'to be or not to be...that is the question'

i have been wrestling with how, when or even if i should bother with this post. if i do go ahead, it will be raw and only partially thought out- although it has been something that has been rattling around in my head for awhile. ahhh- what the hell? let's do it.

"hope has 2 beautiful daughters. their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are." augustine

i have been wrestling and fighting with myself over which fight i am needed in most. i think many folks are in the same boat. corruption and scandals rock this country. lies and deceit married with hatred and rhetoric- a veritable melting pot of bad stew if you will. it seems very much like a medusa- we chop one head off and another grows in its place. how do you combat what you don't know? none of this has made much sense to me. i have been struggling to wrap my mind around how so many people in government and in this country seem to live in this other universe- this other reality almost. i have posted many times on how these folks don't let facts get in the way of their fiction. i had no idea.

i have been railing against religion and christianity in particular for some time. not a very popular view in a nation that prides itself on its claim to christianity. my mother used to say to me that there were 3 things one did not talk about with company or the public at large:

politics, religion and family.

as you can clearly see, i didn't listen. i have been struggling to get through the first chapter of chris hedges' book 'american fascists: the christian right and the war on america.' not because it is a hard read or poorly written, but because i get upset.

"these values, democratic and Christian, are being dismantled, often with stealth, by a radical Christian movement, known as dominionism, which seeks to cloak itself in the mantle of the Christian faith and American patriotism."

"Dominionists now control at least six national television networks, each reaching tens of millions of homes, and virtually all of the nation's more than 2,000 religious radio stations, as well as denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention."

hedges goes on to cite that about 12.6% of the american population makes up these 'traditional evangelicals' but what they lack in numbers, they more than make up for in potency. he describes the very way we are living right now- the failing of the education system; the attacks on civil liberties; the singling out of gays, women and other 'minorities' for scapegoating; the ideological war against islam- this is their agenda. we knew what we were getting with bush. we didn't realize the extent that these folks have infiltrated our political system from the local level on up to all three branches of our federal government.

the constitution of the united states of america grants freedom from a state religion but these folks recognize only what they believe to be god's will. most americans are too polite to talk about other's religious views. we tend to think that this is a place where we shouldn't intrude. i find it amusing. we have ceded our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to the government but we keep our religious beliefs sacred ground. we have given up our homes under imminent domain. we have allowed the government to tell us how our children will be schooled and how we can discipline them. we depend upon them for our food supplies and water. but we won't talk about how absolutely stupid it is for adults to believe in fiction and mythology.

well, this is going to lose me a few readers i am sure- it has already lost me some that i know of. so it must be. there is no room for tolerance of radical religion period. i don't care if it's judaism, islam, or christianity. i would go further and say that i personally don't feel that there is a place for religion period- because the moderates are part of the problem. the live and let live mentality of mainstream folks has allowed these people to put the entire world in jeopardy. if you aren't fighting against the problem- you are part of the problem. there is no tolerance here at this blog for people who feel that their religious world view trumps the rights and freedoms of others. if you are part of god's army and you are at war with the secularists or the muslims or the gays or anyone who doesn't share your agenda for the world- you will find no welcome here. you have hijacked my country and my constitution for your own twisted view. let me tell you something- there is no god and no rapture and there will be no second coming of christ period. you live in a fantasy based mythological world and you want the end of the world to happen because you think you will get to live eternity in heaven. there aren't 72 virgins waiting for the muslim suicide bombers and there isn't a jesus waiting for you in heaven. period. i will go down fighting against theocracy with every ounce of my being. just know that i am out here- i am angry and i am courageous and i am hopeful. i am hopeful that one day you and your ilk will die away before you cause a nuclear holocaust.