Eliminating Democracy Is the Primary Ambition the Former Republican Party

The negative changes in America over the last 40+ years occurred gradually and therefore unnoticed by the majority of our nation’s people. However, Trump’s four years of violating the Constitution and attempting to replace democracy with fascism in support of the current plutocracy exposed the facts. Those who call themselves “Republicans” in Washington today are owned by the evangelical leaders of the Christian Religious Right, and America’s 788 billionaires.

I reported last week that Koch Industries continues to operate its businesses in Russia. Another former American company, Nestle, has decided to continue operations in “the Great Bear.” Together with a few other traitors to Ukraine’s fight for the freedom they are funding Putin’s illegal and immoral invasion of a democratic nation.

Charles Koch, and his deceased brother, David, created the obstructionist TEA Party in 2010 and hastened the demise of the once Grand Old Party. Charles continues to support right-wing extremists.

Koch is one of America’s 788 billionaires whose only concerns are increased profits and their personal welfare. They continue to use their enormous wealth to control the actions of today’s fake Republican Party, which is a direct violation of the first amendment.

The second owner of today’s Republicans in name only are the evangelical leaders united under the misnomer, the Christian Religious Right. Without the CRR and its dominance over the right side of the aisle in Washington, several human rights issues would not be involved in our midterm or general elections.

Most of you know that I am one of nearly 100 million Americans who reject organized religion. However, I would fight for the right of any American to practice the religion of their choice. My complaint is not with true believers, my intent is to expose those who claim to be religious, but use their religion to secure power over others, and amass undeserved wealth.

First let’s add to the efforts of others to expose two of America’s most common dirty little secrets: the growing number of victims of sexual assault, and domestic violence. Many of those numbers are contained in the fact that more than 33,000 Americans die from the use of a gun every year. The great majority of these are composed of women and children. Their deaths are frequently at the hand of someone they know intimately.

In 2018, Emily Joy Allison and Hannah Paasch launched the #ChurchToo movement as a companion to the wider #MeToo movement. Shortly after the movement began, Mother Jones reported that a number of evangelical churches told women and girls that if they were sexually assaulted, they brought it upon themselves.

A year or two ago, I reported that this was common practice at Liberty University, America’s largest Christian/Evangelical university.

Like our nation, religions either help our country’s people move forward or support a regressive agenda.

For eight years, President Obama’s administration attempted to join other developed nations and move America forward into the 21st century. It only took Trump four years to undo his efforts and move our country back into the dark days of the 1950s and 1960s, when racism, bigotry, and sexism were the norm.

However, the damage from evangelical leaders began during the outbreak of Aids in the early 1990s. Their solution was abstinence before marriage, virtually suggesting that sex for any other purpose than procreation was a sin.

Growing up Catholic in the 1950s and 1960’s I was controlled by fear tactics, occasionally peeing my pants in the confessional. By the time I reached my late teens, I learned to believe that the purpose of religion should be to inspire efforts to seek a more spiritual life. Respect for the beliefs of others, and compassion for every living thing were paramount to living a life of purpose. Every American has a right to practice the religion of their choice or none at all.

I realized during that time in my life that I did not need another man or woman to instruct me about my personal search for personal improvement. It was my responsibility and my joy. My image of “god” is contained in nature and the faces of every man, woman, and child on the planet.

There is no room and no reason in this world for anger, hatred, or violence.

“The Truth Lives Here”

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

Daily Kos: The abuses of evangelical ‘purity culture’ have gone under the radar for too long; by Darrell Lucas
Daily Kos: Koch Industries Refuses to Exit Russia UPDATE: Nestle Joins Koch in funding Putin’s war crimes; by Irenaeus

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Mike Andrews’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of DonkeyHotey’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License