I agree. Even for a middle of the road candidate like Obama - and he's always been that - this is too much. I've had this theory for a long time that people in charge on the left feel like that their votes are counted and they can stick it to their own brethern as much as they like so long as it gets them votes on the right. It's especially pervasive in the media. Until Keith Olberman came along, you'd always see milquetoast lefties thrown up against hard right opinion makers, in TV and print.

Warren is part of that mean-spritited culture of the right. He stands against everything we should be about, the president included. Obama's team must feel like it's all right to stick it to us so long as we get an environmental initiative once in a while. They are already looking 4 yers ahead, it would seem.

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At first I was horrified and saw this as yet more evidence of the abysmal judgment and frank betrayal on Obama's part of the progressives who made him president. The crew of hawks and Neocon Lite appointees to date is far from reassuring. But maybe with this one-time religious appearance he's really trying to reach across the divide and find common ground. Warren is detestable, like all of that ilk, but perhaps Obama wants to reassure the right wing that he's open minded, as if his cabinet choices which delighted even Rove and Cheney weren't enough sops to the far right.

The cabinet appointments are more worrisome, because of the impact they will have on policy and governance. Surely Obama doesn't think he can micromanage a bunch of egomaniacs like this and get progressive politics out of a cadre of center-right Beltway insiders.

He's looking more and more like Bill Clinton all the time, so I'm just waiting for him to gain 50 pounds and rehire Monica Lewinsky.

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What the hell is Obama thinking about? Is he such a skillful strategist that the rest of us just can't conceive of his master plan to bring our nation back in to the community of civilized nations? If he does not start taking serious steps to address the many egregious violations perpetrated against the citizens of our country and the world, I will be the first to support a national campaign of t-shirts, buttons, posters, bumper-stickers, etc., that read: President Benedict Obama! Then I will spearhead a movement to find the right candidate for 2012.

If you would like to see an awesome video where Pastor Warren gets his ass handed to him by one of the leading intellectuals of our time, go to www.ted.com and type Dan Dennett: A secular, scientific rebuttal to Rick Warren in the search field.

Philosopher Daniel Dennett takes Warren to task in less than twenty-five minutes!

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As a Gay, Atheist, American...I find Obama's actions discussing. I knew when he had some guy who was in the "I'm not gay anymore" movement in his campaign; he was questionable when it comes to the gay people of the world.

He played games by mentioning gay people in a "black church" in his speech when discussing a list or "type" of people who should be treated equally, as in this "we are all in this together" crap he has been known for spewing.

I suggest he is being paid well from some fundamentalist Christians and just the fact that he mentions his support for, and his continues growth of, 'Faith Based Initiatives' that Bush has abused so blatantly, scares the hell out of me.

Seeing as Bush is trying to make it legal that anyone working in a public medical building can deny anyone they feel goes against their "beliefs" medical care and having 'Faith Based Initiatives' only creates a two tier legal protection for bigoted fundamentalist Christians, to act above all other people, treated as “special”…the very thing they so whine about when gays want equal rights.

Fundamentalist Christians will be the reason America is destroyed, and attacked again. If we allow these people to keep getting power in our laws, government, military, (to name just a few) there is more of a chance that the very countries the US government invades, will believe all Americans support a ‘Holy War’; Christianity v. Islam.

If we want to “fight them over there, so we do not have to fight them over here” we better stop giving “them” a reason to be angry enough to give us a visit like on 9-11-01.

Those 19 men were fundamentalists too.

Fundamentalist from ANY religion is a danger to us all!

Please visit the following organizations, and support/become a member of the ones that suit you. I am a member of 8 of them.

We must try as hard as we can to assure America does not become a theocracy, by keeping religion and politics separate, which will help end hatred, racism, oppression and stop the destruction of this great country Fundamentalist Christians have been trying to destroy !!!

American Humanist Association – http://www.AmericanHumanist.org/

Americans for Religious Liberty - http://www.arlinc.org/

American United for Separation of Church & State - http://www.au.org/

Center For Inquiry - http://www.centerforinquiry.net/

Council for Secular Humanism - www.secularhumanism.org/

First Freedom First - http://www.firstfreedomfirst.org/

Freedom From Religion Foundation - http://www.ffrf.org/

Friends Committee on National Legislation - http://www.fcnl.org/

Humanist.net - http://www.humanists.net/

Interfaith Alliance Foundation - http://www.interfaithalliance.org/

Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers - http://www.maaf.info/

Military Religious Freedom Foundation - http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/

National Secular Society - http://www.secularism.org.uk/

People for the American Way - http://www.pfaw.org/

Political Research Associates - http://www.publiceye.org/

Secular Coalition For America - http://www.secular.org/

Separation of Church and State Homepage - http://candst.tripod.com/tnppage/tnpidx.htm/

Talk 2 Action - http://www.talk2action.org/

Theocracy Watch - http://www.theocracywatch.org/

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How is it possible that anyone is surprised with Mr. Obama?

He is and was a neocon corporate shill.

Voting for the Demo or Repub is a bad choice.

American's are suckers.

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A secular-minded heterosexual socialist with several gay and lesbian relatives and colleagues, I regard Obama's selection of Rick Warren as an outrage.

In the eyes of the world, the minister appointed to perform inaugural rites is the official face of U.S. religion -- and Warren is not only a fanatical Christian fundamentalist (by definition both a homophobe and a misogynist) but an avowed theocrat as well.

Thus, even more emphatically than the legion of old-guard corporatists and lock-step militarists the president-elect has appointed to his cabinet, Obama’s choice of Warren tells us the oppression inflicted by religion-bolstered economics, bible-thump politics and Crusader imperialism will not be the least bit diminished by the change of administrations -- a bitter insult to every agnostic, secularist, feminist, non-Christian and non-fundamentalist Christian who was conned (as I myself was) into voting for Obama and his now-obviously meaningless pledge of “change.”

