Change of Heart.

This is quick note about a conversation Jen and I had with our neighbors yesterday evening, which was still on my mind as I fell asleep last night. We live next to an ex-serviceman/retired public official and his wife, who are both intensely religious and outwardly Republican. (There are multiple anti-abortion bumper stickers on their vehicles, and they display various religious themed signs on their front lawn year-round.) Despite our differences of opinion, we get along with them very well. During our visit, the subject of Iraq came up, and their comments stopped me in my tracks: They called the war a terrible thing, compared it to Vietnam, and plainly stated that they thought our troops should come home. I felt as if someone was shuffling the tectonic plates underneath my feet as we spoke.

Memo to Mesrrs. Bush, Rove, and Cheney: Your key demographic smells the bullshit.

I’d be interested to know their stand on the environment. You’d thing the Christian right would be very conservation-minded: if God gave us this planet, what could be more immoral than abusing it?

Somehow, I don’t think so. In my mind, the Republican-right mindset is geared more towards the Almighty Dollar than the Almighty, but that’s just my opinion. I’m sure there are plenty of environmentally-conscious Republicans out there, but they sort of have to toe the party line to get their voices heard by the chiefs, who (in my opinion) have used the religion/security/family values shtick to bankrupt the country and make themselves wealthy.

But that’s just my opinion.

Oh I think you’re absolutely right, and it speaks to hypocrisy of the republican ideology. IMO any thoughtfully spiritual person would value and cherish the planet, so for conservatives to thump their bibles while denying the enviromental crisis is almost as hyopcritical as their support for the war-mongerers running the show.