The influence of the blogosphere, as it is fondly known, is growing exponentially in society, commerce, politics and journalism. (Just ask Jeff Gannon). Now, blogger and journalist Max Blumenthal has made a significant advance in the area of psychiatry.

It is likely, of course, that the psychiatric profession will pay about as much attention to Blumenthal's startling discovery, as most of the mainstream media has paid to the revelation that one of their number -- a member of the White House press corps -- turned out to be a pseudonymous pseudo-journalist, who worked for a pseudo-news agency (now defunct), and was an authentic Republican propagandist and a male prostitute, among other things.

Nevertheless, let me be the first to hail Max's breakthrough, which like so many great discoveries, is really very simple: "If you do not read Fred's blog you are insane."

I will be offline this weekend, but if insanity breaks out, check out this post -- still pretty fresh after two weeks:

A Top Christian Nationalist Comes to Massachusetts.

And if the hunger is still there, try out this one -- which thumbnail's Max Blumenthal's Nation online expose of Family Research Council honcho Tony Perkins' connection to white supremacist David Duke.

When you think of the "Christian men's movement," you probably think of the Promise Keepers -- those huggy guys who meet in football stadiums because, as some of their leaders like to say, the church has been "feminized". (I devote a chapter to PK in Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy). The matter of gender and gender politics has been all the rage in conservative Christian communities for some time, and for those focusing on these things, writer Jeff Sharlet has a report on recent trends in the Christian men's movement, on Nerve, an internet magazine about sexuality. Here is a excerpt about James Dobson, who was recently in the news as a featured speaker at the Christian Right rally, "Justice Sunday."

"... Dr. James Dobson, one of a handful of the evangelical kingmakers to whom George W. Bush paid court before announcing his bid for the presidency in 2000. Dobson is most-recently known in the secular world for his charge that Spongebob Squarepants had been recruited as an agent of the 'homosexual agenda,' but for the millions who tune into his radio shows or read his books or subscribe to one of the publications produced by his organization, Focus on the Family, Dobson has long served as a source for wisdom that embodies the feminist adage that the personal is political."

"Not that Dobson acknowledges a debt to feminism; indeed, he sees it as a threat to Christianity. The problem, as he outlines it in Straight Talk to Men, a Dobson 'classic' originally published as Straight Talk to Men and Their Wives, is that men, in a righteous attempt to resolve the problems of sexism, have ceded too much power to women. As a result, he insists, women are engaging in a parody of male headship and most men lack the guts — and the sensitivity — to stand up to them. 'Everything we do is influenced by our gender assignment,' he writes. 'Any confusion… in the relationship between the sexes… must be seen as threatening to the stability of society itself.' Dobson, unlike other Christian manliness gurus, gets specific about the consequences, illustrated in this new edition of Straight Talk through an imaginary dialogue between a group of 'yesterday's husbands and fathers' (from 1870) who've been transported into the present to talk to a representative of 'the culture.'

"The culture's spokesman paints a lurid portrait of today's world, in which boys typically look at pornography depicting women 'hanging from trees, and being murdered with knives, guns, ropes, etc.'; in which 'it its legal for a father… to have a homosexual experience with his son'; in which women are called to combat in a time of war, because men are not up to the job. 'I miss John Wayne,' laments Dobson."

The Christian Right has a long and shifty history with white supremacist groups in the U.S. Certainly many do not and never have embraced racism. Others play ball.

It turns out that Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council and the orgnizer of "Justice Sunday," the Christian Right rally in Louisville last weekend, has a seamy history -- that includes a secret deal with white supremacist leader, David Duke.

"Four years ago," Max Blumenthal writes in the current issue of The Nation magazine, "Perkins addressed the Louisiana chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), America's premier white supremacist organization, the successor to the White Citizens Councils, which battled integration in the South. In 1996 Perkins paid former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke $82,000 for his mailing list. At the time, Perkins was the campaign manager for a right-wing Republican candidate for the US Senate in Louisiana. The Federal Election Commission fined the campaign Perkins ran $3,000 for attempting to hide the money paid to Duke."

In addition to the outrageous religious supremacism of Perkins, and the others who claimed that Democrats and liberals are opposed to "people of faith" and even anti-Christian for opposing some of president Bush's more extreme judicial nominations, their hypocrisy runs deep.

Blumenthal continues, "As the emcee of Justice Sunday, Tony Perkins positioned himself beside a black preacher and a Catholic 'civil rights' activist as he rattled off the phone numbers of senators wavering on President Bush's judicial nominees. The evening's speakers studiously couched their appeals on behalf of Bush's stalled judges in the vocabulary of victimhood, accusing Democratic senators of 'filibustering people of faith.'"

"James Dobson, who founded the Family Research Council as the Washington lobbying arm of his Focus on the Family, invoked the Christian right's persecution complex. On an evening when Jews were celebrating the second night of Passover, Dobson claimed, "The biggest Holocaust in world history came out of the Supreme Court" with the Roe v. Wade decision."

More...

Progressive religious leaders are increasingly speaking out against the theocratic agenda of the Christian Right. The Interfaith Alliance organized one such speak-out on Monday, in the form of a telephone press conference with five major religious leaders in response to the "Justice Sunday: Stop the Filibuster Against People of Faith," telecast on Sunday night.

I was invited, but was not able to participate. But TIA has issued a press release with some of the highlights.

The event was moderated by the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President of The Interfaith Alliance. Particpants included the Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, President of the Chicago Theological Seminary; the Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Jr., Senior Minister, The Riverside Church in New York City; Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reformed Judaism; and the Rev. Carlton Veazey, President of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

Gaddy said that the religious right believes in the inerrancy of the Bible and they equate that with a belief in the inerrancy of the Constitution. Unfortunately, he said, they believe that only they know how to interpret the Bible and the Constitution.

Here is some of what the guest speakers had to say:

Thistlewaite: "I was shocked at how sacrilegious the event was... The radical religious right turned a sanctuary into a political platform. We are the religious mainstream. We support the Constitution and we will not turn a church into a political action committee."

Veazey: "I don't doubt the sincerity of Albert Mohler and other fundamentalist ministers who say that the Bible is the inerrant source and that they and they alone know what the Bible says and means... But most of us don't go along with this. Christians have strong differences of opinion on the meaning of scriptures and we don't want to see a particular brand of Christianity held up as the only real Christianity. We certainly don't want a particular brand of Christianity enacted as the law of the land."

"Justice Sunday was not about religion; it was part of an ongoing power grab to take over the courts and reverse decades of progress for minorities, women, the environment, workers' rights, and other issues and groups that have been relatively powerless. We must not compromise on our rights and freedoms."


Saperstein: "It is not our responsibility to try and match them. I am troubled by what happened at Highview Baptist Church. [where the telecast was staged] I don't think we want to intensify the corrosiveness of the public discourse we heard last night. Their arguments were intellectually vacuous and politically damaging. Making a religious claim doesn't protect you; it doesn't make your position right"

Forbes: "The religious right has been working a long time to build up to the strength they now have and to the audacious means they are able to use... What we as progressives are already doing takes time to mobilize and to come to full visibility. But I think that it will be clearer, as the days go by, that there is a progressive movement aborning, that is asking about what are the most effective means for us to promote the values we hold, and what means have been used by others but actually subvert the values we hold. We must be as efficient and effective in the use of media and modes of communication, but hopefully in ways that will not be the death knell of what we stand for and what our nation has been standing for through these years."

You can listen to Monday's press conference over streaming audio.

TIA says a transcript will be available soon.

For me the most striking comment was by James Forbes: "...there is a progressive movement aborning, that is asking about what are the most effective means for us to promote the values we hold, and what means have been used by others but actually subvert the values we hold..."

