Bush commutes Libby sentence

[kandrathe]

George W. Bush is the president of the faith-based initiative, brought to the doorstep of the Whitehouse by evangelicals in record numbers. The president opposes (veto pen in hand) stem-cell research, free access to abortions, gay marriage, and *starts wars in the middle east* on the basis that he believes god talks to him. Like, directly. Literally.

Republicans seem to be willing to accommodate religion in the public square and speak openly of their faith, while Democrats seem almost reflexively to insist upon separation of church and state.

The faith based initiative allows the government to be able to give grants to organizations who are helping people even though they are faith based. You know, like the YMCA and YWCA. Does that violate the establishment clause? I think the government giving to a good cause because they are doing good seem right, while giving to a religious cause because they are religious seems wrong. The President does not oppose stem cell research, and in fact has increased funding for stem cell research. He does not support human embryonic stem cell research(other than the already existing clonal population), and I would guess he doesn't support human organ harvesting and trafficking either. There are ethical issues to consider when you allow the government to sanction pregnancy for pay or human cloning for tissue harvesting. Also, science has made embryo farming irrelevant since discoveries on how adult stem cells can be reverted into pluripotency. And, yes, he is against abortion and sanctioning gay marriage, as well as at least half the nation is as well. The same banal charges were levied against Ronald Reagan, and other religious Republicans. But, I don't see the same vitriol spat at Jesse Jackson, or for example that the last Democratic Party's Radio Address was delivered by Reverend Jim Wallis. There seems to be a double standard for the left in their vehemence against religion in politics, or maybe Democrat politicians tend to stay quiet because the they are on the opposite side of those three hot button issues from the evangelicals and the Catholic church (those being abortion, gay marriage, and embryonic stem cell research). John Kerry tried to infuse religion into his campaign, but it just reminded the Catholics how un-Catholic he is.

Jefferson? Not much of a Christian, unless you count any follower of any of Jesus' teachings, in which case I myself am a strange, god-denying breed of Christian.

Wow, you had to go way back... But, do you mean the same Thomas Jefferson who wrote "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice can not sleep forever: that considering numbers, nature and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation is among possible events: that it may become probable by supernatural interference!" or "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."