ALL religions should put candidates on the ballot -- Make them compete for tax dollars

(OKLAHOMA CITY) Gov. Howard Dean, chair of the Democratic National Committee, recently exhorted attendees at the 2007 Islamic Society of North America Convention to run for office: "Stand up and say who you are and be proud of it," he told a packed house, according to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. (http://tinyurl.com/24ahdw)

I'd go even further, ALL religions should put candidates on the ballot!

I hope more muslims do run for public office because the christian bible bangers need competition which they haven't had since the founding of the country. Indeed, I encourage jews, buddhists, hindus, wiccans, confucists, protestants, catholics, the whole motley crew of religionists across the spectrum, to run for public office and scream their creeds from their highest holy places demanding the same space in the public square, the same space on the public calendars, the same accommodation in the public schools and public services.

Just as the capitalist economic model declares that competition is good, at the same time as it wants government protection (witness the failing loan business asking for financial succor due to the busted housing bubble), we'll see how the christian fundies feel about separation of church and state when there's competition from other religious brethren for the same charitable choice dollars now enjoyed by the christians.

The competition will result in either the strict observance of the First Amendment's separation of religion and government or else the complete subservience of the USA to its alter ego--christian theocracy declared by fiat.