Everyone knows George W. Bush loves Jesus. You might even say he's crazy
about him. As governor of Texas, he went as far as to proclaim June 10, 2000
to be "Jesus Day," for chrissake. "I urge all Texans to answer the call to
serve those in need," Dubya declared. "By volunteering their time, energy or
resources to helping others, adults and youngsters follow Christ's message
of love and service in thought and deed."
Everyone also knows George W. Bush does not love evil-doers. "Our war
against terror is a war against individuals whose hearts are full of hate,"
the president says. His administration has also made no secret of its
disdain for so-called "domestic terrorists" and "eco-terrorists," and they
have the recently passed Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) to prove it.
Oddly, the AETA is one of the many places where the whole "Jesus Day" thing
comes back to bite Georgie in the ass.
Twelve years of Catholic school did more than just inoculate yours truly
against blind faith and irrational belief. It also drilled a few memorable
Jesus moments into my overcrowded head, e.g. from John 2:13-16:
"When it was
almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the
Temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves and others
sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords and drove
all from the Temple, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the
money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said:
'Get out of here.'"
Matthew 21:12-13 tells a similar tale:
"Jesus entered the Temple area and
drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of
the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 'It is written,'
he said to them, 'My house will be called a house of prayer but you are
making it a den of robbers.'"
Hmmm...the AETA specifically targets anyone who "intentionally damages or
causes the loss of any real or personal property (including animals or
records) used by animal enterprise, or any real or personal property of a
person or entity having a connection to, relationship with, or transactions
with an animal enterprise."
What would Jesus do? According to his number one fan: at least a year.