Ceiling Cat could probably help...

Ok....I'm not a Bible Thumper, but i do research and read the Bible, Book of Mormon etc. and various other religion based publications on a regular basis. From what I have read, God is not gonna step in and provide jobs, lower gas prices, stop politicains from basically being politicians, stop abortions, prohibit same sex marriage, stop racism and the list goes on. To use Religion and Prayer and Fear to gets votes is an interesting political strategy. God does not help NFL receivers catch the winning touchdown. God will not help with that needed 3-pointer at the buzzer. You can say "thank you" when good things happen to you. You can say "maybe I'm not living righteous enough", when bad things happen to you. If you really read your Bible, I think you should realize by now that Your God gave you free-will and is a little busy with other matters at the moment. And if this makes you sad....one last comment.....there is no Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus or little naked baby angels shotting arrows to enhance your sad, sad love life. God is not gonna send you a President, Gorvernor, Mayor or anyone that has anything to do with Politics. So....the next person that tells you to vote for them because "God" sent me.....kick him or her in the ass!

Free will is only free until you use it to leave the faith. Then it's Nazi land.

Don't blame all of Texas...There are a bunch of us here working hard to change things. *sigh*

It might be easier if you guys came here into the somewhat saner part of the country. :)

Hey! Hold on a second! I'm a Texan, too! Perry can leave, but I like being an American. I can't stand George W. Perry, either...

YEAH! Not all Texans think like W or Perry. In fact, the larger cities like Houston, San Antonio, Dallas actually vote BLUE. So I'm proud to be a Texan, not proud of our governor. He plain out sucks!

many (perhaps most) people from texas (including myself) agree that perry sucks and hes a liar (he was only able to be re-elected on the false claim that his leadership kept texas afloat during the financial turmoil, as it turns out he filled the huge canyon of texas debt with the federal stimulus money he lambasted obama for giving out and texas is still like $10,000,000,000 in debt)...

and Bush Jr. is NOT from texas, he (and the rest of the despicable bush clan) are from Connecticut

I was born in, and still live in the texas panhandle. It absolutly amazes me how gullible the people are here when it comes to politics. They are all blood red conservative republicans who if Glenn Beck told them the sky is NOT blue but zebra stripped, they would believe it.

Um, I'm a Texan, and it offends a lot of us here when someone wishes that the whole state would go to hell. There's more to Texas than Rick Perry, even if it doesn't look that way when we gaze at him and the legislature, and wonder why on earth so many voters here voted against their own greater good to put those yahoos in office. Fear not, we will save our state; in the meantime, go, go, GO, far, far, FAR away, Rick! And I don't mean Washington D.C.

I'm not from Texas James, and I know Rick Perry sucks and it's really too bad he sounds so much like that Yankee Dubya...Dubya is a Texan by proxy or some crap...either way...Slick Rick is a scary dude...I'm hoping he has secrets that he doesn't want exposed by the running for a higher office.

Rick perry is rick perry's weakness, his unmarred political win-loss record has been all but handed to him by Big Business PACs and the Gas&Oil Party's ma$$ive political power in Texas, a state where the majority of intelligent people are pyrrhicly independent, politically reclusive and only very rarely go out and vote, also a state that passes laws to restrict the ability to vote of its huge mexican/latino/hispanic population, his so-called financial and job-growth success is pure smoke and mirrors, and is carried on the back of long suffering middle and lower classes... remember hes an empty suit full of GOP and social conservative talking points, I would love to watch him debate President Barack Obama in the general election, sure he has nice hair, a nice smile, a real southern accent, but hes not a deep thinker and he has very little eloquence... and most importantly, please remember, the Governor of Texas is a FIGUREHEAD, very little real power or responsibility (sign your name, smile and wave), the Lt. Gov. is the real executive power in Texas

High Priest of the Church of Mammon in other words.

Agree 100%.

Or "God answers all prayers. Sometimes, the answer is 'No'."

MM - I think it was actually Ben Franklin who coined that phrase, but I could be mistaken.

