POLITICS BASED ON RELIGION

With every election year the conservative Republician base pulls out all the stops, using and manipulating God, to gain and secure votes from the religious sect. I resent the manipulation of my God for personal or political gain. I cannot sit idle and watch religion be used as a tool to discriminate. I find it interesting they use the same 1st Amendment, that they have been voting against, as their leverage. The same 1st Amendment that was bashed recently with the Anti Tresspass Bill that passed the house lacking three votes of being unanamous. The religious base is fired up, again, with anti abortion, anti birth control rhetoric. I read the bill Amendment 1520. The bill: Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, which would have allowed an employer to deny insurance covarage if the plan covered abortion and/or birth control solely based on the employers religious moral conviction. Though, the bill was voted down in a 51-48 vote,3 democrats and 1 republican crossed the partisan line. The vote clearly shows the division of the Senate and the desperation of the conservatives to reach the "God fearing" voters. This falls on the heels of Virginia House Bill 189 that passed allowing adoption agencies to discriminate based on the same religious convictions. Separation of Church and State was meant to avoid discrimination, not make an excuse for it.

My God says “Judge Not.” My list of 10 Commandments include: Thou shalt not bear false witness (lie), right along with Thou shalt not kill, steal, or here is a big one for those conservatives who cry “moral religious convictions,” commit adultry. I researched political sex scandals going back to the first in American history. Out of 57 sex scandals involving politicians, 35 have been Republican, 22 have been Democrat. Out of the same 57, 14 were homosexual, and the Republicans tied the Democrats, 7-7. Republicans led, 4-3 in children born from adultry, and they also led 3-2 in underage sex scandals, but they continue to beat the “moral conviction” drum. Astonishingly, Newt was in one of them. Those are just the public scandals. I can’t even begin to imagine how many politicans have paid for sex with prostitutes, had illegitimate children, or had homosexual contact, that was bought out or hidden in some other way. There is also no way to know how many of the affairs prevented pregnancy through the use of birth control or abortion.

Believing in God gives me free agency. It is my choice what sins I choose to lavish in, for it is I who will burn on my own self created cross. Nobody has the right to tell me what I can and can’t do “morally,” especially when their own hands are covered in sin.

Of course, it is a smoke screen issue, fed to the religious sect. The votes against these freedoms are also votes promoting discrimination. Evenutally, these types of voters will put the fate of our health into the hands of the employers and the insurance companies. I guess people don’t understand this is America, and religion is diverse. There are religions that don’t believe in any medical treatment. What do you think the “moral conviction”of an employer that believes in no health care, leaving health in the hands of God, without recourse, would do to the health and well being of you and your family?

For the life of me I can’t understand the entire war against birth control. The conservatives don’t want birth control or abortion to be covered. They don’t want to pay to feed the unwanted babies. They don’t want to pay to house the unwanted babies. They don’t want to pay for legal, medical, or psychologicial costs for neglected and abused children, much less pay to run adoption agencies. Where is the money going to come from to take care of these "unwanted" children? I simply don’t get it, do you?


Pam