Secret Service records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Members of Congress show that the fake reporter who operated under the false name, Jeff Gannon, appeared at the White House about 200 times in his 2 year tenure at the fake news service, Talon News, which often published plagiarized material. Sigificantly, about 40 of those visits were times when there was no press briefing scheduled. And on at least two occasions -- he checked-in but never checked-out with the Secret Service.

The exclusive is at The Raw Story, which observes that Gannon "had little to no previous journalism experience, previously worked as a male escort, and was refused a congressional press pass."

Oh yes. And ePluribus Media, the organizational outgrowth of the group of citizen journalists who helped break the Gannongate story... is coming soon.

If one is a theocrat, one believes that the law is what one's religious authorities say that it is, and one acts accordingly.

One of the leading monarchichal theocracies in the world, is not in the Arab world. A number of Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia, are monarchies governed under Islamic law. The Vatican is different of course. The monarchy is not inherited, but it is self-perpetuating, and it in no way may be construed as a democracy. In the course of the papacy of John Paul II, it exerted increasing levels of administrative and doctrinal control over the vast global church, and it's branches every nation.

As we all know, the leader of the doctrinal police was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, whose Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the agency that led the Inquisition, made it it's business to silence dissidents, and command conformity among Catholic academics, politicians, and clergy.

One of the problems with this level of control is that the church, also functioning as a state, sometimes contradicts civil law in the nations in which it operates. Sometimes the conflict is with criminal law.

The Guardian newspaper reported this weekend that the new pope may have obstructed the efforts of law enforcement to investigate the growing sex abuse scandal in the United States -- by ordering bishops to keep secret allegations that came to their attention.

"Pope Benedict XVI faced claims last night," according to the Guardian, "he had 'obstructed justice' after it emerged he issued an order ensuring the church's investigations into child sex abuse claims be carried out in secret. The order was made in a confidential letter, obtained by The Observer, which was sent to every Catholic bishop in May 2001."

"It asserted the church's right to hold its inquiries behind closed doors and keep the evidence confidential for up to 10 years after the victims reached adulthood. The letter was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger... Lawyers acting for abuse victims claim it was designed to prevent the allegations from becoming public knowledge or being investigated by the police. They accuse Ratzinger of committing a 'clear obstruction of justice'."

The letter, the newspaper continues, "orders that 'preliminary investigations' into any claims of abuse should be sent to Ratzinger's office" and that all proceedings must be internal and conducted "only by priests."

"'Cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret,' Ratzinger's letter concludes. Breaching the pontifical secret at any time while the 10-year jurisdiction order is operating carries penalties, including the threat of excommunication."

"The Ratzinger letter was co-signed by Archbishop [now Cardinal] Tarcisio Bertone [of Genova, Italy] who gave an interview two years ago in which he hinted at the church's opposition to allowing outside agencies to investigate abuse claims."

"'In my opinion, the demand that a bishop be obligated to contact the police in order to denounce a priest who has admitted the offence of paedophilia is unfounded,' Bertone said."

This is an extraordinary claim -- that church leaders are exempt from American criminal law. Additionally, it is worth underscoring that the offense is not "paedophilia," as Bertone euphemistically claims. That is an academic term. The criminal laws in the U.S. call it rape, or sexual assualt.

Bertone was at the time of the letter, the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. (He may be best known in the U.S. for his broadcast on Vatican radio calling on people not to read the best-selling novel The DaVinci Code.)

For foreign clerical leaders to order their U.S. followers to ignore and defy U.S. criminal laws, in the face of evidence of specific crimes, may very well constitute criminal offenses in thier own right, beginning with, as lawyers for some of the abuse victims told The Guardian, "obstruction of justice."

It was just a matter of time before we witnessed again the clash of religious supremacies. The coalition of religious conservatives that comprise the Religious Right has been an uneasy mix: notably Conservative Catholics, Protestant fundamentalists, Mormons and the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon. It is said that politics makes strange bedfellows. It is also said that all coalitions are by thier very nature, temporary arrangements.

The elevation of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to pope, reminds that it was under his direction that in 2000, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued Dominus Jesus, which stated that non-Catholic Christian churches "are not churches in the proper sense" -- among other statements that many mainline and evangelical Christians found insulting at best. There is only one true church, and now Ratzinger heads it.

But Dr. Albert Mohler president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary disagrees with Ratzinger. In 2000 he declared Catholicism to be a "false church" -- and now his words are now a big public issue.

The Baptist Press reports that freshman Democratic Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) is challenging his top home state Christian rightist, James Dobson to distance himself from Mohler "for calling the Roman Catholic Church a 'false church.'" Mohler is on the board of Dobson's Focus on the Family and the two are appearing together this weekend in the controversial telecast "Justice Sunday." Publicity materials for the event suggest Democrats and liberals are opponents of "people of faith," even "anti-Christian" because they oppose some of President Bush's nominations for the federal bench.

According to The Baptist Press: "I have not encountered any feelings of anti-Catholicism from any of my fellow Senators on either side of the aisle," Salazar, a Catholic, wrote. "... In contrast, I understand you are helping lead the effort on a national telecast against Democrats in the United States Senate with Dr. Al Mohler, among others. In March of 2000, Dr. Mohler said, 'I believe that the Roman church is a false church and it teaches a false gospel. And indeed, I believe that the pope himself holds a false and unbiblical office.'"

"Salazar called on Dobson to 'repudiate' Mohler's comments and to distance himself from those who 'serve to divide the world's Christian churches against one another.' At a news conference Salazar also called Focus on the Family's tactics 'un-Christian.' Focus has run advertisements pressuring senators -- including Salazar -- to stop filibustering nominees."

"In response to Salazar's letter, Dobson released a statement calling Mohler a 'valued member' of Focus on the Family's board of directors."

Meanwhile, the slugfest has broken out in the Colorado media, where Salazar and Dobson are going toe-to-toe.

Rocky Mountain News columnist Mike Littwin writes: "Look, it's not just faith you need to determine that people do occasionally recognize a demagogue when they see one. Or that many Americans know the difference between democracy and theocracy, even if we're shaky on the original Greek."

"And you don't need faith - just a close look - to see the battle over judicial nominations and filibusters in the U.S. Senate is not a war against 'people of faith.'"

"How presumptuous is the 'people of faith' label anyway? Whose faith exactly? Your faith? My faith? The guy who wears his faith on the sleeve of his America-Is-The-Great-Satan T-shirt?"

"Salazar has seen the presumption up close. He's seen it in full-page ads. He is a devout Catholic, who will tell you he reads the Bible daily and that Focus on the Family has no monopoly on belief."

"He says it slowly, measuring each word. It's the punch that surprises you."

"'I was attacked,' Salazar said after landing at DIA [Denver International Airport]Friday afternoon. 'They took out full-page ads against me. They were on the radio. I don't think it's right when they question my faith or the faith of my colleagues because they don't get their way 100 percent of the time - just 96 percent.'"

The tension between American protestant fundamentalists and Roman Catholicism has a long history, of course. And those seeking to craft a Christian Right political movement have had considerable success in obscuring or minimizing those differences. But the rise of Ratzinger and the impolitic fundamentalism of Mohler shows that the alliance may be more fragile than sometimes meets the eye. The rise of differing, ultimately competing versions of religious supremacism as a driving element in the several main faction of the Christian Right was bound to expose fissures in the coalition at some point.

More importantly, the Justice Sunday controversy, and the attacks on the religious faith of most other Americans may have provided the catalyst for the long overdue fightback from the likes of Democrats like Senator Salazar and the leaders of mainstream protestantism, among others.

Indeed, the controversy has catalyzed outrage in religious communities unaffiliated with the Family Research Council's narrow brand of Christian Right Republicanism. One expression of that outrage is the rapid organization of Social Justice Sunday April 24th which is billed as a counter to the Christian Right rally. Mainstream protestant leaders who are committed to religious equality and separation of church and state intend to forcefully speak out against the insulting and bigoted statements of the Family Research Council.

