Spare Us the Radical Religious Right

                                                                       by
                                                                Lou Hough

At the time citizens of our country were vociferously fighting an Islamic mosque near Ground Zero, This Week on ABC held a town hall meeting to discuss the controversy.  The wife of the religious leader who would head the Islamic Center kept assuring everyone there was no Muslim movement to inflict their religion on American citizens.  Their goals were, according to her, benign.

A Muslim radical who was among the long-distance participants begged to differ.  After dressing her down for not being a proper Muslim woman -- she was in American clothing -- he proceeded to announce his expectations that some day the Muslim flag would be flying over the White House.

Now this, folks, is an extreme example of why our forefathers saw fit to include a separation of church and state in our Sixth Article and First Ammendment of our Constitution.  Many Americans, including some of our current lawmakers, forget that though it may feel good when the controling powers hold the same religious beliefs as yours, it would be quite oppressive if the "wrong" religion was in charge.

Most of us don't want the Talliban and Al Quaeda alive and well and running Washington, D. C.  Neither do we want a minority religious right making life unbearable for us all. 

Few of us have encountered any basic religious sect, denomination or even individual church that doesn't proclaim that they have the one and only "right" answer.  We've all been guilty of religious arrogance whether we are fundamental Christians, Jews, Muslims, Budhists, Hindus, Agnostics or even Atheists.  None of us want anyone else telling us what to believe and, in this country, we have a Constitutional right not to have to live by someone else's religious rules.

Interestingly enough, the very party that claims not to believe in Federal Control and interference is the same "Family Values" party that wants to tell everyone else who they can marry, whether they can choose if they want to have an unplanned baby and whether or not they are sluts and prostitutes just because they want their birth control pills paid for, too. 

Perhaps all of us should question why payment for birth control pills got written into the insurance program in the first place.  Possibly it is part of the preventive care approach which is said to be an important part of the plan.  Whatever the reason, if one group of employees gets to have it, all should get to have it.   Maybe at this point we need to question why Catholic universities and hospitals are hiring non-Catholic employees.  If everyone that works in these institutions is Catholic, one might say that they are used to the heavy hand of a male Pope who has no experience with being pregnant, staying up all night with a screaming baby or, for that matter, making a husband's minimum wage job stretch enough to feed seven or nine kids.  We won't even discuss clothing, sheltering and educating a mob.  But then, Rick Santorum has so-informed us that it is snobbery to want all American children (except his, of course) to have a chance at a college education.

Now, abortion is a more complicated matter.  This author does not believe that she could ever choose to have an abortion.  But this author was never faced with an unwanted or untimely pregnancy.  She does believe, however, in a woman's right to choose.  She is concerned for the health and sanity of the stay-at-home mother with nine children who never gets to see her husband because he works two to three jobs.  This is the same woman who has to count out cookies to make sure each child gets an equal amount.  Then, one of the half dozen or so times a year she has recreational sex with her husband, the rhythm method doesn't work.  She knows full well that nine other children will suffer if the tenth is born.  She knows her husband will have to get another job -- or else she will have to work -- and where will she find forty more hours a week.

There are those who proclaim she should have the baby and adopt it out.  Have they ever been pregnant?  Do they know the wear and tear it makes on the body?  Have they ever had to search the depths of their energy to find strength to waddle up the street and collect a child from a play date?  Would they really be able to carry a child full term and pass it off to someone else?  Probably not, and if they could, they would probably experience a giant, aching emotional hole the rest of their lives.

And, ah, stem cell research -- a much trickier matter yet.  The use of cells from placentas, one's own body or unborn fetuses to develop cures for living, breathing children and adults.  Either way one goes, one is making life and death choices -- one is playing god.  Which is the most unethical decision?  Is it harvesting frozen embryos that will never be born anyway in order to save lives of those already here?  Or is it denying a remarkable living, breathing child a cure from a heinous disease or perhaps a permanent annihilation of cancer or Parkinson's?  What if it is your child?

But never fear.  The radical, religious right is here to tell us all what we should do.  They have the answers for everyone.  They know best.  And they accuse someone else of snobbery?  God, please spare us all.

