Activism Across America

Last night at the Democratic National Convention, Senator Claire McCaskill delivered a purposeful and nasty insult to her nonreligious constituents, declaring that the people of Missouri are “God-loving” and asserting that the United States of America is a nation “under God”

It wasn’t an accident that these words came out. They were scripted in a purposeful rhetorical move to appeal to right wing Christian voters, and to try to push secular Americans out of the Democratic Party.

Let’s get this straight, Senator McCaskill. Facts are facts. There are a large number of people in Missouri who don’t believe in God at all. See as an example the Community of Reason - based in Missouri.

The USA is by no means a nation “under God”. There is no mention of God in the Constitution, the defining document of our nation. The Constitution does state, however, that there shall be no religious test for public office, and that there shall be no government establishment of religion.

All Americans, religious or not, should pay attention to Claire McCaskill’s theocratic agenda, because it’s tied to a larger right wing agenda. Oh, sure, at the Democratic National Convention, Senator McCaskill can give a good speech, but it’s only talk. In the Senate, McCaskill has earned a right wing legislative score that is nearly double her progressive legislative score.

Senator McCaskill and her ilk are dragging the Democratic Party backwards into the past, using the appeal of religious discrimination against secular Americans to whip up popular support. That’s an ugly, discriminatory vision of the Democratic Party that I want no part of.

When they found out that the Democratic National Convention was planning several days of meetings between religious leaders from tax exempt organizations and Democratic Party officials in order to plan for the use of tax exempt resources to support Democratic campaigns, and begin to coordinate for kickbacks under the expansion of government-funded religious programs, the Coalition of Secular Voters asked to be present at the meetings, to make sure that they were honest and legal, and to represent the interests of secular Americans.

Democratic Party officials refused to allow anyone from the Coalition of Secular Voters to attend. Why? What backroom dealing with religious leaders are the Democrats trying to cover up? Illegal campaign coordination? Corruption?

Ironically, the Democrats say that their theme for the Denver convention is unity. How is it unity when the Democratic Party refuses to allow non-religious Democrats full and equal participation?

This morning at 10:15 local time, the Secular Coalition of Voters will be meeting at the corner of West 14th and Fox in Denver. From there, they will move to protest at the start of the Democratic Convention’s parade, at the corner of Civic Center Park.

If you care about honest government and the survival of the separation of church and state, please join them, and speak out against the Democrats’ new attacks against the First Amendment’s guarantees of a government free of established religion.