A commenter in the thread for my last article raised the point the he didn't see the connection between Southern Senators, their opposition to bailing out Detroit, and their avowed Christianity. I must have been too subtle in the second-to-last paragraph. It has to do with each of these elitist cracker Solons loudly proclaiming their Christian values every chance they get while acting in direct contradiction to these alleged beliefs.
Take Senator Richard Shelby back to Alabama (please!) and read to him from his own website: "our government and our laws are based on Judeo-Christian values and a recognition of God as our Creator." Yet he is in the lead in acting to deny Detroit auto workers the means to "put food on their families."
Then there is Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, who received the "True Blue" award sponsored by James Dobson's pseudo-Christian Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council on January 29, 2008. The awards are given each year to members of Congress who consistently support fundamentalist family values with their legislation. Apparently, Corker doesn't believe in promoting the ability of the worker to meet the Divine admonition expressed in 1 Timothy 5:8: "If a man does not provide, especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith."
The anti-bailout position - along with many other labor-hostile attitudes adopted by these pious hypocrites - stands in direct opposition to the Christian faithful workers being able to observe this directive from On High. But that doesn't matter to GOP GAWD, for the Republicans have often been anointed by his self-appointed Earthly representative Dr. Pat Robertson, the Pharisee-in-Chief, to perform this vile task upon the unclean and ungodly workers.
Robertson founded The Christian Coalition "to give Christians a voice in government" in 1989. Earning ratings of 100% in support of "the interests of the Christian Coalition" for the 2007-08 session of Congress were the following Republican members of the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Senator Richard C. Shelby (AL), Senator Bob Corker (TN), Senator Wayne A. Allard (CO), Senator Michael B. 'Mike' Enzi (WY), Senator Charles T. 'Chuck' Hagel (NE), Senator Jim Bunning (KY), Senator Michael D. 'Mike' Crapo (ID), Senator Elizabeth H. Dole (NC), and Senator Melquiades Rafael 'Mel' Martinez (FL).
Only the Slacker Mormon Senator Bob Bennett (UT) didn't achieve a perfect score. Bennett only earned a 90 percent rating for 2007-2008, but was awarded a 100 percent in support of the interests of the Christian Coalition in 2004.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Ruvy
Entertaining article, Realist. Well, we finally know where you got the title and its relevance. You quoted enough of the Christian book to show us just how the evil attitudes that infested Judea 2,000 years ago infected Christianity. Obviously, if you are too interested in mercy and love from a guy nailed up on a wooden stick, you are not going to pursue justice.
Have a pleasant Sunday.
2 - bliffle
A number of congresscritters seem willing to burn down the US economy to strike a blow against the UAW. Seems like a waste, to me.
3 - Silas Kain
Jesus would dissolve the labor unions, especially any union which has ties to organized crime. Oops, that's ALL unions.
4 - Dr Dreadful
Jesus is fairly flexible. I understand, from my perusal of a broad spectrum of opinions on any given controversy, that he would do just about anything any given person agrees with.
It's my opinion that any argument that starts 'Jesus would...' should immediately be cut short by an incredibly loud and penetrating buzzer, rechristened reductio ad Christum and consigned to the list of logical fallacies, there to hand its head in shame along with its close cousin, reductio ad Hitlerum.
5 - Baronius
Realist, it's flattering to see an entire article in response to some questions I raised. But I don't think you've really answered them. My problem with both articles is that they assume that there is a specific Christian solution to the financial difficulties of two major auto manufacturers, and that that solution requires the federal government to allocate funds. Neither of these conditions is true.
Reasonable people, motivated by Christian principles and schooled in Christian thinking, can disagree on the best way to restructure GM and Chrysler. A good Christian may see them as over- or under-invested in design, manufacturing, or marketing. He may see the industry as too crowded, or not sufficiently competitive. He may prioritize vehicle size and fuel efficiency differently than others.
He may believe that he has the perfect plan to enhance these companies, but not believe that the federal government is the right agency to finance it. Perhaps he distrusts the government's ability to respond to future market changes. Perhaps he sees the US Constitution as prohibiting direct involvement in private companies. Perhaps he believes that taxpayer money would be better spent on national health care or light rail infrastructure.
One would have to be very careful in presenting *the* Christian answer to the financial problems in the auto industry. One should be even more hesitant about accusing a Christian of hypocrisy for disagreeing with that answer.
6 - Realist
Baronius:
You have to turn the mirror over!
If you have been reading my comments in previous posts regarding the Big Three, I don't give a damn about the companies themselves remaining in business. I do care about the fact that the employees of the Big Three - who have no say in the design or construction of the products they are paid to assemble - are expected to take a big loss in their income and benefits while there is some nebulous and otherwise empty talk about the executives of the Big Three suffering some kind of economic wrist slap to qualify for corporate welfare.
So take a second look, and think about it from the slaves' - I mean, the workers' perspective. Maybe then you will see the connection.
7 - Brunelleschi
It looks like the main point of the article is that certain people say this is a Christian nation, and those same people act very un-Christian when it comes to opposing the car bailout.
