I dunno, Frank; New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania do seem to have their own concept of the "dignity" of other states ... and vice-versa
Carl Rove is a master spinner - evilly so!
A seminal piece (and thanks, bernie, for linking it).
Just have to excerpt my favorite parts:
...[A] nation with no cognizance of religion has no cognizance of God, and without national recognition of his authority, it will not come within His protection. That is not an advantage a country can do without, especially in times of peril. It is unpatriotic to expose the nation to its enemies without taking every measure possible to insure the divine blessing. In the minds of the devout, it is therefore a politically dangerous act to teach ''godless'' evolution in our schools rather than biblical ''creationism.'' It is tempting the divine wrath to let a ''massacre of the innocents'' go forward in abortion clinics. Pornography offends God and therefore forfeits his benevolence. Nor can we be safe from terrorists unless we see that a ''blessed country'' (to use the president's words) must extend God's will of liberty for other countries, by force if necessary....
In [President James] Madison's major statement on the relation of church to state, the ''Memorial and Remonstrance'' of 1785, [he] condemned the use of ''religion as an engine of civil policy.'' The results of this use are ''pride and indolence in the clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both superstition, bigotry, and persecution.'' Disestablishing religion, he argued, does not demote religion but protects it from exploitation by political authority, from ''an unhallowed perversion of the means of salvation.'' The separation of church and state, even though it is constantly being nibbled at, especially in time of war, has been important in keeping America the most religious country in the developed part of the world. As he put it, ''religion flourishes in greater purity without than with the aid of government.''
Madison wielded a pretty good pitchfork, even though religion keeps tumbling back in on us, especially in wartime. The result was measured by Mark Twain when Andrew Carnegie quoted the assertion that America is a Christian country: ''Why, Carnegie, so is hell . . . but we don't brag of this.'' (emphasis mine) Twain's tone deepened in bitterness as he watched America waging another of its pre-emptive wars, this one in the Philippines. He reminded us exactly what we are praying for when we ask God to take sides in war and accomplish the destruction of our foe. His ''War Prayer'' runs, in part:
''O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; . . . help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land. . . . We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love.''
My God is a loving God, we must pray to the tides of Evil for war. I prefer not to pray to this God!
Bi-Polar Bear started a thread with this link (at the end) -- excerpt following:
They may be the ones facing danger on the battlefield, but US soldiers in Iraq are being asked to pray for President George W Bush.
Thousands of marines have been given a pamphlet called "A Christian's Duty," a mini prayer book which includes a tear-out section to be mailed to the White House pledging the soldier who sends it in has been praying for Bush.
"I have committed to pray for you, your family, your staff and our troops during this time of uncertainty and tumult. May God's peace be your guide," says the pledge, according to a journalist embedded with coalition forces.
The pamphlet, produced by a group called In Touch Ministries, offers a daily prayer to be made for the US president, a born-again Christian who likes to invoke his God in speeches.
Sunday's is "Pray that the President and his advisers will seek God and his wisdom daily and not rely on their own understanding".
Monday's reads "Pray that the President and his advisers will be strong and courageous to do what is right
regardless of critics".(emphasis mine)
They could have stopped at 'right' and not exposed their bias...
US soldiers in Iraq asked to pray for Bush
This is the sickness that is crossing the land............if true, it sucks
The military does not exist in individuality, it depends on orders. For the most part, this would be considered an order. If you were seen throwing away the phamplet, you would get laterine duty. There is not much difference in Saddam and Bush!
A holy war!...gosh, it's been so long since we had one. My teardrop of nostalgia would be more fulsome were it not for the fact that I am also getting daily 'Is Iraq the Beginning of Armageddon?' and "Support our Troops" spam.
BillW wrote:This is the sickness that is crossing the land............if true, it sucks
The military does not exist in individuality, it depends on orders. For the most part, this would be considered an order. If you were seen throwing away the phamplet, you would get laterine duty. There is not much difference in Saddam and Bush!
Bill, that's hyperbole. Biased and BS as the handing out of those pamphlets is, no one throwing such a thing away could be punished for it.
