Compassion in Action? at least $157 million to conservative groups

[liberal N proud]

Look what is in the main stream media:

Grants flow to Bush allies on social issues

Federal programs direct at least $157 million to conservative groups
By Thomas B. Edsall

Updated: 12:49 a.m. ET March 22, 2006
For years, conservatives have complained about what they saw as the liberal tilt of federal grant money. Taxpayer funds went to abortion rights groups such as Planned Parenthood to promote birth control, and groups closely aligned with the AFL-CIO got Labor Department grants to run worker-training programs.

And the republican base thinks their leaders are for less government?

Under the auspices of its religion-based initiatives and other federal programs, the administration has funneled at least $157 million in grants to organizations run by political and ideological allies, according to federal grant documents and interviews.

An example is Heritage Community Services in Charleston, S.C. A decade ago, Heritage was a tiny organization with deeply conservative social philosophy but not much muscle to promote it. An offshoot of an antiabortion pregnancy crisis center, Heritage promoted abstinence education at the county fair, local schools and the local Navy base. The budget was $51,288.

Groups led by influential Republicans
By 2004, Heritage Community Services had become a major player in the booming business of abstinence education. Its budget passed $3 million -- much of it in federal grants distributed by Bush's Department of Health and Human Services -- supporting programs for students in middle school and high school in South Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky

Heritage, Hmmm, Where have we seen that name before?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11951695/

[fasttense]

1. His faith-based initiatives are a smoke screen for handing tax dollars

to his contributors. I wonder how much the Moonies got?

[neoblues]

2. Robin Shrub and his merry men...

Stealing from the poor to give to the church? Anyway, the Shrub Administration must've been thinking "how can we trample on the concept of separation of church and state while ensuring the greatest political support/payback?".

On some level, though, this seems to fit an even more malignant pattern... that of answering the question "how do we go about destroying the 'Democracy' that's existed in the United States?". First, let's set new precedents... (a) demand ominous power for the Executive (Unitary Executive), (b) destroy the effectiveness of the Separation of Powers bewteen Federal Branches of Government, and (c) dissolve/weaken the idea that the government shouldn't support a particular religion... plus, (d) get the country locked into a permanent, perpetual (imaginary as well as real) "War", and (e) grow the public debt to untenable levels while also setting the currency up for total collapse (and associated economic depression)(and also ensuring an increase in the difference between the rich), and simultaneously (f) destroy the federal "safety net" by ruining Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid and (g) pack the courts with conservative judges (who will diminish the rights of the people to justice and fair play while further criminalizing American life and packing the prisons beyond capacity) and also take away citizens rights to legal recourse (no more lawsuits against corporations), as well as (h) blatantly take away more and more civil rights via the misnamed "Patriot" Act... and so on.

Do I see a pattern? Every choice, every decision, every policy and every action this President and his Administration (as well as that of the Rethuglican Congress (at least)) has been consistent with the actions that would be taken by an entity that desired to see the downfall of the Grand Experiment in Democratic rule that the United States represented. If he/they wanted to destroy the country we've all known and loved... they're doing exactly the right thing (not the least of which was/is to polarize the public to the point of hatred on many issues--and particularly the partisan political divide; setting an example that lying, cheating and abuse of power is okay if you're doing it against liberals (or minorities and other 'groups' not in vogue with the repubo-consvatude creed)). Plus, it's hardly even entered the "public consciousness" since they co-opted the national media by means of revoking the laws against monopolistic corporate control over the public broadcast medium--thus allowing them to control what receives attention. They've done their damnedest and done it well, to set the country up for collapse and, by and large, the public has 'fallen for it'/gone along with it.

Yes, of course, the real, but ineffective, majority--Democrats/Liberals/Progressives have not gone along, but lacking media access and suffering with proper, civilized 'values'/trying to play fair and achieve rational, negotiated consensus--we've been beaten (thus far). We failed to realize in time that the other side has discarded all pretense of being honest, fair-minded, adults who are engaging in sincere political efforts to improve the lot of other Americans and who, in reality, have been plotting an all out, no holds barred, take no prisioners 'war' on those who don't think the way they think. Their intolerance and impatience has overwhelmed their integrity as well as their good sense. Having taken power--they're using it abusively and blindly and blundering in catastrophic ways everywhere one looks. Their time in charge can't last but... while it took many years to build, Rome was burned in a day. It's much easier to destroy than to build; and they are natural experts in destruction. The sooner we stop them, the better for all concerned.

It may be that the only bright side will be that once we hit bottom, the only direction left to us will be up. That and when we have to rebuild from scratch, we can perhaps build it better than before. Don't kid yourself, though, with the damage already done, it will already be a miracle if we don't face even more dire circumstances. It's something like trying to save a great old oak tree that's already been half chopped down--even if we stop the men with axes, the tree may get worse (and may even have to be replanted). I hope it's not as dire as that analogy, but we don't know how badly damaged the country is, how much more harm will be done nor how hard it will be to restore. Our analogy may be more along the lines of the athlete with a partially fractured leg--where if he keeps playing (thanks to narcotic pain relievers allowing a separation from reality), he may damage the leg permanently, but if we get the leg proper treatment immediately, it can heal and be all but as good as new (but for a few aches on cold days). Much of this depends on what we teach our younger generations about what is going on; if they take away the wrong message, our Democracy (Constitutional Republic)(and the difference is important) may be very permanently harmed. In any case, we need to set an example--stand up and be counted and fight for our rights, freedoms and way of life. There is no other tolerable choice.