Of Christianity, The Healthcare Debate, And The Spectre Of Palin

In a discussion with an friend from college this weekend, the subject of the rank dishonesty and lie being distributed by the conservative Right and how their alleged christianity doesn't seem to dovetail with what they are offering up to the American public.

As a person that was brought up in an extremely conservative family, it was continually instilled within me that we should care for the less fortunate, that we should always speak truth to the world, and that we follow the bible without question.

My friend brought up several bible versus that many conservatives don't seem to remember from their days in Sunday School

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me

Matthew 25:34-36

I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, who deprive the foreigners living amongst you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.

Malachi 3:5

Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

Psalm 82:3

And there are many more.

But this is all obvious. Conservativism and Christianity in inextricably linked in one form or another. And with those links come many instances of hypocrisy. I often find that those that continually espouse the tried and true Christian talking-point "What Would Jesus Do" are the last ones that should be asking that question. Much in the same way that buying the biggest flag and waving it higher and faster doesn't make you a better patriot, shouting loudest and thumping your grandmother's bible the hardest doesn't make you a better Christian.

So how are conservatives completely disobeying the book that they claim to hold dear to them? One has to but read the versus put forward and listen to the inflammatory rhetoric of the "tea-bagger" set to see.

One of the original keypoints of the anti-healthcare reform movement is that conservative Republicans took the standpoint of "why should I have to pay for your healthcare". These are the same people that claim to donate millions each year to charities, and will expound on their virtue and honor because of doing so. Perhaps it is from my particular point of view, but the charitable giving of conservative Republicans is more than likely directly related to the tax deductable figure attached to it.

The verse from Malachi has roots in immigration as well as conservatives viewpoints on "small-business" as well as healthcare. Considering the very real aspect that there may be some undocumented workers in America that will be able to benefit from healthcare reform, this would be a golden opportunity for the Obama administration to reform immigration as well. This, however, never sits well with conservative Repbulicans. And in terms of workers in a "small business" environment, one begins to wonder why conservative Republicans continually champion Tort reform rather than the rights of individual workers. Since this very tactic of right-wing ideology continually flies the face of not just "small business workers" but ALL workers - as it will completely erode your ability to have your day in court, should that time arise - to hear conservative Republicans talk about the needs of the working class in America makes one realize that this is just something that sounds good and is nothing more than a political stunt during a time when Republicans are out of power and hope for a big comeback.

In all, truly championing the weak, the afflicted, and the needy in America is not in the interest of conservative Repulicans. That is, unless your spending what little political capital you have left.

Enter Sarah Palin.

In her continued charge forward, usuing social networking media to get out her message ( can we even call it a message anymore? More like incoherent rambling. ) Palin doubles down on the "euthanasia" meme to include her son Trig

The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's "death panel" so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their "level of productivity in society," whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

One can still hear the echoed chanting of the conservative Right when Democrats, liberals, and progressives talk about how their children can benefit from proper and affordable healthcare - stop using children as sheilds!!!

And the utter hypocrisy in Palin's statement is made even clearer as we remember that every other time she opens her prattle maw, it's about how unfair it is that people talk about her children, that the media examine Plain's family. The other times she speaks are when she uses her family to validate her own ignorance and promote her political ambitions.

As the veritable poster-girl of Christian conservativism, Palin often sets the high mark for completely disobeying the bible and her man Jesus.

It is becoming more and more apparent that conservative Republicans will do and say anything to prevent any form of meaningful healthcare reform from taking shape in this country. And what is paramount is that they use divisive, fear-laden, tactics that not only reveal their complete and utter failure as a party, but their ignorance to the religion that they cling to.