Time somebody said it. Time they started addressing the real issues, instead of religious beliefs.

God damn this country.  And for good measure, god damn the electorate.

This past week both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama went to a “Compassion Forum” – to climb over each other to show how “religious” they are.

So they end up answering the usual litany of questions on abortion and gay marriage.

If the church and state are separate, so should faith and politicians be.  We keep insisting otherwise.

Should the candidates use their faith to determine weighty issues?  After all, politicians routinely violate the “though shalt not kill” and “bear false witness” commandments, anyway.  The candidates  are no more theologians than scientists – but when it comes to religion, everyone can be an expert.  Science is another matter.

You see, both Hillary and Barack turned down the opportunity to debate real issues, science issues.  See

http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=29

for the second invitation.  Here is a real campaign issue that hasn’t been picked up by the MSM… or TPM for that matter.

Here are just some topics that all the prayer in the world won’t get you out of, but science might:

a)  the impending energy crisis (we are past peak oil)
b)  the impending water shortage crisis (we are draining our aquifers and global climate change is preventing winter storage in the form of snowpacks)
c)  the impending super-bug crisis (many of our antibiotics no longer work)

The answers that the candidates give speak to an utter lack of knowledge of the basics.  For example, Hillary talks about how unfair $4 / gal gasoline is.  It’s not unfair – it’s still very cheap.  It will go a lot higher – whether Congress successfully investigates the oil companies or not.

Both Hillary and Obama have energy programs that are a joke:  for example, they both have auto efficiency initiatives that must kick in by 2030.  That’s 22 years from now.  Because we hit peak oil production in 2006, in 2030, at best, the world will be producing oil at the same rate as it did in 1982.  However, according to the US Census Bureau, the world population in 2030 will be double that of 1982.

Does this mathemagic make sense to you?

What do you think the price of oil will be when the same amount of stuff has to be stretched to accommodate twice as many people?

Or how about this one:  It’s been less than a year since the GA Governor officially prayed for rain to end the drought in that state.

Whatever happened to “God helps those who help themselves”?

The real problem is that you actually have to have an education to discuss scientific issues, but anyone can weigh in on a religious or faith debate equally.

As a result, there is no premium for any of the candidates, Hillary, Obama, or McCain, to frame any of their comments in terms of scientific principles.  The general electorate (even that latte drinking portion) tends not to know much about science while “faith” is a great hot button issue where points can be scored for the election.  Especially from that half of the population whose intelligence is below average (but whose votes count the same as those with above average intelligence).

Of course, the entire country suffers for this, because key problems are not being addressed or if they are addressed, they are being addressed with ignorance not too dissimilar than that of 15th century monks.

Well, I know if you can’t beat’em, join’em.  Okay, so we want religion to be part of this campaign?

Then god damn this electorate for refusing to help itself.  And god damn this country for not valuing rational thought above mythology and children’s stories.  I pray that this country gets its collective head screwed on straight before it's too late.

How’s that?