While this week bloggers around the world are engaged in the Blog Against Theocracy, we here at Theocrat of the Week wish to highlight the many fine people on whom who Our Distiguished Panel of Judges has bestowed the honor of Theocrat of the Week.

Here we unscroll the Honor Roll (so far):

It was only a matter of time before Jim Tonkowich arrived in the winner’s circle as Our Theocrat of the Week. As the president of the cleverly named Institute on Religion and Democracy, he has waged theocratic initiatives under cover of “democracy” since becoming IRD president in 2006. Tonkowich’s squad of PR and political operatives seek to assist disgruntled factions in the mainline Protestant churches to be more effective in waging overt and covert theocratic warfare. All this and more might merit recognition — but that is not why Our Distinguished Panel of Judges selected Tonkowich.

Much more.

When the religious right careens off the road of reason, the crash can be spectacular. Thursday night the sky was lit by the firey embers of the ravings of one Jeffrey Lord a former political director in the Reagan White House; duly recorded at The American Spectator.

On the eve of the national gathering of the United Church of Christ in Hartford, Connecticut, Lord compared his own church to the former Soviet Union and this comparison is justified he implies, because the leadership of the UCC is somehow analagous to the Talk to Action site guidelines!  As a co-founder of the site, naturally this came as a surprise to me —  as did Lord’s claim that our modest effort and the activities of the national UCC are also somehow like Harvard and contemporary Russia.

Before we examine the smoking wreckage of Lord’s rhetorical vehicle, let’s take a look at tracks of his smear.

Much more.

Lake of Fire, the Hollywood documentary film about the politics of abortion has been appearing at film festivals en route to theaters. But its official release in October will be too soon for many. It is one of those large cultural and political events that will set back the unprepared and advance the efforts of those savvy enough to anticipate it. Indeed, those who want to defend and advance reproductive rights, and those who keep an eye on how to best contend with the religious right, will be wise to take the possible impact of this film fully into account. That the film comes out just four months before the early, and perhaps decisive, presidential primaries may be inconvenient for just about everyone concerned. But that’s just the way it is. Forewarned is forearmed.

I have been following the film’s progress in part because I am in it (as a talking head), and in part because I believe the film is a wildcard in the politics of abortion as we go into the 2008 election season. Much more.

The religious right lost a big one today in Massachusetts.

Let me rephrase that.

Today’s vote on marriage equality in Massachusetts was a crushing defeat for the religious right and all who pander to them.

The dark cloud of bigotry that has long loomed on the political horizon has been dispersed; Beacon Hill has lived up to its name — and stands as a shining example to the nation and to the world.

Much more here.

Jamie Eldridge seems to be the favorite of progressive Democrats everywhere for the Congressional seat just vacated by Rep. Martin Meehan (D-MA) who leaves to head UMASS at Lowell. I will be writing more about his campaign — it’s a long way to the September primary. But as always, a good place to begin to get to know State Sen. Eldridge, is his campaign web site.

At the international HQ of James Dobson’s Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, Colorado — all eyes are focused on the Massachusetts Statehouse on Beacon Hill. The FOF “Citzen Link” news reports of calls for “God’s intervention” — but turned to quotes and analysis from FOF Action’s state issues analyst; a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Family Institute, (MFI, a state political affiliate of FOF), and a spokesperson for VoteonMarriage, the coalition spearheaded by MFI and can be found on the MFI web site.

“The opposition has decided to use their considerable power and influence to see that the marriage amendment is defeated,” said Mona Passignano, state issues analyst for Focus on the Family Action. “And the people of Massachusetts who want the opportunity to vote on marriage need our help — and they desperately need God’s intervention.

This could be the shape of things to come if opponents of marriage equality succeed in getting the necessary 50 votes to send a referendum to the voters to amend the state constitution in 2008.  There may be a vote on Thursday, June 14th. If cooler heads are unable to peel away enough votes from the anti-gay hot heads the vote may be postponed by legislative leaders.

But if the referendum does, finally go to the voters, the national religious right will pour money and organizers into the state, pitting the citizens of Massachusetts against themselves, the way that they have done in other states, and the way that religious right “renewal groups” have done in the mainline Protestant churches.

