Paul Soglin: Waxing America

God-o-Meter Rates Presidential Candidates on Theocracy Scale. Seriously, This Is NOT a Joke.

The God-o-Meter would be funny if it were on a snarky political site. But it's a serious attempt to rate the presidential candidates on a 0 - 10 point scale which starts at absolute "Secularist" and peaks at "Theocrat."  It's on Fox's Beliefnet, the "largest spiritual web site," with co-sponsorship from Time, ABC News, Yahoo, and others, and advertisers such as Weight Watchers and Pat Robertson's Regent University. So it's not Jesus' General or one of those wiseass sites.

Mike Huckabee scores a perfect 10 as a Theocrat, of course, with Mitt Romney following closely (9) trailed by John McCain (8) and Rudy Giuliani and Tom Tancredo (7 points).  The most Secularist Republican is Fred Thompson, who only manages a score of 4 for "overstating his conservative Christian support..." Ron Paul is a neutral 5.

On the Democratic side, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson tie as most Theocratic, with 8 points each. Obama wins points for getting the most contributions from clergy, and Richardson because "he takes his Catholicism somewhat seriously."  Thanks to her network of Methodist activists, Hillary Clinton manages to tie Rudy at 7, and John Edwards, Dennis Kuchinch, and Joe Biden each get a 6, still safely on the Theocrat side.  Catholic-trained Chris Dodd only gets 5 points, right in the center of the scale, and poor Mike Gravel, whose statements "forgo any mention of religion or spirituality," gets only 4 points, starting to slide dangerously into the Secularist part of the God-o-Meter.

I'm not making this up.

- Barry Orton

Green Bay's War on the First Amendment

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.

Green Bay - area native The Recess Supervisor nails the nativity nonsense at Green Bay City Hall over at the Political Playground here, here and here. His best stuff is in the comments:

Sadly, Green Bay has always been a city ruled by petty, parochial overlords who have no interest in doing anything other than preserving their fiefdoms... It'd be unfortunate if readers thought that this local government lunacy was new in Green Bay. It's not. It's been happening for decades...

...Green Bay's problem is that is has such low expectations of itself that anytime it eats its dinner without spilling all over its shirt, it's considered a major victory.

- Barry Orton

Official Waxing America Religious Leader: Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping

In a move which will undoubtedly mystify the most cynical of holiday shoppers, Waxing America has decided it needs an official website minister.

In a brilliant act with both  secular and ecumenical implications, our publication has joined the gospel of the "Church of Stop Shopping," not to be confused with that other house of splendor, "The Last Exit Before the Freeway Church."

I can relate to Reverend Billy. He was arrested at a Disney store imploring the flock not to shop. He is pastor non grata at politically incorrect Wal-Mart and politically correct Starbucks. He asks the most profound of profound questions, "What would Jesus buy?"

He and the members of the Stop Shopping Choir, a group of 40 red-robed singers who accompany him on trips to Wal-Mart, Starbucks and other temples of consumerism where he attempts to spread his message, whether people want to hear it or not, are featured in a new documentary film called "What Would Jesus Buy?" Produced by Morgan Spurlock ("Super Size Me"), the movie follows the group on a cross-country anti-shopping crusade.

In this   documentary, Reverend Billy warns us of the pending shopocalypse.

I was crushed to learn that Reverend Billy is not a real minister but a street performer who was chased out of the sanitized clean up of New York City in the 1990's.  But that is a minor detail. His forty arrests speak volumes.

Stanley Kutler Gives Mitt Romney A Lesson In the Constituion and Religion

Waxing America's favorite Emeritus Professor in the entire galaxy, the esteemed University of Wisconsin constitutional scholar Stanley Kutler, provides Mitt Romney with a lesson in American history. Over at The Huffington Post, Kutler notes in Romney's Religious Vision for All? that

The founders, Romney said, "did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square." Many of the revolutionaries and founders indeed were religious; but many likewise believed in religion as a "private affair." Romney's "originalism" is deeply flawed. What is undeniable is that the founders moved with a calculated purpose and disestablished religion as it had existed in colonial times. Religion would not be the central component of public life, much as Kennedy had said in 1960.

Kutler goes on to note that when some elements were upset with the 1962 Supreme Court decision banning prayer in public schools, President Kennedy was eloquent, thoughtful, and forthright:

We have in this case a very easy remedy," Kennedy said, "and that is to pray ourselves. We can pray a great deal more at home, we can attend our churches with a good deal more fidelity, and we can make the true meaning of prayer much more important in the lives of our children. I would hope that as a result of this decision, all American parents will intensify their efforts at home, and the rest of us," he concluded, "will support the constitution and the responsibility of the Supreme Court in interpreting it."

