By executive order, President Bush has created the "Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security". Apparently it hasn't occured to him that the primary enemy against which DHS ostensibly protects us is also a faith-based initiative.
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I am so sick of this 'faith based' material. It's a moronic term that essentially can encompasse anything and in fact does. That a President is so hung up on this is more than disturbing. And I have faith myself but it is private and a generally positive thing. I wouldn't presume to push my illogical ideas onto another.
If this stuff isn't curtailed at some point our world will grow dark(er).
OK, I'm trying really hard not to just hate things because Bush did it. I really don't want my political views to consist of knee-jerk reactions. with that out of the way, everything Bush does seems to "hurt America". I tried thinking of this as an oversight committee, not establishing religion, just regulating. But look:
"Sec. 2. Purpose of Center. The purpose of the Center shall be to coordinate agency efforts to eliminate regulatory, contracting, and other programmatic obstacles to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the provision of social and community services."
He already gives them federal funds, he is trying to insert religion even deeper into government. This is the "chip away" strategy that the anti-abortion crowd ditched in favor of confrontation. What does religion have to do with port security?
Just what the hell does a faith-based initiative have to contribute to homeland security anyway? Are operatives going to pray over suspicious packages and see if the holy spirit tells them whether or not there's a bomb inside?
I'm afraid to find out just what "Community Initiative" means. Maybe I'm just over reacting, but to me it sounds like (potentially) snooping on and reporting your neighbors, Stasi-style. I hope I'm wrong.
To be fair, my post was a lot of snark and little substance. Remember, the DHS includes FEMA and this office will likely provide government funding for things like disaster relief by religious groups. Frankly, I don't have a big problem with that. Many religious groups, from local churches to the Salvation Army, did incredible work after Katrina, as they do after every natural disaster and we should do nothing but applaud those efforts. Should they receive government funding to facilitate that? Probably not. Along with government funding comes more bureaucracy, which tends to cancel out the reason why such groups are able to respond as effectively as they do (considerably more efficently, in most cases, than the government itself). But I don't think it's a huge deal either way.
This is so unbelievably moronic. Is it time for the email campaign yet?
Faith based initiative at the HeimatSicherheitAmt? Hmmm, is he hoping that their Faithiness will be able to part the waters of the next flood?
OK, so US homeland security is going to be "faith-based"? Wouldn't make me feel secure...
Come on guys!
One, and only one, reason.
Votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, votes, . . . . [total next November, and November two years later, and two years later ....]
Skookum... IMO, if GW were doing this only for votes, it wouldn't be as scarry. I am afraid that he REALLY DOES believe that God is on his side...
Both are true.
But Bush isn't running again. My reference, obscure to the point of non-existence, was to the far-right in general. Don't underestimate how much trouble a small cadre of craven, power-hungry idealouges can get the nation into.
Given the dealings of the current cadre of craven, power-hungry idealouges, almost any estimate is an underestimate.
Apparently it hasn't occured to him that the primary enemy against which DHS ostensibly protects us is also a faith-based initiative.
Yeah. But since Bush's faith is the One True Faith, it's not the same thing. America has the real God on its side.
We need a fact-based presidency.