In reflecting on the fact that there are more and more evangelical so-called conservatives, more correctly called radicals, in office and running for office, now with the entrance of Texas Governor Rick Perry joining Michelle Bachmann in a bid for President, it has become even more urgent to address the threat this poses to our democracy and our basic freedoms and human rights.

The incursions of the Religious Right into the seat of power in this country is beyond alarming as they are hellbent on coercing everyone into abiding by their narrow orthodoxy  and codifying it into law.  Witness the current war on women’s reproductive rights and gay marriage being waged by the latest incarnation of crusading witchburners all across the country.  By buying up television and radio stations and proliferating their sanctimonious “pro-family” propaganda they have managed to mainstream ideas that were previously considered only lunatic fringe. Their willingness to use violence (war, executions, bombing family planning clinics) has so intimidated the public that people are afraid to speak out against them, for fear of retaliation.

The time has come for us to get serious about getting religion out of politics and prosecuting anyone who uses religious rhetoric in campaigns, engages in pulpit politicking, finances campaigns while trying to claim tax-exempt status, or otherwise tries to blur the separation between church and state or we are rushing headlong into a fascist theocracy.  We just barely survived 8 years of the last fundamentalist Christian in the oval office with any of our civil rights intact.  If either of these latest two power-seekers happens to win in 2012, we will have to steel ourselves for another scourge of the Grand Inquisition.