Essays seen as secular humanist rants

Joe,

I too am adrift in this nation state, often feeling force-fenced into a kind of below deck steerage. I guess I am just along for the bitter ride out. And sometimes I find myself isolated in a vast and horrifying historical context in which I will sooner or later have to make that leap of faith to actually stand up to homegrown evil for the last time. I create amusing nightmares of being present at some sort of heresy trial and facing off with some Bubba Crypto-Christian. The rest of this vision is murky but too often it can end up with me actually giving up my life to die on behalf of basic decency and the small town values I grew up with.

I too carry the dark innocence of a southern upbringing. I was born and partly raised in Texas. We were lower middle class -- at any rate started out that way. Both Mother and Dad went to college in Austin. Their liberal education was probably one of Ol' East Texas' few blessings conferred on my life, because I was somehow brought up pretty hip to the underbelly hubris of my American blue collar brothers and sisters.

Anyway, I just reread your "Left Behind" essay tonight and can't sleep. I have printed and given away many copies of both that piece and your "Covert Kingdom" article. And of course I sent them to relatives and other people who won't read them -- but I figure as long as my neck hair still stands up then by God theirs should too! Maybe a few actual DID read them, but you know and I know they just squatted down in their smug fundy brains and disdainfully regarded the essays as just two more "secular humanist" rants to toss into their Very Own Jesus' handy dustbin.

And last night I started Chris Hedges' book The Christian Right and the Rise of American Fascism. That one sucker-punched me.

And I'm still awake.

I just wanted to thank you for trying to balance out this insane carnival hustle before God's divine ethnic cleansing really begins in earnest: But using upstanding, bible-believing fellow citizen as proxies. As JFK said "Here on earth God's work must truly be our own." A pity, really, but that's how this whole deal works

James

SETTING UP EVANGELICALS ON BLIND DATES WITH JESUS of NAZARETH
"Putting the FUN back into fundamentalism since 1919"

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James,

Thanks for taking the time to write. I must say that since I wrote those essays, things may be improving a bit. Any number of documentary film makers and writers are working on projects to better inform the public about the threat of the Christian right. Particularly Fred Clarkson, the nation's best expert on the subject. He is involved in some major documentaries and a couple of upcoming television shows that should reach millions.

But still, the Christian right gets out the and votes when others do not.

We shall see.

Solidarity,

Joe