Freedom of AND FROM religion is the core of the United States of America. It’s why the Puritans left England and it is the foundation of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Ever wonder why it is the FIRST THING our founding fathers wrote down?
Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
It amazes me that this Republic is on the fast track to becoming a theocracy. The last two decades has been a watershed for the religious right. Their plans to take over the Republican party have certainly succeeded and they have changed the political landscape of the United States in the worst way possible.
Why does this matter? Well, first, let’s look at the other theocracies in the world; in particular, the Islamic ones: Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Oman and Iran. Ring any bells? Yes, you’ll notice many of the places where the most strife in the WORLD is caused. And that’s just the Islamic ones.
I love that Americans are so oblivious to the obvious. All the whackjob far right Christians choose to think that because they are Christian, taking control of this country is NOT creating a theocracy – because that’s only happens to Islamic states! We can’t have Sharia law here! We’re Christians!
I hate to point this out, but Sharia simply means “the path to follow”. It can just as easily refer to ANY religion.
The United States is a laughing stock amongst its peers. England, the rest of Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the other First World countries find it odd that American politics is basically a religious fight. In secular countries, a politician spouting religion as a platform would be drummed out immediately. But here? They are presidential frontrunners. WTF? If that doesn’t sound like THEOCRACY to you, then you are either dumb or avoiding the truth.
“By mobilizing eager volunteers down to the precinct (and local church) level and handing out 33 million voter guides — often in church pews — prior to last November’s election, the Coalition is credited with providing the winning margin for perhaps half the Republicans’ 52-seat gain in the House of Representatives and a sizable portion of their nine-seat pickup in the Senate.” (Time, May 15, 1995 – from Theocracy Watch.)
The steady creep of religion into American politics should be a very real cause for concern for all American citizens. I think it’s safe to say theocracies are bad, ummkay? This is happening because Americans have become so lazy and uneducated that few know anything about the Constitution at all. Which is why the religious whackjobs have taken over the Republican side and the nanny government slackers have taken over the Democrats. Never the twain shall meet. Both sides have completely different agendas, but both have the same goal: to control the citizenry. The right wants to control your religion, your diet, your behaviour, your reproduction and pretty much everything you do. The left wants to control your behaviour, your diet, your income, and everything other than your religion.
The bottom line with ALL politicians is CONTROL. It doesn’t really matter any more which party you identify with, both want to control your life and behave like monarchy. Our “public servants” make millions, pay no taxes, get free insurance, travel, meals, everything. Does that sound right? I think not.
Anyone who thinks that it’s only Republicans to be feared is seriously drinking the Kool Ade. Who do you think has renewed the Patriot Act three times? That would be Democrats. Who wants to rewrite the Constitution, allowing the government to force citizens to pay a PRIVATE COMPANY or be fined? That would be Democrats. Who gets millions from banks and mortgage companies and hands them BILLIONS – only to have them continue destroying the lives of millions of Americans? ALL OF THEM. Politicians are granted far, far too many perks and are overpaid. They have made themselves royalty while Americans are busy bitching about the latest Facebook change.
The First Amendment matters. It matters in ways that are obvious and subtle. Just like Obamacare is trying to subtly rewrite the Constitution to allow pretty much unlimited government power, the Republicans are trying to rewrite the First Amendment to create a theocracy to get unlimited power. See the correlation?
My point is that our current political situation is dire. Americans have no idea who they are voting for and don’t seem to care. Allowing this perversion of the Constitution to continue will only result in disaster for this Republic. Short term thinking is pervasive in our government and society. It’s a big factor in what got us here in the first place.
If you’d like a primer of how things will look when religion takes over and this Republic falls, may I suggest The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Yes, this is fiction, but it’s also plausible when compared to the push for theocracy that is our current political agenda.
I implore everyone to brush up on your Constitutional knowledge. Learn why it’s important to refuse the politicians’ desire to control us. BOTH parties are equally guilty. It’s time to toss the bums out and create third or fourth parties or NO parties and take back our country from the corporations who currently own it by way of our broken and corrupt political system.
It’s not the Constitution that needs to be rewritten, it’s the government. We are the ones who must do that. I’m just not sure Americans have the will to do it. I’ll say it again: I fear for our Republic. The rest of you should, too.