Television Ads from the Bush camp have attacked John Kerry's voting record, claiming that he voted "against funding body armor for our troops". This "out-of-context", gross exageration is typical of Republican "mud-slinging". In reality, Kerry voted AGAINST the entire invasion of Iraq... the funding of body armor amounted to less than 1/3 of 1% of that cost!!! They claim that Kerry "voted against Abrams Tanks". The reality is that this vote occured YEARS AGO, at a time when ALL congressmen were trying to trim military costs. Most Americans do not realize that "political ads" DO NOT have laws to require "truth". Any T.V. commercial CANNOT make unsubstantiated-claims, by law. The same cannot be said for "political" spots. Candidates are legally allowed to SAY ANYTHING THEY PLEASE, and the "truth-be-damned!"!!!! The Bush-camp ahs lied, and distorted the truth SO many times, that it seems difficult to know what the truth actually is! The latest attack from the "Christian-Right",(which is neither "Christian", or "right") has come from the Catholic Church. A bishop from Colorado Springs has declared that anyone who VOTES for a "Pro-Choice" candidate cannot take communion, and has greviously-sinned.( The Catholic-Church, which has CONVENIENTLY overlooked it's own sins for decades!!!) (The pot-calling-the-kettle-black) The Constitution of the United States GUARANTEES "separation-of-church-and state"; and all organized-religions have sought protection from government-interference. Is it not conversely true that government must be protected from interference by organized-religion???? Recently, while the Congress in "recess", and in typical Bush-stealth, George appointed a Federal judge, who stated that it was time that we restored Christianity to America. This is SO totally WRONG for a Federal Judge to say; What about Jews? What about Muslims? What about Native Americans? Federal judges are supposed to enforce the Constitution, NOT inflict their own religion on others. Someone told me that George Bush had surgery last week... he had his lips removed from Pat Robertson's ass! "Dubyah's" "sucking-up" to the Evangelical Right-Wing has stopped medical-research in it's tracks. His stance on stem-cell-research has shackled the efforts of scientists to treat & cure dozens of diseases and maladies. Other nations will now gain advantage in developing gene-based therapies, and medicines. It seems that GEORGE believes that the "God" who told him to be President, also believes that a few non-descript cells in a petri-dish constitute "life", and are more important than the lives of actual-people who are suffering & dying from potentially-treatable diseases!!! How many frozen-embryos has the Catholic Church adopted, and raised to maturity?? "Pro-Lifers" attack and picket abortion-clinics, yet few ever have chosen to adopt an un-wanted child. Catholic priests would probably change their views, if MEN could "have babies"!! The Roman Catholic Church has a history of ignoring "Human-sexuality", (unless it involves priests and altar-boys), and now seeks to inflict their medieval values through political-influence. The most troubling part of recent-events is the vague blending of "Patriotism" with "religion". More harm has been done by those "with God on Our Side", than by any others. We have started down the "slippery-slope" from "Patriotism", to "Nationalism", to "Colonialism", to "Militarism"..... ALL WITH GOD ON OUR SIDE!! We must protect our democracy from zealots of ANY persuasion; Especially those who claim to be "speaking for God". IF "RELIGION IS PROTECTED FROM GOVERNMENT, THEN GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE PROTECTED FROM RELIGION"!!!!!!!! Dave
- posted by Dave @ 11:31 PM