Palin's Record On Church-State Separation

Alaska Governor Used Taxpayer Money To Promote Religious Causes, AP Reveals

(AP)  The camera closes in on Sarah Palin speaking to young missionaries, vowing from the pulpit to do her part to implement God's will from the governor's office.

What she didn't tell worshippers gathered at the Wasilla Assembly of God church in her hometown was that her appearance that day came courtesy of Alaskan taxpayers, who picked up the $639.50 tab for her airplane tickets and per diem fees.

An Associated Press review of the Republican vice presidential candidate's record as Wasilla mayor and Alaska governor reveals her use of elected office to promote religious causes, sometimes at taxpayer expense and in ways that blur the line between church and state. The U.S. Constitution provides for the separation of church and state.

Since she took state office in late 2006, the governor and her family have spent more than $13,000 in taxpayer funds to attend at least 10 religious events and meetings with Christian pastors, including Franklin Graham, the son of evangelical preacher Billy Graham, records show.

Palin was baptized Roman Catholic as a newborn and baptized again in a Pentecostal Assemblies of God church when she was a teenager. She has worshipped at a nondenominational Bible church since 2002, opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest and supports classroom discussions about creationism.

Since she was nominated last month as John McCain's running mate, Palin's deep faith and support for traditional moral values have rallied conservative voters who initially appeared reluctant to back his campaign.

On a weekend trip from the capital in June, a minister from the Wasilla Assembly of God blessed Palin and Lt. Gov Sean Parnell before a crowd gathered for the "One Lord Sunday" event at the town's hockey rink. Later in the day, she addressed the budding missionaries at her former church.

"As I'm doing my job, let's strike this deal. Your job is going be to be out there, reaching the people - (the) hurting people - throughout Alaska," she told students graduating from the church's Masters Commission program. "We can work together to make sure God's will be done here."

A spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, Maria Comella, said the state paid for Palin's travel and meals on that trip, and for other meetings with Christian groups, because she and her family were invited in their official capacity as Alaska's first family. Parnell did not charge the state a per diem or ask to be reimbursed for travel expenses that day.

"I understand the per diem policy is, I can claim it if I am away from my residence for 12 hours or more. And Anchorage is where my residence is and I'm based from. And this trip took about four hours of driving time and time at the event, so I did not claim per diem for this one," Parnell told the AP.

Palin and her family billed the state $3,022 for the cost of attending Christian gatherings exclusively, including visits to the Assembly of God here and to the congregation they attend in Juneau, according to expense reports reviewed by the AP.

Experts say those trips fall into an ethically gray area, since Democrats and Republicans alike often visit religious venues for personal and official reasons.

J. Brent Walker, who runs a Washington, D.C.-based group that advocates for church-state separation, said based on a reporter's account, Palin's June excursion raised questions.

"Politicians are entitled to freely exercise their religion while in office, but ethically if not legally that part of her trip ought to not be charged to taxpayers," said Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. "It's still fundamentally a religious and spiritual experience she is having."

The Palins billed the state an additional $10,094 in expenses for other multi-day trips that included worship services or religiously themed events, but also involved substantial state business, including the governor's inaugural ball and an oil and gas conference in New Orleans.

Palin also submitted $998 in expenses for a June trip to Anchorage that included a bill signing at Congregation Beth Shalom synagogue, the only non-Christian house of worship she has visited since taking office, according to the McCain campaign.

In response to an AP request, Comella provided a list showing that since January 2007 the governor had attended 25 "faith-based events," including funerals and community meetings held at churches. Many did not appear on the governor's schedule or her travel records.

Palin has said publicly her personal opinions don't "bleed on over into policies."

Still, after the AP reported the governor had accepted tainted donations during her 2006 campaign, she announced she would donate the $2,100 to three charities, including an Anchorage nonprofit aimed at "sharing God's love" to dissuade young women from having abortions.

An AP review of her time as mayor, from late 1996 to 2002, also reveals a commingling of church and state.