This is long over due. But its my sense that this is also just the beginning.

The third branch of the federal government is now under assault by leaders of the other two. The assault is assisted, arguably led by, big corporations who want to end the right of citizens to their day in court, by putting up as many obstacles as possible,or by eliminating whole categories of opportunities for redress. The theocratic Christian Right also wants to eliminate whole areas of civil and constitutional law from the jurisdiction of the courts so that they can advance their religious and political agendas, and be able to trample on the rights of others, unhindered by the courts.

Americans are mobilizing on many fronts to defend their rights against encroachments by the powerful corporate and theocratic interests. One major effort is being organized by Trial Lawyers for Public Justice which has just announced their Access to Justice Campaign.

They note that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) is a leader in the effort to shut the court house doors to the vast majority of Americans. And one of his big bug-a-boos, is the entire area of separation of church and state . The former professional exterminator brings the same seriousness of purpose to his far right ideological agenda to eliminate those parts of the constitution and American history that don't square with his extreme world view as he did in his earlier professional life.

"What I find the most important is to redesign the government," DeLay told The Washington Times, (a pet project of Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church), "now that we have the opportunity to do that... [I]t's been my own personal project to redesign government." He said, "[W]e all know that this judiciary has been extremely active... The reason the judiciary has been able to impose a separation of church and state that's nowhere in the Constitution is that Congress didn't stop them. The reason we had judicial review is because Congress didn't stop them. The reason we had a right to privacy is because Congress didn't stop them."

The Constitution states that"judges shall hold their offices during good behavior." Says DeLay: "We want to define what good behavior means." Unfortunately, what good behavior means to Tom DeLay, means doing whatever it is Tom DeLay wants you to do.

Arthur Bryant, executive director of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, has a different view.

"This is a unique time in our nation's history," Bryant wrote recently in the National Law Journal. "America was founded by people who understood that power unchecked is power abused. That's why we have, among other things, separation of powers, the Bill of Rights and the right to a day in court."

"Take a look around," he continued. "Throughout America, corporate wrongdoers are being held liable for injuring, discriminating against and cheating their customers, employees and investors. What's their solution to this problem? Eliminate access to the courts. They're amending their consumer, employment and investors' contracts explicitly to ban individual and class action litigation. They're expanding federal pre-emption, the use of binding mandatory arbitration and court secrecy to preclude many suits and bury the rest."

Similarly, Jeffrey M. Goldberg, president of the TLJP Foundation said in a press release announcing a new initiative, "Americans have separation of powers, the Bill of Rights, and the right to a day in court because our nation's Founders valued freedom and liberty -- and knew that power unchecked was power abused... In America, the courts are the one place where the poorest, most powerless person can hold the richest, most powerful people and corporations accountable. That's why corporate wrongdoers and those in power are trying to eliminate the right to a day in court in so many ways and areas -- and why we must keep the courthouse doors open for all."

"Preserving access to justice at its core," TLPJ states in its campaign announcement, "means upholding the Constitution, separation of powers, and the courts' role in our nation. It shouldn't be necessary, but it is... Some with power... don't accept the courts' role."

TLPJ is going to do something about it. They have launched the Access to Justice Campaign to counter the attacks on the Constitutional role of the courts, to literally defend access to justice. "This is not a battle between plaintiffs and defendants, Democrats and Republicans, or red states and blue states" they say. "This is a battle between those who believe in the Constitution, separation of powers, and the courts' role in our system and those who don't."

Here are some more details: "The Access to Justice Campaign will battle the wide-ranging efforts to bar people from using the courts -- including the Bush Administration's attempts to use the war on terror to preclude court access and review; unconstitutional legislation eliminating victims' rights; denials of the right to counsel and jury trial; excessive secrecy designed to prevent individuals from enforcing their rights and others from learning their rights were violated; federal preemption improperly eliminating victims' rights; corporate attempts to use form contracts to require consumers, employees, and investors to waive their rights, bar them from suing, and force them into mandatory arbitration; and class action bans and abuses that would preclude victims from using the courts to prevent or remedy wrongdoing. It will include extensive litigation, networking, and legal and public education."

Part of the right-wing strategy for a generation has been to demonize lawyers. Now the far-right is demonizing the courts. TLPJ are the good guys. They are on the front line of defending not only our rights as citizens, as workers, and as consumers -- but our very right to our day in court. What will they do? They are not a lobbying outfit. But they will "educate the public and the legal community about these dangers and develop the legal tools to defeat them nationwide." Check out their web site. See the kinds of cases they take on in the public interest.

Big corporations violating your rights? Who ya gonna call?

The selection of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new Pope is being met with concern by many interested in issues of social justice and social progress in the Catholic Church, and in the world. As head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the same office that led the Inquisition, Ratzinger has been known as the man who have made issues of abortion, euthanasia and homosexuality the top priorities of the church -- far and away over such historic concerns as war and peace, and social and economic justice.

These priorities have also risen to the top of the list of concerns of the U.S. Catholic Bishops. This manifests itself most obviously when American Bishops denounce and refuse communion to prominent candidates for office. This happened most egregiously last year when president George Bush visited the Vatican and told Pope John Paul II that he needed a little help with some of the Bishops.

Writing on Salon.com, Sidney Blumenthal reports on Ratzinger's attack on candidate John Kerry. "About a week later, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sent a letter to the U.S. bishops, pronouncing that those Catholics who were pro-choice on abortion were committing a 'grave sin' and must be denied Communion. He pointedly mentioned 'the case of a Catholic politician consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws' -- an obvious reference to John Kerry, the Democratic candidate and a Roman Catholic. If such a Catholic politician sought Communion, Ratzinger wrote, priests must be ordered to 'refuse to distribute it.' Any Catholic who voted for this 'Catholic politician,' he continued, 'would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion.' During the closing weeks of the campaign, a pastoral letter was read from pulpits in Catholic churches repeating the ominous suggestion of excommunication. Voting for the Democrat was nothing less than consorting with the forces of Satan, collaboration with 'evil.'"

Blumenthal notes that Bush got 6 points more of the Catholic vote than he had in the 2000 election. "Without this shift," Blumenthal concludes, "Kerry would have had a popular majority of a million votes. Three states -- Ohio, Iowa and New Mexico -- moved into Bush's column on the votes of the Catholic 'faithful.' Even with his atmospherics of terrorism and Sept. 11, Bush required the benediction of the Holy See as his saving grace. The key to his kingdom was turned by Cardinal Ratzinger."

This blatant intervention in the American presidential election is only the latest and most dramatic example of a long term trend.

In the wake of the 2000 election, I analyzed the State of the Christian Right for The Public Eye magazine. Part of that discussion was about the rise of the Catholic Right in the U.S. and Vatican aggression against the separation of church and state and the culture of religious pluralism. Among other things. I wrote: "In 2000, the Vatican... issued a proclamation called Dominus Jesus that seemingly overturned four decades of ecumenical dialog and Catholic acknowledgement of the possible validity of other spiritual paths. It declared that Jesus and the Catholic Church were the only possible means of spiritual salvation, and that other Christian churches 'are not "churches" in the proper sense.' The decree [issued by Cardinal Ratzinger] denounces the 'philosophy of religious pluralism,' and emphasizes conversion over ecumenical dialog. The Vatican declared it a 'definitive and irrevocable' doctrine of the church. The reaction ranged from disappointment to outrage among Protestants-including evangelicals. The Vatican soon thereafter invoked Dominus Jesus to denounce a book supportive of religious pluralism authored by a Jesuit theologian. Such official religious supremacism is also reflected in Fr. Frank Pavone's teaching that 'it is not just the church that must obey God. So does the state. So does the government. Separation of church and state doesn't mean separation of God and state.... God and his law are the very foundation... of the state.' Pavone's attack on church-state separation is consistent with the Christian nationalism that is integral to the theology of most if not all of the leaders of the Christian Right, from Bill Bright and Pat Robertson, to the Promise Keepers and the theologians of Christian Reconstructionism. All see religious pluralism and constitutional guarantees of separation of church and state, as a bulwark that must be breached if any of the sectors of the Christian Right are to accomplish their aims."

