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Never trust a man with two first names...

 I find it interesting the Republican party, so hunkered down in religion, specifically fundamentalist Christianity, has picked a spirited (pun intended) critic of their faith to be Mormon Mitt Romney's running mate. Taken at face value, it seems at least strange. Why would such a religious party offer up another seemingly problematic candidate?

The answer, of course, lies in Ryan's criticism of Christianity. Ryan, like Romney, has no beef with the reactionary social views many fundamentalists espouse. In fact, Ryan would almost certainly deny he is a critic of the religion using "defense of marriage," or whatever other silly cultural cry to arms is currently fashionable, as undeniable proof of his belief. Ryan, however, firmly takes issue with the "Prince of Peace." His issue is with Christ's annoying insistence on helping the poor, his chicken-shit clamoring for peace, etc. In short, weakness. Like any true Randian hero, Ryan hates weakness. His soon to be excruciatingly vetted budget proposal says as much.

So there we have it. The overwhelmingly Christian Republican party has nominated someone from a regional sect of Christianity many Christians don't consider legitimate and someone who is at odds with the only part of their dogma that isn't steeped in first century backwardness. Now if only we could find enough principled folks, we would have strange bedfellows.

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