The Institute on Religion and Democracy

This organization is becoming more openly "Republican" everyday. They are not conservative. They are not independent. They are Republican. Here is why I say this. The definition of a political "conservative" has traditionally meant the following:

- A very limited federal government, including (if not especially) a limited military
- Non-intervention in foreign military actions unless directly threatening the citizenry of the United States
- Strong states rights at the expense of federal control
- A belief that the courts should staunchly defend every persons right to individual liberties (i.e. freedom of speech; freedom from government intervention in religious, family and financial issues; freedom to assemble peaceably)

IRD has backed President Bush despite his policies that expand the federal government's participation into all of the areas mentioned above. It also appears that the IRD cares nothing about the fact that the current administration provided us with misleading and even false information to gain our support for war with Iraq. Nor is it bothersome to them that this administration has run up the largest budget deficit in history, that the president has projected that our troops will remain in Iraq until at least 2006, that the moral of our troops is incredibly low, that the divorce rate among military families is rising, that the suicide rate within the military is near or perhaps now surpassed the all-time high, that recruitment of new enlistees is failing miserably despite the weak economy, continues to be uncooperative in the investigation of the Valerie Plame leak, continues to be uncooperative with the 9/11 Commission and attempts to hide information from that Commission, the list goes on and on.

It is very clear. IRD is NOT conservative. It is not Christian. It is Republican. Even more than that, it is Bush Republican. IRD requires no accountability from this president, makes no demands of this president, questions no motives of this president. IRD says that church leaders should be representative of their congregations. I say that is blasphemous. Church leaders should be representatives of Jesus, Someone whom IRD and our president seem to know very little.

Tehama County Prosecutor Violates Duty to Uphold California Law

Lynn Strom, Assistant District Attorney for Tehama County (Calif.), violated her duty to uphold state law earlier this month when she invited Federal Prosecutors to take two people into their custody instead of simply dropping her case against 2 people who use marijuana for medical purposes. The two had a doctor's recommendation to use the drug. Under California state law, using marijuana for medical purposes is now legal, even though it is still illegal under federal statutes.

Ms. Strom should be disbarred and removed from her office for failing to uphold California law as she is her sworn duty. She acted as an agent of the Federal government when inviting said agents into a state courtroom. Perhaps her goal is to get into a Federal Prosecutor position. Perhaps she cares nothing about California state law. Or, perhaps, she found a way to hurt those she was prosecuting when she realized that she could not win the case. This is a completely outrageous behavior. I urge everyone in California to write a letter to Attorney Strom and demand that she step down from her position.

Put murderers in jail. Leave pot users alone.

US Seminar

I must admit, I am intrigued by the Raelians, so intrigued that I am on their mailing list (which is how I received word of this retreat in the Nevada desert). I find their philosophies and goals admirable. However, I find their leader to be a little, ok maybe alot, wacky. First, he renamed himself Rael (as in Israel). His birth name is Claude Vorilhon. In this post, I will refer to him by his birth name. However, he dresses more like someone from a StarTrek episode, which, by the way... take a look at this.
Episode from 1968
Scroll down the page to a small link under "Guest Cast" beside the name Jason Evers. Read about his character. Coincidental? ... maybe. I don't think so.

I think Mr. Claude Vorilhon (Rael) was a huge Star Trek fan. In fact, I am attempting to investigate this supposition. So, if you knew Mr. Vorilhon back in the early 1970's, please contact me at diffie1@yahoo.com. Does this mean that Mr. Vorilhon's philosophy and goals are invalid? No. Many people of genius intellect, which I believe Mr. Vorilhon may very well be, are eccentric. Could he be right about the Elohim? Most certainly. Do I believe that they have asked him to proselytize for them and to build an embassy for them? Nah, I highly doubt it. Where is the evidence? He has presented nothing that has not been spoken of or written about by Sci-Fi writers. Again, there seems to be more evidence of him being a science fiction buff than a connection to the Elohim.

So then, is this about money? I don't think so. I am guessing that Mr. Vorilhon is not getting rich off his excursion as Rael. He charges very reasonable fees for his books, tapes and seminars. If you have ever seen him, he appears to be a very loving and gentle human being. I think Mr. Vorilhon may have been an unappreciated genius who was frightened by the direction our world leaders were taking in the 1960's and 1970's and looked for a way to combat it. Becoming Rael was his answer. Again, this is supposition and cannot be proven by me unless someone were to hand me documents written by Mr. Vorilhon or provide testimony about what they knew of him during those years. Why do I concern myself at all with this man? Good question.

Several of his "position statements," if you will, I find a bit disturbing. For example, he would have us abandon democracy for an oligarchy. Rael would have us be ruled by those who have an intelligence that is at least 40% greater than the average human being. In addition, only those with an intelligence of at least 10% above average would be allowed to vote for their leadership. Hmmm... So we are to "trust" the ultra-geniuses to make the right decisions for the non-geniuses. Let's say those ultra-geniuses decide that non-geniuses (or the majority of the population) should be their slaves. It is not uncommon for people of genius intellect to develop a "god complex." Thanks, but no thanks, Claude.

