Monday, February 20, 2017
Roads to Tyranny
The clear
message in the Five Steps to Tyranny videos (no longer available) is
that demonization is a political tool, used by politicians to suppress
dissent and subvert solidarity. Two examples not in the Five Steps to
Tyranny series are the September 2010 U.S. Department of Justice raids
against peace activists by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the
passage of American Pentecostal-supported legislation in Uganda
mandating the death penalty for homosexuals. While not endorsing the
right-wing, anti-Semitic Agenda 21 conspiracy theory, it is true that
the Calvinist UN Millenium Development Goals do serve as pretext for
ethnic cleansing of Indigenous peoples.
All
of these examples are in synch with Christian Dominionism, such as that
promoted by President Obama’s friend Rick Warren. Pandering to
Christian bigotry, in fact, is arguably one of the fastest roads to
tyranny in America, and is well documented on the Talk to Action blog.
What the International Transformation Network of Christian fascists
might be willing to do under a theocracy is perhaps best answered by
Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale.
As
Sarah Posner reported in her 22 March 2013 Religion Dispatches article
Hiring Discrimination Issue Remains “Under Review” for Faith-Based
Office, religious discrimination against Muslims and gays by
federally-funded Christian non-profits remains an allowed violation of
the U.S. Constitution by the Obama Administration. In answer to
reporters questioning this abuse of power by the president, the newly
appointed Faith-Based Office csar Melissa Rogers stated the
discriminatory policy is under review. As Posner observes, though, the
review has been going on for four years.
As
Peter Montgomery notes in his 24 March 2013 review at Religion
Dispatches, Loving Uganda to Death: The Global Reach of Far-Right
Christian Hatred some religious-based non-profits have murderous intent.
The fact President Obama blows off this human rights concern should be a
source of outrage by American tax-payers.
