Trump Administration takes the first steps towards implementing theocracy in America

Posted on July 31, 2018 by luckyotter

This is terrifying and all too real. Yes, it’s true — the Trump GOP wants to replace democracy with a Christian theocracy. But only “their” kind of Christianity is acceptable. It’s happening much faster than I would have expected. Gilead really is happening in America. These dominionist evangelicals are zealots who will stop at absolutely nothing to implement their theocracy. They will not compromise because they believe God is on their side and they have a “mandate” to force their religious dogma into law. Nothing is too evil or cruel if it furthers God’s mandate. The ends always justify the means.

It looks like LGBTQ people and women will be the next victims of this regime.

Empathy and humanity are not only not required, they are considered bad or even evil because they get in the way of carrying out the mandates they believe God has given them. That Jeff Sessions, Mike Pence, Erik Prince (Betsy DeVos’ murder-for-hire brother), Jim Jordan, Roy Moore, Franklin Graham, Paula White, Sarah Sanders, and many other sociopaths and sycophants within the Trump regime and its unholy orbit are self proclaimed “anointed apostles” favored by God tells you everything you need to know about this dangerous, totalitarian, and anti-life cult.

Their insistence on “religious freedom” doesn’t mean the same thing it did back when our leaders still respected democracy and the rule of law. Back in the day, it meant the freedom to worship (or not) as you chose. But Sessions and the far right dominionist evangelicals have redefined it — “religious freedom” now means both the “freedom” to inflict your religious beliefs on others, the “freedom” to discriminate against the “Other,” and it also gives you, the oppressed victim of theocracy, the “freedom” to not sin (because sinning will eventually become criminalized).

These dominionists must be stopped — somehow — before there is no longer a such thing as “separation of church and state” and we turn into a Christian Saudi Arabia (of course, these “Christians” care nothing about anything Christ actually taught).

The MSM spends no time at all covering this, but it’s a very serious problem that will soon completely alter what it’s like to live in this country — and NOT for the better.

I wish this was fake news. But it’s not.

Scary times.

We must ALL vote in the midterm elections in November. Nothing but a straight Democratic ticket will do. We MUST oust the Republican Congress and Senate to get rid of the one party rule we have right now under Trump.

These Christo-fascists scare me much, much more than the rather disorganized white supremacists and Koch-funded greedy oligarchs. Of all the different factions of Trump’s GOP, the dominionists frighten me the most and I also think they are the most dangerous.

Of course, they would say that my “resistance” and “negativity” just means I’m being influenced by Satan to be disobedient and I probably have a “jezebel spirit.” They don’t like people who think for themselves. They don’t like “uppity women.” They don’t like people who prefer real freedom instead of the fake “freedom” they’re trying to shove down our throats. They prefer mindless sheep and robotic Stepford-people.

I really don’t care, do u?

The Secular Jurist

By Robert A. Vella

The very first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as part of the Bill of Rights ratified in 1791, states that:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

This separation of church and state was intended and repeatedly affirmed to ensure two things for the new nation: 1) that the United States government would be formally secular, and 2) that United States citizens could legally practice their various religions freely and without interference from other religions. In a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802, President Thomas Jefferson wrote:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes…

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Trump’s tax bill: we are in deep trouble.

Posted on November 24, 2017 by luckyotter

fascisminamerica

Holy cow. Trump’s tax bill is bad enough for the average person who isn’t a corporation or a billionaire, as well as threatening the ACA (by removing the individual mandate), but look what else is hidden inside it.

Every American needs to be aware of this. There’s all kinds of horrible things (many which I’m sure I’m not even aware of) hidden inside the tax bill, but this is probably the most dangerous and scary thing I’ve heard yet. The plan, if this bill passes, is to remove any remaining separation between church and state, allowing a free and uncontrolled flow of dark money between the evangelical right wing churches and the government.

I wonder if many of the Senators who are going to be voting on this bill are even aware of this hidden clause. The GOP seems to do just about everything in secrecy and darkness, without transparency (typical of authoritarian regimes).

The intent is to establish a “state religion” (remaking America as a “Christian nation”), which will result in the marginalization (and maybe worse) of anyone who doesn’t subscribe to their brand of toxic Christianity, which has nothing to do with actual Christianity and is really a political movement disguised as “Christianity.”

This is straight up authoritarianism & a great danger to democracy. These evangelical Christofascists are using Trump to carry out their wishes, and it’s all about money and power. I wish this was just fake news, but I can tell you with confidence that this is real.

Hidden in GOP Tax Bill: A Plan to Turn Churches into Dark Money Spigots

If you’re not freaking out about this, you’re either not paying attention or are part of the problem. We cannot allow this to happen. We are not Saudi Arabia.

