The Cheney agenda is to use US gov't resources to intervene in the real world and:

1) pick winners - Southern Baptists, Halliburton, Fox News, ExxonMobile

2) punish losers - Iraq, Democrats, New York Times

Free Market? Invisible Hand?

Nope. It's Uncle Dick's Conscience-Free Hand in a Steel Glove.

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Is this supposed to make the theocratic Islamic advocates like us more? See, we also run our government by reactionary religious principles?

Rather it just shows how making ourselves over in the image of those who consider themselves our enemy--that is, fighting fire with fire--burns up democracy's foundation.

Why else do you suppose we hear in the New Testament, not only love your neighbor but even your enemy? It's the only way to avoid becoming just like the enemy. That the Bush administration is unable to recognize even the simplest principle of the faith they claim to serve is a monstrous hypocrisy.

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Textbook case of the dangers of mixing Church and State.

The religious right got run out of Dodge on November 6, 2007 when the American people sent a resounding NO to the "Christians" message of bigotry and religious favoritism.

So the religious right has dropped back to the institutional government to enforce their favored status in the eyes of the government.

The Baptist's faith offensive is not an anti-discriminatory movement, it is another stealth effort to establish themselves as the state religion.

Robert Chapman
Lansing, NY

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What seems very strange to me is that the DOJ could give so much energy to special efforts directed at protecting persons and property against crimes based on religion and at the same time give such little effort to crimes against persons based on sexual orientation.

Just a couple of days ago I received an email from Mr. Insano himself, Don Wildmon. He was urging his flock of wackjobs to call and write their congressional representatives and urge then to defeat HR 254 (aka. David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007' or `David's Law'), a bill he claims would "...create new special rights for homosexuals under the guise of enhancing law enforcement. It would make “sexual orientation” a protected class alongside race, religion and gender." Apparently, passing laws making it a crime to cause injury to persons or property because of their "faith" is indeed worthy of very special consideration and special prosecution, but causing injury to persons or property because of sexual orientation is, as he describes it, "giving homosexuals special rights."

Goes to show you what could happen to your brain when it becomes infected with religion.

Rev. El Mundo
Pastor, Whole Valley Church of Sanity and Reason
www.CTTFD.org

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Note to Southern Baptists;

You're being set up, and you're being used. This is the time to decide which Master you will serve.

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We have lost so many rights under the BushCo Administration that it is hard to count them all as they fall. This AG is the one who has given legal sanction to every action, not unlike the infamous Pontius Pilate did on that day in Jerusalem. Neither Pilate nor Gonzales should put religion ahead of state or personal rights, but they did and they do. Every dictator since the times of Pilate has had a person like Gonzales standing in the shadows. I find myself wondering who Gonzales works for and where he learned how to interpret the Constitution. Perhaps from his illegal immigrant grandparents or from the government of Mexico's legal department?

While making up a list of war criminals or politicians, depending on your definition, who should be impeached, be sure to include this "legal" co-conspirator. His department has found justification for every breach of the Constitution imaginable, and they now would try to force on this nation a specific religion.

WHEN IS THIS COUNTRY GOING TO GET IT? WE HAVE HAD OUR GOVERNMENT OVERTHROWN AND WE ARE NEVER GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER VALID ELECTION UNTIL WE TAKE IT BACK!

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is the most glaring example of current US theocracy. The only "reason" for this (family rights) discrimination is (a popular interpretation) of Christian doctrine. Fortunately, we're not all 'good Christians'.

Steven Wanzell
wanzellarts.com.ar

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Does this guy look like a total dork in this shot, or is it just me?

Steven Wanzell
wanzellarts.com.ar

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...pilot program is part of Gonzales, DOJ, program. It may not yet appear that way but they, the repubs have learned to do things in small steps so that they will erode peoples rights and freedoms so gradually that people will not notice that it is happening. And I'm sure that the Catholic Church, my church is a part of this even of they are not mentioned they are behind the scenes. Just as they have been behind the scenes from the very beginning when Pope John Paul II aligned the Catholic Church and Catholic voters with the Republican party when Reagan became prez and they are still behind this. America will in the very near future become a "Totalitarian Republican Evangelical Theocracy" controlled by the Catholic Church and the SBC. Then war will expand everywhere, caused by the so called christian soldiers. It will be a righteous christian war against every human being in America and the world that does not think exactly as the Pope thinks.

