Conservative churches exploit their tax-free status.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that he believes the founding fathers intended to keep government out of religion, not the other way around.

Driving the news: "The separation of church and state is a misnomer, people misunderstand it. Of course it comes from a phrase that was in a letter that [Thomas] Jefferson wrote, it's not in the Constitution," Johnson said.

"What he was explaining is they did not want the government to encroach upon the church, not that they didn't want principles of faith to encroach on our public life. It's exactly the opposite."

The big picture: Before entering Congress, Johnson spent much of his legal career working for a conservative Christian organization and fighting against restrictions on religion in schools, government and other public spaces.

Johnson frequently invokes his Christian faith as the bedrock of his politics. He told Fox News last month: "Go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it — that's my worldview."

“Portraying Johnson as just a pious Christian causes the public to overlook the way he manipulates Christianity to exert power.”

MAGA Mike Johnson folks, he’ll be Speaker of the Portraying Johnson as just a pious Christian causes the public to overlook the way he manipulates Christianity to exert power. House of Representatives until you get off the couch and vote Democratic all the way down the ballot.

Spread the news. Organize locally. Attend protests and other events. Become an activist and volunteer. Post to news sites, radio and tv sites, and post to websites in Republican districts. Make calls, send letters, and emails. Be heard.

The phrase many Americans use to describe religious freedom, “separation of church and state” is not found in either the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. In 1802 Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury, Connecticut Baptist Convention in which he presented his views on the relationship between religion and the role of the state in the new nation. Basing his views on the establishment clause of the First Amendment which said that there should be “no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” Jefferson stated that there must be a “wall of separation” that clearly limited the involvement of religious denominations and religious leaders in matters related to national governance.

Jefferson, like many other of the early leaders of the United States, was committed to what is commonly called a secular state, in which citizens can openly hold religious beliefs and participate in religious services, but not seek to influence the direction of the state on matters of national policy. It is important to note that the words God, Jesus, and Christianity are not mentioned in the Constitution as evidence that the writers of this basic governing document wanted to put up a strong wall of separation.

A Trump judge sends Southwest Airlines to right-wing reeducation camp

Ruth Marcus does an excellent job of pointing out how another Trump appointed judge (from Texas) is stomping on the Constitution when it comes to the separation of church and state. The judge in this case doesn't seem to understand the difference between people being allowed to hold religious beliefs and religious people harassing others who don't share their religious beliefs. The article is well worth reading. Here are some excerpts:

Another day, another extremist ruling by another extremist Trump judge, and this decision — from Texas, no surprise — is straight out of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The judge held lawyers for Southwest Airlines in contempt of court for their actions in a religious-discrimination case brought by a former flight attendant and ordered them to undergo “religious liberty training.” And not just any instruction, but training conducted by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative group that litigates against same-sex marriage, transgender rights and abortion rights. [emphasis added] The issue arises from a lawsuit filed by Charlene Carter, a flight attendant for more than 20 years and a longtime antagonist of the Southwest flight attendants union. In 2017, after union members attended the Women’s March under a “Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants” banner, Carter sent Facebook messages to the union president containing graphic antiabortion messages.

[See more under the cut.]

