REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS "TEXAS STYLE" TO GO NATIONAL ?
"Pro Life" Democratic Group Proposes Trojan-Horse Initiative
The alarming erosion of any pretense of a wall between church and state here in Texas is evidenced by the state's diversion of $5 million in health care funds to evangelistic crisis pregnancy centers. Despite the standard restrictions on using public funds to proselytize, this lucrative contract is designed to funnel state money into both Protestant and Catholic CPCs, both of which have only two goals: stopping abortion and winning souls for Christ.
And now that movement is poised to go national.
The Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) is waiting in the wings with its 95-10 Initiative, a piece of omnibus legislation that, beneath a veneer of concern for women, provides federal funding for a nationwide campaign to herd women into CPCs -- in addition to imposing the so-called Woman's Right to Know laws that are shutting down access to abortion care from Minnesota to Mississippi
There's more, of course....
So writes moiv, in her latest installment at Talk To Action.
moiv's continuing series focuses with especial intensity on the the crumbling of the church / state boundary - and the corresponding advance of Christian theocracy ( you might call it, for now, "theocracy lite" ) in Texas.
Texas is in the vanguard of the Christian right advance, vying only - perhaps - with Oklahoma as the national leader in Christian supremacy, and since the first state GOP party machinery takeover by the Christian right was in Texas, it is unsurprising that in Texas the movement's agenda is possibly further advanced than in any other US state ( 'cept maybe Oklahoma ).
Now, according to moiv, Texas is ready to inflict another dubious "faith based" slush-fund pork mechanism - dispensing huge sums to Christian right organizations of dubious intent - on America.
Oh boy.
"Democrats should give up Fighting For Abortion rights, maybe birth control too - we'll expand our base ! We can't Lose" - An especially dumb strategy from the DFLA, as channeled through Troutfishing
Enter : DFLA
[ pronunciation key : think of "Tattoo", from "Fantasy Island", exclaiming to Ricardo Montelbaum ( sp?) "Boss, Dee PLANE ! Dee PLANE !" now apply to DFLA, as in "Dee FLAH ! Dee FLAH !" ]
OK, moving along....
If the Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) are succesful in getting their 95-10 initiave passed, will that somehow be a victory for Democracy ?
Well, probably not and for many reasons - but the most salient of those to me is simply this :
I was curious about who this "DFLA" was, so I took a peek to see what religious groups DFLA links to. Now the best of the lot - by far - was Jim Wallis' Sojourner's, with Redeem the Vote perhaps a close second.
DFLA's other 10 linked groups devolved rather rapidly from there though, and from what a cursory scan told me, the majority of those groups
- Are directly working as, or linked to, "Renewal" groups ( recently showcased - as covered in an ongoing series by John Dorhauer on the campaign to destroy liberal Protestant churches in the US, at Talk To Action - here on dKos ) that advocate "literal" interpretations of the Bible and have been working to split up, undermine, and destroy America's mainline religious denominations for - in some cases - over two decades now.
- Not only oppose abortion rights, but are opposed to legal BIRTH CONTROL.
- Were rather peppy cheerleaders for the "Pro Life" camp in the Terri Schiavo spectacle. For a bit on two of the "Pro Life" leaders in that production event, see my Monday piece at Talk To Action.
So, is DFLA's proposed initiative a good bet for the renaissance of the Democratic Party ?
Well, only if you fancy losing access to legalized abortion AND birth control for starters. Oh - and gay marriage ? ........... are you kidding ?
Call DFLA's chosen fellow travellers in faith - but for Sojourner's and "Redeem the Vote" - "Christian Reconstructionism Lite".
There's more - of course. There's always more, and I'll write more on these groups, later on today if I get a chance, at ( of course ) Talk To Action. Have a nice ( mostly theocracy free for now ) day, y'all.