QOTD: The Taliban's American Fans

 

There's always been a similarity in approach and world view between the fundamentalist Christofascist crowd in America (the "American Taliban") and the actual radical Taliban in Afghanistan. Religious zealotry, nativism,viewing women as inferior to men and allowing men to dictate over them, etc., are commonalities. 

With the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan after the corrupt Afghan government and its paper military collapsed, they gained a cohort of fans among the authoritarian far-right crowd here, as the excellent Michelle Goldberg notes in her op-ed piece ($$) in the New York Times:

"As the Taliban swept through Afghanistan in August, a Gen Z alt-right group ran a Twitter account devoted to celebrating their progress. Tweets in Pashto juxtaposed two laughing Taliban fighters with pictures meant to represent American effeminacy. Another said, the words auto-translated into English, “Liberalism did not fail in Afghanistan because it was Afghanistan, it failed because it was not true. It failed America, Europe and the world see it.”

The account, now suspended, was just one example of the open admiration for the Taliban that’s developed within parts of the American right. The influential young white supremacist Nick Fuentes — an ally of the Arizona Republican congressman Paul Gosar and the anti-immigrant pundit Michelle Malkin — wrote on the encrypted app Telegram: “The Taliban is a conservative, religious force, the U.S. is godless and liberal. The defeat of the U.S. government in Afghanistan is unequivocally a positive development.” An account linked to the Proud Boys expressed respect for the way the Taliban “took back their national religion as law, and executed dissenters.'”  (our emphasis)

Goldberg's entire column is well worth a read. If anything distinguishes the far-right, it's their advocacy of armed insurrection and imposing themselves on the majority by force. Their longing for a military coup to upend elections is emblematic of the threat to our democratic republic. To applaud the Taliban, which has killed thousands of our servicemen and women as well as their own Afghan countrymen, exposes their violent, unpatriotic, nativist, authoritarian disease, which must be defeated as one would a deadly virus.

 

Lunatic Preacher: Christians OK With Dying From Virus

Right-wing mega churches headed by profit-driven "prosperity gospel" charlatans are continuing to encourage their gullible flocks to attend in-person services despite the coronavirus pandemic. Often they're being supported by cynical and corrupt Rethuglican politicians, like Florida's despicable Governor Ron DeSantis, whose state is suffering from his obstinate inaction on the COVID-19 pandemic, who refuses to limit in-person church attendance.

Another grim reaper can be found in Louisiana, one of several COVID-19 hotspots across the country. He's dangerous clown Tony "Under A" Spell, head of the ironically named "Life Tabernacle Church" in Baton Rouge. Spell was charged recently for violating the state's emergency order on large gatherings, which are a recipe for community spread of the virus. Earlier today, he was defiant in promising to continue to violate safe-distancing rules for his unfortunate "church:"

"Tony Spell, leader of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, tells TMZ ... he thinks true Christians do not mind dying from COVID-19. He insists that what they fear instead is living in fear. As he puts it, 'People that can prefer tyranny over freedom do not deserve freedom.'

He's also not flinching at medical experts suggesting most of the nation will eventually contract the virus, even if only mildly. Spell's reaction is, 'Let's get on with life.'" (our emphasis)

Yes, we deserve the freedom to die from a pandemic rather than the tyranny of health. Also, "let's get on with life" is his way of saying, "Come, I need your tithes." Elsewhere in his diatribe, Spell says:

"The bible teaches us to be absent from our bodies so we can be present with the Lord. So like any revolutionary, or like any zealot, or like any pure religious person, death looks to them like a welcomed friend.”  (our emphasis)

There's no better expression of the twisted world of right-wing religious nuttery than Spell saying "death" looks like "a welcomed friend" to his congregants whom he's willfully exposed to a contagious, deadly virus.

Falwell Jr.'s Insane COVID-19 Conspiracies

Right-wing fundamentalists have consistently rallied to the defense of their golden calf, sociopath and sexual predator Donald "Two Corinthians" Trump, despite his manifest immorality. It's not surprising, given that their business is selling their gullible flock on the "prosperity gospel" grift, which puts cash in their pockets and proclaims that wealth is godly. That Trump appoints Federal judges that want to put women back in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant, is a big plus to them, too.