Call your senators. They may not be aware what they are about to vote for.

Here’s another article, from Mother Jones.

Republicans Are Sneaking Right-Wing Social Policies Into Their Corporate Tax Cut.

notaxbill

Insanity is our new normal: the rise of the Christian Taliban.

Posted on July 24, 2017 by luckyotter

handmaidstale

Scene from Hulu’s version of The Handmaid’s Tale

Something I’ve been saying a lot lately is that there is no such thing as a conspiracy theory anymore. That’s because America has gone insane and all the crazy tin-foil hat theories we might have scoffed at ten or twenty or even just five years ago are actually happening right now.

One of them is the rise of the “Christian Taliban” a/k/a Christian Reconstructionism and Christian Dominionism.

The following excellent and well-researched article defines in great detail what this dangerous and ungodly cult believes and what it plans to do here in America — and it’s succeeding. It’s a long article but definitely worth reading to the end.

Dominionism Rising: A Theocratic Movement Hiding in Plain Sight

The takeover of the Republican party by Christian Dominionists and Reconstructionists is very scary and very real. They believe that certain Christians (the “elect”) are ordained by God to take “dominion” over America; this belief is based on the Genesis story where God told Adam and Eve to “take dominion” over the earth and “subdue it.” To them, “subduing the earth” means exploiting it unsustainably (because God will clean up the mess). They think that those who believe that subduing the earth means sustainable stewardship are showing a lack of faith in God’s ability to replenish what humans take from it (their attitude is analogous to the arrogance of teenagers who trash the house after a party and expect their parents to clean it up as opposed to responsibly cleaning up their own mess).

Their goal is complete control and a replacement of our Constitution with Old Testament Biblical law, complete with harsh capital punishments for countless offenses and sins. Women would return to being chattel and having no rights. Gay people and non-believers and many others who don’t conform to the forced regime could be stoned to death (as they did in the Old Testament) or otherwise eliminated. The teaching of science (especially evolution) would be banned and public education would be eliminated. Birth control would most likely be outlawed and abortion could carry a death penalty. Higher education would be discouraged, especially for women. Critical thinking of any kind would not be allowed. In a fascist, totalitarian theocracy, you can control your subjects much better if they are unable to think for themselves.

This is no exaggeration. There are a number of Dominionists/Reconstructionists high up in the Republican party right now. Ted Cruz is one of the most famous. So is Mike Pence. And that’s just for starters. Their brand of Christianity is the American version of Sharia Law. The sort of oppressive, authoritarian society described in the 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale could actually become reality here.

sharialaw

These people have great wealth and influence and know how to infiltrate politics at every level and get politicians to do their bidding. It’s very possible they could succeed. They believe that Trump, though not particularly religious himself (most of these Dominionist types are well aware of his sinful lifestyle and lack of repentance) has nevertheless been appointed by God as a sort of “wrecking ball” with the intention of destroying our democratic institutions and democracy itself as we know it, to make way for the totalitarian theocracy they believe God wants installed in America before he will allow Jesus to return. These people compare Trump’s rise to power to King Cyrus of Persia in the Old Testament. These Puritan-like Calvinists believe that it is their moral duty to take from the poor, disabled and other vulnerable people and give to the already wealthy because they are God’s chosen people (according to their Calvinist beliefs, their wealth and power means that God favors them). They also believe that slavery is “benevolent” — the leader of the Dominionist movement, R. J. Rushdoony, actually said that “some people are born to be slaves.”

This ugly and hateful theology is NOT real Christianity and is in fact alien to anything taught by Christ and is the polar opposite of His message of love and compassion for the “least among us” in the Sermon on the Mount. Their dreamed of theocracy is all about control and power by a wealthy few and the subjugation, suffering, oppression, and death of the masses. In their Orwellian way of twisting the meaning of words to their own benefit, “religious freedom” to them means not the freedom to worship as you choose, but the freedom to oppress and punish others who worship differently than you do.

These sick, blackhearted people are religious terrorists who will destroy this country and our freedom if they are not stopped in their tracks. They are a much more real danger to us than ISIS or Muslim jihadists, who are unlikely to be any real immediate threat to us. Yet these same homegrown terrorists are the ones instilling hatred and fear against Muslim terrorists, who operate the very same way in the name of Islam (and of course most Muslims are not like that, just as most Christians are actually good and decent people).

Wake up, people! This could happen here. We can’t be complacent and assume it won’t just because it sounds insane. It is insane, but insanity is the new normal. We can’t ever accept it as normal.