Zealots in the “religious right” movement are seeking to control both major political parties, so they can impose their extreme views on the people of America. That became blindingly clear to me when the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Stupak amendment to the health care reform bill on Saturday. The amendment would prevent the bill’s public option from providing abortion coverage, and no insurer participating in a proposed “exchange” would be able to provide abortion coverage to anyone receiving the federal subsidy.

It’s a drastic attack on women’s reproductive rights in America, but 64 Democrats voted for it when the amendment was approved by a vote of 240 to 194.

Click the link below to see the list of Democrats who voted for the bill:

http://firedoglake.com/2009/11/07/stupak-amendment-passes-64-dems-ask-for-primary-opponents/

Democrats voting for a law to limit women’s reproductive rights? How weird is that?

Not so weird as you might think. This is not the Democratic Party that you and I used to know. Today’s Democratic politicians are a motley crew, and some of them stand for principles diametrically opposed to traditional Democratic platforms.

What happened? Simple. The party has been infiltrated by conservative moles who are pushing it farther and farther to the right.

Meanwhile, the activists of the religious right are riding a wave of protest fueled by a gaggle of malcontents, racists and misfits in a crusade to drive moderates from the Republican Party and install extremists in their place. I am sure I don’t have to remind you of the ongoing attacks on Republican Party moderates. But you might not have noticed that the same kind of thing is going on in the Democratic Party, only in a sneakier way.

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow pointed out on her show last night that both Bart Stupak (photo above left) and his co-sponsor, Republican representative Joe Pitts (photo above right), belong to a cult called The Family, and live at the religious organization’s house on C Street in Washington. Pitts is an evangelical Protestant who has been a relentless abortion foe for many years. Stupak is a Catholic who co-chairs the Bi-Partisan Pro-Life Caucus in the House.

Rachel also named several other members of The Family who were among Democrats voting for the toxic Stupak amendment.

What you’re witnessing is a coalition of extremists from various faiths who are infiltrating both major parties in an effort to rule the country like the mullahs of Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Don’t laugh. These “religious” American men – and they’re usually men – are as eager to dominate and subjugate women as any Muslim mullah. If Americans, especially American women, let them have their way, it will open the door to an army of “Christian soldiers” intent on setting back the clock in America and returning to the male dominated, oppressive society of past centuries.

It is imperative for “progressives” to block the “religious” resurgence in American politics. We must insist on preserving the constitutional separation of church and state. And to do this, we will have to root out the moles in the Democratic Party. There is a movement afoot to challenge these infiltrators in the primaries when they come up for re-election (once again, check out firedoglake.com). Anyone who values women’s rights and religious freedom should join this movement.