The Christian Right Targets Teachers

According to the ACLU, Louisiana Rep. Charles Boustany -- whom you'd think might be preoccupied these days -- is making time to take point in the Christian right's ongoing war against American teachers, by trying to impose on them the most un-American of tests: A religious test.

This week, Rep. Boustany is pushing an amendment that would erase a provision of American law that currently protects Head Start teachers and volunteers against religious (or, more to the point as far as I'm concerned, a-religious discrimination). Basically, right now, religious organizations that receive TAXPAYER money to run Head Start programs are forbidden from doling that TAXPAYER money out solely to those people whose religious views match their own.

Rep. Boustany wants to let religious organizations discriminate against other religions, and against the non-religious -- by using TAXPAYER money for only those whose religious views they deem correct. Why is this un-American? Because religious tests are specifically forbidden in the United States Constitution:

Article. VI.
Clause 3: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

The Christian right, though, as we've learned, doesn't care about the Constitution, or American principles. And if you don't think they can take out your local teacher for not believing in their god, ask David Habecker whether the Constitution is sufficient protection against Christian theocracy these days. Or do something about it.