Subject: AAFWD: Theistwatch for 2/22 (THEISTWATCH is sponsored by American Atheists, a nat

From: Cgastbook@aol.com
Subject: AAFWD: Theistwatch for 2/22

(THEISTWATCH is sponsored by American Atheists, a nationwide movement founded
by Madalyn Murray O'Hair for the advancement of Atheism, and the total,
absolute separation of government and religion.  It is distributed to members
and supporters on the AAFWD list; our thanks to Rich Daniels for operating
this list.  Edited and written by Conrad F. Goeringer.)
                                                          ********
                                             ON THE BUCHANAN FRONT...
   The pundits are still trying to make sense of Tuesday's New Hampshire
primary, which saw religious conservative Pat Buchanan jump out in front of
the GOP nomination race.  In related news:
....The media is picking up on some classic "Buchananisms" such as.  They
include:
     --calling AIDS "God's awful retribution."
     -- suggesting that women are "not endowed by nature" for success in the
workplace.
     -- being "skeptical" about the extent of the Holocaust against Jews in
World War II, a classic outpost of right-wing historical revisionism and
racism.
     --"If we had to take a million immigrants in, say Zulus, next year, or
Englishmen, and put them in Virginia, which group would be easier to
assimilate?"
     -- "Let the idiot-bankers of Wall Street and their duplicitous Mexican
clients bail themselves out."
     --"Homosexuals do annually parade naked in front of St. Patrick's
Cathedral, perform lewd acts on the parade route, disrupt Sunday Masses and
valdalize churches.  And almost always with the clucking indulgence of the
Big Media."

....Pundits are also trying to fit Buchanan into the stereotypical political
categories. Yesterday, he joked that he had been called a "socialist", and
the Wall Street Journal has been less than joyous over Buchanan's strident
economic protectionism.  But the danger in Buchanan is his ability to link an
otherwise-extreme social agenda with the everyday fears and anxieties which
many people have about the economy.  Buchanan is surging among worried blue
colar types, who have been on the losing end thus far of new international
trade agreements and free trade practices.  These people have seen job
security erode and real wages decline.  In their view, Buchanan speaks to
them.  How much of his social and religious agenda will they buy, however?


                                                    *************************
                                             THEISTWATCH SHORT SHOTS

   Medical problems with Saudi King Fahd may be cause for concern in the near
future.  The desert kingdom was a launching pad for U.S. operations in the
area during Desert Storm; it also provides a good chunk of oil supplies for
the west.  But the conservative House of Saud faces opposition from stern
Islamic fundamentalists who want to ally the country with theocracies like
Iran.  When Fadh dies, there may be transition problems -- or an uprising.
                                                                  ***
   More on Tuesday's celebration in the White House hosted by First Lady
Hillary Clinton to mark the end of the Ramadan season, the Islamic holy
festival.  Mrs. Clinton said that it was "a historic and overdue
occasion...It is only fitting.  Just as children and families of other faiths
have come here to celebrate some of their holy days, so you, too, are here to
mark this important Islamic tradition."
   Officials from the American Muslim Council were on the scene, along with
Abdul-Rasheed Muhammad, the first Islamic chaplain in the U.S. military.
                                                                ***
   After taking the culture on a rollercoaster ride through the sleaze park,
America's daytime talk shows may be changing their act -- problem is, to
what?  Word is out that sleaze-meister Geraldo Rivera now feels guilty of his
role in dumbing down the country, and wants to elevate the content of his 9th
place talk show.  Remember, it was Geraldo who popularized the hysterics of
"Satan's Underground" and other artifacts of Christian fundy paranoia during
the late 1980's, ignoring the protests of critics who question his assertions
about devil-worshipping killer cults gone amok.  But it was Geraldo's
plasticity that really amazed this writer; one day he could have on a gaggle
of religious blue-noses talking about pornography and smut, and the following
day have a "Chippendale Review" or bikini contest.  Oh yeah, there was also
stuff like "Men in lace panties and the women who love them", or "death row
moms", or "trans-sexuals behind bars."
   Now, Geraldo has his own "contract with America" (or so he calls it), a
possible response to the criticisms of kultur guru Bill Bennet and other
media cops.  Will the rest of afternoon TV trashland follow suit, and
exchange the company of "Drug addict Lesbian Hookers Who Kill" for tamer
fare?  Who knows.  Don't touch that dial!
                                                             ***
   Martin Luther as Themepark?  Don't laugh.  German tourism officials are
trying to boost the late renegade theologians stature, whose 450 anniversary
(of his death, that is) takes place on Sunday.  We're told that during the
Communist era, the East German government tried to portray Luther as some
kind of proletarian hero; since the wall has come a'tumling down, though,
officials in re-united Greater Germany want to capitalize on the fact that
Luther built a huge movement which today has some 70 million followers.  They
won't discuss much about the role Luther's "thought" played in laying a
foundation for German racism, of course, and this latest attempt to
rehabilitate Martin Luther may not play well in Rome.  But then again, those
folks have their own religious theme park, the Vatican.
                                                                 ***
   At the John Salvi trial in Massachusetts (he's the guy charged with
spraying deadly lead around two abortion clinics, killing two people and
injuring five more), word that the accused murdered was also dispensing
theological advice to potential victims.
   "This is what you get!  You should pray the rosary!", Salvi is reported to
have shouted as he opened up  with his trusty assault rifle.  Witnesses have
told the court that Salvi's voice was "like a preacher('s)" and
"high-pitched."
                                                                ***
                                                      THE GOOF BOX
   A tip 'o the TW hat to Daniel A. Foster who caught some egregious errors
on my part yesterday.  Buchanan was 4% AHEAD of Lamar Alexander.  And 57% of
the kids who are murdered each year are killed by their parents, not
 rampaging gang members.  It's not 57% of ALL KIDS, as my column yesterday
erroneously stated.

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