In the latest skirmishes over the 39th City Council race, things have taken a somewhat bizarre and, to me, unexpected turn.

Recently, one candidate, probably the most conservative in the race, John Heyer, has come under attack from Gatemouth on Room 8, district leader Alan Fleishman, and others for his anti-choice and anti-marriage equality (though, often ignored, pro-civil union) stands. This should have come as no surprise to Heyer and his campaign since the district is overwhelmingly pro-choice and pro-marriage equality and in any circumstance when a candidate holds views distinctly different from that of the majority of voters in the district, that candidate HAS to be ready to address why, despite this difference of ideology, that candidate will still represent the voters in that district.  read more »

According to CNN, the mingling of church and state in the U.S. military is going to court.

A soldier who lost his religion while serving in Iraq was not only passed over for promotions because of his lack of religion, his life was threatened -- by his compatriots, the very people who are supposed to be defending a Constitution that guarantees freedom of religion!

What would happen to the U.S. forces in Iraq, not to mention Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and all the other Muslim states where we have military bases, if they knew just how parochial and (pardon the pun) militaristic our armed forces' forced Christianity is?

Another reason to impeach Bush? Well, yes -- because unless this situation is stopped, reversed, and its progenitors imprisoned for violating the Constitutional rights of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, we are doomed.

Democracy, not Theocracy...that is the theme of a national simulcast featuring celebrities and regular citizens who have stood up for separation of church and state.

This comes from the First Freedom First coalition:

Celebrities, Religious Liberty Heroes Headline National Simulcast For Church-State Separation

Don't miss your chance to be part of the action in New York City!

Actors, musicians and comedians will join church-state community members in 25 theaters across the country on Wednesday evening, March 26, 2008 to put church-state separation on the national agenda during the 2008 election season.

Wednesday, March 26

Union Square Stadium 14
850 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
6:00 PM

Click here to reserve your seat today!

Join others at this gathering to learn about the threats to church-state separation and to demand that candidates for elected office answer questions about key issues dealing with individual freedom. Ten questions to ask candidates that have a direct impact on Americans’ lives will be featured.  read more »

Location

These items come from Jews On First, whose motto is:

Jews responding to the Christian right -
because if Jews don't speak out, they'll think we don't mind

I first became aware of Jews on First when they broke the Delaware Pogrom story, an incident where Christian fundamentalists drove a Jewish and a Muslim family out of a Delaware town because they objected to overtly Christian prayer in a local public school.

The death of Jerry Falwell will not be mourned among those who believe strongly in the Constitution because his message of intolerance and hatred and his advocacy of unConstitutional mixing of church and state was about as unAmerican and immoral as you can get. This is the man who blamed 9/11 on American tolerance while the rest of use wree blaming it on religious extremism. It is unclear to me how Jerry Falwell differs all that much from the religious leaders in Iran.  read more »