"PFL and its leader Fr. Frank Pavone waged a media campaign during the summer of 2000 calling on Catholics to mobilize politically... Pavone met with candidate George W. Bush and declared him to be p'pro-life,'" while attacking candidate Al Gore as 'an apostle for abortion.'"

Pavone has recently founded a new order, under the auspices of the Bishop John W. Yanta of Amarillo, Texas, whose purpose is to train priests, seminarians and others in militant antiabortion activism and electoral politics. According to the initial press release the, group will be known as Missionaries of the Gospel of Life. Meanwhile, Priests for Life will move its headquarters to Amarillo, while maintaining "its current offices and staff in New York, Washington D.C., Virginia, California, and Rome, Italy."

Last weekend I posted a piece here, titled, The Lights are Coming on in America. Since then, I have detailed more enouraging signs that the long needed mobilization for democracy is now under way. We live in momentous times, and the things we do and don't do, will have everything to do with the way the future turns out. Few of us, maybe none of us, ever imagined we would be where we are today. But here we are, friends: you and I, and the lights coming on around us.

One of the catalysts for lights snapping on lately has been the outrage caused by the Family Research Council's claim that Democrats and liberals are opponents of "people of faith." This, and a series of related insults came as part of the publicity for thier Justice Sunday telecast planned for April 24th, and especially the participation of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN).

In case anyone was wondering, where are all the moderate and progressive people of faith? Where are their voices in public life? Well, witness people of faith rising in defense of their faith, and in defense of constitutional democracy.

Dr. Bruce Prescott has detailed the outraged responses of several religious leaders. Here is sample:

"Rev. Martin Marty, America's premier church historian," Prescott reports, 'has written a scathing essay in Sightings entitled 'Furious with Frist' that denounced Senate majority leader Bill Frist's participation in the Family Research Council's forthcoming Sunday telecast against filibusters. He said: 'Most of the international religion stories these days have to do with theocratic suppressors of freedom, would-be monopolizers of religious expressions. We've been spared such holy wars here. But Frist and company, in the name of their interpretation of American freedom, sound more like jihadists than winsome believers. It would be healing to see them on their knees apologizing to the larger public of believers.'"

Meanwhile, the Clergy and Laity Network and Driving Democracy, the organizers of the alternative Social Justice Sunday event, have announced that it will be staged at Central Presbyterian Church in Louisville -- not far from where the Family Research Council's rally will take place.

Everyone is invited. Details and updates can be found on the web site of Building the Beloved Community, (a phrase borrowed from Martin Luther King.)

SOCIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY

You are invited to a Public Gathering of Progressive Religious Communities and Progressive Community Groups:

2:30 PM Sunday Afternoon, April 24

Central Presbyterian Church

318 W. Kentucky St. (the corner of Kentucky St. and 4th St.)

Louisville, Kentucky

Phone: (502) 587-6935


Progressive Religious Communities, our leaders and our community friends are gathering to witness:


OUR OUTRAGE over the attempt by the Family Research Council and its radical Christian Right colleagues to highjack the judicial selection process for their political/theocratic agenda


OUR DISMAY Senate Majority Leader, Senator Bill Frist, is lending his name and influence to the Family Research Council's claim of universal support from "people of faith" for its strategy, thereby giving false religious credentials to a thinly veiled political agenda


OUR POSITIVE COMMITMENT to defend and strengthen our social context in its commitment to fairness for all people, free of biased religious doctrines and prejudiced attitudes which are inimical to a mature religious understanding of the standards of inclusiveness and justice in American life

AMONG THE SPEAKERS:

Rev. Dr. Nancy Jo Kemper, Executive Director, Kentucky Council of Churches

Rev. Dr. Robert Franklin, Professor, Emory University, Atlanta, former President, Interdenominational Theological Center, ordained minister, Church of God in Christ

Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell. Director, Department of Religion, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, New York (and former General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, NCC)

Emily Whitehurst, Director of the 100 year old ecumenical council in Austin, Texas

Rev. Dr. Albert M. Pennybacker, Chair and Executive Officer, Clergy and Laity Network, former NCC Associate General Secretary for Public Policy, former Professor, Lexington (KY) Theological Seminary


This event was pulled together in a less than a week. Not bad. It will undoubtedly, and deservedly get a great deal of attention and an overflowing crowd.

We have much to do. But let's be very clear that there are many moderate and progressive people of faith speaking out and taking action. This is one part of a much wider mobilization that needs to take place to take on Frist and his gang of theocrats.

Last night I posted excerpts from and links to a dozen newspaper editorials that denounce Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's participation in Justice Sunday. The April 24th event is a national telecast beamed into churhces and on Christian TV and on the web. Promotional materials for the telecast decry Democrats, liberals and other supposed opponents of "people of faith." As usual, the theocratic Christian Right thinks that the only people of faith are thier people, and the only faith that matters is their faith.

Editorial writers are on a roll. Let's hear from some more.

"The GOP is joining with religious-right organizations to miscast Democratic opposition to the 10 appointees as an attack on faith."

"Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has signed on with the so-called Justice Sunday event that is rallying a number of religious-right groups and figures. The organizers claim that the filibuster is being used against 'people of faith' and that Democrats are, as the head of the sponsoring Family Research Council says, out to 'rob us of our Christian heritage...' No decent political party has any business taking part in such demagoguery."

-- Syndicated columnist Tom Teepen, Cox News Service, as it appeared in the Independent Record (Helena, MT); Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many others.


"During the Terri Schiavo spectacle, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., claimed that he could diagnose the brain-damaged woman from a videotape. By pandering to groups that would establish an American theocracy, Sen. Frist commits more political quackery."

"This Sunday, Sen. Frist will address, through a videotape, what the Family Research Council calls 'Judicial Sunday,' an event that Protestant fundamentalists will stage in Louisville, Ky., to pressure senators who oppose any of President Bush's nominees for the federal courts. The council, which opposes abortion, embryonic stem-cell research and legal status for homosexual couples, is preaching demagoguery by claiming that those who oppose the president's nominees are 'against people of faith.' By lending his name, Sen. Frist joins that demagoguery."

-- The Palm Beach Post


"Sen. Bill Frist, the majority leader from Tennessee, is not the first politician to turn to religion for help with an agenda."

"Still, Frist's plan for a videotaped address to a major church gathering Sunday regarding judicial appointments is drawing valid criticism. He should reconsider aligning with the Family Research Council's planned event 'Justice Sunday,' in which organizers bill opposition to President Bush's nominees as being 'against people of faith.'"

"That characterization of filibuster threats by Democrats is extremely unfair and off-base. The filibuster issue, on its own, could pose a vitriolic political battle, but it has not been about religion and shouldn't be painted that way now."

-- The Tennesseean


"Billed as a corrective to "the liberal, anti-Christian dogma of the left," the ironically named 'Justice Sunday' will attempt to stiffen the spines of Republicans in Congress who may have second thoughts about the wisdom of ending the right to filibuster by heathen Democrats."

"If this sounds like an unconscionable attempt by tax-exempt religious institutions to dictate the contour of American democracy, it is. Frist, R-Tenn., could care less about fairness if appearing on a program with known theocrats will curry favor with the mullahs who'll be fashioning the Republican presidential platform in 2008."

-- Columnist Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


"Right-wing Christian groups and the Republican politicians they bankroll have done much since the last election to impose their particular religious views on all Americans. But nothing comes close to the shameful declaration of religious war by Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, over the selection of judges for federal courts.... Frist is determined to get judges on the federal bench who are loyal to the Republican fringe and, he hopes, would accept a theocratic test on decisions."


