Dominionism in American Politics – "Expanding the discussion behind the Headlines"
What IS Dominionism?
In a word - theocracy.
Think of this word as a big umbrella. Under the umbrella of Political Dominionism are numerous "franchises" or sects of radical Christian belief whose goal it is to take "dominion" over all things secular.
This was very upsetting for me to watch. I burst out an audible response when I saw it for the first time today and tears welled up in my eyes. Can you actually believe that this bully has the nerve to demand an apology from the victim of his abuse and then attempt to elicit sympathy for his bad back?? These people are truly unbelievable!
“As you can see from the footage…one or two people twisted my arms behind my back and took me down. I got into the [inaudible] position to protect myself and it was about two or three seconds after that that another person stomped on my head. I lay there for 20 seconds or so and then my partner Alex came and got me up and that’s the point at which there’s that media clip that is out of me speaking.” ~ Lauren Valle, victim of violence @ the hands (& feet) of Rand Paul supporters
According to Valle, several men surrounded her before Paul arrived at the event in Lexington last night.
“They surrounded me,” she said. “There were about five of them, they started motioning to each other, and they got behind me.” Valle says her partner, whom she identified as Alex, overheard the men threaten, “we’re here to do crowd control and we might have to take someone out.”
On the call, she provided certain details that were not caught on camera.
“Rand Paul’s car arrived, and as soon as it did, a couple of them stepped right in front of me and so I stepped off the curb to get around them, back out to the front, and at that point they started grabbing for me and I ran all the way around the car with them in pursuit, and the point at which they see the footage is after I’ve run all the way around the car and am in front of the car and that is when they take me down,” Valle said.
Leah Burton - The next dayLeah Burton - 2 weeks later
So…why is this so personally disturbing to me? I too was made victim of “curbing”. Yep…that is what they call it. It is alarmingly in the lexicon of skinhead circles and practiced with such brutality that it makes these thugs look like amateurs…but this is the origin of the method. It has been featured in skinhead films like History X to television series such as “The Sopranos” where Mafia violence was romanticized. Here’s the thing…no matter HOW it is presented…violence is ugly.
These people who stomped on Ms. Valle are the same ones who run around decrying freedom and liberty. “Don’t Tread on ME!” they proclaim angrily! We want our freedom to pack our weapons and speak our minds…they holler! But…these rights and freedoms are clearly reserved only for those who hold their views, ascribe to their ideologies and adhere to their rules…otherwise you are the enemy.
I found out what it felt like to be the victim of the less skinhead version of curbing…right after I left a gathering where I had shared openly how dangerous Sarah Palin is because of her extreme religious world view. I had passed out my card to several who asked which had “TheoPalinism: The Face of Failed Extremism” on it along with “This is our WAKE UP CALL!” Unlike Ms. Valle, there were no cameras to capture what the cowards did to me…the evidence of my attack was clearly in the damage to my face, and the looks of shock and horror by my companions who were ahead of me on the crowded dark sidewalk. No, these people are cowards who travel in packs, just like dogs. They are tough and mighty then. They lack the ability to discuss their issues, they are angry and the only way they feel that they can calm their anger is to do harm to the perceived enemy.
What happened in Alaska less than 2 weeks ago to reporter Tony Hopfinger when he was cuffed by militia/security goons hired by Tea Party candidate Joe Miller who thinks he is so important that he even requires protection…is not unrelated to this mentality of use of force to push back against anyone who disagrees with them. This is a frightening trend and I don’t seeing it stopping. I can’t even count the number of death threats I have received in the 2 years that I have actively worked to preserve the separation of church & state and expose the bible-based cult of Christian Dominionists. And I cannot tell you how many of these self-identified “Christian Patriots” (their label – not mine) after threatening to do me harm quote from the Bible to me and sign off that they are praying for me.
It is reported that Lauren Valle suffered a concussion, fractures and bruising and that she may file a legal action against the campaign. I encourage her and Tony Hopfinger to do just that. This has to rise to greater visibility. They only distance themselves from the thuggery when they are caught. It is disengenuine and it will continue. Crooks and Liars.com has a very good article that speaks to all that I am saying here…please visit it.
After an MRI and examination it was determined that I was very lucky. I suffer to this day (nearly 2 years later) from constant pain in my left cheekbone…but, as my doctor said, the force from the impact and then the compression from the boot on my head could easily have resulted in pressure popping my eye out and a shattering of my cheekbone requiring a metal plate and surgery. So yes, I am lucky…in a sick and twisted way.
Unfortunately, I was attacked by cowards who ran after blurting out a profane remark that I will not repeat here, but it was their way of letting me know that this was no accident.