Thus too -- particularly since my contempt and loathing of Abrahamic fundamentalism religion has never blinded me to its dreadful power -- I would not be surprised if future historians regard the selection of Warren as the new administration's definitive moment of truth: its declaration to all that, beneath the seductive chanting of slogans, the status quo will be preserved as forcefully as ever.

Indeed given that my vote helped inflict such betrayed hopes on us all, I wish now I had followed my original inclination and written "none of the above" on the presidential ballot I cast last month.

Though I was proud and elated our nation elected an African-American president, once again -- as in every year since the murder of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy -- I am saddened and deeply ashamed at the ongoing perversion of our national promise.

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is stupid and just enhances the lack of proper separation between church & state. But why pick the rottenest apple from the barrel of putrid fruit? Shame on you, Obama! Please keep your personal religious prejudices out of your presidential decisions & actions.

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Good comments so far, far better than the milquetoast post by Posner. When she writes that the inauguration invocation is a "sacred" duty, what does she mean by the use of that religious term? What is "sacred" about spewing nonsense? When you adopt the ridiculous terms of the opposition, you give them ownership of the territory.
As much as I like the term "President Benedict Arnold," he has been a con artist quisling since long ago, but for me it was the AIPAC racist bilge that sealed the deal. My proposal: boycott Obama and the corporate news by never watching network news. It worked for me during the Bush years

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Obama needs to stop OVER REACHING! He is INSULTING and ATTACKING those of us, who BELIEVE in CIVIL RIGHTS, and JUSTICE for ALL!

What accomplishment does he thinks he's making, will only serve to have more INSULTS, LIES, and Assassination attempts made on his efforts to unify the country; he can forget about these bigots!

It's been PROVEN that 25% of the American People will REMAIN Bigot's, Racists, until the day they die; no matter how much the Bush Admin has stripped them naked and left them on the streets, homeless and hungry!

Sorry Obama, be happy with the People you won over during the election, stop being STUPID, you'll NEVER WIN these people over!

He is starting to remind me of Bill Clinton, and the Blue Dress, only there are many more Racist Americans that are waiting for the opportunity to DO HIM IN! Do you think, its WHAT HE WANTS????????????

He's truly being an A-hole in this situation! This is part of the 25% that are DIE HARD RACISTS AND BIGOTS!

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The more I think about it, the more insulting the Warren choice seems. Indeed Obama could not have been more insulting to the secular Left if he had chosen the Grand Kludd -- the chaplain of the Ku Klux Klan -- to read the inaugural invocation. (In which context note that amongst the Southern aristocracy, the euphemism for the Klan is "the Saturday Night Men's Bible-study Class.")

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For anyone who just doesn't get what the fuss is all about, imagine a different President Elect who Chose a minister who happened to be an outspoken leader of the KKK. One black commentator on CNN even said the the selection of another minister who does support Gay marriage, for the benediction, balanced things. I guess it wouldn't bother him if David Duke stood on the dais in front of the world with a future President as long as there was a token black leader near by. The Gay community was stunned by the large black vote for Prop 8 in California. This certainly does nothing to heal those wounds. What else does Obama just not get? What's next?

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Whyis it necessary to have a minister, or an invocation at the inauguration? if this is merely a tradition, I can believe in changing it.more same-old, same-old bullshit.Let's keep church and state seperate.

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Isn't it time that we accepted that life is a moral lottery and that we each believe as we do because of the family (or lack of family) we were born into?

The minister in question may arouse hostility in you but perhaps he's just doing the best he can with the information he's taken in. Are you going to change his mind about anything by condemning him?

Maybe Obama has read The Wisdom of the Crowd (sorry, can't cite the author). The thesis of that book is that the best decisions are the most widely-based ones. Abortion reduction sounds like an example of that.

Many of my old school chums are right-wing Christian fundamentalists and they are neither stupid or nasty. I need to respect and listen to them, just as they need to respect and listen to me.

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...so why would this choice be surprising to anyone???



Allstar Cookie

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And a big slap in the face to the entire LGBT community. It seems that Obama has spend the weeks since his election going out of his way to insult the base that elected him.

I went to see the movie "Milk" last week (a must see) and the thing that stuck with me were the newscasts from the 70s I remember (Cronkite, et. al). In historical terms that was only yesterday. I fear that yesterday could come back sooner than we realize.

Shame on Barack Obama for this pick.

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Hello!! Obama is, and has always been, a corporate shill. He was (s)elected to put a friendly face in front of the imperial machine because the proles were starting to grumble about the in-your-face tactics of Smirk and Sneer.

I find it hilarious that people still choose to believe that Obama has been just "pretending" to offer an olive branch to the rightwingers, but when he gets into power "things will change". LOL

Face it; those of you who fell for the "change" mantra have been had -- big time. Did you not hear his militaristic language on the campaign trail? After the (s)election process, did you not see who he appointed to the real power positions in his cabinet?

Dare it be said that the incoming administration may be even worse for the world than the current one? With Hillary running what amounts to a co-presidency over foreign policy, plus all of the other horrible appointments, this thing has train wreck all over it -- even before the transfer of power takes place.

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Why bring a curse upon some Americans Barack?
And in the name of God no less?

This is one decision Obama should rescind immediately.

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This is the first utterly bonehead step I've seen Obama take and I find it deeply troublesome -- and also infuriating. When I consider the message of hope and inclusion, based on an evangelical interpretation of the Holy Bible, that Jim Wallis (Sojourner's founder and author of "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It," could have brought to this gathering, it makes me feel ill.

