If we complain, the poor picked on Christian MAJORITY gets to howl how discriminated against they are... When was the last time THEY were on a police watch list and rounded up in the USA for their religious affiliation....
If we don't complain, we consent to our own margalization. Such a deal

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When I joined 1,100 people at Ash Wednesday mass this week, I thought "Christianity is under attack"? I can practice freely without interference, including keeping a Bible on my desk at work. Christianity faces about as much oppression in America as people eating donuts or watching football. The only thing these Fundamentalists have to fear is themselves.

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When I joined 1,100 people at Ash Wednesday mass this week, I thought "Christianity is under attack"? I can practice freely without interference, including keeping a Bible on my desk at work. Christianity faces about as much oppression in America as people eating donuts or watching football. The only thing these Fundamentalists have to fear is themselves.

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Hello, Missouri Republican Party?
Yes, Jesus just called and he wants his religion back.

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Although I find this proposed legislaton as appalling as you do, I differ in my evaluation of it. I think it *should* be taken seriously -- but not by attempting to combat it through the tactics you suggest.

Your perspective might be different if you lived in (or came from) a Red state with a largely rural and poorly-educated population. Strange though it may seem to you, this proposal would seem very natural and matter-of-course to many people. And as for its being a blatant example of Establishment of Religion, and therefore unConstitutional -- well, of course, you're right. But refer to today's Alternet post on the recent poll on the First Amendment -- how many citizens, would you guess, even understand what 'Establishment of Religion' is?

What has seemed to work best in recent years for this kind of absurd proposal is laughter. Use the blogosphere and email campaigns (to the local newspapers, etc) to make a laughingstock of the state. This has worked for gooneybird laws in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana in the last 2-3 years.

The recent First Amendment awareness poll makes this an excellent 'teachable moment' to raise awareness of what the 'Separation of Chruch and State' means. And wouldn't you agree that the citizens of Red states really need to learn this?

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Last year, the state of Missouri cut state funded subsidies to families who had adopted special needs (which also means hard to place) children. The reneged on their promise to these families by applying a means test, of 200% of the poverty level (the final legislation might have been for either 250% or 300% of poverty).

Now it would be bad, but not as bad, for them to say to all new families, this is the new rule, and too bad if the child does not meet the federal eligibility requirements. There you would create a two tier system, which easily could deny permanence to children. What was truly evil is that they reneged on their support to families that had already made the decision to adopt with the support. This basically pulled the rug out from underneath them.

Talk about supporting the least among us.

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....official religion is called OFFICIAL. Since when does getting closer to love, or god, or whatever start from an office? What will they call this official office? The office of the the soon to be raptured who will protect the state religion from any and all boogeymen?

If a Christian felt persecuted by say a ... hmmm ... a fag or a secular humanist or a hindu etc etc etc (the list of boogeymen be long), then what is the official recourse?

A swift mock trial of the offending fag or muslim rag head whatever will surely lead to a stoning, yeah those hippies love to get stoned so lets stone them. Jesus is love?

I am starting a permaculture community in Uruguay anyone interested? They no longer have CHRISTmas, its called family day. Secular to the hilt, a real love of progess and liberty. 90% voter turn out, 36% no religion the rest nominal catholics who despise the OFFICE of religion. President Vazquez refused to kiss the Popes ring.. I can go on and on.

Crazy times these are. Can you say Cerveza Por Favor?

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Actually, I am wondering if it might actually work better to give these ignorant predjudiced people a reservation. That would be the effect if they were successful with this ploy. All non-christians would flee.

Dont they understand becoming an Americian means accepting religious pluralism? Perhaps these folks should just go back to Europe now instead of trying to unAmericanize us one state at a time.

But seriously folks, they are terrified of the THC ministry.

Ja Glory!

