O'Reilly has it Wrong, again.

More than occasionally, I listen to one the ubiquitous right-wing talk radio shows out there (I think it's illegal in this part of the country to broadcast a left-wing show). And, to tell the truth, I often agree with what I hear. But a couple days ago Bill O'Reilly claimed that the founding fathers intended this country to be a Christian country, and that really set me to thinking.

Now, a "country" is a political entity, having a designated head of state, a specific system of government and defined geographic borders. I submit that the founders (all of whom were not even Christian, by the way) most specifically did NOT intend this to be a Christian country, as evidenced by their inclusion in the constitution of a very specific separation of Church and State. Okay, I know those exact words aren't there, but by "not making a law that respects one religion over another," Jefferson et. al. are obviously advocating a government that is not only secular in itself, but, by definition, equally tolerant of all faiths. Herein lies both the beauty and strength of our constitution and of our government.

On the other hand, a "nation" is a much looser aggregate of people linked by some commonality, be it race, language, or ethnicity. Or even Christianity. If O'Reilly had stated that the founders had intended this nation to be a "Christian nation," I could have let it go (even though I know what he's inferring). As a "nation," that is, a social, sociological, and cultural entity, Christianity was one of the commonalities between a majority of the founders. But, and this is an absolutely key caveat, they were far-sighted enough to be able to separate the structure of a government from the composition of the people. It's a distinction that neither O'Reilly nor our current administration seems able to make.

I should have known better than to tune to The O'Reilly Factor in the first place. What no spin zone?

One last bumper sticker

Mrs. L. Described this one to me and, although I do not entirely agree (for those of you who don't know me, I just felt I had to make that point clear), I felt that I should share it.

"Love God - hate his fan club."

Tell it like it is, brother....

Why is it?

The Dominion of Canada's House of Commons passed a resolution legalizing same-sex marriage throughout the country yesterday. Okay, technically, it still has to be passed by the Senate, but I understand that this is purely a pre-forma procedure.

And so Canada joins the august ranks of those few [3] countries who have actually risen above their own prejudice and formally recognized that citizens either have rights, or they don't. You can't arbitrarily "cherry pick" which citizens have certain rights and which don't -- unlike most things in this world, it's a black and white issue.

The thought has also occurred to me to pose the question as to why, as a nation advances socially, culturally, and technologically, the so-called Christian Church seems to lose influence? Is it because those advanced nation's have matured beyond religion?

I've always admired Canada.

Too PC, or not to PC?

Rampant political correctness continues to plague the land. Howard Dean states that the Republican Party is "pretty much a white, Christian party" and pundits from both sides of the divide go wild. Politicians of every stripe rush to distance themselves from Dean, afraid that he'll drag them down with him. Well, I gots some news for ya: The Republican party IS primarily white, and primarily Christian, and if stating the facts is a crime, then send me too jail.

Now that I think of it, I'd wager that the Democratic Party is also primarily a white, Christian party. What's the big deal?

Bumper Sticker Addendum

I just saw this one yesterday and had to add it to my list:

Guns save lives. (Although I continue to maintain that there is no valid reason for the average citizen to even own, let alone carry, a gun, logic such as this goes a long way towards explaining the GNL (gun nut lobby) mentality. How do you counter such a blatant denial of reality?)

Most stupid bumper stickers

In no particular order:

At least I can still smoke in my car (well, have at it!! - just don't complain to me in two years when you're hooked up to an oxygen bottle and the doctor says you've got 6 months to live because the cancer has spread.)

Experience the joy of knowing and doing the will of God (Yes, this entire thing was spread across the bumper. I am not sure how this guy got the number to God's direct line, but more power to him. We all have our crutches...)

Patriots don't vote for Kerry (Yeah, it's a bit dated, but it still ticks me off - labeling anyone who disagrees with you as unpatriotic seems to go against against the very premise of democracy as the expressed will of the people. In fact, I'd suggest that such a sentiment was much more unpatrotic than voting for Kerry could ever be.)

I took a kid hunting at XXXX National Park (So you taught a child how to kill defenseless animals for the sheer pleasure of it? Bravo!)

One story. End of story. (so much for religious tolerance - see also number two above.)

Keep marriage sacred (I am assuming that "sacred" is a code word for perpetuating discrimination by limiting the option to legally marry to those who share the same narrow-minded point of view as you do)

Thought for the Day

"Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals."

by Rabbi-poet Samuel Ullman (1840-1924)

If this gives you pause, maybe you owe it to yourself to stop and take a look at where you are in life and what it took to get there. I know I did, and it was enlightening.