Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

~~~

~~~

Sunday, February 26, 2012

RICK SANTORUM WANTS TO THROW UP ON FOUNDING FATHERS

UPDATE BELOW

Rick Santorum shot off his mouth again and again he was using blanks.  In speaking about the separation of church and state on "This Week" with moderator, George Stephanopoulos, Santorum managed to make a fool of himself with this idiotic statement:

"I don't believe in an America where the separation of church and state are absolute," he told 'This Week' host George Stephanopoulos. "The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country...to say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes me want to throw up."

A couple of things:  First, our Constitution, which people like Santorum and the crazies in the Tea Party so revere, prohibits religious organizations from having any influence or involvement in the promulgation of laws and the operation of the state. 

Second, Little Ricky is either a fool or has no memory function, since The Reverend Pat Robertson and The Reverend Jesse Jackson both ran for president, and clergy have served in the US House of Representative.  As far back as I can remember, clergy of all denominations have streamed in and out of the White House as honored guests and advisors to many presidents--The Reverend Billy Graham was a dear friend of President Nixon and all presidents going back to, I believe, President Eisenhower.

Third, every session of Congress begins with a benediction from some faith, and clergy are always present at presidential inaugurations.  Our money has the motto "In God We Trust" on it, and the Pledge of Allegiance has had "...one nation under God..." added to it, a change from the original.  We are one of the most religiously saturated western democracies on the planet, and yet Little Ricky isn't happy.  The US is so thoroughly soaked in religious dogma that a whopping 43% of our population does not accept Evolution as settled science.  Only one other country, Turkey, does worse on this.  Yup.  The most technologically advanced country in the world still holds beliefs that belong in the pre-Darwinian 18th century. And this whole separation of church and state makes Little Ricky nauseous.

What seems to be the bug up Santorum's sanctuary is the fact that religion, especially the Catholic religion, is not allowed to make policy and pass laws [hello contraception!]  that affect all Americans, even people who have no religion.

Santorum deserves nothing but mockery and ridicule from all thinking Americans who understand that keeping all religions out of government ensures freedom for all religions.

Our Founding Fathers, whom Santorum would vomit on, understood this better than he does, and, apparently, Santorum is too religiously crazed to understand any of the statements made by Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison.

George Washington:

The name of Jesus Christ is not mentioned even once in the vast collection of Washington's published letters. He refers to Providence in numerous letters, but he used the term as a synonym for Destiny or Fate. Bishop White, who knew him well for many years, wrote after Washington's death that he had never heard him express an opinion on any religious subject. He added that although Washington was "serious and attentive" in church, he never saw him kneel in prayer.

Washington had the inestimable faculty of being able to say nothing. He said nothing about religion -- nothing very definite -- and as a deist was willing to let people think whatever they pleased. As he never discussed religion at all, and went to church only occasionally, he was considered by most people to be a quietly religious man. It was somewhat of a shock, therefore, to the people of Philadelphia, when the reverend Dr. Abercrombie, Washington's pastor, criticised him from the pulpit. He told him that as President, he should not belong to a church unless he could set a good example to others. He reminded Washington that he never took communion, and in short, that his example was bad.
 
Washington listened to these reproaches in silence, and never went to that church again. His only comment was that he did not wish to annoy Dr. Abercrombie by his presence.

John Adams:

"The priesthood have, in all ancient nations, nearly monopolized learning. And ever since the Reformation, when or where has existed a Protestant or dissenting sect who would tolerate A FREE INQUIRY? The blackest billingsgate, the most ungentlemanly insolence, the most yahooish brutality, is patiently endured, countenanced, propagated, and applauded. But touch a solemn truth in collision with a dogma of a sect, though capable of the clearest proof, and you will find you have disturbed a nest, and the hornets will swarm about your eyes and hand, and fly into your face and eyes." --- John Adams, letter to John Taylor

Thomas Jefferson:

"The clergy...believe that any portion of power confided to me [as President] will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me: and enough, too, in their opinion." --Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Rush, 1800.


"In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot ... they have perverted the purest religion ever preached to man into mystery and jargon, unintelligible to all mankind, and therefore the safer engine for their purpose." --- Thomas Jefferson, to Horatio Spafford, March 17, 1814
 
"Is uniformity attainable? Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced an inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth." --- Thomas Jefferson, from "Notes on Virginia"
 
"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear." --- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, Aug. 10, 1787
 
"It is too late in the day for men of sincerity to pretend they believe in the Platonic mysticisms that three are one, and one is three; and yet that the one is not three, and the three are not one. But this constitutes the craft, the power and the profit of the priests." --- Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 1803

James Madison:

"What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not." --- James Madison, "A Memorial and Remonstrance", 1785

"Experience witnesseth that ecclesiastical establishments, instead of maintaining the purity and efficacy of religion, have had a contrary operation. During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution." --- James Madison, "A Memorial and Remonstrance", 1785

Ronald Reagan, to whom Santorum has compared himself, proudly proclaimed that “we establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate.”

