The unholy alliance between the corporatists and religious fundamentalists, the "Talibankers," is beginning its final naked play for complete control of the mechanisms of government by pursuing the GOP strategy of imposing the "nuclear option" against minority voices in the Senate. This change would end the use of the filibuster in Senate debates on judicial nominees. Of course, a blitzkrieg of disinformation is being spread about what this means, but anyone devoted to intellectual honesty knows that this radical and unwarranted act is hypocrisy. It is pandering to power over principle (After all, the Senate has approved over 95% of the judgeship nominees made by Bush, a far greater percentage than Clinton nominees approved by the GOP in the 90's. And these handful being rejected are not on religious grounds, but due to their extreme inclination to side with corporations against the interests of America's working class).

Leading this propaganda assault is our homegrown Taliban with their "Justice Sunday" (Just Us Sunday?) event on April 24th, being used to declare their jihad against the Constitution. This event features Senate leader Bill Frist explaining how the filibuster is being used "against people of faith." So, using centuries old tools of republican government is now somehow sinful? Against which faith? There are probably around a billion people who would claim that the "war on terror" is a crusade "against people of faith" as well.

In the ads for the Sunday pep rally for Sharia law, there is an image of a perplexed boy contemplating a gavel and the bible. Above it is a statement that reads "He should not have to choose". That is right. No one should have to choose between serving America and serving their religion. That is one of the reasons our system was designed the way it was. So just who are the theocratic political forces at work in our nation forcing this choice? It's certainly not anyone who believes in our Constitution (which contains a grand total of exactly zero references to God).

This entire effort by the GOP leadership and their theocratic cronies on the far right runs completely counter to the United States Constitution, which CLEARLY states in Article VI "that no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

To those ayatollah-wannabes and their followers who are trying to destroy the wall between church and state, I say "America, love it or leave it." If you don't like the fact that America was established by our Founders in 1789 upon Enlightenment principles as a secular democratic republic, then you should move to Iran or Saudi Arabia where you obviously belong.

- Andy Valeri
Dayton, Ohio
UnCommon Sense TV Media