by Bruce Wilkey
posted May 3, 2002
Whew - it looks as if America has survived another National
Day Of Prayer. Now the hypocrites of the Christian right will have to go back to their own churches and the rest of us Americans can go on about our business hoping that the
"supernatural powers" which the chaplain of the Senate prayed for the Big Guy to confer upon George Bush do not lay us low.
I mean, really, it would be safer to give a loaded .38 to a two-year-old child than to give George Bush
supernatural powers. It's as plain as day - nobody who waves hello to a blind musician has any business with
supplication, however. For if, as some believe, the Bible proves the existence of a god then it follows that comic books would prove the existence of Superman.
So go ahead, George. Vaporize an "evil one" at your earliest
convenience - but please, do it out in the desert somewhere like White Sands or on that bombing range in Portugal - just in case you don't have all the bugs worked out. (And you might want to count carefully the fingers pointing back at you.)
The Finley event, replete with free hot dogs, moon pies and flavored sugar water must have been an irresistible draw for the prayerful gluttons of the region - drawn to it like raccoons to a have-a-heart trap. Though I have suspicions that when the food stands shut down early it must have frustrated a few. And wow, it's a good thing the noise
ordinance hasn't passed yet. If Doug Daugherty wants to produce another prayerpalooza next year, he'd better turn down the volume. I saw several people leaving because they valued their children's hearing. No citizens within 10 blocks of the thing were spared the intrusion of somebody else's 'good news.'
But that's the whole idea, isn't it. Force EVERYBODY to listen. Put religion into EVERYBODY'S dinnertime conversation - whether they want it there or not. It's simple logic. Fifteen inch woofers in cars are a
public nuisance. But since churches are exempt from every other ordinance known to man, bombarding Chattanooga with unwanted gospel music is just a part of their mission, isn't it? In effect, we were all enjoined from complaining
because the police chief was there. What a cunning touch!
We were all welcomed to have a Coke, as long as we understood that it was flavored with King James' sweetener.
Clearly, it is the purpose of these neo-nazis to appropriate the power of the government and the military and the local constabularies and put them under the banner of Christianity. It's sickening that the supposed Representative of THE PEOPLE of the Third Congressional
District and the editor of our only newspaper were Finley headliners - and eager to play that role. Whence goes impartiality? The fact that thirty million Americans DO NOT
endorse any selfish, vengeful deities like theirs is probably just viewed as an inconvenience which can be dealt with. After all, Hitler set the precedent. These control
freaks aren't happy with simply having the freedom to worship, they want the POWER to determine how everybody else worships. They want to recreate our government from one
which guarantees a courts system which holds all equal to one which emblazons its walls with THEIR assertions and beliefs and gives them intrinsic SUPERIORITY under the law.
They want to be able to routinely give public resources away to THEIR special faith-based charities (i.e. Apison School) while ignoring their sworn responsibilities to much more
needful secular entities - and make the taxpaying public pay for it to boot! They want to be able to starve public education to death by blocking tax reform while giving
generously to THEIR private, faith-based educational institutions. All of these things are happening because
no-one dares speak against them. This stigmatization of dissent is the earliest mark of the beast of
totalitarianism.
I personally believe America is in the midst of a nightmare and will wake up one day bound to the posts of the bed it is making for itself unless enough free-thinking people start shaking it awake now.
I think we should tax these nests of vipers and make them compete and pay their way like other businesses. Maybe then all the policemen, school crossing guards and other public
resources devoted to tribal prayerfests might somehow be
justifiable. If they had to jump through the same regulatory hoops any other businesses do, the public might be better protected from pedophiles. The day is in sight
when NO public benefit will be granted without first subjecting the needy to proselytization so they can feel adequately guilty for not following "the right path" to the
blessings conferred upon the rich and faithful. This is already a staple of 'faith-based' organizations. The only hope is that Bush is unable to subvert the system of American law and justice with people like Roy Moore. THAT
is the worst threat in the whole mix.
The men of honor in our judiciary, like Al Edgar, who rule on the law and implement it as prescribed by the
Constitution and the Supreme Court are all that stand between America and Amerika.
Bruce Wilkey
Signal Mountain
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