Politics: Church, Meet State
I am eternally stunned by the stupidity of some people. Americans will smile numbly, mildly amused by the Paul Revere story, and ignore the fact that the Bush administration is subtly, but surely, obliterating the wall between church and state. I know it sounds nice, and I agree that the Old North Church should be preserved, but literally thousands of churches raise money for renovations without directly controverting the founding goddamn fathers. In fact, there are rural churches that raise $20,000-$30,000 a week during peak times of fundraising. I have a lot of trouble believing that the people of Boston would allow the Old North Church -- which they are breathlessly declaring a crucial item of national historical significance -- to descend into total decrepitude for lack of $300,000.
No, the Old North Church certainly wouldn't have slid into crack-house oblivion. But the Bush administration -- which has already okayed federal grants for religious institutions that engage in discriminatory hiring -- is more than happy to blunt the potential for future criticism by having the Old North Church to point at until the sub-80 IQ mass of America moves on to the next dead Californio or missing white child. And nobody even thinks to ask the first question that occurred to me: If the Old North Church is so goddamn important, have the National Park Service buy the place. Toss out the congregation, fix it up nice, charge the people five dollars and you don't have a conflict. And you don't have a piece of American history steeped in the icky residue, making Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Zoroastrians and everybody else who doesn't love Jesus uncomfortable just for showing up to see the location of the lanterns that tipped Paul Revere off to the British Invasion.
One last thing. It's not available on the web as of yet, but this morning's piece on National Public Radio had several moments of adopting the groupthink. In the intro, Bob Edwards says that the bailout for the Old North Church is the reversal of a "Clinton-era policy." Later, Barbara Bradley-Hagerty in her report (andin the web-blurb about her story here), says Bush is reversing a 1995 policy that bars the government from giving federal funds to churches. I know that the Clinton administration took a stand on this issue, but I believe the policy was authored not during the Clinton era, but during the GODDAMN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. To wit: Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion... Any questions? I didn't think so.
I am eternally stunned by the stupidity of some people. Americans will smile numbly, mildly amused by the Paul Revere story, and ignore the fact that the Bush administration is subtly, but surely, obliterating the wall between church and state. I know it sounds nice, and I agree that the Old North Church should be preserved, but literally thousands of churches raise money for renovations without directly controverting the founding goddamn fathers. In fact, there are rural churches that raise $20,000-$30,000 a week during peak times of fundraising. I have a lot of trouble believing that the people of Boston would allow the Old North Church -- which they are breathlessly declaring a crucial item of national historical significance -- to descend into total decrepitude for lack of $300,000.
No, the Old North Church certainly wouldn't have slid into crack-house oblivion. But the Bush administration -- which has already okayed federal grants for religious institutions that engage in discriminatory hiring -- is more than happy to blunt the potential for future criticism by having the Old North Church to point at until the sub-80 IQ mass of America moves on to the next dead Californio or missing white child. And nobody even thinks to ask the first question that occurred to me: If the Old North Church is so goddamn important, have the National Park Service buy the place. Toss out the congregation, fix it up nice, charge the people five dollars and you don't have a conflict. And you don't have a piece of American history steeped in the icky residue, making Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Zoroastrians and everybody else who doesn't love Jesus uncomfortable just for showing up to see the location of the lanterns that tipped Paul Revere off to the British Invasion.
One last thing. It's not available on the web as of yet, but this morning's piece on National Public Radio had several moments of adopting the groupthink. In the intro, Bob Edwards says that the bailout for the Old North Church is the reversal of a "Clinton-era policy." Later, Barbara Bradley-Hagerty in her report (andin the web-blurb about her story here), says Bush is reversing a 1995 policy that bars the government from giving federal funds to churches. I know that the Clinton administration took a stand on this issue, but I believe the policy was authored not during the Clinton era, but during the GODDAMN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. To wit: Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion... Any questions? I didn't think so.
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