Fine. Good point.
Now what? The point that religion makes someone a hypocrite doesn't need another proof.
Specifically, Christian rhetoric comes from nearly 2,000 year old gospels, and it's really just old political writing. People who are pushing for more church in government are just trying to shove government into their box so their old political writing is relevant. Otherwise, it is obsolete, and so are they.
The article should address the point that the US nation isn't founded on Christianity, and the people saying that now are trying to revise history.
Our property relationships came from John Locke, in more old political writing-roughly 250 years ago. He came up with the notion that government should be from middle class property owners, and that government exists to maintain private property (for the "entitled").
8 - Baronius
Realist, you think I don't see the company as individuals. I think you don't see the individuals as a company. We probably both have a more balanced view than we're communicating. It doesn't change the argument, though. Compassion for the individual worker doesn't dictate a particular policy toward the individual, the company, or the industry.
9 - Cindy D
OCCUPATION NEWS!
“This is more than a protest, it is an anti-capitalist movement”
By Marius Heuser and Markus Salzmann
22 December 2008
Workers and youth have occupied the headquarters of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) in Athens since last Wednesday. The occupation is directed against the trade union leadership, which maintains close contact with the government and is trying to prevent the current protest movement from spreading to the factories.
On Saturday, WSWS reporters spoke to some of the workers in the occupied building. One 40-year-old building worker declared that the movement that had now developed was much more than just a youth protest. “It is a movement that is profoundly anti-capitalist,” he said. Opposition to the capitalist system extends into the factories, he said, but the trade unions are doing all they can to prevent a mobilisation of workers alongside the protesting youth.
He criticised the trade unions as a bureaucratic elite that no longer has any connection to ordinary workers. He was particularly angry about the role played by the social democratic party PASOK and the Communist Party (KKE), which both have considerable influence in the trade unions. On many issues, this worker confirmed, “They are to the right of the conservative parties.”
10 - Cindy D
Workers occupy auto parts plant in northern Germany
By Lucas Adler
12 December 2008
On December 5, about 100 employees of the bankrupt auto parts supplier HWU occupied their factory in the small town of Hohenlockstedt, north of Hamburg. The workers are determined to defend their jobs and prevent the planned closure of the plant at the end of the year.
11 - Ruvy
Nu? Vive la révolution!
12 - Cindy D
Wooohooo! Ruvy!
13 - Cindy D
"Nu" ? Does that mean "naked"?
I think everyone was dressed! :-)
14 - Ruvy
No, Cindy. "NU" is Yiddish - it's the nagging phrase that your husband (boyfriend or date) might use to find out if you are ready to go out to that fancy restaurant that he has reservations for. It is the ever-present phrase in Israeli conversations that prompts the interlocutor to "get on with the story already", and has a host of other meanings as well. But it has NO translation into English at all.
Nu? Does that answer your question?
15 - Brunelleschi
Yeah, well you can have cool phrases like "Nu."
America produced and marketed "Whazzzzuuuuppppp!"
Let's see you guys do that.
16 - Dr Dreadful
An expression with as much subtlety as a salt sandwich, and which is already passé.
17 - Cindy D
Ruvy,
Nu? Does that answer your question?
Well, the rest was French, so I looked it up! You'll be happy to know that in French it means "naked"! LOL!
18 - Mark Eden
Cindy, thanks for your work keeping up with occupation news. ("The expropriators will be expropriated." KM)
19 - Cindy D
Mark,
Have you seen the news about Anarchists taking to the street everywhere? For a very sad reason, I'm afraid. An Anarchist child (15/16 years old) was killed by police in Greece. Some links are on my blog.
20 - Dave Nalle
Was he killed for being an anarchist? BTW, what's the link to your blog?
Dave
21 - Mark Eden
Here it is Dave.
Mark
22 - Brunelleschi
Mark-
Zmag rules! Very cool.
A 16-year old "anarchist?"
I don't know what kind of philosophy Greek kids talk about during recess, but here in America 16 year olds are still about 5-10 years from having a clue what that even means.
23 - Mark Eden
MarkCindy-Zmag rules! Very cool.
fixed it for you
24 - Cindy D
Brunelleschi,
Zmag is where some of the most amazing thinkers and professional writers blog, incl.:
William Blum, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Michael Albert, et al
I only blog with the best :-)
Speaking of teen Anarchists. My nephew is 15 (15 in about 3 weeks). He'll be coming with me to his first Anarchist (Solidarity with the Greek Uprising) in NYC on Monday.
He calls me a freedom fighter. But, I have never told him much about Anarchism as I wanted to let him find his own way. So, soon he'll see. 16 is the perfect age.
One thing I did point out though, is that Anarchists can be pacifists. And little Anarchists should stay out of trouble and stick to sabotage (like by stickering telephone handles with labels that say "this phone is tapped").
His sister's boyfriend (who is studying to be a police officer) asked him if he was bringing any bottles and rags.
25 - Cindy D
Mark I have the most amazing thing to show you. One sec.