It's getting worse

October 24, 2001 11:41 AM

It's getting worse : As part of their "Operation Potomac" The National Reform Association, a Christian Reconstructionist group, is starting a political action committee to groom political candidates at the federal level. House Whip Tom DeLay is highly involved. They've already had meetings with Ashcroft's staff in the White House. Truly frightening.
posted by billder (15 comments total)

I'll go out on a limb here and say that reshaping the government to suit them would be bad.

Okay, any more outrages for today?
posted by NortonDC at 12:08 PM on October 24, 2001

OK, that's utterly horrifying. These people cannot possibly gain a real foothold in Federal policy, right? The Court would rule against them, and they'd never get this stuff past the seperation clause, right?

Hold me.
posted by Fenriss at 12:19 PM on October 24, 2001

The Court would rule against them, and they'd never get this stuff past the seperation clause, right?

lolololol.... [maniacal laughter fades out...]
posted by rushmc at 12:27 PM on October 24, 2001

Ashcroft is a fuck.
posted by delmoi at 12:40 PM on October 24, 2001

I don't see anything wrong with this. Speaking as an atheist, these people have just as much right to organize politically as anyone else does.

If freedom of speech doesn't protect unpopular speech, it's meaningless. When I see this kind of thing happen, I'm actually reassured: it means my own freedom of speech has not yet been infringed. These kinds of extremists are the canaries in the coal mine.

I expect they won't have any effect, but I would be frightened if they were incapable of trying.
posted by Steven Den Beste at 12:41 PM on October 24, 2001

Individuals have rights; groups shouldn't. PACs should be made illegal so that individuals can wrest their government back from corporate and ideological control. Money is access, not speech, and the confusion of the two is destroying our democracy, IMO.

Btw, it was often the case that by the time the canary died, it was too late to save the miners. It is not the most sensitive of monitors. I don't believe in squelching the voice or rights of extremists, but history has not been kind to those who minimize the potential of extremists to have a negative effect well beyond what might be reasonably expected for their relative size and influence (see the events of 9/11 for a quite recent example).
posted by rushmc at 12:55 PM on October 24, 2001

Steven, woah. Nobody is saying they shouldn't have the right to organize. What are you reading? The fear here is that a group like this would have an influence on our government, and we'll all be oppressed by moronic religious zealots.
You can want to protect a groups first amendment rights, but still be concerned by what that group may one day do to our country. There's no conflict there
posted by Doug at 12:57 PM on October 24, 2001

The National Reform Association, like its fellow organization with an identical acronym, strongly opposes gun control. They know that if they gain enough political power to become an American Taliban, we will kill them. Their anti-gun-control policy acts as a moderating influence.
posted by Holden at 1:20 PM on October 24, 2001

The fear here is that a group like this would have an influence on our government, and we'll all be oppressed by moronic religious zealots.

I think it may be the fear that is moronic, not the zealots. Not only do they have the right to organize, but I would guess under current laws, as a "PAC" they can also influence the government as any other PAC is allowed to do. If you don't like that, form your own PAC to try and change the PAC rules.
posted by alethe at 1:35 PM on October 24, 2001

PACs should be made illegal so that individuals can wrest their government back from corporate and ideological control.

Let's address the fundamental problem instead of the symptom. Government's sphere of legislative powers should be severely curtailed so that lobbying is pointless.
posted by mw at 1:44 PM on October 24, 2001

It's scary that someone who believes this has access to our senators.

"The doctrine of the lordship of Christ leads to the position of national confessionalism. Here, the authority of Christ over both church and state is recognized and carefully guarded; the church and state are united by a common allegiance to Christ, but remain as separate institutions; the Christian Faith is established, but not any particular church. "
posted by Red58 at 1:59 PM on October 24, 2001

American Taliban - now that's an interesting phrase. Makes you want to send in the bombers...
posted by scotty at 2:09 PM on October 24, 2001

Just such an "American Taliban" has already been described by Margaret Atwood in A Handmaid's Tale -- a frightening and perhaps useful novel for our times.
posted by mooncrow at 2:45 PM on October 24, 2001

The National Reform Association:

Here's their idea of social justice (rich white men).

Here's a piece on gun control.

Here they call Pat Buchanan a socialist!
posted by kittyloop at 3:22 PM on October 24, 2001

Just such an "American Taliban" has already been described by Margaret Atwood in A Handmaid's Tale -- a frightening and perhaps useful novel for our times.

A great book which was reasonably well done as a movie by HBO.

Of course, I worry about extremists of ANY stripe accruing to much influence - rightist or leftist. They all suck.
posted by RevGreg at 3:27 PM on October 24, 2001