I am so sorry you went through this! It makes me question if this is really the land of the 'Free' and the home of the 'Brave'. The 'Brave' certainly wasn't the cowards who did this to you. I wish this had been reported on the major networks!
Thank you for continuing your fight to keep America's Constitution on the path it was intended even after this horrific attack. Isn't it ironic that the real 'Brave' of America are people like you. I wish that could be taught to these people!
Thank you for your kind comments. I hadn't intended to post about what had happened to me but when this story came out of Kentucky I felt I had no choice. People who are angry and misinformed make for a dangerous combination. Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has to be protected by 3 to 4 armed security when he travels to speak about Christian Dominionism in our armed forces. That is a necessity that is completely un-American!
I will say that these people are a minority…a very loud, angry and demonstrative minority. Today the focus is on the victim in Kentucky protesting for MoveOn.org and not about the assault. I so wish we had REAL news in this country rather than the infotainment channels!
Leah – how horrific for you and for Ms. Valle. I am wondering where this happened to you and if the perpetrator was ever prosecuted. These dominionists scare the hell out of me because it seems they will stop at nothing in order to accomplish their mission. I am so looking forward to your book. And I am still grateful for your being instrumental in keeping WAR from being AG here in AK. Talk about a bully! Thanks for all you do and stay safe.
Thank you Bee…WAR is a prime example of this type of personality. After his defeat and upon his return to Anchorage he was stopped at the airport and interviewed by Eddie Burke about his reaction to his loss. Part of his response was a reference to how he felt about me…"I'd like to poke her" was the exact comment. I just happened to be listening with my father sitting right there and other family and they felt as I did…that his comment was disturbing.
Isn't it remarkable how they flock together though…I am referring to DropZone "security" turning to WAR for legal representation. He is the kind of attorney that you go to when you know you are guilty and/or are trying to get away with something.
There are no words to describe those who did this to you; brutes, cowards and pond scum don't come remotely close, and even the worst profanities in the English language fall far short here.
Leah, your story is a vitally important link in the chain of growing evidence that corporate billionaires in concert with the fundamentalist religious right have cried havoc and unleashed the hounds of insanity on America. I urge you to contact Rachel Maddow ASAP. Your story and the photographs of your injuries dovetail right into what happened to Valle. That, along with the treatment of Tony Hopfinger and the horrific caught-on-film police arrest of a man at an Eric Cantor rally, serve as a clear indictment against those who promulgate hate for personal power and profit. And time is short to get this out to the public.
One of the things I admired most about Obama in his run for the presidency was his ability to turn attacks against him to his advantage. I strongly believe you have the ability to do that too. Right now, when it matters most.
If you need help in how to get your message out, you have my email address. The real pros, though, are at palingates.com. Those citizen journalists are the best in the business.
Please tell me you are seriously NOT citing Breitbart as a source…seriously? The brain behind the fabricated attack on ACORN and who values lying and cheating in order to "win" like this is some game with our futures? THAT is who you linked us to? Just stop.
Leah, I am truly at a loss for words to describe how upsetting it is that this has happened to you and Ms. Valle. Those thugs are despicable and dangerous, and at some point it will turn deadly. They feel they are justified by the loud and raucous support they get from Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, FOX Noise, O'Reilly, et al, and the SILENCE from the GOP to curb the violent rhetoric, all posing as righteous and moral "Christians".
I hope Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann will do a segment on their show to bring attention to the fact that this violence is not new. Stay safe, and thank you for all the hard work and sacrifice you have made to try to bring light to what the so-called "Christians" are doing to our nation.
This is indeed disturbing and (I'm sorry to say) that it's honestly not surprising. Religion and politics can bring out the worst in people just as easily and quickly as it can bring out the best. It attaches the the base emotional part of our natures, circumventing our ability to think and reason our way out of or through any and all situations, turning us into blind stampeding sheep.
If political and religious leaders realize they have the power to direct the herd some tend to simply loose themselves in that power. Catholic priest are taught that they have this power in seminary school which is why I think that the wide spread abuse has been kept under wraps for so long. They're not protecting pedophiles they're protecting an organization that allows them to wield power over the herd for their own benefit and/or the perceived benefit of the herd itself. Same goes for some politicians which is why (I feel) many politicians have completely lost touch with reality and why DC seems like another world apart from the country it governs. They only hear the vocal minority and whatever media blitzes tell them about the American people and assume it's the truth about the nation.
As a Christian believer, I have to wonder what Bible these guys are reading? Mine doesn't allow this kind of thing. Hang in there, girl, and fight the GOOD fight!
