(Alberto) Gonzales says religious freedoms a priority

[NashVegas]

Saying the government has not always paid enough attention to religious discrimination, the country's top law enforcement official picked a gathering of Southern Baptist leaders in Nashville on Tuesday to announce a renewed push to protect religious freedoms.

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced the establishment of a new Religious Freedom Task Force and stepped up enforcement efforts.

...

The Department of Justice's "First Freedom Project" will review religious discrimination complaints, hold seminars to educate religious leaders about how to file complaints and launch a Web site with information on religious liberty laws, Gonzales said.

Local civil libertarians greeted the announcement with skepticism. If the First Freedom Project was meant to protect the religious freedoms of all Americans, why was it announced only to a room full of Southern Baptists, asked Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the Tennessee branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070221/NEWS06/702210460/0/BUSINESS01

[wakeme2008]

1. Anthrax killers,,,, bin Forgotten....

Hey asshole what about these killers.. :grr:

[Debau2005]

2. I tend to agree with Hedy Weinberg!

I doubt that they mean religious freedom for ALL religions, just the ones they deem acceptable.

[Sherman A1]

7. Agreed

[Kutjara]

3. Sure, religious freedom is always a priority for Repugs.

As long as the religion is Christianity, and a particularly twisted form of it at that.

The one thing that's never a priority is freedom from religion.

[hobbit709]

5. Agreed!

As I've told some thumper types just to watch their heads explode.
"I don't care if your religion believes in human sacrifice as long as you find a willing volunteer out of your own ranks"

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. There are a number of ways to mount a revolution.

They went after our property laws in a very tricky manner, using the courts and cases of humble homeowners. And before you knew it, corporations had the right to do just about anything they wanted.

Now they'll do the same with our government offices and public schools. They'll use humble cases in the courts to open the door for massive change.

[brentspeak]

4. Because as we all know, Americans have never been allowed to practice their faith w/out persecution

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[C_U_L8R]

6. Equally, Freedom FROM religion is vital

I'm sick and tired of some pinhead trying to enforce their idea
of religion and morality upon other people... whether they're
chistian fundamentalist, muslim fundamentalist, moonie,
quaker, baptist, protestant, jewish, buddhist, etc...

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. Oh goody!

Does this mean that they will be investigating fundies who "witness" to you all the time--and then fire you if you don't go along with them?

[Solly Mack]

9. The Torture Czar now wants to focus on protecting the religious?

[City Lights]

10. Those poor fundies have been persecuted for, like, evah!

:sarcasm:

I actually had one of my kids' teachers complain to me about how Christians are still persecuted, both here and abroad.

My extremely religious SIL and BIL made a donation in my kids' names to some Christian food bank, even though they know we aren't practicing Christians. The donation was nice, but we would have preferred that they respect our views by making a donation without a Jesus attachment. Now we're on some Jesus list and get preachy mail at least once a week. Everything from any religious organization gets put back in the box, marked, RETURN TO SENDER, but we can't seem to get off their list. Alberto, who do I see about religion-free mail?

[Lasher]

11. Get out the vote 2008

Gotta get them fundies out to vote yet again for the party that gives them lip service and laughs at them behind their backs.

[formercia]

12. Making sure his Opus Dei and Knights of Malta buddies are safe

from prosecution for treason.

[Bridget Burke]

30. Gonzalez made this announcement at a Southern Baptist meeting....

I'm sure those Bible Thumpers are just as haunted by the Threat of the Knights of Malta as you are.

[formercia]

31. At the end

they want total control.

[Bridget Burke]

38. Yeah, the Knights of Malta are out to get us!

(Booga booga)

[formercia]

39. I come from a Crusader family

My father was a Knight of Malta. I know how dangerous they are.

Their dirty wars in Central and South America are a good example of their MO. It could very well happen here too.

Perhaps you prefer the Holy Roman Empire to a democratic government.

[Bridget Burke]

40. Gosh, that sounds interesting!

I'd love to hear more.

[formercia]

41. I think you shold do your own research

you obviously don't think much of mine.

[Bridget Burke]

42. Well, you haven't shown any of your research....

You've just hinted at secret knowledge, since you're from a Crusader family.

I doubt you mean these Knights of Malta: www.knightsofmalta.ca/

This group could pass for Rotarians; their Sinister Plot is cleverly concealed: www.smom.org/

These guys go in for more pomp & circumstance; they remind me of the Society for Creative Anachronism: http://www.knightsofmalta.org/

Here, we find out about the Knights of Malta that's linked to the Orange Order. Apparently, they're really Popish Plotters; that "Orange" stuff is just a pretense. www.nireland.com/evangelicaltruth/malta.html

From there, the sites become increasingly weirder, linking the Knights to the Illuminati, the Jesuits, the Freemasons, etc.