However, here is one I think is quite appropriate:

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Actually Kelly we're both wrong. Neither is this a passage in the Bible nor did Franklin say it. You are correct, however, (in your second part) that I am wrong (which I am apologizing for now):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_helps_those_who_help_themselves

I offer up my apologies for misinformation as well.....*smiling and learning something new for today* Damn, those Greeks were smart!

I am feelin' the love here. :)

Lol Kelly honey you and I were *both* wrong on this situation! I went to Catholic school for how many years?! And even I thought it was a Biblical passage! Lol! What this shows is how dangerous, yet pervasive certain language can be. Sometimes it can be so negatively and sometimes positively. Here's to hoping we've only ever contributed to positive linguistics! This is why I want to get a degree in linguistics ftr- because I'm realizing more and more it's not about the facts of what you actually say so much as it's about the facts of what other people here. Totally sick, huh? And yes, not liberal by any means. And yet I can't help from fantasizing about it.....o lawd tell me Carl Rove hasn't devoured my soul just yet! =)

LOL..MM. I think the spirit of William F. Buckley may be near.....beware the spirits that haunt ye!!

Rick Perry is just another jag-off political/religious charlatan wrapping himself in the bloody shroud or Jesus and peddling pieces of the True Cross to the credulous.

My only questions are how long before he is found in some sleazy downmarket motel with a hooker, what gender will the hooker be, what services was he in search of, what kind of drugs will he have in the room and in his system, and will he be able to keep a straight face when he says he "wants to spend more time with his family."

Please wake me when you have the answers.

Forget gender. What about species?

I wonder if pols like Perry will ever wake up to the fact that they are appealing to an ever-diminishing circle of followers? Public religion in this country used to be very non-specific and happy-sounding platitudes. Now it's all fundamentalist, totalitarian hellfire and brimstone sermons, and most people are running away as fast as they can. At this rate, the only people GOP pols will be talking to are the snake handlers.

Good for them! A devout snake handler is a snake handler til the day he dies. Generally with a diamond back rattler chewin' on his eye ball. You just never see enough of that kind of pious devotion anymore. More's the pity.

i believe you are correct on all accounts.

but then again you are talking about Texas, where they shoot their mouths off faster then they shoot them self`s in the foot.

I guess it's just another example of the "Texas Miracle" that Perry wants to bring to the rest of us poor, benighted souls.

Hey, not all Texans are like this guy. Many hundreds of thousands of us vote against him every time, don't support his stupid policies, and are embaressed by him. When you make blanket assumptions about things, it hurts us all and just adds to the toxic retoric in the country.

No, it just means they will rewrite their constitution to reflect Bibical law, just as they did the school text books...

Then we can be best buddies with Iran, since they are also a theocracy. Perry would be our very own Ahmadinejad. Heck, we've already been running a christian jihad for the past 10 years, are working to deny women their rights, and are cranking up intolerance to new levels. If we are oppresively religious enough, maybe even the Taliban will like us. They already know all about Texas, as they visited Bush in TX before he was elected president.

Do we give equal promotion to muslim, jewish, mormon, buddhist, taoist and every other religious denomination on our money?

who said shria law isnt in effect. american taliban...texas style!

Kansas has their new aspect of Sharia law today with their new anti-abortion law. Brownback is Kansas' answer to Mullah Omar.

Get used to it. I wrote a paper for my political ideologies class on Glenn Beck, his mentor W. Cleon Skousen [Mormon and author of The 5000 Year Leap—published in the 70s I believe and made a natl. bestseller by Beck in 2009—and The Making Of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution] and the Tea Party. This book is highly regarded by TP members, not to mention notorious Mormons. There is a Skousen family authorized edition out which garners the following reviews on Amazon dot com:

This is the ONLY edition authorized and commissioned by the W. Cleon Skousen Family. Also, no other edition except this one includes the revisions made by the author during the 25 years after the original printing.

NEW in 2009! THE 5000 YEAR LEAP 30 Year Anniversary Edition with Glenn Beck s Foreword! NOW also includes Common Sense by Thomas Paine No other edition offers the revisions and updates of this remarkable book detailing how the Founding Fathers used 28 principles to create a 5000 year leap in freedom, prosperity, and progress; all based upon morality, faith, and ethics.

