It's all about eternity

I was reading the commentaries from an article on Palin that talked about her lack of qualifications. One of the holy roller responses stuck me...everyone needs to get it. If you believe in abortion you are going to hell. If you believe in gays then you are not going to be with Jesus for eternity. OH and by the way, you also can't be a Republican!  These are important things to know. They hope we find this message soon so we can all be together in eternity.

The post:

She was chosen simply to bring conservatives back to the Republicans. And it'll work.

Here's the deal. Democrats are incapable of comprehending that millions of Americans actually believe in God. Not like Pelosi believe in God, but actually believe in God. That millions of Americans actually believe in the Bible. And they live it even though they know they're sinners. Every one of them can see through the bulls**t, dime store christianity peddled by liberals.

These millions know that if you are pro-choice you cannot possibly be a true Christian.

Palin is not pro-choice.

Get ready for "What's the Matter with Kansas? Volume II" because you just don't get it. It's not about race or gender, it is about eternity.

Posted by freiheit1 at 08/29/2008

Pennies from Heaven

 

Oh the rewards of giving in to the social conservative right wing evangelical whackjobs!

John McCain sold his soul to the devil at noon yesterday when he announced that super social conservative and completely unqualified governor of Alaska was to be his running mate.

What did that get him?????

Well, $7 million in could hard cash! That's right, the Christian right got on board and gave tons of cash now that they knew McCain was move interested in securing the God, Guns, Gays and Abortion agenda than actually leading the majority of Americans to a better economy and safer daily living. McCain is expected to raise tens of millions in the next few days before he has to stop taking funds and using public money. But don't worry - they still have him scheduled for a minimum of four "Republican Party Fundraisers" shortly after his convention speech. Plus, the Holy Hockey Mom will be doing them throughout the country for the next 62 days.

It's quite the deal when you think about it. The majority of moderates will probably still vote for him because they actually believe that these religious zealots are just really nice and patriotic Americans.

This just sucks.

ode to Pat Buchanan

 

Sarah Palin was one of Pat Buchanan's major supporters when he ran for President. Yes, that grand year when Pat was still young, spry and obnoxiously right wing isolationist. Yes, this was the year he spoke to the Republican convention as Bush Senior was running against Bill Clinton and he said things like:

Friends, this is radical feminism. The agenda Clinton & Clinton would impose on America--abortion on demand, a litmus test for the Supreme Court, homosexual rights, discrimination against religious schools, women in combat--that's change, all right. But it is not the kind of change America wants. It is not the kind of change America needs. And it is not the kind of change we can tolerate in a nation that we still call God's country.

I was thinking it was worth repeating just how too the right Pat Buchanan was and how she thought that was pretty grand.

Take a trip down memory lane and read the whole thing

Daily Show Quote of the Day

 

John Stewart on being in Denver:

Colorado - there is just no middle ground. You are either a rapture-awaiting promise keeper OR someone who drives a car that runs on goop

Oh how true this is. The worst year of my life was when I worked for this company that had development offices in Boulder. I just dreaded going up there for the week.

But wait - it got even better...

John McCain announced his VP nominee today and the world was to shocked to find out it was:

Emmy Award winning actress/writer/director Tina Fey!

OR

Popular start of Will & Grace Megan Mullaley.

NO WAIT

The repressed, quiet librarian in every Showtime dirty movie.

Palin points

Here are things we have heard so far:

• Quoted last year as having not thought too much about the war - "I've been so focused on State Government, I haven't really focused much on the war...I do know I want us to have an exit plan in place."
• She has no personal relationship with the nominee. McCain had never met her. He only met her once. It is a pure political calculation.
• Not just pro-life, anti-abortion: does not allow for exceptions even in the case of rape or incest.
• Supported the Alaska State Constitutional Amendment to ban Gay Marriage (although vetoed bill banning benefits for same sex partners of state employees).
• Supported Pat Buchanan in his race for the White House. This was the famous year of speeches about taking back America from cross-dressers, abortionists, etc. Pat says she was a was one of his most vocal supporters.
• Believes that creationism should be taught in schools.
• Lifetime member of the NRA. Hunts moose and ice fishes.
• Eats moose burgers
• Has been Governor of Alaska for under 2 years. Population - 680,000.
• Was two-term Mayor of her hometown - population 8,000.
• Raised taxes on oil companies in Alaska but returned that money directly to the citizens.
• Has 5 kids with great names (Track, Willow, Bristol. Piper and Trig), the newborn Trig has been diagnosed as having Downs Syndrome. Track is 18 and enlisted in the Army and is headed to Iraq.
• Husband is a fisherman and union member. She calls him "first dude."
• Former Miss Wallisa Beauty Queen and high school basketball player.
• Declined the "Bridge to Nowhere."
• Under investigation for having her staff get her sister's ex-husband fired from his State Trooper position. Has had defenders defend her by saying that she was defending her sister because the husband beat her.

