DISQUS

Older_Wiser · 11 months ago

Screw DeMint. I'll bet his car has one of those SC license plates with "In god we trust" on it that their legislature pushed down in that forsaken backwater.

I wouldn't live in SC if they paid me. A bunch of dominionist assholes.

SteamingPile · 11 months ago

I used to be stationed at Fort Jackson when I was in the Army. Words cannot describe how much I'd rather shovel snow in upstate New York than put up with DeMint, Maurice Bessinger, and other like-minded induhviduals.

America is Freedom · 11 months ago

"In God We Trust" is also now on license plates in Indiana. It is crazily inappropriate -- a political act for something that should be apolitical.

I don't know if people in Indiana who object to having "In God We Trust" (in big letters, by the way) on their license plates can opt out or not.

PatogTX · 11 months ago

There ARE bigger issues for Senators to worry about. It's embarrassing to know our elected officials think this is something they need to put their energy toward.

So Sick of The Right · 11 months ago

In God We Trust, All Others Must Pay Cash.

In God We Trust appears only our money, but that could be our national religion,

Soundboy_jeff_meanie · 11 months ago

actually, and repugnicans seem to forget this in their revisionist history, the phrase 'in God we trust' was ADDED to our money in 1861... after an appeal by Rev. M. R. Watkinson : http://www.treas.gov/education/fact-sheets/curr...

another thing republican revisionist history seems to forget, 'one nation, under God' wasn't in the original pledge either... it was added in 1954 after a campaign by the Knights Of Columbus.
http://history.vineyard.net/pledge.htm

larry · 11 months ago

DeMint, Saxby, Sayrah, Mitt, Jindal and Mike are doing great job....the GOP EV status will be just above 100 for the foreseeable decades....the regional republican party will become more and more irrelevant. Thats a good thing. So blather on .....

Obamalover · 11 months ago

I wonder if DeMint thinks atheists can be considered real Americans or polytheists for that matter.

Soundboy_jeff_meanie · 11 months ago

given that this country was originally a 'melting pot' of every different culture and religion.... and when I last checked, 'religious freedom' also meant there WAS no AMERICAN religious heritage.

I find the religious right's constant rhetoric about 'religious heritage' and that America is based on 'Judeo-Christian' values to be quite disgusting.

who built the railroads? who built the majority of towns/ roads/ etc??

it wasn't white christian men... it was blacks, Chinese, Irish, Italian, German, Polish etc... all different ethnicities, all different religious backgrounds.

we might be a nation of faith (debateable), but we AREN'T a nation of ONE faith.

[gets off soapbox]

and now, for something completely different... A walrus playing the saxaphone :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq1xWuBIXDg&eurl...

scottinsf · 11 months ago

Shhh.... don't tell anyone Jeff, but that walrus isn't really playing the saxaphone.

Soundboy_jeff_meanie · 11 months ago

thanks scott... just HAD to ruin it for me didn't ya?

;-)

Older_Wiser · 11 months ago

All DeMint, Sanford and their ilk believe in is keeping the people of SC poor, ignorant and immersed in superstition. Their unemployment rate is already 8%; higher (if you don't believe the official figures which I don't), their educational system is at the bottom of the barrel and the big shots have people believing that they're rich because they're "godly." Not only that, but the state is managed badly, the budget being $700 million short and they're already protesting against Obama's plans for putting people back to work and shoring up the economy.

They are all seething because a black man knows more than they do about the actual running of a govt in times of distress and how to help people. They would starve people into submission so they could continue to keep their riches.

This is what's happening in the Deep South, but thankfully in NC we're making progress. I was born in SC but left as an infant--thankfully so, and wouldn't live among those dominionist bullshit artists if my life depended on it.

Lauren · 11 months ago

Wow- so he's not concerned that the project was years late $360,000,000 over budget and was built during the very religious Bush Administration who know doubt had input? Maybe we should give him a copy of the Constitution for Christmas- let him celebrate god in church...

PJT · 11 months ago

We have monuments to 'faith' all over the nation. I wonder what DeMint has against a monument to the actual nation?

Griffon · 11 months ago

How about "A Festivus For The Rest Of Us"?
or...

"Touched By His Noodley Appendage"

or simply, "Yar"

We'll skip the airing of the grievances and go straight to the Feats of Strength, dressed as a pirate that is...

KerrynowCampau · 11 months ago

history of faith? left leaning?

