OP-ED The Bush/Evangelical 'Revolution'

In my last several posts I've talked about various examples of religious encroachment upon matters of state. From the silly stories about the South Dakota Governors' desire to follow his Bishops' dictates regarding the State web site, to the serious abuses of the constitution represented by Bush's' "faith initiatives" programs and the useless moral based Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage farce, that has taken the place of sex health education in America.

An ugly thing is happening in America. The President and his administration are literally buying votes with tax money. One hundred million per annum is pumped into Abstinence-Only programs. Much of that money going into church groups via so called "faith initiatives".

One of the large Abstinence-Only groups, headed by the Governor of Louisiana, was caught funnelling tax dollars directly into church groups. Tax dollars were used to purchase bibles, religious tracks, and other non-educational church supplies. Saving the deacons a lot of expense, no doubt. Nothing came of it, of course. Business as usual among the 'good people', the chosen ones.

Mean while, organizations that have been doing solid educational and anti-AIDS work, for years, are being harassed by constant audits by the CDC and various departments of the CDC. Groups criticizing Bush educational policy are labelled as extremist groups by the CDC. Enemy lists are being kept again.

The Bush administration has presented new regulations that prohibit any group using federal funds, from teaching or promoting anything but what is laid down in Abstinence-Only guidelines.

In exchange for pissing all over the constitution and injecting millions of tax dollars into church groups, Bush has literally bought thousands of pulpits to support him electorally and to support his apparent goal of turning America into a religious police state via his Homeland Security apparatus.

President Bush and his fanatic religious followers are possibly the most serious threat to its constitutional democracy that America has ever faced.

It scares the hell out of me and if it doesn't scare you, you need to do the wake up and smell the garbage thing.