Unique New York

Just like a regular woman, only crankier.

Friday, May 12, 2006

O Canada...

I just read Schaubee's blog about throwing up in her mouth, and it reminded me of what got me so steamed in the car yesterday.

As previously noted, I am a bleeding heart liberal. I was listening to NPR, the thinly vieled liberal news, and was listening to an author, Michelle Goldberg, talk about her new book on Fresh Air, Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism.

Now, I am a confirmed and practicing Catholic. I took that vow when I was seventeen, first communion when I was sixteen. I am a religious person, and I dig what my faith does for me. However, it makes me ill to think about the utter perversion of right wing Americans adulterating not only the bible, but also the constitution. Um, gross.

The basic argument is that Christians came here, intended to always have a Christian country to live in, and never intended other religions to be given the same deference as Christianity. This author is talking about Christians revising scholarly information to have a decidedly Christian slant. Vlarg. (that's the vomit sound). I am not sure if Euro christians had the intention of murdering off indigenous people, but I guarantee you that that little piece of history is left out of creationist textbooks.

Yes, let's admire our history, and revere the founding fathers. Christopher Columbus, for example. He only enslaved Indians and encourage their brutalization and murder. Is it in the books that the guy who discovered America fed Indian babies to dogs? Yeah, I bet that gets left out of the history too.

Or moving on to the founders of the constitution, who could never decide if they considered black people were human beings or property? Yes, let's look up to those role models. I'll bet Jesus would have alienated minorities.

These people want to revert back to Leviticus for inspiration. An episode of the West Wing has Martin Sheen as President Bartlett use Leviticus quotes to a Dr. Laura type to make her look like an ass. The whole point of Jesus was to give the message that the spirit of religious laws were more important than the letter.

As a future wife of a Jewish man, and the future mother of Jewish children, I look forward to being able to build a home that fosters tolerance on multiple levels. I hope that we as a family are able to understand that our way of life is not being persecuted, nor do we have any right to be in this country. We are simply lucky as people to be anywhere.

But truly, all this talk of reverting to religious literalism and intolerance makes it seem to me as though Christianity is being used as a weapon of hatred, which is not what it was intended for. It makes me want to move out of the country that this variety of Christians seems to think they own.

So to the right wing crazies, I say to you, Baruch Atah Adonai...Shel Canada. Who's with me?

Three Schilling Opera

Russ and I went on a group date with our friends last night. We went to the city to see Three Penny Opera, starring Cindi Lauper, Ana Gasteyer, Alan Cumming, and Jim Dale. It was....strange. The look of the show was fantastic, but it left me wanting more. I enjoyed seeing famous and talented people.

Most of all, I enjoyed the debriefing at Maison, a great French restaurant near the theatre. I got to know Russ's friend's wife.

Nothing shocking or groundbreaking to report. I am taking a couple of days respite before summer classes start and wedding planning spins out of control.