XPost: az.general, az.politics, or.politics   
   From: mrmcafee@cox.net   
      
   Larry in AZ wrote:   
   > Waiving the right to remain silent, Don Homuth    
   > said:   
   >   
   >   
   >>On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:51:39 GMT, Larry in AZ   
   >> wrote:   
   >>   
   >>   
   >>>Lefties give way too much credence to the far-right "Rapture" thing.   
   >>   
   >>Credence?  No.  More time discussing it than it deserves?  Arguable in   
   >>any case.   
   >>   
   >>The whole Rapture thing is non-scriptural in the first place.   
   >>   
   >>But the RRR types do so like to go on about it, mostly as a means of   
   >>suggesting to the non-RRR types that they should be afraid of   
   >>something.   
   >>   
   >>But it's all just part of the game.   
   >   
   >   
   > Well, in everyday life, I hear nothing of it.  Until a leftie brings it up...   
      
   But you are not a "born again" fundamentalist Christian. If you were,   
   you would hear something on this or similar topics every day, several   
   times a day. If you got your entertainment from evangelical TV   
   preachers, or radio preachers, you couldn't escape such topics. It is   
   just like you not being a Communist, Larry. Not being a Communist means   
   that you don't get to hear discussion about communism, or the class   
   struggle, or the nature of the true "communist man" on a routine basis.   
   Being a right winger, you do get to hear discussions about fascism   
   (falsely described as being communism), but even that discussion is in   
   decline since "communist" nations no longer threaten the US in any major   
   way.   
      
   Just because you don't participate in fundamentalist Christian   
   discussions doesn't mean that they are not occurring. The "Religious"   
   Right's power in the Bush Administration is tremendously increased over   
   other Administrations; even other Republican Administrations. "Faith   
   Based" charitable efforts funded by government, foreign aid especially   
   in AIDS relief and birth control efforts, stem cell research policies,   
   education in the sciences, etc., etc., etc.. When you add in the results   
   of vigorous and talented campaigning for right wing candidates that the   
   "Fundies" have been able to mount, you see their impact in the most   
   dramatic fashion. Take a look at the last state House of Representatives   
   race in District 21. Our Democratic candidate lost by less that 900   
   votes. That is in a district of over 127000 registered voters where   
   Republicans out number Democrats by 23749 voters and in an election that   
   saw a 66% voter turnout. Clearly the Democratic candidate (Phil   
   Hettmansperger) out performed his registration numbers by an incredible   
   margin. The message should have been clear: the voters of District 21,   
   Democrats, Republicans, and "Others" alike, wanted a change in Phoenix.   
   Except for one thing. Phil's opponent is a White, Mormon, male like so   
   many of his fellow politicians from the East Valley. He is deeply   
   involved in the "Right to Life" movement, and is a "leader in his   
   church". The fundies came out in droves to support him because he was in   
   trouble in what should be considered a "safe" district. All I need do is   
   point to the recent headlines that Warde Nichols has generated from his   
   "Homeland Security and Property Rights" Committee chair to make my point   
   about the impact of the "Religious" Right on politics.   
   >   
      
   --   
   *******************   
     Michael R. McAfee   
         Mesa, AZ   
   *******************   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)