Bill Frist's Religious War -NYT Editorial

[Rose Siding]

Right-wing Christian groups and the Republican politicians they bankroll have done much since the last election to impose their particular religious views on all Americans. But nothing comes close to the shameful declaration of religious war by Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, over the selection of judges for federal courts.

Senator Frist is to appear on a telecast sponsored by the Family Research Council, which styles itself a religious organization but is really just another Washington lobbying concern. The message is that the Democrats who oppose a tiny handful of President Bush's judicial nominations are conducting an assault "against people of faith." By that, Senator Frist and his allies do not mean people of all faiths, only those of their faith.

It is one thing when private groups foment this kind of intolerance. It is another thing entirely when it's done by the highest-ranking member of the United States Senate, who swore on the Bible to uphold a Constitution that forbids the imposition of religious views on Americans. Unfortunately, Senator Frist and his allies are willing to break down the rules to push through their agenda - in this case, by creating what the senator knows is a false connection between religion and the debate about judges.

Senator Frist and his backers want to take away the sole tool Democrats have for resisting the appointment of unqualified judges: the filibuster. This is not about a majority or even a significant number of Bush nominees; it's about a handful with fringe views or shaky qualifications. But Senator Frist is determined to get judges on the federal bench who are loyal to the Republican fringe and, he hopes, would accept a theocratic test on decisions......

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/16/opinion/16sat1.html?incamp=article_popular_1

[raysr]

1. The Times

just now waking up to the fact that the people they've been applauding for 5 years are out to destroy the country?

[Fire Walk With Me]

13. Maybe they always take the winning side

and can tell which way the wind is gonna blow, and keep blowing??

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Strange, isn't it, that the very people who decry "political correctness,"

which they consider to be solely a liberal vice, are obsessed with ensuring we all adhere to the requisite (to them) level of religious correctness?

[Coastie for Truth]

3. I Am Not a Christian - But I am a Better Christian Then Frist

Why Am I A Better Christian Then Bill Frist?

Let’s get the preliminaries out of the way.

1) I do not accept Jesus Christ as my Savior.
2) I do not believe Jesus Christ died for my sins.
3) I do not believe in Immaculate Conception
4) I do not believe in the Virgin Birth
5) I do not believe in the Transubstantiation of the Host into the Body and Blood of Christ
6) I have not been baptized.
7) I am ineligible to take Communion.
8) I do not believe in the physical resurrection of the dead. (virtual reality maybe)
9) I do not believe in a physical Heaven or Hell. (virtual reality maybe)
10) I have not been Born Again.
11) I do not believe in the literal meaning of Scripture.

I do subscribe to the Beatitudes:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye when shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in (virtual reality) heaven.

I believe in the Ten Commandments

I. I am the Lord your God, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery"
II. "You shall have no other gods but me"

III. "You shall not take the name of your Lord in vain"

IV. "You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy"

V. "Honor your father and mother"

VI. "You shall not murder"

VII. "You shall not commit adultery"

VIII. "You shall not steal"

IX. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor"

X. "You shall not covet your neighbor's goods. You shall not covet your neighbour's house. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his bull, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour's."

Let’s get to the meat of it – I AM NOT A CHRISTIAN – But I am still a better Christian then Bill Frist.

I spent the last three Christmases and Christmas Eves providing emergency services to families who had lost their homes to disasters. Temporary housing, food, clothing, interfacing with insurance companies and landlords, etc.

This year – for the week before Easter and the week after Easter, I lived in a shelter with the newly homeless. These were families who had lost their homes to a catastrophic general alarm fire. Living in their disaster shelter, helping them with temporary housing, food, clothing, interfacing with insurance companies and landlords, etc.

Two to four times a month I respond to calls for help to families who had lost their homes to disasters. Temporary housing, food, clothing, interfacing with insurance companies and landlords, etc.

I do not do it to build up a reputation for a run for political office. I am in my 60’s and I am going nowhere politically.

I do not do it for the money. My time is donated. I am semi-retired, and this takes away from my part time job.

I do it because it is right – it is the American way.

I may not be a Christian. But, I am a better Christian then Senator Frist.

[librechik]

4. well said n/t

[ktowntennesseedem]

5. I AM a Christian, but you and I have FAR MORE in common

than Bill Frist and me. I am particularly outraged by Frist, (who happens to be one of the senators from my state, I'm ashamed to say!) because his comments accuse me of having no faith. He has set himself up as judge and jury to determine who has faith and who has none and the last time I checked that particular resposibility was solely God's. It's not my job any more than Bill's, but, in my opinion anyway, you are far more a Christian than that blasphemous hypocrit!

[LevelB]

8. I am a Christian also

and while it is definitely God's responsibility to "sort us out", and not Frist's, it is particularly wrong for him to threaten to use Federal power to do the sorting.

Religious freedom through the separation of church and state is key to our nation.

B.

[ktowntennesseedem]

12. Right on target, LevelB, and welcome!

I'm upset enough at hearing him spout off about who is and who isn't worthy of God's grace and love. But you make a great point that his threats to use the federal govt to back up his rhetoric makes it at least ten-fold worse.

This "old-school" Baptist strongly and unwaiveringly supports church-state separation. But it is time for people of faith and of no faith, who are collectively condemned by Frist, to come together to oppose this divisive and dangerous bag of wind.

[LevelB]

16. I am a Baptist also

It is the Baptist creed to strictly separate church and state. My church voted last month to leave the SBC. Just can't stand it any more.

Dude, where's my denomination?

B.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. This one's for you, Coastie

:toast:

[cornfedyank]

10. kick for better christians

[MurrayDelph]

15. I am a secular Jew

but I have long held out the idea of starting an advertising
campaign that would "Put the Christ Back into Christianity"!

[saltpoint]

6. I read that on the NYTimes Op-Ed this morning and --

-- have since sent it to every person I can think of on earth.

A lot of people in Washington and on Wall Street pick up the NYTimes in the morning, even on Saturdays, and they will see this piece which calls THE CAT BUTCHER to task.

Frist is bad news. He's a smarmy, twisted, pandering snake-oil salesman who wants in the White House and will stoop real, real low to get there.

[BattyDem]

9. I'm glad they pointed this out to people:

Frist "swore on the Bible to uphold a Constitution that forbids the imposition of religious views on Americans."


A man who can't even uphold the oath that he took has no business condemning judges for the way they do their job!



Maybe the Dems should go after Frist on the basis that he violated his oath of office. After all, the Repugs always like to claim the moral high ground, but how is it moral to ignore an oath you took while swearing on the Bible? If he truly believes in the Bible as much as he claims to, that oath would mean everything to him. The Dems need to start pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of these people.

[Beetwasher]

11. President Bush owes it to Americans to stand up and say so.

What the fuck is the times smoking? This editorial is a day late and a dollar short. Nice fucking try NYT, but you know damn well Frist's strings are being yanked by Chimpy (Rove really). You do a disservice by pretending otherwise you pieces of shit.

[rodeodance]

14. It will be cold day in Hell when that happens-Bush has found his prodegy

in Frist.


....President Bush owes it to Americans to stand up and say so.......