No One Expects The Inquisition
I was just thinking about the ludicrous nature of the Republicans killing the filibuster. Something struck me as odd when I was reading an email on the subject. You see the use of the filibuster started in 1806. For those of you keeping score that would be 199 years ago. I thought to the recent debate about removing the word "God" from the pledge of allegiance. During a discussion with a European mate I was enlightened to the fact that most of the free world doesn't have a pledge and they look at us and consider our pledge to be a wee bit scary. I guess it kind of reminds them of the nationalism that allowed Hitler to murder 30 million people on their continent.
Anyway, I was thinking that in a country with a political climate as bizarre as ours why would conservatives push so strongly to keep the word "God" in the pledge when they don't feel the need to keep the filibuster. I decided to look into the history of the pledge and found, of all things, irony. First of all, according to Kerby Anderson's Commentaries the pledge was only written in "1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister who also embraced many socialist ideas." The original writing DID NOT include the word "God." In fact, "God" wasn't added until 1954. That's just 51 years ago. Most people I know are older than that!
I asked myself if I could ever see a Republican argument for the pledge that didn't include them mentioning that it is an institution that has been around for generations, which as I just pointed out is obviously not true? I think the answer is clearly no. Why then do they so loudly condemn those that claim that the filibuster is an institution in this country that has protected minorty rights for 199 years? Why all of a sudden is there such a pressing need to do away with it? Are the Democrats acting in a way that is so revolutionary and threatening to our Republic that drastic measures must be taken? Or is it more likely that dangerous fundamentalist "Chrisitans" have overtaken this party? Is it possible that what makes them so dangerous is their prideful ignorance where they neither understand history nor care to? Is it that they don't care about the means so long as they reach their ends?
Draw your own conclusions but it looks to me like it's just another attempted "Christian" inquistion seeking to purge the heretical dissenters from this country, but this time instead of Torquemada being "The Grand Inquisitor," it's an almost mythological beast that has the face of Bill Frist, the patience of Jerry Falwell and the logic of Pat Roberston.
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