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As a Missourian myself (and while it is a "Red" State, it's fairly evenly divided between Democratic and Republican and a very nice place to live, on the whole), I think it's important to remember that these silly pieces of legislation get floated often in this state (and, really, all across the country). The analysis that they are designed to simply provide fuel to the Christian right to validate their claims of persecution when the bill goes nowhere is RIGHT ON THE MARK (coupled with this legislators own desire to pander to the funamentalists who elected him or her). But I also agree with an earlier post that suggests the best way to handle it is to mock it. It's not as if it's going to have legs. It's barely registering as a news story here in the state at this point. As right-wing as our Governor is, even HE won't endorse this bill (though I'm sure it will provide him a platform to assure fundamentalists that he's a sympathizer with his hands tied by the Godless Constitution). State reps all across this country include some of the most ignorant people on the planet, but we certainly have had our fair share of them in the past decade, especially.

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Regardless of what you think of religion itself, understand that when times are bad, it gets exploited. You think it's bad now? ...

Add in a few more terrorist attacks, an economy struggling with peak oil, some global-warming disasters. Do you think people in the "fly over states" (I live in one -- Colorado) will think #1, or #2...

(1) Things are complex. We've exploited natural resources without regard for consequences and now we have an energy crises and natural disasters. To make matters worse, in the process of exploiting those resources, we made enemies with corrupt religious fundamentalists and there are no easy solutions.

(2) All the "secularists" have angered God and he's punished us with global warming, terrorism, and an energy crises. REPENT!

Call me crazy, but I'm going with #2.

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and smell the stale beer at the tractor pull.

"Christianity" and Jay-sus? Yes. Beer? Yes.

What's that you say? Unconstit? What? Satan's gotta hold of Merika. George Washington Reagan, the founder of our country will be very upset we don't have a Nashnul Religion cause of them ACLU Hippies. And Hollywood peoples. Hillary and her smelly, hairy feminazis.

Yesiree, Bob. Say what? You were feelin' up who during your sermon? And smoking what? This is a free Christian country, and my football team's gonna kick yer ass.

I think it's time we kicked these wingnuts asses and got them to crawl back under the rocks from which they came. And once we're done doing that, we need to get these people living wage jobs and an education. Because they've been abandoned to live off of nothing but ignorance, alcohol, meth, churches and talk radio. And the rest of the Republicans out there who are not Xristian Righty are going to become Democrats when they get scared enough by these morons who, if they didn't committ genocide themselves, would enable it. Of course, it'll probably take these dumb laws passing for that to happen. And it is: look at South Dakota's abortion law, which doesn't even allow for rape, incest and the health of the mother.

Wake up in the pew and smell the stale beer and say p.u.,
I have never seen so much sin in a frickin church before.

Lawd, have mercy on Merika!

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Folks, ever been to the American outback? Take most any state, and it's the same story: nothing but bars, meth problems, churches, and TV (satellite dishes). No living wage jobs, no culture, not much help or services. These people have been left to fend for themselves and church connects them. They've been abandoned and left to create a culture out of tumbleweeds and spit. Now we're reaping the results of that, and Pat Robertson is that much richer.

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For these cons, failure is success. This is just being used as a side distraction so that the cons can continue robbing what's left of the working class.

Moreoever, as Lakoff would say, the "right" is getting the left to spend all its resources to defend itself. In other words, the "right" is privatizing the left.

The left needs to be more pro-active and go out on the offensive rather than allow themselves to go on the defensive more often.

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It works like gangbusters. We are in the middle of a War and our country is being looted like Haiti because the left kept taking the Abortion and Gay Marriage bait. Over and Over and Over.

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The Bill:

House Concurrent Resolution No. 13

State representative David Sater of Cassville in southwestern Missouri, sponsored the resolution, but he has refused to talk about it on camera or over the phone.
from: Pam's House Blend

And Finally, the man that needs a boot in the ass (As Red would do on one of my favorite shows...};>

David Satan...er...Sater

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I had the misfortune to spend 18 years in Missouri, and spent quite a bit of time in the region where this legislation is coming from, down around Poplar Bluff and Dexter. Sad place. Meth is king, Walmart is queen, and gas-station religious converts run over turtles for fun. Oh, and did I mention that most people there literally live off of disability?

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