Extremism

Sometimes I listen to the C-SPAN Podcast of the Week. They've had some really interesting ones on, like a Q&A between audience members and Bill Gates and Bill Clinton on the AIDS situation in Africa. That was informative and interesting. I decided when there was one featuring Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), I should at least listen to his speech. I had to shut it off about 15 minutes in because he made a statement something like (paraphrasing here): "Islamic extremism is the biggest threat to America today." I don't disagree that Islamic extremists are a threat to us and our way of life, but my issue is that he singled out the Islamic extremists. Where he and I differ is that I don't think it's just Islamic extremists ... it's all religious extremists, whether Muslim or Christian or extremists of other religions. Take this quote from Rep. Katherine Harris: "If you're not electing Christians, then in essence you are going to legislate sin." It's such a backwards idea that the only way a person can be moral is if s/he uses the Bible as a guide.

I continue to be completely sick of the religious right in this country. They scare me and I don't view them all that differently from Islamic extremists. Their current methods may be different (except for abortion clinic bombings and death threats of doctors providing abortions and harassment of women exercising their choice), but their practices of exclusion and fear-mongering are frighteningly similar to me.