Records of her mayoral correspondence show that Palin worked arduously to organize a day of prayer at city hall. She said that with local ministers' help, Wasilla - a city of 7,000 an hour's drive north of Anchorage - could become "a light, or a refuge for others in Alaska and America."

"What a blessing that the Lord has already put into place the Christian leaders, even though I know it's all through the grace of God," she wrote in March 2000 to her former pastor. She thanked him for the loan of a video featuring a Kenyan preacher who later would pray for her protection from witchcraft as she sought higher office.

In that same period, she also joined a grass-roots, faith-based movement to stop the local hospital from performing abortions, a fight that ultimately lost before the Alaska Supreme Court.

Palin's former church and other evangelical denominations were instrumental in ousting members of Valley Hospital's board who supported abortion rights - including the governor's mother-in-law, Faye Palin.

Alaska Right to Life Director Karen Lewis, who led the campaign, said Palin was nott a leader in the movement initially. But by 1997, after she had been elected mayor, Palin joined a hospital board to make sure the abortion ban held while the courts considered whether the ban was legal, Lewis said.

"We kept pro-life people like Sarah on the association board to ensure children of the womb would be protected," Lewis said. "She's made up of this great fiber of high morals and godly character, and yet she's fearless. She's someone you can depend on to carry the water."

In November 2007, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that because the hospital received more than $10 million in public funds it was "quasi-public" and couldn't forbid legal abortions.

Comella said Palin joined the hospital's broader association in the mid-1990s. Records show she was elected to the nonprofit's board in 2000.

Ties among those active at the time still run deep: In November, Palin was a keynote speaker at Lewis' "Proudly Pro-Life Dinner" in Anchorage, and the governor billed taxpayers a $60 per diem fee for her work that day.

Palin also is one of just two governors who channeled federal money to support religious groups through a state agency, Alaska's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Palin has made it a priority to unite faith communities, local nonprofits and government to serve the needy, bringing her high marks - and $500,000 - from the Bush administration.

In fiscal year 2008, Alaska was one of only four states to receive $500,000 in federal grant money from the national initiative.

"The governor has a healthy appreciation for faith-based groups that serve Alaskans in need," said Jay Hein, who until recently directed national faith-based initiatives at the White House. "The grant speaks to their organizational strength, and the dynamism of Alaska's operation."

Several Catholic and Christian charities received funding, including $20,000 for a Fairbanks homeless shelter that views itself as a "stable door of evangelism and Christian service" and $36,000 for a drop-in center at an Anchorage mall that seeks to demonstrate "the unconditional love of Jesus to teenagers."

The state ensures all faith-based groups keep a strict separation between their work in the community and their prayer services to ensure recipients don't feel coerced, said Tara Horton, a special assistant to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Though staffers reached out to nonprofits and religious groups of many faiths, mostly Christian organizations applied for funding, she said.

In June, when Alaska legislators decided to cut $712,000 in state support for the office, Parnell sent lawmakers an urgent letter asking them to put it back in the budget. A small portion of state funding was later restored.

"Gov. Palin is motivated by the needs out there, and faith-based and community initiatives are a great way to do that," Parnell said. "It matters not to state government what religion people belong to, so long as they are serving the public and the money they receive is used appropriately."

Still, a state worker who directs an Anchorage-based group that advocates for church-state separation, Lloyd Eggan, said Palin's administration hasn't done enough to assure voters that government money doesn't support ministry.

"That sort of thing is exactly what courts have said is barred by the First Amendment," Eggan said.

[robert2237]

Another example of the far left media trying to tear Palin down. Don''t think it is working.

[spadeisspade]

Ok, forget that she used taxpayer money for religious ***. SHE''S A PENTACOSTAL???? Does anyone outside of the bible buckle even know what that is? This is the group that speaks in tongues, supposedly God speaking through them. There''s this insane documentary about a children''s Bible camp run by these people that will chill your effing spine.

