The Yockey Puck

My favorite Lesbian Conservative Cynthia Yockey is at it again. (you might like to review my recent post about Cynthia: The Keys To The Next Election) She explains why gay equality will come from the Right. But first she lays into the pretensions of a vast swath of social conservatism.

I will point out to the Right that the unwillingness of lesbians and gays on the Left to dialog too often comes from the bitter experience of being rejected by their own families for being gay. Betrayals of that magnitude do not foster trust. And it is very difficult from the Left to distinguish among all the different ideologies on the Right. This is especially so since social conservatism is antithetical to liberty, religious freedom and fiscal conservatism — as well as gay equality — because it is really animated by the desire of religions to be the sole possessors of the one ring the coercive powers of government.

What is bizarre about lesbians and gays not understanding the Right is that no other group in the United States embodies the values of fiscal conservatives more than the lesbian and gay community. This is because we know we cannot rely on the government, our own families or our religion for support or protection. So lesbians and gays in large numbers must be entrepreneurs, self-reliant and resourceful. We also must set up and fund our own non-profits and charities. In contrast, one of the big objections social conservatives have to gay equality that is antithetical to fiscal conservatism is that their churches will no longer be able to get rivers of cash from the government for their evangelical enterprises, such as adoption agencies, which ought not to be receiving any government money, unless they agree to treat gays equally.

Ah rivers of cash from the government to the churches. Bush's "compassionate conservatism" put that whole endeavor on rocket fuel (I'm tired of steroids).

How about those rivers of money?

The Faith-Based Initiative is a federal program that seeks to vastly expand opportunities for religious organizations and faith-based institutions to receive federal social service grants. Under this initiative, for the first time, houses of worship and other pervasively sectarian institutions are eligible for billions of taxpayer dollars.

President Bush originated the Faith-Based Initiative in January 2001 with the creation of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The Administration has advanced its initiative through a series of Executive Orders, complemented by the creation of separate federal agency faith-based offices and the adoption of new grant making and contracting rules by these agencies.

I guess we have gone from the faith of our fathers to "crony religionism". Churches sanctified by government money and government sanctified by the fealty of the churches to government money. Faith says: government is good - it gives us money. Government says: Faith is good. It bows to us. It is a very old story. Of course when the State religion changes there are often religious wars. Supposedly that story was supposed to be ended by the First Amendment.

Once we get religion out of politics there will be a lot of changes made in this country. Or maybe it will go the other way around when the fall of Drug Prohibition discredits the churches that supported it. Especially when you consider all the people who have died because government denies that Marijuana IS Medicine. I don't see how those churches can claim to be healers of the sick when in cahoots with a government that denies the sick medicine. It is probably that "compassionate conservatism" I have heard so much about.

And what will be the #1 driver of the End of Drug Prohibition? About 75% of Americans say the Drug War is not working and Government at all levels is broke. Sounds like an opportunity for the first Party that raises the question.

Cross Posted at Classical Values