I beg you to read this book filled with words of wisdom which I can only describe as divinely inspired. You will find answers to questions plaguing America, and more importantly you will find hope. I know I have! --Glenn Beck, Nationally Syndicated Radio and Television Host [Mormon]

A fascinating, in-depth study of the remarkable origins and enlightening ideas that helped to forge this great nation. I am proud to be an American and sincerely grateful for this God ordained nation. --Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Co-founder FranklinCovey, Speaker, Bestselling Author [Mormon]

The fight for the soul of our country is real! Every patriotic American, young and old, should read this book! --Chris Cannon, US House of Representatives, 1997-2009 [Mormon]

And from Rick Perry, sourced from the Washington Independent/David Weigel/9.21.09:

"Lately," said Perry, "I've found myself going back to a book that's titled 'The 5000 Year Leap.'"

There were head nods and noises of approval from many members of the audience. That book, written by the late ultra-conservative scholar-cum-conspiracy theorists Cleon Skousen, had been rescued from 28 years of obscurity by Glenn Beck. Perry gave an accurate summary of its content, telling the audiences that Skousen "shares his views of the foundational elements of our nation, placing a special emphasis in faith in God–I think undeniably a source of America's remarkable success. He asserts that natural law, God's law, is the basis of our nation's laws."

With this, I'll post my paper in the next comment (apologies in advance for length). It's worth noting the religious extremism. Is America the next version of Sharia law Christian style? (ditto: OhioOrrin)

More like Christian Iran.

Me, sans works cited and irrelevant closing 2 paragraphs:

December 10, 2010

The Tea Party, Glenn Beck, and Their Mutual Love, W. Cleon Skousen:
A Political Ménage à trois of Paranoid Proportions

The apparently 'new' brand of ideology on the political scene—called the Tea Party—to emerge in March 2009 (Goldstein 1) following the election of President Barack Obama was organized and given political viability by the billionaire-backed astroturf group Americans for Prosperity Foundation (chaired by David Koch) and initially drawn from "disparate pockets of discontent … focused on the secular but personal issue of healthcare reform" (Stan, "GB Messiah"). Finding common ground with the Religious Right on the central goal of "reclaiming the Constitution and returning the government to constitutional principles" (Goldstein 1), the Tea Party movement finds its ultimate persuasion in the embodiment of Fox News Channel TV host Glenn Beck (Stan, "GB Messiah"; Rendall), with both building a platform upon the foundational principles set forth by W. Cleon Skousen, author of The 5000 Year Leap—the movement's "bible" (qtd. in Goldstein 4)-christened-national bestseller in 2009 as a result of Glenn Beck's avid endorsement (Zaitchik, "Meet the Man").

The Tea Party movement best identifies as a blend of "secular, libertarian-minded" rugged individualism (Stan, "GB Messiah") that promotes neoclassical liberal principles including free markets, private property, deregulation, privatization, and limited government (Ball and Dagger 78), syncing with the Religious Right's End Times apocalyptic fervor and Cold War anti-Communist obsession channeled into present-day moral activism (Berlet) and subsumed under the umbrella of GOP conservatism and anti-Obama rhetoric. Tea Party demographics include supporters outraged at the direction the country has taken: They are "wealthier and more educated … Republican, white, male and older than 45" (Cunningham 21), composed largely of the Religious Right (47%), Christian (81%) (Boston), esteem Glenn Beck (Stan, "GB Messiah") and hold a unique view of themselves (Cunningham 22) as the majority group most affected by the financial crises of recent years (21). They blame the Republican party for not enough "deregulation and less equitable economics," even though, according to Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, the era of deregulation and unfettered markets did not work (24). Noteworthy—this "wrong path" has gained momentum since 1980 (23).

The conjoining of liberal and conservative ideologies reveals contrasting views of human nature and freedom. Neoclassical liberals view human nature as "rational, self-interested and competitive" and, as individuals, seek equality of opportunity and freedom of choice by removing prohibitive social and legal barriers (Ball and Dagger 46). The Religious Right/conservatives view human nature as selfish and deeply intellectually and morally imperfect due to pride and greed deriving from the biblical notion of original sin and in need of restraint (94-95) by government through the preservation of "long-standing customs and traditions" that bind generations into a social contract (97).