I first heard Barack Obama several years ago at a gathering of evangelical Christians organized by Sojourner's to discuss bringing the church's conversation back to serving the poor and caring for the disenfranchised -- which actually was the Savior's message, not "stop abortion and shun homosexuals." I was so moved and inspired by what Barack said that day, I knew I wanted HIM as our president.

Jim Wallis could have brought a message of unity and true peace without compromising the evangelical message or pandering to the worst of the Religious Right.

I simply don't know what to make of this giant step backward. So far, I don't think much of the president-elect's ability to select pastors.

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Why is it necessary to have an 'invocation' at all? We talk constantly about the separation of church and state, but that's about all it adds up to. Talk! Our government is riddled with religious 'mumbo-jumbo! If an elected official feels the personal need for some kind of 'blessing', why can't it be done in private?

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Unlike most of the thick-headed ideologues on this forum, Obama is actually trying to save the USA from the bloody chaos of civil war and dismemberment. That's what the U.S. Constitution requires of all Presidents. "....in Order to form a more perfect Union...." Let the man do his job!

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This was a totally stupid, wrong choice. It is one thing to be pro-diverse opinions--quite another to give such a bigot a visible pulpit.

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I'm sure Rick Warren's stances on sexuality are disappointing to the average Alternet reader, but let's keep things in perspective. Rick Warren is one of the "new generation" of evangelicals often referred to as "emerging church." The old evangelicals (in truth, fundamentalists) that you guys fought tooth and nail these last three decades hate Warren because he's a liberal softie in their eyes. His crimes include admitting the truth of global warming, advocating for government action on poverty and hunger, and contributing articles to books that include authors who deny ultra-literal interpretations of Scripture.

You're better off chipping away at the Religious Right than you are trying to smash it outright. They thrive on that. They like to convince people living in small towns who at least make a pretense of being faithful to their wives that armies of urban polyamorist drug-users are coming for their children. Why give them material to work with?

Besides, the sexuality stuff is of relatively minor importance right now (I know, I already hear the howls). Does anyone seriously think that an Obama administration is going to outlaw contraception or ban stem-cell research? Global warming, energy, the economy, and diplomacy with other nations are life-or-death matters for millions this very second. The whole world'll be a lot better off if we put aside all this culture-war stuff and come together on what really matters.

Besides, what religious leader would you prefer? Trinity United Church of Christ is actually rather evangelical in its theology on those kind of things. Maybe a Roman Catholic Bishop should pray for Obama - after all, we all know how progressive that denomination is. Heck, the United Methodists, Lutherans, American (northern) Baptists, Presbyterians, all have official statements that rankle the average Alternet reader. Putting Rick Warren front and center is a great way to nudge evangelicalism towards its more progressive (relatively speaking) elements. There's a world of difference between Rick Warren and John Hagee.

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Jeezeez Kriist: This pick trumps all the others. I have had serious concerns over so many old school rather conservative cabinet picks but having this nutcase bless the beginning is just too much.
I believe in a creator. A creator whose followers place science above superstition and logic above ideology based on falsehood. Obama says he will place science above partisan ideology and this minister believes in creationism. That is not a quote but what I took his words to mean.
GOD HELP US. The Ministers claims that marriage is God based and 5000 years old. He is ignorant or lying and neither is good trait for any leader. Personally I dislike any “invocation” at any event. The old testament (with which I hold little sway) warns against any “priest.” and forbids others to pray for us. I am offended when some self-important SOB speaks to God for me and this time especially a creationist, liar, fact misrepesentor and bigot is repugnant.

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President Obama could have made a very strong statement by intentionally excluding people like Warren who use the pulpit to promote hatred and lies. Warren is no different than the other professional haters like James Dobson, the late Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Warren tries to put a softer face on his hatred, but nevertheless it is the core of who he is and what he stands for.

There are many, many other people to whom Obama could have given this honor. There is no end of progressive ministers, rabbis, imams, etc. who would have made better and less controversial choices.

People like Warren should be pushed aside and ignored, not included and treated like a "normal" person. We must sideline these people and make the statement that their hate-based faith cannot and will not be tolerated by our modern society.

I hope that President Obama really hears those of us who are disappointed in his decision to include Warren in his inauguration. I certainly hope that Obama will not continue to embrace the agents of hate and intolerance in this way.

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I understanding enlisting the services of former advesaries in Governing, but this choice is going Above & beyond the call of duty. I would have said the same if he'd asked a Wiccan Priestess.
What needed to be the focus was the General Agreement on 'shit bigger than Us'- whether you cope with the Unexplainable through Religious beliefs, or Scientific exploration, we all know there are force we don't understand and have absolutley no control over. All which inspire Awe and reverence.Regardless of the Philosophical Guiding doctrine, we all hope.And in that hope a request is made.. at some point, for some reason we Pray for something to go our way. Whether we're praying to a god for intervention or a Spouse for telepathy, we are hoping something intercedes on our behalf. Admit it or not Atheists do pray even outside the foxhole, they just prefer to call it hoping.That in it self proves we all believe in something 'bigger' than us- an entity or a mathmatically formula Something is able to pull our 'Strings' and we just hope it's in a Good way.
Warner can not speak to that most basic Human reality.He's about judgement not Hope. What a missed opportunity to discuss the fact that By God or Nature We are the Only Species who's capable of running the place and the first order of business is managing Our Own Species issues, Famine,War,communicable diseases...Every Steward should be able to relate to that regardless of ideology.

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All I can say is UGH and tell my gay and lesbian friends to hang tough! One day the REAL Goddess will reign and enlighten these charletons like Warren and the rest of the bunch who don't have a clue who the creator really is!

