Americans Elect ~ New or Just the Same Rotten Smell with a Different Look?

by Leah Posted on April 7, 2012

This article introduces the organization – Americans Elect. Like another group, No Labels, it appears at first blush to have a message that appeals to Americans on the right and the left; it panders to our desire to throw out the two-party system and bring in another option. Adding a third party has proven to only siphon votes from one and add a greater likelihood of success to the other of the two main established parties. It is my assertion that in order for there to be real change, we would need to see the rise of two alternative parties occur simultaneously for the reason I just described.

So when these ‘new’ groups form selling us that they are offering a revolutionary solution to the two-party system that is non-partisan – aren’t we really looking at a third party? In the case of Americans Elect and No Labels I see nothing new here. A message is always best evaluated on its sales staff and these players have been around for a long time, many of them with huge stockpiles of money to invest. There is a lot hiding under the facade of these groups that we must educate ourselves on or we will wind up sucked into the same partisan vacuum with a shiny new look. A new look that they have branded with a question mark – and that may say it all.

GOP? contributor, Susan Cardoza gives us the thumbnail sketch of what some of the hidden concerns are and demonstrates that getting answers are not that easy.

Americans Elect ~ Why/What Are They Hiding?

by Susan Cardoza

Remember Ralph Nader and the spoiler position he was “awarded” in 2000? Well, it would appear the 1% is going to try to replicate this themselves in the form of Americans Elect(AE). “They’re very secretive,” said Richard Winger, the long-time publisher of Ballot Access News. “I found out about their petition drive independent of them.”

AE was incorporated on April 6, 2010 by Peter Ackerman as a follow-up to his work on Unity08 for the 2008 U.S. presidential election. In September, Americans Elect became a 501(c) 4 corporation, and now they can be as secretive as they want. As a 501(c) 4 it is not required to report who its contributors are. However, prior to becoming a 501(c) 4, the group was required to divulge it’s sources of income. Now they do not and to top it off, they can register on ballots across the nation. All of this will be done with no sunshine whatsoever. I can think of some places this reminds me of but the United States of America is not one of them.

Buying Washington

Consider one of AE’s big backers: Lynn Forester de Rothschild, currently the largest non-institutional investor in The Economist magazine, also its largest “trust share” investor (according to the Economist Groups 2011 Annual Report), which grants her principal rights to select its Editor. A huge Hillary Clinton supporter, financial and vocal, she never accepted President Obama’s nomination, supported McCain, and has ridiculed Obama ever since. (Note: The Economist supported Obama, though quickly turned critical but I am sure it had nothing to do with de Rothschild). However, since 2010 de Rothschild has been a major Huntsman supporter, precisely the kind of candidate some hope Americans Elect would produce. No wonder Huntsman went quietly into that dark night, he probably knows Lady de Rothschild will give him another chance.

Their website was started to begin recruiting delegates for its 2012 Presidential Primary in July 2011. During 2011 AE was placed on the 2012 Presidential ballot in 12 states. In February 2012, its website began accepting draft candidates for possible selection in the upcoming convention to be on the ballot under Americans Elect for the web. Can anyone but me see how this could go horribly wrong?

I recently had an interaction with a gentleman who introduced himself to me as a recruiter for AE. He sensed that I had some questions and was not quite ready to support his positions so he offered me his email to discuss and answer my questions. Well, I took him up on it and asked the following questions (mind you, I had an avatar that was our current president on twitter where I ran into him and he still wanted to convince me). Here is our conversation:

My Questions:

How can AE claim they are a grassroots driven organization while big money is behind everything you do?

How is it that AE’s corporate leadership can make a decision on the Internet vote if they so choose.

How can Kahlil Byrd, a former CFR [Council on Foreign Relations] member, possibly understand the plight of the poor and the middle class? Same with Ackerman whose father bankrolled the startup?

You claim you are different but I see the same big money behind your work. This makes you no different than Democrats or Republicans.

Byrd never answers questions put to him on Twitter, legitimate questions.

Whoever works the AE twitter feed ignores questions, generally speaking, you are the only one who has responded so far.

How do you answer the claims that this is being used as a spoiler in the election? All you can possibly do is put the choice into the Congress so Republican control is totally suspected by many.

And his answers:

Most of your questions aren’t able to be answered as you already have a clear opinion on the issue. What’s to say Barack Obama and whoever the Republican nominee is won’t “spoil” the election for the AE candidate? Spoiling is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to elections.

I can tell you as an employee and former volunteer and donor that there are well over 7000 individual donors to this organization. Really not sure where this “big money” thing comes from to be perfectly honest. We’re a very small time operation ($36 million operating budget) compared to either of the major two parties. The Democrats alone plan on raising over $1 trillion for this election. Seems like you may be focusing on the wrong group if you ask me. You assert Kahlil and Elliot are out of touch with the “plight of the poor and the middle class.” Not really sure how that applies to this process. This organization merely works to gain ballot access and run a nominating process to decide who gets it.
And I can personally attest to the grassroots nature of our work. My job is to find the over 1200 volunteers we’ll need to actually achieve ballot access. Signature gathering is only one piece of a large puzzle requiring thousands of volunteers. I’d say the fact that we’re so dependent on those individuals in order to achieve victory; we can be nothing but grassroots.

Comparably, party officers for both the Democrats and Republicans fill those positions and usually stand to benefit (either monetarily or reputation-wise) from their appointment or election to them. You’re obviously a Barack Obama supporter based on your Twitter picture and I’d challenge you to look more closely at the way we choose candidates in this country. Obama is there because party leadership has allowed him to be. Doesn’t seem very democratic. Just a thought. Thanks for your question.

This was my personal interaction with them and you can see the pushback I got from my questions. Personally I thought my questions were pretty good and not accusatory just penetrating which I think AE did not authorize this recruiter to answer. If they are not answering questions from other organizations, not sure why they would answer mine. My purpose was to draw him into the exact situation that evolved. My response back to him was to let him know he and his organization are being disingenuous and secretive. He did not respond to that so I guess he either agreed or was too afraid.

One reason Americans have the right to know about Americans Elect is that the stakes are so high. Americans Elect is trying to arrange the election of the next President of the United States of America, the most powerful single position on the planet. As citizens in a democratic republic, we have the right to make an informed decision, and that means transparent disclosure on the part of groups like Americans Elect that have appointed themselves to stage-manage the election.

Indeed, Americans already have public access to contribution and expenditure for the Democratic and Republican parties. If Americans Elect will not share similar information about its funders, then it represents a step backward for democracy, not a step forward.

