Happy New Year, everyone!
As we trumpet in the new year, let me blow my own horn about something else that's new. Once or twice in these pages, you've heard me mention ONE NATION UNDER GOD, my newest novel. Well, it's now in the early stages of its release. This means you can buy it over on Amazon.com, or from my author site, but it'll be a while before it hits your neighborhood bookstores.
I began writing this book back when I was still living in the heart of Mormon country and running the Freethought Society of Northern Utah. Being surrounded by ultra-conservative religious freaks has a tendency to make you fear for the worst in our future as a nation, and that's probably what spurred me to write the book.
It's a novel set in the not very distant future, where the Christian "right" has effectively taken over. It's the story of Mary, daughter of the evangelical President, and her coming-of-age in this land of repression and forced ideologies. As I've written before, I've often feared that many of the events in the book were coming true even as I wrote them. It's rather frightening. But perhaps even more frightening is something that occurred to me this past holiday break.
While visiting some friends back home, I was introduced to a friend of theirs, a fellow atheist who works for the government. We were discussing my fears, that the government is becoming more and more influenced by religion, and she said something that absolutely chilled me. She said, to paraphrase, that it doesn't really matter who's in charge, because the people in charge aren't the ones who actually do things. Everything will pretty much be business as usual no matter who's calling the shots. And as an example, she mentioned Tommy Thompson, who recently resigned as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Thompson is one of those right-wing Christians. As governor of Wisconsin, he instituted an unconstitutional "school choice" program, which allowed tax dollars to be used in funding religious private schools. He often butted heads (unsuccessfully) against the Freedom from Religion Foundation there. But as this acquaintance pointed out, his views didn't matter to the rest of the folks in HHS. They simply continued to do what they do, regardless of what his views or desires were.
Now, what was so frightening about this? Well, let me explain that the reason her words chilled me is because I used to believe the same thing. In fact, I used to be almost completely apolitical because I honestly believed this to be true. I never voted in any election, since I pretty much viewed all politicians as scumbags, and one was pretty much the same as another. I didn't think it mattered who was President, since the country would pretty much stay on course.
Today, I find that view rather simplistic. And it shocked me to hear it coming from an obviously very intelligent person who actually worked in government. And what frightened me was that there might be many, many Americans who feel the same way.
But this is a rather myopic view. I mean, it's true, really. But it ignores one very basic truth.
Yes, it's true that the actual workers in HHS are going to be around longer than Tommy Thompson. They were there before he came on the scene, and they'll be around long after his successor leaves, too. In a case like that, it's fair to think that the head honcho is just a figurehead. Even on the Presidential level, one might come to that conclusion. But the truth is that this view only holds true if you ignore the view from the other end of the telescope.
Because the real dangers are at lower levels. The Christian "right" knows this, which is why they've focused their energies on getting their people elected at lower levels. They get them on school boards and city councils. They get them established, so that they can move on up into the State legislatures eventually. And before you know it, these career politicians, like the rest, are in Congress.
It's not an overnight thing, of course. It takes time. But they've been at it for a while. I think my new acquaintance isn't taking that into account. I know I never used to. But I do now. And that's why I vote. I vote in every election I can, not just for President, as many people do. Because I really don't want to see an America like the one I portray in ONE NATION UNDER GOD.
But unless others step up to prevent people like Tommy Thompson from being elected to lower levels of government, we may not be able to prevent them from climbing the ladder. And the next thing you know, the House and Senate are filled with people like him, and the President is appointing people like him to the Supreme Court.
So again... it still won't matter much who's "in charge." Because it's not the guy at the top. It is the lower echelons. But ignoring things only allows these echelons to become filled with those who'll go along with the madness.
