THE ICEBERG COMETH

There is a new generation of politicians looming on the horizon. After reading a piece on the Statesmanship Institute's presence on Capitol Hill (more specifically at the House speaker‘s private dining room every Monday evening for the last six months), I understood that El Presidente is only the tip of the iceberg. Quite the iceberg, by the way.

Among the young aspiring congressmen, governors, and even presidents, some wear wristbands saying “Jesus is my homie” and others believe that eradicating the Department of Education is not only a Republican objective but, first and foremost, a Christian duty. These are all well-educated and certainly very well-positioned young people I am referring to, and their agenda is all about God. And a Christian one at that, to be sure.

Before I proceed - I am not against religion of any kind, much to the contrary; I am very fond of my own and of its values and teachings. But Capitol Hill is not the place for religious activism (Christian and otherwise), despite the fact that this sort of event is allowed in the House as long as it is noncommercial, nonpolitical and nondiscriminatory (the usual race, creed, color and national origin clauses).

Rest assured, there is absolutely nothing nonpolitical about these Monday evening gatherings. Unless the term has gained a whole new semantic dimension, the Statesmanship Institute's program reflects the most unabashedly conservative Christian politics there is: topics discussed (or better yet, attacked) include stem cell research, abortion, evolution and the like. For example - on a recent lecture on bioethics, the central theme was the same as in all the other ones: federal regulations should be based on biblical (read Christian) precepts.

The evangelicals behind the Statesmanship Institute (an offspring of the Center for Christian Statesmanship), most notably hotshot televangelist Rev. D. James Kennedy, are having great success with their message - which by their own admission is to establish a Christian state in America (skeptical? Just observe the resonance of Christian and statesmanship together). The majority of graduates from their bible-oriented political programs are obtaining reasonably strategic placement in the nation’s capital after completion of their studies (should we be surprised? Let’s take one more look into this administration, please).

It is obvious that the symbiosis between the Republican agenda and Christian activism is growing stronger each day; and at the risk of sounding repetitive, the legislative lunacy that resulted in the Palm Sunday Compromise (read Terri Schiavo) is a frightening example of the consequences of this damaging association.

The iceberg is closing in, El Presidente on board. Either the man loves conflict, or he is just oblivious to it. Or both.