Theocracy Alert

Supreme Court's Catholic Bloc

In a 5-4 decision on April 18, the U.S. Supreme Court for the first time narrowed the right to abortion without reference to the health of the pregnant woman. Its decision banning so-called "partial-birth abortion" referred to the state's "legitimate and substantial interest in preserving and promoting fetal life."

The court's five Roman Catholics--Kennedy, Scalia, Alito, Thomas and Roberts, led by Anthony Kennedy who wrote the decision--voted as a bloc to reverse a 2000 Supreme Court decision, and overturn two appellate courts. Ginsburg, the court's only remaining woman, issued a passionate 30-page dissent, which she read from the bench.

Regent Law School Infiltrates

The meteoric rise of Monica Goodling, 33, as top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales until her recent resignation, has brought attention to a bizarre statistic: more than 150 Regent University alumni have been given influential government posts since Bush's election.

Goodling graduated from an obscure Christian college, then attended Pat Robertson's Regent Law School, which is rated, as a tier 4, as one of the nation's worst. In 1999, the year she graduated, 60% of her classmates failed the bar exam on the first attempt.

Goodling, who pleaded the Fifth before Congress in April, nevertheless then received immunity and will be required to testify over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. Commentators have pointed out that the scandal over the firings reveals less about partisan treatment of attorneys, and more about religious-right control of the government.

Times Exposes Religious Pork

Aggressive lobbying by religious groups for federal aid for pet projects was exposed in The New York Times (May 13, 2007), as part of a periodic series by reporter Diana B. Henriques and Andrew W. Lehren.

"A New York Times analysis shows that the number of earmarks for religious organizations, while small compared with the overall number, have increased sharply in recent years. From 1989 to January 2007, Congress approved almost 900 earmarks for religious groups, totaling more than $318 million, with more than half of them granted in the Congressional session that included the 2004 presidential election. Earmarks are individual federal grants that bypass the normal appropriations and competitive-bidding procedures.

"As the number of faith-based earmarks grew, the period from 1998 to 2005 saw a tripling in the number of religious organizations listed as clients of Washington lobbying firms and a doubling in the amount they paid for services," according to The Times.

One example: St. Vincent College, a small Benedictine college near Pittsburgh, hired a lobbyist in 2004 and two years later got a $4 million windfall earmarked for a project to realign a two-lane state road serving its campus. Rep. John P. Murtha, D-PA, championed the appropriation. Pres. Bush gave the commencement address there this May.

An earmark that went to the Silver Ring Thing in Massachusetts was suspended after being challenged in 2005. The Times reports similar earmarks were granted to Silver Ring Thing in Pennsylvania, Alabama and South Carolina. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last November ruled that an earmark awarded to the Boise (Ida.) Rescue Mission was unlawful because it advanced religion.

Ohio's "FBO" Criticized

Ohio's new Gov. Ted Strickland, in March, publicly criticized the previous governor's Office on Faith-based and Community Initiatives for being "like an ATM machine for some of the most politically right-wing organizations."

He told the Dayton Daily News:

"It just really seems as if this is an example of where money that should've legitimately gone to serve the needs of the poor and vulnerable people in Ohio was in my judgment misused and it was done in the name of God. It's just reprehensible and it happened here."

After reviewing contracts and grants, Strickland requested an audit and investigation, which are ongoing.

Of particular concern is We Care America, a Virginia-based nonprofit with ties to the Bush Administration, which won a 20-month, $2.1 million contract to administer $22 million in federal welfare grant money to Ohio churches and community organizations. We Care added a 15% overhead charge to its monthly invoices. It now routes invoices through the Assemblies of God New Jersey Council.

"God showed great favor to the organization," real estate mogul and We Care America chairman John Pentz told the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy. "I've also experienced what the devil can do, particularly when the devil's involved in politics and with people who have their own agenda."

We Care America, launched in 2001, the same year Bush created the faith-based initiative, won a grant of nearly $1 million through the Compassion Capital Fund, with many other followup grants, including more than $400,000 through AmeriCorps. Founder Dave Donaldson was a former national director of Pat Robertson's Operation Blessing, and an honorary member of Pres. Bush's "Presidential Prayer Team."

Although Strickland criticized the management under the Taft administration, he plans to continue funding the office with $14.5 million through welfare money and other state funds.

Turkish Secularism Endangered

Following marches and protests attracting nearly a million Turkish citizens, an Islamist presidential candidate withdrew his candidacy in early May. Abdullah Gul represented the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which is connected to political Islam.

Several street demonstrations, one attracting more than 700,000 prosecular Turks--many of them women, preceded the resignation. Mustafa Kemal created a secular Turkish state in 1923, banning head scarves in public schools and granting women the right to vote.

The Parliament just adopted other changes expected to favor AKP, so the threat continues.

Utah Votes on Vouchers

Voters in Utah will decide the fate of the nation's first statewide school voucher program in November, set to give families $500-$3,000 per child for private (mostly religious) school tuition. Opponents, including the national PTA, teachers' unions, and the NAACP, gathered more than 124,000 signatures after the February law passed.

Texas Pols Push Piety

Without Molly Ivins to skewer their antics, the Texas Legislature this spring has promoted many religious-right bills, including proposals to encourage premarital "education," make divorce harder, and provide the option of "convenant marriage."

The Texas House overwhelmingly voted to pass HB 1034 124, putting the words "under God" in the Texas pledge of allegiance.
Gov. Rick Perry let a bill go into law undoing his executive order requiring schoolgirls to be vaccinated against the HPV virus causing cervical cancer, after his order enraged his religious-right base.
The House approved a watered-down version of Rep. Warren Chisum's proposal to require the bible to be taught as an elective in all Texas high schools. By voice vote, the House approved a measure permitting such elective courses in districts, but not requiring schools to offer them.
The Religious Viewpoints Anti-Discrimination Act, passed by the Texas House, was expected to pass momentarily in the Senate before being signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry. It would require Texas public schools to allow "spontaneous religious expression" by students. The provision would create a "limited open forum" for students so they could talk about religion at sports events, school assemblies and graduation ceremonies.

Bible Quiz Frees Suspect

A municipal court judge in Hamilton, Ohio, permitted a suspect to be released on signature bond in April for passing a bible quiz. When a man arrested on suspicion of using a stolen credit card was described by his attorney as a "churchgoer," Judge John Burlew asked him to recite the 23rd Psalm. Some in the courtroom applauded his success, and Burlew released him.

Buddhist Monks Seek Theocracy

Leaders of the recent coup in Thailand have promised to put a new constitution before voters in the fall, prompting monks to seek to name Buddhism as the national religion.

Their campaign revives the divisive debate of 1997 over the same proposal.

Fired for Being Atheist

An investigator with the Maine Human Rights Commission in May found reasonable grounds for a manager's claim that he was fired in 2006 from a farming subsidiary for being an atheist.

Cacy Cantwell said Austin "Jack" DeCoster told him they might have to "part ways" because Cantwell doesn't believe in God.

Cantwell was working for Maine Contract Farming, a subsidiary of Decoster, the region's largest brown egg producer.

The case is expected to proceed to the full commission.

Username Suspended

Charles Merrill, a Florida artist and Lifetime Member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, had his online username, "Anti-Christ," recently suspended by a publication owned by The New York Times Corp.

"I have been a very frequent blogger to the online Hendersonville Times News, which is owned by The New York Times. Suddenly out of nowhere, because they found my username offensive, the paper removed me from the site."

Merrill noted:

"Of course I am 'anti-Christ.' The one very serious defect to Christ's moral character was that he believes in hell. I don't believe anyone who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment."