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<DIV>Visionaries:</DIV>
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<DIV>Wayne Fox has forwarded a beautiful op-ed piece written by Leonard Pitts, Jr., that is well worth reading. (Mr. Pitts is a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the Miami Herald.) The notion that the Republican Party has kidnapped God for political purposes is not new and not just a phenomena on the national scene - we saw ample evidence of that kind of thinking in a local race - when Tom Trail listed his religious affiliation as though it were a credential for office. We need only look as far as the Idaho State House to understand how dogma shapes legislation and religious affiliation limits political opportunities for those who stand outside the Temple. Locally, we have the covenantal remnant that wishes to avoid property taxes all the while blustering they don't accept government benefits because of their commitment to the Lordship of Jesus. </DIV>
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<DIV>It is possible, I suppose, that I will work beyond the notion that every person who voted for George Bush has blood on their hands. Possible, but not likely. The fact that much of his support came from folks who claim they are Christian is an incredible shame -- both to them and to those of us who didn't call them on their hypocrisy, or prayerfully suggest they reread the Gospel.</DIV>
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<DIV>I am not suggesting for a moment that the Democratic answer to all this is to out-Christian the Republicans. Besides, loons like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falafel are naturally more at home with the Republicans. I am suggesting that if Christians want to justify a claim the moral high ground they had better start working to feed the hungry, house the homeless, comfort the sick (that would mean health care for everyone), visit the prison (that means addressing the causes of crime), and instead of spending billions of dollars to kill people ten thousand miles from the U. S, we start building schools, clinics, job opportunities in this county and abroad. </DIV>
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<DIV>Rose Huskey</DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Verdana size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">"One cannot level one's moral lance at every evil in the universe. There are just too many of them. But you can do something, and the difference between doing something and doing nothing is everything." Daniel Berrigan<BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>