All this has happened before, and it will all happen again

It occurred to me while reading this New York Times article that the saddest and probably the most ironic thing about the whole current cultural/political situation is that...

...the fundamentalist movement in the United States is trying to make - working really hard to make - the exact same overarching decisions that Arabic Islam, in the form of the Ottoman Empire, made in the 17th and 18th centuries, in response to surprisingly similar external pressures.

Those decisions - a hard turn from elements of secularism and towards fundamentalism, a fleeing from sciences/engineering/math in favour of religious studies, a popular enforcement of religious impulses towards "traditional" (men rule/women submit) business and family structures, first reference to god for everything - were, ultimately, a disasterous mistake, and led to the collapse of a functional, powerful, enlightened Arabic civilisation, and to the mess they've been in most of this and the last centuries.

And they're trying to do the exact same things. "This time, it'll work!" Yeah, sure. Wash, rinse, repeat.

( Reading aid )

Today's Cultural Warfare Update

The last two articles are particularly interesting, one because of the sheer goofiness of it, the second because it's Newt Gingrich endorsing the idea of firing huge swaths of the judiciary and replacing them with more compliant judges.

* Longer form of the filibuster-rules-change conservative/fundamentalist alliance group - includes an action item;

* Focus on the Family action item providing free phone calls to senators and representatives for judicial nominee rule changes;

* Focus on the Family article suggesting judges who rule in ways they dislike ("legislate from the bench") should be impeached - includes action item for both Senate rules-change and urging impeachments;

* FotF article promoting the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund's "National Day of Truth" action on campus - participants will pass out literature condemning gayfolk and promoting "ex-homosexual" organisations;

* FotF article on congressman calling for criminalisation of "indecency" (with criminal charges instead of fines) - appears unlikely, but includes an action calling for more "indecency" actions to be taken by the FCC;

* As expected, Kansas passed its anti-marriage amendment - FotF's "news brief" story;

* Colorado governor Bill Owens vetoes a bill requiring hospitals to offer emergency contraception to rape victims - action item to congratulate and thank him included;

* Focus on the Family daily Family News in Focus broadcast; Citizen Magazine (published by FotF) feature article promoting the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund's "Day of Truth";

* Concerned Women for America article claiming homosexuals want to criminalise Christianity;

* CWA article crowing about anti-marriage amendment passing in Kansas;

* CWA article blaming gayfolk for the anti-gay Boy Scouts of America head having child porn, call for "stronger stand on homosexuality" by Scouts;

* USA TODAY article on backlash to GOP moral activism;

* Traditional Values Coalition claims credit for getting Patricia Ireland removed from the YWCA board of directors in 2003 because of her bisexuality - had launched campaign to do so, which succeeded;

* TVC claims to have gotten Bay Windows - a Boston-area gay-published newspaper they call pornographic - out of three supermarket chains - also urges fight against "Day of Silence" pro-gay-rights student action, wanting to see it banned;

* TVC rails against TS women again, says people with gender identity disorder should be institutionalised for insanity;

* Agape Press article talking about "pro-family" anti-marriage-rights victories;

* South Carolina House Judiciary Committee approves bill giving a fertilised embryo equal protection and due process rights - yes, these rights begin at fertilization... for the sane in our audience, only about 40% of fertilised eggs even implant to begin the process of becoming a foetus, and yes, if the report is right, this would outlaw many fertility treatments;

* Newt Gingrich advocates firing most of the judiciary and restaffing with new justices more of his liking.

( Article excerpts and URLs below )