In addition to "rule by genius," private land ownership would be abolished. This is the most basic definition of communism, which Mr. Vorilhon says he opposes. These ideas sound very Lennonist to me. But then, I'm not a genius, so what right do I have to even speak anyway?

What You Don't Know About John Kerry

Here come the NeoCons in full force, NeoConMax, I am mean Newsmax came out with this supposedly damning information on Senator Kerry. Of course, 90% of it has no source material provided with it - a lot of conjecture and generalizations but no hard core facts. I am not certain that Kerry is the person for president, but I am certain that it is NOT Bush. In the Newsmax article, they paint Kerry as being pro-communist, pro-China, etc. However, they seem to forget that the Bush administration has been more Pro-China than any administration in United States history. Despite the human rights abuses, despite strong evidence of their attempts to steal extremely sensitive military technology in recent years, despite their opposition to Bush's war (for which Mr. Bush and Mr. Rove are keeping Germany, France and Russia out of the bidding process), China gets the "RED" carpet from Bush. Gimme a freakin' break.

Spyware HUB News - Spyware Gator changes name

Gator By Any Other Name Is Still Scumware In My Book
First, I must ask, is there anyone who downloads this software by choice? If so, WHY?!? I can tell you that this insidious program, now known as Claria, has found it's way onto my machine even when I specifically chose to NOT have it installed. That, quite bluntly, should be a felony. It is nothing less than breaking, entering and theft. If someone knocks on my door and I tell them that they are not welcome, but they enter anyway, that is a crime. If they then begin looking around my house and take private belongings, that is theft. How is it that this company is still in business? HOW?!? I have only one guess. They must have connections inside the government. What better way to spy on your own citizens than to create a piece of software under the guise of a marketing company, install a piece of software on the citizen's computer that specifically stores personal information and tracks your computer and Internet usage? Makes almost too much sense. I know that Claria is being sued, but I wonder just how far those suing them will get if the government is behind them. Yeah, I know... conspiracy theories. With the government we have now, can you blame me? Are you awake yet?

t r u t h o u t - Bush-Hitler: A Survivor Speaks Out

This story from a survivor of Nazi occupation is gripping. Although my interpretation of recent events does not equal his, the author certainly provides enough correlations for anyone to be suspicious of our current administration. Is the NRA on the right track after all? Should we defend to the teeth our right to bear arms without intervention from the government? I don't know about you, but I'm taking another look.

Gore's Speech Becomes More Profound With Every Passing Day...

When Mr. Gore gave his speech on Freedom and Security in Philadelphia 2 months ago, it was (even to who votes Libertarian - like me) profound. I do not think that I have heard such a well reasoned and effective speech on the dueling subjects of "freedom" and "security" from anyone (even staunch Libertarians) in recent years. I recommend that every American who has the attention span to hear it, should hear or watch the speech. It should be required for all high school students. Quite plainly, Mr. Gore's speech ROCKS! It does not lightly skim over the basic problems inherent with a free society, but gets right to the "meat and potatoes" of how we can have a strong defense without trampling the very liberties we cherish and why we must all concern ourselves with these issues. No matter what you thought of the man as Vice President of the United States, you have to respect his deep understanding of our history and form of government. Eloquent, provoking, clear, consistent - well done, Mr. Gore, well done.

Find That Leak! ... not really

PRESIDENT WAVERS ON PLEDGE TO HELP FIND LEAKER

When it was first reported that a "senior Bush Administration official" had
leaked the name of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame, President Bush
dutifully pledged his full cooperation and assistance with the
investigation. He said, "I'd like to know who leaked, and if anybody has got
any information inside our government or outside our government who leaked,
you ought to take it to the Justice Department so we can find out the
leaker. I have told my staff, I want full cooperation with the Justice
Department."

But with the Justice Department now asking White House staff to sign forms
that could definitively expose the leaker, the President appears unwilling
to uphold that commitment. Specifically, the Washington Post now reports
that the White House "declined to say Monday whether President Bush thinks
his aides should sign the forms that would release reporters from any
pledges of confidentiality" - and thus allow reporters to identify the White
House leaker. (Time magazine reported that Karl Rove, Bush's senior adviser,
was one of a number of top White House staff that has been sent the form by
investigators).

When asked about the President's stonewalling, White House spokesman Scott
McClellan dismissed any inquiries, saying, "That's asking a specific
question about matters that should be directed to the career officials at
the Department of Justice." It was a sharp contrast to his previous comments
attempting to specifically absolve Rove, the Vice President's Chief of
Staff, Scooter Libby, and National Security Council official, Eliot Abrams,
from any responsibility. McClellan also said that "no one wants to get to
the bottom of this more than the President does." But three months ago, Bush
refused to ask his staff to sign the same release form to minimize the
investigation's cost and potential damage to national security. His
apparent reticence to fully support the Justice Department's efforts to
expose the leaker is now raising additional questions.

Bush's Army of One

Here's an ad that tells it like it is when it comes to Bush and his supposed support of the military. This is one of those points that the Bushite Nationalists hate because there is no acceptable excuse for it. This is what you get under Bush's "compassionate conservatism."