Thursday, February 4, 2010

If you forgot to mark your calendar, this morning was the National Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by the secretive and shadowy far-right organization known as “The Family.”   Tea Parties? Prayer Breakfasts? Do you get the feeling that the people on the far right really want to be running a restaurant? If they could just open up a little diner somewhere and leave the governing to us, we would all be a lot happier. The National Prayer Breakfast is really the only thing that The Family does in public. It’s the stuff that they do privately that’s so disturbing.  The leader of “The Family,” has praised the tactical skills of Adolf Hitler. And you thought breakfast with your family was awkward! The Family is also pushing a law in Uganda that calls for imprisonment and execution for “aggravated homosexuality.” Why? Mostly simply because they’re aggravated by homosexuality. Of course The Family also runs the C Street house that sheltered and “counseled” adulterers John Ensign and Mark Sanford. There’s a nice breakfast tie-in: the problem with those guys was that they were makin’ bacon where they shouldn’t be. That’s a lovely agenda for a group that sponsors a prayer breakfast! “More orange juice?” “No thanks, I’ll just have a bowl of homophobia and a side of adultery.”


U.S. Presidents have routinely attended the Prayer Breakfast over the past half century. This morning President Obama managed to go to the Breakfast without sampling the more unsavory items on the menu.  In fact he took the opportunity of the Breakfast to eat the Republicans’ lunch… again. While extolling the virtues of civility, Obama also challenged his conservative critics by saying “But surely, you can question my policies without questioning my faith. Or for that matter, my citizenship.” He issued a call to civility while calling out those who refuse to practice it. That’s what I call a balanced breakfast! This year many ethics groups and mainstream religious organizations urged the President and Congressional leaders not to attend the Prayer Breakfast. Obama chose to go, but at least he took the opportunity to deliver a message to the extreme right wing. They picked up the tab for breakfast, but Obama left the tip.