Can we imagine a president today -- or a presidential candidate -- speaking with such candor and historical understanding of American pluralism? (Let alone wit!) The mind boggles.

Is anyone listening? Should Kutler wax eloquently about the abuses of insurance companies, or maybe riding bicycles in snowstorms?

Time for Real Questions for the Real Mike Huckabee

Once again, University of Wisconsin Emeritus Professor Stanley I Kutler provides insightful analysis that makes me wonder if he might have better have served his country as a political columnist, rather than trying to teach misguided undergraduates like me.

My favorite professor writes in the Huffington Post, "The Religion of Mike Huckabee," that the critical issues of the day "will not be resolved with geniality and wit."

Everyone loves a man always ready with a witty quip. When asked "what would Jesus do," the applause meter in the debate hall went off the charts when Huckabee replied, "Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office" -- an artful dodge to a serious question on the death sentence...

...Today's Southern Baptists have rejected traditional Baptist faith, tracing back to Roger Williams in the 17th century, avowing a firm separation of church and state. Williams well-knew European experiences and that the "wilderness" of the state corrupted the "garden" of the church. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, who led the drive for the First Amendment's command on separation of church and state and the promise of the free exercise of religion, flipped Williams's conclusion -- as they feared the corrupting effects of a religiously-dominated state. The thread from Williams through the making of the Constitution is that the state must maintain neutrality toward religion, and separation was the proper means. In a pluralist society, no other alternative is thinkable.

How will Huckabee, the ordained minister, and the self-styled "Christian" candidate (where does this leave all the others?) balance his sectarian religious beliefs with his obligation to maintain the neutrality of government, as required by the Constitution? Chris Matthews pitched a soft-ball question when he asked the former governor his opinion of the Constitution's requirement that no religious tests be imposed as a qualification for public office. Huckabee deflected the question with a smile and a firm declaration, "I have no problem with that."

First Amendment questions would have been more appropriate: Does he support government-required prayers and bible-reading in the public schools? Should the government fund faith-based and faith-run social programs?...

...Nineteenth century sectarian conflicts confirmed the desirability of governmental neutrality in religion to preserve social peace. Today some Americans believe and act as if the First Amendment's religion commands are a barrier to social harmony. Religious ideas and leaders need not be excluded from political debate and public policymaking, but the dividing line -- that "wall of separation" -- has a clear and powerful historical meaning, and must be affirmed.

Huckabee deserves questions about our traditional guarantee of separation of church and state, and the free exercise of beliefs. We must expect him to understand and respect the history that underlies our social complexity, and makes America, America.

Until the better questions are asked, we will not know if Huckabee has the better answers.

Free Speech Is Expensive at UW Milwaukee

The price of free speech just went up at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. The Conservative Union booked Walid Shoebat, a former PLO member to present "Why I Left Jihad."  There is a good deal of controversy associated with Shoebat's presentations. Wiser minds can decide if he is a hero or snake oil salesman.

The speech may never be presented. A group of Muslim students oppose the speech saying that it will inspire violence against them. Sorry, go read the Constitution. Hateful or not so hateful speakers, whether they incite a crowd or not, are protected under the Bill of Rights. As they do not make a call to violence, the speech is protected; and even some remarks that incite violence are protected.

Of greater concern is the position of UW Milwaukee.  They are requiring the sponsors pay a fee of $2500 for extra security for the event.

Wrong.  Very wrong.

This was the tactic used against Freedom Riders struggling for Civil Rights in the South. It was used against the anti-war movement in the 1960's.  Charge for a parade permit, charge for the extra security so that those wishing to exercise their right to free speech are prohibited from gathering.

The United States Supreme Court has made it clear that fees for security or permits that prevent the public exercise of free speech are a violation of our Constitution. The Court made it clear that stopping a speech based on the fear that others will become agitated or excited is unacceptable.

I will leave to others who are more current on recent Supreme Court decisions to provide documentation to support my contention. Hopefully, I will get some help from other quarters that are more knowledgeable.

Should Faith in Jesus Be Promoted Via Public School "Backpack Mail?"

Waxing America hero of the day is Madison third-grade teacher Alan Ginsberg, who blew the whistle on a local church flier to be sent home in his student's backpacks that read: "Plant the Seeds of Faith in Jesus in Your Child at Our Sunday School."

The Capital Times' Susan Troller has the story:

Alan Ginsberg, a 31-year veteran in the Madison public schools, teaches at Van Hise Elementary. He said Christian as well as Jewish and Buddhist parents he spoke with were offended by the flier and said they believed it crossed a line separating church and state by actively promoting a particular religious creed. Ginsberg estimated there are 13 languages spoken in his third grade-classroom, with students coming from a multitude of ethnicities and religious backgrounds.

