Religious (in) tolerance and other lies.

                In a column in Thursday's Daily Sun ("Americans are Losing Religious Freedom") Kathryn Lopez resurrects and incorrectly interprets what is perhaps the most misstated aspect of the Affordable Health Care Act. Her premise is that requiring an employer who,  as a condition of employment,  provides health insurance to pay for contraceptives somehow infringes freedom of religion. This is a leap of illogic. If, as most agree, freedom of religion is really freedom of conscience, Ms. Lopez couldn't be more wrong.  If an employer, whatever their belief system,  is allowed to impose their set of beliefs on the employee, then Ms. Lopez is correct. That a worker  (especially if they suffer from any of the numerous conditions which might make pregnancy life threatening ) could be denied birth control because of someone else's religious belief - now THAT's loss of religious freedom.  As one simple example:  Women who are placed on an Isotretinoin (Accutane)  regimen for severe  acne by a dermatologist are required to take birth control pills, due to grave birth defects that are associated with the medication.  So in Ms. Lopez' scenario, even though the Dermatologist prescribes it, and the patient, regardless of her religious affiliation, needs and wants it, the employer is justified in denying coverage because of their (the employer's) religious conviction.  If someone forces you  to do something proscribed by your religion, then indeed, your religious rights have been infringed upon. If an organization forces you to do (or not do) what their religious beliefs dictate,  we have a word for that too - Taliban.

                What is it about the lunatic Right that makes them so avid to protect rights they deem important yet so willing to trample on the rights of those they despise or would prefer to ignore. The list is seemingly endless:

  Assaults on early voting by Republican controlled legislatures in many states -why? Well, as it turns out, many of the working poor (most of the 47% by the way) have a hard time just leaving work to vote, while more affluent voters have no such limitations.

 Statements by Rick Santorum that we "need to rethink birth control in America." Really, Rick?  Of course this wouldn't be linked to your militant Opus Dei/Mel Gibson style of Catholicism, would it?

Requiring photo Government IDs for voting, another Red State ploy, has the same aspect, we rich folks have driver's licenses, passports, etc. so we are fine, but you "less rich" don't.

Proposals to greatly reduce student loans since, as Romney says "you can borrow from your parents," and sure enough if you're a Romney, you can. The average family simply can't afford current out of state (or even many instate) rates.

Antonin Scalia public proposing that some acts between consenting adults (there's that conscience thingy again) be made illegal. You'd think that at his age and with his demeanor, Scalia would be grateful for any and all sort of human contact!

Anti-abortion zealots, who, not content with living their lives in accordance with their own (Constitutionally protected) belief system, wish to impose it on others (again, can you say Taliban?)

Far Righters who want the government off their backs, unless it's in someone else's bedroom

                The gun lobby who foster the idea that we need guns to protect ourselves from (The government??), while allowing schizophrenics and mentally defective "militia members"  to amass  arsenals  and, every so often , go on shooting sprees.  They don't need protection, we do!

                Spending millions (and failing) to oust an elected government in Nicaragua, and violating acts of Congress in doing it.

                Using the FBI and IRS to harass "enemies"  (like, on NIxon's famous list, Joe Namath, Barbra Streisand and Paul Newman) whose offense is political disagreement.

                Pouring Trillions of dollars into an Iraqi war to massage the ego of a president and suck up to the Saudis, whose Wahabi Islamic  sect is the sworn enemy of religious tolerance.

                Trampling the economic rights of gasoline consumers (which the vast majority of us are) by banning Brazilian sugar cane Ethanol imports to benefit domestic corn producers (which the vast majority of us aren't!)

The above is admittedly only a partial list,  incomplete and not in the least all inclusive, but disgust forces me to end this and get another cup of coffee.

         And I do believe that's all I have to say about that!