Peter – if you think of yourself as a Christian, please think again. Whatever voices are whispering to you that violence is honoring Jesus, you are listening to evil, not to God. No one – and I do mean NO one – deserves to be stomped. What makes you think you're called by God to do harm? What part of "Judge NOT" do you NOT understand? Whoever did this to Leah is a pure thug, and her sympathy to the woman in KY is both immediately personal and distinctly compassionate. Your sneering, snarling disdain marks you as a phony anti-Christian. Wake up – you've been brainwashed into thinking doing violence and supporting violence honors Jesus. Well, it does NOT. You are listening to the wolves in sheep's clothing. Wake up before you totally fall.
Leah,
My heart goes out to you over your being viciously assaulted by these right wing fascist goons. Thanks for keeping up the good fight and exposing their Christofascist agenda.
I will definitely be bookmarking your website for further updates!
Clearly, the time for talking in this country is nearly over. The Tea Partiers seem to be pining for the lost glory of the Stars and Bars: Fort Sumpter and Bull Run; but they should keep in mind that those same roads lead inevitably to Gettysburg, and that we'll be there waiting for them.
They are indeed pining for something that never was – a white dominated, Old Testament-based Nation based on intolerance and exclusion. In order to achieve this they have to listen only to the revisionists who claim their story is fact, re-write and update the Bible, and view themselves as the only ones who rightly belong here.
They are a minority..but a boisterous and angry minority. We are there waiting for them.
It doesn't comfort me that Rand is not informed enough to think that his alignments and father's privatization rhetoric play directly into the hands of the extremists whose aim is to have influence once government is out of the way. It is what they call the 7Mountains and people like Rand are duped right along with the rest of the sheeple. So to answer your question….no it doesn't comfort me at all.
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I am so sorry you went through this! It makes me question if this is really the land of the 'Free' and the home of the 'Brave'. The 'Brave' certainly wasn't the cowards who did this to you. I wish this had been reported on the major networks!
Thank you for continuing your fight to keep America's Constitution on the path it was intended even after this horrific attack. Isn't it ironic that the real 'Brave' of America are people like you. I wish that could be taught to these people!
Thank you for your kind comments. I hadn't intended to post about what had happened to me but when this story came out of Kentucky I felt I had no choice. People who are angry and misinformed make for a dangerous combination. Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has to be protected by 3 to 4 armed security when he travels to speak about Christian Dominionism in our armed forces. That is a necessity that is completely un-American!
I will say that these people are a minority…a very loud, angry and demonstrative minority. Today the focus is on the victim in Kentucky protesting for MoveOn.org and not about the assault. I so wish we had REAL news in this country rather than the infotainment channels!
Leah – how horrific for you and for Ms. Valle. I am wondering where this happened to you and if the perpetrator was ever prosecuted. These dominionists scare the hell out of me because it seems they will stop at nothing in order to accomplish their mission. I am so looking forward to your book. And I am still grateful for your being instrumental in keeping WAR from being AG here in AK. Talk about a bully! Thanks for all you do and stay safe.
Thank you Bee…WAR is a prime example of this type of personality. After his defeat and upon his return to Anchorage he was stopped at the airport and interviewed by Eddie Burke about his reaction to his loss. Part of his response was a reference to how he felt about me…"I'd like to poke her" was the exact comment. I just happened to be listening with my father sitting right there and other family and they felt as I did…that his comment was disturbing.
Isn't it remarkable how they flock together though…I am referring to DropZone "security" turning to WAR for legal representation. He is the kind of attorney that you go to when you know you are guilty and/or are trying to get away with something.
Big Hug, Leah. but I still think you owe an apology … to dogs. not fair to compare them to these disgusting zombies
There are no words to describe those who did this to you; brutes, cowards and pond scum don't come remotely close, and even the worst profanities in the English language fall far short here.
Leah, your story is a vitally important link in the chain of growing evidence that corporate billionaires in concert with the fundamentalist religious right have cried havoc and unleashed the hounds of insanity on America. I urge you to contact Rachel Maddow ASAP. Your story and the photographs of your injuries dovetail right into what happened to Valle. That, along with the treatment of Tony Hopfinger and the horrific caught-on-film police arrest of a man at an Eric Cantor rally, serve as a clear indictment against those who promulgate hate for personal power and profit. And time is short to get this out to the public.
One of the things I admired most about Obama in his run for the presidency was his ability to turn attacks against him to his advantage. I strongly believe you have the ability to do that too. Right now, when it matters most.
If you need help in how to get your message out, you have my email address. The real pros, though, are at palingates.com. Those citizen journalists are the best in the business.
I really appreciate what you are saying. Thank you.
