I understand that the religious right want to plunge the planet into apocalypse, but do they really have to talk what’s left of the sensible and compassionate segment of the world’s population with them?
From their intolerance toward anyone they deem “different” to their insistence on imposing their warped religious beliefs on the rest of us under the guise of “freedom,” these zealots are some truly scary people whose actions show that they are anything but “Christian” (meaning living by the teachings of Christ).
The scene at the border crossings where hundreds of mostly unaccompanied children are entering the US is sad. What’s even sadder are the videos we’re seeing of the racists assholes in Murietta, CA, where bigoted citizens and their police counterparts not only blocked buses with loaded children who crossed the border, but shouted angrily at them things like “Get out,” “go home” and “take your diseases with you.”
I thought the United States of America was the land of immigrants, who came in response to “Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Those miscreants are the epitome of the Ugly American who is sadly the fact of this country today.
The really insane thing is that these haters spew their vitriol in the mane of Christianity. As an atheist Jew, I’m more “Christian” than any of them, as I believe in taking care of those in need, not turning a blind or, or worse, to their pain and suffering.
Today on the show, I was joined by Claire Conner, who knows that hatred first-hand. She wrote of her childhood growing up with parents who were founding members of the John Birch Society in the book, Wrapped in the Flag: What I Learned Growing Up in America’s Radical Right, How I Escaped, and Why My Story Matters Today.
Responding the the more recent insanity of the SCOTUS Hobby Lobby ruling, Claire wrote “I’m Terrified by these Zealots” for Crooks & Liars.
I am too.
It’s Tuesday, that means GottaLaff joins me for the second hour of the show. In addition to our plans for another edition of The Vagina Dialogues© when I’m in Los Angeles next week, we talked about some of these stories too:
GW Bush signed law protecting young migrants, but, hey… #BlameObama
Retailer: “If we can minimize the humans in our company, then we prefer that.”
TransCanada to small town: Here’s $28K. Now shut up about tar sands pipeline project.
Conference caller: “Black people harvested cotton,” Cochran “harvesting black votes”
One last thing… Keep the people of Japan – and the entire Pacific rim — and the rest of the planet in your thoughts today. A giant “once in a decade” typhoon is bearing down today on Okinawa, forecast to go straight up the country for a direct hit on Fukushima.
See you back here tomorrow, as long as the planet is still here, radio or not…
