Michael Savage Knows Not of What He Speaks

I've noticed an uptick in e-mails from "well-intentioned" people claiming that Barack Obama is Muslim. I've also heard it mentioned in casual conversation, as if it were a reason to dismiss this gifted political talent.

And then tonight, I heard Michael Savage, again, reiterate the "Barack Obama is Muslim" theme by repeating Obama's comment in his speech today that his father and his grandfather were Kenyan sheep herders (shepherds). Savage repeated Obama's comment again and again. He focused on the radical Islamic contingent as a reason to consider Obama dangerous, and continued to mislead (as he has done for weeks) that Obama comes from a Muslim background.

So I thought I'd do a little research on Kenya. According to the CIA - The World Factbook and Wikipedia, over 75% of Kenyans are Christians, and approximately 10% of Kenyans are Muslim.

The breakdown of religious affiliation is, roughly, as follows:

Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2%. Note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely. In addition, Kenya has the largest population of Quakers in the world, according to Wikipedia.

So the renouncement of the media's theme -- that Obama is a Muslim -- can be enhanced by pointing out that Kenya is, overwhelmingly, a Christian nation, and that the information that is being propagated is based on lies.

Point being, this information can be used to rebuke the "Obama is a Muslim" theme. Most Democrats already know he's a devout Christian, but we need to get this message out.

It's not as if Obama has a nation of radical Muslims at the ready in Kenya to declare Jihad on the United States the moment he's elected.

Mainline Protestants Shifting to Democratic Party

A poll conducted by Calvin College, a liberal arts, Christian college in Grand Rapids, Michigan, finds that mainline protestants are shifting to the Democratic Party.

Calvin College poll finds mainline Protestants shifting to Democratic Party

CHANGE OF IDENTITY

Mainline Protestants have shifted partisan identification
from Republican to Democratic

Evangelical Protestants:

2004: 56% Republican, 27 percent Democrat

2008: 54% Republican, 25 percent Democrat

MainlineProtestants:

2004: 44% Republican, 38% Democrat

2008: 37% Republican, 46% Democrat

Catholics

2004: 41% Republican, 44% Democrat

2008: 38% Republican, 41% Democrat
SOURCE: Calvin College

For the first time since the beginning of Franklin Roosevelt's administration, a larger percentage of mainline Protestants call themselves Democrats than Republicans, the national survey commissioned by the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College found.

Evangelical Protestants still lean heavily toward the Republican Party and, despite initial misgivings, generally support Republican John McCain for president, although not as strongly as they did George W. Bush in 2004.

Part of the shift toward the Democrats may be because of President Bush's low approval ratings and concern about the war in Iraq, the price of gasoline and the economy, said Corwin Smidt, a political scientist at Calvin and director of the Henry Institute....

The largest shift from the Republican to the Democratic side was among centrist members of mainline Protestant denominations. While that group represents only 7 percent of the population, it could be enough to swing a tight election, Smidt said.

The survey was conducted before Hillary Clinton dropped out of the race, but it showed Obama with a lead in the general election, 43 percent to McCain's 38 with 19 percent undecided.

"How they (the undecided voters) split is going to determine who wins," Smidt said. "If they split evenly, the advantage goes to Obama. As they say, elections are won at the margins. You don't have to have massive shifts."

This is good news for liberals. Now if we could just separate hate by separating Church from State...

Evangelism Roosts in its Own Petard

An evangelical manifesto criticizes politics in faith

(AP) -- Conservative Christian leaders who believe the word "evangelical" has lost its religious meaning plan to release a starkly self-critical document saying the movement has become too political and has diminished the Gospel through its approach to the culture wars.

The statement, called "An Evangelical Manifesto," condemns Christians on the right and left for using faith to express political views without regard to the truth of the Bible, according to a draft of the document obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

"That way faith loses its independence, Christians become 'useful idiots' for one political party or another, and the Christian faith becomes an ideology," according to the draft.
The declaration, scheduled to be released Wednesday in Washington, encourages Christians to be politically engaged and uphold teachings such as traditional marriage. But the drafters say evangelicals have often expressed "truth without love," helping create a backlash against religion during a "generation of culture warring.

"All too often we have attacked the evils and injustices of others," the statement says, "while we have condoned our own sins." It argues, "we must reform our own behavior."

Ya think, evangelicals?

First off, I haven't met any "evangelicals" from the left side of the political spectrum who have done anything other than question the vast right wing "noise" conspiracy on this issue. I know of no one on the progressive side of the aisle who has demanded of anyone else to adhere to his or her religious beliefs beyond what s/he feels in their own heart.

But beyond that, religion shouldn't play a role in politics. Period. The wall separating Church and State has been plastered with right wing bullshit graffiti over the last couple of decades, but that wall needs to be replastered and repainted; it needs to be refreshed and resecured to be stronger than ever. Thank God that even some churches are seeing the negative, residual effects from blurring church and state. When will the Catholic Church get on board?

CHICKEN POT PIE

I thought I'd share this delicious Chicken Pot Pie recipe. Its old-fashioned taste is outstanding, and it doesn't use cream soup for flavor.

CHICKEN POT PIE

Celery Seed Pastry

2/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons shortening
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon salt
4 - 5 Tablespoons cold water

Cut shorening into flour, celery seeds, and salt until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in cold water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 more teaspoons of water can be added, if necessary). Gather pastry into ball.

Filling

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-3/4 cups chicken or turkey broth
2/3 cup milk
2 cups cut-up cooked chicken or turkey
1 10 ounce package frozen peas and carrots (or mixed vegetables of your choosing)

Heat butter over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, onion, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Stir in chicken and frozen vegetables; reserve.

Prepare celery seed pastry (above). Roll 1/2 of pasty to fit large, deep dish pie plate, and ease pasty into plate. Pour chicken filling into pastry lined pan. Roll out remaining dough and place over filling. Roll edges under; flute. Cut slits in center to allow steam to escape. Cook uncovered in 425 degree oven until crust is brown, about 30 - 35 minutes. (Serves 6)

Gas Prices

What really pisses me off about gas prices increasing exponentially under the Bush Regime is that all the extra money we are paying at the pump goes directly into Big Oil's pockets. The oil companies have enjoyed record profits during Bush's tenure and taxes on gasoline have not increased at all.

I wouldn't even mind paying more for gas if somehow the country/states were benefiting from the increase. It's a given that even if the price of oil goes down, gas prices won't.

One more example of how Bush/Cheney have fucked the middle class.

Thank You

Vicky has cordially invited me to contribute to her much neglected blog, I am more than happy to accepted this delightful invitation.

I have no idea if I have anything relevant to say, but we shall see.

There They Go Again

This woman heads to DC to testify about the negative impact climate change will have on the health of Americans, and the White House opts to "severely edit" her report.

White House "Eviscerated" Climate Change Testimony

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Atlanta-based CDC, the government's premier disease-monitoring agency, told a Senate hearing that climate change "is anticipated to have a broad range of impacts on the health of Americans."

But her prepared testimony was devoted almost entirely to the CDC's preparation, with few details on what effects climate change could have on the spread of disease. Only during questioning did she describe some specific diseases that likely would be affected, again without elaboration.

...

Dr. Michael McCally, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility, also sat on a panel testifying before the committee and afterwards complained about the editing.

“It appears the White House has denied a congressional committee access to scientific information about health and global warming, McCally said in a statement Wednesday. "This misuse of science and abuse of the legislative process is deplorable.”

Most notably, he noted, was removal of the statement that “CDC considers climate change a serious public health concern.”

I'd really like to know what the Bush administration is afraid of. Why are they denying this reality that inevitably affect all of us?