Kristallnacht in Dayton, Ohio: Christian Fascism Alive and Well as Election Nears

By Jill McLaughlin,World Can’t Steering Committee Member

As recently as two months ago some liberal and  progressive journalists and bloggers believed that the Christian Right’s era was over. They believed that the Republican Party had perhaps come to its senses and realized that this marriage to the Christian Right truly was an  unholy alliance. This is partially the reason that John McCain was the  Republican nominee for President they believed. Matt Taibbi’s article in theAugust 7^th issue of RollingStone ReadHere is a good example of this dangerous assumption.

However, looking back,the article may now serve as an explanation of why the McCain Campaign chose Sarah Palin as the vice presidential candidate. Sarah Palin, a dominionist  Christian, believes that the troops are on a task from God. Dominionism asserts  that Christians are mandated by God to insert themselves into secular  institutions until the return of Christ. This would explain their intense focus  on end times prophecy. They believe that they alone should govern and should do  soaccording to the laws of the Bible. This leaves a whole lot of people out ofthe picture and open to oppression and even death.

If Palin’s statement that the troops are on a task from God sounds familiar it should. Lt. Gen. William G. “Jerry” Boykin, the deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence essentially said the same thing in 2003. Read more here. Boykin is infamous for infusing his evangelical beliefs into the military. So is the Christian right’s battle for America and the world really dead? Are we out of those treacherous woods where a world resembling the dark ages awaits us all? Or is the Palin vice presidential nomination a signal of Christian fascism attempting to take its final step to transforming the world into a world where only rich, white, Christian lives are valued? A world where those who are different are to be feared and hated in order to keep that power? I pondered this when I read about the attack on the Ohio mosque during Ramadan and the speculation around what spurred on this attack.

On Friday September 26^th worshipers were gathered for prayer services in observance of Ramadan at the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton. In a another room is where the worshipers left their babies and young children and it is there that two men approached a window from the outside and sprayed something into the room. The spray induced coughing, burning in the eyes, and difficulty breathing. Many of the worshipers ran crying for their children as it became clear that something had been sprayed in the air. Chris Rodda wrote of a personal and terrifying account from someone who is a friend to some of those there at the Mosque that day Read Here.

As news of the attack on the mosque spread the Internet was abuzz with speculation that the mass distribution of the DVD “Obsession” was to blame for spurring on this attack. “Obsession” is an inflammatory DVD full of anti-Islamic rhetoric. This DVD was widely circulated by newspaper inserts in several states, one of which was Ohio. Interestingly enough, these states happen to be swing states and the newspapers were paid to insert the DVDs by the Clarion Fund. The Clarion Fund has taken a pro-McCain stance. Read Eric Ose’s post in the Huffington Post here for more on this story. It is important to note that the Clarion Fund is financed by those of the Christian right and pro-Zionists more info.

This is chilling to say the least and I had a couple of people tell me that they thought of Kristallnacht immediately when I told them the story of the mosque attack and the DVD’s distribution. Kristallnacht or “Crystal Night” was an attack that occurred in 1938 Nazi Germany on Jewish owned businesses and homes. Over 200 Synagogues were destroyed. Thousands were arrested and sent to concentration camps and almost 100 people were murdered. The windows of these structures were smashed to the point that the shattered glass looked like shimmering crystals, thus the name Kristallnacht. Kristallnacht was one of many pogroms in Nazi Germany incited against Jews and other groups that only got deadlier with time.

It is ironic that on the heels of this DVD’s distribution, which received little or no national news coverage, that Sarah Palin would dredge up the connections between 60’s radical Bill Ayers and Barack Obama. While Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground were responsible for bombing buildings, their intent was never to target people. But one could just as easily wonder who are the real terrorists when one hears that a Pro-McCain organization with ties to the Christian right has funded the mass distribution of this hateful DVD and that days later innocent people attending a prayer service at a mosque were attacked with a chemical irritant. After all, it was the Christian right who produced the likes of Eric Rudolph who is responsible for the bombing of an abortion clinic, a gay and lesbian nightclub, and the Olympic Park in Atlanta in 1996. Rudolph is responsible for the deaths of two people and the injury of 150. But no one would accuse Palin of palling around with terrorists just because she is a dominionist Christian. But with the recent distribution of this DVD and the attack on the mosque that followed, in combination with her religious beliefs, one has to wonder if a Palin vice presidency would encourage more of these attacks that could become uglier over time.

But more to the point here is why doesn’t Barack Obama and his campaign call out the McCain-Palin Campaign on the distribution of this DVD that is so hateful and fear mongering? Why does Obama refuse to point out the danger of having someone of Palin’s extreme religious beliefs in the highest office of power? Why is he consistently moving to the right on issues like abortion and proposing more faith based initiatives?

Do I think Barack Obama is a Christian fascist? No, I don’t. But I do believe that his political agenda and that of the Democratic Party to keep the empire running have come before the rights of the people. Throughout the Bush presidency the Democrats have worked hard to find common ground with Christian fanatics, believing that the country needs to be unified and that openly challenging these encroachments on the separation of church and state would only cause division. But this stance has come at a high cost to many people. I tell you there needs to be division. How can one in all good conscience unify with those who want to create a government under which its people are forced to live in atmosphere of fear and hate and where still others are repressed and attacked?

It is clear and been made clear over and over again that it is the responsibility of the people to take on this growing theocracy and resist it and stop it head on. The people must do what the government will not do. We must show our opposition to this Christian fascism through educating others and demonstrating in the streets. During the Democratic National Convention when the people in Denver saw World Can’t Wait activists confronting the Christian fascists on their anti-abortion, anti-women, and anti-gay views. These on lookers also got to hear how they themselves could challenge and resist these Christian fascists and their dangerous agenda. The people were heartened and inspired and in some cases began to confront the Christian fascists on their own during the week of the DNC. Imagine if what happened in Denver were to increase in location and frequency. How many more would be inspired to step out of the politics as usual and of the possible to take on this responsibility to resist and stop Christian fascism from taking hold? People must stand up and speak out against attacks like the one in Dayton whenever they are perpetrated on groups of people. People must openly challenge the rhetoric and ideology that spur on such attacks. We must because our government will not.