Compelling story and family. Extreme political values. Completely unqualified.

Done with Republicans

 

Wow – what a day huh? Add another disappointment to my life.

I have to say, today marks a really bad one for me because of the Republican party. I have believed in the basics tenets for a long time – and it really meant something to me. I guess I was really waiting for John McCain to be the old John McCain and to put a Ridge or a Lieberman up there because it was the right thing to do. This choice of Palin is just beyond disappointing. To listen to the right wing being so happy; agghhh! Today – Rush actually said “this is so great – a candidate who has true values: God, babies, marriage, guns and taxes.” It is quite clear that the most important thing was to pacify the social conservatives.

From a common sense perspective I don’t know how you can look at me and say that she is ready to be Commander and Chief. You just lost one of the best arguments you have against Obama.

Judgment? Well, this seems like a stunt choice as opposed to someone you thought was the best prepared to lead.

Pro Female? I think this demeans women – you are telling me that you wanted a woman and this was the most qualified? She has a compelling story but she is beyond a lightweight.

When you look at my own personal feeling right now, I have to say that I am both disappointed and embarrassed at myself. Much like the catholic Church (which I left 2 years ago) I keep making excuses for the Republican Party. I keep saying that you have to look at the whole picture, not just one or two issues. The problem is that the Republican party is ruled by the right and they require their issues to be met without exception – Pro-life, anti-gay (Hey, at least I am not #1 target). I am embarrassed with how I have voted in the past. I made excuses that the security or the economy were more important – but how can I say that when it never changes? Should I be proud that I voted for George Bush as he trotted out the anti-gay marriage amendment for no other reason than to make gays second class citizens? How can I line up with a party that is lead (with an iron fist) by a group of people who literally hate me? The fact is, their religious righteousness and complete inability to accept any differing views trump the places where basic Republican philosophy is strong.

And so, I am very sad to say that I am completely done with the Republican Party. I don’t think Obama is worth spit, but it is unacceptable to even think of supporting the Republican Party and its extremism. I can’t tell you how sad I am. Today was such a letdown and an unfortunate eye opener. I have to say that at this point I don’t even feel like voting.

McCain has just sold out

 

John McCain has just sealed the deal and chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin  as his VP. This just sickens me.

This is his best decision? Politically, he has chosen to turn the race into an ideological campaign. He is going to run right wind against liberal. To do this his has pacified the far right base by picking the most socially conservative person he could pick.

He has picked someone with so little experience that it nullifies any argument against against Obama. He has picked a woman who just cannot compete as a comparable for Hillary Clinton. This is the worst kind of "Hail Mary" pass and it won't work.

For my part, McCain has completely let me down. He has sold out to the right wing and secured my complete disillusionment with The Republican party. There is no openness. There is no diversity. There is no respect. It is just God, Guns, Gays and terrorism.  I am holding my nose and voting for Obama.

Love this video

I

This video that introduced Hillary at the convention was just totally awesome. It truly was inspirational. I had to chuckle though... this is just typical Clinton style. "Look at me" - this is the kind of video I would expect to see when announcing a Presidential nominee.

How many people do you think are having buyers remorse over Obama after last nights performance?

Hillary - Good for her, not so much for Obama (IMHO)

 

 

Well, that's it. Hillary took center stage and now she exits stage right.

WOW - the opening video was incredible. That being said, it really was typical Clinton "look at me." I don't expect that Obama's intro film will be that good.

I thought she gave a rousing speech. I was impressed that she cut off the applause. When she first came out I think she could have milked that for well over 5 minutes. It certainly was good for her. She has created a place in history for herself as a women's leader - a modern day Harriet Tubman. There is no way that she didn't just paint her bio for 2012. This speech screamed: "look for me in the future." Here's what I thought was interesting: she never once said that Obama was qualified for the job. She really did the minimum...just enough to make her look like she went all out.

She did a good job of attacking McCain without sounding shrill. She laid out a set of ideas that were Democratic and just what the crowd wanted to hear.

I have to believe that a lot of people are wondering if they picked the wrong person.

