Proudly introducing the BlatantlyProgressive BookShop!! Featuring affiliate links to

books and DVDs. Why Barnes&Noble rather than the well-known (& my own previous) “other” bookseller? Because that “other” book seller donated 59% of political contributions to Republicans and their causes of censorship and library records snooping in the 2003–04 election cycle—but Barnes&Noble donated 100% to Democratic candidates! Vote with your wallet—and while you're over at the Barnes&Noble website, take a few minutes to write some reviews — get that site as busy and informative as the “other,” less Democrat-friendly one.

Sections in the BlatantlyProgressive Bookshop:
• political realities
• looming religiosity
• from the belly of the beast
• bush family values
• 9/11
• bush foreign policy & the new world order
• capitalism, corporatism & globalization
• the environment
• progressive passion & commentary
• taking action
• always relevant
• DVDs

Conquering by Stealth and Deception
How the Dominionists Are Succeeding in Their Quest for National Control and World Power
Katherine Yurica
Sept. 14, 2004, Yurica Report

The Despoiling of America
How George W. Bush became the head of the new American Dominionist Church/State
Katherine Yurica, with Laurie Hall
Yurica Report

the documented story of how a political religious movement called Dominionism gained control of the Republican Party, then took over Congress, then took over the White House, and now is sealing the conversion of America to a theocracy by taking over the American Judiciary. It’s the story of why and how “the wrath of God Almighty” will be unleashed against the middle class, against the poor, and against the elderly and sick of this nation by George W. Bush and his army of Republican Dominionist “rulers.”

The author has been monitoring, criticizing, and testifying against right-wing evangelists since the 1980s. See her important website, Yurica Report and, unexpectedly, her original oil paintings at Whistler’s Gallery: Images for a Corrupt Time.

The Religious Right — An Anti-American Terrorist Movement
Carolyn Baker
May 12, 2005, Information ClearingHouse

. . . To even attempt to understand the religious right, which many are now naming “Dominionism,” one must grasp the mental duress it holds on its followers. I should know; I was one of them . . .

The Crusaders
Christian evangelicals are plotting to remake America in their own image
Bob Moser
RollingStone.com, April 2005

. . . Meet the Dominionists -- biblical literalists who believe God has called them to take over the U.S. government. As the far-right wing of the evangelical movement, Dominionists are pressing an agenda that makes Newt Gingrich's Contract With America look like the Communist Manifesto. They want to rewrite schoolbooks to reflect a Christian version of American history, pack the nation's courts with judges who follow Old Testament law, post the Ten Commandments in every courthouse and make it a felony for gay men to have sex and women to have abortions. In Florida, when the courts ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removed, it was the Dominionists who organized round-the-clock protests and issued a fiery call for Gov. Jeb Bush to defy the law and take Schiavo into state custody. Their ultimate goal is to plant the seeds of a "faith-based" government that will endure far longer than Bush's presidency -- all the way until Jesus comes back. . . .

Without a Doubt
Ron Suskind
New York Times Magazine, October 17, 2004 (registration site)
Fascinating dissection of the “faith-based” presidency.

. . . That a deep Christian faith illuminated the personal journey of George W. Bush is common knowledge. But faith has also shaped his presidency in profound, nonreligious ways. The president has demanded unquestioning faith from his followers, his staff, his senior aides and his kindred in the Republican Party. Once he makes a decision—often swiftly, based on a creed or moral position—he expects complete faith in its rightness.

The disdainful smirks and grimaces that many viewers were surprised to see in the first presidential debate are familiar expressions to those in the administration or in Congress who have simply asked the president to explain his positions. Since 9/11, those requests have grown scarce; Bush’s intolerance of doubters has, if anything, increased, and few dare to question him now. A writ of infallibility—a premise beneath the powerful Bushian certainty that has, in many ways, moved mountains—is not just for public consumption: it has guided the inner life of the White House. . . .

Dominionism (a.k.a. Christian Reconstructionism, Dominion Theology, and Theonomy)
(on the huge and excellent Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance website)
Dispassionate examination of the basic tenets and visions of this hate-filled movement as well as those of other fundamentalist cults and how they differ from one another. Thorough reference with links for more information. Includes a shocking list of practices that would be instituted if they were (by some “miracle”—or by quiet infiltration?) to attain their vision:

• The use of the death penalty would be greatly expanded, when the Hebrew Scriptures’ laws are reapplied. People will be executed for adultery, blasphemy, heresy, homosexual behavior, idolatry, prostitution, evil sorcery (some translations say Witchcraft), etc. The Bible requires those found guilty of these “crimes” to be either stoned to death or burned alive. Reconstructionists are divided on the execution method to be used.
• A church or congregation which does not accept the Mosaic Law has another god before them, and is thus guilty of idolatry. That would be punishable by death. That would include all non-Christian religious organizations. At the present time, non-Christians total two-thirds of the human race.
• The status of women would be reduced to almost that of a slave as described in the Hebrew Scriptures. A woman would initially be considered the property of her father; after marriage, she would be considered the property of her husband.
• It would be logical to assume that the institution of slavery would be reintroduced, and regulated according to Biblical laws. Fathers could sell their daughters into slavery. . .