From Irregular Times Website:

Another reason why Americans Elect needs to disclose information about its origins, funding and activities is its unfortunate history. It’s not just that Americans Elect is currently making claims that don’t match the observable facts; there’s a history of misrepresentation, misdirection and malfunction in Americans Elect’s previous effort under the name Unity08 (see here for the names of four Unity08 leaders who are in the leadership of Americans Elect). As a series of articles on the history and ethics of Unity08 shows:

In its initial filing as a corporation, in its first six months’ original IRS disclosures, and in its initial website registrations Unity08 claimed a primary business address identical to the business address of a political public relations firm working for Republican clients, Peak Creative Media, run by the former adviser to Roger Ailes of FOX News. That same individual is also the person who is the registered owner of the Americans Elect domain names.

While Unity08 proclaimed its opposition to the influence of lobbyists in politics, it quietly brought former and current lobbyists into leadership positions; when confronted with this information, Unity08 responded that “You have to have been in it to know what’s wrong with it.”

Unity08 declared that it would grow its “people’s movement” using only small donations from “everyday Americans” of “people like you.” Unity08 released a “Clean Money Pledge” in which it challenged members of the public to commit to the following plan of action: “I will only vote for a presidential candidate who has raised more than half of his/her funds through small contributions of $250 or less.” It demanded that the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates abide by this “Clean Money Pledge.” Yet at the same time it was quietly suing the Federal Election Commission to win the right to take contributions of unlimited size without public disclosure — a right Americans Elect now exercises. And an analysis of Unity 08′s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Quarter 2006 IRS disclosures reveals that a full 82% of Unity08′s 2006 donation money came from donors of more than $250. Unity08 appears to have violated its own Clean Money Pledge.

While Unity08 leaders were insisting to the public that they weren’t using their effort to promote any particular presidential candidate, they had already reserved the domain draftmichaelbloomberg.com in June of 2007. In January of 2008, multiple Unity08 executives and staffers put Unity08 on hiatus and immediately began working on a Draft Michael Bloomberg campaign, hosted at the very same draftmichaelbloomberg.com web address that Unity08 had reserved. Despite Unity08 leaders’ declarations that the two campaigns were “completely separate,” Unity08 gave money to the Draft Bloomberg campaign and shared an office with the Draft Bloomberg campaign.

As the continuation of the factually-challenged Unity08, Americans Elect needs to take affirmative steps earn Americans’ trust. Hiding information does not help in this regard.

What can be detected so far is that Peter Ackermen started AE with a donation of his own. He brought in his son Elliot and also added Kahlil Byrd as CEO who most recently served on the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Can you just see it now with the names I have mentioned how this group is looking out for the 99%? Well neither can I.

An article in the Capitol Weekly shined light on some other notables, a few of them are:

  • Arno Political Consultants of Carlsbad
  • Wendy Drake of The Webster Group
  • Joshua Levine – E*Trade Financial
  • The Honorable Christine Todd Whitman Former Gov NJ
  • Lawrence Lessig – Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School
  • Mark Burnett – Television Producer
  • Michael Eisner – Former CEO, The Walt Disney Company
  • The Honorable William H. Webster – Former director, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency; Chairman, Homeland Security Advisory Council; Retired Partner, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy

And these are just a few, you can click here to see the extensive list of names that have leant themselves to AE. Also if you want to see what John Huntsman’s thoughts really were on the 2012 election? Well, he said this:

“The Republican Party is broken,” said Huntsman. “What do we need? We need campaign finance reform. The system is broken. We need term limits. We need something to compete against a duopoly that’s getting old and tired. It reminds me a little bit of 1856, when there was the advent of a Republican Party under (John C.) Fremont, who lost the first round, but Lincoln went on to win the next time. I think we’re going to have problems politically until we get some kind of third-party movement or some kind of alternative voice that can put out new ideas.”

Bought and Paid For

That sounds to me, knowing all of this about AE that he knows something about AE that he is not likely to discuss until he and AE are ready. If you take into account his response to Romney now being the presumptive nominee for the Republican party, he stopped just short of full endorsement of Romney as the Republican Nominee. It is a scary thought that certain people in our country think they can buy an election but when the Supreme Court ruled on Citizens United that is exactly what has now happened.

They are trying to take your country away from you little by little. Luckily there are people out here who are shining the light on these groups and perhaps someday the people will rise up and fight back. It happened at the end of the 19th century so we know the American people do have that fighting spirit – we just need a way to catapult people out of their homes and into the streets to stand up, recognize these high-stakes games and make themselves heard.

If not, it will be business as usual and it won’t matter what they call themselves.

 

 

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ALEC ~ Just Another Billionaire Conservative Power Group Manipulating America

by Leah Posted on March 31, 2012

Like the Council for National Policy, the CATO Institute, the Heritage Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, American Crossroads and so many, many more – this week’s article by Susan Cardoza is about the American Legislative Council or ALEC. A group that wields great power, wealth and consequent influence in shaping and molding legislation seemingly from behind the scenes that directly impact our lives while driving an uber-conservative agenda that advances theocratic and plutocratic goals.

ALEC 101

by Susan Cardoza

If you were to go to the website Alec.org, you would find a benign site that tells you how the group American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) was founded to “advance the Jeffersonian principles of free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty”. They will tell you they do this through a “nonpartisan public-private partnership of America’s state legislators, members of the private sector, the federal government, and general public”. Then they further tell you they are doing this for us by “developing policies that ensure the powers of government are derived from, and assigned to, first the People, then the States, and finally, the Federal Government”. Further they will do this by “enlisting state legislators from all parties and members of the private sector who share ALEC’s mission”.

But wait, I thought this was for we the people but now they tell us only “we the people” who agree with their mission? I wonder what else they are going to do for we the people?  Well, they tell us in a further statement: They will “conduct a policy making program that unites members of the public and private sectors in a dynamic partnership to support research, policy development, and dissemination activities”. And according to them, if we trust them, “they will prepare the next generation of political leadership through educational programs that promote the principles of Jeffersonian democracy, which are necessary for a free society”.

Well that sure sounds like a great organization and I am sure that little part about agreeing with their mission is just an oversight, right? I suppose if you were to peruse their site and not dig any further, you could walk away with that impression. The problem comes into play if you do dig further because what you will find out is that ultimately ALEC is looking after Corporations and not we the people, in any respect. They dress it up to lull the public while in the background they work to ensure legislation is geared toward the benefit of Corporations alone. We may realize some crumbs they deign to throw at us, but make no mistake they are in it to win it for themselves and their corporate masters alone.

A quick note for those of you new to this particular area of muckraking: the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt not-for-profit organization that bills itself as being the nation’s largest “bipartisan” public-private legislative partnership. As such, ALEC consists of more than 2,000 state lawmakers and more than 300 of the nation’s leading corporations, lobby firms and ‘think tanks.’ Some of those leading corporations are: Bayer, Glaxco,Smith.Kline, Centerpoint360, Exxon/Mobil, Phrma, Kraft Foods, Walmart and Koch Enterprises to name a few.

