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?"

Reprinted with permission from Falwell Confidential.

Date: May 6, 2004

From: Jerry Falwell

... President Bush is preserving the legacy of his predecessors, declaring Thursday as the National Day of Prayer. In his proclamation, President Bush noted that, in his first Inaugural Address, President George Washington "prayed that the Almighty would preserve the freedom of all Americans."

... Sure, some scoff at our tradition of national prayer, but I believe it is important because it compels all Americans to at least momentarily recognize that this nation has an ongoing practice of reverence and dependence on the Almighty.

... President Bush beautifully stated, "Prayer is an opportunity to praise God for His mighty works, His gift of freedom, His mercy, and His boundless love. Through prayer, we recognize the limits of earthly power and acknowledge the sovereignty of God. According to Scripture, 'the Lord is near to all who call upon Him. ... He also will hear their cry, and save them.' Prayer leads to humility and a grateful heart, and it turns our minds to the needs of others."

... "Yet in recent years, well-meaning Americans in the name of freedom have taken freedom away. For the sake of religious tolerance, they've forbidden religious practice in the classrooms. The law of this land has effectively removed prayer from our classrooms. How can we hope to retain our freedom through the generations if we fail to teach our young that our liberty springs from an abiding faith in our Creator?"

"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"

***before the war, fallujah was a well-fed stronghold of the families of saddam's "honor guard." when the animals massacred 4 innocent Americans, they forfeited their right to live. the most mercy they deserve is 24 hours for all "innocent" men, women and children who did a "dance of death" to clear the fuck out before we nuke it to ashes. fallujah deserves total oblivion for the atrocity committed there. period.



"The Shia Republicans believe that public education is part of a larger anti-Christian conspiracy."

****Bullshit. No conspiracy theory is necessary. Socialist dimocraps have twisted government schools into federally tyrannized indoctrination centers. While capitalist parents bust ass, a bunch of socialist 'teachers' brainwash young minds all day with propaganda straight out of a north vietnamese psy-op manual. with all that 'self-esteem' nonsense going on, no wonder kids graduate high school not being able to read, write, or do math.

"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. "

***Fancy words from a latte sipper. In spite of this outrageous rhetoric, at least Bush & Crew recognize evil EXISTS and fight it while liberals roll over like kicked cocker spaniels.

>>>'teachers' brainwash young minds all day with propaganda straight out of a north vietnamese psy-op manual.

Oh yeah, like instructing the class to say the pledge of allegiance?

MORON.

such as the following: if you work hard you will prosper in the USA, except, of course, if you get laid off, your pension funds get spent by the CEO, you are a person of color breaking his/her back bussing tables, picking fruit or cleaning some yuppie's home, you get serious health problems after your place of employment gets sold and the new boss decides that things like health insurance are frills that get in the way of profits and big executive salaries.

2. Anyone can rise to the top in this country - which is why Carter, Reagan, the two Bushs, Clinton, Kerry, Dole, and Nixon were all rich white guys.

3. The US only goes to war to fight for freedom - except for World War I when it went to war to protect the lucrative armaments trade with Britain, when it provoked Japan into attacking Pearl Harbor in order to smash that nation's attempt to control the markets and raw materials of Asia the way the US controlled those of Latin America, or the recent and ongoing Iraq war, where a nonexistent threat of wmds was used to justify and imperialist grab of that nation' oil.

3. The US opposes terrorism - which is why it supported the Muslim terrorists in Afghanistan before they got nasty and started offing Americans, why it supported Pinochet in Chile, and why it supported the 1966 coup in Indonesia, which may have killed millions.

4.Capitalism, a system in which someone born into a wealthy family is treated like royalty and someone born into poverty gets treated like a sack of manure, and in which people are assured that a war of all against all, with people encouraged to exploit eachother, is the highest state of civlilization humanity can hope to attain and that it all works out for the best for all concerned - presumably including the homeless and those with their legs shot off or dead because of their wonderful experiences in vietnam or Iraq.

There's lots of other nonsense taught, but this is a good sample.

The best workers (slaves) have no self-esteem.

I guess that explains the Marine Corps' training philosophy at Paris Island.

People with no self-esteem put up with abuse, and make the best slaves.

If the workers are demoralized all the time, they won't quit, and even savor their suffering.

Thus, it's important that all raises never be greater than 15 cents an hour, a mere token of appreciation that has no real effect on company profits, or on the paycheck.

Welcome to McDonald's. May I help you find a job?

>>President Bush is preserving the legacy of his predecessors, declaring Thursday as the National Day of Prayer. In his proclamation, President Bush noted that, in his first Inaugural Address, President George Washington "prayed that the Almighty would preserve the freedom of all Americans."