In reality, the Tea Party is a fundamentalist movement with a penchant for profit and traditional white Christian heteropatriarchal hegemony (Berlet) having a paranoid reaction while revising history with God's stamp of approval and demonizing President Obama and the liberal left.
Fundamentalist movements share common core values originating in a "mythic era, … embodied in sacred text or tradition" (Goldstein 19) which are seen as under siege, representing a crisis and consequent commitment to restore values while promoting a "Manichean world view that pits supporters … against demonized enemies" (20). This characterizes the works of W. Cleon Skousen—including The 5000 Year Leap and The Making Of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution, claiming the Constitution as a "divinely ordained blueprint for government" (5) based on biblical principles—both "products of the paranoid edges of the radical right wing of the Cold War era … [with] their main thrust … the principles embodied in the Constitution provide the only hope to save the United States from international Communism" (5).

The Tea Party and their promoter Glenn Beck (Rendall) share Skousen's "fundamentalist vision of the Constitution" (Goldstein 17), a "true vision for America" (qtd. in … 22) which has come under attack from "forces deeply antagonistic to American values" (18), necessitating a return [branding it a reactionary ideology (Ball and Dagger 102)]—akin to Christian fundamentalists' assertion of "the inerrancy of the Bible"—to the "eternal wisdom of the Founding Fathers" (Goldstein 22). This vision includes such "mainstream[ed] radical notions" (24) as the "centrality of natural law—or, God's laws; … limited government that may not undertake welfare programs, redistribution of wealth, or interference in any way with private property; and the embrace of manifest destiny at home and isolationism in foreign policy"—eternal laws "not subject to change by mortal legislators. Contrary legislation is a 'scourge to humanity' and is therefore unconstitutional" (13).

Aside from historical fundamentalism (Lepore) clashing with convention, i.e., popular constitutionalism (Goldstein 2) vs. the establishment of a constitutional democracy (26); no reference to a divine being in the Constitution, the First Amendment prohibition of establishment of an official religion, and the religious diversity of the Founding Fathers (Ellis); and primary influence of the constitutional framers credited to European philosophers of the Enlightenment era (Goldstein 10) vs. an Anglo-Saxon version of government "almost identical to biblical Israelites" (11)—a full appreciation of the paranoia and power plays at work within the Tea Party movement necessitates a closer look a Skousen and Beck.

Cleon Skousen's (1913-2006) notoriety as a professional radical right religiously indoctrinated (Goldstein 6) "anti-communist 'historian'" (Zaitchik, "Meet the Man") include the following highlights: 1) 15-year primarily administrative and clerical career with the FBI. 2) Faculty member at Brigham Young University, where he wrote The Naked Capitalist [irony: "… communists wanted power for their own reasons" (Id.)] in enthusiastic response to Carroll Quigley's Tragedy and Hope as exposing details of the New World Order (Id.). Consequently, author Carroll Quigley and BYU history professor Louis C. Midgley declared that missed by Skousen in Quigley's book was a "critique of ultra-far-right conspiracists like … Skousen" (Id.). Skousen's writings purport that international Communism "undermine[s] American values by promoting civil rights for African Americans, … acceptance of homosexuals, and … adopt[ion] of welfare programs" (qtd. in Goldstein 23). 3) Salt Lake City police chief (fired after four years)—Ultraconservative mayor J. Bracken Lee to friend: "Skousen conducted his office as Chief of Police in exactly the same manner in which the Communists operate their government … The man is a master of half-truths … He is a very dangerous man [and] one of the greatest spenders of public funds of anyone who ever served in any capacity in Salt Lake City government" (Zaitchik, "Meet the Man"). 4) Speaker on far right circuit for "Bircher-operated American Opinion Speakers Bureau and Fred Schwarz's Christian Anti-Communism Crusade" (Id.)—FBI internal memo: Fred Schwarz is "an opportunist … largely responsible for misinforming people and stirring them up emotionally…"(Id.); 1962 FBI memo: "… Skousen has affiliated himself with the extreme right-wing 'professional communists' who are promoting their own anticommunism for obvious financial purposes" (Id.); William C. Mott, judge advocate general of the U.S. Navy and member of the ultraconservative American Security Council: Skousen is "money mad … totally unqualified and interested solely in furthering his own personal ends" (Id.). 5) 1980: Appointed to the Council for National Policy, a Reagan administration religious conservative think tank, where Skousen "distinguish[ed] himself … [as] an early proponent of privatizing Social Security" (Id.) and folding the LDS church "into the religious right political establishment over the past 25 years" (Id.). 6) 1981: The 5,000 Year Leap is published—"American slave owners are 'the worst victims' of the slavery system" (Id.). The rest is history. Enter stage right: acolyte Glenn Beck.