Of course it would be difficult to name them all here, but you get the general idea. To give you a good idea of the stealthness, watch Real Time with Bill Maher and look for a gentleman who appears as guest from time to time named Stephen Moore on the show.  Bill introduces him as a senior economics writer for various publications, mainly the WSJ. (The same Wall Street Journal that is owned by Rupert Murdoch of NewsCorp and FOX News). Never once does he say anything about Mr. Moore’s connection to ALEC.  I don’t know about you but it makes me question Bill Maher’s due diligence in investigating his guests’ backgrounds and HBO’s decision to hire someone who would portray this gentleman as just another economics scholar, never mentioning his seat on ALEC’s Board of Scholars. But then again, perhaps that is intentional.

So you are probably wondering exactly what it is that ALEC does and I am thrilled to share what I have learned with you. ALEC has members in nearly every state of the union in Congress, State Legislatures, State Assemblies, Governorships, perhaps even in the White House either in the past or currently. That is not to say our current President is aware of it, but it is only a matter of time.

It is hard to determine all the areas they cover but knowing these people are the ones determining legislation in your state and country is chilling enough. You can email your representatives all you want expressing your views on a particular piece of legislation, if it is not in line with ALEC’s mission, your representative is not going to vote for it, especially if they are Republican. This is partisan Caucus voting on steroids.

It could not be clearer that the interest is devoid of any concern for the voters who put them in office, but for the power behind organizations like ALEC. You can see where their mission, not your needs, comes into play because they and their corporate board members have the money, you do not. You will also probably not be too surprised, at this point, to know most members belong to the Republican party. I have found a few Democrats but not nearly enough to consider them truly “bi-partisan”. Understanding that, you have another problem because who do you think they are going to favor in legislation and at the voting booth? You guessed it, Republicans.

So what are some of the legislation they have sponsored and won? Voter ID laws for one and in the mid-term elections of 2010 you could also guess they were behind the majority Tea Party and Republicans gaining control of the House of Representatives. They knew if they won the house and local elections, they would gain the upper hand in re-districting and that is exactly what happened. Remember the Koch brothers are members and it was the Koch brothers who bankrolled the “grassroots” Tea Party Patriots and by association their candidates.

The “Stand Your Ground Law” is another piece of legislation that was sponsored (always in the background) by ALEC. I am sure you have all heard about the tragedy that befell the Martin family in Florida. In case you have not heard, the shooter, George Zimmerman, of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old high school senior, is claiming he should be protected by Florida’s stand your ground law. In short, he was a self-appointed “neighborhood watchman”, who, despite being advised by 911 not to follow a “person of interest” in his gated community, did so anyway. An altercation occurred and George Zimmerman (the watchman) shot and killed Trayvon Martin claiming the young man accosted him as he was returning to his vehicle. The “Stand Your Ground Law” protects citizens if they need to use deadly force in the process of defending themselves. In short, it makes you or I a vigilante and it may be coming to a state near you thanks to ALEC.

But where does the encouragement of vigilante (in) justice fit into this picture? It is the same old story, the long-standing exploitation of public fears. Republicans have done this again and again. During the Bush administration they even had a color-coded chart to tell us exactly how afraid we should be, red was terrified and green meant to go out shopping.  It should come as no surprise that the NRA and ALEC have been allies for a long time as well. Who benefits from lax gun laws? The NRA and the manufacturers and retailers of weapons.

Many ALEC-drafted bills pursue standard conservative goals: union-busting, undermining environmental protection, tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. ALEC seems, however, to have a special interest in privatization — that is, on turning the provision of public services, from schools to prisons, over to for-profit corporations. And some of the most prominent beneficiaries of privatization, such as the online education company K12 Inc., EdisonLearning and the prison operator Corrections Corporation of America, are, not surprisingly, very much involved with the organization.

What this tells us, is that ALEC’s claim to stand for limited government and free markets is misleading. To a large extent the organization seeks not limited government but privatized government, in which corporations get their profits from taxpayer dollars, dollars steered their way by friendly politicians.

In short, ALEC isn’t so much about promoting free markets as it is about expanding crony capitalism.

And in case you were wondering, the kind of privatization ALEC promotes isn’t in the public interest; instead of success stories, what we are seeing is a series of scandals. Private charter schools take tax money to operate and seldom show increased educational achievement. In fact, EdisonLearning is being funded by the Florida Teacher’s Pension and the funding was done while Jeb Bush, as governor/trustee, agreed to use the funds to help Liberty Partners prop up the company which, in it’s history, has consistently lost money. And like Bain Capitol, Liberty Partners is in the business of LBO’s. If things go wrong again, they will file Bankruptcy again and most in the Pension fund will never know.

There is one thing these people do not like and that is sunlight. No, I do not mean like vampires although you could see them in that light. Sunlight on their organizations means trouble for them, whenever sunlight is brought to bear they need to refute it, if serious enough.

Next week I will cover a new organization you may have heard of, Americans Elect. Of course I will not be covering that organization in quite the way they would want either.  They have positioned themselves as a grassroots organization which is implausible. First, of all they were funded with Wall Street assistance and they have hired a CEO from the CFR (Council for Foreign Relations). How can a member of the CFR possibly understand the everyday problems of the 99%? Second, they have positioned a member of ALEC on their rules board. So a member of ALEC is going to judge and make decisions in the nominating and voting rules? You just finished reading this piece, don’t you just wonder how that could possibly go wrong? Would you question their motives? We are.

Admin Note: Susan has articulately informed us about who ALEC is and now we have to take initiative to keep this discussion going. One of the ways to do that is to talk about them until we are sick of saying the name ALEC. There have been many great articles written about this organization, but too many still have no understanding of who they are.

So here at God’s Own Party, we will continue to bring them up and write about them in our effort to get people talking. One way to begin the push back is to find out who your local legislators are that are bought and paid for by ALEC and work to get them out of office.

I will close with this graphic depicting the connections that I introduced Susan’s article with today, courtesy of Hector Salon at the Daily Kos in his article about ALEC…

SITES: ALECWatch.org - SourceWatch - Common Cause - Progressive States -RightWingWatch

ARTICLES: Ghostwriting the Law (Mother Jones 2002) - Outing Alec: The most powerful lobby you’ve never heard of. (American Prospect 2002) - ALEC Meets is Match: State Activists Are Learning How To Fight Back Against The Right’s Powerhouse (Nation 2003)- What makes ALEC so Smart (Governing 2003) - Creating a Right-Wing Nation, State by State (Alternet 2005) - Big Political Player you’ve never heard of (Fortune 2011) -The Power Brokers Behind Health Care Repeal Legislation (Wash. Indep. 2010) - ALEC Behind Voter Disenfranchisement Efforts (Campus Progress 2011)

http://www.alec.org/2012/03/alec-response-krugman%E2%8 o0%99s-erroneous-claims/

ALEC response to Krugman also ALEC website: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/27/4371134/krugman-lobbyists-firearms-and.html

Krugman on ALEC: http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed

http://www.aikencountydemocrats.org/ACDP/Welcome.html

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Politicians

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“Three Important Documents” ~ Air Force Training Requires Chapel Attendance

by Leah Posted on March 28, 2012

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), headed by Mikey Weinstein, filed a formal demand letter today addressed to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz by its attorneys at Jones Day law firm on behalf of the following complaint we received from an Air Force officer. The letter summed up by saying,

“[…] The quoted language above of “Three Important Documents” is in violation of the U.S. Constitution and should be immediately removed. MRFF also demands that the Air Force immediately conduct a review of all its training materials to ensure that similar language be deleted from the mandatory reading materials.