[formercia]

45. Something to read up on:

Those who do not learn from history........


The beginninggs of the Vietnam War(also known as Spellman's War)

http://www.mosquitonet.com/~prewett/caqsmom25.3.html

In 1953 Catholic fanatic Clare Boothe Luce < wife of Henry Luce ..... JP > became U.S. Ambassador to Rome, and was made a Dame of Malta in 1956. In 1954, with the backing of Cardinal Spellman and the machinations of General Edward G. Lansdale, the Catholic Ngo Dinh Diem became Prime Minister of South Vietnam.

< Henry Luce, publisher of Time and Life magazines, was closely associated with Cardinal Spellman. See picture of Cardinal Spellman, Henry Luce and Ngo Diem in Luce and His Empire by Swanberg, published by Scribner ..... JP >

--snip--

By November 1961, President Kennedy 16 appointed John McCone as Director of the CIA. In 1963, when it became clear Diem could no longer stay in power in South Vietnam, McCone oversaw his regrettably necessary assassination. McCone is listed as a member of SMOM in the 1980 list.17

With McCone heading the CIA and Angleton as his Chief of Counterintelligence, another Knight of Malta of fascist fame, Italian General Giovani De Lorenzo, who had been the chief of the secret service (then known as Sifar) and in 1962 head of the carabinieri, organized an attempted fascist coup on July 14, 1964 (the Plan Solo) and later became a deputy from the fascist MSI party.18

Six and a half years later, on the night of December 7, 1970 Angleton's Prince Borghese gave the order for Stefano delle Chiaie to proceed with seizure of the Interior Ministry in Rome along with 50 fellow neo-Nazis. (See A Killer's Career, in this issue; and see The Fascist Network, in CAIB, Number 22.) This plot to trigger a fascist coup was called off at the last minute, and Borghese and his neo-Nazi protege delle Chiaie fled to Spain where former SS Commando Skorzeny among others was waiting. 19

SMOM and P-2

Freemasonry generally purports to be hostile to Catholicism, and conversely, the Vatican has at various times forbidden Catholics to join Masonic organizations. Nevertheless, in December of 1969 an exclusive meeting was held in the Rome office of Count Umberto Ortolani, the Ambassador of the Order of Malta to Uruguay, who has been called "the brains" behind the fascist P-2 Masonic Lodge, which had been established in the mid-1960s.20 In addition to Ortolani, the meeting included only Licio Gelli, Roberto Calvi, and Michele Sindona.21

Gelli had fought for Franco (who was himself a Bailiff Grand Cross of SMOM) with Mussolini's troops during the Spanish Civil War. He was a committed fascist during WW II and at the end of the war was wanted by the partisans for collaborating with the Nazis. After the war he developed extensive interests in Latin America where he became close friends with the Argentinean dictator Juan Peron; he was also the Grand Master of P-2.22

Calvi had fought on the Eastern front during the war and was decorated by the Nazis. At the time of the 1969 meeting he was a senior officer at Banco Ambrosiano.

Sindona had set up business in 1943 with the help of Vito Genovese, whose Mafia contacts facilitated the American landing on Sicily. By 1948 Sindona had received a letter of introduction to Vatican intelligence operative Montini .

[formercia]

46. Knights of Darkness

http://www.mosquitonet.com/~prewett/caqsmom25.1.html

[Ian David]

13. This is not going to end well. Gonzales wants to impose Pentecostal Xianity on us all. n/t

[Ian David]

14. See related thread; Unholy Orders: The Army Maneuvers Its Way Around Religious Liberty

Unholy Orders: The Army Maneuvers Its Way Around Religious Liberty
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=226&topic_id=5349&mesg_id=5349

[mac56]

16. Pander, pander, pander.

Because of course those Southern Baptists are SOOOOO discriminated against, ain't they?! :sarcasm:

[no_hypocrisy]

17. Wiccans. Native Americans. Satanists. Pagans. Religious Humanists.

I don't suppose this law is designed to protect THEIR religious freedoms, huh?

And don't be surprised if Establishment Clause cases that contest government endorsement of religion will be cloaked as discrimination against religious expression and freedom (Free Exercise Clause).

[Beetwasher]

18. Translation: Xtians Are NOT Free To RAM XTIANITY DOWN EVERYONE'S THROATS

Gonzalez will attempt to "fix" that little oversight. "What? You mean I'm not allowed to force you to pray to my god? YOU'RE OPRESSING ME!! I demand my religious freedom!"

[MilesColtrane]

19. "Gonzales says religious freedoms a priority"

Translation: You may scream, and cry out to any god you wish as we are beating you in the kidneys and waterboarding you.

[Vidar]

20. "Nobody expects the Grand Inquisition."

[Az_lefty]

21. Lets start with Gay marriage being blessed by God and recognized by the State.

After all, if the State (Gov) refuses to recognize Gay marriage are they not engaging in religious discrimination? I realize this is a stretch but maybe the ACLU can make a case of this.

