A Few Random Thoughts

In his big speech on his faith, Mitt Romney said that "faith is necessary for freedom and freedom necessary for faith." What tripe. Even the most cursory view of the modern landscape reveals this to be not true. Faith, especially the organized and churchified kind, has little to do with freedom. Everywhere you look, from the Middle East, to our own brand of stateside Christiainity, the people of faith seek to restrict our freedom, to create a world in their own idiosyncratic image. Moreover, where individual people of faith have -- at various times -- been important voices for freedom, institutions of faith have been important voices for tyranny and the status quo. (Think of the Roman Church in Pinochet's Chile,or Hitler's Germany. Think of just about any Muslim tyranny.Think of the modern evangelical movement in general. Do any of them resemble freedom fighters?) The oppossing end of Mr. Romney's cute phrase is equally silly. One could find innumerable examples where religious faith has blossomed in the face of tyranny: Christianity under he Romans, Jadaism under just about everyone including the Nazis, Islam under the Shah, all faiths under Stalinism.

TV host Oprah Winfrey has hit the trail for Barack Obama and drew huge crowds in South Carolina and Iowa over the weekend. Putting aside my own views on Oprah's brand of softheaded, self -realized blather, she seems to have an impact. This morning NPR interviewed a woman who traveled all the way from Florida to Iowa to hear Winfrey. She describerd herself as a Republican who plans to support Obama. That's right -- a Republican for Obama. I am not sure if this speaks to the magnetism of Winfrey's star or just the pathetic stupidity and fecklessness of the young lady interviewed. Probably both. Celebrity breeds stupidity and fecklessness.