-- The International Herald Tribune (reprinted from The New York Times)


"Republican William Frist, the majority leader of the United States Senate, has polarized the Senate and damaged the institution by catering to the religious right. His intention to support a ban on the Senate filibuster will be seen for what it is: an attempt to get a leg up on the Republican nomination for president by pleasing conservative Republicans who support religious-based organizations."

"So will his decision to participate in a 'Justice Sunday' television program April 24 sponsored by the Family Research Council, among a number of groups favoring a filibuster ban so that they can seat more conservative federal judges with strong religious viewpoints... The separation of church and state matters. It matters because those who compose the majority in government and the people who elected them, may one day find themselves in the minority and face retribution from those whose religious beliefs are different from theirs."

-- The Day (New London, CT)


"Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist received some mild praise recently when he backed away from the incendiary attacks on the courts by his House counterpart, Tom DeLay."

"Apparently, however, it was the messenger and not the message that troubled him."

"In the latest twist to the reckless Republican assault on the integrity and independence of the American judicial system, Sen. Frist has agreed to contribute a videotaped speech to a conservative Christian simulcast that portrays Democrats as opposing 'people of faith' for federal judgeships."

"That's utter rubbish, and Sen. Frist knows it."

-- The Louisville Courier-Journal


Meanwhile, the Clergy and Laity Network is mobilizing to organize counter events on the same day, calling it Social Justice Sunday. The CLN is a leader of Building the Beloved Community, a one-stop-shop for information on the counter events of Social Justice Sunday, the Break the Silence Bus Tour and events of over 60 co-sponsoring organizations. Check it out for news, blog items, lists of sponsoring organizations and more.

As I wrote the other day, friends, the Lights are Coming on in America.

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Sunday April 24th is Justice Sunday: so declared by the Christian Right Family Research Council -- which is sponsoring a national telecast seeking to rally Christian rightists against Democrats, liberals and other supposed opponents of "people of faith." Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (D-TN) plans to participate.

The episode has ignited a firestorm of criticism of Senator Frist, a man who wants to be president. I've had alot to say about this in the last few days. Let's hear from some other editorial voices from around the nation:

"There seems to be no limit to how low Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will go in his campaign to push through every single one of the president's judicial nominees. It doesn't seem to matter that the Senate already has confirmed more than 200 of President Bush's picks while Senate Democrats have blocked only 10. Frist now wants to launch a holy war. He plans to join a telecast of Christian conservatives to condemn Senate Democrats as opposing people of faith."

-- The St. Petersburg Times


"If Frist has any evidence that Democrats are opposing judicial nominees just because of those nominees' personal religious beliefs, let him bring it forward. Failing that, he should concede that fouling a genuine ideological debate with charges of religious bigotry is nothing more than a smear campaign. He should withdraw from participation in 'Justice Sunday.'"

-- The Boston Globe, reprinted in The Brattleboro Reformer


"Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee is joining prominent evangelical Christian leaders to say that Democrats opposed to President Bush's judicial nominees are engaged in 'a filibuster against people of faith'... The Democrats have promised a scorched-earth response if the Republicans exercise the 'nuclear option' and change the Senate rules to deprive them of the filibuster on judicial nominees. In such a confrontation, the Democrats will look like obstructionists, but we bet the Republicans will look worse, that is to say, like bullies and tyrants. They are treating their victory in the last presidential election like it was a landslide, when in fact it was a squeaker like the one before it. They may soon learn that their mandate is not what they think it is."

-- The Berkshire Eagle


"...judges are not making personal decisions about weighty matters of civil rights. They are handing down rulings based on the individual rights of the minority, exactly what the courts were established to do. The position and appointment of judges who listen to the minority before members of mainstream faith must be protected if our nation is to survive this time of political polarity."

-- The Rocky Mountain Collegian


"Mr. Frist is not responsible for the rhetoric of others. But it will be a distressing new low in the debased debate over judges if the Senate leader appears at an event predicated on slander, unless he makes clear that he does not condone such slander. Whatever one says about the aggressive Democratic use of the filibuster -- which we do not support -- it simply is not motivated by anti-religious sentiment. There are people of faith and goodwill on both sides of the issue. If he attends, Mr. Frist should make clear that he knows as much. Clarity from the majority leader is particularly important now, because the past few weeks have seen an aggressiveness in conservative attacks on the judiciary that cumulatively takes one's breath away."

-- The Washington Post


"Frist... is lending his name and his fast-diminishing prestige to this reprehensible effort to enlist faith on the side of a single political issue. This sort of stuff will not, as he hopes, make him the next president of the United States. Instead, it shows what raw ambition has made him: a person of pander."

-- Syndicated columnist Richard Cohen


The Republican leadership is going down an extremely distasteful and dangerous road by aligning itself with a group that is campaigning against Democrats by saying they are 'against people of faith.' ... Bill Frist of Tennessee, the Senate majority leader, has said he will appear on a telecast with this group next Sunday. That's very disappointing... In a nation as diverse as the United States, it's unsettling and potentially dangerous to have our politics divided so starkly on religious grounds. Such tactics lead to intolerance and alienation of those whose beliefs appear to be different."

-- Newsday


"Mr. Frist is being reckless and irresponsible in his efforts to curry favor with the Christian right... this is a battle that goes beyond any one particular judicial nomination. It goes to the heart of the Constitution's emphasis on protecting the minority against the whims of the majority, which is at the core of our democracy."

"The Christian right sees its long-awaited chance for conservatives to dominate all three branches of government and return U.S. government to what they see as its 'biblical' roots."

"That has to frighten anyone who is not a Christian conservative. It should frighten us all."

-- The Record


"Right-wing Christian groups and the Republican politicians they bankroll have done much since the last election to impose their particular religious views on all Americans. But nothing comes close to the shameful declaration of religious war by Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, over the selection of judges for federal courts.... Frist is determined to get judges on the federal bench who are loyal to the Republican fringe and, he hopes, would accept a theocratic test on decisions."

-- The New York Times


"It's important to take a careful look at who is invoking Christianity, and for what purpose. Yes, some of the noblest impulses of the American experience have arisen out of Christian faith. But it's also true that fanatics, zealots and bigots have marched under the Christian banner, from the Salem witch trials to the Protestant Know Nothing movement to the cross-brandishing Klan."

"It would be interesting to ask some Democratic officeholders whether they are "against people of faith." Imagine putting that question to the Rev. Emanuel Cleaver, pastor of St. James United Methodist Church in Kansas City, who is a Democratic member of the U.S. House. Or Kentucky Treasurer Jonathan Miller, who is finishing a book on how faith should inform politics."

"But then defensively offering a list of Democrats who are faith-friendly just plays into the hands of cynical Republican strategists. The point is, our Founding Fathers intended to protect religious freedom, not impose religious orthodoxy. In America, religious faith is supposed to be a matter of personal choice, not majority rule."

-- David Hawpe, Columnist, The Louisville Courier Journal

[UPDATE] "Sen. Bill Frist, the majority leader from Tennessee, is not the first politician to turn to religion for help with an agenda."

"Still, Frist's plan for a videotaped address to a major church gathering Sunday regarding judicial appointments is drawing valid criticism. He should reconsider aligning with the Family Research Council's planned event ''Justice Sunday,'' in which organizers bill opposition to President Bush's nominees as being ''against people of faith.'''

"That characterization of filibuster threats by Democrats is extremely unfair and off-base. The filibuster issue, on its own, could pose a vitriolic political battle, but it has not been about religion and shouldn't be painted that way now."

-- The Tennesseean



"Billed as a corrective to "the liberal, anti-Christian dogma of the left," the ironically named "Justice Sunday" will attempt to stiffen the spines of Republicans in Congress who may have second thoughts about the wisdom of ending the right to filibuster by heathen Democrats."