With the spread of COVID-19 and Trump's failure to respond to it effectively, these same idolators are looking to offer cover for his bungling. The latest is pool boy fan and golden calf buffer Jerry Falwell, Jr. , who regaled the early bird special audience (including Trump) of Fux and Friends with tales of conspiracies intended to bring down his master:

"You know, it's just strange to me how so many are overreacting. The H1N1 virus, in 2009, killed 17,000 people. It was the flu, also, I think. And there was not the same hype. It was — you just didn't see it on the news 24/7. And it makes you wonder if there's a political reason for that.

It's, you know, impeachment didn't work, and the Mueller Report didn't work, and Article 25 [sic] didn't work. And so maybe now, this is their next — their next attempt to get Trump."  (our emphasis)

He went on to tie North Korea into the conspiracy apparently because they've had a falling out with Trump.

You can be certain that religious con man Falwell's scam school for Bible thumpers, Liberty University, will become an incubator for COVID-19, since Falwell will see closing it down as an overreaction that will harm his master's reelection prospects. The parents of the kids going there should be very worried this morning that the head of that place is an unhinged fanatic whose main mission is to protect Trump's political standing, and not the health of their kids.

(photo: Master and humble servant exchanging virus germs. Scott Morgan/Reuters)

The American Taliban Purges Its Own

As Christmas approaches, and as we're beseiged with silly tales about a "war on Christmas" and angry demands that we say "merry Christmas" to any and all, the talibangelical right is behaving in a very (we're shocked!) un-Christian way toward one of its own.  Russell Moore, who heads up the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, is getting a taste of the American Taliban's sense of "religious liberty" after he criticized sociopathic crotch-grabber and serial adulterer Donald "Rump" Trump for having "serious moral problems." He has also criticized the "old-guard religious right political establishment" for their cynical and hypocritical support of Rump.

Some of the Convention's churches are threatening to withhold funding from the Convention, unless Moore is dismissed from his post. Rethug bible-banging bigot Mike "Huckster" Huckabee joined in, criticizing Moore for not falling in line behind Mammon Rump. This is the same Rump who: said he'd never asked God for forgiveness, who couldn't recall a favorite Bible passage, who said condescendingly about communion that he would "drink my little wine, have my little cracker", things that should have raised red flags to the true believers. And that's not even taking into account his sexual assaults on women, his well-documented vulgar language, hate speech, bragging, greed, gambling businesses, and fraudulent business scams. Pick one of these examples and if the shoe were on a Democrat / progressive's foot, they'd be screaming from the steeples.

None of that matters, as the American Taliban is linked irrevocably to the Rethuglican Party and whomever that Party has as its standard bearer, they will march through hell for him....literally.

(photo: "Religious" wingnut Pat Robertson, giving the secret sign of the American Taliban)

Cartoon of the Day

(click to enlarge)

American Talibangelist Kim "Dim" Davis had no business holding a public position if she can't separate her public, sworn duties from her "religious" beliefs.  But try telling that to right-wing theocrats who want to remove the separation of church and state.

(cartoon: Signe Wilkinson, via Gocomics.com)

Sunday Quote - American Taliban Edition

Alabama's (Alabammy!) Republican Chief Justice, Roy "Less Is" Moore has been known for his outlandish (even for Alabama) views on gay marriage, secularism and "Sharia law", and merging church and state.   But in remarks to the"Mississippi Pastors for Life" luncheon, Moore has more on (Moore-on?  Moron?) a favorite topic:

Buddha didn’t create us, Mohammed didn’t create us, it was the God of the Holy Scriptures on which this nation was founded. 

They didn’t bring a Quran over on the pilgrim ship Mayflower. Let’s get real, let’s go back and learn our history, let’s stop playing games.

Ergo, the First Amendment only applies to Christians.

We wouldn't let this crackpot judge a pie contest, much less preside over the highest State court in Alabama.  Unfortunately, since it's an elected office, Alabama's yahoos put one of their own on the bench.  Score one for the American Taliban.

