"With God on our Side": George W. Bush

[Old and In the Way]

Wow, what a depressing documentary this was (just finished on Sundance). Until we rid ourselves of these delusional people who think they have a special line on what God thinks, we are truely screwed. I have an idea. Keep politics out of the pulpit and religion out of our politics. We might then see Peace on Earth.

[L0oniX]

1. Satan is the god of Bush

[newspeak]

11. actually, it may be Moloch

yep, it's Moloch-the God of chaos and death, who rewards it's followers with power and riches for their human sacrifices. Of course, it could be that giant wooden owl at the Bohemian Grove where they burn a human effigy to care---but I'm certain that it's not my creator!!!! Cause she just loves everyone of her creations and she wouldn't think of loving one of her children over another. Wait a minute, "mom always loved you best" (Smothers Brothers). Nah!!!!!!! Or their God might be Baal or Mammon. Geez, so many to choose from-but the way they act has to be Moloch--yep, Moloch.

[BayouBengal07]

2. No kidding.

We give overzealous Christian politicians a pass because it's the majority religion in America, and "of course" it's OK when they get religious because "it's truth." But their religiousity is no different than politicians in Islam, Hinduism, and so on, spouting their religious rhetoric. Sure, there aren't Christian militias in the streets and they aren't as voiciferous or bombastic as in, say Iran or India, but that's because we're lucky we have the Enlightenment and a tradition of secularism in this country. We simply haven't given the Religious Right enough room to let their real opinions and desires get out and take hold a la Iran.

[Old and In the Way]

7. It occurs to me that our religious wackos are aiding and abetting

their religious wackos. The secular moderates on both sides lose. We've pretty well marginalized secular moderation in the ME for decades to come. I'm sure our religious fundie-zealots are praying for their Islamic equals to do the same here.

[Maat]

3. I saw it on Free Speech TV,

and was sad for a bit after that. It's a powerful documentary.

[AZCat]

4. There's a book by the same name by William Martin.

Is there a connection?

[TomInTib]

6. And then there is this (Dylan)...

Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.

Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.

Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.

When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.

I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.

But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.

In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.

So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.




Copyright © 1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music

[hibbing]

5. That is a Dylan song

I haven't heard anything about this. It is a great Bob Dylan song though btw, thanks for the info.

[welshTerrier2]

8. we showed this film last night at our library

i'm part of a documentary / discussion group and we showed "With God on Our Side" as our film of the month last night ...

i thought the film was very worth seeing but it also left many people with the misimpression that evangelicals had successfully taken over the republican party and that they were now able to dictate policy with bush in the WH ...

the film did a good job showing the world from a fundie perspective but failed to make it clear that the fundies were still subordinate to the corporatists in the republican party and that they still had not achieved their objectives like school prayer, overturning Roe or a gay marriage amendment ...

in my view, the right way to view the fundie movement is that they are dupes of the corporatists in the republican party ... in their quest to ban abortions and return prayer to the schools, they have failed to see that the "horse they're backing" has condoned torture, talked about using nuclear weapons and totally turned its back on the poor and homeless in New Orleans and the middle class everywhere ... the hypocrisy of those in control of the republican party knows no limits ... as the saying goes: "who would Jesus bomb?"

the fundies and the corporatists have formed a not-all-that-comfortable coalition but their ultimate objectives really are very different ... bush may believe himself to be a born-again but he is first and foremost an OIL MAN ... whether he genuinely believes in "the message" is not the point; the point is that, in his deeds, he is hardly following the teachings of any religion ... his mission is not dictated by the Bible but rather it's controlled by the BIG OIL agenda, the neocons and by PNAC ... the movie really didn't explore any of that ...

while it's unclear where the fundies will turn to house themselves under a new political umbrella, it's becoming increasingly clear that the old umbrella in the republican party has not served them well ... the old coalition is wearing very, very thin ... the ground is shaking violently under both political parties and an as yet unseen realignment is in the wind ... we would be wise to recognize it and to plan for it ...

[Old and In the Way]

9. Fundies and Today's Republican Party: An arranged marriage

You got the cynical, monied hypocrisy and corruptness of the Republican Party tied up with the massively naive followers of Jesus Christ, led by cynical, monied, corrupt televangelists. That's a combination designed to deliver a Bush administration and, if allowed to continue, will assure the demise of constitutional America.

[welshTerrier2]

10. "Public Stoning: Not Just for the Taliban Anymore"

check out what these lunatics are up to: http://www.alternet.org/story/40318/

[Blue_In_AK]

12. That was a very disturbing film... n/t