What If?
What if right wing, conservative Christians are not really in
the majority in America?
What if adherents of other belief systems tend to remain silent
because they think they're overwhelmingly outnumbered?
What if there is another kind of morality that has more in
common with people of all faiths?
I believe all of the above is true.
How can it be?
Those who would have us believe that the overwhelming majority
of Americans are "God fearing," puritanical Christians are
organized. The Church has wealth, contacts and a variety of
local chapters in almost every town in the country. It wields
its interpretation of how things should be with the strong arm
of certainty, abetted by the threat of eternal punishment for
disobedience, even "wrong thinking."
It's a tough force to deny. It pervades our everyday life, and
has for centuries. It's become so much a part of our culture
that one must really look to see it. When you think about it,
you will be amazed at the number of American laws, and customs
having the effect of law, whose origins can be traced directly
to the Church.
Sunday closing laws; tax exemption for church property;
practically all laws relating to marriage and the relations
between the sexes - including country-wide rule permitting only
monogamous marriages, and laws against fornication and other
taboo sexual relationships; all laws of censorship, for moral
reasons, of the press, stage, radio, or speech; certain taboos
of word and speech forms; laws prohibiting certain parts of the
body being exposed to view, laws prohibiting recreational drug
use, laws against smoking cigarettes; anti-gambling laws; any
law which takes a paternalistic attitude toward citizens with
the purpose of ensuring his moral perfection rather than
regulating his conduct to prevent him from damaging other
persons and vice versa, prevent others from damaging him.
Look at sayings and figures of speech. "God bless you." "Oh my
god!" "Jesus Christ!" It's everywhere. I've even heard very
young children speak authoritatively of God to their classmates,
in a public school classroom. It's easy to imagine the majority
would approve of Christianizing America.
It ain't necessarily so.
Think about it. Today, everyone knows at least someone who is
fed up with radical Christian elements trying to intrude further
into our private lives. In cities, the most densely populated
areas of our country, everyone knows lots of people who truly
understand a need for the separation of Church and State, and
our numbers are growing in small town America, too. Even
moderate Christians cannot get behind today's radical right wing
agenda.
Don't be fooled.
Wealth and power are tough to fight against. In America today,
we have already lost much of our free press. Most newspapers and
t.v. news are so heavily biased that it's impossible to learn
the truth without hunting for it. We're being fed the
administration's (read as the radical Right's) spin on events
which chooses to leave out much of the information that the Left
is so gravely concerned about. They are trying to play us as if
we were an audience attending a magic show, "watch our right
hand while the other implements our true, extreme agenda." We
are absolutely left with the feeling that, even though we are
disgusted by what we see, the majority accepts it.
But, do they really?
As I meet and interact with others I have to say, "NO!" I live
in a small, red town and yet I continue to meet more and more
people who feel as I do. I even know older, long term,
dyed-in-the-wool Republicans who are deeply ashamed of their
party today. I am constantly being hit with evidence that says a
small minority is really running the show. Look around yourself.
What does your research show? How many people do you know who
really support the radical right-wing agenda?
But, Americans voted Dubya into office...
Did they? Did they really? The amount of controversy concerning
the last two presidential elections is enough to make thinking
people say, "Hmm." As this administration progresses, it is
plain to see that they are supported by (and beholden to)
unbelievable levels of wealth and power. It is also apparent
that this administration will go to any lengths to achieve it's
goals, which (based on results) seem primarily concerned with
the security and prosperity of itself and it's cohorts, as
opposed to the welfare of average Americans (who really are the
overwhelming majority.)
As time goes by, I feel (not just think) more and more certain
that the majority of Americans did NOT vote for George W. Bush.
If it's possible for him to control the media, then why couldn't
he manipulate an election (or two?) In each, issues and concerns
were raised surrounding the one area they chose to recount. How
many other areas across the country had discrepancies that
weren't even examined? A little interference in several key
states would really add up and also insure that a thorough
examination of any one area wouldn't make enough of a difference
to change the overall outcome.
So, what can we do?
Fight back! We must make our numbers known. We must
organize and go public in every way we can to resist the will of
the minority. We must use every right and tool at our disposal
to reclaim our country and our freedoms.
Speak up! Let people around you know that you do not
approve of the radical Right's agenda. You may not convince
those who do approve, but you will give hope and encouragement
to others who feel as you do. They will feel more confident to
speak their own conscience and encourage still more people to do
the same.
Get involved! I know you're busy, we all are. But, if we
leave matters like this to others, you see what can happen! We
must pay attention and we must take action whenever possible.
Here are some of my favorite online activist groups:
http://www.truemajority.org
http://www.pfaw.org
http://www.moveon.org
http://www.impeachbush.org
http://www.now.org
Check them out, subscribe for their action alerts and add your
voice to the millions of other voices that are crying out for
change.
Support election reform! It's a topic that Democrats want
to address and Republicans don't, so it's be relegated to the
bottom of the priority list, way below the "important" stuff
like giving more money to the richest top 10% of the population.
Public pressure could change that. We need a fully accountable
system that will let us verify the results and we need it before
any more elections are held. Talk to people and write letters to
the editor of your local newspapers. Write letters to your
Senators and Representatives in Washington, too.
Vote! Again, we've got to pay attention. We can't just
watch t.v. ads for candidates and make our decisions based on
them. We must look into their records and see how they acted
before they were being considered for an important office in
order to get an idea of what we can expect from them in the
future. And remember, president isn't the only one that counts.
If we had a Democratic Congress, Dubya wouldn't be able to get
away half the stuff he's trying to pull. It's up to us to make
our government work. We really need to pay attention at every
level, including the local level.
Use your power! You know you've got it. What you focus on
comes to be. Thoughts become things. Use your power for good.