An Open Letter to Mike "The Huckster" Huckabee

[NanceGreggs]

RE your comment “Jesus Wept” upon hearing the SCOTUS decision on same-sex marriage

Being as you deign to know what Jesus would actually weep about, I have a few questions for you.

Jesus admonished His followers to feed the hungry. How much does He weep when your party consistently votes for measures that deny food stamps to hungry Americans, especially hungry children? How upset do you suppose He gets when Republicans actually make feeding the homeless a crime?

Jesus bade his followers to care for the sick. How many tears has He shed as he’s watched Republicans repeatedly attempt to destroy Obamacare, which actually allows the sick to be cared for? How many times has He wept unabashedly as your party turns its back on disabled veterans (disabled fighting a war that your party pursued and championed, by the way) by claiming their medical and rehabilitation costs are an “entitlement” the country simply can’t afford?

Jesus told his followers to shelter the homeless. How much has He wailed as people like yourself demonize the “least among us” by declaring them lazy parasites unworthy of notice, no less actual assistance? How many nights has The Nazarene cried himself to sleep as homeless Americans are mocked, spat upon, and chased from the streets on which they are forced to live because people like you refuse to help them in any way?

You know, if you actually read the New Testament (which apparently you haven’t), you would know that Christ never once spoke out against homosexuality – not once. Maybe He was too busy to opine on the topic, what with actually feeding the hungry and caring for the sick and all. But it would seem rather far-fetched that if He thought it was such an “abomination before God”, He wouldn’t have managed at least a negative comment or two during his entire lifetime.

You really should acquaint yourself with Christ’s teachings, Huckster. He was a rather remarkable fellow. He said a lot of things you could really learn from – like loving one’s neighbour, being our brother’s keeper, doing unto others as we would have done to ourselves – ya know, all the stuff you and your ilk choose to ignore while focusing instead on what He never said about gays and lesbians.

If you are going to hold yourself out as knowing what Jesus would weep about, it might be a good idea to first familiarize yourself with who He was, what He stood for, and what He actually said.

Oh, and just by the way – while remaining completely mute on the topic of homosexuality, Christ had quite a few choice comments about those who would mislead the faithful by pretending to speak in His name. You might want to take a really close look at those particular passages. It’s almost as though he had you in mind when he warned his followers about those who would spew utter bullshit under the guise of speaking on His behalf. It was like He was downright prescient, that Christ guy – able to foresee the likes of you and your fellow “Christians”, over 2,000 years before the fact, speaking out against everything He exemplified, while pretending to do so on His behalf.

I am not even a Christian – and yet I seem to be far more acquainted with Christ’s message than you are. Do you have any explanation whatsoever for why that would be the case?

Just wonderin'.

--- NanceGreggs

[Suich]

1. Huckabee's a real piece of work!

Thanks, NanceGreggs!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. ...

[kelliekat44]

3. +1,000 nt

[spanone]

4. k&r...

[longship]

5. Love ya, Nance! R&K nt

[AnotherMother4Peace]

6. Well said - K&R

[Thinkingabout]

7. K & R, this is a great post.

Straight to the point, I am amazed at those who call themselves Christians and to hate in the fashion they do, he should be ashamed of his actions and words. I am a Christian, I want to be some one who loves all. Yes there are those I do not prefer to be around and it is not because of ethnicity or sexual orientation. Same on Huchabee.

[Spazito]

8. Well said n/t

[onecaliberal]

9. Bam!

I wish someone could read that at their debates and make them respond.

[angstlessk]

10. NanceGreggs can turn a word any which way but loose

she is a wordsmith with an agenda, with which I agree

[panader0]

11. Kick and rec.

Since he probably doesn't come to DU, you should send this to him. Sic 'em Nance.

[madamesilverspurs]

12. Boom!

Or better yet, AMEN!

[MrScorpio]

13. I just tweeted your letter to his account

https://twitter.com/Mr_Scorpio/status/614997019526979584

I'm sure that you don't mind.

[NanceGreggs]

21. Oh, I am SURE I don't.

I also sent it to every email address and Huckabee website I could find.

[Cha]

38. Gracias, Mr Scorpio!

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

55. And I retweeted you to my account!

@GBfanforevah

[IDemo]

14. And forget all about that part about it being easier

for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter Heaven.

[DesertFlower]

15. well said. nt

[LynneSin]

16. Just so you know Jesus wasn't a Christian either

that came decades after his death

[vlyons]

17. I'm a Buddhist, and I know the teachings of Jesus

Feed the poor, heal the sick, practice peace, and love thy neighbor. Jesus also had a lot to say about money grubbers. If I remember correctly, he drove the money changers out of the temple. HH the Dalai Lama teaches that when the acquisition of money is not a high motivation. Indeed if your highest motivation is the acquisition of money, then you are immoral. The bible also teaches that the love of money is the root of all evil. But it appears that the acquisition of money and seeing people as profit centers and natural resources to be exploited for money is the ONLY motivation of the Republican party. I could say more, but I know you get the point.