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Gonzales is involved in this because he is a Catholic, as I am, but he is a republican catholic as are most catholics. Pope John Paul II aligned the Catholic Church with the republican party before Reagan became prez and that is why he became prez. The Popes and Catholic voters have been staunchly aligned with the republican party ever since. It will forever be that way no matter the damage done to our democracy. The Catholic Church has sold out to the repub party values of war for profit, torture, subjugation of our rights and freedoms, the rule of authoritarianism and power, the rule of the rich in the US and now in Mexico since Calderon won, illegal immigration, manipulation of our laws, world wide US military power and dominance etc.etc. Remember two Popes, Pius XI and XII endorsed and supported Hitler and the Nazi Party (Reichskonkordat of 1933) and protested the Holocaust almost not at all. Now there is another Holocaust going on in Iraq and it seems that it will soon spread chaos to the enire Middle East. PRAY FOR PEACE and be prepared to fight for our democracy. These people are not about to give up, remember the Catholic Church has been around for over 1500yrs, some say 2000yrs. So they are not about to just give up and go away. The church is a huge monolithic authoritarian institution one of the most authoritarian institutions in the world. And if the people don't fight back, via votes or eventually civil war, authoritarianism always wins.

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Sgt. Gonzales is involved in this BECAUSE he is a Catholic, as I am, but he is a Republican catholic as are most catholics but not quite all. There are a few of us catholics still around who do not believe in the merging of church and state and love our america and our american freedoms and democracy. Remember Jesus forbade the merging of church and state as does our cherished, but now shredded, US Constitution. I will resist every effort to theocratize america. I would even support giving Texass back to Mexico, as strange as that sounds.

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Gonzales, that little grinning asshole twit from Texass, just like his boss, Bush the imperial. And they are all supported by the pope and the catholic church. What have these insane popes done to my religion. They have sold it out to the devil himself and They disgust me. Damn them all for what they are doing to america. Tell the idiot pope to get the hell out of american politics before he destroys america and the entire ME.

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After reading the comments, it is obvious that most of the posters have either grudges to bear or are antireligious.
While not personally religious, I can attest to the unfettered daily concerted attacks on not only religion per se, but on morality, religious ideology and religious institutions.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has consistently attempted to actively pursue civil rights violation as per law. Their record may not be perfect, or even adequate, but at least they are making an attempt.
It would be fair and impartial to say that Secularism (as practiced in the United States) is -- in itself--a form of religion. When Christian people or any religious group are consistently villified and held up for ridicule because of their political activism and attempt to implement the morality of their religious beliefs via the voting booth--which is their constitutional right-- then that is unquestionally religious persecution and discrimination.
Alternet liberal and progressive secular readers and commentors consistently seek to deny these religious rights and in doing so expose their own secular bias.
It is perfectly reasonable for anyone to advocate a position or ideology. However when they consistently denigrate and criticise merely on the basis that it is a religious group, then we run into the awkward problem of discrimination.
The Bush adminstration has definitely pushed the envelope on the propriety by giving tax dollars in funding to certain faith based programs in the areas of alchohol and drug rehabilitative programs, but it was originally with the best of intentions--the programs cost far less than similar secular programs, and they were much more efficient and effective.
Religious groups still do the bulk of charity and social work and that work is not only important, but also highly desirable--and the monies are in the billions.
No one--including religious groups--want to see the federal government in the pockets of religious leaders or religious groups per se, but most rational humans can see the enormous good that they (religious groups) do in our country on a daily basis.
We pour billions of dollars towards black minority advocacy groups that do not do one tenth the good work that religious groups do. It is the same with Female advocacy groups--we just invested 6 billion in aid to women's advocacy groups (in the form of the violence against women's act)--and they are secular. And of course we all know this to be Pork. If we are going to criticize advocacy groups, let us do so on the merits or inherent failing of specific issues, rather than antagonism against their religious affilliation. The concept of separation of Church and State does not mean the EXCLUSION of church ideology in the political process, but rather the JOINING of one religious group with the government at the expense and exclusion of others.
Historically churches and their memberships have had a profound, long, successful and vibrant impact on the governing of the United States. There is absolutely no reason why this relationship should not continue--within reason of course.

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