UPDATE

"...at a campaign event on the eve of the Michigan primary, the former Pennsylvania senator described his vision for the role of religion in public life.

"I'm for separation of church and state," he said on Monday. "The state has no business telling the church what to do."

Which is it, Little Ricky?  Do you mean what you say and say what you mean?  Or are you trying to outpander Mittens?

13 comments:

Jerry Critter said...

Rick Santorum makes me want to grow up!

Ema Nymton said...

.

What? No way!

"I don't believe in an America where the separation of church and state are absolute,"

AGREE completely with Mr Santorum! Now let us have 'the Church' in USA open all their books to complete government scrutiny. Before 'the Church' appoints ministers and leaders, they must require said Ministers meet minimum government established standards and be USA citizens. The government will pre-approve all Church sermons and audit moneys given to 'the Church.'

Nope USA don't need no separation of church and state.

Ema Nymton
~@:o?
.

Jerry Critter said...

Ema,
Let's not forget to tax them...if fact let's tax the shit out of them!

Les Carpenter said...

Excellent Shaw, spot on!

BB-Idaho said...

He would have a unique platform:
Immaculate Contraception
Unplanned Parenthood
End public education
Mandatory sweater vests
Ralph Reed in charge of Crusades
Tax cuts for the 1%
Fed funding for tea parties
End medicare

Leslie Parsley said...

As I said when I shared this excellent article on FB, I'm up to my ears with Santorum. Maybe that's why HE makes me want to throw up.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Jerry,

Little Ricky has bet all his marbles on a one-trick pony, which will be his undoing.

Ema Nymton and Jerry,

Nice to hear from you again. One of the ways Italy is proposing to close their huge deficit gap is by taxing all church property and businesses in that country. The religionists in this country need to stick with saving souls and leaving politics to the politicians, or they should loose their tax-exempt status.

RN, thanks.

BB Idaho, I'm afraid those planks in a Santorum presidential platform do not look so far-fetched, do they? *shudder*

Leslie, thanks for the shout-out on fb. I don't believe the GOP party bosses will allow ex-Senator Savonarola to head up their presidential ticket, do you? Whom would he choose as a running mate? Tom Torquemada?

Dave Miller said...

Shaw, wondering if you saw the interview Sunday where former Sec of State Zbigniew Brzezinski said he the GOP candidates made him embarrassed to be an American?

It was a great interview from Fareed Zakaria...

Also, here's a great article from Jonathan Chiat

http://nymag.com/news/features/gop-primary-chait-2012-3/

It talks about the demographics of the GOP problem, something few if any bloggers with whom we have contact will even consider, choosing instead to say "once people hear our message unconstrained by the Marxist MSM, they will instinctively choose us as the party to save America."

Shaw Kenawe said...

Thanks for the link, Dave.

I thought this passage explained why the base of the GOP has gone off the cliff of reason:

"As conservative strategists will tell you, there are now more of “them” than “us.” What’s more, the disparity will continue to grow indefinitely. Obama actually lost the over-45-year-old vote in 2008, gaining his entire victory margin from younger voters—more racially diverse, better educated, less religious, and more socially and economically liberal.




Portents of this future were surely rendered all the more vivid by the startling reality that the man presiding over the new majority just happened to be, himself, young, urban, hip, and black. When jubilant supporters of Obama gathered in Grant Park on Election Night in 2008, Republicans saw a glimpse of their own political mortality. And a galvanizing picture of just what their new rulers would look like."

Dave Miller said...

Shaw, it was a great article...

Today I came across Lisa who said she will be supporting Romney and not the chameleon Obama...

Once I got done laughing, I asked her about Romney's penchant to be for liberal views before he was against them and whether of not he was a chameleon...

I was told he had to take those positions to get elected in your state... apparently that makes it alright as long as the chameleon is from the GOP...

Priceless...

Anonymous said...

Santorum "misspoke?" What a tool.

Now that everyone is ridiculing him, he says he's FOR separation of church and state?

Ha!

The GOP is without conviction or honor.

Mrs. Fibonacci said...

Ricky was against separation of church and state before he was for it?

What a loser.

Jolly Roger said...

Rapture Rick is the victim of his own delusions. I'm sure that he never "lies," but rather is convinced of the truth of everything he says.