In Allegheny County, the county in western Pennsylvania that includes
Pittsburgh, a county councilwoman, Sue Means, moved to put the nation's
motto, "In God We Trust," in the council's meeting room. County
Executive, Richard Fitzgerald, emailed his intention to veto the motion
and this was his stated reason: ..[it].. "tells our residents and
visitors that if they are Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, Muslim,
Islamic or any other non-theist group, they are not welcome here. We are
disrespecting other religions by promoting one above all others."
The arguments and hysteria about right-wing religious nuts, theocracy threats and ubiquitous Tea Party suicide bombers aside, how could an educated man say anything so stupid? Fitzgerald is a lawyer, a successful businessman. How could he call Jews, Muslims and Hindus "non-theist?" What could he be thinking? Was it a reflexive response to the fear of right-wing religious nuts, theocracy threats and ubiquitous Tea Party suicide bombers? Or is it simply that with a name like Fitzgerald he thinks Christians have cornered the theist market.
A look at the threatened disaster in Scotland should be sobering to everyone. Nations have choices on how to be built. They can come from a strong civic foundation (All men have inalienable rights), a strong ethnic foundation (deutschland uber alles) or total whimsy (all the South American countries and all the involuting countries based on goofy economic ideas.) These are very big, dangerous questions and most come with bad histories. They are not going to be answered well if Mr. Fitzgerald is an example of what passed for American political thought and leadership.
The arguments and hysteria about right-wing religious nuts, theocracy threats and ubiquitous Tea Party suicide bombers aside, how could an educated man say anything so stupid? Fitzgerald is a lawyer, a successful businessman. How could he call Jews, Muslims and Hindus "non-theist?" What could he be thinking? Was it a reflexive response to the fear of right-wing religious nuts, theocracy threats and ubiquitous Tea Party suicide bombers? Or is it simply that with a name like Fitzgerald he thinks Christians have cornered the theist market.
A look at the threatened disaster in Scotland should be sobering to everyone. Nations have choices on how to be built. They can come from a strong civic foundation (All men have inalienable rights), a strong ethnic foundation (deutschland uber alles) or total whimsy (all the South American countries and all the involuting countries based on goofy economic ideas.) These are very big, dangerous questions and most come with bad histories. They are not going to be answered well if Mr. Fitzgerald is an example of what passed for American political thought and leadership.
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