Accordingly, we demand the Air Force’s prompt assurances and written undertaking, within fourteen (14) days from the date of this letter, that will cease and desist any and all use of the above-quoted language from “Three Important Documents” and that the Air Force open a review of mandatory training materials to identify and remove other similarly unconstitutional language. If this request is not honored, we shall consider other such legal action as may be deemed advisable to protect our client’s interests.”

Here is an initial email that we received at MRFF about this practice of proselytizing through the command chain wherein he refers to some of this specific language in “Three Important Documents” document used to train officers from a Christian who understands the dangers of Dominionist Christians in our military. (Emphasis added by me)

From: USAF Officer’s E-Mail Address Withheld March 27, 2012 10:31:32 PM MDT To: Information Weinstein <mikey@militaryreligiousfreedom.org>

Subject: Seeking Help From The MRFF

“I am a United States Air Force Officer, a CGO (“Company Grade Officer”; meaning 2Lt, 1Lt. or Captain ) born and raised in an evangelical household. I am writing this statement because I feel compelled to tell people about this. I am horrified and shocked at the blatant violation of the Constitution, and what I feel is a direct attack towards me and officers like me.

Why I write anonymously:

I never thought I would write anything anonymously. I am straight, white, and male. I never experienced being in the “out-group,” the minority. When I imagined whistle blowing about a possible corruption in the government, I imagined I would do so openly; after all, what could they do?  Spending these years in the Air Force has taught me the answer to that question. You simply do not know whom to trust when it comes to these particular Christian fundamentalists. The forces at work behind the scenes easily obfuscate themselves, and they they can be brutal. The last person, who spoke out about this on the record, had his career ended, and his service dog poisoned; right in the middle of the faculty offices of the Air Force Academy. It is sad but true I must remain anonymous for the sake of my USAF career and those I love. I hope that someday soon, at least in the 21st century, officers like me can feel safe without fear of reprisal, for fulfilling my oath to support and defend the Constitution.

And so I write, but do so anonymously. This is not the first time, just the most blatant. I have felt this way before, many times. Perhaps not this intensely, because its’ never been so blatant. The instruction to go to chapel was just the last straw that broke the camel’s back.   I’ve wanted to tell someone about these abuses. Someone who would care. I think I’ve found that person now in Mikey Weinstein.  So here goes…”


Selected Letter Excerpts:

• I am a United States Air Force Officer, a CGO (“Company Grade Officer”; meaning 2Lt, 1Lt. or Captain ) born and raised in an evangelical household. I am writing this statement because I feel compelled to tell people about this. I am horrified and shocked at the blatant violation of the Constitution, and what I feel is a direct attack towards me and officers like me.

• Often, in one’s career, you hear that it is an unwritten rule you need to be the right type of Christian to be a good officer. But it turns out it IS written! Not in some obscure corner of the Air Force library but front-and-center in the Squadron Officer School (SOS) curriculum. Unit 1, Module 1, the required reading assignment called “Three Important Documents.”

Air Force Academy Chapel

• The real problem, the one that chills me to the core and gave me flashbacks to my 2nd LT days and being pressured by my superiors, came a few sentences later. In order to be a good ethical officer, according to the example in the text, you should attend chapel regularly and make sure your subordinates know you attend chapel. Otherwise, your command would be seen as ethically lax, and the morality of the unit will deteriorate. There, in black and white, what I always heard being said with winks and nods, and read between the lines, there clear and crisp, as the ink printed on the paper, is the enshrined Air Force Policy – Attend chapel, or be a deviant officer with questionable ethics. There, in my required reading, I read I would be considered not up to the standards of an officer unless I went to church.

• Evangelicals, as a whole, are not the problem. It is those who are deliberately plotting to convert the Air Force to their Version of Christianity; by planting proselytizing material in the textbooks of AETC, pamphlets in break rooms, and plan mandatory chapel events in units across the DoD. They violate our Constitution, marginalize Air Force members, and if left unchecked, could usher in a time where being their type of Christian will determine whether or not you may serve your country.

• I personally have been told by a Major, two Lt Colonels and numerous CGOs, that it would be good for my career to be obviously Christian. One Lt Col. recommended I should play Christian Contemporary music in my office loud enough for people to hear – as he was doing at that very moment – when I arrived at my first duty location as a young impressionable 2nd LT.

• When my fellow Company Grade Officers (CGOs) and our even higher-ranking leaders begin proselytizing, it creates an uneasy pressure for me; a seasoned CGO. I can’t imagine the pressure a young Airman, straight out of high school, might feel upon being exposed to such fervency.

What this officer is sharing from the heart is vitally important and to hear the bulk of his story drives that home. You can read his entire letter by clicking here. In the name of full disclosure, I am on the Executive Board with Mikey Weinstein and former U.S. Ambassador Joe Wilson IV. We all take seriously these backdoor attempts to “harvest souls” using our military as the breeding ground for conversion in an authoritarian environment ripe with fear, sense of mortality and a longing for meaning. This is parasitic proselytizing at its worst and in the most dangerous institution of all – our military.

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Stealth Jet Propulsion Lab Employee Feigns Discrimination on Religious Grounds

by Leah Posted on March 24, 2012

Beginning this week I will be featuring articles written by a fellow researcher and writer on the dangers of Dominionism in America today, Susan Cardoza. You may have read her post here last week on the Constitution Party. We have decided to begin a “Saturdays with Susan” series and I am very pleased to have the help by adding another voice to this discussion. Thank you, Susan for stepping up to this task!

Today’s article is about a story that is getting very little attention. It is about a disgruntled worker (it would seem on face value) that is suing for wrongful termination claiming that he had a right to proselytize to his co-workers whether they wanted to hear his sales pitch or not about Intelligent Design and anti-gay marriage rhetoric.

This case that is now being heard in a California courtroom, while on the surface may appear to be a wrongful termination suit, is really about attempts by the Discovery Institute to win a battle of Creationism v. Science in the courts.

An Unintelligent Defense in the Jet Propulsion Law Suit

By Susan Cardoza

This is the case of David Coppedge, a Creationist v. Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL) law suit. The Discovery  Institute and Mr. Coppedge are claiming a civil rights violation, but it is really about religion. David Coppedge was let go from JPL as a result of budget issues along with approximately 200 other employees. The fact that he had been counseled about proselytizing prior to the layoff, the staff at JPL insist was not a factor in his dismissal.

