Department of Faith-Based Security

[Ravenstorm]

Okay, can one of Bush's fan club - or anyone else who wants to give a go at this - please go to this link here:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060307-5.html

and try to explain exactly what Homeland Security has to do with Bush's ideas of faith-based initiatives and why it should have anything at all to do with it at all. Because I am so not seeing it.

[Caiylania]

Oh myyyy. Nothing constructive from me. Just... oh myyyyyy.

At least he did not specify CHRISTIAN faith... if it does I missed it. Oiy.

[Fission]

Most threats to Homeland Security aren't of the Christian faith, but follow another faith instead.

Perhaps the wording is deliberately vague for that reason.

[Warriorbird]

It could theoretically be for faith-based initatives to support the employees. Somehow, I doubt it.

[Amber]

I believe this order was created so that non-profit organizations such as churches and community centers which provide emergency services can provide these services without running afoul of current regulations. I know of at least one church which was fined for exceeding their maximum occupancy capacity when they took in Katrina refugees. I think the wording on this order is very poorly done though, with too much emphasis being placed on faith based organizations.

[Latrinsorm]

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home7.jsp

"The Department of Homeland Security is committed to working with citizens, private industry, trade organizations, and all levels of government to keep America safe and to foster the freedoms that we cherish." There's more to Homeland Security than physical well-being, and it appears the order is aimed to eliminate the discrimination against faith-based and community organizations. I'm not sure who exactly is doing the discrimination, but I imagine that's the whole point of making someone find out about it.

[DeV]

Very fucking clever, that Bush. However this is nothing new. I recall it mainly because...
It allows a faith-based service provider to follow its own dictates and not federal guidelines, in its hiring practices for federally-funded programs. It allows churches to adhere solely to their interpretation of God's will in their program's hiring decisions, and not federal regulations. Fine, I don't have a problem with that. Don't compromise your hiring practices just so you can provide social services to people in need. The problem with this is the government funding comes out of every taxpayers pocketbook without discrimination.

This plan has been in existence since 2001 and some of these charities have received millions of dollars in taxpayers money to fund their "social service initiatives" since the plan's inception. I can honestly say that organizations such as Cathlolic Charities do outstanding work. They honestly do. However, their work is not about religion or political philosophy, and thankfully they stick with achieving humanitarian goals through primarily secular work.

That doesn't mean some of these charities haven't abused their missions because they have. Besides the proselytizing, which is sometimes indirectly sanctioned through the use of grants for church programs for prison inmates, handing out bibles to natural disaster survivers, and some have even gone as far as to provide family planning counseling via the abstinence only approach which does nothing to establish solutions to real problems such as overpopulation, poverty, and AIDS?

In essence, we are and will continue paying churches to do what they're supposed to be doing anyway. Bravo!