religious extremism

The National Jewish Democratic Council has assembled this fact sheet on John McCain's right wing extremism. It is enough to make any moderate shudder:

FORMER MAVERICK
MCCAIN’S EMBRACE OF EXTREMISM

“ … the Christian right has a major role to play in the Republican Party.”
- John McCain [New York Times, 4/3/06]

DESPITE HIS CLAIMS TO BE INDEPENDENT, MCCAIN TAKES EXTREME POSITIONS ON SOCIAL ISSUES; HE SAYS AMERICA IS A “CHRISTIAN NATION”

McCain stated that a candidate’s Christian faith is “an important characteristic”
for a president, that he would prefer a Christian president and that the "Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation." Furthermore, despite criticism, a statement from his official campaign spokeswoman defended the comments and said again, "America is a Christian nation, and it is hardly a controversial claim." The New York Sun, October 1, 2007.

McCain has voted two-thirds of the time against bills supported by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. [Project Vote Smart]

But is it good for Israel?...The now seemingly age-old refrain of American Jews whose support for Israel sometimes affects their reason. Now despite some anti-Semitic accusations, I don't know a single American Jew whose support for Israel EVER interferes with their loyalty and patriotism as American citizens. But sometimes American Jews are willing to make what seem to me to be idiotic alliances in the name of Israel.

Right wing Christian extremists, like Christians United for Israel (CUFI), have become supposedly ardent supporters of Israel and many American Jews have been willing to form alliances with these right wing Christian fundamentalists because of this supposed support for Israel. This despite the overall repulsive positions taken by groups like CUFI, which advocate the mixing of church and state and often advocate intolerance and use hate speech. The founder of CUFI is one of those right wing nuts who condemns Harry Potter books as advocating witchcraft, calls Russia and Islamic nations the Antichrist, and, of course, is anti-choice and anti-gay. He also is a scam artist who is one of the highest paid televangelist out there. His view on Free Speech is: "What is the point of having free speech if you have nothing to say?" His view on Hurricane Katrina: "All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that." And, for those Jews who love him, let's consider what he thinks of Jews: "If you live your life and don't confess your sins to God Almighty through the authority of Christ and His blood, I'm going to say this very plainly, you're going straight to hell with a nonstop ticket." (Quotes from Wikipedia).

This is the Catholic patriarch that wants to take down the John Edwards campaign with Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan in tow.

Extra treat? The religious right of America

A terrorist attack occurred on 9/11/2006 in Davenport, Iowa, on the 5th year anniversary of the terrorist attack on the city where I live. And I heard nothing about it. And Homeland Security seems to have ignored it. Why?

Simple: the attack was done by a right wing white guy targeting a woman's health clinic.

From the Quad Cities Times:

A Michigan man described as a bookworm by relatives has wandered the Midwest since August, looking for a medical clinic to attack with his 2004 Saturn compact car, authorities said.

It was dawn Monday when David Robert McMenemy approached Edgerton Women’s Health Center in Davenport, which he mistakenly believed provided abortions.

He entered the center’s driveway off East Rusholme Street and then took a few moments to turn and configure the car to face straight into the lobby, Davenport Fire Marshal Mike Hayman said.

The 45-year-old crashed the Saturn into the central lobby, coming to rest at the counter. When the car did not immediately burst into flames as he may have expected, police said he took gasoline that he had poured into a Gatorade bottle and spread it over the interior. “I lit it,” McMenemy told investigators, and he exited the structure to surrender himself to startled Davenport firefighters....

He faces a charge of second-degree arson because first-degree arson requires that the building be occupied. There are no additional charges that are appropriate, including terrorism, Davis said, but he noted the case could be taken up by federal authorities.