Fw: BUSH TO NOMINATE "BIBLICAL LAW" ACTIVIST TO POST

[Frances Morey]

JB,
Thanks for keeping us up to speed on the talibanization of America. I can
hardly bear to read the news. 
Frances

On Sat, 1 Dec 2001 21:59:42 -0600, Jim Baldauf wrote:

>  Unbelievable! The prez is about to nominate a guy who
>  makes Falwell and Robertson look like liberals. He's on
>  the 5-man board of American Vision which :
>  
>  >has described democracy as "the first step toward fascism,"<
>  
>  >wrote that women fall between men and animals in the "God-ordained
order."
>  
>  >opposed Sandra Day O'Connor's nomination to the Supreme Court because,
>  in their view, it is wrong for a woman to sit in judgment over men.<
>  
>  >referred to openly gay Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) as a "lesbian
>  Congressthing."<
>  
>  >describes Judaism as a "demonic religion."<
>  
>  The nominee has served on the board since at least 1994, but told The
Wall
>  Street
>  Journal that he was "unaware of American Vision's extreme views."
>  
>  Sounds like one of them Talibanians!
>  jb
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  > Subject:  BUSH PREPARED TO NOMINATE 'BIBLICAL LAW' ACTIVIST J. ROBERT
>                   BRAME TO NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
>  > Date:  29 Nov 2001 23:20:09 -0600
>  > From:  "AUactivist" <AUactivist@au.org>
>  > Newsgroups:  misc.activism.progressive
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > For Immediate Release
>  > November 29, 2001
>  >
>  > Americans United for Separation of Church and State
>  > Contact: Joseph Conn or Rob Boston
>  > 202-466-3234 telephone
>  > 202-466-2587 fax
>  > http://www.au.org
>  >
>  > BUSH PREPARED TO NOMINATE 'BIBLICAL LAW' ACTIVIST J. ROBERT BRAME TO
>  > NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
>  >
>  > BRAME HAS TIES TO GROUPS THAT OPPOSE WOMEN'S RIGHTS, REJECT DEMOCRACY
AND
>  > BELIEVE GAYS SHOULD BE EXECUTED
>  >
>  > According to media sources, President George W. Bush appears ready to
>  > nominate J. Robert Brame III to serve as a member of the National Labor
>  > Relations Board (NLRB), despite Brame's long-standing leadership of
>  > religious-political extremist groups on the farthest fringes of the
>  > Religious Right.
>  >
>  > Brame has served as a top official of American Vision, an Atlanta-based
>  > group that seeks to replace America's secular democracy with a
"Christian"
>  > regime based on "biblical law," including enforcement of the harsh
legal
>  > code of the Old Testament. He has also served as an advisor to the
>  Plymouth
>  > Rock Foundation, a Plymouth, Mass., group with similar views.
>  >
>  > Brame recently resigned from the American Vision board after the
group's
>  > controversial agenda became public. Though Brame served on the board
since
>  > at least 1994, he told The Wall Street Journal that he was unaware of
>  > American Vision's extreme views.
>  >
>  > American Vision has described democracy as "the first step toward
>  fascism,"
>  > argues that women must be subordinate to men and insists that the Bible
>  > requires the death penalty for gays.
>  >
>  > Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a national
>  church-state
>  > watchdog organization, said Brame's service with these groups, which
are
>  > affiliated with the so-called "Christian Reconstructionist" movement,
>  should
>  > disqualify him from a post in government.
>  >
>  > "Brame and his allies seek to impose a harsh Christian theocracy on the
>  > nation," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans
>  > United. "Someone with such radical political views should automatically
be
>  > disqualified from holding public office.
>  >
>  > "Once members of the Senate get a look at Brame's record, his chances
for
>  > confirmation will quickly evaporate," Lynn added. "Brame's ties to
radical
>  > groups are indefensible."
>  >
>  > To illustrate the radical nature of Brame's views, Lynn pointed to the
>  > extremist positions of American Vision (AV), which Brame has helped
lead
>  > through long-time service on the group's five-member Board of
Directors:
>  >
