By Larry Jones
Convention season is upon us, and right wing Christians are getting
downright silly. Now they are calling on people to pray for rain just
before Barack Obama is to give his outdoor acceptance speech in Denver
later this month. The initiator of this outrageous wishful thinking is
none other than a former pastor and former meteorologist named Stuart
Shepard, who now works for James Dobson’s far right Focus on the Family.
If Shepard and his kind now want to throw out the entire science of
meteorology, that’s their business. But to ask their god to literally
rain on the Democratic parade is only to further expose how bizarre
their beliefs actually are. Their request assumes that their notion
of god is a Republican. If there is a god, she/he certainly has better
things to do that mess around with American politics, unless he/she
decides to destroy the entire charade. But when we return to reality,
we find that praying for rain has about as much basis of realizing its
goal as does jumping on the Obama bandwagon and hoping that this will
bring an end to the endless wars and torture initiated by the Bush Regime:
that it will take a movement of massive political resistance.
A rogues gallery of Christian fundamentalists
and right wing operatives are working diligently to impose their hateful,
bigoted beliefs (which they frequently describe as “family values”)
on society as a whole. Their ignorance and repressive “morality”
has largely been codified by the Bush Regime and endorsed by the Republican
Party. And for anyone paying attention, it has become all too clear
that expecting the Democratic leadership to stand up to the onslaught
unleashed by the right in this society’s “culture wars” is an
exercise in futility, and ultimately, in complicity.
FUNDAMENTALIST BIG FOUR
Among the big names of right wing evangelicals who will be at the “08
Republican convention to bring their influence to bear on the party
platform are Phyllis Schafly, Tony Perkins, Ralph Reed, and Gary Bauer.
Here’s a peek into their views as gleaned from the Reproductive Health
website http://www.rhrealitycheck.org as well as other sources:
PHYLLIS SCHAFLY is an 83 year old head of the reactionary Eagle Forum
who has been going to Republican conventions since 1952. One of her
many infamous quotes from her Eagle Forum is a complaint about having
Native Americans share their traditions with school kids: “Many years
ago Christian pioneers had to fight savage Indians. Today missionaries
of these former cultures are being sent via the public schools to heathenize
our children”
Schafly has long been an opponent of abortion and gay rights, while
supporting the teaching of Christianity in public schools. Of the Supreme
Court decisions on social issues in the 20th century she wrote: “Out
want the Ten Commandments, in came condoms. Out went the cross and pictures
of Christ, in came drawings of apes pretending to walk like humans.
Out went Adam and Eve, in came Heather Has Two Mommies. Out want Easter,
in came Earth Day. Out went teaching against homosexuality, in came
teachings in favor of homosexuality.”
TONY PERKINS is a frequent spokesperson for the Family Research Council
of Dobson’s Focus on the Family. Chris Matthews of MSNBC
really likes him and has him on air frequently, which says something
about Matthews. In 2005 The Nation reported that in “96 Perkins had
paid former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke $82,000 for his mailing list.
Like his cohorts, Reed is fanatical about his opposition to homosexuality.
He once said: “One of the primary goals of the homosexual rights movement
is to abolish all age of consent laws and
to eventually recognize pedophiles as “prophets” of a new sexual
order.” In Reed’s case, honoring the Commandment “You shall not
lie” does not seem to apply. Yet he has previously played an important
role in drafting an increasing anti-gay Republican platform and can
be
expected to do the same this year.
RALPH REED has moved among religious right and Republican political
circles for a long time. He was hired by televangelist Pat Robertson
in the “80s to run the Christian Coalition, but within a decade, under
Reed’s watch, the coalition was investigated by the Federal Election
Commission for violating federal campaign finance laws. He became a
political analyst and played a role in getting George Bush elected.
His name was besmirched and his standing in the Republican hierarchy
temporarily diminished when it was revealed that he was involved with
the Jack Abramoff scandal which sent the powerful lobbyist to prison.
But Reed still operates as a major political strategist, even after
losing his bid for Lt. Governor of Florida, which was supposed to launch
him on a career leading to the White House. But he will nevertheless
be at the Republican convention to lobby the platform committee for
conservative
religious causes.
GARY BAUER served in the Ronald Reagan regime and went on to work for
the Family Research Council but was replaced by Tony Perkins when he
decided to run for president in 2000. He ran against George Bush and
John McCain, among others but rumors of adultery clouded his election
bid. His major campaign positions included working against equal
rights for homosexuals.
Bauer has been critical of funding for public education and the arts.
He once said The National Endowment for the Arts is run by “a small
cadre of cultural revolutionaries, militant homosexuals, and anti- religious
bigots who are intent on attacking the average American’s deeply held
beliefs while sending them the bill.” The endowment’s actual purpose
is “dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established;
bringing the arts to all Americans; and
providing leadership in arts education.” It is one of the few recipients
of federal funding we can freely support.
Bauer now runs an outfit called American Values which is devoted to
preventing legislation for gay rights. It seems pretty clear that the
gay delegates at the Republican convention will have to remain tightly
in the closet. What is it about gays and lesbians that politicians feel
so threatened about?
OTHER ISSUES TO WATCH
Some people say to those of us who support the slogan THE WORLD Can’t
WAIT; DRIVE OUT THE BUSH REGIME that we shouldn’t worry since Bush
and his henchmen will only be in office a few more months. Wrong!!!
Not only could the regime order an attack on Iran, but Bush’s Health
and Human Services officials are ready to issue a regulation, which
would need no congressional approval, to classify most birth control
pills, the Plan B emergency contraceptive and intrauterine devices as
forms of abortion since they prevent the development of fertilized eggs
into fetuses. They have four months to do this while still in office.
In Colorado voters this fall will be asked whether to define a fertilized
egg as a person. A fertilized egg certainly is alive, but it doesn’t
become a person until it enters the world as a social being at birth.
This will be the first time in the nation’s history where voters will
be asked to define personhood. Abortion in fact does not end the life
of a person. This vote could set a dangerous precedent.
The issue of abortion will be on the ballots in Colorado, California,
and South Dakota.
In Arizona, California, and Florida there will be proposals to amend
the state constitutions to define marriage as only between a man and
a woman, as 27 other states have already done. There’s that pervasive
homophobia again.
Missouri voters will decide whether to make English only the state standard.
In Oregon there will be a proposal before voters to restrict bilingual
education.
HOW TO VOTE? SHOULD I VOTE?
World Can’t Wait does not endorse candidates for any office. And it
has become abundantly clear that this presidential election is not at
all about the kind of change the world and this country need from the
years of war, torture, spying and repression that the Bush Regime has
taken to horrific levels, but in fact about continuing along the same
trajectory, with whatever differences of tactics and strategy Obama
and McCain may have about how best to accomplish the goal of U.S. global
supremacy achieved by military force.
As the Call of World Can’t Wait explicitly states:
“YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving to deny women here, and all over the world,
the right to birth control and abortion,” and
“YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a
narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule,” and
“YOUR GOVERNMENT suppresses the science that doesn’t fit its religious,
political and economic agenda, forcing present and future generations
to pay a terrible price.” It appears crystal clear that many of the
proposals on ballots across the nation run counter to what World Can’t
Wait stands for and must be opposed.
It remains up to us to do that.
Larry Jones is a long time political activist and former United Church
of Christ minister who lives in Honolulu.