BONUS:  Looks like the 5 American Taliban on the Supreme Court have no further use for the Establishment Clause.

Today's Cartoons - American Taliban Edition

(click to enlarge)

(Rob Rogers, via gocomics.com)

(Signe Wilkinson, via gocomics.com)

Quote of the Day

"[The poor] don’t bear the brunt of our fiscal irresponsibility because they didn’t cause it. We did not get into fiscal trouble because of poor people. … The poor didn’t cause this. Let’s not make them pay for it. What we’re saying in the faith community, across the spectrum, is that a nation is judged — our Bible says — by how we treat the poorest and most vulnerable. Period. That’s what God says to us. That’s God’s instruction to us. To be faithful to God, we have to protect poor people." -- clergy at the Faith in Public Life press conference, which was held across the street from the right-wing Faith and Freedom Conference in DC. In denouncing Rethug budget priorities, the clergy reminded the press that right-wing (and Paul "Lyin'" Ryan) icon Ayn Rand said "choose me or Jesus" concerning her Social Darwinist / nihilist philosophy, so much in vogue among the radical right today.

Buck: No Separation of Church and State

Colorado Rethug candidate for Senate Ken "*uck" Buck has opined on the issue of separation of church and state (you know, First Amendment), joining with tea bagger luminaries Sharron "Obtuse" Angle, Christine "No Dildos" O'Donnell and no doubt countless other American talibangelists in denying this fundamental premise of American democracy. While there has always been a push and pull with those, mainly on the right, who want to have (Christian) religion integrated into every aspect of American civic life, this election cycle seems to have brought out more than the usual number of numbnuts running for office who claim adherence to the Constitution but who have no real idea of what the Framers intended and what the courts have upheld over the course of two centuries.

We would be happy, if he doesn't "agree with the concept of separation of church and state," to direct Mr. Buck to a few countries where no separation exists and see how comfortable he is living there.

Saturday Morning Reading

First, the good news. Two of our favorite fringe-right punching-bags, teabaggers and the American Taliban, are now starting to go after each other. Seems as though the American Taliban (led by the likes of Tony "Psycho" Perkins) can't abide the fact that most teabaggers are far-right libertarians who couldn't care less about American Taliban issues like abortion and gay marriage, but rather are deranged about Big Gummint, taxes and health insurance reform. Some on the right hope the cracks are superficial and temporary. We say any cracks in the crackpot right are to be welcomed -- and exploited!

Second, the better news. As we've thought and said, the Rethug tide may have crested sometime last quarter (not to say the Dems won't lose seats in Congress this fall - just maybe it won't be the calamity the brain-dead Villagers have been yakking about for months). Bob Shrum has an article worth reading about Obama's coming resurgence.

Praise Th' Lord, And Pass Th' Waterboard

One of the more interesting phenomena of American life is the fact that people who identify as fundamentalist, conservative Christians are the most likely to support military adventures abroad and, it now appears, torture. In a survey conducted by the Pew organization, 54 percent of the Bible-thumpers said that torture was "often" or "sometimes" justified in the interrogation of suspected terrorists. Ah yes, such good Christians.

Actually, listening to the sermons of Southern evangelical or pentecostal "ministers" would break any terrorist quicker than waterboarding.

On The American Taliban Front

Yes, there are dangerous Taliban forces active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but we also have our own homegrown versions of these nutcases. Case in point: our high school alma mater, Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, was picketed yesterday by 7 members American Taliban from Westboro Baptist "Church" in Topeka, Kansas. The nutjobs were protesting the naming of the high school (uh, in 1962) after one of America's most beloved poets, Walt Whitman, who was reputedly gay. Horrors! Fortunately, the nutjobs were met by a large counter-demonstration of 500 who suggested that the nutjobs "go home," among some more colorful suggestions.

It should be noted that these nutjobs have also appeared at funerals of military vets to protest "teh gay in the military", and have been driven off by angry bikers and vets who have little patience with the wingers' lack of respect for the dead servicemen.