These Congressional bible belt bigots want a fundie theocracy

I'm totally in the mood to fight the piece of crap bible belt rethuglicans who want to impose their fundie Jesus freak theocratic nonsense down our throats. Given such major problems we face right now - recession, Iraq, global warming, the healthcare crisis, etc., these motherf***ing piece of s**t republican a**h***s have the audacity to try to pull off this nonsense. How dare they!

I'm talking about H. Res. 888: "Affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as "American Religious History Week" for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith."

We need this legislation about as much as we need, oh, I don't know, perhaps a billion dollar missle shield program, or a half dozen Alaskan bridges to nowhere. What we really need is a return to Constitutional government; the Constitution very, very clearly states that states that  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

Note, also, that this is a follow up to an earlier diary here on this topic by Chris Rodda

This bill is being sponsored by Congressman J Randy Forbes, a Southern Baptist and also a member of the GOP Abramaoff/Delay/Duke Cunningham wing. And while I realize that this bill is largely symbolic and largely playing to the right wing bigoted base of a bunch of conservatives and may lead, ultimately, to nothing, just the fact that there are more signatures on this than there are on any Bush/Cheney impeachment bills before Congress is appalling. So, just to be safe, attention should be given to this.

While the Constitution may give right wing, bigoted, theocratic entitities like the Southern Baptist Convention the right to worship as they please, it does not give these mofos the right to impose their beliefs on anyone else, which is exactly what they are wanting to do with this twisted, divisive proclamation.

As Truthout reports

A Republican congressman, who has spent the better part of the past two years on a mission to ensure Jesus Christ has a place in all aspects of federal government, has introduced a resolution to designate a week every year to honor the nation's "rich spiritual, and religious history."

House Resolution 888, sponsored by Congressman Randy Forbes (R-Virginia), is currently before a House committee and has 31 co-sponsors. It purports to be free from singling out a specific religion, yet contains dozens of proclamations with clear fundamentalist Christian overtones. Five pages of footnotes cite specific Bible passages, the Gospels, churches, and include Biblical references taken from historical monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial.

One such proclamation states, "Whereas in 1777, Congress, facing a National shortage of 'Bibles for our schools, and families, and for the public worship of God in our churches,' announced that they 'desired to have a Bible printed under their care & by their encouragement' and therefore ordered 20,000 copies of the Bible to be imported 'into the different ports of the States of the Union'."

Forbes, who in 2005 founded the Congressional Prayer Caucus in an effort to ensure Christianity's place in politics, told the Virginian Pilot he introduced his resolution to combat a "well-orchestrated movement" by "radicals" to keep Christianity and religion in general separate from government.

The resolution, which was first reported on the blog Talk2Action by Chris Rodda, author of the book "Liars for Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American History," and the senior research director at the government watchdog organization The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), was introduced by Forbes on December 18, the last day Congress was in session before lawmakers left for their winter break. Rodda first discovered the resolution after researching Congress's legislative web site for work she has been doing on behalf of MRFF.

"House Resolution 888 is perhaps the most disgraceful, shocking and tragic example yet of the pernicious and pervasive pattern and practice of the unconstitutional rape of our bedrock American citizens' religious freedoms by the fundamentalist Christian right," said Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of MRFF, a nonprofit watchdog group that aims to keep a close eye on the military to ensure it abides by the law mandating the separation between church and state. "Its myriad tortured and deliberate historical fictions, fused by it's Congressional-member drafters into a sorry screed of fascistic Christian exceptionalism and triumphalism, clearly illuminate its private sector and legislative sponsors' unbridled lust to spare absolutely no effort to complete the transformation of our country into "The United Christian States of America."

Here are the sponsors of this godawful and unnecessary piece of legislation.

Sponsor: Rep. James Forbes [R-VA]

Cosponsors [as of 2007-12-19]
Rep. Todd Akin [R-MO]
Rep. James Barrett [R-SC]
Rep. John Culberson [R-TX]
Rep. John Doolittle [R-CA]
Rep. Tom Feeney [R-FL]
Rep. John Gingrey [R-GA]
Rep. Louis Gohmert [R-TX]
Rep. Robin Hayes [R-NC]
Rep. Jeb Hensarling [R-TX]
Rep. Walter Herger [R-CA]
Rep. Walter Jones [R-NC]
Rep. Patrick Mchenry [R-NC]
Rep. Mike McIntyre [D-NC]
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave [R-CO]
Rep. Steven Pearce [R-NM]
Rep. Mike Pence [R-IN]
Rep. Joseph Pitts [R-PA]
Rep. Paul Ryan [R-WI]
Rep. Jean Schmidt [R-OH]
Rep. Timothy Walberg [R-MI]
Rep. Addison Wilson [R-SC]
Rep. Frank Wolf [R-VA]
Rep. Bill Young [R-FL]

I just called my congressman, John Hall, to express my vehement opposition to this, and also contacted Forbes, whose staffer didn't really want to talk to me. I also called Senator Schumer to alert him to this even though it may not lead to anything should it get to the Senate.

Thankfully, Americans United For Separation of Church and State has an action alert. I suggest everyone take a moment out to take action.

•  Please take stand up to the religious right

  Fight this in any way you can.

  by Randian on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:02:17 PM PDT

  •  notice this:

    888 and 666

    666 being the proverbial Mark of the Beast, and 888 being some kind of symbolic talisman against it.  

    Yes, the nutters are into numerology too.  

    777 would have been too obvious, or perhaps they missed the 700s entirely, so they wait for 888.  