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My promise to the American people is that this is just one very mild disappoint in a very long line of disappointments you are in for if you think Barrack Obama is the messiah who will save your country whatever that means.

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well, they character assassinated his Chi. minister. Maybe we should be glad he didn't choose Ekhart Tolle. Good God. Religion lite. f--k. The Oprahfication of Amerika has begun.

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Besides, Obama did support Prop 8 in CA so his choice is consistent even though I too am disgusted.

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On of the values of the the movie "The Godfather" was its depiction of some practical political wisdom, such as: "Keep your enemies close so you know what they are doing and thinking."

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The best response to this insult is to contact the Obama people and KEEP contacting him, and letting him know how full of shit this cultural misstep is, if he still has even 1% of the Martin Luther King, Jr, vision that was said to inspire him.
Dear readers, ask yourselves this: how can a man who deliberately threw Rev. Wright under the bus, now embrace this white trash with money?

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Ted recently drew a cartoon which depicts Obama and all of his cabinet choices as "Conservative Democrats" and one Republican. He has a good solid point there. This choice of Warren for the invocation is the most disheartening of all. It all makes it clear to me once again how tiny and insignificant I really am. These efforts to include me in the transition and governance is just so much propaganda. The personality flaws behind the fascade are becoming clearer now, apparently Obama is needy. What's next, Ann Coulter for the Supreme Court?

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bam-o ran as the first black president, not the first gay president. what did you think he was going to do? forfeit the 2012 election to sarah palin on day one? use his inaugural address to announce a 30 billion dollar stimulus package for on-campus high school abortion clinics? appoint chelsea clinton as his secretary of marrying your toyota prius?

he never made a single, solitary promise to either the gay community or the baby-aborting community or the whale worshipping community. you've got obama confused with ron paul. or dennis kucinich. or godzillary. lieberman uber alles!

http://politiqs.tommyjonq.com

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Enough of pastors, parsons, ministers, priests, gurus, coaches, trainers, mentors, etc. etc. etc. appearing in the political arena.

Get all those discussions and debates back into the social arena where they belong. In that other arena, there's a Constitution.

All these Fascist and Corporatist and other 'Kulturkampf' and Culture War cadres have succeeded in driving a deep, stiff, and sharp wedge into our social relations. Heating all that up these days is bordering on sheer madness.

Answer the questions for yourself and vote accordingly:

Do I reason because I believe or do I believe because I reason?

Word brings Event; Event brings Word.

Books produce Nature; Nature produces Books.

First God then Man; first Man then God.

etc. etc. etc. And there are more than Three variations of perspectives on this planet of ours. And that's just in one manner of reasoning and contemplating and reflecting.

We are none of us now, nor have we yet been for thousands upon thousands of years to settle questions such as these. They remain properly in the fields of Philosophy and Theology.

It is only prudent to not kid ourselves in our cosmic hubris these days: there are forms of rule that we most certainly would not like to re-visit again, even in milder forms! Further: it wouldn't be wise to assume that there are not actual, living, flesh-and-blood, men and women right here on this planet living and breathing who would still at this late date like to "set the world right" in such ways. And the means are today ever so more at hand and in astronomical magnitude.

Religious beliefs or non-beliefs are simply irrelevant to the governance of this country of ours. We have a Constitution. We agree upon laws according to it and it alone. It is not for our government to Legislate like Moses or Abraham or any other Law-givers of ancient days and set down Ways of Living and acceptable or unacceptable Ascetic practices.

In Washington and in our state governments lets look at the Constitution.

Let's not glibly and arrogantly assume that, just because we've been developing over vast periods of historical time and space, we have come that long of a way in our Understandings. In the blink of an eye we can 'bomb' ourselves back to those Stone Ages and such.

Enough already.

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Any real Christian minister (Catholic or Protestant) will not be a fan of homosexuality. And nobody really respects the Unitarian guys, who re-interpret the Bible and turn a bronze-age document into a fluffy new-age aspirational guide.

He could do much worse than Rick Warren.

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'Nuff Said...

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Let's see. Rick Warren, who has brought a lot of the evangelical world on board to issues regarding poverty and AIDS should not pray at the inaugeration because he is pro-life and believes in the tradtional family. Rick Warren who has been genuine efforts to be civil and fair-minded even though he would disagreee with Obama on some issues should not pray because he is pro-life and believes in the traditional family. Rick Warren, who has given millions hope and purpose with his writing should not pray because the Alter-net types are so ideologically biased they cannot stomach anyone who does not toe their party line. I doubt whether Warren would use the language of the Alternet types: bigot, hateful, narrow-minded. It is a sorry day.

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I recognize that Warren doesn't exactly align himself with the liberal agenda, but does that mean he must be blacklisted. I understand people are upset, but I think Obama respects Warren and I believe he will have a greater influence on guiding him left than a bunch of angry liberals ever will. We can't just live in our self-righteous and puritan corners.
Peace,
Karl Kroger

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Okay, so from what I gather this guy is a friendly face on a questionable agenda. Hmmm, sounds kind of similar to someone doesn't it. Perhaps someone he might share a stage with sometime soon.

Anyway, I came to post on some general things I don't get about the Christian conservative right.

Why is prohibiting abortion seen as a solution? Do they really believe banning abortion will stop or decrease the number of abortions? Is a rise in back alley abortions supposed to be a victory? Sounds to me like a non-existent solution that creates a whole slew of new health problems on top of that. Ahh well, guess the women are going to hell anyway, what's it matter.

