Now Playing Tracks

… Romney: Obama wants to ‘establish a religion called secularism’ – “I think there is in this country a war on religion. I think there is a desire to establish a religion in America known as secularism. They gave it a lot of thought and they decided to say that in this country that a church — in this case, the Catholic Church — would be required to violate its principles and its conscience and be required to provide contraceptives, sterilization and morning after pills to the employees of the church. … We are now all Catholics. Those of us who are people of faith recognize this is — an attack on one religion is an attack on all religion. It’s one more reason we need to get rid of Obamacare. It’s also one more reason we need to get rid of Obama.” … “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote…” —- JFK (what religious freedom USED to mean)
Zoom

…

Romney: Obama wants to ‘establish a religion called secularism’ – “I think there is in this country a war on religion. I think there is a desire to establish a religion in America known as secularism. They gave it a lot of thought and they decided to say that in this country that a church — in this case, the Catholic Church — would be required to violate its principles and its conscience and be required to provide contraceptives, sterilization and morning after pills to the employees of the church. … We are now all Catholics. Those of us who are people of faith recognize this is — an attack on one religion is an attack on all religion. It’s one more reason we need to get rid of Obamacare. It’s also one more reason we need to get rid of Obama.”

…

“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote…” —- JFK (what religious freedom USED to mean)

image: liberalsarecool How Republicans Are Trying to Force You to Pay for Others’ Religious Beliefs So, let’s be clear: nobody’s religious beliefs are being threatened by including birth control in the basket of preventive services insurers must offer. If your religion compels you to either abstain from sex or have unprotected sex, you’re more than welcome to do so and we’ll have to content ourselves with hoping that your partner isn’t picking up any STDs on the side. But when it comes to using the power of “big government” to coerce the rest of us into paying higher insurance premiums for those beliefs, well, that’s what the separation of church and state is all about. We’re just demanding the freedom not to have to pay for your antiquated religious views. via: sarahlee310 Currently Rick Santorum is the official leader / mullah of the newish God’s Own Party, or as Howard Fineman has now defined it, “the American Faith Party (AFP)[of the] conservative Judeo-Christian-Mormon Republicans.”  Only Santorum can lead the fight to impose this group’s religious beliefs on everyone else in the nation. And that’s the point. It’s not about these people having “freedom” to practice their religious views or to police their own — it’s about imposing their religious views across the country — policing you and yours. As we’ve seen, it’s very important for them to legislate who has sex and how, who gets married, who covers birth control, and who gets to choose what to do with ones’ own body or private life. Simply put, the religious right wants a United States of Theocracy, much like Afghanistan except Republican Jesus will guides us. It’s such a joke — and every Republican in Washington should be deeply ashamed of themselves for allowing it to get this far. As an example of this groupthink, here’s a terrible (fair warning) Pro-Santorum song with the lyrics, “We’ve got a Man who Understands that God Gave the Bill of Rights!”  But you really have to see / hear it to believe it. Oy. via: reagan-was-a-horrible-president 
Zoom

image: liberalsarecool

How Republicans Are Trying to Force You to Pay for Others’ Religious Beliefs

So, let’s be clear: nobody’s religious beliefs are being threatened by including birth control in the basket of preventive services insurers must offer. If your religion compels you to either abstain from sex or have unprotected sex, you’re more than welcome to do so and we’ll have to content ourselves with hoping that your partner isn’t picking up any STDs on the side.

But when it comes to using the power of “big government” to coerce the rest of us into paying higher insurance premiums for those beliefs, well, that’s what the separation of church and state is all about. We’re just demanding the freedom not to have to pay for your antiquated religious views.

via: sarahlee310

Currently Rick Santorum is the official leader / mullah of the newish God’s Own Party, or as Howard Fineman has now defined it, “the American Faith Party (AFP)[of the] conservative Judeo-Christian-Mormon Republicans.”  Only Santorum can lead the fight to impose this group’s religious beliefs on everyone else in the nation. And that’s the point.

It’s not about these people having “freedom” to practice their religious views or to police their own — it’s about imposing their religious views across the country — policing you and yours. As we’ve seen, it’s very important for them to legislate who has sex and how, who gets married, who covers birth control, and who gets to choose what to do with ones’ own body or private life. Simply put, the religious right wants a United States of Theocracy, much like Afghanistan except Republican Jesus will guides us. It’s such a joke — and every Republican in Washington should be deeply ashamed of themselves for allowing it to get this far.

As an example of this groupthink, here’s a terrible (fair warning) Pro-Santorum song with the lyrics, “We’ve got a Man who Understands that God Gave the Bill of Rights!”  But you really have to see / hear it to believe it. Oy.

via: reagan-was-a-horrible-president 

… Rick Santorum will require we all live under Catholic sharia law one day - Rick Santorum is very confused. Santorum today: The former Pennsylvania senator told about 300 people in Lavonia: “I’m for separation of church and state. The state has no business telling the church what to do.” Santorum yesterday: I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country.
Zoom

…

Rick Santorum will require we all live under Catholic sharia law one day - Rick Santorum is very confused. Santorum today: The former Pennsylvania senator told about 300 people in Lavonia: “I’m for separation of church and state. The state has no business telling the church what to do.” Santorum yesterday: I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country.