Sandra Louise Hough,  B. S. in Journalism, SIU-Carbondale, M. A. in Educational Research and Psychology, All But Dissertation, School Psychology, KU, Lawrence, KS

Publications include Changes, a novel, and Food for the Soul:  A Book of Devotional Essays, both published in 2004 by Jamie Carr Publishing.  jamiecarrpub@hotmail.com

Trickle Down Politics -- The View From Main Street

In the early days of the financial meltdown, the media frequently related how the crisis on Wall Street trickled down to Main Street.  Nobody ever seemed to consider whether Main Street could impact Wall Street.  Certainly nobody ever thought to ask the common men--or women--if they could offer advice on finance, or politics, war, or any other national situation.  After all, the people in charge are the most sane, learned and rational individuals around, aren't they?  When "Main Streeters" disagree with "Wall Streeters", at most they can avoid the stock market.  When Voters disagree with their Congressmen, they wait until the next election.  I think a lot of congressmen will see their comeuppance next election.

Wall streeters and politicians seem promptly to forget the basic training of Main Street once they rise to power.  Isn't there some old adage about a manager being someone who has risen to his own level of incompetence?  Well, here is advice from Main Street beamed up to those abusing their power.  Any average low-paid head of household knows what needs to be done. 

Quarreling about the problem solves nothing.

Playing political games with other people's money is inappropriate. (Yes you are.)

Making other family members give up "pork" when you are insisting on pork for your own reelection prospects is hypocritical.

Prevarication might get you elected, but it won't serve anyone well.

A financial crisis can be solved only with an increase in income as well as a decrease of frivolous spending.  Let me repeat, frivolous spending.

Do you really think that laying off government workers is helping the economy?  Out of one side of your mouths you are yelling we need more jobs to become stable.  Out of the other, you are yelling to cut programs, which cuts jobs, which even cuts revenue.

When the financial experts of the world tell you that not raising the debt ceiling, along with defaulting on our loans, will cause world-wide financial disaster, the wise don't vote against raising it.

Playing games about the decision so you can score political points causes undo stress on individuals who are already trying to figure out how to put food on the table.

First you create jobs and raise taxes, which eventually creates revenue.  Then you pay down the debt.  After the economy is stabilized, then you pass a Balanced Budget Act.  You don't make a crisis worse while you're in the middle of it.

Change the law about Congressional raises.  If senior citizens didn't have a cost of living increase, neither did you.  Tie your raises in salary directly to their COLA increases.

Before you start cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, cut your own salaries and benefits.  You already have sufficient income.  They are living at or below the poverty level.

Cut out all frivolous spending.  Yes, it needs to be repeated.  Cutting jobs just makes it worse.

While you're feeling so smug about your superior knowledge and investments, thank the Good Lord you had enough left over after feeding your family so that you could invest.  Then remember that you are responsible for always keeping "their" salaries so low that they didn't.  Blame yourselves for all new slums and for all new visitors to SRS.

Congratulations!  You now have money you cannot find enough ways to spend, but nobody in your own land to buy your new widgets.  Shot yourselves in the foot, didn't you?

And don't tell anybody again that you deserve the multi-millions, which you stored at the expense of your employees, because you had the idea and took the risk.  Just exactly how many widgets do you think you and your family could have made by yourselves?  Your employees earned your fortune for you.  Treat them with tender loving care and share the wealth with them.

Oh, yes -- avoid the Maadoffs and Enrons of the world.  It could happen to you.

Don't brag about your great philanthropy now if you failed to pay your employees a decent wage or if you gouged your customers. 

Don't blame your seniors for being poor now and needing help.  You set their futures when you set their wages. 

Let's see you move manufacturing back to our country.  These people are your fellow Americans.  It's time to return to our old caste system and cast off the new.  We are not a third world country.

This is America, the land of the free and home of the brave.  This is the land where all are created equal.  As a celebrity said recently, one doesn't see a U-Haul being pulled by a hearse.  There is no point for all this greed.  You certainly can't take it with you, but you can make certain your fellow countrymen can live well too.  Then you might actually have customers to buy your products.