Tiny religious sect takes control of American government.

[Scuba]

[mikeysnot]

1. The Family by Jeff Sharlet

these fucks are sick... could not even finishing reading it.

[mountain grammy]

4. That's a very important book.

I read it a few years ago and immediately joined Americans United for Separation of Church and State headed by Barry Lynne and Military Religious Freedom Foundation headed by Mickey Weinstein. Two excellent organizations fighting for our first amendment right to separation of church and state and religious freedom.

[AlbertCat]

7. The Family by Jeff Sharlet

Yeah.... everyone's sorta forgoten all about "C Street House"...


Where male Reps and Senators can get a room for cheaper than anyone could imagine.... have secret sermons about god and money... and meet up with their mistresses and hookers! Remember? They were calling it a church, so they wouldn't have to pay taxes.

[niyad]

18. not everyone has forgotten about "C" street, believe me.

[Jackpine Radical]

22. And here's a little trip down Memory Lane from 2007, co-authored by Sharlett…

Hillary's Prayer: Hillary Clinton's Religion and Politics
For 15 years, Hillary Clinton has been part of a secretive religious group that seeks to bring Jesus back to Capitol Hill. Is she triangulating—or living her faith?
—By Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet | Sat Sep. 1, 2007 2:00 AM EDT


It was an elegant example of the Clinton style, a rhetorical maneuver subtle, bold, and banal all at once. During a Democratic candidate forum in June, hosted by the liberal evangelical group Sojourners, Hillary Clinton fielded a softball query about Bill's infidelity: How had her faith gotten her through the Lewinsky scandal?

After a glancing shot at Republican "pharisees," Clinton explained that, of course, her "very serious" grounding in faith had helped her weather the affair. But she had also relied on the "extended faith family" that came to her aid, "people whom I knew who were literally praying for me in prayer chains, who were prayer warriors for me."

Such references to spiritual warfare—prayer as battle against Satan, evil, and sin—might seem like heavy evangelical rhetoric for the senator from New York, but they went over well with the Sojourners audience, as did her call to "inject faith into policy." It was language that recalled Clinton's Jesus moment a year earlier, when she'd summoned the Bible to decry a Republican anti-immigrant initiative that she said would "criminalize the good Samaritan...and even Jesus himself." Liberal Christians crowed ("Hillary Clinton Shows the Way Democrats Can Use the Bible," declared a blogger at TPMCafe) while conservative pundits cried foul, accusing Clinton of scoring points with a faith not really her own.

…

Through all of her years in Washington, Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as the Fellowship. Her collaborations with right-wingers such as Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and former Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) grow in part from that connection. "A lot of evangelicals would see that as just cynical exploitation," says the Reverend Rob Schenck, a former leader of the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue who now ministers to decision makers in Washington. "I don't....there is a real good that is infected in people when they are around Jesus talk, and open Bibles, and prayer."

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/09/hillarys-prayer-hillary-clintons-religion-and-politics

[Scuba]

27. "A lot of evangelicals would see that as just cynical exploitation."

Yeah, a lot of us atheists too. Or does she really believe?

Both are bad. Which is worse?

[maddiemom]

23. Alpha House!

[Dont call me Shirley]

26. Isn't the Mafia also called The Family!?

[Maedhros]

31. It's technically called "Our Thing" (Cosa Nostra). [n/t]

[Gothmog]

2. This is great

[Thespian2]

3. When will

the revolution start? Unless the GREEDY BASTARDS are put in prison where they belong, America is doomed as a country. Perhaps it is already too late.

[Martin Eden]

6. GREEDY BASTARDS aren't necessarily breaking the laws ...

... because they WROTE THE LAWS via the politicians they put in office.

WE THE PEOPLE need to CHANGE THE LAWS so the economy is no longer rigged in favor of the 1% or .001%.

Alas, the spending bill just signed by the president includes provisions written by and for the greedy bastards, to increase their ability to purchase political power and to enrich themselves with the type of financial fraud that crashed the economy 7 years ago.