"If this sounds like an unconscionable attempt by tax-exempt religious institutions to dictate the contour of American democracy, it is. Frist, R-Tenn., could care less about fairness if appearing on a program with known theocrats will curry favor with the mullahs who'll be fashioning the Republican presidential platform in 2008."

-- Columnist Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


The Clergy and Laity Network is mobilizing to organize counter events on the same day, calling it Social Justice Sunday. Why not give them a hand?

All over America people are waking up to the threat posed by the theocratic Christian Right -- in their lives, in their communities, in their thinking and in their actions. As I wrote the other day, the lights are coming on in America. No question there is alot of darkness, friends, and some places face a deeper gloom than others. But I want you to know that I think what I see is not merely silver linings. Nor do I think I am I clinging to false hopes. Nor am I claiming that the struggle is over. Far from it.

First, a little perspective. This is not about conservatives vs. liberals. I have more in common with most conservatives I have known over the years than any of us has with the Christian theocrats bent on overturning the rough consensus we have enjoyed about the meaning of constitutional democracy. I have recently heard lots of stories from people whose Republican friends and relatives are expressing grave reservations about the fanatical actions of the leaders of Congress and the president in the Terri Schiavo case, not to mention the threats against judges.

Yes, many people are also skeptical. An editorial in The New York Times is not enough, they say. And besides, maybe its too little, too late. But does that mean its all over folks? Does that mean we are giving up? Because if we are, I hear beaches and margaritas calling out to me. But if you are reading this, odds are, you don't think its over, or at least you don't want to think its over. So I guess the beaches and margaritas will have to wait.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece titled How to Beat the Christian Right Part I. (I will do a more formal part II in a few weeks.) But in a way, much of what I am writing about these days is about this one way or the other.

One thing that I think is so true that it almost goes without saying. But I will say it anyway. You don't win at politics if you are not in the game. And a strong corollary is that you face a significant disadvantage if you do not know the nature of the game.

This is part of the significance of Saturday's Times editorial that inspired The Lights are Coming on in America. Their clear and unequivocal statement that we are up against a Christian theocratic movement -- was and is a breakthrough. The editorial voice of the Times is no small thing. And we may reasonably expect that the struggle that they must have gone through to arrive at this way of thinking, and their extraordinary articulation, will continue to inform their thinking and writing on these subjects.

Anyway, while I wasI celebrating the snapping on of this powerful light its important to note that the Times is far from the only light that has come on recently. I have had the awful experience of watching this movement grow in strength and sophistication these 20 odd years. And I have never in my adult life seen people so politicized, really trying to come to grips with the theocratic movement, and inventing new ways of trying to address it. The lights are coming on in America, friends. As dark as it seems, darker in some places than others, to be sure. But as one who has seen alot of darkness, I want you to know that I see lights coming on, and I am encouraged.

What I want to address in this essay is that many have been wanting progressive and moderate people of faith to play a greater and more visible role in public life. This is, infact, starting to happen.

Let's start by taking a look at what some bloggers are doing.

Pastordan has launched The Affirmation Project on his blog faithforward. In taking this on, pastordan is pioneering an online effort to raise the voices and the visibility of people of faith who are not part of the theocratic Christian Right.

"I don't know about you, but I've had enough," writes pastordan. "It's time Dr. Frist, Tom DeLay, James Dobson, the Family Research Council, and anyone else who would make adherence to political goals a literal article of faith heard from another side of the country. To that end, and for the time being, I am suspending the regular business of this blog and giving it over to a single project."

"It is time for us to state, simply and directly, that we can affirm faith while disagreeing with the Republican legislative agenda. By "we," I mean anyone who can get under that statement. You don't have to be religious yourself. You don't even have to be a Democrat. You just have to be willing to say that you are willing to affirm faith, but you don't believe that it should be used as a weapon in a partisan campaign to increase the political power of a single party in the American commonwealth."

Another blog, Jesus Politics has more or less daily lists of the most to-the-point articles and blog posts on politics and religion on the web. If you think that the moderate and progressive religious community isn't buzzing about what to think about and do about the Christian Right, you are not reading Jesus Politics.

Bruce Prescott at Mainstream Baptist has been posting a flurry of incisive and illuminating commentaries and important links on these subjects.

Chuck Currie often has stuff I see nowhere else, surfacing important conversations and significant actions being taken.

There are others. Many others. And you can find them. Visit any of these sites, and you will find a rapidly growing list of progressive religious bloggers, and a widening and substantive conversation that spreads out all over the bloggosphere. If you are looking for passion and political energy and vision, these are gateways.

Let's underscore that this is a communications infrastructure that was in its infancy just a few months ago. It has grown rapidly in audience, quality of content, and ability to zero in on what is important. I have no doubt that this network will play a powerful role in the next few months and beyond.

Meanwhile, let's not forget that the Clergy and Laity Network is calling for a national prayer vigil on April 24th in response to the Family Research Council's national telecast featuring Senator Bill Frist, James Dobson and other leading Christian Rightists. They are waging the campaign in collaboration with linguist George Lakoff, best known for his popular work on "framing."

Many fine organizations have been working in the trenches for years, providing first rate analysis, up-to-date reporting, and significant activism, partly but not exlusively in the religious community. The depth of thier knowledge and maturinty of thier presentation will be indispensable as we go forward. Among these are Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Political Research Associates. My own belief is that it is necessary to take the information and analysis you can glean from organizations like this, into electoral work. The Christian Right has come to power via elections, and it is by electing people who believe in constitutional democracy that the threat of creeping theocracy will be diminished.

Meanwhile, moderate and progressive people of faith are getting together in person as well as in cyberspace. For example, the other day I learned about an ecumenical conference coming right up that is intended to do just that. Its titled: "Reclaiming our Voices: Progressive Religious Values:  Promoting Liberty and Justice For All," Saturday, May 7, 2005. Plenary speakers include: Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, General Secretary, National Council of Churches, Robyn Lundy, Executive Director, The Tikkun Community, National Office, Rev. Dr. Paul Smith, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn. Workshop topics include: "Religious and Secular Progressives," "Framing Religious Ideas in the Public Dialog," and "A Religious Basis for Marriage Equality and Reproductive Rights."

Finally, also coming right up is national conference, also in New York: "Examining the Real Agenda of the Religious Far Right," April 29-30 in New York, is an opportunity to hear as remarkable and impressive a group of experts on the Religious Right as has been assembled anywhere in a long time. I am honored to be included along with Rev. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, Rev. Joe Hough, president of Union Theological Seminary, authors Karen Armstrong, Chip Berlet and many others.

My topic? "Learning about the Christian Right, and What in the World to Do."

The darkness is far from over, of course. And things may well get worse before they get better. The Christian Right in Washington is at the peak of its power. But again, I see the lights are coming on in America. I see them where once there was darkness; and thanks to those lights, I am starting to see more signs of an America I recognize.

Americans have long been in denial that there is a movement in the U.S. that seeks to impose a Christian theocratic government; that there is a movement that is effectively using the tools of constitutional democracy, (also known as elections) to end constitutional democracy as we know it; that this movement is growing in number and power. It can't happen here, we reassure ourselves. Americans won't let it happen. But in fact, we are closer now than we have ever been, to "it" happening here.

But I have good news. The darkness of denial, and the business-as-usual view that has enshrouded the entire political spectrum; the darkness of a blind-eye turned towards the looming threat of the end of the American experiment; the darkness, the darkness... is lifting.

The lights are coming on in America.

And one very bright light has just clicked on. An editorial in today's New York Times suggests that those of us who have been sounding the alarm about this were not alarmist. The danger is real, and the time for action is now. The Times descibes Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's effort to squelch all Democratic ability to block unqualified and/or extreme judicial nominations as part of a theocratic religious war against constitutional democracy. The Times is properly alarmed by Frist's decision to participate in a national Chrsitian Right teleconference that describes those who oppose some of president George Bush's judicial nominations as opponents of Christianity.

