certainly hope this clears things up. THIS IS NOT A CON-CON! 

In Liberty, 

Sandra Yeager”

Alrrriiiighttyyy then!  Phew!  That clears it all up for me…how ’bout you???

Especially all that gobbley-gook in the middle.  Of course I had to go to my number one “go-to”, Alex and below are the emails we had discussing this clarification:

a) This is classic CYA astroturfing.
b) Despite her claims, what is being proposed is a de facto ConCon,
and the groups associated with it are uniformly dominionist and
right-wing groups linked to “Christian patriot” militias (as noted in
previous mails).
c) That crap at the end is VERY poorly formed HTML, where they tried
to link to a document on Scribd which was again a CYA attempt to make
a de facto ConCon not seeming like a ConCon.

And furthermore….

It starts out by essentially claiming the government usurped its

authority including calls for “tea parties” (common in “Christian
patriot” circles),  goes on to the “we are a republic, and not a
democracy” rant (more properly, the US as operates now IS a
representative democracy, rather than a direct democracy–up to and
including claiming the difference is that “democracy is two wolves and
a sheep voting for dinner, with a republic the sheep has a gun”),
calling for steeplejacking of government (from astroturfing city and
county council meetings to steeplejacking state political party
conventions to becoming “expert witnesses” in legislative committees
to explicit recruitment to join “Christian Patriot” militia orgs to
running for office), promotion of the wonderful “Patriot” bogosity
known as “jury nullification” (VERY widely promoted in “Christian
patriot” communities), claims straight out of Posse Comitatus
(claiming county sheriffs have more authority than the President), fun
with “State’s Rights” bogosity, claims that the government was
established as a Christian nation, Bircher claims that the entire US
government was essentially usurped by “bankers” at a “secret meeting”
in 1910 (not noted is that “bankers” has historically been a Bircher
codeword for the Jewish people)…pretty much this is the typical
“Christian Patriot” screed.

Okay…follow me on this…here is the “gobbly-gook that Sandra tried to post for us to clear things up:

As an aside, this is the document she tried to link to w/o success:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17599422/CC2009-is-Your-Civic-Duty

Since this is a slide show and not a video, you will have to click on the link to view this. So what she is trying to tell me is that this is simply a letter that was meant to go out to her church affiliations, not me, and that they are firm believers in the Constitution as it was created by our Founders.

The disparity comes in when you examine that they seek to right a wrong by correcting the perceived loss of constitutional freedoms.  They also appear to have a true sense that there was an inherent joining of church and state in the name of the ‘c’hristian god that they have determined is the only path to salvation.

Given their coziness with ‘patriot militia’ ideologies, I think my next post will have to be a discussion of the vigilante activity of organized private militias such as the corporation formerly known as “Blackwater” – now known as “Xe”…

And the story continues…

…annnndddd…the galleries just keep coming!   What a line-up!  Even our two favorite barbies – Sarah AND Carrie!  Is there anyone out there that is game to attend this?  Or has the stomach for it?  “Values Voters” indeed….

And as an added bonus…just to make sure that they stir the FEAR and PARANOIA in the sheeples that attend they are going to have a special preview screening of their movie “33 Minutes”.  I have attached their 2 minute trailer for you…

An event that any red-blooded bigoted, intolerant, rascist, anti-choice, anti-feminist, Poltical Dominionist, End Times believer, born-again evangelical has just got to put on their calendars as a MUST ATTEND!

So when anyone tells you that these extremists aren’t rallying to aggressively take back seats in 2010 and relentlessly pursuit the White House in 2012…you had better tell them to WAKE UP!   This is no joke, even if they are individually….

Today is more than fireworks, BBQs, and flags.  It is even more than the recent news that Governor Palin resigned amidst widespread proclamations of a new-found independence in Alaska.  It IS about what this day celebrates, which among several principles in the Declaration of Independence – is the freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.

“What the Religious Right doesn’t tell people, and what, tragically, many Americans apparently don’t know, is that when it comes to determining what the laws of the United States mean, the only document that matters is the Constitution. The Constitution, a completely secular document, contains no references to God, Jesus or Christianity. It says absolutely nothing about the United States being officially Christian. The Religious Right’s constant appeals to documents like the Declaration of Independence, which contains a deistic reference to “the Creator,” cloud the issue and make some people believe their rights spring from these other documents.”  From Legacy Of Freedom by Rob Boston, Church and State, January, 2003

This falls under, if we (the Religious Right) repeat something often enough, it will become truth.  But these Political Dominionists not only repeatedly twist the meaning of the Constitution, they very quietly attempt to mold our laws to fit their twisting.