[spadeisspade]

Robert, I do agree that they are trying much harder to dig up dirt on her than pretty much anyone else in the campaign, but that''s namely because she is an unknown. That''s besides the point. This information is fact, and it''s a very VERY disturbing fact. Pentacostals run those mega-churches that make millions of dollars a year, essentially qualifying it as a business in my opinion when you look at the lifestyles these "preachers" are living, tax free! And to top it off, there is a politician using tax dollars to promote her religious agenda at the pulpit of a freaking church! Yeah, the preacher isn''t doing it, why bother, when you have a politician doing it for you!

[ioweign]

Another example of the far left media trying to tear Palin down. Don''t think it is working.

Posted by robert2237 at 09:35 PM : Oct 11, 2008

Another example of the far right politicians misusing taxpayers money to promote a religion...

[ericdrexil]

Can''t CBS sort of.....PRETEND to be unbiased? Do the major networks get together and form a plan on how to bow to Obama? Is this just the result of a modern college education in journalism? Be happy. You guys are keeping us safe from evil. Your god will triumph! Good luck with the virgin sacrifice thing. At your place ,it should be easier to find a conservative.

[dragon8me]

If you like Palin maybe you should live in a Theocracy. Try Iran, I hear nobody there complains about seperation of church and state.

[ericdrexil]

Does Obama ever do anything worthy of criticism? If so ,when will CBS publish? If not: why don''t we fall down before him?

[hbevis]

ALL OF THIS MEDIA THAT IS WORKING SO VERY HARD TO DISCREDIT GOV. PALIN HAS NOT WORKED YET. BUT THEY WILL KEEP TRYING TO GET US A MUSLIM ELECTED TO THE WHITE HOUSE.

[miles1967-2009]

This is an outrage!! Why is FoxNews not running this story???

For the REAL Sarah Palin, check out this link:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23318320/mad_dog_palin

[stopsocialis]

The last three generations of Americans simply have not been told the truth about American history as its Christian heritage has been disparaged.

For example, ask most Americans if the "separation of church and state" is in our Constitution, and they will answer yes. You can scour the Constitution of the United States, and you will NOT find the phrase, "separation of church and state" or anything close to it.

In the Constitution of the Soviet Union, however, the doctrine of the separation of Church and State is found: "In order to ensure to citizens freedom of conscience, the church in the U.S.S.R. is separated from the State, and the school from the church. Freedom of religious worship and freedom of antireligious propaganda is recognized for all citizens" (Article 124). Article Twelve of the 1918 Soviet Constitution decrees that no church or religious organization "shall enjoy the rights of judicial person." Instruction of children under age 18 in religious matters, whether in public or private, is against the law.


(continued)

[brounds]

One needs only to check out the McCain spokesperson''s response to the evangelical minster who opened today''s McCain rally in Davenport, Iowa. (He prayed, by the way, that God''s reputation would not be tarnished--I''m paraphrasing--by all of the prayers around the world by non-Christians for Obama!). Here is the response from the McCain campaign: %u201CWhile we understand the important role that faith plays in informing the votes of Iowans, questions about the religious background of the candidates only serve to distract...." The question left for the voter is: what religion is Obama really?? Does it honestly matter? Is this country no longer one which believes in the freedom of religion, whether Jewish, Hindi, Buddhist, Muslim or whatever religion one practices? The McCain camp can''t have it both ways. The McCain campaign wants it both ways: to attack Senator Obama''s affiliation with Reverend Wright''s church, while simultaneously suggesting he is Muslim; i.e. their sad attempt to connect the Islamic religion with terrorism. What is happening to our country? Swiftboating was terrible, these rallies are dangerous.

[miles1967-2009]

Hey all of you right-wing lemmings who are posting here. CBS has run many stories on Obama that are not positive. Give us a break with you whining about the supposed "liberal media".

[stopsocialis]

The concept of separation of church and state might be implied by the First Amendment which states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...." It says nothing about the "separation of church and state." And, even if you accept the principle of the separation of church and state being implied by the First Amendment, it''s implication is not there to protect Americans from religion, it is there to protect religious Americans from the government.

