...and the angels rejoice.

Speaking as a former resident of Alabama who has not one but three religious bumper stickers on her minivan (Constitutional guarantee of free speech), I'm actually surprised a district judge protected South Carolina taxpayers from paying for a religious license plate (Constitutional separation of Church and State).

From our friends at Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, who filed the lawsuit, natch:

A federal judge today ruled that the state of South Carolina may not issue a special “Christian” license plate featuring a cross, a stained-glass window and the words “I Believe.”

“The ‘I Believe’ license plate is a clear example of government favoritism toward one religion,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “The court drove home an important point: South Carolina officials have no business meddling in religious matters.”

U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie today issued a preliminary injunction forbidding the state to issue or manufacture the plates. She also ordered the state to inform people who requested the plates that they will not be available and to remove information about the plates from the state Web site.

Read more...

Jewcy: Americans have been deprived of access to a word that might allow them to reduce 1.2 billion people to one essential characteristic.

The National Protrusion: Bush asks history to preemptively pardon him.

WTF Is It Now?! OK, then how about some fraternity hazing-style waterboarding?

If I Ran the Zoo: And God won't take the time to sort your ashes from mine...

uggabugga: Or wrong...

Preemptive Karma: Christianists rabidly anti-Obama...and in a couple of related stories

The Blue State: Will be live blogging Alberto Gonzales' testimony before the House Judiciary Committee today

Truly Equal: Dick Cheney claims "violence is down dramatically." Looks like Iraqi children could use some body armor

All Spin Zone: The Department of Justice may have intentionally tanked the prosecution of an international terrorist

Senate 2008 Guru: Keeping a close eye on developments in the 2008 Senate races, the Guru presents a "retirement watch" update.

Common Dreams: In the run-up to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Pentagon planned to create a ‘Rapid Reaction Media Team’ (RRMT) designed to ensure control over major Iraqi media while providing an Iraqi ‘face’ for its efforts, according to a ‘White Paper’ obtained by the independent National Security Archive (NSA) and released Tuesday. (h/t Susan J.)

HOLY CRAP: Podcast interview with Michael Weinstein, former Assistant General Counsel at the Reagan white House and co-author of With God on Our Side: One Man's War Against An Evangelical Coup in America's Military...Here's the latest example of how the military has been hijacked by a right-wing Christianists...Before he resigned from the Dept. of Health and Human Services, Wade Horn was a veritable faith-based slot machine for religious organizations, some, with which he'd had longtime close relationships...A crowd packed an Orlando amphitheater for a man claiming to be Jesus Christ reincarnated...The "Flat Earth" wars and the Darwin wars are remarkably similar...In a related development, Mitt Romney forgot to raise his hand the other night...A retired Marine preaches that killing terrorists is an ‘act of love for our nation’...CBC interview with Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion...Theocrat of the Week... A Democratic Saint?

Informed Comment: The annual State Dept. report on terrorism wil cite a nearly 30% rise in terrorism over the previous year

Operation Eagle Eye: All those references to "voter fraud" which have been popping up in the dialogue around the fired U.S. Attorneys scandal isn't something new. It's a very old conservative obsession--one that goes back to the beginnings of the right-wing takeover of the Republican Party itself.  Rick also wrote this excellent piece on another 'conservative' obsession...

Feministe: The terrorism that dare not speak its name (Happy 3rd Blogiversary to Feministe!)

Blue Gal: Thank you to the fourteen people who were arrested in the Hart Senate Office Building this week for doing this

Ted Rall: Sometimes the truth aint funny...

HOLY CRAP: Pray dammit!...Christianists use cult-like "love bomb" tactics...Racist nutjob speaks publicly on behalf of one of the top three or four religious right groups in America...Catholic Bishop says Sheryl Crow "promotes moral evils"...Why do some self-proclaimed Christians oppose "hate crimes" legislation?...Pat Robertson's Christian Nationalist extravaganza...Should religion be playing such a huge role in American government?...Biblical Prophecy in the News...Glenn Beck, when he's not "thinking about killing Michael Moore", just loves him some "End of Days" prophecy. Here, it's the Apocalypse Coming Aug 22nd, 2006; here, it's an hour-long discussion with authors of the "Left Behind" novels, Tim LeHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins; here, Brother Beck and his guests--including Pat Robertson--ponder questions about the End Times...I prefer The Naz

Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal: Why wont the American press corps in Washington--or anywhere else- cover the Bush administration properly?

The Progressive Daily Beacon: Alberto Gonzales is is busy "studying" the truth...in related news, Michael explains Jesus Camp for law students....and for weeks, it was unclear who whined to the White House last year that not enough voter fraud cases were being prosecuted in Milwaukee. Now we know...