“This is what you supported during your Paid Leave with others at the Women’s MARCH in DC …. You truly are Despicable in so many ways,” Carter wrote in one message accompanying a video of an aborted fetus. After the union president complained, Southwest fired Carter, saying her conduct “crossed the boundaries of acceptable behavior,” was “inappropriate, harassing, and offensive,” and “did not adhere to Southwest policies and guidelines.” An arbitrator found that Southwest had just cause for the firing. Carter, represented by the National Right to Work Committee, sued, claiming Southwest and the union violated her rights under federal labor laws and Title VII. The federal job-bias law bars employers from discriminating on the basis of religion, and Carter claimed she was dismissed because of her sincerely held religious beliefs against abortion. [...] The scary part is what came next. [U.S. District Judge Brantley] Starr instructed the airline to “inform Southwest Flight Attendants that, under Title VII, [Southwest] may not discriminate against Southwest flight attendants for their religious practices and beliefs.” Instead, Southwest said in a message to staff that the court “ordered us to inform you that Southwest does not discriminate against our Employees for their religious practices and beliefs.” This sent Starr into orbit.... “In the universe we live in — the one where words mean something — Southwest’s notice didn’t come close to complying with the Court’s order,” Starr said. “To make matters worse,” he said, Southwest had circulated a memo about the decision to its employees repeating its view that Carter’s conduct was unacceptable and emphasizing the need for civility. “Southwest’s speech and actions toward employees demonstrate a chronic failure to understand the role of federal protections for religious freedom,” Starr decreed. He proceeded to order three Southwest lawyers to undergo eight hours of religious-liberty training — a move he described as “the least restrictive means of achieving compliance with the Court’s order.” Luckily, Starr observed, “there are esteemed nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to preserving free speech and religious freedom.” [...] Adjectives fail me here. This is not even close to normal.... the notion of subjecting lawyers to a reeducation campaign by the likes of the ADF is tantamount to creating a government-endorsed thought police. Imagine the uproar — and I’m not suggesting these groups are in any way comparable — if a liberal-leaning federal judge ordered instruction on women’s rights (those are constitutionally protected, too) by Planned Parenthood. [...] This is the alarming legacy that former president Donald Trump has left us — a skewed bench that he would augment if reelected. The Trump judges seem to be competing among themselves for who can engage in the greatest overreach. [...] Conservatives are quick to balk at anything resembling the order that Starr issued when they disagree with the underlying principle. [...] I need no excuses for calling this what it is: a reeducation program — outrageous, unconstitutional and an abuse of judicial authority. [emphasis added]

The Never-ending "War on Christmas"

Yeah same. In less than 6 weeks I’ve seen Roe v Wade overturned, the paper thin separation between Church & State destroyed, Miranda rights eviscerated, legal rights for people facing capital punishment destroyed, voting rights curb stomped, open carry forced down people’s throats after multiple mass shootings, and I know I’m forgetting a lot of stuff, but it feels like I’ve lived years in the past few weeks. The great American experiment feels like a fail.

MTG claims that God is telling Americans to do what MTG wants Americans to do. No surprise there.

“Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book...”

― Dwight D. Eisenhower

Republicans today are the antithesis of what they once were. They bear no resemblance to Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, or Dwight Eisenhower. They are not erudite like William F. Buckley. They are identified by the horrible things they stand for: hate, fear, and violence. They wrap themselves in flags and clutch bibles, while displaying the honor and loyalty of neither. Any dedication to the principles upon which this nation was founded demands full and complete opposition to them. If that’s what makes me a “liberal.” Then so be it.

Hot Take: The world, especially the United States, coddles religious people, specifically christians. A lot of laws have been passed that really dont pass the whole operation of church and state test. Its dumb that churches dont pay taxes, its dumb that they are exempt from shit, its dumb that they make laws that hurt people because its against their specific religion. it makes me so fucking mad. Its dumb that they have so much power over laws and the country as a whole. the fuck happened to separation of church and state? I think its bullshit that lawmakers are passing laws and making their campaigns all about “christian family values” and outlawing abortion because their religion says abortion is wrong, and i hate it when i get told by people that im going to hell for being gay, and i hate it when assholes say that “transgenderism” needs to be completely eradicated. its bullshit and i hate it.

I dont hate christians. Most of my family is christian. But fuck it hurts so much when a large percentage of the largest group on the planet thinks you are going to burn for eternity in the name of “love”. I dont hate people who believe in some sort of god. It can be comforting to believe that death isnt the end. Go ahead and go to church and pray, do what you want. But i will not sit by and watch a group that says they are about love hurt billions of people.

MAGA Mike is coming for us. On tape calling abortion an American holocaust, ending lgbt rights, and doing away with the separation of church and state.

You better get out and vote for Biden and all the other Dems on the ticket or we’re going to be living in a nightmare dystopian fascist police state. We need to spread the word and get others out to vote.

Okay, this is REALLY important. Trump is hogging up so much GOP donor money that local GOP candidates are starving. The upcoming presidential election is an opportunity to really punish republicans IF YOU KIDS ALL VOTE. So please register and vote!!! We need you💙

I've seen a few Jews and Jewish organizations who are celebrating the Supreme Court's decision on behalf of the Evangelical Christian mail carrier... and I'm just like...

"Are you really so naive to think that those same rules will apply to you if your boss tries to make you work on a Jewish holiday?"

This court has made its bias towards Evangelical Christianity blatantly clear, as well as their "rules for thee, not for me" attitude. Do you really think that they'll fairly apply their own biased laws towards Jews?