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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: hobo who wrote (850)	1/13/2001 3:59:09 PM
From: hobo	Respond to of 82486

oh look some real 'honorable' stuff... the issue: religioustolerance.org The lies: (right wingers --of course --we know about lies already) religioustolerance.org and the reactions: religioustolerance.org ______________________________________ When we first learned of the boycott of the U.S. Army, we thought it was a joke. We had difficulty visualizing how Americans who follow one religion would attempt to prevent other Americans from following their own religion. Sadly, it is not a prank. It is our belief that the boycott of the army by conservative Christians represents the most serious attack on personal religious freedom in North America since: Attacks by American Protestants against Roman Catholics in the 19th century. The refusal of the U.S. government to extend equal rights to followers of Native American Spirituality up to the mid 20th century. The vicious attacks in Canada by the Quebec government against the Jehovah's Witnesses in the 1940's and 50's. The current boycott is a frightening display of religious power against a minority religion's fundamental human rights, including the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion itself. It shows little respect for the U.S. Constitution. If the Religious Right is successful in banning Wicca on army bases, they may soon try to ban Native American Spirituality as well. The two religions are very similar. President Clinton's speech indicates that fear, misunderstanding and hatred of a minority religion can lead eventually to genocide. We would recommend that Rep. Barr, Paul Weyrich, and and the leaders of the other members of the Christian boycott take a trip to Kosovo. They would see the final outcome of the path on which they they have embarked. Such a visit might create an real attitude adjustment in them. The religious hatred that is being stirred up by the pastor of an Independent Baptist church near Ft. Hood is troubling. Similar bigoted speech in recent years has resulted in conservative Christian perpetrators organizing at least one lynching, one attempted mass murder by stoning, many fire bombings, assaults, etc. The danger is that anti-Wiccan rhetoric by Christian leaders will motivate some emotionally unstable individual to exterminate Wiccans, feeling that he is doing God's will. ____________________________________ the above is where we are going with the religious right in power President Clinton's related comments On 1999-JUN-22, President Clinton commented on the importance of religious diversity and of respect for minority religions within the U.S. Armed forces. He gave a congratulatory talk to troops at Aviano Air Base in Italy, recognizing their efforts during the air war against Yugoslavia. He said in part: "...tomorrow's dictators in other places will have to now take a harder look before they try to destroy or expel an entire people simply because of their race or religion... I want to say a special word of appreciation to all of you in our Armed Forces for just being here. If you think about -- I want you to really think about it -- you think about what Kosovo is all about. People were taught to hate people who were from a different ethnic group than they were, who worshiped God in a different way. They started out by being afraid of them and misunderstanding them. Then, they came to hate them. And then after hating them for a good while, they came to dehumanize them. And once you decide that someone you're looking at is no longer a human being, it's not so hard to justify killing them, or burning them out of house and home, or torturing their children, or doing all the other things you have heard. It all starts -- it all starts with the inability to recognize the inherent dignity and equality of someone who is different from ourselves. The composition of our Armed Forces, with people from every race, every ethnic group, every religious persuasion, from all walks of life, that make up American society -- the fact that our military has all of you in it is the most stunning rebuke to the claims of ethnic cleansing." religioustolerance.org _____________________________________________ pres. Clinton may be have too hot of a d.... but he sure is no witch burner zealot.