Jews on First

Settlement in the Delaware Pogrom Lawsuit

Back in 2006 a horrible example of religious intolerance occurred in Indian River, Delaware where two non-Christian families (one Jewish and one Muslim) were driven out of town by threats and abuse by religious fanatics because they wanted the community to follow the Constitution of the United States. Indian River's school board had instituted specifically Christian prayer in their PUBLIC schools, forcing everyone's tax money to support Christian prayer. This wasn't a "moment of silence," it was specifically sectarian prayer, explicitly prohibited by the Constitution and legal precedent.

These two families objected, as any patriotic American should when the Constitution is being violated. The response of the community, including school officials on school property, was to humiliate the Jewish and Muslim children, threaten the parents and a whole slew of anti-Semitic rhetoric including the age-old "Christ Killer" accusation. In the end both families were driven from town. A good old fashioned pogrom to shame all of America. Yes, let me say it. Delaware has shamed America with this intolerance.

You can go here to read my first piece on this based on the excellent work done by Jews On First, a pro-First Amendment, Jewish opposition group to Christian extremism.

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Words to live by

In the Post article, Maryscott says at least one thing that is both true and wise, which is that her rage and her blogging are both "born of powerlessness." The problem is that Lord Acton's maxim is equally true in reverse: If power corrupts, so does powerlessness. It can lead to fatalism, apathy and irresponsibility %u2013 or to paranoia, rage and a willingness to believe evey loopy conspiracy theory that comes down the pike.

The difference, I think, between left and right is that the right has no rational justification to feel any of these things, and yet many, if not most, conservatives continue to wallow in the mindset of a besieged minority.

Liberals, much less radical progressives, really are a besieged minority in this country. So why is it suddenly considered front-page news that they're acting like one?

The answer, of course, is that if the Maryscotts of Left Blogistan are evidence of the corruption of powerlessness, the Washington Post is proof positive of Lord Acton's original argument. Given everything that's going on around us, it's hard to imagine that anyone would believe the former is more of a threat to the republic than the latter. But I guess that's what the corruption of power is all about.

— Billmon, blog publisher
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