These right wing pro-lifers don't care about life. They care about BIRTH. As long as those precious innocent babies are born in peace we can all hold hands on the way to heaven. But hey, don't come crying to the government for welfare when you can't afford your kid. Don't need any welfare queens living the good life on the taxpayer's dime. Let's just get these babies BORN, not our problem after that, personal responsibility remember. Unless of course, personal responsibility means preventing a child from coming into a world where they can't be properly cared for, in that case you're going to hell.

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For the life of me, I can't figure out WHY we have to mix religion in with a presidential inauguration? When is this country going to move beyond believing that invocations to the ultra-sky-god is going to help or hurt? Especially with friggin' politics for cryin' out loud!

And why does it have to be a oh-so-obviously xtian dude? What is to say that the prayers of hindus, taoists, wiccans, or Reformed Druids don't have equal validity?

I wish we could take religion and sweep this mass delusion into the Potomac!

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Some people can't be changed nor can they change others. I was surprised to here that Obama chose Rick for the inaugural service but it is not a unusual act for Obama. Looking at Obama's Civil Rights voting record, it appear to be in the 70% range while Hilary is a 100%. Believing the lies of the Neocons or the easy talk of Obama will leave you amBUSHed in believing political jabbering is reality while Obama's record may show otherwise.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not for Gay marriage and neither is Obama. I'm not for the killing of Human embryos but Obama is. I believe in creation and a GOD so does Obama maybe with a difference in interpretation. I believe in Constitutional Civil Rights and Devine Human Rights, so does Obama. He was strongly Moderate to Conservative in Illinois and I had no daunt that he would be strongly Moderate to Conservative in Washington. The choices were Moderate to Liberal Hillary, Conservative to Neo-Conservative McCain or Moderate to Conservative Obama. I voted for Obama. Sit down,he's just getting started in pissing people off.

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People are saying "This is unbelievable."

No, it’s not. It's par for the course.

Obama insured his election by reaffirming his bigot bona fides at Warren’s Saddleback Forum. He did it by saying ‘god’s in the mix’. That brought our bigot voters by the hundreds of thousands who voted for him and for 8, 2, and 102. Obama’s simply returning the favor Warren give him for an opening to a wider bigot vote base. It was probably a deal made before at the time.

Only gullible people, aka Obama voters, are shocked by this and think it’s unbelievable. For the rest of us it’s all part of a pattern beginning with Obama’s primary revival meetings starring bigoted scum like MaryMary and McClurkin. Throughout the campaign his message was the same; “Love the sinner”, i.e., no unnecessary constitutional amendments but “Hate the sinner”, i.e., no right to get married because "god’s in the mix” and ‘he’s’ a bigot too and the law should mimic the bigots.

Obama and the Democrats are right centrists and will continue to provide us with proof of that after January 20th. People who support the Democrat Party support a party that panders to bigots, will enlarge the war and gives trillions to the uberrich. That’s a right centrist agenda and those who support it are right centrists because they support it.

We got treated to another look at the undercarriage of the bigot bus and some of us gullibly helped another bigoted Democrat ‘friend’ get elected. So what else is new? But with Democrats like that who needs Republicans?

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anytime there is ANY critizism made of what christians are involved in, they are the first ones to stand up and scream discrimination.

What mindset that says its OK to discriminate against others and turn around and say others are doing it to them? Any good psycho-therapist would diagnose that as "projection".

Its ridiculous and extremely childish.

Now, because of arrogance and big ass mouths, I have to put up with your fingers in my government.

I will not be tuning in to watch that farce.

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"The rejection of the "social justice" gospel in favor of the salvation-focused evangelicalism that has come to dominate the definition of "Christian" lies at the heart of the religious right agenda to marginalize liberalism and harness its political power."

It is precisely this rejection of social justice that the rabid evangelicals embrace, which turns off many people! I don't see how their focus on "salvation only" is in keeping with following "the word of G-d", it's selective following which is hypocrisy! And I'm sure that "their G-d" weeps!

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I have been watching coverage of this morning's press conference with the Pres-elect. Predictably, the press questions and the MSM follow-up punditry have placed the Warren story over and above the other announcements about appointments and nominations for high government posts. What dolts we are.

First of all, I am vehement in my beliefs (as are many others here) about the separation of church and state. I don't know why(logically speaking) we need either an invocation or a benediction at a highly secular ceremony. Just performing those at all, by anyone, is cow-towing to the Christian masses who maintain the misguided (and emotional)sense of religion that pervades America. This was never supposed to be a "Christian nation" in the first place, and we have managed to contort that vision horrifically.

Be that as it may (too little, too late, too bad), Obama said that he had previously been asked to speak at Warren's church, despite his beliefs that are quite contrary to Warrens', and he was, in the spirit of "bringing America together", offering Warren a similiar chance oportunity. Personally, I think Warren has all the exposure anyone should have and do not relish him getting any more free PR.

However, I applaud Obama for exhibiting tolerance and showing some degree of deference to the religious right in sharing the platform in this manner. The really good news is that about an hour after it is all over, we will have forgotten what Warren said, anyway, and we can move on.

As strongly as I object to injecting prayer into this event in any fashion, I really don't see that it is worth getting our liberal and progressive panties in a bunch over. Jesus Christ! (pardon the expression) The economy is in the tank and Bush is almost gone! Pray about those!

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Obama exploited the christian's homophobia to get elected.
Whether the right or the left, the ruling class uses hate and fear to win elections.

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Funny how any talk of "change" (of militarist foreign policy, tax cuts for the super-rich, our broken health care system, and now pandering to the religious extreme right) went straight out the window as soon as the election was over.

