The Common Voice, May 6, 2004

The Shia Republicans are stirring. Who are the Shia Republicans? These are the folks who believe that we should nuke Fallujah and turn the city full of innocent women and children into a "parking lot" while blaming demonic spirits, Democrats and homosexuals for all that is wrong with our nation. The Shia Republicans believe that public education is part of a larger anti-Christian conspiracy. They believe that God chose Bush to be our President so that he can prepare our nation for the inevitable apocalyptic showdown with Islam. The have declared political jihad in 2004 by painting this election (like it paints everything else) as the battle between Good and Evil.

Their Mecca is on Wade Hampton Blvd. (although not all who reside within its walls are necessarily Republican Shiites), and Pat Robinson and Jerry Falwell are among their most influential Ayatollahs. Shia Republicans make up about 30% of Republican primary voters, and even less of self-described Christians (although it is debatable whether their agenda is Christian at all).

Although many of their activities are out of public view, sometimes the call to arms is overt such as when Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin said "I KNEW that my God was bigger than his," when referring to his Muslim opponent. Boykin made other derogatory remarks about Islam, and in no uncertain terms saw the War on Terror as a religious war. Shia Republicans believe we are in the last days and that Armageddon is right around the corner.

Locally, the Shia Republicans in Greenville are fighting off the infidel Republican insurgents. Scott Case, the poster-boy for Shia Republicans, is casting aspersions and spreading malicious rumors about his newly converted Republican challenger, Hayne Hipp. Cleric Case, who used his position in government to condemn homosexuals in the mid-90s, does not believe that Martin Luther King, Jr. is righteous enough to have a holiday. Just watch ... as Hipp becomes more credible Cleric Case will engage in his own brand of political Jihad, and it will be ugly. The Republican Shiites are ruthless.

Watch Bush bring Shia Republicans to a rabid boil by promoting Sen. John Kerry as a U.N. loving-internationalist who will bring about One-World government. Since Shia Republicans tend to believe the Catholic Church is a tool of Satan, Kerry’s religious beliefs count against him. Shia Republicans believe that liberal Democrats like Sen. Kerry are simply paving the way for the anti-Christ ... no doubt himself a Democrat. Bush ruthlessly attacks the character of the Democratic Presidential nominee while at the same time Bush identifies Jesus his favorite philosopher. I would like to know in which verse Jesus attempted to defame his opponents. Didn’t he teach us to "love your enemies"? Shia Republicans love their enemies like they love homosexuals.

Shia Republicans also tend to be mixed in with those who are committed to erecting graven images in public buildings that declare "thou shall have not other gods before Me." Mullah Roy Moore was in Greenville Friday stirring up the Shia Republicans and promoting the First Commandment at the expense of the First Amendment. The Shia Republican are so deceptive that they often deceive even themselves but it is clear that real agenda is to establish a theocratic democracy in which their brand of Christian doctrine becomes government policy.

Libertarian and "mainstream" Republicans who move to South Carolina from other parts of the country are surprised at the unique brand of Republicanism on display in Greenville County and other parts of the state. Yeah, Republican Shiites are active all over the country. However, it is undeniable that that the Upstate is a hot-bed of these Shia Republicans. In an unholy alliance, many of the more ideological proponents of free markets and small government accept the Shia Republicans’ social demands as the price for power.

However, many moderates and independents are unwilling to make such a significant compromise to the extreme right. The Southern wing of the Democratic Party offers a balanced and progressive alternative. We strive for a better South Carolina and a tolerant and open society. Our public values are expressed in balanced budgets, fair trade, and economic security. Finally, we are committed to homeland security, but once again believe in a balanced approach that does not sacrifice freedom and international law in pursuit of some apocalyptic vision of our future.

To those moderates and independents considering such an alliance with the Republican Shiites, I would simply ask: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but lose his soul?"