THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT-- WHEN THEY HAVE THEIR TANTRUMS, JUST STEP OVER THEM AND KEEP MOVING ON

When did this country start taking the right wing seriously? At what point did we decide that we should begin listening to a group of anal retentive religious nuts? This whining group of phonies protests everything from your favorite TV show to the funerals of our fallen military.

At first we were a bit worried about them since they started getting their own TV networks where they were able to talk little old ladies out of their life savings and they were getting big and looked like they were going to be pretty powerful, but even today, this fringe group seems to be only about 30% of the population. Hardly a majority of us.

They are always protesting something the rest of us are doing. They don’t seem to like anything, least of all freedom of speech. Last year when Ford motor company was found to be advertising in gay and lesbian publications they protested and boycotted Ford. It is hard to understand the basis for that sort of action, but even more difficult to sort out just why Ford listened or why it merited media coverage.

A year or so ago, they protested a television show, The Book of Daniel, about an Episcopal priest and his family. It was mildly entertaining, but for some reason this group figured they alone had the copyrights to Jesus, and that any other portrayal besides one they put their stamp of approval on was sacrilege.

And, today I read about this at NBC.

I live in a town where a local church gained some publicity for burning Harry Potter books, and sadly they were not the only ones around the country. Let us not forget the right’s obsession with
Sponge Bob Square Pants.

Right wing religionists are highly organized, yes, we know that is so. But, really what does that mean? Does that mean just because they can sign their name to a few thousand post cards during the Sunday sermon protesting something, that the rest of the world needs to listen?

Sure they are organized, but so? Organization alone does not entitle you to what you want. The KKK is organized. Al Qaeda is organized. There are oodles of nut cases organizing against something or other every day. We can hardly live our lives without tripping over these life-a-phobes. What gives? They don’t even like
their own political party, the one they helped put in office. They are the first ones on any occasion to call foul, to demand complete and total submission to their whims, while always convinced they are persecuted victims of everyone and anyone not indoctrinated into their narrow way of belief.

But, it does not stop there. This is a group of people willing to harm their own children for their ideological purity. Many will not permit their daughters to be vaccinated by the
HPV vaccine because they believe it will promote promiscuity. Never mind that 50% of the males within their ranks have problems with pornography. This is hypocrisy at its finest. And, here we are, a nation shaking in our shoes over every little whimper from foot stomping tantrum throwing group of fear ridden mixed up adults.

I once managed a bookstore where I received about 1500 post cards from local church goers protesting and boycotting my store because I was supposedly selling a book that was not even on my shelves. I am quite sure that none of those signing the cards cared to check my store to see if it was there.

If the Internet does nothing else, maybe it will give those in power a bit of perspective as the left also signs petitions and makes requests. Maybe if nothing else, we can normalize dissent in such a way as we go back to business as usual, to normal life without catering to a few crazed, albeit organized, whiners. Maybe we can go back to free speech.

Maybe somewhere someone might finally say, and with authority...."If you don't like it, don’t do it. If you don’t want to read the book, then don’t buy it. If you don’t like the program, just turn the channel."

I daily wonder why this group of people thinks they must make everyone just like them or why they MUST matter so. It is their right to speak out, but to cater to this minority is like giving in to the child who throws themselves onto the floor of the supermarket every week demanding a candy bar. Once you cave, they think they are entitled.

I suggest we as a nation do what I did when my little darlings pulled that stunt. I simply stepped over them, and kept on moving.