...

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Be Afraid-

FRIDAY UPDATE: Here's an interesting juxtaposition of quotes from Mitt's speech yesterday (emphasis added by me)-

"Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance. Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only for faiths with which we agree...We cherish these sacred rights, and secure them in our Constitutional order. Foremost do we protect religious liberty, not as a matter of policy but as a matter of right. There will be no established church, and we are guaranteed the free exercise of our religion.

But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning...Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It's as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America — the religion of secularism. They are wrong.
"

This is far from the first time a right-winger has defined "secularism" as a "religion" -they do it all the time, but obviously the Irony Fairy was working overtime yesterday.

Earth paging Mitt... Earth paging Mitt... Come in, Mitt... if you really think that "secularism" is indeed a religion, then what are you doing declaring it "wrong"? Didn't you just say we should respect "all" other religions?

Of course they respect your freedom- as long as you agree with them.

-

Many bloggers have been writing about religion over the past few weeks. The nuttiness going on in the world, with Muslim fanatics calling for the beheading of teachers because they dislike the name of their teddy bear, has been all over the news. But there is a fanatical threat much closer to us all- a number of our candidates for President are even more threatening to American freedoms.

A lot of attention has been focused on Mike Huckabee, who famously has declared he does not believe in Evolution, but there are other American Taliban out there. Most of the talk about Mitt Romney has been about the Christian Right's struggles to figure out whether Mormons are Christians or not, but those who value the rights of Americans to be free not only to practice religion, but not to practice it as well, should be very worried by The Mittster, because he is one of the more frightening members of the American Taliban, a group who does not really believe you have a right to be agnostic or aethiest.

Here are some advance excerpts from Mitt's speech on religion in America, to be delivered today (emphasis added by me):

"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom...Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone... Whether it was the cause of abolition, or civil rights, or the right to life itself, no movement of conscience can succeed in America that cannot speak to the convictions of religious people...in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America – the religion of secularism. They are wrong. The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square...We should acknowledge the Creator as did the founders – in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history...Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our constitution rests. "

Want a little more reason to be afraid? On October 5, 2006, Mitt said,

"Today there are some people who are trying to establish one religion: the religion of secularism. They not only reject traditional values, they reject the values of our founders and they cast aside the wisdom of the ages. This spreading secular religion — and its substitute values — cannot be allowed to weaken the foundation of the family, or the faith of our fathers who 'more than life, their country loved."

Got that, everyone? Mitt believes that if you are not religious you cannot have true values, and you are an enemy to real American values. Further, he wants judges who will follow religious dictates (and by "religious" he means Christian).

American Taliban, anyone?

33 comments:

Hungry Mother said...

I've already been afraid of these fanatics, but thanks for some useful information about them. I predict that Romney goes down after his speech today, because somebody is actually going to do a little research into LDS.

Tequila Mockingbird said...

i hate that more than anything, when religious people assume because a person is an atheist or an agnostic that they are bad people or immoral. it makes me want to skeet shoot some bibles at them.

Bruce, a work in progress said...

...be VERY afraid.

What can I say? I think y'all know how I feel.

By the way my meme letter is up.

Forrest Proper said...

HunrgyMo: I can't wait for them to get to the part where up until a few years ago the LDS considered blacks to be "mud-people".

T-Bird: Hey, I'll chip in for the shotgun.

Bruce: I'm headin' on over.

fu said...

calling blacks mud people will probably get him the republican nomination. Mitt's grandfather ws a polygamist too. Values. I know lot's of agnostics and atheists and none of them ever molested any kids. anyone in organized religion that can say that?

Mike said...

I just hope that Gordon B. Hinckley tells them all to drink the Kool-Aid before Mitt gets a chance to become the Presimullah.

Cissy Strutt said...

He has a clever speech writer. "Substitute values" doesn't really mean anything, but it sounds alarming. What could these "substitute values" be? I don't know, but it sounds awful scary. Let's stay away from them.

Oh, and persecute the unrighteous, obviously.

jgodsey said...

admitting to having a religion should exclude you from public office.

Catalyst said...

FLASH! Presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave his long-awaited speech on his Mormon region today, then burst into a chorus of "Gimme that old time religion, it's good enough for me."

Forrest Proper said...

TV: Molested who? I thought the church got those court records sealed...

Mike: Do Mormons wear turbans in secret?

Cissy: Of course, and "unrighteous" meaning anyone we disagree with.

Gods: Or at least an organised religion.