[Enthusiast]

27. Oh, baby! Great post!

[Scuba]

18. Nance, this is the best OP of yours I've read. Congratulations.

[druidity33]

73. agreed. Not usually a fan, but...

this one really hit the mark. Good one Nance!

K&R

[George II]

19. Another winner!

[Thespian2]

20. K & R!!!!!

Thanks for speaking truth...the ignorance about the New Testament of many "christians" is something to behold...

[mindwalker_i]

22. No, no, no, that was the original Jesus

Republicans worship the new and improved bizarro-Jesus who stands up what what they believe in: fuck the poor (they're mostly black anyways), corporations are the second coming (at least the ones who donate to republican campaigns), and America Fuck-Yeah!

[joanbarnes]

23. Nailed it.

[calimary]

24. And while I'm listening to a premature 4th of July fireworks splurge, I'm reading an essay that goes

"BOOM!!!!!"

DANG, Nance - again you hit it not just outta the ballpark but all the way to Mars.

I couldn't agree more! INDEED...

Doesn't it strike you as odd that all these self-congratulating, self-anointed uber "Christians" just never ever seem to get around to quoting from the Beatitudes? You NEVER hear that.

Nor do you ever hear them quoting the passage that describes Jesus's encounter with The Rich Young Man - who is instructed that if he truly wants to follow Christ, then he needs to give away all his worldly goods and come join up.

Nor do you ever hear them quoting the passage that describes really the only time Jesus ever got pissed off - when he threw a fit in the Temple and drove the money-changers and the local capitalists outta there.

Nor do you ever hear them quoting that passage that compares the rich dude who parades down the center aisle of the Temple to show off the bags of gold he intends to contribute in public so everybody can see and ooh and agh - to a poor widow hiding over in the shadows to the side with only a penny to put in the collection plate. She's embarrassed because that's all she had, and she doesn't want anybody to see. Well, GOD saw. And Jesus made it clear whose offering God found more pleasing.

Nor do you ever hear any of them quoting the passage where Jesus talks about how you should go in secret and hide in a closet or some such private place when you pray. He recommended AGAINST making a big showy splashy public production out of it.

And there's another thing, that's not written but I bet it's possible, just considering demographics and laws of averages and the ongoing theme in the New Testament of Jesus being inclusive of EVERYBODY, including the poor and downtrodden and shunned. There were 12 apostles, we're told. I have seen studies that suggest the number of gays compared to straights in the general population is thought to be about 1 out of ten. So doesn't it stand to reason that at least one of the 12 original apostles might be gay? Why wouldn't it? Seems like an entirely reasonable speculation to me, just on the basis of sheer numbers. Also seems entirely reasonable to think Jesus would minister to EVERYBODY of every sort, size, shape, color, age, orientation, physical condition, legal status, and belief system, both insiders and outsiders. That sure was what He was always quoted as talking about.

There are SO many things I've learned about Jesus, starting in Catholic school, that run SO contrary to the "teachings" and advocacy of those who claim to have an exclusive franchise on speaking and interpreting for Him. Maybe that's what the apostle Paul meant by "noisy gongs and clanging cymbals."

[Frustratedlady]

32. This posting also hits the nail on the head.

Both posts point out the points of contention to me by some of my "Christian" friends who continually post comments about their dedication to Jesus and how prayer heals everything. I figure that if you have to constantly announce you are a Christian, you must not be too sure. I swear they must wear knee pads, they are on them so much.

My hackles are raised when they post that God will answer all your prayers, including those asking for wealth or at least enough to pay your bills. Then, they weep when one of their relatives/friends inherit a large sum of money/property.

I say God helps those who help themselves.

What Nance may not have covered, you did so eloquently. Thank you.

[vlyons]

42. They also don't seem to remember the parable of the Good Samaritan

You know the guy who healed, fed, and housed the man beaten and robbed by thieves on the road. The rabbis and priests just walked by the guy and never paid him any mind, but the Samaritan felt compassion and helped him out. The dirty and unclean Samaritans were despised by the ever-so squeaky clean Jews. Samaritans, in case you didn't know, were the wrong religion, wrong tribe, wrong race, wrong livilihoods, and ate all the wrong foods (pork).

The Republicans say they don't want any safety nets because it makes people "dependent." But really, they don't want their precious dollars to go to the people they despise. But the truth is, we are all dependent on one another and have been since the day we were born. We are dependent on parents, husbands, wives, schools, roads, jobs, farmers, factory workers, first-responders, and people all around the world. Actually all of us are what Buddhiists call "dependent arisings" because we are all dependent on causes and conditions.

