Michelle Bachmann and the Religious Fanaticism ... of the Left

One of the most disturbing (and unsurprising) developments in the 2012 election cycle over the last few weeks is the all-out assault on Michelle Bachmann, and potentially-successful (but patently absurd) attempt to brand her as some sort of religious fanatic. Now, I am not suggesting that Bachmann is the ideal candidate, and I am happy to acknowledge that she has made some pretty embarrassing verbal gaffes (unlike any other politician who has ever run for office in the history of our 57-state union). Everyone is free to dislike this woman for whatever reason they'd like, but with Howard Stern now calling her "that Ayatullah from Minnesota", and Rolling Stone writing a ten-page expose on her to address the theocratic Taliban-like culture she wants to create here in the states, I thought a couple comments may be in order as to what we are really dealing with.It has become one of the sick ironies of the pro-choice movement in this country that they are so vile towards those who "choose" not to be pro-abortion. Bachmann "chose" to home-school her five children, she "chose" to bring in 23 foster children over the years, and she and her husband have "chosen" to raise their family in the tenets of their Christian faith. This has, as far as public record is concerned, not yet involved any public beheadings, any demands for the execution of sexual deviants, or the call for people of other faiths to be burned or stoned. As a matter of fact, the evangelical Bachmann has spent considerable energies reaching out to and building working coalitions with Mormons, Catholics, Jews, and others. This is the type of Talibanic behavior I am praying to see from the Taliban some day. What exactly are the eggregious offenses of this Osama-in-heels named Michelle Bachmann? Well, she attended an evangelical law school for one thing (before earning a further advanced degree at William & Mary). And, she opposes gay marriage. She is pro-life. She started a charter school. She was very involved in her community back in the 90's. She talks out loud about God. She and her husband go to church (with no cameras around). She has had coffee with pastors. As you can see, this is no joking matter. This insane woman believes the same thing about gay marriage that somewhere between 50% and 58% of Americans do. She believes the same thing about abortion that roughly 55% of Americans do. She has personal religious convictions, and like the great Iranian leader of the 1980's, she has spoken about her convictions out loud, in public.Look, I doubt she is electable, and that is either a crying shame, a good thing, or not even true. I am not writing to defend her candidacy, necessarily. I have met the Congresswoman five or six times and enjoyed several long conversations with her. She is intelligent, economically educated (which is something she should evangelize a certain Rolling Stone writer with), and sincere in her contention that President Obama is taking us down the wrong path. Unlike Sarah Palin, she is much less sensitive to the inane and sexist portraying of her by the media as "crazy". She is a big girl. She will fight with any of them, and she will come walking out of the bar by herself most of the time. But she is simply not a religious zealot or Ayatullah-figure, unless of course, like the vast majority of today's secular left, you yourself are the ultimate demonstration of intellectual Talibanism. Only a hypocrite of the most appalling variety could reason as the Howard Stern's and Matt Taibii's of our society do. And their hypocrisy comes from a religious fanaticism that I find truly despicable.The religion of secular humanism is a frightening one. Christians have to call themselves Christians before they seek to converse with people of other worldviews. Muslims are perfectly happy to self-identify before engaging in their various means of "recruitment". But these leftist libertines have the extraordinary privilege of being able to hide behind a completely dishonest cloak of "neutrality" before they assert that Michelle Bachmann is crazy for believing in God and Jesus. I have never in my life seen a serious and respectable Christian in society say that secularists need to shut up and go inside and practice their bizarre religion by themselves. But I hear it from the Bill Maher's of our society ever day. These bigots have gotten away with an incredible sleight of hand - they have told the masses that Christians are dangerous and need to shut up, and they have done so by saying that Christians think others are dangerous and need to shut up. Bachmann may or may not have the wrong view on gay marriage, but it is certainly not a fanatical one. The fanatical view is the one that says a woman who has deep faith convictions and a solid family should not be in the public square. Geez, it even sounds, well, "taliban-like".The fundamental premise of postmodern secularism is that ALL ideas and thoughts deserve equal consideration in the community of mankind. The actual practicality in their religion, though, is utter oppression, discrimination, and ignorance. The present treatment of Bachmann is the latest exhibit.