Why liberals feel trepidation (and you should, too.)

Sometime shortly after an apple came up missing in a very special garden, Democrat and Republican politicians started pointing fingers at each other. Since the original vitriol, the great unwashed, as Blackie Sherrod referred to us, have had rules of civility that included the axiom that if you have a friend and want to keep them, don’t discuss politics. Another truth of early history (at least when I was growing up in the latter half of the last century) was that only two things are certain, death and taxes. Our present politics long ago exploded the first rule and, urban myths aside, both parties have struggled mightily to produce the most entertaining tax shell game on the midway for their constituencies. That leaves only death, which hardly seems fair. But as we say in Texas, there is only one fair - and that’s the State Fair - and it only comes around once a year.

The fundamental philosophical debate about what government should be and do is a sign of the health of our democracy. There are some elemental rules: reasoned discussion, democratic process, majority rule with benevolence toward all, and the loyal opposition. But the Jerry Springer-ization of our political discourse is a result of a number of forces mostly related to money. Jon Stewart pointed to the terror wrought by the 24/7, post-9/11 news cycle. Unofficial fundraising arms of the Republican and Democratic Party whip the base into a frenzy in order to win elections, money drives the message and the message drives the money. While there are fractures in our politics gushing from politicians, the news media and in our debates in cyber-space, my neighborhood remains a place where we wave and chat and help our neighbors, despite the fact some are more conservative than others. We seem to be beginning the process of restoring respect and remembering that the phrase, “Our way, or the Highway!” does not appear in the Constitution.

While a zealous advocate for my beliefs, I have never been one to shy from listening and self-examination. I always know that no matter how much I believe something is true, I could be wrong. This week especially, but for some time previously, I have spent considerable time reflecting on how we got to this ugly place and what I can do to help bring discourse back to the point where we are focused on issue debate and not yelling, “Hell No, you won’t” or “Liar” from the floor of the Congress. There is the risk in determining to take a calm and thoughtful approach from this point forward. As Will Rogers said, “A lie can get half way around the world before the truth gets out of bed.” The road to civil discourse will not be easy for either side.

Because I am prone to healthy introspection, I woke this morning ready to indulge in the usual liberal guilt that I may have been unfair and asking questions. Are we liberals reading too much into the use of similes, metaphors and hyperbole by the conservatives and the right wing? Possibly. Have leftists been guilty of the same kinds of violent rhetoric, if not outright violence? Absolutely. So what is it we liberals are so afraid of?

We are afraid that the incorrigibles of democracy, the ones freely exercise their rights while advocating an America that it is not a Great Experiment but a Great Absolute One group known as Reconstructionists and Dominionists pose a threat to this country of tolerance, immigrants and diversity. Groups like Coral Ministries and other Mega-Churches around the country stand in the forefront of this relatively new “Christianity”. These are not mainstream conservative evangelicals, even Jerry Falwell has backed as far away as possible from these groups. In a recent piece in Mother Jones, “Does Bachmann Believe Congress should be run by Christians,” Stephanie Mencimer, exposes yet another right wing extremist hate group parading as Christians. They speak for God and God has told them that Jesus will only return when they have taken over all aspects of the government. I am not kidding, this is their doctrine. They claim to be the Vice-Regents of God, a term I don’t remember from Presbyterian Sunday school. You can pass this off as liberal hysteria but in this “church”, the leaders have been holocaust deniers, defenders of segregation and slavery, because, you know, slavery was in the bible.

Gary North, a “Christian Economist”, is a disciple of Rousas John Rushdooney, his late father in law, and is one of the leaders of Coral Ministries. He believes women who have had an abortion and all gays should be stoned to death, but of course he knows this is all against the law. However, he has a plan for that:

"We must use the doctrine of religious liberty…until we train up a generation of people who know that there is no religious neutrality, no neutral law, no neutral education, and no neutral civil government. Then they will get busy constructing a Bible-based social, political, and religious order which finally denies the religious liberty of the enemies of God."

Now, not even these guys really scare us liberals. But when far right Republicans like Michelle Bachmann or Mike Pence go courting these folks down in Florida for votes, we do start to get a little nervous. Add in the many Rushdooney church off-shoots around the country and you have a formidable group working to, “take back America”. Hmmm, seems I have heard that expression before. Was it the Tea Party? Okay, now we are scared. America has never been like them and, hopefully, never will. What they want is to take America backward to a place where intolerance is punitive and they can make people live their way, under their God. North wrote:

"The long-term goal of Christians in politics should be to gain exclusive control over the franchise… Those who refuse to submit publicly…must be denied citizenship."

Another leader in the Reconstructionist Movement, is Gary DeMar who wrote, in “American Heritage” that the goal of the movement is to create:

"…an America that recognizes the sovereignty of God over all of life, where Christians apply a Biblical worldview to every facet of society. This future America will be again a 'city on a hill' drawing all nations to the Lord Jesus Christ and teaching them to subdue the earth for the advancement of His Kingdom."

I hate founding father arguments but allow me this one. The founding fathers did not have the views of Coral Ministries and others like them in mind when the concept of one nation under God was propounded. I am done getting over-wrought about budget fights and political campaign cross-hairs. But these people who are so consumed with these ‘end times” scenarios, that they feel compelled to live outside everything that America and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the history of our wars stand for, namely, freedom, scare the bejeezus out of me. All of ya’ll on the right keep your eyes on Earth First, the ACLU, MSNBC and all of the limp wristed left-wing extremists that you perceive as a threat. I’m watching the Reconstructionists.