A brief respite from NCLB to comment on the growing idolatry movement that is conservative Christendom:

I liked Bill Clinton. I didn't love him, nor did I idolize him. I realized from the beginning ('92 - my first Democratic vote) that he was just a man. But he seemed pretty smart, and he seemed like he wanted to make a difference. Heck, he went to Clarksdale, Mississippi to see poverty. That was enough for me.

I liked John Kerry too. That's where things got weird. I would never have told anyone I loved him, like the Bush supporters did so frequently in 2004. I recognized his weaknesses, measured them against Bush's abysmal record, and pulled the lever for another Democrat. I used my brain, not my heart.

The folks on the right, especially the conservative Christians who have gotten so much play since November, seem to be True Believers. These folks honestly believe that George Bush is a Christian, despite his murderous ways. They believe The System can be made right if only we elect some decent, upstanding Christian Men. They wave their flags, stick the yellow ribbon on their trunk, and vote Republican. All the while they apparently believe they are doing God's Will. Or helping Bush fulfill his prophecy that "God wants me to be President."

Now this line of bullshit stank like a sailor's fart the first time I heard it, and it's smell hasn't improved much since. Either God is a Republican, or George Bush is a lunatic. I prefer to believe the latter. The quote was damned effective in getting conservative Christians to turn for Bush, and for that technique you have to give him points, I guess.

But what of these Christians who were so easily taken in by the skilled politician? What does their gullibility say for their faith, and our own? How dumb to you have to be to be a Christian? The new joke goes: dumb enough to vote for George Bush.

As the Tom DeLay and Ralph Reed masks begin to come off, I fervently pray that my fellow Christians will allow the scales to fall from their eyes. At one time this country believed in equality of rights and economics. That a man should be able to work for a living, not grovel. As we get into these next four years I hope that we can recapture the idea that every person is valuable. That everyone deserves a decent home, fair labor, and a quality education (among other things).

Christians have been blind to the political workings of Satan for so long now. When, oh when will they wake up? George Bush, Tom DeLay and Ralph Reed are not our brothers. They are politicians who sell themselves to the highest bidder. Some take cash for casinos, others fabricate evidence to start unnecessary wars.

You've been blind. Isn't it time to see?