Retrograde
by David Atkins
Time will tell if the extreme reactionary conservative backlash is the last gasp of a dying ideology, or the new vanguard of a retrograde, revanchist counterrevolution. On more optimistic days I'm convinced it's the former, but in times of greater darkness it often seems the latter. Whichever it is, this sort of thing is always scary to read:
An enthusiastic crowd of mostly conservative Christians gathered Friday at the Ventura County Government Center courtyard as part of a nationwide rally against federal rules requiring most employers' health care plans to include coverage for birth control.
About 300 people showed up for the midday Stand Up for Religious Freedom event, according to Ed Wurts, the Ventura rally captain. Similar gatherings were held Friday in 164 cities across the United States, according to the organization's website.
Signs blared "Stop President Obama's HHS Mandate," referring to the Department of Health and Human Services.
A roster of fiercely religious speakers captivated attendees for more than an hour through an amplified public address system, warning of government overreach, tolerance of sexual perversion and the threat of Marxism, among other things.
Jason Jones, who coproduced the pro-life movie "Bella," said Christians need to take back Hollywood and take back "the song of our nation."
Obama's presidency has a purpose, he told the crowd.
"God is using him to wake us up," he said.
Jones' biggest applause line came when he said: "We need to stop sending our children to government schools."
Local limited-government activist Carla Bonney also roused the crowd, asking if they wanted hospitals to be forced to perform abortions. Attendees shouted "No!" in response, and Bonney continued with a series of similar questions.
"Do we want our military to stop praying in Jesus' name?" she asked.
"No!" the crowd echoed.
It's amazing how seamlessly rightwing rhetoric on healthcare mandates ties in with forcing the troops to pray to Jesus and abolition of public education for these people. Sometimes I wish they could go found their own little country somewhere, fulfill their strange mix of economic libertarian and social theocracy on their own turf and see how well it works out for them.
.