Ask Cameron Todd Willingham, the father of three daughters murdered in an arson attack in which he would be wrongly tried, sentenced, and executed for, about governors Perry's Christan faith. President George W. Bush signed off on 152 executions as the former governor of Texas, a cute number compared to Governor Rick Perry's 225 and counting as Chief Executive in the Lone Star state. The two "devout" Christians had little trouble casting the first stone, an ironic sentiment considering killing (be it murder or state execution, after all Christ was killed by a Roman state) is in the "Top 10" of all time evangelical sins.
The number of attendees at Gov. Perry's event has ranged from 22,000 by Christan Science Monitor, to a robust 30,000 plus by the New York Times and Politico. One must assume, the thousands in attendance at least support Perry in whatever decision he inevitably makes towards the death penalty, if not outright cry for televised executions. It seems counter intuitive to my evangelical Christan upbringing to fathom sanctioning death by the state, knowing as a Christian the lessons of forgiveness and mercy I adored in my youth.
Now I see the name of Christ stymieing programs that assist the poor, the meek, those who need benevolent forces the most. Perry and the rest of the GOP and Tea Party establishment refer to welfare programs as "entitlements", yet lambaste Democrats who dare attempt to tax the rich, the wealthy, corporate oligarchs. These pharisees protect their own constituencies, and rarely see past the innocence of their corporate patrons. Perhaps, soon Perry will feel the Holy Spirit and return to his Democratic roots (yes, Perry endorsed Al Gore in his 1988 Democratic presidential bid). In 2012 the Bush era tax cuts will finally end, certainly President Obama will have compromised enough with fundamentalist who care for their own interests, and perhaps Perry could hold a national day of prayer for redeeming social welfare programs (see: sin tax).
No comments:
Post a Comment