The Constitution Restoration Act of 2004, introduced into both houses of Congress on February 11, 2004, “includes the acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law by an official in his capacity of executing his office.” Katherine Yurica, author of the Yurica Report, reports on this bill that reveals the theocratic intentions of its sponsors including Rep. Robert Aderholt (Alabama), Rep. Michael Pence (Indiana), Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, Sen. Zell Miller (Georgia), Sen. Sam Brownback (Kansas), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (South Carolina).

Foes of Church-State Separation

The Texas Republican Party Platform, 2002:

“Our Party pledges to do everything within its power to dispel the myth of separation of church and state.”

Christian Coalition: Speakers at the Road To Victory rally sponsored by Christian Coalition just before the 2002 elections,

“Seemed to compete with each other to say the worst things they could about this concept.” Coalition founder Pat Robertson who described church-state separation as “a lie” and “a distortion foisted on us over the past few years by left- wingers.”

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore termed separation “a fable” and insisted that the phrase “has so warped our society it’s unbelievable.”

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) upped the ante, calling concerns about church andstate “the phoniest argument there is.”

But the award for the most vicious attack goes to Joyce Meyer, the TV preacher who cosponsored the Coalition’s national meeting. Meyer lambasted the constitutional concept as “really a deception from “Satan.”

Because we have such wide-spread apathy among our electorate, even those who consider themselves “engaged and paying attention”, we have created a breeding ground for disinformation.  The facts simply play a very small role in voter perceptions.  Consequently we are stunned IF we actually learn about these attempts to chip away at our freedoms.

WAY too many Americans view the whole notion of participating in government at the most basic level as an “us and them” issue.  ”Oh, I don’t get involved in politics”, or “i don’t have time for all that”, or “They’re all a bunch of liars and criminals anyway”, and the list of excuses goes on and on.  Does it occur to them to really learn about the people who sit in positions of power over us all?  That when an incompetent, or disastrous, or religious zealot, or any other form of unfit person is elected – that we are ALL responsible whether you voted or not?

The efforts to take away the right to free religious expression – or to observe no religion at all – is constantly under attack in America by Political Dominionists.  Defending those freedoms is NOT anti-American, anti-patriotic or inspired by Satan.  Quite the opposite!  Defending religious freedom and the separation of church and state is the most patriotic American thing you can do.

Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun - “When the government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion it conveys a message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored beliefs. A government cannot be premised on the belief that all persons are created equal when it asserts that God prefers some.”

And as it stands right now, the push for theocratic dominance has become so entrenched in the Republican Party that to stand a chance of success as a GOP candidate on ANY level, you must demonstrate an alliance to the dogma of Dominionism – no matter what denomination you hale from.

Contrary to Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution which states that, “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States”, the GOP flippantly ignores this rule – cherry-picking from the Constitution much the same way it does the Bible.

Currently, you must meet the litmus test of having been “born-again” and acknowledgethe extremeevangelical version of “Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour” to be in the club.  (It never hurts to speak in tongues as a second language and plaster your cars with numerous paint-damaging “ribbon” magnets, an American flag flapping and the potpourri of fish decals or “Calvin” peeing on a Darwinian fish).

I will end with the following article I read today by a Reverend from Fayetteville, Arkansas who eloquently defends his devout faith in the Christian God, yet intelligently defends pluralism versus monotheism and how incredibly fortunate we are in a world filled with religiously dictated tyranny causing inhuman suffering to millions.

Government, Religion Don’t Mix Well

By Rev. Steve Sheely

I love my country. There is no place I would rather live. I relish the freedoms we enjoy and I am grateful for those who gave their lives, their health and their dreams so I have the freedom to write this newspaper column, vote for whoever I prefer and, most of all, worship as I choose.

In Saudi Arabia, the Islamic government has given full police power to the CPVPV (Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice). Minority Muslims and non-Muslims are vulnerable to various forms of religious discrimination and persecution.

But the examples of this problem are not limited to other nations. In our own country there are those who would prefer a similar relationship between government and religion.

This Independence Day as we celebration freedom of religion, we also celebrate freedom from religion. We cannot let our government get in the religion business. Throughout history this has been a disastrous affiliation.Any democracy, protectorate or monarchy — even a nation as wonderful as ours — will never match the mercy, redemption and holiness of the Kingdom of God. Our borders are not wide enough, our social programs are not gracious enough and our foreign policy is not redemptive enough. Uncle Sam is not the Holy Spirit. The Bill of Rights is not the word of God. George Washington is not Moses.
So we need to be proactive citizens. If the government intrudes on religious freedom or violates human rights we must take action. The ends do not justify the means in the Kingdom of Heaven or the United States. When John the Baptist encountered the “bad guys” at the Jordan River, he did not water-board them.”

