"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"
All well and good, but as it so often happens, the ignorant, angry rabble the constitution was designed to prevent from directly controlling our country disagree. According to a CNN poll this morning, 64% of Americans responding, support a federal ban on garments that hide the face; garments which are required by the free exercise of some religious denominations. So much for our constant squealing about Freedom.
Where are the cries of too much government I have to listen to constantly? There's a move here to eliminate licensing for professions that now require them, like Yacht brokerage -- in the interest of "less government" and because, as the local paper says, "it will make it easier to get into the business." I'm sure it will, especially for the unscrupulous.
I had to listen to a tantrum in Miami International Airport the other day, when a man decided the overly long walk to the customs hall was the result of "too much government," but telling us how to constitute our families, who we may marry, what clothes we may not wear, what religion we may not freely exercise? Well, now, that's different!
There are a few of aspects of the (we don't need no stinking government) Libertarian party which I find somewhat attractive, particularly in the area of privacy and social issues (gays want to marry, so what), and religion in particular which basically amounts to "believe whatever silliness you want, just keep it outta my face".
ReplyDeleteBut what keeps me a Liberal is their idealistic stance on "free markets" and the "let them eat cake" attitude on the social safety net where the market is completely out of reach to the poor and disaffected.
Americans have always been strong proponents of free speech - as long as it's speech they agree with.
I feel your pain! I'm a renegade Catholic, i.e., I sorta kinda practice but have been a questioner since grade school (and have annoyed nuns and priests for decades) however, I respect all believers and non-believers of any stripe. I am definitely with the Founding Fathers -- most of whom were vestigial or questioners in their practice of religion. And it galls me that so many people conveniently forget that Thomas Paine was a downright atheist. I could rant on this for hours but I'll save it for my blog. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post!
Robert:
ReplyDeleteI have to agree - I do have a bit of a libertarian streak when it comes to civil rights, but some capital L Libertarians tend to believe the government has no right to keep us from abusing minorities or anyone else we have the numbers to abuse. They were notably against de-segregation, as I remember.
Kay:
I have a feeling Paine had a deist streak himself and he often referred to God in his writing, but then our common language has a hard time distinguishing between God the abstract, God the metaphor and the anthropomorphic old man who is very, very, interested in sex.
Don't forget the crawling around that every single level of government wants to do in my uterus lately. Or the prohibition of the WORD in my state capital. WTF?
ReplyDeleteI am 100% with you on the ideas of the Libertarians, prostitution? Who Cares? Marijuana? Sure. But cannot imagine allowing others to starve or cause harm to the elderly that being a full Libertarian would mean (with no social net!)
God is very very interested in sex? Who knew?
God is so damn interested in sex that he even made sure that his son was born without the dirty deed being done. (or so some believe.)
ReplyDeleteNo self respecting god in the Greco-Roman world had a human father. Of course it wasn't until long after his death that he became one and his mother was 'virginated' because the ancestors of Christianity were not Jews but Greeks and Turks and Romans.
ReplyDeleteThe laws against hiding one's face were often passed to fight groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
ReplyDeleteThe Klan is not protected by the first amendment as a religious practice. But it's a good point and brings up that old Nietzsche thing about not becoming the monster you're trying to fight.
ReplyDeleteI find it very confusing that the party of less government is so intent on government intrusion into every aspect of our personal lives.
ReplyDeleteI guess if you just don't ponder it too much, it makes sense --- to someone.