Down to the wire : confronting climate collapse / David - Index of

S
132 connections
still exists between extreme fundamentalists and the vendors of fossil
fuels, the climate changers, the polluters, the weapons merchants,
the neocon imperialists, the exploiters, the political dirty tricksters
who always believe that the ends they’ve chosen justify whatever
means they use, the spin artists, those willing to corrupt scientifi c
truth for political gain, and those for whom the law and the Constitution
are merely scraps of paper. In the language of the book
of Revelation, these are “the Powers” (Wink, 1984, 1986, 1992).
Perhaps the alliance will founder on the fact that the members of
this coalition have very different interests; extreme fundamentalists
intend to bring about their version of the Kingdom of God on
Earth, while their allies wish merely to establish American global
dominance. Others simply want to make a great deal of money. As
their part of the bargain, the Powers have been willing to say whatever
extreme fundamentalists wish to hear about abortion, prayer in
school, gay marriage, and fl ag burning, and will even appoint judges
of their liking. They will attend prayer breakfasts and give stirring
speeches professing their love of God while they loot the country
by shifting taxes onto the middle classes and poor, move jobs overseas,
undercut the laws that protect the environment and human
health, wage wars in distant places using the sons and daughters of
the poor as canon fodder, and defame, threaten, or marginalize anyone
who gets in their way, talking all the while about family values
and morality. They have asked only that their supporters be blind,
gullible, and ill informed, which is to say, ripe for the plucking.
Perhaps the infl uence of extreme religious fundamentalists on
American politics is in decline, but I wouldn’t bet on it just yet.
Hard times tend to amplify, not dampen, extremism of all kinds, and
our national brand of right-wing extremism is heavily infused with
religious fundamentalism. Even so, some believe that saying such
things is counterproductive because it will offend. Accordingly,
politeness, not candor, should rule. But even within the context
of Christianity, what particular style of discourse do they propose?
Would it be that of Moses, who shattered the Ten Commandments