War. Do you remember the speech Pat Buchanan gave at the 1992 Republican Party convention? - The one where he talked about being in a "cultural war" for the "soul of the American people." For all of the world to hear, he said something that is very important for us to remember - that a segment of American society is so distraught about contemporary American culture that they have declared war on those of us who do not believe as they do. To the cultural warriors, you are either with them or against them: there is no middle ground. No one who fails to support their agenda 100% is immune from attack. Note the recent attacks on Speaker Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Lott for capitulating both to the reality of the situation and to President Clinton on the last budget vote.

      Pat Buchanan is not a lone, fringe lunatic. Rather he is part of a broader culture of hate that directly challenges the fundamental rights of all Americans. By using a rhetoric of war and hate, the right has created a climate in which physical violence perpetrated upon their opponents thrives.

      Abortion providers and their staff are the shock troops in this cultural war. Other front line fighters include feminist women and pro-feminist men, women and men minorities, the GLBT community, and those who subscribe to non-fundamentalist Christian religious traditions, especially Jews. Violence, murder and maiming of abortion providers, acid attacks on clinic patients and staff, rape of women by strangers in public spaces, arson of Black churches, vandalism of Jewish synagogues, and the beating and murder of out-homosexuals, is endemic to our society.

      Many innocents, as in the Olympic Park and Oklahoma City bombings, have already been victims in this unwanted, unholy war. These acts of religious-political terrorism perpetrated by Americans against their fellow Americans in the name of God, constitution, and country have the potential of expanding into a much more generalized campaign of terror against major population centers. When will the terrorists escalate their violence to include use of chemical or biological weapons against a population center, as happened in the 1995 attack on a Japanese subway or the Oklohoma City bombings?

      Shot in the back, in all probability by a religiously and politically motivated cultural warrior who is too cowardly to claim "credit" and to take responsibility for his actions, Dr. Slepian understood that sometimes you must make the ultimate sacrifice to keep American democracy strong. A hero in both life and death, Dr. Slepian clearly understood that if we give in to fear and intimidation by our political opponents on any issue, then we will give in to our political opponents on all issues. For if they can frighten us into silence and inaction on any issue, they can frighten us into silence and inaction on all issues.

      The religious-political terrorism of contemporary American society and the rhetoric of violence that supports it undermines the very foundations of our democratic system. It is time for mainstream Americans to accept the fact that we are at war: a war we did not declare, a war that we do not want, a war, indeed, for the soul of the American people and the institutions of a free and democratic society. We must denounce the use of violence and the use of rhetoric that allows violence to thrive. We must demand that our more moderate opponents denounce and renounce the use of violence, those who use violence, and the use of rhetoric that allows violence to thrive. We must demand that our opponents debate our ideas using reason and facts, not demonize us by labeling us babykillers, murderers, perverts, deviants, ungodly, Satan or devil worshippers, immoral, followers of false gods, child molesters, or even that catch-all, "too liberal". We must demand that the perpetrators of all politically motivated crimes be brought to swift and certain justice.

      Below you will find links to a number of sites.
      Some will allow you to read about the culture warriors beliefs and values in their own words.
      Other sites monitor hate-groups.
      As you visit these sites, remember that Pat Buchanan, apostle of hate, managed to get about 20% of the vote in the 1996 Republican party primaries.
      We are truly in a cultural war.

The Cultural Warriors in their own words

Chalcedon Foundation, home of Christian Reconstructionism

Creator's Rights Party

Defensive Action Statement

Father David Trosch

Missionaries to the Unborn
      Prisoners of Christ

Other words to try on a search engine: Phineas Priesthood, Christian Identity, Aryan Nations

Watch Dogs

ADL

Hatewatch

Institute for First Amendment Studies

The Militia Watchdog

People for the American Way

Political Research Associates

Southern Poverty Law Center

Articles showing the ad hoc links between far right organizations

Christian Identity: Religion, Racism, and White Supremacy

Cop Killing: A Meeting of Radicalism, Religion

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