Bob Jones III, of Bob Jones University fame, announced today this presidential race is "all about beating Hillary," and shudders thinking of the possibility of a Hilliary/Rudy Guiliani race, the sheer "disaster" of having to pick from two pro-choice candidates for President.
He told the Greenville (SC) News today, if his choice is between Hillary with her "lack of religion," Rudy and his pro-choice stance or the Mormon, Mitt Romney, he'll take the guy who practices the "erroneous religion."
(I gotta love that. From him claiming some kind of spiritual X-ray vision that sees inside Hillary and knows she's got no religion or him in all his spiritual wisdom proclaiming another religion erroneous. Never let it be said that we don't have fun in Greenville, SC. Maybe the X-ray vision thing is connected to the Gay-Dar that Bob Jones was going to use a few years back to stop homosexuals at the gates and not let them on campus. Maybe they've updated it in the past few years to spot those with no religion, too, and all the erroneous religions.)
Dr. Bob says, "As a Christian I am completely opposed to the doctrines of Mormonism. But I’m not voting for a preacher. I’m voting for a president. It boils down to who can best represent conservative American beliefs, not religious beliefs."
Horrors! Ultra-conservative Americana left with a Mormon as their best choice? As obnoxious as that sounds, I'm sure a lot of ultra-conservatives are struggling with the same thing. What do they do? None of the conservatives are conservative enough or of the "right" religion to get them excited this time around. Maybe they'll just stay home.
Local wing-nut weighs in: "As Christians we should not endorse a cult member as our president," wrote Wayne Owens Sr., a self-described rank-and-file conservative Christian.
Hillary was defended nicely in the newspaper story by a state Sen. Robert Ford.
"As far as religion is concerned, based on the teaching and principles of Jesus Christ, Hillary runs circles around Bob Jones anytime," Ford said. "United Methodists don’t wear their religion on their shoulders. We wear our religion in our hearts, in service," he added. "We believe that faith without works is dead, and Hillary Clinton has been practicing that all her life."
Bob Jones University released a statement later in the day distancing itself from Dr. Bob's endorsement of Romney, saying the university didn't endorse candidates. (Just condemn them! No, actually, the condemning comment was mine.)
Story is here: http://greenvilleonline.com/...
In other news from Greenville, my LTR on SChip was published today and amazingly, there were two other letters supporting SChip. I don't think I've ever had an LTR in the Greenville paper on a day when one other person agreed to me, let alone two. So the Republicans might really be taking a beating on this one.
Also, the group Faith In America is in the middle of its six-week campaign to try to get people to stop using religion to bash gays and lesbians, and they've really stirred up the letter-writers.
From yesterdays Greenville News, from one reader's LTE:
"As a real Christian, I wonder just how far down the highway to hell liberal idealogues would lead our children if given leave. As reductions beyond the obvious absurdity and perversity of homosexuality, would their next great exegetical revelations include the affirmation and promotion of sex with children (pedophilia) or -- to be even more liberal and broadminded -- sex with animals (bestiality)?"
And another LTE about the frightening homosexual manifesto:
"Homosexual activists from the corners of America met in Warrenton, Va., 1988 where they formulated a manifesto vowing to promote homosexuality by (1) desensitization of the public, (2) jamming criticism, (3) conversion of America's emotions through the media and (4) enforcing silence on embarrassing homosexual practices. Your newspaper's Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 publicity is helping them to achieve all four manifesto goals."
He wants the newspaper to contact the CDC about the "impact of practicing homosexuality on human health."
And, from Monday, one of them explains how he's not a bigot though he does condemn homosexuals.
"This does not mean I am a bigot. It means I am siding with Christ and am calling homosexuality what it is -- a sin." But he does claim to love us all.
Also today in Greenville, Lindsey Graham explains how his office lost track of $215,000 in campaign funds and kept it secret for months, diaried already here: http://www.dailykos.com/...
My first thought was that the aide who took the money must have been a man and a special friend of Graham's, but then I read that the aide is a woman. Darn. I was hoping for more scandal.