The trial started in March 2012 and Judge Ernest Hiroshige will be hearing testimony sans a jury. In a quick review: David Coppedge, a former systems administration lead on NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn, claims he was unfairly terminated from his JPL job for discussing religion and for giving employees DVDs promoting intelligent design.

Intelligent design is the theory that life and the existence of the universe are best explained as the result of the influence of God or an intelligent agent. Point of fact, his supervisors explicitly warned him what he was doing was disruptive and amounted to proselytizing. The warnings were a result of complaints from co-workers who were at the receiving end of his “enlightenment” of creation and religion in general.

“Eugene Volokh, a professor of First Amendment law at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law says that while the case has attracted interest because of the controversial nature of intelligent design, it is at its heart a straightforward discrimination case.

“The question is whether the plaintiff was fired simply because he was wasting people’s time and bothering them in ways that would have led him to being fired regardless of whether it was about religion or whether he was treated worse based on the religiosity of his beliefs,” said Volokh. “If he can show that, then he’s got a good case.”(from the Human Resources Journal)

Unfortunately, Coppedge and his friends at the Discovery Institute are more than likely not going to let this stand as a clear cut civil rights case but rather hide behind the civil rights issue to further their Creationist beliefs on a public stage. Especially when Coppedge himself has raised the question of his ideas regarding his termination, specifically he claims he did not “coerce” or “compel” anyone and that he was singled out because of: “his religious convictions generally, and specifically for his belief in God as the creator of the universe.

Adding to his Intelligent Design promotion was his open support for California’s Proposition 8, which was adopted by voters in November 2008 (striking down the rights of same-sex couples to marry), and his request that JPL’s annual “holiday party” be renamed the “Christmas party,” as it had been called in the past” also added to the troubles he has experienced in the workplace.  When you demand a workplace adhere specifically to your religious beliefs, it violates the rights of the faith of others.

Dominionists have been fighting this fight in venues around the country for years now. They have fought it in the classroom, in politics and now in the workplace.

Based on their history on the subject and their tactics in other areas, it would not be a huge surprise to find out that David Coppedge, at some point, became a “stealther” for the Discovery Institute.  A “stealther” is a person placed in a specific area of influence to push a certain point of view and attempt to “convert” people over to their belief system, in this case, The Discovery Institute or Dominionist teaching. You might wonder why I use the term “stealther”. If you have studied the activities of these Dominionists, you have learned that this is a tactic promoted by their leaders.  I am providing a few examples here so you understand their method of operation and how Mr. Coppedge might have been a stealther for the Institute.

“I want to be invisible. I do guerrilla warfare. I paint my face and travel at night. You don’t know it’s over until you’re in a body bag. You don’t know until election night.” –Ralph Reed, The Hill, December 17, 1997

“What Christians have got to do is take back this country, one precinct at a time, one neighborhood at a time and one state at a time. I honestly believe that in my lifetime, we will see a country once again governed by Christians…and Christian values.” –Ralph Reed, Los Angeles Times, April 1990

And from one of the leaders of the Dominionist Show, johnny Enlow – author of “The Seven Mountain Mantle”, had this point to make:

“The goal is not just to have Christians in high places, but rather to have Christians who are called to be in high places step into that role. And wearing a ‘Christian’ label on our sleeve isn’t the point. We need to learn to be ‘as wise as serpents and harmless as doves’ and realize that stealth authority and influence are much preferred over overt authority and influence. A low profile diffuses resistance from the opposition.”

The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian civil rights group, and the Discovery Institute, a proponent of intelligent design, are both supporting Coppedge’s case. No surprise there, both groups are actively involved with Dominionists in many areas of our culture. What they are trying to do here is to establish some new kind of constitutional right or employee’s freedom to promote their religious beliefs in the workplace and creationism is one step in that direction.

Coppedge and Defense Attorney

Casey Lusken of the Discovery Institute is advising Coppedge’s attorney, William J. Becker, Jr. who appears to be mostly a personal injury and worker’s comp attorney. Becker, however seems to be the Discovery Institute’s point man for the Los Angeles area as he has worked on another “creationism” case for the Institute in the past. This suit appears to be complementary to another suit in the state of California, Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, where free speech with regard to Creationism was also fought. The ruling concluded that intelligent design is not science and contravenes the constitutional restriction on teaching religion in public school science classes.

It would appear as a result of this ruling they have no science, so they are approaching the subject from a Bill of Rights position. They have even requested the court to allow an expert on religion to testify to the lack of religious content in the DVD’s Coppedge was passing out. Luckily, the Judge was smarter than them and let it be known he could formulate his own judgment on the matter.

Basically, what they are trying to do is establish court precedents establishing the “right” to promote their Creationist nonsense in all public facilities. This facility and the Dover Area School District just happen to be convenient test cases.

You may be asking why do they continue down this path? They do so in order to fulfill the “Wedge Strategy” and they have benefactors funding them so why not?  Phillip E. Johnson, the godfather of Intelligent Design and Program Advisor for the Discovery Institute is the author of the Wedge document and if it had not been mysteriously released, most in the secular world would not even known of it’s existence. Johnson is also author of  “The Wedge of Truth: Splitting the Foundations of Naturalism.”

Unfortunately for the “Creationists” the Wedge Strategy is out there for the world to see and their consequent activities can be monitored such as this law suit in California by Coppedge. This proves, once again, why they fear knowledge – they know they cannot hide their activities from people who look for knowledge.  (Or I guess you could say they never got over losing the Scopes Trial).

According to Wikipedia, “the Wedge Strategy is a political and social action plan authored by the Discovery Institute, the hub of the intelligent design movement. The strategy was put forth in a Discovery Institute manifesto known as the Wedge Document. This document describes a broad social, political, and academic agenda whose ultimate goal is to defeat materialism, naturalism, evolution, and reverse the stifling materialist world view and replace it with a science consistent with Christian and theistic convictions. The strategy also aims to affirm God’s reality. Its goal is to change American culture by shaping public policy to reflect conservative Christian, namely evangelical Protestant, values.”

So the Dominionists have gone from Creationism to Intelligent Design in an attempt to insert their version of the origin of the species into daily life and have failed at all attempts. Now they will approach it from a Civil Rights/Bill of Rights perspective.

Wikipedia goes on to say, “the Wedge Document outlines a public relations campaign meant to sway the opinion of the public, popular media, charitable funding agencies, and public policy makers. According to critics, the wedge document, more than any other Discovery Institute project, demonstrates the Institute’s and intelligent design’s political rather than scientific purpose.

There are three Wedge Projects, referred to in the strategy as three phases designed to reach a governing goal:

  • Scientific Research, Writing & Publicity
  • Publicity & Opinion-making
  • Cultural Confrontation & Renewal

Recognizing the need for support, the institute affirms the strategy’s Christian, evangelistic orientation:

“Alongside a focus on the influential opinion-makers, we also seek to build up a popular base of support among our natural constituency, namely, Christians. We will do this primarily through apologetics seminars. We intend these to encourage and equip believers with new scientific evidences that support the faith, as well as to popularize our ideas in the broader culture.”

