The So-Called "Faith-Based Iniatives Rear their Ugly Heads. Again.

A year ago President Obama stated that he would "take a look at" the Faith-Based Initiatives from a constitutional point of view and see about making some changes there as well as other places.

A year later and we're still waiting. And rightwing Xian cults are still sucking up the Federal dollars -- our tax dollars -- like it's feeding time at the pig farm.

Today the Rev. Barry Lynn, the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State has an incisive commentary on this very issue over at the Huffington Post:

Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 4, President Barack Obama asserted that his administration has "turned the faith-based initiative around," implying that his policies represent a sharp break from past practices.
That's news to me. In fact, from where I'm sitting, the core of Obama's faith-based initiative looks pretty much identical to the deeply problematic one created by President George W. Bush. A few tweaks on the margins don't amount to real change.
One year after Obama announced his version of the faith-based office, civil rights and civil liberties groups such as mine are still fighting Bush-era battles over tax funding to religious groups that proselytize, job discrimination on religious grounds in public programs and lack of accountability. It's disheartening.

Disheartening indeed. Go ahead and read the whole thing, and be advised that the fight for religious freedom and for the First Amendment of the Constitution is ongoing and we can never relax on our laurels.