In the military they will Snood. Do you believe that they just happened to "be there"? Do you think that there was also a pamphlet that had a pull out tab to send to the President that said, "This war is wrong - Please stop it today!"?
I know not!
Bush is perhaps thinking, "God is on OUR Side", but just a few more prayers wouldn't hurt! The Christian Right is behind this, and I find it unsettling.
This is the work of Carl Rove. Direct response and all.
BillW wrote:In the military they will Snood. Do you believe that they just happened to "be there"? Do you think that there was also a pamphlet that had a pull out tab to send to the President that said, "This war is wrong - Please stop it today!"?
I know not!
I'm in the military, Bill. And I don't know when or where you served, but they have little things called the IG office, and the EO office, that wouldn't stand for something as stupid as a soldier being coerced to sign something of a religious nature. I think you're out of touch with reality if you think anything more than some stern looks would happen to me if I threw away a friggin' religious leaflet. Your statement (that you seem to be standing by) that a soldier serving in this war would be punished if he threw something like that away might add some dramatic flair to your argument, but it detracts from your credibility, because I'm sorry - it just ain't so.
I somehow doubt that these pamphlets exist and not just someone's vivid imagination. If they did the press would not have missed the opportunity to publicize there existence. However, if I am wrong they just fortify my fear of the religious right and born again Christians and their encroachment into government.
au, you far more express my response than snood's, I simply don't believe they exist; at least I hope so. Maybe the military has become more democratic, but in my days if something was passed out - you responded. It was considered as having come from the highest leadership, an order if you will.
"Get down and give me 50 'cruit, don't you know this mans Army don't waste no valuable paper?"
Yes snood, I did ask for an IG once - and my company was immediately sent back into the field. All the veterans were thankful to me because the field was safer than the rear, at that point! I had been told that in any combat situation a certain number of men are considered expendable and this was in the plan.
Good luck snood and have a good man at your back, always! Oh yeah, keep you head low and be the first to respond -
BillW,
Yes, Carl Rove is a master spinner, but I was also commenting on the direct response aspect. He's made at least part of his money and reputation as a direct mail businessman in Texas. I know a few things about direct response, well, ok I know a lot about direct response. It may be that the pamphlets don't exist. I don't have time right this minute to look back and see the source. But the fact that the report involves a direct response component lends credibility to me. And I'm very frightened by this report (although it's no more shocking than some other actions that are confirmed) because the method described and the message as reported is state of the art direct response marketing. Everyone complains about junk mail, but it still exists because it is so effective. It's a money maker and a attitude influencer. Those people talented enough to talk people out of their money for a cause, by use of direct response are very good at what they do. Carl Rove is, obviously one of those people. What's dangerous about these people is that they know each other. Have done business with each other and have worked together for some time now to get into positions of power, not only because it makes them feel big, and it makes money, but also because they feel a powerful need to reinforce their own beliefs by forcing it on or selling it to others. There was a link the other day to an article about Tom Hicks and his conglomerate radio stations. These are Texas cronies, including GW. Hicks is the Texas millionaire who bought the Texas Rangers from GW when he was elected governor.
If it's not real, the rumour must have been started by someone who knows a lot about direct mail marketing.
Scary Lola - very scary. And to pick on a soldier in a War Zone. Unabashed, bold faced carpet bagging tactics!
PDiddie posted the link which was from ABC News Online.
An excerpt follows:
Thousands of marines have been given a pamphlet called "A Christian's Duty," a mini prayer book which includes a tear-out section to be mailed to the White House pledging the soldier who sends it in has been praying for Bush.
"I have committed to pray for you, your family, your staff and our troops during this time of uncertainty and tumult. May God's peace be your guide," says the pledge, according to a journalist embedded with coalition forces.
The pamphlet, produced by a group called In Touch Ministries, offers a daily prayer to be made for the US president, a born-again Christian who likes to invoke his God in speeches.
Sunday's is "Pray that the President and his advisers will seek God and his wisdom daily and not rely on their own understanding".
Monday's reads "Pray that the President and his advisers will be strong and courageous to do what is right regardless of critics".