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You are going to get what you want with the Obama years!
It not what he says, its how he says it!
REMEMBER THIS!
You are going to get all the lovey legislation with a even bigger Democrat Congress (however its going to be funny when the MSN still blames the few remaining Republicans for blocking key legislation however the Dems have the votes to pass the (bleeping) bills).
Really this is all for SHOW so relax
And I like this choice btw
Rick Warren help Obama step up his debate game thus helping his coast to the White House.

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I don't think there should be any official religious participation in the Inaugural. Nor should candidates be asked about their religious beliefs or lack thereof while running, either.

One's religious beliefs or lack thereof should be a private matter between a person and their god(s) and/or conscience.

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I haven't lived in the US since 1986 and it seems to have radically changed from a fairly tolerant place (most states) to one of neighbor despising neighbor.

Is there any difference between someone fearing and hating gay people and someone else fearing and hating religious people? Are we looking forward to having people wearing pink triangles and yellow crosses?

I only have the information in the article, but I object to the term "bigot" for the same reason I would object to the word "queer" or (in the UK) "OAP" (Old Age Pensioner). It oversimplifies and reduces complex human beings to a single category and leads to rejection and even murder.

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He doesn't pray for me anyway.
Obama is hitting the Religious Conservatives in their soft spot. The'll stay off his back for awhile.

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Just when you thought that it was safe to be an American again, Uncle Tom Obama will have you hiding your head in the sand. This corporate lackey will start off with a celebrity hate-monger to deliver the invocation at inauguration. Anti-gay, anti-choice, pro-assassination, preacher Rick Warren will kick off the more-off-the-same presidency of Barack Obama.

Obama is stacking the deck, his cabinet with those that will support corporate paymasters over the good of American People, or planet earth's people for that matter.

Look at the none-to-bright supporters of Barack Obama: people who did not know that there were more than two choices for president; and people that though because they were peace protesters sick of the Cheney-Bush Crime Syndicate who thought any smooth politician that chants change will deliver. Obama said long ago that he would support increasing the tax dollar going to the military! Are the majority of the American people that deaf, dumb, blind and ignorant? Yes!

What a pathetic military state the U.S. has become! What vulgar people the ignorant masses are made up of. America didn't have an investigation into the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center and did not have any evidence to go on when they proudly started a campaign of mass murder in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the last six years over 1,200,000 people are dead because of American war monsters.

Uncle Tom Obama may be on a course to make us wish for the halcyon days of a Dick Cheney hunting party. I may have to support evil Republicans for the House and Senate just so they can impeach Obama. At least they have experience in putting impeachment on the table, unlike the pathetic Demoncraps.

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I can't believe that the Obama inauguration team could not find an ordained handicapped lesbian of color instead of Rick Warren to handle this duty. Surely this would resonate with more Americans than Rick Warren.

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Yeah! Right on! Obama should have picked a Christian to say the prayer and not a Republican Party cheerleader like Warren! For shame!

John Lofton, Editor
TheAmericanView.com
Recovering Republican
JLof@aol.com

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It seems that many people didn't take Obama at his word. They thought he was some sort of sleeper agent for all things cultural-Left. If they listened, they might have noticed the following:

1. Obama claimed to have a born-again experience.

2. Trinity UCC has a fairly traditional black-church take on morality and evangelism. One of the main motivations for their political activism is to keep African-Americans from being drawn to Islam and away from Christianity.

3. In fact, there is a strong Charismatic presence at TUCC, including things like faith-healing.

4. Obama and Biden said they were against gay marriage. Their denial was of sufficient credibility that Sarah Palin simply said that she agreed with them.

5. Obama's Web-site said that he was a committed Christian. The Matthew 25 network that supported him was composed mostly of evangelicals and Catholics - not liberal Episcopalians, Unitarians, and Wiccans.

And now this is a surprise? Let's face it - the man said that his personal religious convictions are basically evangelical lite. And now his actions are consistent with what he said.

Maybe the man was honest.

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"Warren, a creationist, believes that homosexuality disproves evolution; he told CNN's Larry King in 2005, 'If Darwin was right, which is survival of the fittest then homosexuality would be a recessive gene because it doesn't reproduce and you would think that over thousands of years that homosexuality would work itself out of the gene pool.' "

Maybe someone should talk to the man. Maybe Homosexuality has a benefit and hence is supported by evolution in small numbers. All cultures have homosexuals in about the same percentages.

Also by using that arguement he acknowldeges that Homosexuality is no not a choice.

If I have to choose between Tony Perkins, James Dobson, and Warren, my choice is Warren.

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Which one would Obama rather have people talking about? He's already made the worst mistake he could have made, by appointing a bunch of pro-NAFTA Clintonians to high office. You got someone who is a good deal better than Bush, but if you're looking for a shining hero on a horsie to follow, then you deserve exactly what you get: a good jilting.

There's no altar here, my blushing bride, just another apartment manager trying to keep all the tenants happy.

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and not always align our vote with the democratic party. They tend to split their vote which forces both parties to pander for their support. (In our case I would suggest splitting the vote between democrats and the green party or a strong independent).

If we stop automatically voting for Democrats it would force them to actually fight for our equality if they want our support in an election.

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I doubt even the most cynical among us expected Obama to stoop this low.

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Was Obama tone deaf or brain dead when he made the choice of Warren for the invocation?

It was a direct slap in the face of all of the gay and lesbian families, children, grandchildren, who had their marriages invalidated by religious zealots like Warren. How can Obama think we will hold hands and sing kumbaya with bigots like Warren who would overturn our very lives? Warren thinks gays and lesbians are pedophiles or worse. He does not believe in evolution. He is a bible literalist! That means all adulterers should be stoned to death, as well as shrimp eaters, gays, etc. How can Obama elevate this guy to a level of national respect? This is so wrong on so many levels. For those of us who gave our money, voluteered our time, made phone calls for him and sincerely hoped for his success, I can only say, we are deeply, horribly hurt and feel terribly betrayed! It feels as if we were punched in the gut! Don't know how BO is going to get our support back after this one.