In their desire to promote their secular humanist philosophy using the power of government, many liberals today want to alter America''s Christian heritage, remove religion from its history, and replace it with the Soviet doctrine of the separation of Church and State. Their desire is not to safeguard denominational neutrality by the state as the Founders intended, it is to eradicate every vestige of religion from our public institutions.

[stopsocialis]

The Educational Establishment:

One reason we have lost so many of our religious freedoms is that the liberal educational establishment has worked hard to eliminate our knowledge of the Judeo-Christian heritage of America. The facts nonetheless reveal the true convictions of our founders. Without question, they believed that although no one Christian denomination should dominate the nation, the principles of the Bible and Christianity should underlie our government and American education as well.

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." - Patrick Henry

"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." - U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Jay

(continued)

[mswolfestock]

Hey, y''all - you don''t even have to leave the US if you want to live in a theocracy, run by a religious cult -

MY HECK, BY GOSH, BY GOLLY GEE-WHIZ -- IT''S CALLED UTAH!!

If ya''ll want to be surrounded by religious fanatics just as crazy and ignorant as Sara Palin, go ahead and try to live with the Mormons.

[stopsocialis]

"The liberties we talk about defending today were established by men who took their conceptions of man from the great central religious tradition of Western civilization [Christianity], and the liberties we inherit can almost certainly not survive the abandonment of that tradition. The decay of decency in the modern age, the rebellion against law and good faith, the treatment of human beings as things, as mere instruments of power and ambition, is without a doubt the consequence of the decay of the belief in man as someone more than an animal animated by highly conditioned reflexes and chemical reactions. For unless man is something more than that, he has no rights that anyone is bound to respect, and there are no limitations upon his conduct which he is bound to obey. This is the forgotten foundation of democracy." [James Reston, "Faith of Our Fathers, Living Still?" The New York Times, April 2, 1969]

[stopsocialis]

Our children''s history books are being rewritten so they no longer hear the truth about the tremendous influence of religious faith on America''s founding fathers, on the great documents they drafted to establish a true republic based, on the critical tripod of liberty, life, and family. The revisionist history being taught now is devoid of any reference to the Christian faith of our Founding Fathers as the old stories, the old way that American history was taught, was revised to reflect a more liberal, politically correct, homogenized and multicultural perspective.

Words like duty and honor and country have fallen out of vogue, and the stories of the Christian faith of men like George Washington and Patrick Henry and Noah Webster and so many others, Daniel Webster, Andy Jackson, Chief Justice John Marshall - magnificent Christians - these stories are simply left out.

[stopsocialis]

While many may squabble over who among the founding fathers was a Christian, no knowledgeable historian of early American history can deny the fact that the concept of a Creator God who endowed His creation with "unalienable rights" was an essential underpinning of the American experiment. Indeed, the Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These rights were derived not from a government that was transitory, but from a Governor who was eternal. It was the role of government to defend these rights and not dilute or remove them.

The revisionists extend their influence outside the classroom as well into nearly every segment of American life. Descriptions and tours of the nation''s capitol fail to point out that the Ten Commandments are inscribed in the marble of the United States Supreme Court, that there is a beautiful stained glass window in the U.S. Capitol depicting President George Washington kneeling in prayer, and that at the top of the Washington Monument - the highest point in the nation''s capital is embedded a plaque which boldly proclaims in Latin, "Praise Be Unto God."

[ericdrexil]

Does CBS have an address that we can look up to find an Obama mistake? Is there anything in CBS''s charter which forbids speaking any evil of Obama? He certainly may be a fine man. Character may be his middle name. Is it possible for a man to never stumble? Is it possible that CBS can be sooo in the tank for any politico? Does CBS have ANY shame?