The Wedge Strategy was designed with both five-year and twenty-year goals in mind in order to achieve the conversion of the mainstream. One notable component of the work was its desire to address perceived social consequences and to promote a social conservative agenda on a wide range of issues including abortion, euthanasia, sexuality, and other social reform movements.”

These people will never succumb to the “secular” so you will continue to see related cases such as this pop up in order to fulfill their plans.  As long as you have judges that stick to the letter of the law, there is little chance these people will succeed.  However, all it takes is one win for them to take it to the next level and conclude they have a “right” to replace current science with their Theocratic brand. In the meantime, they will continue to work the issue from your school boards, classrooms and laboratories creating situations they can use to file court cases just as they have done in this instance.

Admin notes: To add to Susan’s article, this is a classic effort in the 7 Mountains Mandate. This is the Business Mountain and they are training thousands of anxious supporters to go into the workplace and stir up trouble after which they claim victimization as persecuted Christians. Of course, ultimately they are being trained to take dominion over these “markets” as leaders. One of their most successful programs is run by a Senior Apostle named Os Hillman and is called Marketplace Leaders.

Yet another example of the Dominion Mandate at work right before our eyes.

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Why This Walkaway’s Message is Important to Us All

by Leah Posted on March 23, 2012

A young woman named Emanuella posted a YouTube video on February 28, 2012 that grabbed me. Some people are leaving comments there that indicate an ignorance about the message she is conveying in her video. Some will always look for darkness and suspicion in any message, and some just live to be contrary, but I immediately recognized the positive effect this can have on many who have not yet realized that Christianity has two primarily diverse adherents – mainstream and devoutly extreme. I am not re-posting her video to try and sell Christianity. I am posting it because she represents the attitude of most Christians in the United States who have not been steeple-jacked into a Dominionist congregation.

Mainstream Christians are as troubled by the march of the Dominionists as anyone else. They recognize the scripture-twisting and snake oil salesmanship that is flourishing in Dominionist churches and sects – siphoning congregational members from the pews of traditional churches into elaborate mega-church theatres. Mainstream Christians are in the majority, but they are being painted with a very broad brush by the verbose and hateful rhetoric spewed by political Christians and it is imperative that we all understand that there are now multiple definitions of what a Christian ‘is’. This extreme minority is becoming more brazen with each passing year – so much so that there is no denying that they exist. We need only look at the money and organizations behind the push for anti-women legislation in this country, and the impossibility of discussing the GOP 2012 candidates without talking about their religious goals as politicians.

This young woman, Emanuella, exhibits the characteristics of a walkaway. I should know, I grew up with a mother who drank the Dominionist Koolade. On top of that, in my work I have the privilege of meeting increasing numbers of walkaways from Dominionist churches of different sects. Granted, most of these franchises under the umbrella of Dominionism refer to those who leave the flock as “fallen” with a not-so-subtle inference to the fallen angel, Satan. But for those of us on the outside it is abundantly clear that it takes a concerted effort on ones’ own behalf to gather the strength to walk away from these cults of Christianity.

It can be a lonely, lonely road. All too often walkaways live in self-imposed isolation, ashamed and convinced that they are but a sparse few who have “let Satan in ” and that they will burn in eternal damnation. Many of them have no idea the numbers who walk – and run – away from these institutions of indoctrination like themselves. They fight the demons that they were taught as they learn that free will and original thoughts are a positive attribute.

So to see the effort, such as the following video, really makes a powerful statement. The message that this young woman is conveying echoes the voices of tens of thousands of walkaways in America today who cringe at the dark side of Christianity represented by the voices of increasingly visible Dominionist leaders.

Walking away does not instantly translate into swinging to a position of non-belief and self-declarations of new-found Atheism. Many times it means that through a simple moment or an event – a song or a movie – the eyes of the indoctrinated follower can fly open and clarity finally reveals itself. Many remain believers in Jesus Christ, but their understanding  can mature into a study of the teachings that are counter to the Old Testament fire and brimstone that they were “born again” into. It is a powerful transformation for walkaways! They are finally able to think for themselves and are free from the shackles of judgement of themselves and others, and are released from being constant messengers and human collection plates for these false prophets.
One of my many walkaway friends was an assistant Minister for a large portion of their 37 years of membership in a Dominionist Assembly of God church before having their own epiphany. This person now works daily to inform people about the dangerous extremism that is infesting Christianity – wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross. After years of bringing people into the fold, this person’s goal now is to alert people to the dangers of succumbing to the lure with promises of eternal salvation and redemption. Hell, it sounds simple enough especially because these zealots require little work of their Sheeples – all you have to do is just sit there and accept. And god forbid – don’t ever question or analyze what you are being told, after all, as soon as they are done editing yet another new revised version of the bible, they will tell you again that it is the inerrant word of God.

Embracing walkaways and their message to their fellow Christians is unbelievably important in stopping the bible-based cult of Dominionism. It is one of the aspects of this fight that I value most, the ability to educate mainstream Christians that the Judas living among them are the Dominionists who are co-opting their faith and turning it into a crusade whose mission is Holy War with Islam in preparation for the way for the 2nd Coming of Christ.

It heartens me to see messages like Emanuella’s because it means people are not only waking up – but they are bravely speaking out. I applaud her for making this video as it may very well become the “event” that awakens another future walkaway.

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Frankly M’dear, We Don’t Give a Damn ~ “They vs. These”

by Leah Posted on March 21, 2012
Photo credit to Motley News

The Republican Party as a whole is demonstrating in actions and words that they just don’t give a damn about the needs of women - particularly when it comes to health and reproductive rights. For instance, on the campaign stump in Illinois this week, when asked by crowd attendees where the millions of women who rely on the myriad of services provided for by Planned Parenthood are supposed to go if that organization is shut down, Romney literally said, “They can go where ever they’d like to go, this is a free society”.

Notice the use of ‘they’. Now read this next sentence, again a direct quote from Willard Romney, “The federal government should not tax these people to pay for planned parenthood”. There it is – the They vs. These position, pitting Americans against each other.

This excerpt from Alternet hits a point that I blurt out every time I hear this issue coined as an entitlement program.

3. Never say Employer Paid Health Insurance.

–Instead, say Employee Earned Health Insurance.

When we say “employer paid,” we immediately think of it as something that’s given to the employee by their employer. But as I pointed out in my blog post, “It’s Not About Who Writes The Check—Stop The Republican Lie About Who Pays For Contraceptives,” all employee health insurance is earned by virtue of the employee’s labor. That makes it “paid for” by the employee, even if they aren’t the ones writing the checks to the insurance companies themselves. Employee health insurance is just one of several forms of compensation in exchange for labor, that include cash, retirement funds, long- and short-term disability coverage, etc.