>  > On theocracy: Christian Reconstructionists reject democracy and
advocate
>  > theocracy. In the June 1999 issue of American Vision's Biblical
Worldview
>  > magazine, an AV representative wrote, "We've been told that Christians
>  > cannot impose their religious beliefs on others. Since heaven is at
stake,
>  > we have no choice. There is no hope outside of Jesus Christ."
>  >
>  > On democracy: The June 1999 issue of AV's Biblical Worldview magazine
>  > described democracy as "the first step toward fascism."
>  >
>  > On women's role in families: American Vision insists that the Bible
>  requires
>  > male leadership in society. In the September 1999 issue of Biblical
>  > Worldview, an AV author wrote that women fall between men and animals
in
>  the
>  > "God-ordained order." AV places "God above all, man joyfully under God,
>  > woman lovingly under man, and the animals at bottom." AV has also said
>  that
>  > women should not serve in the military.
>  >
>  > On women in the judiciary: The Plymouth Rock Foundation, which Brame
has
>  > worked with through service on its advisory council, opposed Sandra Day
>  > O'Connor's nomination to the Supreme Court because, in their view, it
is
>  > wrong for a woman to sit in judgment over men.
>  >
>  > On homosexuality and the death penalty: Reconstructionist groups such
as
>  > those Brame is involved with maintain that under biblical law,
homosexuals
>  > must be executed. According to one American Vision text, "The law that
>  > requires the death penalty for homosexual acts effectually drives the
>  > perversion of homosexuality underground, back to the closet, to the
dark
>  > realm of shameful activity." Also, in October 2000, an AV publication
>  called
>  > homosexuality "a sin worthy of death."
>  >
>  > On gays in Congress: In the September 1999 issue of the group's
Biblical
>  > Worldview, an AV author referred to openly gay Rep. Tammy Baldwin
(D-Wis.)
>  > as a "lesbian Congressthing."
>  >
>  > On non-Christian dissenters: American Vision argues that once its
>  worldview
>  > is enacted as government policy, dissenters would have to submit to its
>  > draconian version of Christianity. "Non-Christians would not be forced
to
>  > become Christians, but they would have to obey laws that came from the
>  > Bible," according to one AV text. "This would mean that homosexuality
and
>  > abortion, for example, could not be claimed as 'civil rights.' They
would
>  be
>  > crimes."
>  >
>  > On Judaism: American Vision sells a book titled, "The Days of
Vengeance,"
>  > which says, "The god of Judaism is the devil." The book also describes
>  > Judaism as a "demonic religion."
>  >
>  > On American history: AV materials take a revisionist approach to
history,
>  > insisting that the United States was founded as a "Christian nation."
In
>  one
>  > book, AV asserts that the Constitution was designed to afford
protection
>  to
>  > Christianity only and not other faiths. "The First Amendment had the
>  > specific purpose of excluding all rivalry among Christian
denominations,"
>  > the group says. "Other competing religions were not protected by the
First
>  > Amendment."
>  >
>  > "Brame makes Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson look liberal," said AU's
>  Lynn,
>  > who wrote to Bush in October, urging him not to nominate such a
divisive
>  > figure to the NLRB.
>  >
>  > Concluded Lynn, "The groups Brame is associated with seek to impose
their
>  > version of 'biblical law' on all of us, and they want to use the
>  government
>  > to further those goals. These views are so counter to American ideals
that
>  > it is difficult to imagine a proponent of this radical philosophy
serving
>  in
>  > any important public trust."
>  >
>  > Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in
>  Washington,
>  > D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the
>  > importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious
freedom.
>  >
>  
>  


"The Skinny on Weight Loss: One Woman's 
True Journey to Fat and Back" by Frances Morey
Order online <www.xlibris.com/bookstore>
or by phone at 1-888-795-4274 Extension #276





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