[stopsocialis]

Arbitrary Law:

In the 1892 Supreme Court ruling in Church of the Holy Trinity vs. U.S. (citing 87 precedents), "Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of Mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian." Throughout history, the U.S. Supreme Court continually cited previous cases in order to maintain our Christian Constitution. However, in 1962, for the first time in American history, the court cited no previous cases and ruled in Engel vs. Vitale that; because of Separation of Church and State, the government needed to be separated from Christian principles. So, the simple school prayer, "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon thee and we beg thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country" became unconstitutional and the eradication of Christianity from public institutions began.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. [Isaiah 5:20]

[stopsocialis]

Restoring America
The future of America will either be a national revival or it''s total destruction. We''re on the edge now of real national self-destruction. The past few generations of Americans have witnessed the collapse of moral and ethical values unlike any time in our history. We''re looking at the very strong probability of economic collapse, unless there is a tremendous change. We''re going to spend ourselves, tax ourselves into total oblivion.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. [2 Chronicles 7:14]

The essence of what God is requiring of the Christians in America is repentance. If we Christians think that simply by political involvement we''re going to turn the country around, we''re crazy. If we think that we can adopt an antagonistic triumphalism that says we''re going to get organized and throw all the bad guys out and take over, we will be brought face to face with our own sinfulness.

We must recover the original American vision and we must put into practice 2 Chronicles 7:14. Our First Continental Congress understood this concept as is evident in the words of John Jay.

[royalia]

However, many Christians have a very poor understanding of the religious beliefs of the founding fathers. They think they were all evangelical Christians who wanted the United States to be a Christian nation. See the quote below about Jefferson. Read more history.
"In spite of right-wing Christian attempts to rewrite history to make Jefferson into a Christian, little about his philosophy resembles that of Christianity. Although Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence wrote of the Laws of Nature and of Nature''s God, there exists nothing in the Declaration about Christianity.

Although Jefferson believed in a Creator, his concept of it resembled that of the god of deism (the term "Nature''s God" used by deists of the time). With his scientific bent, Jefferson sought to organize his thoughts on religion. He rejected the superstitions and mysticism of Christianity and even went so far as to edit the gospels, removing the miracles and mysticism of Jesus (see The Jefferson Bible) leaving only what he deemed the correct moral philosophy of Jesus."

[stopsocialis]

What we need is a Christian nation - the only alternative is a pagan nation. By "Christian nation," I don''t mean that everyone is forced to be a Christian or forced to go to church or to believe in God. People are free to be Buddhists or atheists. The job of government is not to convert or force conversion to any kind of faith. The job of the government is to do for the people what they can''t do for themselves. And the job of bringing people to faith belongs to the private citizens, the churches, the synagogues and the religious leaders of our nation. That separation should always be kept. What I mean by a Christian nation is a nation whose laws are self-consciously built on the laws and principles of the Bible.

We have allowed organizations like the ACLU to strip away every vestige of our Christian heritage for long enough. We are tired of them destroying our country by declaring God unconstitutional. Our nation was founded on the principles laid out by the God of the Bible and we''re saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Where there is no foundation, there are no laws and what results is anarchy brought forth by moral relativism. Their way has failed. The time has come for us to take back that which once was and let the healing begin.

[targaray-2009]

Palin Greeeted as Liberator...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7TgDanmWkg

[royalia]

RE: Without question, they believed that although no one Christian denomination should dominate the nation, the principles of the Bible and Christianity should underlie our government and American education as well.

This is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE! PLEASE CITE YOUR SOURCES.

[troutfisher4]

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. [Isaiah 5:20]


Posted by StopSocialis




Don''t worry, she will soon be sent back to Alaska, to obscurity.

[stopsocialis]

"Let us look forward to the time when we can take the flag of our country and nail it below the Cross, and there let it wave as it waved in the olden times, and let us gather around it an inscribed for our motto: "Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, now and forever," and exclaim, Christ first, our country next!" -- Andrew Johnson

[stopsocialis]

Bottom line:

Active humanists and the liberal media have for years undertaken a concentrated effort to misinform the American public by attacking the "Religious Right" and rewriting America''s Judeo-Christian history in a humanistic tone. The motto at the heart of the American experiment "in God we trust" has been exchanged for "in Man we trust."