… Sick man - So is the idea that the first Catholic president was sickening a big seller among Catholics these days? Who knew? I don’t think Ricky understands his history very well. Evidently, he was unaware that in 1960, conservatives thought of Catholics the same way think of Muslims today. He seems under the impression that America was a wonderful religiously tolerant nation until the horrible secularists came along and ruined everything. I guess he didn’t know about this (see image above), perpetuated, by the way, not by the secularists who didn’t give a damn, but by his favorite allies, the right wing protestants. Does Ronald Reagan make Santorum want to ‘throw up’ too? - But I really wonder if Santorum is prepared to level the same accusation againstRonald Reagan: “We in the United States, above all, must remember that lesson, for we were founded as a nation of openness to people of all beliefs. And so we must remain. Our very unity has been strengthened by our pluralism. We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate.” Hear the retching? That’s Santorum. Just wait till he finds about Vatican II. Rick Santorum’s tiny mental Jesus is telling him lies - Kennedy did not say that “people of faith have no role in the public square,” nor did he say that “faith is not allowed in the public square.”  Not even close. Kennedy said that all people and churches should be created equal.  That’s it.  It’s a simple concept, really—one that Republicans, the self-styled masters of the Constitution, should have grasped by now.  Frankly, I can’t even begin to understand what Santorum’s Brain was thinking when it interpreted Kennedy’s speech as some sort of attack on faith and the First Amendment. It is nutbaggery most foul, and I simply do not get it.
Zoom

…

Sick man - So is the idea that the first Catholic president was sickening a big seller among Catholics these days? Who knew? I don’t think Ricky understands his history very well. Evidently, he was unaware that in 1960, conservatives thought of Catholics the same way think of Muslims today. He seems under the impression that America was a wonderful religiously tolerant nation until the horrible secularists came along and ruined everything. I guess he didn’t know about this (see image above), perpetuated, by the way, not by the secularists who didn’t give a damn, but by his favorite allies, the right wing protestants.

  • Does Ronald Reagan make Santorum want to ‘throw up’ too? - But I really wonder if Santorum is prepared to level the same accusation againstRonald Reagan: “We in the United States, above all, must remember that lesson, for we were founded as a nation of openness to people of all beliefs. And so we must remain. Our very unity has been strengthened by our pluralism. We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate.” Hear the retching? That’s Santorum. Just wait till he finds about Vatican II.
  • Rick Santorum’s tiny mental Jesus is telling him lies - Kennedy did not say that “people of faith have no role in the public square,” nor did he say that “faith is not allowed in the public square.”  Not even close. Kennedy said that all people and churches should be created equal.  That’s it.  It’s a simple concept, really—one that Republicans, the self-styled masters of the Constitution, should have grasped by now.  Frankly, I can’t even begin to understand what Santorum’s Brain was thinking when it interpreted Kennedy’s speech as some sort of attack on faith and the First Amendment. It is nutbaggery most foul, and I simply do not get it.
… Catholicism and American politics: then and now 50 years ago: “But because I am a Catholic and no Catholic has ever been elected President, the real issues in this campaign have been obscured — perhaps deliberately, in some quarters less responsible than this. So it is apparently necessary for me to state once again — not what kind of church I believe in for that should be important only to me, but what kind of America I believe in. I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute — where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be a Catholic) how to act and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote — where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference — and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.” — President John F. Kennedy, in a 1960 speech, assuring Southern Baptist leaders that as the nation’s first Catholic president, he would not take orders from the Pope.  And today: “I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country… To say people of faith have no role in the public square, you bet that makes you throw up. What kind of country do we live in that says only people of non-faith can come in the public square and make their case. That makes me throw up and it should make every American.” — Rick Santorum, today, on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. 
Zoom

…

Catholicism and American politics: then and now

50 years ago:

“But because I am a Catholic and no Catholic has ever been elected President, the real issues in this campaign have been obscured — perhaps deliberately, in some quarters less responsible than this. So it is apparently necessary for me to state once again — not what kind of church I believe in for that should be important only to me, but what kind of America I believe in. I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute — where no Catholic prelate would tell the President (should he be a Catholic) how to act and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote — where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference — and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.” — President John F. Kennedy, in a 1960 speech, assuring Southern Baptist leaders that as the nation’s first Catholic president, he would not take orders from the Pope. 

And today:

“I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country… To say people of faith have no role in the public square, you bet that makes you throw up. What kind of country do we live in that says only people of non-faith can come in the public square and make their case. That makes me throw up and it should make every American.” — Rick Santorum, today, on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. 

Texas Federal Judge responds to the idiocy of Newt Gingrich and rightwing evangelicals

I like this. So much.

Texas Federal Judge Demagogued By Gingrich Fights Back — ‘You Should Be Ashamed’

Texas federal Judge Fred Biery is a key villain in GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s narrative about why federal judges are out of control and must be intimidated into submission. Gingrich routinely cites a previous decision by Biery holding that the Constitution does not permit a public school district to sponsor a student-led prayer at graduation to justify eliminating courts that displease Gingrich […] In his order approving the settlement, Biery includes an unusual “personal statement” directed at the many lawmakers who, like Gingrich, have painted him as some kind of enemy of religion:

To the United States Marshal Service and local police who have provided heightened security: Thank you.

To those Christians who have venomously and vomitously cursed the Court family and threatened bodily harm and assassination: In His name, I forgive you.

To those who have prayed for my death: Your prayers will someday be answered, as inevitably trumps probability.

To those in the executive and legislative branches of government who have demagogued this case for their own political goals: You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Biery also includes a clever dig at the many Christian right groups that have attacked him:

“Any American can pray, silently or verbally, seven days a week, twenty four hours a day, in private as Jesus taught or in large public events as Mohammed instructed.”

Touché, Judge. And thank you for your service.

To Tumblr, Love Pixel Union