George Bush suddenly remembered his campaign pledge from nine years ago to introduce compassion to conservatism last week. It was conveniently forgotten once he stepped into office, replaced by the typical disdain for all things compassionate. The only thing that was the least bit soft and fuzzy was a disregard for separation of church and state, an idea revered by our founding fathers and for the most part, by a nation ever since. The moment he came in, he decided that helping the least amongst us should come at a religious price. Apparently he still believes that today.
From The Washington Post:
As he noted in his speech on Thursday, Bush began talking as long ago as 1999 about loosening restrictions on the participation of religiously affiliated groups in government programs. That led to his executive order creating the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the White House, and a proliferation of similar offices throughout the government.
Bush said the moves were meant to "ensure that the armies of compassion play a central role in our campaign to make America more promising and more just."
But controversies have erupted regularly, usually focused on allegations of improper favoritism for the religious right or improper proselytizing. Last week, the Justice Department fired an official under investigation for her role in doling out faith-based grants after she did not show up for a House hearing.
Whether you call it holy or unholy, President Bush is full of shit. The only reason he brought up the subject is that one of his underlings was caught doing exactly what he wanted to see done. Compassion (i.e. helping the poor) was meant for those that could stomach the religious propaganda thrown at them along with a hot meal or a job training session. And being that Bush tried to garner favor with the evangelicals (a group that helped him tremendously in his quest for the White House, both to get there in 2000 and stay there in 04'), the money went to Christian groups more so than Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, you name it and specifically those groups run by his campaign contributors. Oh and you can forget about atheists or agnostics, they don't count to George Bush.
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