Employee health insurance is not a “gift,” it is compensation in exchange for labor. Cease the labor and the compensation ceases right along with it. Employees earn their insurance. Say that. ~ By jillwklausen | Sourced from Daily Kos

Exactly! This is not about *free* – it is about an expectation to have full coverage that is paid for by each and every one of us, whether through our taxes in the form of subsidizing organizations like Planned Parenthood; or through our payroll deductions for health coverage at our jobs; or through our private insurance premiums that we pay directly.

Ignorant remarks like Romney’s, Santorum’s, Newt’s and a whole host of other pre-enlightenment brain repositories breed deeper resentment. It encourages those who do not value preventative health care and reproductive freedoms for women to think that it is their tax dollars, and theirs only, paying for all those “theys” out there looking for something *free*. How about the costs for services that I may find extraneous and unnecessary? Are we heading in a direction that opens the door for us all to become armchair medical experts?

We are not Stepford wives. Feminism is not destroying America (as your clergy leaders are telling you). Women do not use abortion for birth control. Contraception does not lead to higher promiscuity. Sex education does not encourage children to become sexually active. The highest teen pregnancies are in the bible-belt. The highest unwed pregnancies are in the bible-belt. You can say no, even to your husband. These are just a few items that are getting distorted and demonized by an ever-evolving Christianized Republican Party who are self-appointing themselves as our moral superiors and proposing laws that would force us to live in accordance with their beliefs.

Women’s rights are being trampled in one form or another across America. This is outrageous – and any woman who votes for any one of these men on the GOP 2012 ticket running for President; or the men AND women who voted for the Blunt Amendment in Congress; or any republican who votes with their caucus in the state bodies – is complicit in turning back the enormous efforts gained for women since the 1950s.

Consider yourselves Stepford wives in the flesh. Wake up! These same men (and the few women that are their colleagues) scream about the dangers and threats of Shariah Law coming to this country to rapture and oppress America’s women – and yet their proposals against women in this country get more egregious and hateful with every passing day.

What is happening in the conservative politics with the transition of the Republican Party has been coming for a long time and we are seeing the full-Monty unfolding before us in 2012. They are becoming the ReBiblican Party and god only knows where they are going next after they are done taking Dominion over our uteruses.

As I repeat often – this is no longer simple Party politics of Democrats vs. Republicans – it is seriously – Freedom vs. Theocracy.

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Pastor’s Corner ~ The Political Christian Appetite for Violence

by Leah Posted on March 11, 2012

It is Sunday and time for Pastor’s Corner. This week he brings his perspective from years as a non-Dominionist Christian and theologian forward for us to read. This article is particularly timely in light of all that we are hearing as conservatives beat the drum for war on the campaign trail.

There is an increasing call to take military action against Iran from the adrenalin filled voices on the GOP stumps as they sell their wares to potential voters. Efforts to whip their supporters into a frenzy of fear and paranoia about the threats of Iran and its Muslim leadership is taking hold.

This is déjà vu all over again. The reckless rhetoric about Iran’s nuclear capabilities is designed to incite islamaphobic hatred and an unfounded fear of the safety and security of Iran’s neighbors as well as its threat to distant shores.

We did this in 2003 when then President George W. Bush contrived a reason to invade Iraq even after being told by numerous experts that Iraq did not possess nuclear weapons. Now we are faced with the same false premises about Iran from today’s GOP contenders to be Commander-in-Chief. Bush was truly setting us up for a Holy War of Christendom vs. Islam – a modern day Crusades, and the ideas expressed by republicans today are a continuation of that same dangerous flirtation with all-out World conflict.

Is it necessary for us to be vigilant? You bet. Do we pursue diplomatic solutions with seriousness and conviction? Absolutely. Do we work with others in the world and the neighboring countries most closely associated with these potential threats rather than taking a unilateral position? Without question!

Is war and aggressiveness the FINAL answer? Always!

Here is an impressive animated map that is visual (without sound). It speaks for itself…

This Map of Religious Wars shows the breadth of its spread is in the least bone-chilling. Add to that the knowledge of the horrific violence that occurred, the suffering, the devastation – in the name of religion makes it even more poignant.

The three contenders for the Republican nomination – Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich –  are all expressing these dangerous calls for war. For me, their careless statements are as frightening as any threat from beyond our borders. Recently, President Obama called their rhetoric “bluster”, but that does not adequately depict how dangerous their words are.

I often share articles written by Pastor Howard Bess who is not a Dominionist Baptist. With all that I opened this with, Pastor’s thoughts on Christians and war are well worth sharing for us all to consider…and I am talking to the GOP candidates who claim Christianity as their justification called the Just War Theory.

CHRISTIANITY AND THE PULL TOWARD VIOLENCE

By Howard Bess

By the grace of God, I am a Christian. Further, I am a particular kind of Christian. I am a born-again evangelical Christian in the tradition of American Baptists. This description makes me a part of a tiny minority among the more than 2 billion Christians in the world. I am so different that I am seen as peculiar even by my fellow American Baptists. No one who knows me could possibly suggest that I am not a person with deep convictions and beliefs. Further, I am very religious. I never miss Sunday worship and my time use and the manner in which I use my resources are witnesses to my religiosity.

One of my most profound struggles is the pull to condemn those who disagree with me. I consider social justice to be an essential element in my Christian faith. Because of my commitment to social justice, I have had my share of public debates and encounters. I find it difficult to be entirely gracious to those with whom I have had conflicts. After all, if I am right, do not others who have differing views have to be wrong?

Formal logic insists on that conclusion. To add to the conflict, parts of the Bible send a very clear message that evil must be confronted and defeated. With a cross held high and words from the Bible imprinted on mind and heart, Christians have been brilliant killers of enemies. Usually Christians killed one another to prove that a particular brand of Christianity was correct. In possibly the bloodiest of all religious wars, Christians battled Muslims for the control of Jerusalem. Multiple crusades stretched over centuries. A lot of people were slaughtered.

Most Christians look back on the Crusades of the early 2nd millennium CE and admit that those wars were not the way to settle theological disputes. Christian communities have always produced protesters against any form of violence. Mennonites and Quakers have spoken to our consciences over and over again. However the vast majority of Christians make excuses for violence with such things as Just War Theory and pronouncements about the magnitude of the evils that confront us. We may give lip service to acceptance of diversity, but we are all too eager to grab our weapons when our particular religious understandings are threatened.

Is it possible to be devout in Christian faith and at the same time fully accept the religious diversity that now characterizes our world? In the first half of the 20th century, comparative religion studies were in vogue. Many accepted the idea that there are many common denominators found when the great religions are examined. Differences were minimized. Harmony was the goal. The harmonizing never happened. For me, comparative religious studies and harmonizing the world’s religions were dead on arrival. My own conclusions were that there are fundamental differences among the great religions of the world. To attempt to harmonize leaves a watered-down mishmash that is non-functional to a person who wants to be devout.

