Look out - here it comes - formal marriage of church and state

From an email making the rounds on a bill being proposed in Congress:

Accordingly, under Sec. 102 of this bill, "Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the Supreme Court shall not have jurisdiction to review, by appeal, writ of certiorari, or otherwise, any matter to the extent that relief is sought against an element of Federal, State, or local government, or against an officer of Federal, State, or local government (whether or not acting in official personal capacity), by reason of that element's or officer's acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law, liberty, or government." This means, that the federal judiciary would be prohibited from interfering with any expression of religious faith by any elected local, state, or federal official. In other words, federal judges could not prevent the Ten Commandments from being displayed in public buildings or Nativity Scenes from appearing on court house lawns or "under God" from being recited in the Pledge of Allegiance or prayers being spoken in public schools, etc. This bill would limit the jurisdiction of the federal courts in these matters.

This bill is called The Constitution Restoration Act 2004. It also has a fine appeal to xenophobia. You can read more about it here. And the bill itself here.

I'd say write to your representatives and senators, but I know better. They'll do whatever they damned well please - or, more accurately, what they believe will keep them in office. Check which way the political wind is blowing and what their biggest constributors want. Then vote. They know it's not the people that elect them. They know whose pockets are the deepest.

I don't like the fact that there actually is such a thing as a political career. When politics becomes a career, a politician must aim to stay in office, which means that the will or good of the people being served must take a back seat to being elected. Perhaps that worked okay in the past when a politician was elected on the grounds of proving him/herself to the people. It doesn't work that way any more. We know very little about our politicians. Whoever has the most money for advertisement will overwhelmingly be the person elected. (Of course there are exceptions - and those exceptions come when people actually get to know the politician and what he/she stands for.) And, in the case of elections between polticians of opposing parties, it comes down to the party line. So, really, there's little or no incentive for a career politician to concern him or herself with what the people want.

On the other hand...if you do nothing else, watch which Congressperson votes for what. If the majority of the people in the United States want this kind of government, then that is what we should have (whether we like it or not). But let's make sure it truly is the will of the majority.

....hey, do what you want....you will anyway.