Oh, for pete's sake with all that is going on in the world and this country right now?

These people need to reintergrated back into reality.

truebluecoondog · 11 months ago

Oh boy, here I go. First of all, Senator DeMint is a miserable failure IMHO, but apparently all of the God people here in South Carolina are content with all of the plant closings and being 49th in education. As long as Nascar and collegeiate football are televised, and they don't forget to get their Sunday beer on Saturday, everybody is happy.

Next, mister demint says that the the exhibit leaves out America's history of faith. I haven't actually seen it but I'd bet a dollar (cuz that's all I have) that it leaves out alot of America's history, like slavery for example, and rightly so. I have a feeling the Jim wouldn't have a problem if they hadn't left that out. You want a display of our religious heritage? Look around you and take special notice of the buildings with the really really steep roofs - in S.C. just look for the buildings with the signs out front sporting God threats or hateful exclusionary statements.

Just for laughs, I'd like to hear the good senator elaborate on "our religious heritage that has been critical to America's success". It seems to me that there have been multitudes of Americans who have contributed to our nation's success and that those individuals practice many different religions. And some of them (cover your ears, Jim) don't practice any religion at all.

Finally, YES, Senator DeMint has PLENTY of bigger issues to be worrying about. Like whether he should root for Clemson or USC.

ontarioemperor · 11 months ago

There are portions of our nation's history in which our religious heritage has been critical to America's success (or failure). For example, one cannot fully understand the civil rights movement - or, for that matter, slavery - without understanding the religious contributions to it. And certainly 9/11 needs to be understood in a religious context (as well as political and other contexts). In these cases, you can't exclude religion from the public conversation by saying that Martin Luther King was employed as a [deleted] and was with the Southern [deleted] Leadership Conference, or that many people justified slavery based upon passages in a book called the [deleted], or that the 9/11 hijackers were motivated by a radical branch of [deleted].

However, in this case we are talking about the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, and there are few instances in which religion is germane to the history of the U.S. Capitol per se. Not that there aren't religious elements there - primarily of the Deist variety - but there are other factors which contribute more to the Capitol story. Shoving God into the Capitol Visitor Center for His own sake doesn't make sense.

ProgressiveTroll · 11 months ago

This idiot stays true to the nickname I gave him long ago, DEMENTED. On the bright side, these demented idiots still do not realize why they are the miniority and that's just fine because the more they keep this shit up, the longer they will be the miniority. On the unfortunate side they are still loud enough to hear.

iamevolved · 11 months ago

I am weary of all religiuos people and their nutty idea that their "god" should be included in all we do. "X"tians are the worst. Keep your god to yourself you whacked out zealots. I don't want to hear any more about him, her, or it.

ProgressiveTroll · 11 months ago

This nation was built on seperation of church and state and for obviously very good reasons. The founders were Deists. Words that "conservatives" have never heard of before.

woodroad34 · 11 months ago

Thanks for this. I will now have an established Religious Right anecdote to give my UC acquaintance, who adamantly claims there is no "religious right". Yeah, wrong.

UncleGlenny · 11 months ago

Whay planet does this acquaintance live on? Some people manage to live under rocks. My father, who I'm not particularly close to, remarried when I was about 34. Before telling me. To someone who is, as far as I can tell, a fundie christian, ORIGINALLY from Florida. I asked if he'd told her I was gay. "No; why?" He also seemed to have picked up dittoheaditude from golfing partners, clueless of the cognitive dissonance. This long-time cluelessness is one reason we weren't close in the first place... They're back in Florida, near her family, I don't even know her f-ing maiden name. She of course wouldn't offend her (supporting) husband's only child, but I couldn't bear to be around them.

Atheists in Kentucky are suing Kentucky about the use of G-d in their anti-terror legislation (whatever); it was on Rachel Maddow last night, which can be found via rachel.msnbc.com - check it out to get the story straight. Essentially it avows that G-d is the first line of defense.

