What
really upholds the Establishment Clause ?
Think about it....
Well, in the end what prevents, for example, legislators at whatever level of government from voting for spend taxpayer dollars on programs that would seek to convert citizens to one particular religion, or interpretation of a religious tradition, is quite simply... lawsuits.
Think about it :
HR 2679, the "Public Expression of Religion Act." The bill, which got a hearing in the House Constitution Subcommittee last week, would keep state and local governments from having to pay damages or attorney's fees as a result of violating the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.
Don Byrd, at
Talk To Action covers this rather undereported issue in more depth...
I really can't provide an action for you :
If I can think of one I'll toss one out - I'm writing this from a conference and have to go....
OK, here's the basic need : get this story out.
However....
The mainstream media isn't covering this story, and the proposed bill will allow a fast route to theocracy. Many state legislators will - if the bill becomes law - vote to channel state funds into various initiatives to promote conservative right Christian beliefs. To establsh state conversion programs. Whatever. This will open the floodgates.
OK. Now, a REALITY CHECK
Think of this story in terms of the narrative line of Tom Frank's recent book, "What's the Matter With Kansas ?", that came out in 2004...
Think about it.
The Frank / "What's the Matter..." line was that the rank and file of the Christian right were being duped. The idea was that no real action would ever be taken further their desired agenda. The model Frank advanced was that leaders of the GOP manipulated the Christian right rank and file purely for political advantage and Frank's notion - that is actually contradicted even by his superbly written explorations into the origins of a number of the Christian right leaders in Kansas who actually rose from the grassroots, some from extremely humble vocations, to become notable leaders, activists, ad politicians.
In fact, the leadership cohort that Frank depicted were part of a wave of emergent Christian right activism that has by now taken over the majority of state level GOP party structures - with the intent on imposing some sort of Christian theocratic government.
Well, they're well along the way.
Joan Bokaer, who was actually observing the organizing prior to that takeover - by Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition - has written up her account of the takeover of the GOP, by the Christian right, in a series at Talk To Action. Read it. The Tom Frank position is, at base, wrong.