[Tempest]

22. Does this mea Pagans will finally get recognition?

And their symbol on the headstones of those who died in Iraq?

[Marrah_G]

25. Not during this administration.

[bemildred]

23. Gonzales supports our freedom to do what we are told to do.

:puke:

[Javaman]

24. To quote Animal Farm, "some are more equal than others". nt

[Pastiche423]

34. All animals...

[Strathos]

26. Nothing will stop these people

History is repeating and not one motherfucker is willing to do anything about it. They want this country to be defined by their religion and anyone in the way will get the smack down.

Why don't we have people more outraged about this? Why aren't lawyers and politicians going to court making sure these people stay in their place.

How brainwashed do you have to be think you are the most perfect example and everyone should follow along?

Why aren't the Christians that believe in liberal values standing up and revolting?

[guruoo]

27. J. Brent Walker dispells 'top ten lies regarding church and state'

Updated Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007
Walker dispels 'lies' about church-state separation
By Tony W. Cartledge
BR Editor

<snip>

Walker took issue with what he called a "whopper," the commonly expressed belief that the United States is "a Christian nation." That might be true in a sociological sense, he said, since about 75 percent of the population claim some affiliation with Christianity, but it is not true in any legal or political sense.

"The founders thought religion was important to good government, but did not intend to set up a state religion," Walker said.

The same Constitution that refuses to privilege any religion protects all religions, he said.

"We have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion" is a common statement. That is misleading, Walker said, because "We have both. If we don't have both, then we have neither. Forced religion is simply a violation of conscience, not a voluntary response to the divine."

We don't have the freedom from allowing others to express their religious beliefs, he said, but we do have the right to insist on freedom from state sponsored religion.

<snip>

More:
http://www.biblicalrecorder.org/content/news/2007/02_13_2007/ne130207walker.shtml

[enki23]

28. as an atheist, i just ask for this one respect:

you can even be free to put up your religious icons and other bullshit in public places, with only one requirement. every one that goes up has to be accompanied by equally religious symbols of not less than three (3) other major religions, for a total of four. At least two of these icons or sacred writings must be contradictory. for example, an image of jesus christ might be paired with an image of kali, or zeus. bible passages about the central importance and divinity of jesus christ might be paired with passages calling for the death of all who worship anyone but the true god allah. (contradictory religious icons from the same religion as the one being placed can be counted as one of the three other major religions, reducing the requirement to three total religions.)

and every display of religious icons or writings on public property must likewise include a simple plaque stating "There is no god," or a quote from a respected public figure to the same effect.

[Zhade]

29. Bah, your last suggestion would play right into their hands.

Atheism is not a religion; I don't support anything that would give morons a chance to falsely claim it is.

[IndianaGreen]

32. Religious freedom? My rabbi wants to marry gay couples but he is prevented

from doing so by Christians imposing their bigotry on our faith.

[SemperEadem]

33. Whose religious freedoms? Atheists?

Wiccans? Pagans? Buddhists? Hindus? Earth religions? Certainly not Christians, who have not been persecuted for their religion since Constantine.

[Trillo]

35. Good. First step then:

Get citizens' tax monies out of funding any religious activities whatsoever. Let the citizens for themselves decide where their charity dollars should go.

[mitchum]

36. Damn! Who pissed in their baptismal pools?

Pandering piece of shit

[MadMaddie]

37. How about this...if these Religious organizations want to particpate

in government then they can LOSE their "TAX EXEMPT" status. You see once they start paying those taxes on the millions they are making...they will decide not to to participate in politics.


Seriously, can Alberto Gonzalez be tried for "Treason". What he is suggesting will do direct damage the the Constitution.


Why is he not looking for the "McVeighs and Terri Nicols" in the US?

[knight_of_the_star]

43. Bull

Since when are Christians persecuted in this country? Since when are they fired, harassed, denied housing, or other such things? Oh wait, that's PAGANS we're talking about there, all the Wiccans and Druids and Heathens and everyone else.

[kestrel91316]

44. He's not saying, but we all know he only means fundamentalist

Christian freedoms.

No way in hell he means liberal Christian freedoms, or Muslim freedoms, or Wiccan freedoms, or Buddhist freedoms, or certainly agnostic or atheist freedoms. Or Satanist.

*****WE ARE NONE OF US FREE UNLESS ALL OF US ARE FREE******

[superconnected]

47. Two years ago I had a right wing nutcase for a boss for a year

He would psychotically rant everyday about how liberals were from satan and destroying America and Christianity.

You can bet this propaganda with hit it's target base, and they'll go out and vote for the next Christo-facist that comes along.

[HuffleClaw]

48. and of course only CHRISTIANS need apply

what a joke