Update to Jay- You're right; I'm wrong. Marx did say it. However, I still think it's a germane phrase as relates to this issue, not drugs, and absolutely appropriate in this instance. Metaphorically, religion can act and often does act as a drug that takes people away from the reality of their lives, let's face it. Also, I still stand by the rest of what I said, absolutely.---For me, this is sort of a non-issue. Great, all people should have freedom of religion (after all, Lenin did call it the opiate of the masses), but how about freedom from religion for a change? It seems to be responsible for most of the bloodshed, oppression, and intolerance throughout human history in nearly every culture. Ms. Bush travels to the Middle East and the most important issue for her is that people have the right to worship as they want. Fine, I agree, but I also think it's more important that they have enough to eat, that they have adequate medical care and housing, that their most basic, fundamental physical and mental needs are attended to before we start involving ourselves with some vague, ethereal concept of worship or God. And this is as true, or should be, for America as it is for the Middle East. The religious in this country love to paint themselves as a beleaguered, oppressed minority but it gets really tiresome after awhile. In one city near me, there's a church on nearly every street corner, along with a liquor store. In the Middle East, you'll have trouble finding a liquor store, but if you look hard enough, I'm sure you'll be able to find a church of some kind. School is the only place someone can find to say a prayer? How about a room at home? An open field? The toilet? As for the Ten Commandments...that's the only moral code available? What if I'm Muslim? Or Buddhist? Or Hindu? Or very moral but atheistic? I don't mean to offend sincerely religious people or appear blasphemous, but I'm so tired of pretending that worship of some Holy Ghost is an absolute, integral part of every person's life (and, believe it or not, I'm not an atheist). Bush and Osama Bin Laden probably have more in common than either would be willing to admit. God save us from the fundamentalists!