Mark Warner

 

I just finished watching Mark Warner give his keynote speech. I thought it was a well balanced, realistic and hopeful speech. I like Warner - I would have voted for him if I lived in Virginia.

Here's what I found interesting...

This was the keynote speech and they moved it out of the Prime Time 9:45-11 PM timeframe! I just heard that this was a last minute thing. The Obama campaign was not happy with his speech. They felt it was too soft. Warner had said all along that he was not going to go up and just spout out one-liners and vitriol. He wanted to talk about innovation, the need for positive change, growing the economy, etc. This was not acceptable - so they pushed him forward in the evening.

I liked the speech, but I will admit it didn't feel like the energetic kick off kind of speech that has previously been given. Remember, just four years ago it was Obama who was giving this speech.

Media loves Obama

Wow - Ed rendell really put it out there on Sunday (can't believe I just heard of this).

Even though he now supports Obama, he said:

"Ladies and gentleman, the coverage of Barack Obama was embarrassing,It was embarrassing."

"MSNBC was the official network of the Obama campaign, it was absolutely embarrassing."

Chris Matthews "loses his impartiality when he talks about the Clintons."

I really really really want McCain to pick Tom Ridge. This is another reason that i think McCain can win PA.

Didn't I say It was Coming???

I just commented on George Obama - the Obama half brother living in poverty in Kenya. I was pretty sure someone would go for the jugular and start slamming Obama on it...and leave it to the Texas Republican Party!

Does it have legs? Can it go national?

McCain Strikes Back

Well, McCain is having a bit of fun. Yesterday we had that ad with Hillary clips. Today it gets even better:

So this Debra Bartoshevich was an actual Democratic delegate. She was for Hillary and then refused to cast for Obama. Instead she said you would go for McCain. The Democrats actually took the woman's position away from her. Oh how I love sour grapes.

Day 1 - DNC08

Well, they have completed night 1 of the DNC. I would have to say it was pretty much a wasted evening.

Pelosi kicked things off and gave a lackluster speech.  We had Jesse jackson Jr. (because Senior is now an embarrassing). Jimmy Carter (quite embarrassing for his lack of presidential decorum in regards to commenting on other Presidents) and his wife who looked very goof. We saw Teddy Kennedy  (introduced by his stick-up-the-ass niece) and that has to touch on everyone's heart. Michelle spoke and was quite a lovely woman. But what did it accomplish?

Did it bring people together more?

Did it give the answers that most voters are looking for (prepared, experienced, policies and things that specifically show the difference that Obama would make on our lives)?

Did it make the Obama's look and sound like everyday Americans?

You only have 4 days to let people know what you are all about. This seems like a wasted night. AND WHAT IS THE MESSAGE?

Newsflash - James Carville just announced - "If this party had a message to get across they certainly did a good job of hiding it tonight."

So now we head to Day two and the start of the Clinton-fest.

Michelle Obama Speech in progress

I am watching the speech as I type this. It is a very nice speech. My problem is that it doesn't really sound sincere. I am listening and I am just hearing "sound bites" that are so obviously planned.

We've got the disingenuous thanks to Hillary and all she accomplished.

We've got at least, at three counts, "I love America and am so proud"

In the end I found it a little generic and hoaxy. I noticed that she never mentioned all of their educational alma maters. I guess saying Harvard would make them look too elite. In the end it was a so-so speech but she delivered it well (and thank God, she avoided the kitchen table reference). I noticed that it was unlike her normal stump speech. She is typically much harsher and challenging.

I guess I am of the mind set  that first ladies aren't really my cup of tea. I don't car what they think. I am not electing them.

Putting on the "gay hat" for a second... she is such a nice looking woman and she has on the most dowdy, God awful dress. AND they are actually playing her off to "isn't she lovely."

Those girls are just adorable.

And then we get to see Obama. Actually, he gave a nice little comment - "Now you know why I asked her out so many times." Then is just went down hill. The little one kept chatting away. He was sitting in someone's house (an all American candidate) being "just a regular guy."

Nancy Pelosi--I am proud of everything we gave away

 

I am sitting here listening to Nancy Pelosi give a horrible (technically) speech. She has stammered through just about every line.

I don't outright dislike a lot of Democrats, but I do dislike her. She is just a super liberal.  I am listening to her list of things the Democratic Congress did in this last term and it just sounds like a long list of giveaways (we gave this, we provided that). 

What I found most interesting is that in the moments leading up to her speech, someone finally called it like it is on Pelosi...