"It's ironic. We're doing a daylong in-service training on how to be culturally sensitive, and yet we have a policy that requires us to send out a flier that asks students to invite Jesus into their lives, even if their family is not Christian," Ginsberg said.

Ginsberg can now expect to be raked over the coals by Bill O'Reilly and his ilk.  Some advice: don't accept an invitation to talk to any of them. It's a no-win arena.

- Barry Orton

Pakistan in Our Future: The Failure of the American Empire

Pakistani journalist, Ahmed Rashid, writes with insight and candor about the fragile state of his homeland, Musharraf faces big decision:

The storming of the Islamabad's Red Mosque last week, and the deaths of scores of Islamic militants has placed Pakistan and its leadership on the edge of a deadly precipice...He (President Pervez Musharraf) is faced with a stark choice - either go for the extremists in a consistent manner as he has promised to do in the past or once again try to appease them. The latter course, many fear, would put the future of Pakistan at risk.

The stakes for Pakistan and the rest of the world are high. The middle class is unhappy with military rule and the absence of freedom.  The religious zealots sometimes exploited by, other times lead by Al-Qeada, are determined to establish a Taliban state, at least in Northwest Pakistan.

The United States, the last superpower, is helpless. Any American interference in Pakistan will only antagonize the middle class and intellectuals who know the consequences of U.S. involvement. American interference will be exploited by Al-Qeada and feed the mounting opposition to anything American and surely topple Musharraf.

Tragically, this is the post World War II legacy that started with fighting Communism and now terrorism. Virtually every American administration either through its own jingoism or through intimidation from the red-baiters and the empire-builders has failed to distinguish between the genuine need to help others and American empire building.

In 1962, William Appleman Williams wrote The Tragedy of American Diplomacy. Almost fifty years later the United States, lead by George W. Bush, proves that history repeats itself and that many in high places learned nothing.

Perhaps one day this nation can assist other nations with no ulterior motive, no desire for an empire. When that happens fragile governments can ask for our aid without worrying about plunging their nations into civil war, chaos, and greater oppression.

In light of the release today of the report on terrorism,  (Why US sees Al Qaeda as a growing threat,) the need for a change in policy is reaffirmed.

• Al Qaeda will probably seek to leverage the contacts and capabilities of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI),
• Al Qaeda's association with its Iraqi affiliate helps the group to energize the broader Sunni Muslim extremist community, raise resources and recruit and indoctrinate operatives - "including for homeland attacks."
• increased training at camps along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, giving Al Qaeda added capability to mount strikes on the U.S. and its key allies.
• Al Qaeda is likely to continue to focus on high-profile political, economic and infrastructure targets to cause mass casualties, visually dramatic destruction, economic aftershocks and fear.
• The group will continue to seek weapons of mass destruction - chemical, biological or nuclear material - and "would not hesitate to use them."

In every  Middle Eastern and Asian nation, where we need a strong ally, our efforts to support the regime are thwarted by its vulnerability to citizens hostile to the American empire.

Gerry Falwell, The Antichrist, Communing with Satan: Madison

It was December 25, 2005 when Bill O'Reilly remarked: "Madison, Wisconsin, where you expect those people to be communing with Satan"

Tonight when the evening news reported the death of Jerry Falwell and reminded us of his 1999 sermon. Is the Antichrist:

alive and here today?"...Probably, because when he appears during the tribulation period he will be a full-grown counterfeit of Christ. Of course he'll be Jewish.

Sara looked at me with a suspicious eye and muttered, "I knew it."

Meantime when someone tell me why this ignorant, bigoted, moron deserves the lead story on the evening news. I understand that his political influence was considerable but certainly not to merit recognition as some kind of statesman.

I Read Job in Public High School

Junior year of high school in the literature class our reading included Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Mark Twain, and the Book of Job. Not a problem.  We analyzed the style and purpose of the authors and the impact of their writing. Excellent.

Reading the Bible as a work of literature is appropriate.  Teaching religion for the purpose of proselytizing or even advocating that the student be religious is not.

Texas legislators were correctly concerned about a proposed Bible class becoming a religious class, not a literature class.

Panel tones down bill for Bible classes

AUSTIN -- A bill that would have required Texas public schools to offer classes teaching the Bible as a textbook was amended by a House panel that agreed offering the classes should be optional.

The House Public Education Committee passed the modified bill on Thursday, drawing praise from critics who feared mandatory Bible courses would be more religious than academic...

...The original bill by state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, would have required schools to offer Bible courses as an elective.  Chisum’s bill called for history and literature courses on the Old and New Testaments...

The state already allows districts to offer Bible courses as electives, but only 25 high schools do so.

Frankly, any class on religion should be a comparative study and should provide the views of atheists and agnostics.