[calimary]

57. Yep. Totally. The shunned. And the outsiders.

The Samaritan was of the group that the "good" Jews hated and snubbed and looked down upon. Yet Jesus lifted one of them up and singled him out as the true good example here.

There are tons of examples that can be found in the New Testament to reinforce this message. Tons! Almost too many to remember at once. Kinda indicates where Jesus's mindset was, does it not? Seems pretty doggone obvious to me. If there's one thing Jesus was, He was consistent.

[vlyons]

60. Yes, loving kindness and compassion are built into our human nature

if we choose to cultivate it and nurture it. And then, we have to actually actualize thoughts of compassion and loving kindness in the world. The RW fundies are focused on punishing sinners, but forgiveness -- eh, not so much. They come across to me as self-righteous and judgemental -- and there's plenty of Jesus parables about not judging (stoning the adultress) and self-righteousness (don't pray in public.

[rufus dog]

25. Well done

In both your writing style and burning his ass.

[Jamaal510]

26. Christianity is

just a tool that Mike "Huggybear" Huckabee et al use and misinterpret to rile people up. People like him are phonies, and going back to what you said at the end of your post, it's interesting yet sad how even some non-religious people interpret the teachings more accurately than so-called "conservative Christians". RW "Christians" are a disgrace and are doing their damndest to turn people off.

[Enthusiast]

28. We know "The Huckster" picks the biblical passages that support his views.

He ignores the others.

[NanceGreggs]

29. True.

But when it comes to homosexuality, he "picks" the passages that simply do not exist.

[Enthusiast]

30. Exactly.

[TBF]

48. He's ignoring an awful lot -

If you go through the books of Proverbs, Psalms, Matthew, Luke, James - it is not just a verse or two. He's ignoring hundreds of versus about helping the poor (old testament) and caring for the sick (new testament).

These were not simply footnotes - if you believe the story of Jesus (whether divine or not) it is very clear that the large part of his work was helping the poor, sick, and otherwise down trodden. I don't know how someone who has actually read the bible can misinterpret this.

[Enthusiast]

53. I agree 100%. I don't think it's a matter of misinterpretation.

I think they interpret the bible based on what they want to believe and what they want to push as a biblical truth/meme. Christ's central theme was helping the poor, sick, and otherwise down trodden. Christ also seemed to have a thing against the accumulation of wealth, wealth that should be used to help the less fortunate. In my mind this is perfectly clear.

[NewJeffCT]

68. Cafeteria Christianity

Pick & Choose which aspects you want to follow.

[Enthusiast]

70. Seems to be a common enough affliction.

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[chillfactor]

31. great post!

thank you....so many "Christians" spout crap but never follow God's teaching.....Huckabee a very good example....loved your letter..you hit the nail on the head!

[nolabear]

33. Hallelujah and amen.

[Frustratedlady]

34. Thank you for your great writing.

Huckabee certainly needs a few lessons/reminders on how to comfort and help humanity when working in His name.

While becoming more and more familiar with his list of "friends" and their personal goals/habits, I don't think his choices speak highly of him, either. I'm thinking Nugent, Duggars, Norris and their ilk.

Oh, and did you cover vanity? He seems to ooze, excessively.

[quickesst]

35. I like it

No, I really, REALLY like it! Big K&R

[3catwoman3]

36. Out...

...standing. Absolutely outstanding!

[Cha]

37. Beautifully said, Nance.. I especially like the last part.. I remember reading years ago about Jesus

warning the people that there will be those who would pretend to speak in his name.

Matthew 24:11,24 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many…

"Oh, and just by the way – while remaining completely mute on the topic of homosexuality, Christ had quite a few choice comments about those who would mislead the faithful by pretending to speak in His name. You might want to take a really close look at those particular passages. It’s almost as though he had you in mind when he warned his followers about those who would spew utter bullshit under the guise of speaking on His behalf. It was like He was downright prescient, that Christ guy – able to foresee the likes of you and your fellow “Christians”, over 2,000 years before the fact, speaking out against everything He exemplified, while pretending to do so on His behalf."

Huckster and all these "religious" haters are the most sacrilegious anti-Christ entities on the Planet and sure enough they have followers, who for some reason just eat up being deceived in the name of hatin' .

[eridani]

39. Hucketer and all the other fundies "believe in" the Bible--they don't actually read it n/t

[lamp_shade]

40. Nance...

[Surya Gayatri]

41. K & R

[Betty Karlson]

43. Beautiful.

My Calvinist heart sang with joy, reading that open letter.

