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The Big Picture
Continue to Part 2 of the FAQ's Note: Some parts of this FAQ contain links to off-site content, including websites operated by those against whom we stand in opposition. Off-site links will open in a new window. What's this website all about?Let's start with the description on the flyers we've been distributing; apologies if you've already seen this:
They demand that you live by their rules."They" are Operation Save America, a group that's working toward restructuring American government so that their own interpretation of Biblical law applies to everybody. Unsatisfied with the Bush administration's assault on civil and human rights - because they think it doesn't go far enough - they're coming to Columbus in July to make their demand. They'll be targeting the whole city and anything they think stands in their way: from neighborhoods with gays, to access to healthcare, to symbols of secular government. We're organizing in response to this attack. Help say "NO" to those who work to turn our country into something that more closely resembles a theocracy.
Why should I care about what Operation Rescue does? They're just a bunch of wingnuts on the lunatic fringe, shouldn't we just ignore them? (Or, abortion and gay rights activism just doesn't interest me.)The usual points of contention - such as abortion and gay rights - are only a small part of the ultimate agenda of Operation Rescue / Operation Save America (OR/OSA) and groups like them. They are the on-the-street expression of a broad movement, to bring all government and social interaction into compliance with a particular, "fundamentalist" and "dominionist" interpretation of the Bible. Their logo - a cross in front of, and obscuring, the flag of our country - is a visual metaphor for how they wish to reorder government and society at every level. Beyond elimination of mere "separation of church and state," they seek to harness government to carry out their churches' social and political agenda; OR/OSA works toward this goal by setting up conflict, involving arbitrarily selected targets, at the individual community and street level all across the United States. They are a local expression of the same sentiment that can now clearly be seen throughout all branches of the Federal government and in many state governments.
The broadness of this agenda is apparent if the recent history of Operation Rescue / Operation Save America is closely examined. OR/OSA has targeted Barnes and Noble bookstores and Disney theme parks as examples of the kind of "ungodly" influences on American culture that they seek to change or eliminate, and as physical territory to be invaded. Both Disney World and Barnes and Noble have been picketed, and small teams of OR/OSA participants have entered the premises of both of these businesses to proselytize and interact with customers. OR/OSA has also been known to target businesses that are alleged to do business with, or are connected in some way, with its primary targets. One prominent example is their targeting of the La Quinta hotel chain, because, they allege, one clinic books its patients at one La Quinta hotel. By this standard, any business once removed from one of OR/OSA's primary targets may also be arbitrarily targeted, depending on whether or not their leadership cares to do so. Similar broad-based targeting of the construction business community by other groups allied with OR/OSA has occurred in Austin, Texas.
The targets chosen by OR/OSA have always been selected for strategic value in advancing this broad agenda, to bring all social interaction and government in line with what they believe that the Bible demands, under their peculiar interpretation. But the fact of the matter is, anyone who expresses disagreement with them and their agenda - their demand for a revolution to assert religious supremacy across all aspects of American life, eliminating and suppressing disagreement - is a potential target. They allow no room for compromise, or peaceful co-existence with those with whom they simply disagree, or who are insufficiently fervent. It's for this reason that any community that's selected by them as the location for one of their week-long national events should stand firmly against them and their agenda. What do you mean by, "the answer is no?"It's natural for people to want to engage in debate with those with whom they disagree. Debate is only worthwhile, though, when it's not used as a method to tie up one's adversaries in an endless, contrived distraction from the true issue at hand - whether a "Second American Revolution" imposing a near-theocratic regime in the United States is worthwhile. The conflicts set up by OR/OSA and other such organizations, centering on personal, intimate issues where many people are vulnerable to influence, are merely part of their strategy to begin that "revolution." Meanwhile the actual means and effect of the "revolution" they demand are never addressed. It's time to cut to the chase, with a clear understanding of what it is that they're coming to Columbus to demand. We don't need that kind of "revolution," and a near-theocratic society would be a disaster for this country and every individual American citizen. You want one of those? The answer is no. | ||||||||||
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