"Religious and civil" leaders.
Of course, fast on the heels of that last post, we get another prime example of astroturf in action. Here are some random "religious and civil" leaders that staged a protest in the Capitol, to which the press dutifully responds with piles of cameras and fanfare. The event is described thusly by our journalist on scene:
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 28: Religious and civil leaders stage a civil disobedience protest relating to the debt limit impasse in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda July 28, 2011 in Washington, DC. The leaders, who were later arrested, called on Congress "to craft a budget that protects working Americans and requires millionaires and corporations to bear their fair share of the nation's tax burden." (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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So who are these "religious and civil" leaders that the press love so much? Let's have a look-see, shall we?
From The Hill, we learn that:
U.S. Capitol Police arrested 11 Christian and Jewish faith leaders Thursday after they staged a Capitol sit-in against budget cuts.
...
The religious leaders, members of an interfaith coalition to protect the poor, have been charged with demonstrating within a U.S. Capitol building, according to a Capitol Police spokeswoman.
And from Hyperventilation Pole, we learn:
In addition to [Michael] Livingston, those who were arrested included Jim Winkler, General Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church; Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center in Philadelphia; the Rev. Jennifer Butler, Executive Director of Faith in Public Life; the Rev. Paul Sherry, Director of the Washington Office of Interfaith Worker Justice; the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Director of Public Witness in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); Sandy Sorenson, Director of Washington Office of the United Church of Christ; Martin Shupack, Director of Advocacy of Church World Service; Jordan Blevins, Director of Peace Witness Ministries of the Church of the Brethren; and the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, President of Common Cause.
To absolutely nobody's surprise, every last person mentioned here represents a litany of long-time radical leftist groups.
Which is to say, they represent actually-religious Americans none in the least. (If, however, you're looking for the opinion of socialist front groups, they're grrreat!)
But hey, at least the media discovered a newfound respect for prayer protests! I'll have to remember their glowing coverage the next time someone's tossed in the klink for praying in front of an abortion clinic.