[barsellers]

...and I thought Palin was against religious extremists. Does this mean she is a hypocrite or is she going to look in a mirror and call herself names?

[troutfisher4]

StopSocialis


Your contention that this country is "founded on Christianity" is simply not true. Our constitution certainly does not validate that view.

[royalia]

I am a Christian. I also believe in total separation of church and state. What Stop Socialis is presenting is a THEOCRACY! If you want to see what a theocracy looks like, go to Saudi Arabia. Tell me what you think then.

[barsellers]

...and I thought Palin was against religious extremists. Does this mean she is a hypocrite or is she going to look in a mirror and call herself names?

[royalia]

You have no credibility Stop Socialis, unless you start citing sources and quotes. You are WRONG. You WANT to be right, but you are not.

[troutfisher4]

StopSocialis---Great Job...I just made up my mind.I''''m going to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin.Thank You

Posted by mr22585


You freakin idiot, you have been posting anti-Obama crapp on here for months.

[royalia]

Stop, Stop Socialis! READ history! Just because you want it to be true doesn''t mean it is true! I do NOT want John Hagee driving our foreign policy! He is a fool!

[element51]

When fascism comes it will be wrapped in a flag carrying a Bible.

[timesupreps]

MR22585, or as I call you, one big moron! Like what was said, you have a right wing neocon on here for atleast one if not two months.. spewing racism, hatred and lies.. GET A CLUE IDIOT!!

[troutfisher4]

blowfish---That not very nice.

Posted by mr22585


Go milk your cows, Farmer Brown.

[royalia]

Read about the religious views of people like Jefferson, Ben Franklin, George Washington, James Madison. The never advocated a Christian nation. They did NOT! Stop saying it if you have no evidence. Bigham Young had a theocracy in Utah for awhile. Is that what you want? I am a Christian but we must separate religion and government.

[miles1967-2009]

For the REAL Sarah Palin, check out this link:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23318320/mad_dog_palin

[arthurcl1]

She is going to use our Taxpayers money for this???
Get her Out Out Out!! McCain just picked her for her pretty face!!!
Since she took state office in late 2006, the governor and her family have spent more than $13,000 in taxpayer funds to attend at least 10 religious events and meetings with Christian pastors, including Franklin Graham, the son of evangelical preacher Billy Graham, records show.
Palin was baptized Roman Catholic as a newborn and baptized again in a Pentecostal Assemblies of God church when she was a teenager. She has worshipped at a nondenominational Bible church since 2002, opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest and supports classroom discussions about creationism.

[timesupreps]

IS ANY ONE REALLY SURPRISED THAT SHE WOULD USE TAX PAYER MONEY TO PUSH HER RIGHT WING RADICAL RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND THEN LIE TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE FIRING OF WALT. SHE IS THE EXACT EXAMPLE OF THE HYPOCRITICAL FAKE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY ARE REPUBLICAN. SHE IS A BIGGER THREAT TO THIS COUNTRY RIGHT NOW THAN THE TERRORISTS ARE BECAUSE THERE ARE MORONS WHO WANT TO PUT HER IN THE WHITEHOUSE!! THINK AGAIN YOU STUPID IDIOTS!!

[troutfisher4]

My Friend,I ONLY POST FACTS...

Posted by mr22585


You would not know a fact if it bit your big fat arse.

[Sharkdog2000]

Religion - once again, the root of all things bitter & divisive. Sigh... I don''t really care if she attended church functions while she was in the area for business, but paying for travel that is strictly devoted to mixing her role as governor with her personal beliefs is WRONG. And not terribly ethical or moral, ironically.

Even if our country was founded on beliefs found in the bible, a secular government best serves it citizens - ALL its citizens. We are a great people made up of multiple religions and we should celebrate that! Not try to favor one group over another - that''s a bad idea on so many levels.

Remember, separating church and state is meant to protect individual beliefs, not the government. Even different groups of Christians don''t have the same beliefs & its far past the time to accept & respect that. We don''t have to believe in YOUR God, we have our own, thank you very much - or none at all. THAT is freedom!