[raouldukelives]

44. K&R Great stuff!

Amazing Grace. Coming to grips with the knowledge one is making others lives worse, not better. That ones actions today will lead to the continuation and most likely, harsher further suffering for many innocent and beautiful lives.

I'd say a hell of a lot of people could use some of that grace, no matter the faith.

This world is being turned into a hot mess, greed and power obsessed maniacs like Huckabee are leading the charge.

[DhhD]

45. Lets keep in mind some more examples from Hucksters that are sitting in Congress.

Many will remember that the food program for the needy was reduced by hucksters in Congress to move the money on the Farm Bill away from children and over to Billionaire Bid Agricultural corporations-Big Ag. After they got a lot of jeering from Americans, Congress made another law saying that it was illegal to tell/disclose to the public the names of the Big Ag corporations that received that funding. Many receiving the subsidies funding were Congressional members stealing from the mouths of hungry children by voting to move the money to fellow Republicans and to themselves.

Several articles were out before the non-disclosure law took effect.

http://www.ewg.org/release/members-congress-received-238k-farm-subsidies

http://lubbockonline.com/election/2014-02-11/local-democrats-claim-farm-bill-bad-west-texas#.VY_1EdpFCvE

Huckabee, Seems like God is punishing America for allowing the present people to be elected in to power. Adding another one like you would only make Him madder.

[Gore1FL]

46. The Jesus Wept tweet from him is from 8:28 AM - 26 Jun 2013

It's just making the rounds again.

https://twitter.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/349911972378181632

[ctsnowman]

47. Excellent!

[Fritz Walter]

49. Nicely done, ma'am!

It would be way cool if this were published on the Op-Ed page of the daily newspaper in Little Rock! You would probably have to tone down the nickname, Huckster, to get the letter accepted, but it would be worth the effort.

[tavalon]

50. Thank you, Nance

Hugs.

[obietiger]

51. Excellent post

There are so many people that should read this post. It should be printed in the "letters to the editor" section of many papers.

[mcar]

52. K&R

Huckabee is a hypocrite.

[onecent]

54. Excellent Post!!!

[msanthrope]

56. Huckabee raised a dog killer. Mote, eye, beam, and all that.....

http://www.snopes.com/politics/politicians/huckabeedog.asp

[TNNurse]

58. Wonderful words and excellent points

If Huckabee answers you, I hope you will share. I would enjoy knowing what he thinks his "Christian government" should be doing.

What a selfish, egotistical phony he is.

[MyOwnPeace]

69. "If Huckabee answers..."

(Sorry, no disrespect meant - but, really, you would/could expect a reasonable, rational response?)

[TNNurse]

71. No, just a response....reasonable and rational do not apply to him.

I thought he might try to make his point. He has a pretty big ego.

[ismnotwasm]

59. K&R

[Hekate]

61. Nance!!!!

[Iliyah]

62. K & R

I am a Christian and what these GOPs are doing and saying is totally against the teachings of JC.

[Politicub]

63. K&R

[LiberalLovinLug]

64. Great piece Nance!

I would LOVE some brave reporter to actually confront this charlatan with similar questions.

[hobgoblin]

65. Huckster Letter

Very well written. You summarized every talking point I have thought about. The fundamentalist's hypocrisy is blatantly obvious in their feverish rants!

[BumRushDaShow]

66. Big K&R

[EEO]

67. Awesome.

[asjr]

72. NanceGreggs----This is absolutely brilliant!

[Dont call me Shirley]

74. Jesus weeps for you, Mike. It was for you he uttered the words "Forgive them, they know not

what they do".

[madokie]

75. I was practically raised in church

so even though I no longer am a believer for 53 years now I still live my life as if I believed every word of the Bible or rather the ten commandments. A lot more can be said for me than most of the so called Christians in my community.


As a side note. I have been screwed over many more times by people who claimed to be Christian than other non believers like me, hundreds of times actually. And that is a Fact

[gademocrat7]

76. K&R!

[Lady Freedom Returns]

77. You need to use shorter words for him to understand...

and it needs to be written in crayon and accompanied with a pacifier.

[sheshe2]

78. KnR

Thank you Nance.

[Bobbie Jo]

79. K&R!!

Amen, and amen.

[Martin Eden]

80. There is a real assault against Christianity going on here.

The attackers are Huckster and others of his ilk who are giving Christianity a bad name by invoking Christ's name to support ideologies and behaviors that Jesus Christ would condemn as inherently abhorrent and entirely against his teachings.
K&R -- Great Letter!

[Ikonoklast]

81. I remember that Jesus guy telling a rich young man to sell all he had and follow him.

Bu the rich young man turned away ,crying, because he had a great many possessions.

Huckabee loves money and fame more than he loves Jesus.