Our presidential candidates seem to have learned more from Iraq than the Iraqi’s have learned from us.  It is sad to note the comparison.  But, the religious issues that seem to be dominating the campaigns remind me of the Suni-Shia conflict in Iraq. 

Some candidates seem to be courting strictly evangelical Christians while others seem to be courting the more liberal sects of Christians.  What about the rest of us?  Today Huckabee came out with a new ad that seems more like a profession of his faith than a statement of his political intentions.  At the same time, some seem to be casting Romney as a member of a cult.  (If he’s elected, don’t drink the Kool-Aid.)  This is ludicrous in our society. 

Unfortunately, as I look to the primaries I am beginning to feel as if it is a matter of which side of the Christian faith you come down on, much like Iraqi politics where the Suni’s and the Shia’s vie for control, each sect claiming their brand of Islam to be the right one.  I suppose that the rest of us will have to go in hiding to survive, like the Christians in Iraq.

We have broken a country and forced democracy on its society.  In exchange for this action, we have sat back and watched our government enact the Patriot Act and allow government agencies (NSA) to eavesdrop and spy on our citizens.  We now have detainees rather than prisoners of war, negating the necessity of following the Geneva Conventions.  We have an offshore prison that has about as much accountability as an offshore bank account.  We “render” humans from sight and transport them to some undisclosed location for interrogation… and possibly torture.  To those candidates I ask is this what Jesus would do?

All Americans should make every effort to question those in the political race now before one of these theocrats is elected.  We won’t have the chance once one of them takes office.  We have given up that right.  When I hear our soldiers speak of fighting for our freedoms I wonder whose freedoms they are talking about.  Those who dare protest are limited to specific areas where they cannot be seen by the President when he visits a city.  Reporters are pre-selected and their questions are scripted during “news conferences.”  It’s no wonder that FEMA thought it was okay to plant one of their own to ask questions during a recent fire in California.  That’s the way our system works now.

We have spent more money to break Iraq than we have to repair New Orleans.  We have spent more money to get oil flowing in Iraq than we have to get water to Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.  We hear on the news about schools and hospitals opening in Iraq, when we can’t fund the “No Child Left Behind” program at home and there are millions of U.S. citizens without healthcare. 

I don’t care where these theocrat candidates go to church or how they worship.  They all talk about their great values but my question is when are they going to stop the talk and learn to walk the walk?

It scares the hell out of me to hear these candidates invoke God and Jesus Christ and claim some special relationship.  This is the last sell out of our democracy where we have freedom of religion and freedom from religion in favor of the next great theocracy.