I’m working hard on an Anaheim story right now, so I haven’t had time to give this linked story proper thought, but with a long weekend and all perhaps you’ll collectively be able to give it the analysis it deserves.
As you probably know, Michele Bachmann is retiring from Congress. This potentially opens up the slot that she has filled — and with it the prospect of inviting maximum national cringe onto the district of whomever the New Bachmann. A relatively mainstream Democratic blog raises the question (without mentioning the name of “She Who Will Not Be Retained”) of whether Laguna Niguel’s Irvine’s OC’s own Mimi Walters might be poised to take over Bachmann’s mantle. (Or “womantle.” Whatever’s more Biblical.)
They point out that Schemin’ Mimi is not just your average religious hyperconservative:
California State Sen. Mimi Walters (R) announced Tuesday that she will run for the open seat of retiring Congressman John Campbell (R-CA), with the endorsements of seven current California Republican Congressmen. While the Orange County Republican says she is running to promote small government and freedom, one of her largest career campaign donors is a millionaire advocate for strict biblical law in the United States.
Walters, who ran unsuccessfully for California Treasurer in 2010, has received at least $22,500 over her career from Howard Fieldstead Ahmanson Jr.’s Fieldstead & Co — making it one of her top ten industry funders, and making her their second biggest state recipient, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Ahmanson, heir to a banking fortune reported to total hundreds of millions, has distributed millions of dollars to right-wing political causes promoting a “Christian worldview.” Fieldstead & Co. is an incorporated private company which Ahmanson uses to distribute money to his favoritecauses without having to disclose the donations publicly.
Most notorious among these was the Chalcedon Foundation. Ahmanson served for decades on the board of this radical Christian Reconstructionist organization and heavily funded its efforts. The group’s late founder, Rousas John Rushdoony advocated for American laws to literally follow those in the Book of Leviticus, including death by stoning for gay and lesbian people and similar execution for adulterers, juvenile delinquents, non-believers, and most other Americans. While Ahmanson has made clear he personally does not advocate “the stoning or execution of homosexuals,” he conceded to the Orange County Register in 1985: “My purpose is total integration of biblical law into our lives.”
Naturally, I would not want to attribute those views to Mimi herself, especially given the dim view that the Bible takes of defrauding one’s constituents by pretending to live in a small vacant apartment in one’s new district with one’s family while actually continuing to reside in a mansion in one’s old district, and violating the law on the grounds that if one’s legislative body doesn’t enforce the law then the law doesn’t matter. (I can’t recall, but I think that that may be somewhere in the book of Deuteronomy. (That book’s name of course means “second law,” which at any rate means apt for one’s second domicile.) But there’s a way to fend off those whom might make that connection.
Specifically, Walters could follow the narrow path taken by many prominent Republicans before her:
In the past, even anti-LGBT conservatives like Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and former Gov. Linda Lingle (R-HI) have returned campaign contributions from Ahmanson in light of his radical views and record (Full disclosure: in 2004, the author was president of an LGBT-rights group that successfully pushed Wolf to return a $1,000 contribution from Ahmanson). But Walters has accepted his money since her 2006 campaign.
Or, if she wants to embrace Ahmanson’s politics, she can embrace away! I don’t, of course, offer that opinion as a representative of the Democratic Party, although I expect that there are a lot of Democrats out there who hope that she won’t give back money from a large donor who wants to impose the equivalent of sharia law in the U.S., as it makes her a beatable target.
Oh, did I say “sharia law”? I recognize that she may not call it “sharia law,” but — well, check out Wikipedia on the subject:
The concept of justice embodied in sharia is different from that of secular Western law. Muslims believe the sharia law has been revealed by god. In Islam, the laws that govern human affairs are just one facet of a universal set of laws governing nature itself. Violations of Islamic law are offenses against god and nature, including one’s own human nature. Crime in Islam is sin. Whatever crime is committed, whatever punishment is prescribed for that crime in this world, one must ultimately answer to god on the Day of Judgement.
Change “Islam” to “Christianity,” “Muslims” to “Christians,” and “sharia” to “biblical” and do we have to change another word? Has anyone ever lined up the “Biblical Law” that Ahmanson would impose on our society and compared it to “Sharia Law”? I ask only because, if they match up pretty well (as I expect), the anti-Sharia-Law laws that people like Bachmann keep promoting could come in unexpectedly handy.
(This, of course, is why the Founding Fathers put out big warnings to the likes of Ahmanson and those who might listen to him saying “Don’t Do That!” But will Mimi heed them? Or will she note that widescale death-by-stoning for sins does provide a way to dramatically reduce unemployment?)
Surely — SURELY! – someone out there with mad skillz can create a “Mimi Walters as Betty Bowers”-type poster for us to use as our standard graphic, right? (Or, on the other hand, maybe she’ll just give back the Ahmanson money and take away the punch line.) If you’re not familiar with Betty Bowers — you know how to use Google, don’t you?
Regardless, this is your feistier than usual Weekend Open Thread. Talk about that, or anything else you’d like, within broad bounds of decorum and decency. The weekly OC Register “Dearthwatch” results will soon appear below.
what’s the difference between strict biblical law and Sharia law…nothing…they are BOTH nuts!
I think that, except when they break secular laws (say, by stoning people to death, or even not to death), people have to be left to follow their religious laws if they wish, no matter how you or I feel about it. Imposing those laws on a secular society? Very bad idea.
I completely agree with you Greg…I don’t care what people wish to believe or not…just don’t make me conform to someone’s religious rules.
I understand the importance of one’s faith, especially when facing a terminal illness…when I visit patients I go along with whatever makes them feel better and if that involves praying with them…I do it. What burns me up is using “God” to justify their bad behavior…they refuse to take responsibility for their actions… or controlling someone else’s behavior that personally makes that person feel uncomfortable.
