Dear Mr. Huckabee:

You have some courage, I'll grant you.  I respect you for raising your hand when the Republican field was asked at an early debate, "Who doesn't believe in evolution?" Unfortunately, you've recently proven that you're willing to compromise your convictions.

You now admit the possibility of evolution by saying you "don't know how or when" God created the Earth and its creatures.  You've also stepped back from your position on the role of women as you originally affirmed by signing the 1998 Southern Baptist Convention - now you say that submission in marriage goes both ways.

Frankly, it's disappointing to see you backtrack like this.  Please, reclaim your beliefs!

He has just helped launch a pro-Ron Paul web site.

UltimateRonPaul.com

Much has been made recently in the press in regards to Ron Paul having received some, shall we say, rather notorious endorsements from hate groups.

Not as well publicised--and IMNSHO, worth paying much closer attention to--is the fact that Mike Huckabee seems to have gotten a rather official endorsement from none other than Joseph Fuiten--the same regional Assemblies of God leader who is is an active supporter of notorious neopente-dominionist hate group "Watchmen At The Walls.

And it would appear, disturbingly enough, that Huckabee would have absolutely no problem with this endorsement--especially considering a recent statement about changing the Constitution to officially convert the US into the Republic of Gilead.

Bumped from the diaries -- ed

Riding an evangelical wave to victory in Iowa, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee by necessity has taken a decidedly more secular line in New Hampshire.  Without the religious right base to tap into in the Granite State, Huckabee had focused instead on taxes, immigration and other more mundane issues of this world.  But on Sunday in Windham, New Hampshire, the former Baptist Minister returned to his roots and delivered a sermon on being "soldiers for Christ" in "God's Army."

WHAT IS H. RES 888 ?    WHAT WILL IT DO ?

Introduced by Congressman Randy Forbes December 18 in the US House Of Representatives, H.  Res 888 claims to be about ""Affirming the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as `American Religious History Week' for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith."

Actually, the resolution is packed with lies - American history lies to be specific. The preceding link is to a story by Talk To Action contributor Chris Rodda, author of Liars For Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version Of American History, and Rodda painstakingly debunks a number of the myriad American history lies to be found in Randy Forbes's House Resolution 888. Rodda - without whose diligence we wouldn't know about this story - tells me she suspects that the following four part "resolution" that follows the dozens of history lies packed into H. Res. 888 has been designed to pave the way for some sort of legislation that would advance fake history in some devious or crafty way and I wouldn't be surprised. Here's part 2 of the "resolved" section of H. Res. 888 :

" Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives...

...(2) rejects, in the strongest possible terms, any effort to remove, obscure, or purposely omit such history from our Nation's public buildings and educational resources"

Help help ! They're oppressing fake history ! - It sounds like a Monty Python skit but, alas - it's real.

Actually, the partisans of the Christian right are quite impressive ; they're out of power, in Congress anyway, but they're always trying. They never miss a chance to advance Christian nationalist ideology even when they're in the legislative minority.

I believe it is wise to expose the threat posed by those religionists who oppose pluralism in our nation. Moreover, it is imperative to go further. HR Res 888 came about because too many Americans like you and me have failed to participate in managing those we send to office. Here's a link about taking action related to HR Res 888:

http://www.freewebs.com/spadecaller/churchandstate.htm

Republican Congressional Representative Randy J. Forbes is a sly one, eh ?

His House Resolution 888, covered by several stories here on Talk To Action (including Chris Rodda's debunking of the history lies in the resolution) comes freighted with special Christian numerological significance :

"888" is the "number of Jesus".

So, Forbe's resolution has a slightly-less-than-secret meaning that many Christians will no doubt pick up on :

It's the 'Jesus' resolution.

Photo courtesy of here.

First came the Body Snatchers. Then the Night of the Living Dead. Now our nation must face what may the most cunning and relentless invaders ever. Yes, America, I’m talking about Gothardite Zombies for Huckabee!

As reported by The Cincinnati Beacon, it began in Arkansas. If only we’d heeded the warning signs in plain sight. If only someone had listened when Governor Mike himself admitted that he walked among them:

“As a person who has actually been through the Basic Seminar, I am confident that these are some of the best programs available for instilling character into the lives of people.”

 

[ed: bumped up from diaries]

Photo courtesy of here.

Bill Gothard PhD, Founder/President
The Institute in Basic Life Principles
Oak Brook, IL

Dear Dr. Gothard:

For the past couple years, my colleague, the Dean of Cincinnati, has been writing articles about you and your various enterprises. Before then I’d never even heard of you, your institute, your “character-building" seminars, your unaccredited medical school, your unaccredited law school, your nursing program, your Children’s Institute, your bible-centered paramilitary boot camp, your music school, your culinary arts program, your Institute of Photographic Studies, your resort-style training center in Guadalajara, your upholstery training program, your hair design program, etc. As you know, I’m just scratching the surface - the list keeps just on going and according to this 2006 In These Times cover story, The Cult of Character, business is booming:

With the recent revelation that GOP presidential frontrunner Mike Huckabee has ties to fringe evangelist Bill Gothard, more critics have started to ask questions about Gothard himself.  What do we know about the relatively obscure figurehead of a multi-million dollar empire that gets constantly compared to a cult—complete with teachings of blind obedience, and other brainwashing techniques that have many Christians calling foul.

As a raised Catholic who returned to the church about 12 years ago, I have been leery about Jim Wallis' call to reject ideology and instead criticize those on both the right and the left in regards to their views on the combination of politics and religion.  My belief has been that the religious right needs to be countered more aggressively by abandoning attacks of the secular left and more directly countering the religious right, even if the perception would be that you're taking an ideological stand.  I became even more concerned as friends who would be considered good progressive Christians from the left side of the political spectrum, started aping Wallis by bad-mouthing the secular left.

Believe me, Wallis had left a bad taste in my mouth about the movement to counter the religious right. 

What does all this have to do with Daniel Dennett? 

In a webcast response to Sen. Charles Grassley's investigation into the Kenneth Copeland Ministries' use of tax-exempt donations, Copeland's son, John, the ministry's CEO, claimed to be "surprised" by the investigation and "not sure why we were singled out." (Could it be his father's $20 million luxury jet, perhaps?) In an "interview" in the ministry studios with an unidentified woman, Copeland contended that donors "have a right to ask" for financial information from the ministry but that the ministry has no obligation to provide it. Reminiscent of your childhood insistence that you could say whatever you wanted because "it's a free country," Copeland maintained that donors have a right to ask for the financial information as "part of our freedom of speech." But actually getting a substantive response to the question? No dice.