The First World War was supposed to be "The War to end all wars." Pity no one told the Germans, the Koreans, the Vietnamese, the Serbs, the Iraqis, most of the countries in Africa or George Bush. After WWI, an enormous sigh of relief gave way to an explosion of joy and good times, even decadence. Then in a period of little more than twenty years, we found out that our WORST enemy had to be faced: complacency.
The same kind of complacency that engulfed gays who came out in the late seventies and some feminists who rejoiced at Roe vs Wade. It was the kind of complacency that gave us a sense of invulnerability, a false hubris. And this lull in vigilance was what Christofascists in our country were waiting for: the Moral Majority had room to grow. Thus started the "culture war."
Steve Benen, Political Animal, Washington Monthly, April 14, 2009:
Anti-gay animus is not only waning, four states now allow gay marriage. Abortion is still legal and a majority of Americans are still pro-choice. School prayer isn't even on the political world's radar screen anymore. Pornography is not only a multi-billion industry; it's more accessible than ever. The single fastest growing segment of the American spiritual landscape is non-believers and those with no religious identification.That's fine, but look what we've still got on our hands: Prop 8, DOMA, Don't Ask Don't Tell, state constitutional amendments prohibiting same-sex marriage, Focus on the Family, Rush Limbaugh, Family Research Council, the Mormon Church, the Vatican, Michelle Malkin, The Creation Museum, Bill O'Reilly, Fox News, Ann Coulter(geist), the NRA and hate groups breeding hate crimes like rabbits.
When James Dobson delivered his parting speech to Focus On The Family, he wasn't abdicating nor was he waving a white flag of surrender. Not by a long shot.
"Humanly speaking, we can say that we have lost all those battles, but God is in control and we are not going to give up now, right? ... I have been assured by the board and by many of you that we're not going to cow, we're not going to be discouraged."
Christofascists may have lost some battles for America's souls, but still have the rest of the world's non-Christians to deal with. And they're making inroads in Africa, China and the Middle East. All Christian groups have to do is to scream "persecution" and money rolls in along with a particular kind of politics - religious politics. "AIDS in Africa? We'll help, just don't distribute condoms, and preach abstinence only." They're making inroads where Jerry Falwell failed.*
Yes, today's Christofascists are very much like caged animals. And they will do, as Rick Warren so often proscribes: "Whatever it takes."
Just a thought.
*Along with food and clothing, during the Asian Tsunami catastrophe, Falwell tried to distribute 600,000 Christian tracts of scripture. The Muslims and Hindus pulled a Sarah Palin: "Thanks, but no thanks."
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