Most of the jobs added to the economy in June were low-wage or temporary http://thkpr.gs/12Lyng5
Congratulations to the OC Register for breaking into five figures — from the wrong direction — right about the time that the fireworks were blasting last night! The plan is, apparently, working!
This ends the first quarter of the Dearthwatch statistics. The Register went from around 6,000 to around 10,000, which — if higher numbers were better — would be a thrilling accomplishment. Among the others, I call the winners (among the entities that really would not conceivably cook any books to compete with this here site just because we’re keeping track) of Q2 2013 as follows:
This is also the first time I’ve revisited the ones that were added four weeks ago. They seem pretty stable.
When in doubt, check the hair.
The coup in Egypt, as any military takeover of elected civilian governments, highlights the dilemma of legitimacy to govern provided by elections. The ousted Morsi regime had consistently gained elections. Some social scientists have questioned the validity of voting, which Greg once referred in one of his comments and then ducked the question posed by Ryan, on whether he subscribed to that thesis on his capacity of vice-chair of the Dems. I know the situation in Egypt is a complex issue, but we can easily relate to elections and voting.
An international incident that has caused indignation, especially in South America, is the refusal to let the airplane of the president of Bolivia to refuel by some European countries. The indignation is not so much because of a presidential plane, but the risk posed to the crew and passengers.
Ricardo… the problems in Egypt and Syria seems to be similar to the problems in the US…to a smaller extent (so far) it seems to be about a struggle for power by a religious group. In the US it is the Fundamentalist, Far Right, Christian conservatives who are vying for control. You see it playing out in different states like Texas and Wisconsin. At the moment you see them lashing out at women and gays, but if they get stronger you will see their agenda to include ALL people.
I think the issue that happened with the Bolivian president is being played down in the US and it is a big deal in other countries. They see the US as attempting to control ALL countries and they are getting tired of it. The US is not seen as a super power anymore except in the US.
Google? We have a Betty Bowers CATEGORY here, where folks can go back and see the Betty Bowers videos we’ve passed on over the years:
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/category/miss-betty-bowers/
You can kinda watch this one, from 2010, about a dozen times, and keep seeing new good stuff:
Sorry, Chairman Vern — I haven’t memorized the entire backlist yet!
(She does look an awful lot like Mimi, though….)
If anyone wants a good example of why science is interesting and fun, read this: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/07/are_testicles_external_for_cooling_galloping_display_or_something_else.html, which asks the question of why some (but far from all) mammals are the only being in the known universe that have external scrotums. (You may have heard “cooling.” Well, probably not. Read the article.)
This inaugurates a new occasional feature of our blog:
“Reading the OC Politics RSS Feed Without Giving the Click Whores Any Business”
“New initiative seeks to repeal tax benefits for businesses in poor areas” — probably deals with “enterprise zones.” For an intelligent discussion of “enterprise zones,” instead read something like this Voice of OC story: http://www.voiceofoc.org/oc_north/article_0373b2dc-d531-11e2-86e8-0019bb2963f4.html
Why Aliso Viejo Mayor Carmen Cave was fired by the City of Menifee — not particularly interested in this, given the high probability that it represents someone’s grudge.
Is Obama embracing fracking to salvage his sagging poll numbers? — No. (1) this would not be the way to do it. (2) His poll numbers are not really worrisome, much as some might wish otherwise. (3) Has his attitude towards it even changed? I doubt it, despite this incendiary headline.
Jon Fleischman drops the hammer on the proposed Disney Streetcar — oh yes, the oft-forgotten “Fleischman Branch” of the California government, in Article I^(-1). Glad to hear it, though, probably. Want to read Flash’s letter? Here you go: http://www.voiceofoc.org/community_editorial_board/article_f3352d66-e7a9-11e2-8c61-001a4bcf887a.html
FBI eyes San Diego mayor; biggest risk may be perjury rap — I doubt it; the vague speculativeness makes me doubt it more. If there’s anything to it, it will be reported elsewhere.
The Libertarian Party of Orange County July Meetup is set for this Tuesday — if you’re the sort of person who would go, check Facebook.
Can somebody call the paramedics? I think we have another batch of that extra- potent hubris out on the street by mistake. Tragic.
A Plodding Goddess
Nemesis takes her time surveying human kind before figuring out the properly ironic punishment.
She must soak in vero possumus, the fake Greek colonnade, the “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for” narcissism, the cooling the planet and lowering the rising seas riffs, the tingling legs, the “perfectly creased pant,” the Obama “as god,” the smartest president ever, and the Obama who is by his own admission better at each of the crafts of his specialized staff.
Then she must consider “punish our enemies,” “fat cat bankers,” “you didn’t build that,” “bitter clingers,” “spread the wealth around,” and dozens of additional slurs and banalities. To digest all that takes even the goddess some time.
The young, inexperienced, but haughty Obama is a stereotypical figure right out of Greek mythology. Sometimes he is poor arrogant Icarus — flying too high on his frail and melting waxen wings. Or is he arrogant young Phaethon? The latter demanded the reins of his father’s sun chariot — only to end up in flames as his out-of-control divine car scorched the earth (unfortunately we are the earth). Often Obama seems a know-it-all Oedipus who believed that he was so smart that the far older world of chance and fate had to yield to his superior reason. Or is he vain Narcissus, so taken with his image in the reflecting pool that Nemesis allowed him to stare forever transfixed at himself?
http://victorhanson.com.108-166-28-151.mdgnetworks.com/wordpress/?p=6184&fb_source=pubv1
Poetic. Not good poetic, but poetic all the same.