LSB: Is one’s religion conviction now a litmus test for government service? Are we moving in the direction of theocracies such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Tibet? The Executive Directory of the Republican Party of Texas apparently thinks so, as he is questioning one Democratic candidate’s faith as it relates to his suitability for office. That’s rich! How “Christian” of Mr. Fisher to pass judgment on another person's faith. Because Mr. Fisher would not (could not) identify them, we don’t really know who these other people are, what they said, or even how they know what is in this man’s heart. When are people of faith going to wake up and see that the Right is using them – scaring them with gay marriage and pandering to their patriotism with a meaningless flag burning amendment? As the Foley Page Scandal should demonstrate, the Republican Party is first and foremost interested in keeping their power, not in actually protecting the public or our interests. This ‘atheist in our midst’ reeks of McCarthyism and is little more than a Rovian tactic to smear a candidate with some unproven allegation taken as fact. People of faith ought to be outraged by this transparent political chicanery!Religion has entered the political fray in a race for an appellate court bench in east Texas.
The Austin-based Republican Party of Texas played the religion card in a Sept. 21 online newsletter. As alleged in the newsletter, Texarkana solo E. Ben Franks, Democratic nominee for a seat on the 6th Court of Appeals, "is reported to be a professed atheist" and apparently believes the Bible is a "collection of myths.'"
But Franks says he has never professed to be an atheist and is not a member of any atheist organization. Franks says no one with the Republican Party ever asked him whether he professes to be an atheist. However, he says he's not surprised by the allegation.
…
The Republican Party's allegation that Franks is an atheist stems from a June 18, 2002, article published in the El Paso Times, after the Texas Democratic Party held its state convention in the far west Texas city.
As noted in the article, Democrats on the party's platform committee debated whether to drop "God" from a sentence on the first page of the committee's platform report that read: "We want a Texas where all people can fulfill their dreams and achieve their God-given potential."
The article quotes Franks, a member of the platform committee, as saying, "I'm an atheist, [and] this does not bother me. I'm a pragmatist."
Franks says the article misquoted him and what he said was, "Let's say I'm an atheist. I still have no problem with this platform, because I'm a pragmatist." What he was saying, Franks says, is that, if he were an atheist, he would not be offended by the reference to God in the platform.
But Jeff Fisher, the state Republican Party's executive director, says there are other sources of the allegation. Fisher says "some people who know Franks" – people whom Fisher did not identify – have told him that Franks professes to be an atheist.
Fisher says the GOP sent the newsletter to people who subscribe to the party's e-mail publications to inform them about Franks. "We have a candidate running for the 6th Court who clearly shows he's out of touch with the people," he says.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
GOP Raises Religion in Court Race, Calling Democrat an Atheist
Law.com:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Hello Bear,
Here's some red hot ink for your pen. Now help me vanquish the sword!
Proof that pretending to serve the Creator for wealth and power always leads to calamity
Pay close attention, profundity knocks at the door, listen for the key. Be Aware! Scoffing causes "blindness"...
As recent events and millennia of history have shown us, those who bedevil others with holier-than-thou pretenses, as they support and/or perform blatant evil eventually suffer dire consequences. The prime example is the Vatican, which has caused great disasters for itself and its followers throughout history as the direct result of its great deceptions, hypocrisy, and injustices. One of the most recent are the actions of the Christian Right, Bush administration, and Republican Party, all close allies of the Vatican. While scoffing at the existence of Karma, "blind and deaf" hypocrites consistently provide proof that evil deeds regularly lead to the "curse," mostly commonly known as bad karma.
If Christians leaders are going to go around attacking others for not living up to their professed values, it's a damn good idea to be truthful and actually walk the walk. Logs and motes in the eye, camels through the eye of a needle, glass houses, kettle's and pots, and what goes around comes around, et al. Karma's a bitch when She finally decides enough is enough! This wouldn't have been so bad on Republicans if they hadn't been such arrogant hypocrites in order to corner the so-called values voters! Now the "Two Candlesticks" and "Two Witnesses" (Truth and Justice) are "breathing fire" and "raining hailstones!"
Pretending to serve the Creator while deceiving, exploiting, and oppressing others is a great abomination. Such great levels of blatant evil scream for Truth and Justice to "breath fire" and "burn" those who think they are somehow above the laws of this universe and basic human values. The recent horrendous luck and disastrous results caused by the Bush crew and cohorts shows us that Truth and Justice never remain defeated forever. Now comes the long-awaited time of "fire and brimstone" to punish those who have used deceptive values and great hypocrisy to unjustly subjugate their fellow souls, while pretending to be "God's Servants." The arrogance of the powerful is again reaping the promised rewards for evil deeds and results. Now we see the unfolding of the true meaning and purpose of "Armageddon," which the Vatican and its cohorts have long confounded because they were the intended targets of these prophecies. Most Christians have long been deceived and deluded into failing to understand that the great deceivers, which ancient prophecies predict the fall of, are the rich and powerful nations, the three faiths of Abraham, and the "three foul spirits" of money, religion and politics.
Now consider how money, religion, and politics are inseparable because of the inescapable trap (bottomless pit) they form. The symbolism of the bottomless pit refers both to an ancient trap (pit) and to its associated deceptions, hence the inability to "get to the bottom of it." We are all trapped in a web of deception woven with money, religion, and politics. The great evils that bedevil us all will never cease until humanity finally awakens, shakes off these strong delusions, and forges a new path to the future.
It's no wonder the Vatican and its many cohorts fear the truth more than anything else. Jews, Christians, and Muslims have long been duped by the great deceivers I warned humanity about over the millennia. What then is the purpose of "faith" but to keep good people from seeking to understand truth and wisdom?
Here is Wisdom !!
Peace...
Post a Comment