In an interview with a Florida Baptist publication this week, Senator wannabe Katherine Harris (the current congresswoman whose tenure as Florida Secretary of State gave us President George Bush) calls the separation of church and state "a lie" and that God never intended for the US to be a "nation of secular laws."

She also said that failing to elect Christians to Congress allows the government to "legislate sin."

Um...does she read the newspaper? I suppose she would look to, um...let's see....Iran and Saudi Arabia...as models of government to follow. Except of course they aren't Christians...so maybe not. I'm wondering, what does the substantial Jewish community in Florida think of Mrs. Harris' proposed Christian theocracy?

It's not her faith that bothers me, or even her passion for conservative religious causes. It's her ignorance of history, of the state of the world, and of the reality of what happens when religion and the government are not kept separate.

Consider this with religous conservatives (many of whom are African American) in the DEMOCRATIC party in Alabama invalidating the primary victory of an open lesbian for a seat in the state house (where there is no Replublican opponent) on a technicality that would invalidate EVERY candidate if enforced fairly;

AND

Utah Republican lawmaker Chris Buttars assertion this week that Brown v. The Board of Education was wrongly decided and "hurt a bunch of minority kids." He went on to assert that he is unaware of any legislation that might injure a minority group---despite the fact that he sponsored the Ant-Gay Marriage Amendment in Utah, a (failed) proposed ban on gay-straight allances in public schools, and a bill to ban any agency of the state from offering domestic partner benefits;

AND

Debate on a bill in California that would allow couples with civil unions in California to file joint state tax returns quickly turned ugly when Republican Jay La Seur said that supporters of the bill were promoting "the homosexual agenda" and that the bill would abuse children by teaching them that "abnormal...sexually deviant" relationships were acceptable;


It's fairly clear that as the campaign approaches, the religious right is on the rampage.

Is it just me, or are they starting to sound particularly desperate, silly, and, well, hateful?

I'm biased, so I'm wondering, what's your reaction?