[smurfcrusher]

"I''''m glad McCain picked such a fine Woman for vp.How can anyone not love Sarah Palin ?"

Posted by mr22585

Would you feel the same if she were Hindu, and paying your tax dollars on her religion?

I condemn Palin''s actions and place the Founding Father''s wise decisions over Palin''s poor judgment any day.

Palin has clearly shown she has no use for ethical reasoning - or reasoning of any kind, for that matter.

What a boon for the Democrats! The poor Repubs are going to get hosed in a few short weeks.

[troutfisher4]

Abusing the power of office against employees.

Ignoring the separation of church and state.

Giving unfettered govt access to big oil.

Pregnant unwed daughter with redneck boyfriend.


Wonder what other skeletons are waiting?

[smurfcrusher]

"are you kidding me? So when a president goes and meets with the pope I suppose he should pick up the tab as not to cross the state and religious line? What in the hell is wrong with CBS.

Our morals in this country are gone. Hell lets just go have 5ex in the streets now. That evil religion, how dare anyone promote something that actually promotes family values and rules to live by. Ah yeah lets just all go out and live like britney spears, pam anderson and others who America is just in love with. WHOOO HOOOO"

Posted by stick1771

Palin went from Roman Catholic to Pentacostal.

I guess you religious nut jobs ar praying she doesn''t become a Satanist and start spending your tax dollars for your hidden master...

[timesupreps]

THE REPUBS ARE GETTING HOSED AND BADLY RIGHT NOW. HAVE YOU SEEN ALL THE POLLS. OBAMA IS AHEAD IN ALMOST EVERY SWING STATE AND PENNSYLVANIA BY A LARGE MARGIN. THIS ONE IS NOT EVEN CLOSE.. THIS TIME IF THEY CHEAT, WE WILL FIGHT BACK BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY. OBAMA WILL NOT DO A KERRY. IF THEY TRY WHAT THEY DID IN 2000 AND 2004, THEY WILL HAVE A HELL OF A FIGHT ON THEIR HANDS IN THE COURTS AND THE STREETS..

[smurfcrusher]

"The Orthodoxy is not democratic, it is authoritarian. Dogma is static, unchanging, like that of a stagnant algae filled pool of water.

Our nation was not founded on Christian principles, it was founding on the concepts originated during The Enlightenment and The Renaissance."

Posted by curse914

Bullseye! Very well said and I absolutely agree. We were very fortunate to create the Constitution in that small window of opportunity.

[walt1944-2009]

During the past 8 years the Great Emperor Bush II and his stupidly loyal neocon Fascist Nazi court and followers have been working hard to destroy the Constitution, attacking the 200 year old document amendment by amendment.

As it turns out, the Great Emperor has not gotten to the first amendment yet, which states the seperation of church and state. It appears that because the Great Emperor Bush II has other things on his mind, such as how much more taxpayer money to throw at Corporate financial America, The Great Emperor has decided to leave the wrecking of the First Amendment to his hoped-for neocon Fascist Nazi successor, John McBush McCain.

And, knowing that McBush is so old and senile that he would much rather sit in the sun in the White House Rose Garden wrapped in a blanket, he is sure that the real power behind McBush will be his VP, Ms. Caribeau Barbie, who has shown great "promise" in the Fascist Nazi Republican party. Palin will make the decisions the Great Emperor wants, much as VP Darth Vader Cheney has been making the decisions for the Great Emperor; and if Ms. Moose-hunter won''t make the decisions, her "First Dude" will make them for her!!!

Quite a setup!!!

SIG HEIL, I''VE GOT A TOOLBOX FULL OF TOOLS I DON''T KNOW HOW TO USE!!!, BUSH!!
sig heil, NOW I KNOW HOW RODNEY DANGERFIELD FELT!!!, McBush!!!
sig heil, WHAT''S AN AMENDMENT???, Palin!!!!