You Rock, Rep. Hostettler

This past Monday I just happened to be tuned in to C-Span when utter chaos broke loose on the floor of the US House of Representatives. Now, the US House is typically so dull that the casual observer tends to despair for the fate of the country. How can anything truly significant happen with most of the Representatives elsewhere, one wonders, while s/he yearns for the lively, noisy Parliament TV of Great Britain.

On Monday, however, the lazy leviathan suddenly sprang to life.
John Hostettler (R-IN) stood to take to task the Democrats for adding an amendment to trying to the $409 billion defense spending bill accusing Christians of "coercive and abusive" proselytizing at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

In a rare display of cognizance, emotion and temper, Rep. Hostettler accused Democrats of waging a "long war on Christianity." (He has obviously been reading Democratic blogs! And paying attention to the darlings of the Democrats, the ACLU.)"Like a moth to a flame, Democrats can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and demonizing Christians," he said. That statement is perhaps the truest spoken on the floor of the House in the past 50 years.

Suddenly the entire House leapt from their lethargy. Rep. David Obey (D-WI)demanded Hostettler's remarks be stuck from the record, calling it "coercive and abusive." (What happened to freedom of speech? The very amendment that Hostettler was objecting to had stronger language against Christianity, striking out against "abusive religious proselytizing" and accusing people at the Academy of forcing Christianity on innocent victims.)Since the Academy has not experienced a recent surge in Christian converts, it would seem that Obey's amendment was more out of line than Hostettler's accusations.

Certainly no one, hearing John Dean's rant against the Republicans and sneeringly calling them a "white, Christian party" and no one reading the Democratic blogs with their foul language slurs of "fundamentalist Christians," and no one who followed the actions of the ACLU and its ilk could or would object to Hostettler's characterization of the Democratic party.

The outcome of it all -- and even Sen. Barney Franks spoke out against Hostettler's remarks!-- was the Obey's amendment was defeated and Hostettler asked to have his remarks struck from the record.

Kudos to Rep. Hostettler for calling the spade what it truly is. Thanks for, in doing so, demonstrating that Republicans recognize the truth of the situation that not only exists but is becoming more and more abusive and oppressive. The very fact that he was pressured to remove his remarks from the record (and they were not personal remarks directed at Obey, but true and honest perceptions aimed at the Democratic Party) shows just how far the Democrats have gone to destroy the rights of Republicans and Christians.