    It's like "No Child Left Behind," title partially taken from the Left Behind novels, about fundamentalist apocalypse and salvation.  No Child "Left Behind" in the religious sense: all children saved.  

    And I was told that the 21st century would see permanent Moon bases and a society of scientific literacy where parents read their kids bedtime math puzzles and highschool athletes studied trig to improve their ball-handling performance.  Right.  

    Welcome to the new dark ages.  Neo-medievalism anyone?  

    by G2geek on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 03:01:39 PM PDT

•  How could this even get out of committee?!

  It seems it would take a majority vote to get out of committee, eh? Then it would take a majority vote to pass the House (which it would likely get, if it gets that far).

  Where is the committee Chairperson? Who has that majority in the House anyway?!

  And where is the House Leader, Pelosi? Someone please wake up Grandma! Tell her she's wanted on the floor!

  by DevonTexas on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:08:18 PM PDT

•  There are a ton of bills in Congress

  Although I note one Dem sponsor, this is basically a Republican bill that has been introduced into a Dem-controlled House.  DINOs notwithstanding, it strikes me as more likely to be something these guys want to be able to campaign on in November, not actually pass.

  Have you identified the Committees it needs to go through before it can be brought to the floor?

  Personally, I would have to see some signs of movement on it before I started worrying too much about it.

  by Free Spirit on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:11:27 PM PDT

  •  Waxman's House

    It's going to House Oversight and Government Reform.  Rep Waxman is the chair.  He's not going to let it go anywhere, don't worry.

    There are hundreds of crazy ass bills that die merciful deaths in committee.  This is one of them.  If we got our panties in a twist every time one of these things was proposed, well, we'd have pretty twisted panties.

    Wake me when it comes up for a floor vote.

    by Nemo Yocto on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:15:48 PM PDT

    •  I realize that it's likely an election year stunt

      and not much more, and I agree with you that people like Waxman are likely to put the brakes on it. Nevertheless, in playing to their base, these theocrats appear to be wanting a political fight on the culture war as we head toward the elections.

      by Randian on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:21:08 PM PDT

      •  Silver Bullets and Misdirection

        these theocrats appear to be wanting a political fight on the culture war as we head toward the elections

        Then let's not let them draw us into one.

        by Free Spirit on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:22:25 PM PDT

    •  Twisted Panties

      we'd have pretty twisted panties

      Lotta that going around these days.

      by Free Spirit on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:21:10 PM PDT

  •  how many mice do you need to see

    ... in your kitchen, before you start setting mousetraps?  

    Prevention is the best cure.  Set the traps now.  Easier to deal with 'em one at a time than wait until they start throwing parties in the pantry.  

    by G2geek on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 03:13:30 PM PDT

•  The intent is nothing new....

  The Bill is new but the desire behind it isn't.

  I imagine it will work this way: at some point the bill will die and it will let some Repubs  to campaign on the "Dems hate Jesus platform." In the south, you pretty much have to invoke God  and faith multiple times while speechifying or campaigning.

  by undercovercalico on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:26:47 PM PDT

•  It must just be a coincidence that Jesus

  is mentioned nowhere in any of our founding documents. The theocrats desparately cling to "in the year of our lord" at the end of the Constitution and the Creator in the Declaration.

  But, our founders were from the Age of Enlightenment, and many were deists; some were atheists.

  Religion has no place in our government; there are many religious people...and they have exactly the same rights as everyone else...But power hungry theocrats have no respect for our country or our ideals.

  by Rayk on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:30:06 PM PDT

•  Reality based

  We do need to speak out against it.
  We also need to remember it's a resolution, not a bill, so even if it were ever to pass (highly doubtful)it can't "legislate" anything. Also that it is in committee, and unlikely to find it's way to the full house, anyway.
  So why even address it at all? Because, as with any gift - "it's the thought that counts".

  by Catte Nappe on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:31:31 PM PDT

  •  It carries symbolic weight

    on behalf of us all, and while it probably won't pass, were it to, it would be harmful.

    by Randian on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:33:31 PM PDT

    •  only one mouse in the kitchen.

      "There's only one mouse, so we can ignore it" is a good way to end up with an infestation.

      Ten points to you for alerting us to this one.  It's time to set the mousetraps.  Prevention is the best cure.  

      by G2geek on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 03:11:05 PM PDT

•  I have an idea

  Let's see if we can get Pete Stark to offer up a resolution praising the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

  Then we can make a deal:  support this one if they support the FSM one. :-)

  by onanyes on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:35:07 PM PDT

  •  Heh

    I like this suggestion.

    by Randian on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:39:37 PM PDT

    •  what about this:

      Every time one of these things comes along, insert amendments that recognize a whole list of religions and also explicitly recognize agnosticism and atheism and "freedom from religion."

      That could get interesting.  Oh yes watch the theocrats squirm!  I would love to hear their rationales for trying to take atheism and agnosticism out of those bills.  

      You can call this, "the cat plays with the mouse before eating it."  

      by G2geek on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 03:16:25 PM PDT

      •  Absolutely

        They can have their statements, but the secularists should also get an equal say, just like the Constitution intends.

        Good suggestion!

        by Randian on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 03:21:07 PM PDT

•  Idea for action. Here's how to contact McIntyre

  This link will bring up McIntyre's email contact page. You might cut and paste the text below into the message text. Just that. He'll get the nessage.

  Amendment I:

  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and petition the government for a redress of grievances.

  *****************************
  I just reminded our very own Blue Dog (with fleas) of the 1st amend.

  by persondem on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 07:32:26 PM PDT