As if the "scared face" caricature of an African American man on the Chesterfield County Republican Committee website wasn't bad enough, how about some more craziness from county-level Republican Party wesbsites? A few examples:*Spotsylvania County Republican Party links to an extreme right-wing group called The Center for Reclaming America, whose current headline is "Red Cross Too Politically Correct for Christians?" Two of this group's "key fronts of the modern-day culture war" are "the Homosexual Agenda" and "Promoting Creationism." Gee, I wonder if Bob Marshall's a member...
*The Chesterfield County site links to some truly bizarre websites -- "Junk Science" (apparently devoted to debunking global warming and other such "myths") and the utterly bizarre "Flawed Laws" site (apparently devoted to tax evasion, teaching Biblical creationism in schools, and the belief that Islam is inherently violent, among other things). Lovely.
*The Highland County Republican Party Committee site, which talks about "how the Democratic leadership has been taken over by extremist [sic] in the party, and why their [sic] running scared. This outstanding article written by Linda Bowles is sure to leave the leftist [sic] kicking up dust." This wonderful Republican Committee also links to something called the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, an Idaho-based group which attacks other religions (besides its version of fundamentalist Protestantism) like Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, Islam, Jehova's Witness. Univeralism - plus atheism and evolution for good measure. Oh my God.
Highland County is a treasure trove, I've got to say. Articles by the Committee's chairman, one Albert T. Woodson, cover such topics as "The Deeds Deception", which informs us that "Creigh Deeds is closely associated with the socialist wing of the Democratic Party" (who knew?). Woodson also writes about "The American Way of War", in which he claims that we are "giving away our national sovereignty...to NATO; tomorrow to the New World Order." Woodson also asserts that Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic actually was the "defender" in Yugoslavia during the 1990s, while President Clinton was the "aggressor." Ahhhh....I see!
*And on and on we go, through the fever swamps that constitute the Virginia Republican Party's local committees. Just remember, these are the people at the grassroots and local Republican Party level who support Jerry Kilgore, Bill Bolling, and Bob McDonnell. To them, everyone who isn't as far to the right as Attilla the Hun is a "socialist," evolution and global warming are crocks, religions other than fundamentalist Protestantism are "heresies" and "cults," and Slobodan Milosevic is a hero of some sort.
Yes, this is weird, weird stuff, but it's where the Republican County committees' heads seem to be at the present time. Yes, this is today's Republican Party, formerly known as the Party 0f Lincoln (and Teddy Roosevelt), now known as the Party of Flat Earthers and (not-so-closet) bigots. Lincoln and TR must be thrashing around in their graves! But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself on many of our fine, local Republican Party websites. Oh, and happy reading!