Chuck Todd was on MSNBC talking about how Nancy Pelosi has been a real leader in wrestling power away from the Clintons and pushing the party towards Obama. That is not something to be proud of. Pelosi, Dean and Reed were absolutely intent on moving the Democrat party away from the middle and back to the farthest left. They spit in the face of Bill Clinton, the man who saved the Democratic party. The guy who moved them to the middle and proceeded to be the only Democrat since Jimmy Carter to hold the Oval Office.

Wow - I just looked up at the tube and realized how much our girl Nancy looks like that whackjob from Florida - Katherine Harris.

Bill Maher does God...

I will admit that I like Bill Maher. He can be completely obnoxious and he is all about alternative medicine...but he is quite bright and he is funny.

Now he has a movie coming out about...wait for it...RELIGION. Yep, the new film - Religilous is going to be terribly biting. I will hop to see it because I believe that the extreme and blind following of any religion is just stupid. The problem is that you can't attack them without making everyday, pious, faithful people look stupid.

You are not stupid for having faith. You are an asshole when you make your faith a giant club to beat everyone else into your thinking.

Here is the clip:

Ms Obama

Look, I like Michelle Obama. I think she is charming, fun, impressive and accomplished. She is also very nice looking.

Tonight we are going to hear her talk about "who she is" - much has been said about he middle class roots; her father with ms; got herself into Princeton, etc. 

I don't care who she was - that's the problem. I see what she became. He and her husband are quite well off, intellectual and elite. That's fine. You are who you are. I probably would like being around her. But let's not kid ourselves. The middle of America doesn't see race as much as they see opportunity. I think people see the Obama's and they think "well how is it they got all these opportunities to succeed?"  I think they say "How did she go to Princeton and my kids are barely able to get in and pay for their state university.

People will be distrustful of any one who doesn't seem like them. The Obama's are not like them. You can't say they are. Not everyone holds this against them, but let's be realistic when you say that a lot of people just don't find them to be like anyone they know.

That being said...I am looking forward to her speech.

Nepotism from beyond the grave

And here we have Luke Russert on MSNBC covering "youth issues." I actually find this a little sickening.  I believe his youth issues are:  Golden Tee, Xbox, and sharing a plate of buffalo wings with a hot bitch. (I swear to God he wrote it).

 

I have no problem with the kid - but c'mon...this is nepotism at its finest.

UPDATE

OMG - Herman Munster on TV!  The kid is completely annoying - a fratboy on parade. I swear - he just said "I am sure the Obama campaign wants that electural make up" (I think he meant electoral).

Gay=Obama?

 

 

I read Towleroad most every day. I think it is a very entertaining blog and it is, well, "way gay" - which is cool and why I read it.

That being said,find it kind of funny that they are now at the Democratic Convention with press credentials. I was unaware that they were political bloggers (note my sarcasm here).  What kind of bugs me is that today I noticed their videos all have this little logo of Towleroad in the Obama O.  I guess now we are not only gay but we all have to be Obama folk.

This annoys me for the simple fact that I don't really enjoy lifestyle and culture reporting being labeled "Democrat."

Once again, I am close to loosing my gay membership card! 

Passed Over

Oh wow - this is pretty good. Apparently it is running in Colorado today - as the Democrats arrive for their convention with Joe Biden in tow.

I am actually surprised they didn't use her best line "...and Barrack Obama has a speech he gave in 2002"

The dynamic duo

God love 'em - the Democrats just love to think that everyone wants to join a support group.

I listened to Biden's speech today and thought it was delivered well - it just struck me though how they just say the same thing. Every Democratic speech is so "woe is me." Be it the cost of cash, the cost of putting food on the table,  having a hard live, tough or missing parents, etc. The keep holding up this idea of "hard times" like we are all supposed to feel lousy about our place in  life and really need the government to make out life better.

I really do believe we should help people who need help, but did you ever notice that NOTHING that Dems or Repubs do seems to have really done anything? We still have horrible education and low graduation rates in the inner cities. People remain untrained and inflexible in their careers (they know manufacturing yet don't learn any new skills - they just argue we should keep manufacturing jobs here and pay 3x the wages of other countries of specialization. None of these folks fix anything - but it appears that Obama and Biden will give away a lot.

