Religion is serious stuff.

Politics is also serious stuff.

Faith is the belief in something without having proof. Once you believe in what you can not see or hear or even imagine everything else becomes so much easier to ignore, deny or denounce.

Even before the Declaration of Independence, the phrase of "No Taxation Without Representation" echoed among the American colonists as they were struggling to shrug-off the rule imposed by England:

"No taxation without representation" was a slogan in the period 1763-1775 that summarized a primary grievance of the American colonists in the Thirteen colonies. The colonists complained that taxes were imposed by Parliament without the consent of the colonists, which violated the traditional Rights of Englishmen dating back from the Magna Carta. The point was that the colonies had no representation in Parliament; the British responded that they were "virtually" represented. The Americans said these "virtual representatives" knew nothing about America. The Americans rejected the Stamp Act 1765 (which was repealed), and in 1773 violently rejected the tax on imports at the Boston Tea Party. When Great Britain began to crack down on the illegal activities performed by the colonists, the colonists formed militias and seized control of each colony, ousting the royal governors. The complaint was never officially over the amount of taxation (the taxes were quite low), but always on the decision-making process by which taxes were decided in London, without representation for the colonists in British Parliament. In February, 1775, Britain passed the Conciliatory Resolution which ended taxation for any colony which satisfactory provided for the imperial defense and the upkeep of imperial officers.

The phrase "No Taxation Without Representation!" was coined by Reverend Jonathan Mayhew in a sermon in Boston in 1750. By 1765 the term "no taxation without representation" was in use in Boston, but no one is sure who first used it. Boston politician James Otis was most famously associated with the term, "taxation without representation is tyranny." [1]

By the 1760s the Americans came to believe they were being deprived of a historic right.[2] LINK

During the July 12 meeting of the U.S. Senate, Rajan Zed, a director of interfaith relations, read a Hindu prayer. It was the first time in the Senate's history that a Hindu prayer was recited.

During this prayer, three Christians (Ante Pavkovic, Kathy Pavkovic, and Kristen Sugar) screamed and shouted over him in turn, denouncing his "false gods" and howling about Biblical Commandments. The three were promptly removed from the building and arrested for unlawful disruption of congress.

From a Christian "pro-life" site: "When dealing with the likes of Beket (my DKos name), you really aren't even speaking with people. These guys have been completely taken over by demons. Not influenced (like many people who are pro-choice), but actually taken over...so when you are arguing with them, you are arguing with a preternatural being. Picture Screwtape. You're just a game to this guy. Just a demon passing time...and you are his little toy...they won't respond to logic, or conscience...what they need is an exorcism!"

Or maybe stretched on the rack, bludgeoned and excoriated, then slowly burned alive at the stake in that historic Roman Catholic ritual?

The author (http://www.jillstanek.com/archives/2007/07/what_was_that_a.html) of that prescription has the makings of an acclaimed and honored priest (http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jul/07072704.html).

This letter grew out of my frustration, generally, as a supporter and provider of legal, professional abortion care, in countering the massive body of fraudulent claims about abortion care in wide popular circulation through the efforts of anti-abortion propagandists.

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

This an entry in a series of blogs to keep people informed on current election reform and voting rights issues in the news.

Featured Story of the Week:

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane & My Left Wing


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copyright paul kane 2007 all rights reserved

Recently, right wing evangelical Christians gathered to celebrate the founding of Jamestown:

http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=cs_&page=NewsArticle&id=9178

They hailed Jamestown's founding as proof that America was established to be a Christian land, and they hailed thier celebration as a reconsecration of America to that dream.

(Updated below) (Update II)

It never ceases to amaze me to what levels of utter irrationality the fundamentalists, neocons and other right-wing madhaters are willing to descend into.

(The following constitutes the last part of a short three-part series on evolution)

So far, I have endeavored to disassemble two of the favorite (non)arguments of fundamentalists and denialists against the reality of the process of evolution - namely, A) that humans have remained essentially unchanged since Creation; and B) that the science underlying evolution is wrong/invalid.

Mind you - notwithstanding that I so endeavored by using a tongue-in-cheek-with-a-wink approach, the facts provided in these two previous entries of mine remain soundly grounded in reality and scientific accuracy (taking into account that I have to vulgarize the science at the same time).

Illustrating The Joys Of Theocracy

All of the talk lately about the religious preferences of the presidential candidates or their lack of them has me concerned for the direction of the current campaign and the fact that religion has any place in this discussion at all.

A new museum in Kentucky aimed at refuting the process of evolution is now open. Exhibits show dinosaurs living side by side with humans.

Sayeth the museum's spokesman: "The mission is to tell people that the Bible's history is true, and if its history is true its message of the gospel is true. ... It's a book of history and you can trust its science." (Emphasis mine)

Nice. Very nice.

Jerry Falwell, self appointed mouthpiece of God. August 11, 1933 - May 15, 2007