Demagogue

Reading this reminded me of Ralph Reed's "body bag" quote. From Salon's report of Justice Sunday III:

The third annual rally to proclaim God's support for Bush's judicial nominees, sponsored by the Family Research Council, was held at Greater Exodus Baptist Church, an African-American congregation in downtown Philadelphia. The nationally televised event roared with full-throated gospel and foot-stomping enthusiasm. Martin Luther King Jr. was invoked over and over -- his niece, Alveda King, a frequent presence at religious right confabs, summoned the memory of Rosa Parks and sang a yearning version of "We Shall Overcome."
...
Greater Exodus Baptist Church is pastored by the Rev. Herb Lusk, a charismatic former tailback for the Philadelphia Eagles and one of Bush's staunchest backers among black clergymen. Lusk, who endorsed Bush from his church via video at the 2000 Republican National Convention, has been awarded more than $1 million in grants under the president's faith-based initiative. In Lusk's view, the central divide in American life is not racial or economic but religious. Decrying "discrimination against people of God," he bellowed: "My brothers and sisters, I will not go down without a fight!" The largely black audience jumped to their feet, cheering and clapping. "Be careful how you fool with the church!" Lusk thundered. "Don't fool with the church because the church has buried many critics. All the critics we have not buried, we're making funeral arrangements for!" [emphasis mine]
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Perched in them were Justice Sunday III's featured speakers -- Sen. Rick Santorum, James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Bishop Wellington Boone (a leader in the Promise Keepers) and Alveda King. They were flanked by two flags -- the stars and stripes on one side, and the Christian flag, white with a red cross on a blue field, on the other. The event was simulcast to viewers all over the country watching at churches and at home on Christian television.
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Appearing via video, David Barton, a theocratic revisionist historian, invoked the words of Thomas Jefferson to argue that the founders intended for religion and government to be intertwined. ("I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just," he quoted, not bothering to mention that Jefferson was talking about the sin of slavery, not secularism.) A cast of white conservatives, several with past links to racist groups, presented themselves as heirs to the preachers who led the fight against segregation. The moral authority of the black church was invoked against the judges who have most fervently defended civil rights.

It's pretty obvious to anyone casually familiar with the teachings of either Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Jesus that neither one of them would have anything to do with this kind of hamfisted demagoguery and blatant hypocrisy. (It's worth reading the whole summary of the event, available for free after clicking through ads.)

Just an aside, the (anti)Family Research Council has a new blog. Although like most rightwing blogs they aren't comfy with discussion or dissent-- no space for comments.