Beck's conversion to Mormonism after 1999 "corresponds precisely with his rise as a media force" (Brooks), followed by a "meteoric and lucrative career on the national stage" launched "exactly concurrent" with the post-9/11 period (Zaitchik, "Is GB Orson"). He commands ratings of over 2 million viewers a day—the third highest in cable news—in his current slot at Fox News (Rendall). Such "I-once-was-lost-now-I-am-financially-sound" happenstances are common within the wealthy Mormon culture, which is "strongly corporate" and includes "Mormonism's most powerful figures like Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman Jr., and Bill Marriott Jr." (Brooks).

Glenn Beck regurgitates the same 1960s sentiment examined in 1964 by Pulitzer Prize winner and professor of American History Richard Hofstadter—"The modern right wing …feels dispossessed: America … has been taken away … by cosmopolitans and intellectuals; the old competitive system has been gradually undermined by socialistic and communistic schemers; … security and independence have been destroyed … [by] major statesmen who are at the very centers of American power" (81)—through his trademark delivery of emotion and bombast that "trumps argument over rhetoric" (Zaitchik, "How GB Re-Invented"). Use of "violent rhetoric and fascist imagery" while promoting "ultra-right conspiracy theories and other apocalyptic and paranoid scenarios" (Rendall) divides the country (Id.) and incites outrage and violence. Hate-watch and civil rights group Southern Poverty Law Center specifically includes Beck as a contributor to the rise in anti-government anger, notably among militias and the Patriot movement—"The signs of growing radicalization are everywhere. Armed men have come to Obama speeches bearing signs suggesting that the 'tree of liberty' needs to be 'watered' with the 'blood of tyrants'" (Potok). Frank Schaeffer debunks the Religious Right as a "fundraising operation" (Schaeffer, "'Values'") engaging in political opportunism but considers that the "real story" lies in making the Republican Party accountable: "They know perfectly well that these guys are flakes. They know … there are a lot of people out there, particularly in white middle class and lower middle class America, who are disgruntled enough to be moved by messages of hatred and xenophobia and they're cashing in on it. It's the same old playbook … " (Id.)—A playbook comparable to the anti-abortion movement Schaeffer helped to radicalize, attacking the political issue in public while privately "egging people on" and "opening a gate" for violence: "It only takes one" (Schaeffer, "Opening the Gate")—an apropos cue to Beck in his newfound monomaniacal (Cunningham 22) addiction-cum-profit (Stan, "Decoding GB") glory.

Ron Paul? Cabinet? Which department? He wants to gut State, Treasury, and Defense, and eliminate all of the rest. Which department would you propose putting him in charge of?

I left when GWB was elected to governor over Ann Richards.

I'm sorry to hear that. Come to NY!

Well Said!

You also don't just go running to God hat in hand when you're in trouble.

extremely well said. The religious right never REALLY want to do the things Jesus did. Just use his name in vain.\

government officials should never call for the public to pray.

Especially since, for a lot of us, the prayer runs "Dear God, please save me from your followers..."

Aquabuddha

Ceiling Cat...

The Poop Fairy?

The Flying Spaghetti Monster: Reformee Orthodox Recipe.

Dear Poop Fairy: We've been very bad dogs. Won't you please come clean up our mess?

Poop Fairy: Go F**k Yourselves!