I will make one final thought - I think Biden makes Obama look weaker. If you wanted to avoid the appearance of "the affirmative action candidate," perhaps you should not have paired the most inexperienced Senator with an old, mean guy who has been around for 30 years.  He should have stuck to his guns about "change" and brought in someone like Tim Kane. They should have walked in and said "We have the vision and the drive and we are going to do it different from these folks who have screwed up the government for the last xx years"

Fun Fun

My Rhapsody Playlist

I was just reading a bunch of playlist ideas and one was "Boyband Party" - a compilation of all those 90's bands like NSYNC, BSB and many others. I liked it so much I thought I would share it.

John McCain - I implore you...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please, please, PLEASE, just tell these people to shut the fu** up! I have absolutely reached my limit on their small minded, God fearing minds and their encroachment on the Republican party. THEY are the vocal minority, NOT the majority of the Republican party. John McCain - please please please please just slap them down and pick a VP who is not an ignorant religious zealot and bigot - which is exactly what a social conservatives are! Let's not mince words - these people are as bad as the terrorists - we should just be happy that they don't read some version of jihad in their biblical passages; because if they thought God wanted them to do this - they would. These people are bass akwards control freaks who insist on everyone being just like them.

Sorry, but I have just had enough.How fu**ing stupid are the moderates of the Republican party? Why do we keep giving them so much credence. Guess what - if we loose them we make up for them in spades with independents and moderate Democrats.

Oh and by the way - if you really want to get a picture of just how self righteous these people are, check out this "open letter" to McCain from the Social Conservatives."

Half Brother WILL be covered up by CNN

They are reporting that Obama has a half brother who lives in poverty.

Vanity Fair (I found this to be an odd organization to have found this) has uncovered Obama's seventh half-bother, George (age 26) who is living in Kenya in absolute poverty. He reportedly said that he lives on about a dollar a month!  When they found him they say he was living in a shanty.

Now, I guess this is true - it is not like they are going to say "Oh he is not really an Obama," but apparently the media is going to do their part to ensure Obama doesn't look too bad on this.

It was announced on CNN that today they would have an exclusive interview with the brother. They say he is going to be saying he is NOT poor and has a lovely life. Does Vanity Fair really seem like the kind of outlet that was going to lie about the guy's living situation? It just seems to me that CNN has, once again, proved that they are really in the bag for Obama.

My thoughts are quite simple here - this is a bad thing for Obama. He can't say he isn't connected to his Kenya half family; heck, one of his half brothers was at his wedding. I guess Obama just picks the well off ones (that brother is an accountant). Don't you think that if you were a successful anything (lawyer, doctor, senator, businessperson, etc) and you had family in Kenya who were not doing well, YOU WOULD BE TRYING TO HELP? I find that to be the problem here. This is not an Obama issue, this is a basic human nature issue. You help those who are in need. I guess Obama only does this if they look good on camera.

This is not me being partisan - this is me finding one person's actions POTENTIALLY sickening.

Moderates take center stage

 

I'll start by saying that it still makes me sad that Rudy is not the Republican nominee. What a positive step that would have been - a normal guy who has good managerial experience, good leadership and is not a bigot. This was a guy who has lived like normal people. But I digress...

The good news is that Rudy takes center stage as the keynote speaker at this years Republican convention. For me, this is like 2000 when Arnold gave the speech - perhaps one of the best summaries of what a true Republican is all about. Rudy is an interesting choice because he literally flies in the face of the Republican nutbags. The hate him except for his war on terror credentials. I can still remember those idiots saying "I am sure he is a nice man but he couldn't keep a promise to his wife and he is a liberal when it comes to life and marriage" - he was doomed from the beginning.

So what does Rudy and his key placement say about what John McCain thinks of the Republican party? If this a hint that he is going to be the "2000 John McCain" and is going to talk about a true big tent?  Will this be coupled with a choice like Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman? Will it be a demonstration of the whole party rather than a bible rally?  God I hope so.

Of course, this could be an early sign that the VP nominee is going to be the worst of conservative choices - a cold, family values demagogue who will placate the right and make the rest of the country go "Oh Lord - they are just never going to change." This could be the signal.

I recently heard an interview with Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel (Common Ground) who suggested that McCain could score huge points and a victory by standing up and doing one or all of the following:

1. Saying he is only going 1 term and thus would be beholden to no special interests.
2. Picking a pro-choice VP candidate and calling out the far right. Looking right at them and saying that no one person or party is 100% right and we need to not only respect, but consider the opinions and ideas of all Americans. This poke in the eye would say to Americans - "McCain is about fixing the country not progressing a single minded set of rules."
3. Picking a Democrat and point blankly saying that this person would be a power player. Letting it be made clear that all ideas are on the table and everything must be considered - the idea that you are an American first and then a republican or Democrat.