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THIS IS A DEMOCRACY. NOT A DICTATORSHIP OF PRO GAY MARRIAGE PEOPLE. Most of this country are decent people with good values, just like OBAMA. If you want to be respected and accepted regardless of your convictions, great. If you want to impose yourselves and convictions on the majority, this is no place for you.

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Rick Warren is all that has been described in the article. But worse than that, he isn't even a real fisher of men. He is more a drag trawler net decimating the sea with his populist materialistic claptrap.

With thousands of moderate Christian ministers to chose from Rick Warren? Does anyone still hope for real change?

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...the Inauguration.

Hopefully Warren's participation in the Obama Administration will be confined to giving the invocation on Jan. 20. Obama doesn't strike me as the type to set up a revolving door for the religious right like the Bush Administration has done. Plus, if he lives up to his strong words on equality to the point where he uses the bully pulpit to push it through, that can make amends for this one invocation, I think. I'm tired over all this kvetching. Let the man do the peoples' biz and we'll see his true qualities.

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Looks like a pragmatic decision to me. As the economy gets worse and worse, people will, as usual, blame the president. Obama is going to need a broad coalition including -- yes -- even the Christian right, to effectively govern.

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lets make our voices hear, no bigots!
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com

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*

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This warren dipshit, anyway? How many THINKING people know anything, except what the "newspapers" and supermarket tabloids tell us about him. I, for myself, wouldn't go anywhere to hear his silly rants, even if I was picked up by a 20 foot limosine filled with horny women and free booze, and given the best seat in his church I doubt that many Alternet readers would either. Let him make a fool of himself on the national stage if he wants.

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So when did the Democratic Party become the Democrat Party? Is the GOP now the Republic Party?

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I haven't had the time to read all of the other comments, though I am heartened to see that so many others feel the same disappointment that I do in Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren to lead the invocation at his inauguration. It is a disappointment borne out of such hope that I and millions of others had that Obama really did represent change, however this choice (along with other mis-steps in his cabinet picks, etc.) indicates that Obama is, after all, just a politician more beholden to acquiring more power then unity. Not only is this bittersweet for me because of the rightward direction he continues to take, to me it also casts further into doubt the hope that any politician can truly bring about the change we really need- environmental preservation & sustainability over profit & greed; civil rights for all; diplomacy based on goodwill and not dominion; and so on & so on.

Politics for me, may just well be dead. But that may be a good thing, because I should harness my energy less into trying to change a corrupt political system that will ALWAYS favor religious right-wing, wealthy (from laziness & profiting off of others, not hard work) AUTOMATONS, and into real democratic action, which is to say working with the people, for the people.

Warren & Obama and their ilk may be disgusted by my loving and having sex with another guy, but I'm even more disgusted by their exercise of privilege in willfully choosing hate & ignorance.

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Who woulda thunk when I put up those Obama-Biden yard signs that one day I´d regret it. And so soon! But inviting Rick Warren, that fat fascist, to the party was the last straw. A shame.... but for me, it will be Kucinich or someone similar from now on, someone who either shits or gets off the pot. Not a well-packaged mirror image of a Republican. Obama should be ashamed.

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This is the most tone deaf, insulting decision Obama has made during his campaign or since his election. It has taken an event that many viewed as uplifting and hopeful and now feels frought with anger, divisiveness and sadness.

I think President-elect Obama needs to be able to admit that his choice is hurtful to many and reflected an insensitivity on his part. He also needs to extend an inaugural invitation to a gay or lesbian minister to offer an invocation that stresses the healing of divisions and recognizes gay and lesbian relationships.

Anything less than this sort of affirmation will result in prolonged debate, vituperative dialogue and hurt as we begin a Presidency of "change we can (only imagine but not) believe in."

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To me, Pastor Warren is a good choice. I resent being called a bigot because I am a Christian. Others have said their beliefs are valid, and mine are invalid. You are just as intolerant as you are accusing me of being.

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The fact that one is chosen to offer an invocation at an occasion as auspicious as the inauguration of the President of the United States is probably the greatest endorsement a clergy-person can receive in our society. What should that mean? When selecting poets and musicians to participate, were those selected leaders in their art, or leaders of divisive factions within their art? The World Council of Churches is perhaps the greatest ecumenical movement within Christianity. Could not the president of that body's American Council of Churches been asked to lead the nation in prayer? The seperation of church and state has been far too seriously compromised in the past two decades. The invitation of a pastor who has used his position and pulpit to attempt to rally political support of his own views on voting issues is inappropriate, to say the least. Many who purchased "The Purpose Driven Life" were sadly disappointed at the narrow mindedness of the author's own enfleshment of his five points of purpose. I can only hope that Rick Warren has the class and good taste to offer an invocation that asks the Supreme Being to unite us in love, understanding and wisdom --- without telling the Supreme Being who needs to be thrown under the bus.

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google him...

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Warren represents the absolute worst of the Democrats' religious outreach, a right-winger masquerading as a do-gooder anointed as the arbiter of what it means to be faithful.

substitute Warren with Obama, religious with political, faithful with progressive...

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I published this comment (letter) over at Salon.com. I am quoting Joan Walsh's excellent denunciation of Obama's choice in the second paragraph.
--------

WAR IS PEACE.

"Warren has compared homosexuality to incest and bestiality, supports the Iraq war, and, in fact, just gave George W. Bush his first-ever 'international medal of peace' (yes, peace)." [emphasis mine].

One more jaw dropping imbecility from Warren. Does Obama know this??!!

