Religious Bigotry????

Absolutely ridiculous! - "It's unfortunate that these attacks of religious bigotry were taking place, ....There is just no place for these types of attacks in America today." --- really??? Stop and think, cousins! Religious bigotry is not the same as racial bigotry. The biological color of one's skin is not the same as the rational orientation of a candidate's mind! In fact, it is the latter which is what IT is all about! Do you think a Muslim or Atheist (like me) could ever be elected president? So what is so sacrosanct about being a Mormon, Catholic or Southern Baptist? Isn't a candidate's thinking and beliefs the paramount consideration we must make in determining who we wish to have lead us? We certainly don't need a religious zealot such as our present leader to continue to destroy our nation because of the demands of a religious minority - that would be to perpetuate a lesson we have already learned....? So why shouldn't we delve into the nooks and crannies of those who wish to lead us - including their religions? After all, we may have a constitutional right to the religion of our choice, but that doesn't in any way indicate or guarantee that any particular religion is good and right for all of us - or even good for its own membership - consider Jonestown for example. What one believes and to the extent that he/she will implement her own beliefs is of paramount importance for any voter to understand before they render their vote for a candidate. I am very much interested in whether Romney is a Mormon in spirit or deed, or Obama is a member of an evangelical version of Presbyterianism, or Hillery is a Methodist - what George Bush used to be, or why Brownback changed from being a Methodist to being a socially conservative evangelical Catholic!... or Rudy Giuliani being a socially liberal Catholic but fiscal conservative... With this in mind, read on.... Brownback aide chided on anti-Mormon bid By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer Sun Jun 17 WASHINGTON - An aide to GOP presidential candidate Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record) has been reprimanded for sending e-mail to Iowa Republican leaders in an apparent attempt to draw unfavorable scrutiny to rival Mitt Romney's Mormonism. Emma Nemecek, the southeastern Iowa field director for Brownback's presidential campaign and a former state representative candidate, violated campaign policy when she forwarded the June 6 e-mail from an interest group raising the questions, the Brownback campaign said Sunday. The e-mail requested help in fact-checking a series of statements about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Among the statements: "Theologically, the only thing Christianity and the LDS church has in common is the name of Jesus Christ, and the LDS Jesus is not the same Jesus of the Christian faith" and "The LDS church has never been accepted by the Christian Council of Churches." "Sen. Brownback completely disavows himself of this and any personal attacks on religion," said Brian Hart, a spokesman for the Kansas senator. Hart said the campaign apologized to Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, once they learned of the e-mail. "It was not originated by Ms. Nemecek and the purpose was to fact-check. But it was in violation of campaign policy and it won't happen again," he said. The controversy comes as Brownback and Romney are scrambling to attract socially conservative voters in advance of Iowa's Jan. 14, 2008, caucuses. Both candidates say they are ardently anti-abortion, although Brownback — a former Methodist who has become an evangelical Roman Catholic — has criticized Romney for supporting abortion rights as recently as two and a half years ago. A spokesman for Romney's Iowa campaign, Tim Albrecht, said the campaign accepted Brownback's apology but called the incident "unfortunate." "It's unfortunate that these attacks of religious bigotry were taking place," Albrecht said. "Sen. Brownback has apologized and we are glad he has worked to minimize these repugnant attacks in his campaign. There is just no place for these types of attacks in America today."