Catalyst:

Let us pray with those old Druids,
they drink fermented fluids,
waltzing naked through the woods,
and that's good enough for me!

Let us pray with Aphrodite,
Let us pray with Aprodite;
she wears that see-through nightie,
and that's good enough for me!

Malach the Merciless said...

Mitt in nuts guys, you talking to several people at this blog who had him for governer

Forrest Proper said...

What Malach said- we had him for Guv'nor, and the man is unprincipled, manipulative, a liar, a grandstander, and an asshole.

Amy and I saw him in person once at a photography opening- he does have very nice teeth.

KellyNerd said...

scary.

Simply Curious said...

Sigh...

Sirdar said...

I'm actually afraid of all your politicians. God help us if we ever piss them off :-)

Anonymous said...

Would American Taliban have to wear fucking towels on their heads and sheets for clothes?

FreeOscar said...

I really want to throw liquor & coffee on him. I don't know why.

Forrest Proper said...

Kelly: It seems to get scarier every day. We're definitely going in the wrong direction.

SCG: Well put.

Sirdar: And you guys got our oil and fresh water, too, eh? What's this I hear about WMD's in Saskatchewan????

PrePo: Some of them already wear that special underwear.

C.Rag: I can hear him acreaming now- "Nooo!!! I'm melting!! I'm melting!!"

AngryMan said...

Damnitt! How did he figure out everything that I was tring to accomplish! Mother fucker, I've got to do a better job keeping things under wraps.
The problem w/Romney's views is that by requiring people to take certain religious viewpoints into their decisionmaking in govt., he is accomplishing what he says he is against, the religious test for office. What a douchebag.

Tequila Mockingbird said...

c.rag: do NOT waste the liquor.

Kerstin said...

I'm sorry, but I don't trust anyone who faithfully follows a religion started by a con man.

Forrest Proper said...

Angryman: Mitt's had plenty of practice being a douchebag. He's frighteningly good at it.

T-Bird: You're right, what was I thinking not to say that????

Kerstin: Now, now- he wasn't a con man. He was a nutter.

Mike said...

What is really ironic about this is hearing Mitt preach about religious tolerance. If you go to places like Provo or Orem Utah (Happy Valley) and talk about such nonsense as religious tolerance, you will be run out of town on a fucking rail.

Forrest Proper said...

or massacred in a meadow...

SagaciousHillbilly said...

Col. Col, You disected things fairly well without too much commentary. Excellent work. I wish I could do that.

Yea, these people are kooks, freaks, whack jobs, whatever. For me, anyone who lives their life according to some ancient mythology is not fit for public office.

When you tell me that my lack of mythological belief makes me incapable of human compassion and right thinking I have one thing to say to you: Fuck you, you bone headed knuckle dragging moron.

When you believe in things you don't understand. . . .Superstition,
Superstition aint the way.
(Stevie W.)

Commander Zaius said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Commander Zaius said...

I never liked old Mitt from the get go. His blatant flip-flopping on issues the right-wing Christian base think important should have sent him and Rudy home quickly. That they haven't been sent home shows how bankrupt the right-wingers are. Now you got Mitt drawing a line between those with a religion and those who don't. That was as about as a cowardly political maneuver as they come. A real leader would have tried to span the gap betwen the two saying that we all want certian things for our families regardless if you have a faith or not. I'm sure Karl Rove was somewhere smiling.

FOUR DINNERS said...

oh shit. I'm an enemy again.

....where's the vodka?

Forrest Proper said...

Sagacious: But if we throw out all the kooks, freaks and whack jobs, who'll run for office?

Beach Bum: Mitt's never been big on spanning gaps- he's a lot better at spotting voter blocks and brown-nosing them, and then flinging them aside later.

Dinners: I think T-Bird has it.

Buzzardbilly said...

I think whoever wrote that bit about "freedom requiring religion and religion requiring freedom" in that speech drank all of the vodka. Maybe even the rum too.

Sara Sue said...

I can't even bare the thought of something worse than what's currently installed being elected! Simply can't!

here today, gone tomorrow said...

Very, very frightening - I've never seen a scarier bunch of people running for Presidook.

Sideon said...

Anyone remember Orrin Hatch and his oh-so-successful Presidential run?

Mitt's running the same laps.

And they're both following in the footsteps of Mormonism's founder - Joseph Smith - who ended up very very dead before the world could acknowledge his self-crowned "King of the World" schtick.