The Times' headline is "Bill Frist's Religious War." The temptation might be to call this editorial hyperbole, but it is not. Key strategists of the Christian Right have believed all along that what they were about is "religious war." To be able to enlist the Senate majority leader (they have already got the House majority leader), a man who also aspires to the presidency, is a major step forward. The Christian Right has framed it's battles as against the supposed religion of "secular humanism," but this was always a straw man. It was and is a war of agression being waged by a certain coalition of rightist Christians who hold to overlapping notions of Christian theocracy. They share a common cause in their desire to demolish the wall of separation between church and state, and to be able to utilize taxpayer money and public institutions and infrastructure to build their movement to a position of unassailable and permanent power in the United States.

But there comes a point when it is no longer possible for anyone who is awake, or thinking about waking, to turn away from the simple fact that Christian theocrats are the dominant faction in both houses of Congress. There are many in Congress in both parties that are unable or unwilling to stand up to this. The days of denial are over. It is time for Americans who believe in the survival of constitutional democracy to come to the aid of their country.

It is not my habit to post an article or editorial in its entirety. But I hope the Times will forgive me in this instance.

"Right-wing Christian groups and the Republican politicians they bankroll have done much since the last election to impose their particular religious views on all Americans. But nothing comes close to the shameful declaration of religious war by Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, over the selection of judges for federal courts.

Senator Frist is to appear on a telecast sponsored by the Family Research Council, which styles itself a religious organization but is really just another Washington lobbying concern. The message is that the Democrats who oppose a tiny handful of President Bush's judicial nominations are conducting an assault "against people of faith." By that, Senator Frist and his allies do not mean people of all faiths, only those of their faith.

It is one thing when private groups foment this kind of intolerance. It is another thing entirely when it's done by the highest-ranking member of the United States Senate, who swore on the Bible to uphold a Constitution that forbids the imposition of religious views on Americans. Unfortunately, Senator Frist and his allies are willing to break down the rules to push through their agenda - in this case, by creating what the senator knows is a false connection between religion and the debate about judges.

Senator Frist and his backers want to take away the sole tool Democrats have for resisting the appointment of unqualified judges: the filibuster. This is not about a majority or even a significant number of Bush nominees; it's about a handful with fringe views or shaky qualifications. But Senator Frist is determined to get judges on the federal bench who are loyal to the Republican fringe and, he hopes, would accept a theocratic test on decisions.

Senator Frist has an even bigger game in mind than the current nominees: the next appointments to the Supreme Court, which the Republican conservatives view as their best chance to outlaw abortion and impose their moral code on the country.

We fully understand that a powerful branch of the Republican Party believes that the last election was won on "moral values." Even if that were true, that's a far cry from voting for one religion to dominate the entire country. President Bush owes it to Americans to stand up and say so."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), the man who admires Christian theocrat David Barton, is on the attack. Intent on ramming-through the Christian Right's favorite judicial nominations, he is engaging in some of the crassest majoritarianism in American history. Frist wants the Republican majority in the Senate to end the filibuster rule for judicial nominations. Democrats have filibustered a number of extreme Bush nominations to the federal bench, and have promised to do more. Ending the filibuster rule will allow the Republican majority to easily confirm even the most extreme and theocratic candidates. It's not yet clear he will have enough votes to get the rule changed, so Frist is going to appear in a national telecast organized by the Christian Right Family Research Council with FRC president Tony Perkins, James Dobson president of Focus on the Family, Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Chuck Colson founder Prison Fellowship Ministries.

Fliers for the April 24th telecast called "Justice Sunday," argue that those who oppose the Christian Right's most extreme judicial nominations are "against people of faith."

"As the liberal, anti-Christian dogma of the left has been repudiated in almost every recent election, the courts have become the last great bastion of liberalism," Perkins wrote on the FRC web site. "For years, he continued, "activist courts, aided by liberal interest groups like the A.C.L.U., have been quietly working under the veil of the judiciary, like thieves in the night, to rob us of our Christian heritage and our religious freedom."

This partisan attack on the religious faith of the opponents of the theocratic right, has drawn outrage and sparked a mobilization in response. Check out pastordan's extraordinary post on The Daily Kos. Pastordan, (Rev. Dan Schultz), a minister in the United Church of Christ, movingly explains what being a Christian and a Democrat means to him, and encourages others to "represent" their faith as well.

Meanwhile over at Mainstream Baptist, Dr. Bruce Prescott unpacks some of the more scurrilous rhetoric of the Christian Right. I like his approach to reframing in anticipation of the all-out theocratic attack on the nation's courts.

George Lakoff, best known for his work on reframing the political debate for progressives, also has a diary on The Daily Kos announcing a campaign he is working on with the a national organization of progressive Christians, the Clergy and Laity Network and Drivedemocracy. They are seeking to organize a Social Justice Sunday in response. Good idea. (About 15 years late, but a good idea.)

Democrats and liberals, whether "of faith," or not have hardly changed the way they do business in 30 years. Press releases, messages and one-time coordinated church services are fine. But not enough. Contrary to commonly held opinions, the Christian Right is powerful is not because of their values or their messages, its because they won elections. They worked hard to build their constituency, and their electoral capacity, and no other sector of the electorate is as well organized. That may have everything to do with why Frist is catering to them. He wants to run for president in 2008.

None of their success justifies their extraordinary, majoritarian power grab. But what is happening now is a sobering reminder of the extraordinary failures that have got us to where we are now. I wrote about the need for a fresh response to the Christian Right a few weeks ago, and offered some initial ideas for what it might be.

It is long past time for people to mobilize. Long past time for Americans to turn off the television; get off the golf course and out of the endless miles of mindless shopping malls. It is time to get far more politically active. I will have much more to say about this in the coming weeks.

I hope many folks will participate in Social Justice Sunday. Then, let's start figuring out how to win some more elections.

Deval Patrick, the brand new contender for the Democratic nomination for governor of Massachusetts, wowed 'em at a "standing-room-only" meeting of the Lexington Democratic Town Committee, David from Blue Mass Group reports.

Among his general impressions: "Patrick is a very good public speaker. He is not bombastic or preachy, but he speaks with eloquence and with a sort of understated yet deeply-felt passion that is nice to hear. He's also genuinely funny... an 'outsider' challenger like Patrick will be good for the process, good for the party, and good for whichever candidate ends up winning the nomination. Having now heard Patrick in person, I think he is easily up to the task of mounting an impressive campaign that will force each of the other candidates to put forth the best case for why he or she should be Governor. We should demand no less." Much more...

The Associated Press is reporting that Deval Patrick, the former Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Clinton Administration will announce his candidacy for the 2006 Democratic nomination for governor of Massachusetts today.

Patrick, like former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, (who came in second in the Democratic primary in 2002), plans to run as a progressive outsider. Although it could be an uphill battle to become known, raise funds and to compete with Attorney General Tom Reilly, who has twice won statewide office, and has raised over $2 million, Patrick has his strengths as a candidate as well. As David A. Mitchell Jr., a columnist at The Patriot-Ledger wrote recently about Patrick and his prospective campaign:

"As President Kennedy put it about himself, 'The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.'"

"It is the sense of a fair prince arrived in the presence of tired men and tired ideas, with new inspiration. Patrick is articulate, friendly and relaxed, but serious. I expect him to be an effective phenom!"

I recently posted this pre-campaign introduction to Patrick, which touched off a lively debate.

The Deval Patrick campaign web site, is now up and running.

Although his prospective competitors, Reilly and Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin have been raising money and for all intents and purposes, running for years, Patrick will be the first announced candidate.

Let the race begin!

Dr. Bruce Prescott has an important post today on his Mainstream Baptist blog in which he demolishes a common obstacle to clear thinking about the threat of the Christian Right to constitutional democracy.