woodroad34 · 11 months ago

My UC acquaintance isn't particulary religious (he's pretty agnostic), but he IS a rabidly, right wing, facist republican and...now get this... GAY! He's met W.F. Buckley, and through Ty (I forgot his last name), he got to meet Ty's grandfather--Barry Goldwater. He had done some design work for Reagan's office in downtown L.A. He's well-off, has an MBA in economics (like Bush) from UCLA. Oh, he told me, when Bush was first elected, that we would see how brilliant Bush is when he leaves office. So, for the last 8 years he screams, yells, spits, and bombards you if you even say anything bad about Republicans. Now, pointing out the failures of the Republicans: economic crisis, (he says it's the democrats, of course which he refers to as neo--cons i.e. Democrats who turned republican), torture ('Good!' he says); deregulation ("it's brought us laptops", he replies), immigration ("make Mexico a suburb and we'll make that country work"). Before this current administration's 2 terms he didn't like Clinton, but he thought it was obscene to impeach him, he loved Mexicans and their culture, and you could talk to him reasonably and he would intelligently lay out reasons for his point of view. Now Bush says he's sorry for the mean spiritedness of this administration, which goes to prove how out of touch he is about his actions (or non actions) and why "shock" radio, particularly the GOP bobble-heads who do all the screaming and shouting have influenced people. The GOP has ruined and destroyed America, and proven how unpatriotic they really are.

clytemnestra · 11 months ago

cuz nothing says "separation of Church and State" to visitors from foreign lands like God in the Capitol Visitor's Center.

And btw can we finally have some push back on the "judeo christian heritage" garbage .. it is not a common heritage to those who built (and I mean BUILT) this country.

It is in fact a racist statement. Because slaves either torn from Africa or sold into slavery here (Native Americans) did not have a judeo christian heritage. Only whites did. (and didn't slaves build both the Capitol and the White House?)

The slaves heritage was the tribal religion of the Native Americans, and from Africa; Muslim, polytheist, animist, pagans, etc..

There is no commonality of religious heritage in this nation. NEVER HAS BEEN. The only commonality that can be seen is viewed through a very white Christian revisionist lens.

Anthony · 11 months ago

And don't forget all the Chinese immigrants who built the railroads.

Jim Traver · 11 months ago

Senator DeMint: Your actions deeply offend this American. The freedom of America comes includes freedom from religious imposition (whether by individuals or institutions), the freedom to believe what one wants to believe, and the separation of church and state. The Capitol Visitors Center is a SECULAR attraction, not the lobby of a church.

rextrek1 · 11 months ago

DeMint needs a Punch in DeFace!

gnaztee · 11 months ago

Anybody see the clusterf*ck that was the Lou Dobbs segment on this topic last night (with Tony f*cking Perkins, no less)? What mindless morons. Dobbs also wanted to go after Reid for his smelly tourist comment...said that Reid and others were trying to separate the American people from the process, etc., etc. What a hero for the middle-class. BTW, has he ever actually stood in line to get in to th capitol in the middle of summer? I did last July, it was hot and humid. I was stinky, as were many around me. But hey, who needs reality?

Norm Richardson · 11 months ago

If he wants "ONE NATION UNDER GOD" let him go to Iran
The Godly people have been trying to rule the world for thousands of years now and the result has been: torture, murder and impoverishment for many millions. Unfortunately there seems to be no shortage of gullible souls to Carry on their work.

bayloror · 11 months ago

And such an inspiring history religion has in America. We could start with a diorama of a Salem witchburning. Then Native americans forced into schools to unlearn their traditions and learn Christianity. We could find all the books and diaries of our ancestors showing all the Christians who murdered other christians for their slightly different beliefs and burned the offending churches with people in them. During our formative years when spain sent along Father Serra to convert the locals and had Juan Portola, head of the military to enforce him - that would be a particulary colorful display. We maybe have a whole floor dedicated to the Christian leaders under practically no restraint nor consequence for molesting youths. We could unearth the strange translations of the bible that permit men to beat women and children without impunity. Now lets get modern. Most of Americans are Christians. It would hold that would be true for our prison population and our unpunished white collar criminals. They SAY they are Christian. And they are as christian as the next person. Since no one is a perfect example of the religion they expouse, it would be totally ridiculous to hold anyone as a good example of a christian. Ergo, certainly not our nation. As christians, not a country in the united nations has a hold on what good christianity has done for them. England actually has a Church of England, and you can see through their history what nice folks the religion created there.
Apologies to American christians just trying to get by and NOT HURT ANYONE.

Jennifer · 11 months ago

Bitch is about 4 years too late.

AdmNaismith · 11 months ago

The USA succeeded DESPITE all this religious crap (we are barely hanging on now as the Mormons and the Jerry Falwell crowd insinuate themselves further into our live where they don;'t belong).

