Sikh and Ye Shall Find
It's been a good day for Nikki Haley. The South Carolina candidate for US SenateGovernor won the runoff against her opponent in a particularly nasty GOP Primary. This was after a whisper campaign of allegations of extramarital affairs (in the same state as disgraced Gov. Mark "I was on a hike but really in Argentina" Sanford). But the truly terrible allegation she faced was that she was not Christian enough.
Haley, who is running as a Tea Party candidate, is of Indian descent and was brought up in the Sikh religion. She converted to Methodism when she married, but some So. Carolinians remained unconvinced. Her heritage prompted one official to call her a "raghead", and several far right pastors have questioned the fact that she still attends Sikh services with her family.
The Tea Party claims, as the first step in its platform to want to "Protect the Constitution".
I think they need to circulate a few more copies of the document they're supposed to protect. Article Six, a part of the original Constitution as written by the Founding Fathers, states: "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."
I listened this morning as Haley defended her Christianity in an interview. According to the Constitution, according to the intention of the Founding Fathers who came to this country to escape religious persecution, she should never have had to. It should not matter one whit, and the question should not rightfully be asked of any candidate. It is frankly none of our business if any candidate is a Christian, a Sikh, a Buddhist or a follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
As much as I have disliked the inflammatory rhetoric that has come from the Tea Party at times, they should be applauded for seeing past the smears and voting for the candidate they wanted. But if we're supposed to be the most "free" nation in the world, why don't our elected officials represent the diversity of our religious views?
edited to change Senate to Governor - S. Carolina Republicans just nominated an African American for U.S. Senate. It'll be an interesting election for the John Birch branch of the Tea Party.
Haley, who is running as a Tea Party candidate, is of Indian descent and was brought up in the Sikh religion. She converted to Methodism when she married, but some So. Carolinians remained unconvinced. Her heritage prompted one official to call her a "raghead", and several far right pastors have questioned the fact that she still attends Sikh services with her family.
The Tea Party claims, as the first step in its platform to want to "Protect the Constitution".
I think they need to circulate a few more copies of the document they're supposed to protect. Article Six, a part of the original Constitution as written by the Founding Fathers, states: "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."
I listened this morning as Haley defended her Christianity in an interview. According to the Constitution, according to the intention of the Founding Fathers who came to this country to escape religious persecution, she should never have had to. It should not matter one whit, and the question should not rightfully be asked of any candidate. It is frankly none of our business if any candidate is a Christian, a Sikh, a Buddhist or a follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
As much as I have disliked the inflammatory rhetoric that has come from the Tea Party at times, they should be applauded for seeing past the smears and voting for the candidate they wanted. But if we're supposed to be the most "free" nation in the world, why don't our elected officials represent the diversity of our religious views?
edited to change Senate to Governor - S. Carolina Republicans just nominated an African American for U.S. Senate. It'll be an interesting election for the John Birch branch of the Tea Party.