“When facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” -Sinclair Lewis

Sarah Palin may be the most visible of current-day Political Dominionist figure that was added to a long and growing list of GOP power-players and politicians, but her notoriety has caused some to take their collective eyes off the ball.

I actually want to thank her, in all sincerity, for if it wasn’t for her meteoric rise in popularity she would not have inadvertently brought light to the absurdities of extremism and what that spawns.  Had she not come on the scene, and whipped the extremists into a froth, the challenge of educating us all about the threat to our democracy would have been a much harder uphill battle.

Thank you Sarah!

I have been searching for months for the name of my new book, and have conjured up hundreds that would all apply in one way or another, such as -”Does the Republican Party Need an Exorcism?” (too Catholic);    ”Republicans! For the Love of GOD! Please Take Your Party Back!” (too hard to shorten for quick reference);  ”Keep the Steeple Off the Ballot!” (too subtle?);  ”The Day the Wheels Fell Off the GOP Wagon”;  ”The Republican Taliban” (good, but sounds like something my poli-sci Prof would have written)…and on and ON!  

And then – there it was!  Staring at me out of their own mouths…”God’s Own Party”.  

Below is an article from 2006 that speaks to their own example of “re-branding”:

“How the GOP Became God’s Own Party”

By Kevin Phillips in the Washington Post

Sunday, April 2, 2006

“Now that the GOP has been transformed by the rise of the South, the trauma of terrorism and George W. Bush’s conviction that God wanted him to be president, a deeper conclusion can be drawn: The Republican Party has become the first religious party in U.S. history.

We have had small-scale theocracies in North America before – in Puritan New England and later in Mormon Utah. Today, a leading power such as the United States approaches theocracy when it meets the conditions currently on display: an elected leader who believes himself to speak for the Almighty, a ruling political party that represents religious true believers, the certainty of many Republican voters that government should be guided by religion and, on top of it all, a White House that adopts agendas seemingly animated by biblical worldviews.

The new GOP coalition to Christian evangelicals, fundamentalists and [Neo]Pentecostals, muster some 40 percent of the party electorate. Many millions believe that the Armageddon described in the Bible is coming soon.

The potential interaction between the end-times electorate, inept pursuit of…” (to read full article click http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/01/AR2006040100004.html

The inability of the dominionists and Christian nationalists to suppress their sense of entitlement to heaven over the rest of us lowly infidels is at best nauseating, but they do take themselves VERY seriously!  And the time has come for us to take them seriously as well, as much as I hate to admit that.  

It is not my place to judge whether they are truly Christian – or more aptly – christian with a little “c”, but their ideology of intolerance, retribution, revisionist religious doctrines and this self-anointed mandate to take dominion over us all – BEGS to be written about in terms that we ALL pay attention!

Hence a star is born!  Introducing my new book title: (in its pure DRAFT form at the moment, but you get the picture)

God’s Own Party?

“Spinning” Out of Control

No Bottom in Sight©

(just a few asses)

Let’s ponder the GOP 2012 gallery of religious rogues as they are surfacing to the top…shall we?

Palin, Huckabee, Jindal, Huntsman, Pence, Sanford, Romney and even Gingrich (newly Catholic, but made it into the House of GOP, with blessings).  

This list is by no means exhaustive…STAY TUNED! 

Our individual right to vote is a duty in this election!  We must be diligent in our collective efforts as democrats, republicans and independents to send a clear message to the Fundamentalist Religious Right Extremist Evangelical Charismatics – or FRREECs – that their agenda is not ours.

As Americans we must insist on our freedom OF religions, as well as our freedom FROM religions.  It is one of the privileges that we have been given in this country that sets us apart.  And now, with the infiltration of the Republican Party by the FRREECs over the past 30 years, the push to turn our democracy into a theocracy has achieved traction with Sarah Palin as their “Poster Girl”.

I was called to action to write a book about the TheoPalinists shortly after the announcement that she was chosen by John McCain to run as his vice president in their bid for the White House.  I describe in “TheoPalinism – The Face of Failed Extremism”, how these fanatics have sent a chill down my spine for years, but with this pick for a running mate I was staring at the new face of extremism!  They have finally weasled their way to the spotlight tucked behind the cloak of legitimacy of the old school republicans.  

Even though they will go down in defeat in a matter of days, the very fact that they have elevated one of “their own” to the highest national ticket should scare us sober!  And we have the power to convey our message to the FRREECs with a resounding “Thanks! But NO thanks!” by getting out and voting, no matter what inconvenience you may encounter.  

Every state has a different system, and some are definitely more user-friendly than others, but we cannot  -for any reason – allow ourselves to become complacent!  It is crucial that the FRREECs are not only defeated, but sent packing with our unmistakable message of rejection of their ideologies.