There's much more to this story – http://bit.ly/9GnFgv
Please tell me you are seriously NOT citing Breitbart as a source…seriously? The brain behind the fabricated attack on ACORN and who values lying and cheating in order to "win" like this is some game with our futures? THAT is who you linked us to? Just stop.
Jesus. I can’t imagine your disgust at seeing this. Far beyond what mine and others feel about it, you feel it in your soul. I’m so sorry.
It really was an emotional jolt. Too close to home.
This kind of thing makes me sick to my stomach. Your courage to keep on in spite of this type of violence is an example and inspiration for all of us.
Love you, my friend!
Deborah
My family feels the same…love you too!
Leah, I am truly at a loss for words to describe how upsetting it is that this has happened to you and Ms. Valle. Those thugs are despicable and dangerous, and at some point it will turn deadly. They feel they are justified by the loud and raucous support they get from Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, FOX Noise, O'Reilly, et al, and the SILENCE from the GOP to curb the violent rhetoric, all posing as righteous and moral "Christians".
I hope Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann will do a segment on their show to bring attention to the fact that this violence is not new. Stay safe, and thank you for all the hard work and sacrifice you have made to try to bring light to what the so-called "Christians" are doing to our nation.
This is indeed disturbing and (I'm sorry to say) that it's honestly not surprising. Religion and politics can bring out the worst in people just as easily and quickly as it can bring out the best. It attaches the the base emotional part of our natures, circumventing our ability to think and reason our way out of or through any and all situations, turning us into blind stampeding sheep.
If political and religious leaders realize they have the power to direct the herd some tend to simply loose themselves in that power. Catholic priest are taught that they have this power in seminary school which is why I think that the wide spread abuse has been kept under wraps for so long. They're not protecting pedophiles they're protecting an organization that allows them to wield power over the herd for their own benefit and/or the perceived benefit of the herd itself. Same goes for some politicians which is why (I feel) many politicians have completely lost touch with reality and why DC seems like another world apart from the country it governs. They only hear the vocal minority and whatever media blitzes tell them about the American people and assume it's the truth about the nation.
Dark times indeed.
As a Christian believer, I have to wonder what Bible these guys are reading? Mine doesn't allow this kind of thing. Hang in there, girl, and fight the GOOD fight!
"tears welled up in my eyes"
LOL! Ohhh the drama! The horror!!
Not even your supporters beleive you had tears in your eyes…you are so silly. I love it, you are losing, you are scared and i love it!
See you in the labour-camps!
Peter – if you think of yourself as a Christian, please think again. Whatever voices are whispering to you that violence is honoring Jesus, you are listening to evil, not to God. No one – and I do mean NO one – deserves to be stomped. What makes you think you're called by God to do harm? What part of "Judge NOT" do you NOT understand? Whoever did this to Leah is a pure thug, and her sympathy to the woman in KY is both immediately personal and distinctly compassionate. Your sneering, snarling disdain marks you as a phony anti-Christian. Wake up – you've been brainwashed into thinking doing violence and supporting violence honors Jesus. Well, it does NOT. You are listening to the wolves in sheep's clothing. Wake up before you totally fall.
Leah,
My heart goes out to you over your being viciously assaulted by these right wing fascist goons. Thanks for keeping up the good fight and exposing their Christofascist agenda.
I will definitely be bookmarking your website for further updates!
Clearly, the time for talking in this country is nearly over. The Tea Partiers seem to be pining for the lost glory of the Stars and Bars: Fort Sumpter and Bull Run; but they should keep in mind that those same roads lead inevitably to Gettysburg, and that we'll be there waiting for them.
They are indeed pining for something that never was – a white dominated, Old Testament-based Nation based on intolerance and exclusion. In order to achieve this they have to listen only to the revisionists who claim their story is fact, re-write and update the Bible, and view themselves as the only ones who rightly belong here.
They are a minority..but a boisterous and angry minority. We are there waiting for them.
Oh Pam…Yes…I have ALL the details etched in my face…what EXACTLY are you asking? Do you know them or is this morbid curiosity? I believe that my story is abundantly clear here.. <a href="http:// .http://www.goddiscussion.com/category/leah-b/“ target=”_blank”> <a href="http://.http://www.goddiscussion.com/category/leah-b/” target=”_blank”>.http://www.goddiscussion.com/category/leah-b/
I suppose it doesn't comfort you that Rand supports separation of church and state.
It doesn't comfort me that Rand is not informed enough to think that his alignments and father's privatization rhetoric play directly into the hands of the extremists whose aim is to have influence once government is out of the way. It is what they call the 7Mountains and people like Rand are duped right along with the rest of the sheeple. So to answer your question….no it doesn't comfort me at all.