[heaven05]

9. well with the greed of the billionaires

pushing more people into poverty and homelessness with NO medical care for those homeless, jobless 99%, the torture revelations in the name of the 1%, the executions in the streets of amerika of men, women and children by the state sanctioned killers of the 1% pushing more people into acts of desperate fury, I'd say we're headed toward a fascist dictatorship which will have even more of an iron grip on the throat of 'we the people' that represent the 99%.........

[Thespian2]

10. Makes

one truly sad...especially since us old folks can't find a way to fight back.

[heaven05]

11. we can only do

what we are able to do....I hear you loud and clear....one of my fears is to be 80ish, if I make it that far, and be in a crumbling, anarchic society. Not a good thought....but we'll see if sanity can be regained in political leadership, military and security apparatuses and police and internal security forces.....I doubt it, but I can hope, can't I...

[hopemountain]

29. but, we can do something

no matter how small. one is to encourage our youth to not tolerate being ruled by any church and to value our vote. we must continue to pin candidates and our elected reps on this issue.

[raouldukelives]

16. We alone hold the power to keep corporate money out of politics.

They work against us, and yet, people still freely choose to work & invest in them. They are the ones who have made the choice between freedom and fascism for all of us. They spend every waking hour in service to it and the money entrusted to them never sleeps, it always works, against open & honest democracy for all people.

There was a time when it almost understandable. Before we truly knew what was coming down the pike. Before climate change and irreversible destruction. When I was younger I knew they were all greedy assholes, but it still felt like we could fix it in the future. That when they were dead and gone the next generation could rectify the mistakes. Now we know there will be no fixing it, only the choice to add to it or not, today. Every dollar, every hour of service, guaranteeing a more horrible and insufferable future for all living things. That is their true legacy and everlasting gift to the world for the short time they exist.

We need President Sanders. The only other option is defeat and licking the boots of the slave masters.

[Thespian2]

30. Yes

Sanders is the only real hope. I wish all the millionaires were swept out of congress.

[sammy750]

5. This is so accurate and the people need to make a concerted effort not to shop at Walmart and use

the products of the Koch brothers. Both are trying to destroy the middle class. This is there mission. The Republicans are in concert with them and get paid big money to support their efforts. So a vote for a Republican is a vote for Walmart and Koch brothers.
WAKE UP VOTERS.

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in...

the hands of a few, BUT WE CAN'T HAVE BOTH." -- JUSTICE LOUIS BRANDEIS



(May Bernie Sanders stay healthy, and fired up!)

[Initech]

12. Preach it Bernie!

[SoapBox]

13. Depressingly true.

[Fred Sanders]

14. Bernie is wrong. The nation will survive as long as German and Italian fascism survived...one day

too long.

Seriously though Bernie is right. He speaks the truth that dare not mention its name, so I will.

Fascism.

The Bible Thumpers got themselves some mass funding from Rich Thumpers and have forced and chested and molested democracy on their way into a obstructionist position of power, not unlike another faction in 1930's Germany and Italy, Bernie and Elizabeth and some others see the obvious parallels staring us all in the face. Most just refuse to believe such an outrageous thing.

And in his thoughts as he works out and watches ESPN and ignores his daily briefings I am dead certain Obama thinks exactly the same.

[appalachiablue]

15. 'Sons of Wichita', 2014 by Daniel Schulman of Mother Jones is an extensive work on

the family and the rise of their Midwest Empire. Their early involvement in the Birch society, other conservative groups and radical Libertarianism is treated in the book. They were schooled about the evils of government by Fred the father, detested labor unions and 'growing communism'. Kansas Right to Work was one of their sponsored laws. Over decades their money and vision have supported academics, think tanks and political organizations including the rise of the Tea Party in the GOP. Ayn Rand would be proud. The list of politicians and colleges they fund has only grown like their presence in Washington.

[whatchamacallit]

17. "But he's not a democrat..."

Tell it Bernie!

