More Taxpayers Footing the Bill for Religious Propoganda

High school cheerleaders with short-shorts and ribboned hair took the coliseum's stage and chanted, "Stop, don't touch me there, this is my no, no square," while drawing boxes in the air in front of their va (clap) jay (clap) jays. The crowd of thousands of teenagers erupted with giddy applause at the sight of the girls' bouncy tendrils and playful gesticulation. Preachers led the crowd in prayer, speakers reviewed the Bible and the Ten Commandments, performers danced to Christian gospel music and Jesus' name was repeatedly invoked -- all as a means of convincing teens that there is no option but to save sex for marriage. Now try to guess who paid for this purity pep rally.

Taxpayers! Talk about a "no, no square" -- isn't there supposed to be a chastity belt separating the church and state in this country?

ACLU to the rescue (again, they are heroic defenders of civil liberties): The ACLU said the event featured religious speakers and misinformation about contraception. The ACLU said the Department of Human Services crossed the line of separating church and state with the number of religious speakers and faith-based groups who performed at the summit. The ACLU has filed a complaint with DHS but has yet to get a response.

Bravo to the Heroes at the ACLU!

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the government Thursday, seeking release of legal memos which authorized torture, authored by Bush administration lawyers. The lawsuit also seeks release of communications between the Bush White House and the Central Intelligence Agency related to the interrogation of terror war prisoners.

The civil rights group said in a Thursday media advisory that the suit was filed following the White House’s failure to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request.

“The information already in the public domain makes clear that the torture policies were devised and developed at the highest levels of the Bush administration, but there are still unanswered questions about precisely what the policies permitted, how they were implemented and who specifically signed off on them,” said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project, in a release. “This lawsuit is an effort to fill some of the gaps in the narrative.”

Two of the documents sought were authored by Bush attorneys John Yoo and Steven Bradbury, who face possible disciplinary action after a Justice Department probe found their legal reasoning to be sloppy and unprofessional.

The civil rights group is publicizing the lawsuit as the official kickoff to their “Accountability for Torture” initiative.

If you are interested, and who wouldn't be, here is the link for more information on the ACLU's "Accountability for Torture" initiative.