Why doesn't DeMint go give Sun Myung Moon another crown and congressional medal and leave the rest of us alone?

foxy · 11 months ago

Are they going to sell Magic Underwear as well?

Ben Dover · 11 months ago

I'm going right to the gift shop, I hear they have the lil baby jesus pinata's marked down 70% for the holidays!

Indigo · 11 months ago

Where's the Zendo?

Raja · 11 months ago

Long time reader first time post. My thoughts:

The Republican party and by its extension the eeligious right ( I am trying not to use the word RIGHT) always has a foot up in these PR battles. Why are the religious fanatics/republicans called the RIGHT, it is to imply they're RIGHT. As liberals we should refrain and challenge when somebody uses words like religious right, abortion right, gay marriage and instead cox them to use words like religious fanatics, pro choice, marriage equality etc etc. It is also imperative that we remind and reiterate that the Taliban, Al Queda are the religious right of their country.

Further, on the issue of religion in public places and policies. I think we should not howl when people like Demint bring up the christian heritage of the country. What we should emphasize and counter by pointing them that yes the country has a Jewish heritage, Muslim heritage, Buddhist heritage, Hindu heritage, Mormon heritage, American Indian heritage etc and to deny that these religions did not contribute to the welfare of the country would be a gross misunderstand of our history. If we have "God In Trust" we should have the same for all other religions that have contributed to the country since.

cab02149 · 11 months ago

I am so fed up to my eyeballs with the likes of these perverts. I see a rocky road ahead as long as the DeMint's of the world are given even a minute's attention. Hatred is their world. Millions of supportive haters keep the momentum alive. Perhaps the only answer is let them talk. Take no action.

Soundboy_jeff_meanie · 11 months ago

I think demint should be censured for not knowing American history... God wasn't mentioned in classrooms before 1954.

... and God wasn't mentioned on our money before 1861 either.

.

MIchmike · 11 months ago

You're all missing the most important point! I just visited the new center last weekend, and was thrilled to see "E. Pluribus Unum" not only plastered on the wall, but the phrase was explained in the opening film on the tour. After eight years of living with Bush in the White House, and knowing that Obama will soon take his place, E. Pluribus Unum took on a very strong meaning for me. I actually felt my patriotism for this country returning--that everyone in this country might actually unite for the good of the nation. DeMint, et. al, "...has managed to strong-arm the Visitor Center into plastering over "E. Pluribus Unum," changing the motto to "In God We Trust"..." Why is this important? Because it's not about religion--it's about sly, rednecked, bigoted politicians playing to their base. They seized the opportunity, when everyone else in the Senate was busy hashing out the Big 3 debacle, to make their play to remove "E. Pluribus Unum" because "E. Pluribus Unum" stands for unity. Those people don't want this in our country. They are separatists; they want things to return to the way they were pre-Civil War, and they won't stop this nonsense until they get their way. And they'll use God as a tool until it happens.

gonzalez · 11 months ago

One thing we need to be aware of, understand and fight it all out, is that these assholes will never give up. I'm so tired of this religious idiots that turns me off religion. Don't these idiots understand that we will give them a fight over this. Who are these idiots? Are they mustly from the south? Maybe we sholud give them their own country - lets say the south east with the exception of the coast.

Northern Ireland · 11 months ago

I agree with DeMint so long as all mention of God and religion is to the Catholic version of God and religion. The Catholicism should be heavily emphasized because it is The One True Church. Okay, Senator?

Strider · 11 months ago

Douchebag Cocksucker! No offense intended, claro.

Mike B · 9 months ago

Based on what I've read, I guess I'm the enemy but maybe someone will consider some points.
1. In God We Trust is the national motto, not E Pluribus Unum.
You may not like it, but telling someone it's NOT the national motto is incorrect. Congress can make the national motto "Get A Life" if they want.
Tell them you want it changed if you like.
2. The key point DeMint is making is NOT that he wants to inject God and religion into the center, it's that existing references in our historical documents have been systematically deleted. Now you may think that organized religions and christianity in particular are the worst thing to hit the planet but deleting historical references to a currently unpopular group of people has some sinister overtones. At the very least, from some of your perspectives, it erases the insidious way these people permeated everything with God and religion. If you rewrite history because you don't like what happened, you won't be able to blame the ones you think screwed it up.