THE OPPRESSION BEGINS

Not long ago, the fundamentalist religion in America managed to stop cold a line of fashion clothing and personal products from a British Company named, "French Connection, United Kingdom". They forced Federated Department Stores to remove a line of French Connection's merchandise from its shelves because they did not like the acronym the company's name spelled out: FCUK. Imagine a church power which can shut down a free enterprise line of clothing and perfume?

Imagine a fundamentalist man so unsophisticated that he'd drape a cloth over a classical statue because the statue was not fully clothed. America has not heard of such prudery since the days of Mark Twain. That nincompoop was Republican religious fundamentalist John Ashcroft.

These injustices are only the beginning of the abuse of power America will see under the auspices of Bush's crusading fundamentalists. Next, read a letter to the Spokesman Review by a Spokanite who tipped us off to how the fundamentalist church in America is not only stifling free trade, but it is already shutting down the freedom of religions not like theirs:

"For the most part, people in America think of Christians as members of groups who hold conservative social and political opinions, including the literal biblical interpretations of creationism and the sinfulness of homosexuality.

"The United Church of Christ is another kind of Christian church, one that does not find conflict between science and the truth of the Bible and considers both the context of culture and the spirit of Jesus’ life in its understanding of God’s word.

"The UCC is making an effort with a national television ad campaign to let America know that there is another way to be a Christian and to invite those disenfranchised from the church to experience God's inclusive love in the United Church of Christ.

"It is troubling to me that one of the UCC ads has been refused airtime by CBS and NBC. The ad (http://stillspeaking.com) with its invitation to inclusive worship is considered by our major networks to be a controversial message. This controversy ought to be a wake-up call to anyone who values freedoms of speech, press or religion." (SR, 12/11/04)

After reading that letter I checked out the story on the Internet. The website for the United Church of Christ reports that,

"According to a written explanation from CBS, the United Church of Christ is being denied network access because its ad implies acceptance of gay and lesbian couples—among other minority constituencies—and is, therefore, too 'controversial'. Similarly, a rejection by NBC declared the spot 'too controversial'."

Read the article entire at the UCC website.

The fundamentalist Republican church in America is also beginning to suppress the creative arts, one of the first groups which fascist powers always silence.

"THE Hollywood adaptation of Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials, in which two children do battle with an evil, all-powerful church, is being rewritten to remove anti-religious overtones.

"Chris Weitz, the director, has horrified fans by announcing that references to the church are likely to be banished in his film. Meanwhile the 'Authority', the weak God figure, will become 'any arbitrary establishment that curtails the freedom of the individual'.

"The studio wants alterations because of fears of a backlash from the Christian Right in the United States. The changes are being made with the support of Pullman, who told The Times last year that he received “a large amount” for the rights." (reported by Sam Coates) Read the full story.

There you go! Material altered, an alternative viewpoint silenced, without the power of the Republican fundamentalist church even having to lift a finger. That kind of mindless censorship also flowed directly out of a like-minded situation during the McCarthy Era when fear silenced people of good will and empowered the dark forces of Republican fundamentalism to silence its critics. Their oppressive religious power can kill democracy where it stands.

You may say that Republican fundamentalists surely can't be that bad, but remember that Republicans supported the death squads in Nicaragua which killed peasants struggling for their own freedoms. Republicans actively supported the overthrow of the legally elected government of Allende in Chile in 1970. When you put all these anti-democratic occurrences together, they reveal a corrupt religio/politico power which can stifle any view it doesn't agree with. Can you see why some Americans no longer trust even the vote count of the last two elections? Fundamentalist Republicans who would shut down freedom of speech and freedom of trade and begin to censor the views of America's creative people can not be trusted to carry out an honest election, can they?