{sic}

>>..in recent years, well-meaning Americans in the name of freedom have taken freedom away. For the sake of religious tolerance, they've forbidden religious practice in the classrooms. The law of this land has effectively removed prayer from our classrooms. How can we hope to retain our freedom through the generations if we fail to teach our young that our liberty springs from an abiding faith in our Creator?"

v_________

Duly noted: if GWB gets back in office in 2004, it would take an act of God to preserve the core underpinnings of the US Constitution.

One of the Constitution's tenets, as we all know, is that all Americans should be afforded the right to freely exercise their religion. Now, I don't know if all the Christians out there realize this (if so, a lot of them are playing dumb), but the amendment does not emphasize the free exercise of Christianity. What it means, among other things, that the deck should not be stacked in any religion's favor at the federal level.

If Christians want their kids taught about God, they should teach it to them as they see fit. If they want funding for Bible youth groups, I'm sure that George W. would gladly help them out with a grant. If they want their kids to learn about God in SCHOOL, on the other hand, the only constitutionally sound way to go about it is to educate all those tykes about religion from an egalitarian platform. This would have to include the following lesson plans:

1. "Today, we're going to learn about how some people call God 'Allah.' Even though they believe in the God who spoke to Moses, just like Christians do, they think that most Christians in America are about as moral and God-fearing as a porn star."

2. "Others think that there is the one Godhead Brahman, yet also believe in Shiva, Kali, Krishna, Ganesh, and many more. Some of those people also believe millennia-old scrolls and oral traditions saying that human beings have an innate power to perceive psychic energy, and can develop other metaphysical abilities also known as 'Siddhis.' Remember the word, kids--you'll be quizzed on it in the morning."

3. "It's time to start our morning worship, kids. Now, worship can mean a lot of different things. Some people today worship Diana, goddess of the moon. Others worship Thoth, Egyptian god of the underworld. Others believe in Odin, the Norse All-Father."

"Hey, fun fact: Wednesday actually means "Odin's Day." More fun facts: half of the days of the week are named after non-Christian gods, and many "Christian" holiday rituals have borrowed elements from pagan rites that were adapted back when Christians were trying to take over the world by assimilating cultures everywhere!"

"Kids, I'm legally bound by federal law to tell you that even though all these different versions of worship may seem strange and confusing, they are no better or worse than holy communion, or the Sabbath."

4. "A number of cultures on earth still believe in ancient worldviews. These people tend to worship animistic forces in nature. A fair number of them occasionally do drugs that make them hallucinate--but these drugs help them to find a power animal, ritualistically heal sick members of the tribe, or pierce the veil between worlds, which is a good thing! Now remember, since we can't judge one religion better than another, we have to take into account that for some cultures, drugs are an important part of daily living… just remember that legally, you can't do most of the drugs that they do. In America, we know that drugs are bad, except for alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, stimulants, depressants, antidepressants, and many other "OK" drugs that people all through America consume on a regular basis."

5. "Some folks don't believe that there is any higher power. Now, these people are just as good as everyone else, kids, even though they may A) go to hell when they die, b) find that mother nature is not in their favor, c) cause their elements to become out of balance, especially air and fire, or d) no longer hear the voices of Brother Coyote and Sister Hawk."

("Ask, and you shall receive...")

The cost of providing such an extensive curriculum would require the US government to cut all its funding for other programs, such as arts and sciences. To fairly teach religion in school, kids would be stuck learning comparative religion for the entire day. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad thing, but it seems a lot simpler just to FOLLOW THE FUCKING CONSTITUTION AND KEEP RELIGION OUT OF SCHOOLS!!!

The only way to give the Christian Right what it wants is to treat the U.S. as a "Christian nation." They want the government to espouse their faith and no one else's. There is just one hitch in their glorious plan: pre-revolutionary America is long gone (at least, for most of us). America is not just a Christian nation; it the product of centuries of cultural intermingling. Considering the diversity of this nation's populace, any policy that favors Christianity over other faiths is a policy of apartheid. On this score, I speak for Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Pagans, Christians, and everyone else in the U.S. who believes in the fundamental efficacy of the First Amendment.

http://www.csp.org/index.html

http://www.digiserve.com/mystic/

>>"When the animals massacred 4 innocent Americans, they forfeited their right to live. the most mercy they deserve is 24 hours for all "innocent" men, women and children who did a "dance of death" to clear the fuck out before we nuke it to ashes."

Should we mete out this same "justice: to everyone who worked at the CIA-funded School of Americas, training the leaders of death squads that killed and tortured THOUSANDS of people in Central America? Get a little perspective, for Ganesh's sake.