It is my experience that many otherwise sensible people dismiss concerns about the Christian Right. I think there are many reasons for this. Perhaps they don't know very much about it, and don't know how to evaluate what they are hearing or reading. Perhaps the subject makes them uncomfortable, or afraid.

Whatever is going on, one of the stock responses is that the rise of the Christian Right an arc in the "pendulum" of history, and that the pendulum will soon swing back.

There are alot of problems with this notion. To me, the most important implication is that we should not be concerned, at least not concerned enough to think about it very deeply -- let alone act -- because, well, this too shall pass. Another problem is that the pendulum metaphor suggests that whatever happens is inevitable, as inevitable as the mechanism of the pendulum swinging back and forth -- as if human actors, organizations, ideologies have nothing to do with history and its outcomes.

Prescott notes that when rightwing fundamentalists were busy taking over the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest protestant denomination, in the 1980s, "moderates in the Southern Baptist Convention were using the same metaphor and precisely the same words to allay 'alarmist' concerns that the SBC was being taken over by Fundamentalists."

"The 'alarmists' were right," Prescott explains. And he should know. He was there.

"The pendulum got stuck. The SBC moved to the right and the moderates who are awake have left."

Referring to the current attacks on state and federal courts by the Christian Right and their allies in Congress, he continues:

"Now, literally the same Fundamentalists are organizing rallies to takeover the courts. If all moderates do is wait 'quietly' for the pendulum to swing back to the center, it won't happen in their lifetimes. It may not happen in the lifetimes of their children and grandchildren."

"We are dealing with patient revolutionaries who are using democratic processes to install a theocracy. When they are through, democratic processes will no longer be operative."

I'm with Bruce Prescott. I say whether or not the pendulum theory has any validity in the great sweep of human history, applying the idea, dismissively as a way of justifying one's own ignorance, and inaction is in a word, bullshit. The pendulum metaphor is more like a form of personal hypnosis, something to chant whenever the politics gets challenging, uncomfortable. Dangerous.

Tick, Tock.

Bruce recently interviewed me on his radio show "Religious Talk." He has archived two, half hour podcasts on his site. We invite you to listen in on our conversation.

The three special elections for vacant seats in the Massachusetts House are over -- and the results are in. There were no surprises, because the Democratic primary last month really determined the outcome in these overwhelmingly Democratic districts. Still, there is something satisfying about final results.

According to unofficial tallies reported by the Associated Press:

In the 3rd Berkshire District in Pittsfield Democrat Christopher N. Speranzo 3,507; Republican Terry M. Kinnas, 1,434.

In the 12th Suffolk District, comprising Mattapan and Milton, Linda Dorcena Forry was unchallenged in the general election. The daughter of Haitian immigrants, she replaces former House Speaker Tom Finneran.

In the 18th Suffolk District which comprises Allston, Brighton and one precinct in Brookline, Democrat Michael J. Moran won with 1,862 votes to unenrolled candidate, Thomas O'Brien's 764 votes. Green-Rainbow candidate Daniel Kontoff, 42 votes. Moran, with the strong backing of activists from the Brookline chapter of Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts (PDM), (who had supported one of Moran's primary opponents) won the Brookline precinct 220-63.

Speranzo, Forry and Moran's predecessors were far more conservative on many matters, from marriage equality to health care. Forry and Moran also decisively defeated strong conservative candidates in their primaries. Following the victories last Fall of PDM member Peter Vickery as Governor's Councilor from the western district, and Rep. Carl Sciortino (D-Somerville) over Finneran loyalist Vincent Ciampa, the arrival of these new state representatives further signals a distinctly progressive era in Massachusetts politics.

The national media seems to be ignoring the outcry by civil liberties groups and Democrats about Christian Right author David Barton's religious history of the U.S. tour sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. They are also ignoring Barton's role in formulating the strategy of "intimidation" of judges by the Christian Right and their allies in Congress. The notable exception so far, is a fine article in The Nation magazine, by Max Blumenthal.

Meanwhile when I posted my essay on the several Barton-related flaps yesterday, I completely forgot that I had detailed some of his background in Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy when trying to explain the depth and breadth of Barton's influence in national life.

"Barton... frequently appears at official functions as an expert on the Constitution and American history. In 1994, he spoke at an inaugural function for [then] Virginia Governor George Allen and was the featured speaker at the 'Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast' sponsored by Pennsylvania state legislators. In 1995, he gave a series of lectures on American history to conservative freshmen Congressional Republicans and was featured at a Christian Coalition forum in Tennessee along with [then]Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist. Barton is also a popular speaker at both state and national Christian Coalition events, and his books and videos are in wide circulation. Christian Coalition leader Bob McClellan of El Cajon, California says 'David Barton's products have been invaluable in furthering the principles of the Christian Coalition strategy in San Diego. Emblematic of his growing role in political life, Barton was a Texas delegate to the 1996 presidential nominating convention in San Diego, and served on the platform committee." (pgs 17-18)

But as long as we are putting together a Barton file, probably no one has done more to research and debunk Barton' distorted and often false version of American history than Robert Boston. His 1993 article in Church and State magazine, (published by Americans United for Separation of Church and State), Sects, Lies and Videotape: David Barton's Distorted History is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand why Barton is better understood as a snake-oil salesman than, as he was described by Senator Frist, as a "historian."

The false narrative that the U.S. was founded as a "Christian Nation," and must be "restored" is integral to political success of the Christian Right. However, the national media, and most politically interested groups and individuals continue to ignore the centrality of Christian nationalism to the ideology of the Christian Right, and Barton's role as its leading proponent.

David Barton is perhaps the leading proponent of the notion that the U.S. was once, and should again be a "Christian Nation." He wants to sell you on that idea. He has books and tapes to sell too. The problem is that his slick products and presentations don't stand up to scrutiny. For example, in 1996, the mainstream Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs wrote a detailed critique, debunking Barton's Christian nationalist notions.

Barton is speaking in Worcester, Massachusetts at a Christian homeschooling convention at the end of the month -- in the wake of a firestorm of criticism in Washington, DC about his bogus version of history, his attacks on the role of the federal judiciary, and concerns about his theocratic political agenda.

Barton is currently at the center of a series of controversies in Washington, DC regarding his association with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN).

Frist recently invited his congressional colleagues to participate in a "private tour" of the U.S. Capitol building with Barton. Frist described the tour as a "Fresh Perspective on Our Nation's Religious Heritage" and that Barton is "a historian noted for his detailed research into the religious heritage of our nation."

A simple Google search turns up other disturbing information about Barton. Not only does he disseminate biased and misleading materials, he has a profound, and profoundly alarming political agenda. Last year, Beliefnet reported that Barton is on the board of The Providence Foundation, a Christian Reconstructionist oriented organanizaton. Reconstructionism is an influential political theology whose proponents argue that the U.S. should be a Christian theocracy, under "Biblical law." (I wrote about this movement and its role in the Christian Right in detail in my book Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy.)

Lest anyone think that this is a tempest in a teapot, and that Barton is a fringe figure of no signficance, Roll Call reports that Barton often conducts such tours under the sponsorship of Members of Congress. He is also the Vice-Chair of the Texas Republican Party. In 2004, the notion that the U.S. is a Christian Nation was added to the Texas GOP platform. According to Americans United for Separation of Church and state, this action was denounced by both Jewish and Muslim groups.

Rev. Welton Gaddy, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance urged Frist to "disassociate" himself from Barton. "I first became acquainted with Mr. Barton in the early 1970's," Gaddy wrote, "when I was a staff member of the Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. For the past 30 years, Barton has been evangelizing his extremist beliefs that the separation of church and state is a myth and that the United States was founded as and should be governed as a Christian nation; this is bad history and dangerous theology. By having Mr. Barton as a host of a religious heritage tour, you send a volatile message to all American