The religious right needs only a quarter of the legislature — 50 votes — for the referendum to move onto the ballot in November 2008. As of now, there appear to be 57 votes   Democratic Governor Deval Patrick who was elected as an unequivocally pro-marriage equality candidate last year, is lobbying legislators heavily, and notes that if the initiative makes the ballot, it will be a major distraction from the work of the state.

Peter Dolan, statewide chair of Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts reminds us  

There is a high probability that on Thursday the legislature will vote on whether the proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate marriage equality should appear on the November 2008 election ballot.

Mass Equality (one of our partner organization in Mass Alliance) has a tool on their website that allows you to find (State Rep & Senator] contact information if you don’t already know it:

If you have already done this, or still have some time to devote to this issue, take a few minutes to review these maps on the Mass Equality website … and contact people you know in districts where the legislator has not confirmed opposition to this proposed amendment to our state constitution.  Ask your friends and family members in those districts to call their legislators.

Let’s do what can now to preserve this right for same-sex couples, and avoid a costly and needlessly divisive ballot campaign over the next year and a half.

Earlier this year, Gov. Patrick said:

“Above all, this is a question of conscience. Using the initiative process to give a minority fewer freedoms than the majority, and to inject the state into fundamentally private affairs, is a dangerous precedent, and an unworthy one for this Commonwealth. Never in the long history of our model Constitution have we used the initiative petition to restrict freedom. We ought not start now.  

“For practical reasons as well, its time to move on. Whatever ones views of marriage equality, all can agree that we have far more pressing issues before the Legislature and the Commonwealth. It serves no public interest to focus more time and attention on this issue when there are under-served and under-performing schools, an infrastructure showing signs of sustained neglect, gun and gang violence on the rise, jobs and people leaving the state, a growing homeless population, soaring health care costs, a looming deficit and a score of other serious challenges crying out for the attention and the creativity of the government and the people. We cannot in good conscience ask these unmet needs to wait while a few individuals try to insert discrimination into our Constitution.

And more recently, the Associated Press reports:

…on Saturday [Patrick, who] became the first sitting governor to march in Boston’s gay pride parade, has warned of “great passions and great fear and great intolerance” among supporters of the amendment.

“All the (court) did was affirm an old principle that people come before their government as equals, that if the government is going to give marriage licenses to anyone, then they must give them to everybody, even if your choice of spouse is someone of the same gender,” Patrick said.

A very few people hold in their hands an historic opportunity — to end, perhaps forever, the division and hatred over this issue here in Massachusetts. Elected leaders so rarely get an opportunity such as this — to be a profile in courage in the best tradition outlined by John F. Kennedy in his classic book by that title, and to decide to be on the right side of history when it matters most.

Only a handful of votes will decide whether Massachusetts goes the way of another season of hateful division led by the religious right.

Last week, 25 Massachusetts state legislators were named Theocrats of the Week for their co-sponsorship of a bill that would require teachers and any other school official to get permission from parents in order to discuss homosexuality — and a host of other matters in school.

State Rep. Paul Donato (D-Medford) apparently couldn’t take the heat and dropped his sponsorship (and lost his award to boot) Too late! He has already drawn a primary challenger for September: Cos, at Blue Mass Group reports:  

Patrick McCabe was born in neighboring Somerville, to a working class family; his grandparents were in Medford. He worked three jobs growing up, then went to West Point because “I wanted to go somewhere where they teach leadership.” After graduating, he served seven years in the Army, as a Ranger and then a company commander in the 101st Airborne in Kosovo. He went on tour with his wife in the USO, entertaining the troops for a couple of years, before returning to Medford. He now works as Organizing and Communications Director for SEIU local 1984.

McCabe is running to support health care, higher education, and other things important to working families. He is pro-choice, pro-[marriage] equality and supports funding stem cell research.

Yesterday I moderated a panel discussion in New York hosted by IG Publishing as part of the launch of Sheldon Culver and John Dorhauer’s new book Steeplejacking: How the Christian Right is Hijacking Mainstream Religion.

Freelance journalist Lindsay Beyerstein was on hand to blog John and Sheldon’s part of the panel and shoot some pics of John, Sheldon, Michelle Goldberg, and me.

A bi-partisan group of at least 25 members of the Massachusetts state House and Senate have collectively earned the coveted Theocrat of the Week award for their co-sponsorship of a bill requiring teachers to get permission from theocrats in order to discuss homosexuality — not to mention the Catholic priest pedophilia scandal.