Lawyers, Guns and Money: The 'surge' is working!

Newsie8200's Penndit: Democrats helping veterans...

Balkinization: Another "Enemy of the People"

HOLY CRAP: Some of the most disturbing H.C. entries ever concern the DoJ's Holy Hires. It's now faith -based everything under a born-again maniac...Wake Up and Smell the Truth? Fine...In memory of the Chocolate Jesus...There are actually two Christianities...Wingnut preacher views terrorism as "politically incorrect"...When dealing with missionaries, say it with a smile!...Flat Earth fundie defends Creation Museum on Anderson Cooper, but then, Christianists lie about Darwin, and science itself, all the time...Notice the anti-Darwinists are usually the same dim bulbs who deny global warming...Why one man didn't go to church on Easter...Jayzuz, a Teenage Holy War...

earthfamilyalpha: Peace on Earth

TalkLeft: The emptiest media suit offers up more nonsense

Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal: Modern Republicanism

Taylor Marsh: Russert picks two rightwing white guys to talk about faith on Christmas eve morning. No liberals, no minorities, and sure-as-hell, no women.

WINGNUTS GONE WILD: A National Review Christmas....Every bed-wetting blogger on the far fringes has fairly leapt to embrace the bellicose propaganda of terrorists and other Muslim extremists...

HOLY CRAP: Sun Myung Moon, Emperor of the Universe...The governing counsel of the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, of which Dennis Prager is a member, issued a statement saying Prager's recent comments about Bibles and Korans were "antithetical to the mission of the Museum as an institution promoting tolerance and respect for all peoples regardless of their race, religion or ethnicity"....Mikey Weinstein is the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which has taken the lead on calling the Christianists out on their coercive evangelization, and their denial of the separation of church and state enshrined in our Constitition. And not only is this a Consitutional issue, it’s a national security issue.

This is not a joke. The Pentagon has been infiltrated by the Roy Moore wing of the Republican party---or the Christianists. How many of you have ever heard of the Christian Embassy? I've talked about the Evangelical Right and the Air Force many times before, but this video is truly disturbing. I'm not against religion at all, but not in this context. Lambert brought this story and video to my attention.

Download | play -WMP Download | play -QT

Washington Post:

A military watchdog group is asking the Defense Department to investigate whether seven Army and Air Force officers violated regulations by appearing in uniform in a promotional video for an evangelical Christian organization. In the video, much of which was filmed inside the Pentagon, four generals and three colonels praise the Christian Embassy, a group that evangelizes among military leaders, politicians and diplomats in Washington. Some of the officers describe their efforts to spread their faith within the military.

Correntewire: Military Christianists use uniform to proselytize, admit putting loyalty to country third on the list

I found a wonderful opportunity as a director on the joint staff, as I meet the people that come into my directorate,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Jack J. Catton Jr. says in the video. “And I tell them right up front who Jack Catton is, and I start with the fact that I’m an old-fashioned American, and my first priority is [1] my faith in God, then [2] my family and then [3] country. I share my faith because it describes who I am.” {brackets added for emphasis}

Right. But I don’t want to hear you describe yourself, or your faith, General, and you shouldn’t be using my tax dollars to impose your beliefs... .read on

Norbizness: Another look at how "The Left" is harshing the national mellow...but good-bye to all that,  the real perps are the Assclowns of the Week!  The solution? Neo-cons, like smoking and trans fat, must be outlawed from American civilization

Military.com: "Leave Iraq now," writes Joe Galloway, one of America's preeminent war correspondents.

The Opinion Mill: A swaggering indifference to world opinion, adolescent belief in the use of military force as the trump card in any situation — are embodied in the career of Jeane Kirkpatrick.   

The Osterley Times: Pinochet and the American Right

Looking for Someone to Lie to Me: FOX NEWS is hiring a "freelance fact writer".  The prospect of facts becoming part of any FOX broadcast is intriguing.  On the other hand, "freelance facts" have long been the hallmark of the network.

HOLY CRAP: Christianists force conversion on the powerless using your tax dollars and now the SCOTUS is set to weigh in...Chimpy's remarks at the National Christmas tree lighting ceremony indicate he's staying the course in the War on Christmas...Rev. Moon's personal United Nations?

from Digby:

ChristianExodus.org is coordinating the move of thousands of Christians to South Carolina for the express purpose of re-establishing Godly, constitutional government. It is evident that the U.S. Constitution has been abandoned under our current federal system, and the efforts of Christian activism to restore our Godly republic have proven futile over the past three decades. The time has come for Christians to withdraw our consent from the current federal government and re-introduce the Christian principles once so predominant in America to a sovereign State like South Carolina....

Is Falwell leading the pack?