Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Totalitarian Trajectory
Yesterday, the US Supreme Court split 5-4 upholding the UC Hastings School of Law prohibition against subsidizing student organizations that practice discrimination. Think about that. The highest court in our land is divided almost evenly between justices who support legalized Christian bigotry against gays, and those who do not.
Located in the Civic Center of San Francisco, Hastings support for equality under the law was not surprising, but the atmosphere in our country’s capitol is very disturbing. Viewed from a San Francisco perspective, the dissenting opinion on Christian Legal Society v Martinez reminded me of another troubling attitude.
Back in 2006, San Francisco’s US Senator Dianne Feinstein sponsored a bill criminalizing any type of activism targeted at corporations. While this bill was not in support of bigotry, it does serve as a corollary to Christian bigotry in that both are oriented in favor of totalitarian government — one theocratic, one fascist. And as we have seen in the states of Israel, Iran, and Indonesia, the two are not necessarily exclusive.
Located in the Civic Center of San Francisco, Hastings support for equality under the law was not surprising, but the atmosphere in our country’s capitol is very disturbing. Viewed from a San Francisco perspective, the dissenting opinion on Christian Legal Society v Martinez reminded me of another troubling attitude.
Back in 2006, San Francisco’s US Senator Dianne Feinstein sponsored a bill criminalizing any type of activism targeted at corporations. While this bill was not in support of bigotry, it does serve as a corollary to Christian bigotry in that both are oriented in favor of totalitarian government — one theocratic, one fascist. And as we have seen in the states of Israel, Iran, and Indonesia, the two are not necessarily exclusive.