As I observe the development of our world, I am beginning to believe that pluralism is a part of the nature of life and must be accepted as a fact with which we must live. Oneness may well be the false God who is betraying us all. I observe the cultures of China, India, Russia, Central Africa, the Middle East, Korea, Argentina, Germany, and Mexico and I see no possibility of a world melting pot.  I look at Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam and see no possibility of harmony.

Is it possible for me to have a vital, uncompromised, devout Christian faith and at the same give full respect and acceptance of others with differing faiths? My answer is a profound “yes.” For too long we have chased the God of unity. In the process we have fostered unhelpful tensions in our communities and have fought senseless wars on life’s big screens. Christians have a terrible record of fighting wars and abusing humanity. We need to embrace all the possibilities of diversity and pluralism.

Where would all this lead? I would eventually claim heaven for all, but for the present, pluralism offers an exciting life adventure. Some scientists are claiming that there is evidence that the universe is not as orderly as earlier thought. Apparently there is an element of chaos that is intrinsic to our universe. The result is a universe that is dependable, but not predictable. I try to imagine what life would be like if I fully accepted the full diversity of life, knowing that the future is not predictable. Might that be what heaven is all about?

Please forgive if this has been a bit too esoteric. We need to get rid of the senseless killing and the destructive wars.

THE END

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska.

Responsible campaigning is invisible. Lying, fabricating, name-calling, disrespect, inflammatory falsehoods and a host of other yet unseen speech tactics are irresponsible and dangerous – and this is about the way these top GOP candidates are attacking each other as much as President Obama.

As a country we must inform ourselves of the real threats and weigh the mature, responsible and most peaceful way to solve the serious issues that face us as a Nation and as members of the global community. This is not just about winning a campaign.

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The Family Mountain ~ It is Dominion They Are After

by Leah Posted on March 7, 2012

I have written a great deal about the 7 Mountain Mandate that is promoted by some very business and marketing savvy political Christians - Dominionists. Tonight, March 7, 2012 from 5pm – 7pm PST, we will be discussing the Family Mountain on the Foward Blitz Radio Show with a special guest. Here are the “7 Mountains of Culture” that these Dominionists have defined:

This short video was produced by the organizers at www.reclaim7mountains.com…

Their message could not be more direct, they are teaching their followers that not only is it a mandate from God that they take dominion over these 7 secular mountains, but give them precise steps to accomplish their goals in their numerous seminars that they charge handsomely for. All one has to do is take a look at the successes they are having in politics and the debates over religiously based legislation from the local to national levels to see that their message is growing legs.

As their acts and efforts become more brazen, we hear them making attempts in recent months to distance themselves from the label of Dominionists. Clicking their heels together and spinning a message to us that they are not trying to “reclaim” these mountains for Christ is an insult to all of us who were educated rather than indoctrinated. There is a huge difference.

Although this branding is relatively new given that they claim this message to have been delivered directly by God to Loren Cunningham and Bill Bright in 1975, the pursuits by extremists bound in their faith is not new.

The Family Mountain is particularly important to these Dominionists. Their views are that it all starts with procreating liberally and then properly indoctrinating children to be good soldiers for Christ when they grow up and work to become leaders of the 7 Mountains. This is why they are so vehemently militaristic on issues of abortion/contraception, same-sex marriage, stem cell research and adoption for married male/females only.

2012 GOP candidate, Rick Santorum puts all of this on stage for the world to see in his current quest for the presidency of the United States. He is an Evangelical Catholic, the Dominionist faction of the Catholic church, as is Newt Gingrich who touts the benefits of changing the laws to allow children to work as indentured servants again. These positions echo the 7 Mountain Mandate with a bullhorn. Recently, Santorum has been beating his proverbial drum regarding abortion, contraception, homosexuals and adoption. Remember, I just pointed out that he is a Dominionist Catholic who comes from a hugely powerful religious machine that has heinous acts to clean up in their own houses of worship – some that most of us have never heard about.

Beyond the unforgivable behaviors of child rape by heterosexual pedophiles in the Catholic Church, I am just now learning about “Butterbox Babies”, where approximately 900 children were sold from Nova Scotia to families up and down the East Coast through religious organizations and churches. Those deemed imperfect were starved to death and buried in wooden crates called butter boxes and buried in the yard. This married couple who started this home for unwed mothers and profited from trafficking babies were Seventh Day Adventists. This is disturbing to learn about as are all the heinous acts and deeds performed by zealots in the name of God, but it is important because this is still happening in America.

Even now in 2012 child-trafficking is rampant and many of those engaged in this horrific business are associated with religious adoption organizations. The Catholic church is no stranger to profiting from forcing women to sign adoption papers in a drug induced condition. 150,000 babies were ripped from their mothers in Australia through Catholic services and adopted out for a price.

Tonight on The Forward Blitz Radio Show we will hear from a grown woman who was one of these babies, taken from her mother in Nova Scotia and adopted out to a Pennsylvania couple. Her story is chilling but so very important as we hear these sanctimonious claims spewed on the campaign trail and from lawmakers who want to revert women’s rights back to the 1900s.

Santorum and Gingrich are surrounded by like-minded political Christians who use their religion to oppress others and announce themselves as our moral leaders. It cannot be stated more emphatically that we are edging closer to a theocratic conservative government in America if we do not take seriously the actions of those who appear to be simply – good social conservatives.

All Christians are not Dominionists ~ BUT ~ All Dominionists Claim Christianity

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Forward Blitz Part III in a Three Part Series on Dominionism in the GOP

by Leah Posted on February 25, 2012

Tonight on the Forward Blitz Blog Talk Radio Show we will be engaged in a continuing discussion about political Christians and the insurgency of their extreme theology into the Republican Party. Warnings by notable Republicans in our recent history have spoken out boldly about the threat of allowing religion marry politics in the America…

Goldwater had a great deal more to say about this on the floor of the U.S. Senate in 1981:

“There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God’s name on one’s behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I’m frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in ‘A,’ ‘B,’ ‘C,’ and ‘D.’ Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of ‘conservatism.’ “
(1909-1998) US Senator (R-Arizona) Source: Congressional Record, September 16, 1981

And he listed the goals of the religious right:

  • “I am a conservative Republican, but I believe in democracy and the separation of church and state.  The conservative movement is founded on the simple tenet that people have the right to live life as they please as long as they don’t hurt anyone else in the process.”
    (in a 1994 Washington Post essay)
  • “The religious factions will go on imposing their will on others,”
  • “I don’t have any respect for the Religious Right.”
  • “Every good Christian should line up and kick Jerry Falwell’s ass.”
  • “A woman has a right to an abortion.”

Thank you to Liberals Like Christ.org for these quotes that help remind us of why I insist that I am not anti-republican, nor anti-conservative – as defined in the days before the GOP allowed itself to be overwhelmingly infested with political Christians.

Join us tonight on the Forward Blitz if you can for another lively discussion about these issues and more…

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