Americans United for the Separation of Church is sounding the alarm on the Republican "faith based" initiatives. This initiative completely violates the Constitution, particularly since to date ONLY Christian organizations have been given money.

There is no ambiguity in the line our Founding Fathers drew separating Church and State. Our Founding Fathers were very outspoken in their ideas. For example, Ben Franklin very specifically gave his opinion of government funding of religious institutions:

This article was previously published on OpEdNews (May 21, 2008)).

What a stupendous, what an incomprehensible machine is man! Who can endure toil, famine, stripes, imprisonment & death itself in vindication of his own liberty, and the next moment ... inflict on his fellow men a bondage, one hour of which is fraught with more misery than ages of that which he rose in rebellion to oppose.   --Thomas Jefferson

The saying that has been appearing and re-appearing with such regularity recently is, "This is not the America I grew up in?  What is happening?"

This was the saying stated by Bill Moyers in a recent interview.  By no coincidence, Bill Moyers has been targeted for dismissal from Public Broadcasting System for years by Bill O'Reilly for "left wing bias" and falling outside the "fair and balanced" standard he has presumably operates under at Fox News.

O'Reilly and his allies are also upset over the numerous articles criticizing the Bush-Cheney neoconservative corporate enterprise.  

The more objective alternative would be to turn the Internet over to the tender mercies of Clear Channel, which has provided the broad perspective of Rush Limbaugh on the one hand all the way across the political spectrum to O'Reilly and Sean Hannity on the other.

Thomas Jefferson and Al Gore. Both spokesmen for truth, both statesmen of exemplary principle. But are we truly heeding their words?

My hope that we have not labored in vain, and that our experiment will still prove that men can be governed by reason." --Thomas Jefferson to George Mason, 1791. ME 8:124

"I have so much confidence in the good sense of man, and his qualifications for self-government, that I am never afraid of the issue where reason is left free to exert her force." --Thomas Jefferson to Comte Diodati, 1789. Papers 15:326

I originally wrote this two weeks before I read Al Gore's The Assault On Reason. I am posting it again after reading his book because these words mean even more to me, even though he has stated that impeachment is not an option now. I really don't know if he truly believes that in his heart, but I do know that since reading his book I am even more convinced that impeachment is indeed the only way to regain what we have allowed to be taken from us, and that it too is not a political but a moral issue.

If people are that complacent and apathetic to allow the Constitutional abuses this regime committed, and if the people are that content or afraid to truly take on the challenges that lie before us, why should a good man like Al Gore have to take it upon his shoulders? Why is it always HIS duty and not ours?

The Assault on Reason, by the Honorable Al Gore is to be released by Penguin Press on May 22 which is in about three weeks. It is reported to be about the difficulty politics has with making decisions based on facts and reason, and using this current regime as the prime example of corruption, fear mongering, and the assault on reason that seeks to bind the soul in perpetual servitude to those interests that represent the antithesis of all our Constitution stands for.

About two years ago, I sustained a series of blog posts I called Theocrat of the Week. I have been thinking about it and have decided to resume the series. Except for this, the first in the new series, I will not cross post it anywhere, and it will be available exclusively at Talk to Action.

In the course of the selecting the Theocrat of the Week, I shall consult with a Distinguished Panel of Judges, who will help me discern those individuals who embody the discriminatory, totalitarian and sometimes inquisitional spirit of the theocratic tradition. On occasion, we will also acknowledge those whose modesty may prevent them from acknowledging their role in facilitating the mission of the theocratically inclined. Of course, there are some well-known theocrats who are so obvious, their numbers should have been retired years ago. But since it is spring, a time of refreshment and renewal, nominations for Theocrat of the Week, are now open -- wide open. You may post your nominations here, or send nominations to Our Distinguished Panel of Judges at TheocratOfTheWeek@gmail.com . The winner will be announced next week.

I am very happy to see Al Gore pursuing this avenue in speaking his mind on these issues now being out of the political beltway that I don't believe ever truly appreciated his prescience and intelligence on these matters. It has certainly given him the chance to be a great advocate for the people and for Democracy to truthfully speak his mind on issues of great importance to the life of our Democracy without worrying about what "handlers" will say, which also extends to the truth of An Inconvenient Truth.

The diary below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal on Saturday, September 23rd when the interview took place.

Thom Hartmann is a dynamic voice for the aggrieved middle class. After one commercial break on a recent broadcast, the national radio host proudly declared,

"Welcome back to the Thom Hartman show where our talking points come from Jefferson and Madison, not some right wing think tank."

He then asks, "Will the next election be hacked?" as he promotes Bobby Kennedy, Jr.'s article in Rolling Stone magazine that examines fraudulent vote counting to the benefit of Republican candidates.

Talkers Magazine noted,

"There's a buzz growing around nationally syndicated talk show host Thom Hartmann, whose nationally syndicated daily program is drawing high marks by those who are on the lookout for talk radio's `Great Liberal Hope.'"

That is the title of the next book to be released by Mr. Gore, scheduled for next May (2007.) It is to be released by Penguin Press. It is reported to be about the difficulty politics has with making decisions based on facts and reason. I am sure it will then go into great detail regarding the Democracy crisis we face on the whole, and the name of the book does sound like something Thomas Jefferson would have written.

There's a battle waging today in America that will decide the future of the Middle Class.

On one side are those like Thomas Jefferson who believe that a free people can govern themselves and have the right to organize their government to create a strong middle class - which will, in turn, keep the government democratic. On the other side are those like Thomas Hobbes who believe that only a small elite can and should govern and that the people should be willing to pay the price of poverty in exchange for security.