[adirondacker]

36. Typically followed by the "He's Too Far Left !!!"

Bernie should be the Center wing of the party as far as I'm concerned.

[olddots]

19. education keeps facism in check

Thats why the 1% want an ignorant over entertained 99% .

[Turbineguy]

20. Advertisement on Bloomberg TV

saying how nice Lock Industries is.

[Cal Carpenter]

21. Change the word "greed" to "capitalism" and maybe we'll get somewhere

Greed is a human flaw, and cannot be legislated away in and of itself.

Capitalism, however is a *system* of politics and economics that *rewards* greed, and that system *can* be changed.

Greedy bad guys will always be there. What we need is a system that dampens their ability to amass wealth. A system that protects the interests of the 99% -- the common good. Bernie knows this better than most in office, and I wish he'd speak more literally about it and not talk around it like this. Because this idea that we just have to get these bad guys out of office or shut that uberwealthy family business down is not an effective road to go down. Get rid of the Koch's or the Walton's or the Ted Cruz's or the DiFi's and others will pop up in their place if you don't change the system.

[Scuba]

28. "What we need is a system that dampens their ability to amass wealth."

I would argue that progressive taxation, coupled with appropriate regulation of industry, can achieve this in a capitalistic system.

Do you disagree? If so, why? What would you propose in place of capitalism?

[Maedhros]

32. The problem is that, in a capitalist system, the owners of the capital

can accrue enough power to neutralize the progressive taxation and eliminate the appropriate regulation of industry.

One can achieve a reasonable state of affairs under capitalism. The problem is that one cannot maintain it.

[Scuba]

33. What would you propose?

[Maedhros]

34. A Democratic Socialist system in which workers control the means of production.[n/t]

[Blue Idaho]

24. It's a damn shame

No Democrat is willing to say this out loud. Rock on Senator Sanders!

[blkmusclmachine]

25. Don't overlook "THE FAMILY." They are Corporate America/Wall Street, too.

Stealth theocracy, since 1952

[Melurkyoulongtime]

35. The fucking French

started a revolution over less... Guillotine, anyone?

[Major Hogwash]

37. Bernie is wrong on all counts.

This nation was not based on greed, so he can pontificate until he is blue in the face about what he thinks is morally or politically correct.

[ArsSkeptica]

40. Citation needed

IIRC from People's History of the American Revolution, our kerfuffle with the Brits started largely in response to taxation that directly affected those would could afford those things taxed, ergo, those of means. And when we consider the cadre to whom voting was limited once we were on our own (white landowners), perhaps one has cause to wonder what genuinely motivated those of means to financially back a devastating war unless it the possible ROI. If it were entirely principle, I'd think more of those wealthy elite back in the day would have served on the front lines instead of getting poor stand-ins to do it for them.

The principles stated in the Declaration make for good recruitment. Our first stab as a loose federation failed so abysmally because there were no government teeth to back up their accounts receivable. So instead, we got the bait and switch of the Constitutional Convention that enshrined a lot of rights, but lets not forget that the rights we most often think of first when rights come to mind were essentially the bone thrown to the anti-Federalists for the sake of the whole kit and kaboodle, 3/5 of a non-voting slave and all.

Principle may have played a significant part, but whether that significant part outweighed more crass motivations is entirely debatable. I'm not saying we'd have done better under the crown by a long shot. But us commoners were pretty much out of the equation other than as an afterthought.

[KG]

42. the am revolution was not a populist uprising, it was a tax revolt by the rich

not sure how they conned the working class to fight for the interests of the well to do, but they've been able to do it for the 200+ years since.

[defacto7]

38. That's worth

a major Kick!

[Rex]

39. Free trade or fair trade? Better decide before the robots take over all jobs.

Or some idiot like the Rand shitbags gets voted into office.

[another_liberal]

41. No one should make more than a million dollars a year . . .

No one should have a personal worth greater than a billion dollars. The surplus in both cases should go to the federal government to be used for the peoples' greater good.