A must-read on how both sides of the aisle pander to the religious elements

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This article probably would never have been written in a US media, or at least not a conventional one. But it still is important to both read and evaluate.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/01/religious-right-abortion-obama-healthcare

When Barack Obama was elected president, conventional wisdom had it (once again) that the religious right was dead. If it was still thriving, how could Obama have vanquished the movement's chosen one, Sarah Palin, with such a decisive victory? Religion reporter Dan Gilgoff even speculated that Obama had "defanged" the religious right.

A year later, as the dogma of the Catholic church and hard-right evangelicals has taken centre stage in the debate over abortion coverage in healthcare reform, those predictions seem ludicrous at best. Although Republicans no longer control Washington with a congressional majority or their man in the White House, meddling clerics are still issuing edicts equating sexual freedom with the downfall of civilization and threatening to bring down the republic should the laws not conform to their theology.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was on the phone to the Vatican on the eve of passing a historic health care reform bill last month – because she had to assure the papacy that any coverage for abortion (even paid for privately, as it turns out) would be eliminated from the bill. She needed the votes of the Vatican's loyal soldiers in Washington, who had rounded up 64 anti-choice Democrats threatening to kill the whole bill. Many of those representatives were recruited to run for office by the Democratic party precisely because they are anti-choice, and were needed (the party believed) to woo conservative Catholics and evangelicals.

Democrats continue to give in to ecclesiastic intimidation. How far will they let it go?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. I wasn't born here, so let me say it right out...

Americans have only one social life: church. Americans don't have neighborhoods, don't really have neighbors, don't walk, don't see each other, their cities and towns look deserted except for moving vehicles. There's huge separation between Americans. The only place they meet to develop friendships is church.

That makes church a very powerful political tool in the U.S.

Not so in Europe, for example, where people have neighborhoods, sidewalks, pubs, they know their neighbors, know the people of their area, etc. There, the church has a very limited influence.

[Zoeisright]

2. That's a really good point.

That and the schools, if you have school-aged kids.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. But schools is where kids hang out, not adults. Churches right now...

are the right arm of the GOP for that reason. Americans have no other way to socialize with other human beings other than churches.

[Zoeisright]

6. Yes.

But that's how parents of children get to know each other - through school.

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4. Or the gatherings are all food related

One of my doctors (a long time ago)used to tell me a reason many Americans were overweight or obese was because socialization was almost always at a place where food was served. There really are very few places where non-food meetings are held other than at religious places. Americans really do need to get off their butts and do something to socialize in other places. There will be a day, I'm sure, when many will never see another human for days on end, where life is partially lived out in a home or workplace only, and using the internet will be the main form of communication. I know: as someone who is disabled, I am already in that lifestyle.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

5. Well actually my family is Spanish and believe me, all our get-togethers revolve around food....

we meet in pubs (which serve dinner, lunch, tapas, appetizers, you name it), we meet at people's houses, where always appetizers are served, we invite one another for dinner, for lunch, we go out to restaurants, we meet in coffee shops to talk, etc. etc. etc. I can't think of any place where we don't meet that it doesn't involve food. And Spanish people don't have obesity problems the way Americans do.

Americans are fat because of the isolation: sitting at home, alone, in front of the TV with only thoughts of the stress, the isolation, and a little distraction from the TV and eating.