Obama is turning out, unfortunately, for this, and many other reasons, including his economic cabinet picks, to be, apparently, just another old DLC corporatist triangulator - disappointing already - shades of Bill Clinton II.

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INVOCATION

“God’s chosen me,” said Pastor Warren,
“To help Obama find his way
As President he goes explorin’
On whether it is A-OK
The day that he’s inaugurated
To force the gays to be castrated;
And whether he should form a plan
To have the Air Force bomb Iran.
I’ll say he should be purpose driven
And dedicate his life to God
And make himself the Lord’s vice squad.
And when America’s forgiven,
We’ll sit down have James Dobson in
And show him that you play to win.”

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Obama's book title "The Audacity of Hope" is in reference to a painting and a Rev. Wright sermon.
Wright is far less hateful than Warren. Sadly Warren's hatespeak is far more popular than Wright's sermons.

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Thank you! As one of those activist advocate clergy on the line for 40 years, my first take was the same as yours. I determined if there were an organized visible protest and I were there, I would join it. My second take, attuned to the "organizer" that seems always at work in Barack no matter anything else, was, Hey! How'd he do that? How'd he trick Rick Warren into blessing his presidency? And praying from the same dias as Joseph Lowery? I got to hand it to Barack -- because he really handed it to Rick!!

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Oprahfication....is funny....
It makes a cloudy day sunny,
Makes war-dead seem, like, funny....
Righteous spin....
Looney bin....

The Little Engine....that could...
Makes us want to be part of the Good,
Brainwashed and driven to "should",
Programmed, numbed, knocked-on-wood.

Let us hope that O's can unify
The shattered purpose of Most High,
That it not be brand-name lock-step b.s. again.
Til then:

May celebration, group think,
Be worth way more than this ink,
that "purpose" come from within,
our Nation repent of its sin,
and the Brave New Year begin....

under the Mercy.

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This is a very Poor Choice, we expected more. However the Vice President Debates kind of said it all, Obama is NOT for Gay Marriage, NOT for Equality...

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I personally believe that a seperation between church and state should exsist for this very reason. I also almost believe that if Mc'same would have won the election he would bring Jerry Farwell back from the dead to lead the invocation and that guy would mention mention his opposition to homosexuallity in his "prayer." After reading parts of the bible and its view on homosexuallity, I don't think any christian should be aloud to even think about politics. A lot of people will argue that this country was founded on Chistianity, but the country was founded by people who wanted to practice their freedoms from the exsisting religions in Europe. Also during the time that our constitution was written it was during the age of inlightenment and people were actively trying to get away from religion. I do know that the first amendment was put in place to pretect churches but that doesn't make me feel much better.

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Posner has written a very good piece.
As a straight married feminist who voted against Prop 8, I view this terrible choice by Obama's team as absolute pandering. I have read other comments at TPM, claiming that it is "okay," because they are "friends" and it's only a nanosecond of Obama's presidency, as well as the misguided interpretation that progressives need to be tolerant of all viewpoints. Whereas, the new rallying cry of the religious right is those, "nasty progressives hurt our feelings because they are so intolerant!"
BULLSHIT!
To believe that we all need to start singing "Kumbya" and "why can't we all get along," is pure naiveté or wishful thinking (DELUSIONAL).

That's not the issue at all. Gays are under attack, as are women's reproductive rights, including the autonomy of women in this country. The anti-intellectualism espoused by Warren (screw science, heh-heh) is equally alarming.

We've already had eight years of an overwhelming Bush love-fest with the religious right and it's leaders. Warren and his ilk want to destroy liberalism as well as secularism. They want to minimize gays and women and anyone else who is not a believer. And they will use every conceivable venue to eliminate their adversaries, (anyone who advocates civil rights, secularism, etc.)

Obama's inauguration is a perfect plum for Warren's platform of hate and discrimination. It will give him national/worldwide recognition validating his brand of evangelical intolerance.
No one mentions that while Warren's "good deeds" include involvement with the AIDS crisis in foreign countries, women and men have been further victimized by the lack of adequate birth control and reproductive choices as well as abstinence only crap perpetuated by the likes of Warren, and the Bush administration.
This reminds me somewhat of McCain's choice of Palin for VP, in that it gave her undeserved national recognition, and ultimately had a negative effect on McCain's campaign.

Progressives who care about these issues must wake up. There comes a time to say "NO!" to intolerance in every form, and defend the human rights of others, as well as ourselves.

I assume that Obama is looking ahead four years in an effort to appease the fundamentalists and ensure an eight year reign.

Can't wait to see what Obama and his staff will do next?

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And Princes ought to open their eyes to all these things which they plan to do away with, and be careful by their strength and drive not to increase them instead of decreasing them, and not believe that by blowing at a thing, it can be done away with, or rather to suffocate the plant by blowing on it. But the force of the evil ought to be well considered, and when they see themselves sufficient to oppose it, to attack it without regard [to consequences], otherwise they should let it be, and in no way attempt it. - Machiavelli

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Duh...does anyone "get" why the Constitution has an enlightened statement about the importance of the separation of church and state?

Hey, read history.

From,
A Thinker

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This is what happens when you play the language game (and start calling shitheads paragons of virtue, moderates=progressives, rich people "community organizers" and all that crap).

The owning class has pulled the wool over y'all and they're about to take a mammoth dump on 'Merkuh... enjoy the shining... and the shellacking. Thanks, owning-class!

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initially i tried to understand obama's decision to go with warren for this, since he said many times during his campaign that he plans to be a leader who reaches across barriers, yada yada. but ultimately i am deeply disappointed. i'm hoping that this is not an indicator of things to come, i.e. more religious-right ass-kissing on obama's part.

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