Should celebrities use their fame to influence voters ?

Ya never leave home.

Equus, I don't know if I can agree with you there. Some high-voltage movie stars in the past have expressed controversial political conventions and did not suffer at the box office. My dad was a dyed-in-the-wool conservative Republican. Thus he deplored the views of Jane Fonda during the Vietnam unpleasantness but greatly enjoyed her movies and kept saying he couldn't understand how so fine an actress could be so daft. I was (and am) his almost direct opposite politically. But I really liked (and still like) John Wayne movies. Go figure.

All my strength ain't much, CI. I would resist the same way I resist fundamentalists trying to hijack science classes or force prayer in schools.

Merry Andrew - same dichotomy here.

I think we all separate the entertainers from their politics. I like actors or don't for their acting skills - not their politics.

So how do you feel when a Minster of a church service in FL introduces Kerry as the next president of the US to his flock? You know this happened yesterday, and Kerry was up at the pulpit talking about fighting demons and quoting scripture.

Doesn't this fly in the face of religion and politics? Should this church have their tax exemption status pulled for playing politics? I mean the preacher introduced Kerry as the next pres.

Baldimo, What better way to speak to a group of blacks other than their church?

Nothing at all wrong with free speech, baldimo.

Then, please keep this in mind when Bush sends mailings to parishoners, and preachers speak about Bush from the pulpit. I don't mind the use of churches in politics, as long as both sides have equal rights in the matter.

When did I ever complain about Bush using free speech? I only object if he uses his position in government to allow religious fundamentalists to force their agenda on the rest of us.

But remember, they all think Christians who vote according to their religion are dangerous and shouldn't be allowed to vote. We all know how powerful the "religious right" is.

I wonder how powerful the religious left is? Jesse (play the race card) Jackson, Al (ride that donkey) Sharpton Al (creator of the internet) Gore and apparently John Kerry.

Don't forget that Clinton did the same thing right before the RNC, and no one called him on it either

I wasn't specifically talking to you, edgar. Just generally preturbed about all the sanctimonious threads about Bush contacting parishoners--and how this is sooo against the seperation of church and state--and then seeing some of the same posters giving Kerry a pass for the same thing.

My comment was not meant to be restricted to this thread.

The Christians who are dangerous are the ones that want to force their beliefs on the rest of us. If they are usually right leaning fundamentalists, so be it.

Free speech is free speech, is it not?

Forcible actions are not the same as free speech.

As noted in other threads, there are other groups from the left who seek to do the same. Do you have a complaint about them?

If I see it I am against it.

Baldimo, I wonder whether you read what Edgar wrote? Yes, free speech is free speech. And nobody is objecting to candidates addressing religious gatherings or appealing to the religious impulse in potential voters. It is when those religious impulses work their way into the legislative agenda that the problem arises. I, for one, see no harm in Bush appealing to the fundamentalist religious right or Kerry seeking the votes of black Baptists.

I do see a problem when a Roman Catholic bishop tells his flock they could be committing a mortal sin if they vote for Kerry because Kerry favors free choice in the question of abortions. This happened. The Vatican had to intervene and explain that the Bishop was speaking for himself only, not the Holy See.

I see a major problem when a sitting president opposes stem cell research on religious grounds or suggests the Constitution should be altered because he is homophobic.

But how did we get off the subject of celebs?

Lash, You seem to miss some very important distinctions here; there's a big difference between free speech and our president trying to legislate his religion on the masses.

I don't want anything banned, and I agree they have a right to say whatever they want. All I'm saying is I don't appreciate it.