Wouldn't that be something? Do you think it could really happen?

I am totally perplexed and the Rudy speech worries me. I initially got very happy and thought "Oh this means a shift." But if this ends up being the scrap being thrown to moderates and independents while a social conservative runs in to be the Veep, I am going to be so turned off.   

Twenty years without talking about the plagiarism

 

If it is Biden, won't his past speech plagiarism issue come back to haunt him?

Mind you -  I think it is old and unimportant, but this is exactly the kind of fodder the attack machines live for.

Might the twenty year lull work in the attackers' favor? I had never heard anything about it? The majority of new voters will know nothing about it. Now imagine that they pull this stuff out and ratchet up the concept of "can't trust him" and then say "Obama associates with the wrong people and certainly has poor judgement."

I understand that when this whole speech thing happened there was a tape that showed his speech and the British socialists speech side by side and showed the alarming similarity. I haven't been able to find a copy - but if it makes a resurgence...well, I think it could be trouble.

Does anyone really care?

The news people are all excited about the potential Obama Veep. I assume they will be at least somewhat as interested in the McCain choice. But do the majority of people in the country really give a flying fu**?

Every poll taken throughout political history has been unable to show ANY significant value to the VP pick. Heck, Edwards couldn't even win his own state for Kerry. Cheney didn't have high positive ratings even when he first ran as VP in 2000. Does anyone even remember Dukakis' Texas senator?

If I had to pick them:

Obama:

• Hillary could actually be a game changer. I think that the polls show there are about 9% of the population who are really her kind of voters. The problem is, I don't think her being #2 dismisses this groups dislike of Obama. There is something else that one has to think about too...the right hates Hillary. Oddly enough, they think she is the anti-Christ when she is so much more moderate than Obama. If she was on the ticket it might give the religious right that extra spark they need to be active in the campaign.

McCain:

• I would go with Ridge. He is likable and he could be President easily. I do think that he could be an exception to the rule when it comes to winning PA. The guy is well liked and PA was an obvious trouble spot for Obama. Many people think this is where the racially charged voting first became evident. So if you give the people of PA someone who is not Obama AND is a native son, there could be trouble. I also think that Mccain could really make a statement to moderate and undecided voters by causing trouble and saying "He's pro-choice and this party is not just pro-lifers." If he could stand up and slightly vilify the religion nuts the moderates and the undecided might look at him again like we did in 2000.

JUST MY TWO CENTS...

Rick Warren Religion-o-fest

Tonight Obama and McCain appear on stage in front of a crowd of evangelicals to talk about themselves and answer questions - all akin to "what would Jesus do?" I have such a problem with this it blows my mind. Religion is playing such a role in this election that is simply scares me.

Sure, politics is one thing - Obama and McCain are both showing up to lie. They'll lie about how Christ leads their decisions. They will lie about their relationship with Jesus. They will lie about how they know they are sinners. I don't blame them. If that's all you have to do to get this group to vote for you then go for it. They are a big bunch of sheep anyway.

The problem though is just how wrong this is as a function of the Presidential race. Here we have both sides standing up and basically giving credence to the notion that you have to be a good Christian to be the leader of the free world. Its too bad Barrack isn't a Muslim because I would be pretty happy to hear him say "Hey - I'm pretty damn holy according to the Koran" - and if that were the case I guess that means he still would not be qualified. This is just too much. I hate to sound like a liberal but c'mon - we separate Church & State for a reason - because both are corrupt.

I tuned it briefly on XM as I went to get a Baskin Robins sunday. What I heard were questions like:

What does Jesus mean to you?

Do you believe in marriage?

Who would you have NOT recommended to the Supreme Court

I am sure it got worse.

People are saying that this Rick Warren is a new kind of minister...he's still a minister. he still has an agenda.

I never thought I would get to the point in my life when I would say things that were annoyingly liberal and alarmist, but here it is... "giving any of these folks a pulpit means you are inviting a reduction in your personal liberties." They don't want to spread God's love so much as ensure that through the courts and politicians that they re-frame the rules of our society into their rules (ok to be fair - God's rule circa 1000 BC). Look at the Muslim world of theocratic government and tell me how wrong it is. Tell me how unfair it is. Then look at at the evangelical lifestyle and agenda -- they may not want to blow people up (well, an abortion clinic or two but that is God's will) but other than that you can't find much difference. Sure, they don't treat women like second class citizens - they'll leave that for the gays.

It is sickening.