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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TigerPaw who wrote (1475)	1/27/2001 2:53:27 PM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 93284

Ashcroft beliefs are interwoven with the religious right! That's the fear! Sad News About John Ashcroft HIS IS THE problem with treating the religious right as though it were just another political pressure group. It is, in fact, a thinly disguised movement toward establishing a Christian theocracy in this country. A theocracy is not the same thing as a democracy. It gets its authority from God and not from the people. Jon Carroll Friday, January 26, 2001 ©2001 San Francisco Chronicle URL: sfgate.com LIKE MANY AMERICANS, I was saddened to see John Ashcroft lie before an official government body. His testimony that he would "enforce the laws as written" were he to be confirmed as attorney general stands in complete opposition to his most deeply held beliefs. I suppose he told himself that he could repent at leisure from the sin of bearing false witness, and the important thing was to get in a position where he could further the work of the Lord. This is, after all, a man who anoints himself with lard before he takes any public office -- just as the ancient kings of Israel did, although they probably used something a little more fragrant. In that famous speech before Bob Jones University (a school whose leader is on record as calling the Catholic Church a "cult" -- gosh, pro-life politics does make strange bedfellows), Ashcroft said: "Unique among the nations, America recognized the source of our character as being godly and eternal, not being civic and temporary. There's a difference between a culture that has no king but Caesar, no standard but the civil authority,and a culture that has no king but Jesus, no standard but the eternal authority." Everything about the life of John Ashcroft suggests that he believes what he said at Bob Jones. He believes that he is, quite literally, doing the work of the Lord. He believes that he knows what God thinks about guns, homosexuals, abortion, alcohol, dancing and evolution. It is a sincere and passionate belief. As a Pentecostalist, he has done much good and worthy work visiting the sick, comforting the afflicted, performing acts of personal charity. He has given his life to God. Since that is so, it is almost indecent to expect him to bow to the regulations of Caesar when he has in his hand the word of the Lord. HIS IS THE problem with treating the religious right as though it were just another political pressure group. It is, in fact, a thinly disguised movement toward establishing a Christian theocracy in this country. A theocracy is not the same thing as a democracy. It gets its authority from God and not from the people. This is not exactly a secret. One has only to listen to the broadcasts and read the literature With love in its heart for the sinners -- that would be people who fail to accept Jesus as their personal savior and even some who do - -and a calm conviction that they can be converted and saved, the Christian right wants to bring the kingdom of God to the United States, plus Guam, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. It believes it is doing us a favor. When we are singing laud all day and basking in the heavenly radiance, we will finally be grateful. John Ashcroft only wants the good to be happy. He will smite evil in the name of God. "Enforce the laws as written?" Maybe he had his fingers crossed. IT IS SADLY true that theocracies do not have a very good record on what might be called human rights God's representatives on earth tend to concentrate on the smiting end of things. Look at Afghanistan and Iran; look at the policies advocated by Orthodox activists in Israel. And then there's the Spanish Inquisition. Not comforting. Thee religious right talks about "American ideals" a lot. In that light, it is useful to read Federalist 69, in which Alexander Hamilton described the role of the executive branch, of which Ashcroft would be a member. The king of England was head of both church and state, Hamilton wrote, and this Constitution is written to prevent that from ever happening here. A, as they say, men. Some of us, perhaps misguided, are unwilling ever to join the choir invisible. You broke my will, but what a thrill, goodness gracious great balls of jcarroll@sfchronicle.com. ©2001 San Francisco Chronicle Page d20