Fiat Lux

By way of the DNC Blog

Democrats
Believe capturing the person primarily responsible for the attack should be a top priority.

Republicans
It’s been four years, and Osama bin Laden is still free, even though Bush’s CIA chief says he knows where he is.

Democrats
Investigate the intelligence failures that led to 9/11.

Republicans
Do everything in their power to block the 9/11 Commission from doing its work.

Democrats
Propose creating the Department of Homeland Security.

Republicans
Push tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Democrats
Believe we should have stayed the course in Afghanistan, not allowing the Taliban to resurge, the warlords to take power, and the opium trade to skyrocket.

Republicans
Ignore Afghanistan as the situation worsens.

Democrats
Believe that we should be honest with our troops about the reasons we go to war, give them everything they need to be safe, and make sure we go in with an exit plan.

Republicans
Manipulate intelligence to trump up reasons to go to war, don’t give our troops the support they need, constantly mislead the public about the direction the war is going, and fail to make an exit plan.

What the hell were the so-called ‘liberal justices’ on SCOTUS thinking?

A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people’s homes and businesses against their will for private development

I understand the general concept that there are times when a government can seize private land for public projects. I’m not thrilled with it, but I think there are cases when it can be justified. However,

“Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random,” O’Connor wrote. “The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms.”

So Justice O’Connor warns us. She is right. How long will it be until Wal-Mart starts leaning on local governments to condemn choice pieces of real estate for minimal compensation because of the jobs they will bring to a town?

Taken as a whole, the various Christian faiths comprise the vast majority of Americans today (77%, according to this source). Yet like manipulative children who cry “You don’t love me!” to try to guilt Mommy into giving them yet another piece of candy, various US politicians like to try to pretend that American Christians are nothing more than another embattled minority. For example:

During a debate today surrounding an amendment by Rep. David Obey (D-WI) to fully examine allegations of proselytizing and religious intolerance at the United States Air Force Academy, six-term Republican Rep. John Hostettler (IN) rose to assert that “Democrats can’t help denigrating and demonizing Christians.” Rep. Obey, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, interrupted Hostettler’s deeply disturbing remarks and demanded that they be formally retracted; Hostettler ultimately agreed to retract one sentence from his diatribe.

Earlier in his remarks, Hostettler discussed the drive by Democrats to erase every “vestige” of Christianity from America; he also prefaced his remarks by noting that “The long war on Christianity today continues on the floor of the House of Representatives.” During a meeting of the House Armed Services Committee on May 18th, while debating a similar amendment by Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), Hostettler referred to “the mythical wall separation (sic) between church and state that’s been erected by the courts.”

It’s insulting and infuriating to watch. These overprivileged asshats have never in their lives known what it’s like to really be a member of a minority. They’ve never experienced discrimination or been demonized the way actual minorities have been. Their combination of ignorance and arrogance is astounding.

People like Rep. Hostettler need a good bitchslapping with the wet towel of reality. But these days, the likelihood of that happening is next to none.