God's own pimp

Most non-Christians are acutely aware of the crusade although it may be invisible or at least unnoticed to others. To many Americans, this is Jesus Christ's own country and it's just natural, rather than sectarian to point this out on every possible occasion; on occasions like Memorial day.

Now, my family has been in this country for 6 generations which should be long enough to consider oneself an American, but particularly here in the South, it isn't -- at least if you're a Hindu, Muslim, Jew or none of the above. If you're one of those, you probably, like me, wish the mood of the country was less of a relentless crusade and more of the attitude: you go to your church, I'll go to mine, but the rest, like a veteran's cemetery, is neutral ground.

This weekend, as expected, I'm getting forwarded messages about "treasuring our war dead" and supporting the troops and how we'd all be shackled slaves if it weren't for the US military bombing all those third world countries and kidnapping people like Noriega and overthrowing any democracy that seemed too socialist. Of course I'm one of those emotional types who is known to get teary-eyed at war memorials, but it's more about the lost youth and the precariousness of life than the glory of war and the glory of Jesus the divine ( or Yahweh, or any of the infinite number of gods we go to war for.) We've lost enough over the glory of some myth, thank you very much. If the flag pin patriots don't mind, I'd rather reflect on history by myself rather than to conform to some ever more sectarian ritual of self congratulatory jingoism.

I don't think I'm alone or out of the mainstream to think that a cornerstone of our country was religious neutrality; a country where the government neither supported or suppressed any religion, any god and in the name of freedom -- but that mainstream seems rather silted up and narrow and unnavigable on occasions like this when people who speak for our government decide their personal gods are superior to those silly, second-rate gods of others and the courts share their smug, condescending crusade.

So when the Rev. Scott Rainey decided to give a Memorial Day invocation, as he's been doing for a couple of years at the Huston National Cemetery and which closed with

"While respecting people of every faith today, it is in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, that I pray. Amen."

The Veterans Administration said no, you don't and presumably because it's not a Christian cemetery exclusively for Christians and because doing so at least hints at the establishment of a preferred state religion. Apparently Texans are offended that some heathen would dare to sit in the front of America's bus and took it to court. It being Texas, a judge arrogated that the government cannot

"gag citizens. . . in some bureaucrat's notion of cultural homogeneity"

Not even if that bureaucrat wrote the First Amendment. In fact it's the court's notion of homogeneity, that we're all Christians here, that it's a christian universe but we'll allow you lesser folks to sit in the back if you keep quiet, that stinks up the polluted air of Texas.

Thus spake U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, God's own pimp. Did the VA have the right? Was this an unconstitutional integration of church and state? Was this about 'homogeneity' or about respect for the feelings and rights of others including the non-Christian dead? Even if not, it's a slap in the face, whether thoughtless or intentional, to every atheist who died in a foxhole, every Navaho, every Jew, Every Muslim or Buddhist or follower of Shinto who served in our armed forces and the families who honor them and mourn them today. They are ours, not the property of Hughes or Rainey or the State of Texas and not to be used as a sales tool and if there is some special circle for such people, may they reach it soon.