UBill Berkowitz
The
Umfundisi uPat Robertson kanye nabanye abaholi beChristian Right bathole indondo kusenesikhathi
Isipho sikaKhisimusi ngoLwesihlanu, 22 Disemba, lapho uMongameli okhethiwe uGeorge W. Bush
uqanjwe uSenator uJohn Ashcroft njengophakanyiselwe esikhundleni sokuba ngummeli-jikelele. Umuntu
ukuthi abaningi abakuLungelo lobuKristu, okuhlanganisa uPhyllis Schlafly noPaul Weyrich,
ucabanga ukuthi ukufanele kakhulu ukuba umongameli, usebuyele ebhizinisini ngemuva kokulahlekelwa owakhe
Isihlalo seSenethi kulokhu kwehlela kuMbusi ongasekho waseMissouri uMel Carnahan, unkosikazi wakhe
wathatha leso sihlalo.
UJohn Ashcroft,
58, indodana kanye nomzukulu wabefundisi be-Assembly of God, akaphuzi,
ongabhemi, odlala upiyano umculi womculo wevangeli, owayedlala ibhola lombhoxo eYale
futhi wadlulela esikoleni somthetho eNyuvesi yaseChicago. Wayeneminyaka emibili
umbusi waseMissouri futhi wayengummeli-jikelele wezwe kusukela ngo-1976 kuze kube
1985. Cishe waziwa kakhulu ngokwethula umqondo “wokusiza umphakathi
ukukhetha” kumthetho wezenhlalakahle “wenguquko” ka-1996. Ubuye ngamandla
iphikisana nokulawulwa kwezibhamu kwanoma yiluphi uhlobo futhi imelene nokuhushula isisu.
UMichael P.
Farris, umholi wesikhathi eside wenhlangano yesikole sasekhaya kanye nomongameli kaPatrick
Henry College e Loudoun County, Virginia utshele Washington Post ukuthi
"wayejabule" ngokukhetha kukaBush. “U-Ashcroft uyiqhawe
ama-conservatives,” kusho uFarris. “Unerekhodi elide lokweseka iqembu
i-conservative agenda.”
Flash emuva ku
1998. Izishoshovu zamalungelo obuKristu ngaphakathi kwe-Republican Party zisenomunyu
mayelana nokuhluleka ukungenela ukhetho kuka-Bob Dole, ecasulwe yilokho abakubona kuyikho
"ukungavunyelwa" kwabo ngabaholi beRiphabhulikhi Yeqembu. Izinkulumo ezicasukile
zilethwa, izinsongo zokuthi "zibophe iQembu" zikhishwa, izincwadi ezithukuthele
kwahwetshwa, kwabanjwa neseshini yamasu ayimfihlo. Abaholi abalungile abangamaKristu bayaqala
ukuthenga nxazonke for the ideologically friendly ikhandidethi kamongameli for the
ngonyaka ka-2000. Abaningi babo bahlala e-Missouri Senator John Ashcroft. Iqembu le-Ashcroft
umkhankaso uthole umfutho kusenesikhathi emndenini kaPat Robertson owathumela uMoya wakhe
of America PAC isheke lika-$10,000. Kubhale ababhali abambalwa abakwesokudla
kahle ngamathuba e-Ashcroft. UJeff Jacoby, ku Washington
Times, ebizwa ngokuthi u-Ashcroft “indodana ezelwe yaphinde yakhuliswa yelungelo lobuKristu,
okuwukuphela kweRiphabhulikhi ebheke i-White House eyingxenye yalokho ngokungangabazeki
okubaluleke kakhulu, into ebumbene kakhulu yomfelandawonye weReagan. Terrence P.
UJeffrey, obephethe umkhankaso kaPat Buchanan kamongameli wango-1996, uphawule ku
masonto onke Human Izenzakalo ukuthi umbukiso wokuqala we-Ashcroft
kunhlolovo yotshani yaseNingizimu Carolina “kwakungesinye igxathu eliqinisekile lokuya phambili
isu lelungu lephalamende lokuzichaza kusengaphambili njengokukhethwa kokuqala kwe-GOP
ama-Conservatives okhethweni lukamongameli lwango-2000.”
Laba bayahlekisa
ukubuyekezwa okuvela kuma-GOPers angakwesokudla kwakusekelwe ngokucacile kurekhodi lika-Ashcroft. Ku
umsebenzi wakhe ube anti-intela, anti-izisu, anti-ukugembula, esivuna
ukubulala iNational Endowment for the Arts, umsekeli wesigwebo sentambo,
futhi wavotela uMthetho Wokuvikela Umshado Wobulili Obungqingili. Wayengomunye wabambalwa
yamaSenator athola izilinganiso eziphezulu njalo kuMkristu
Ikhadi lamaphuzu leCongress of Coalition.
Ekuzameni
ukwakha ukwesekwa nokuqongelela imali yomkhankaso, i-Ashcroft yaveza “isimilo
igunya” udaba. Uhlasele kaningi umongameli uClinton, ephakamisa
umbuzo wokuthweswa icala ezinsukwini nje ngemuva kokugqashuka kwendaba kaMonica Lewinsky. Ngo
ngesinye isikhathi, wabiza umongameli ngokuthi “umnukubezi” ngokocansi. NgoNovemba 1998,
wathumela isicelo se-imeyili esiqondile enxusa ukuthi kusayinwe incwadi ethi “Bill Clinton Must
Resign” isicelo.
Nokho, i
ukhiye ohlelweni luka-Ashcroft yilokho akubiza ngokuthi “ukukhulula amasiko
isixazululo.” Ngokuqondile, lokhu kwakusho ukusakaza izindaba ezinhle ‘zokupha
ukukhetha” kwezinye izinsiza zikahulumeni ngaphandle kwezinguquko zezenhlalakahle. Ngo-1998,
I-Ashcroft yethula umthethosivivinywa owawuzovumela amaqembu enkolo ukuba athole
“Uxhaso lukahulumeni lokusiza abadla izidakamizwa, abangenamakhaya, izingane
amahlongandlebe, nemindeni enezinkinga.” Umfundisi uBarry Lynn, waseMelika
I-United for Separation of Church and State, ebizwa ngokuthi isiphakamiso sika-Ashcroft ngokuthi
ukuzama “ukushayela ugandaganda odongeni lokuhlukanisa ibandla
kanye nezwe,”
Kulokho
I-Ashcroft idinga ukuqoqa imali eyizigidi ezingama-20 ukuze igijimele i-White House, kwaba njalo
akumangazi ukuthi washiya phansi umjaho ekuqaleni kukaJanuwari 1999, ecaphuna
ukuntula imali, ethi usenqume ukugxila kukho
ngokuwina ihlandla lesibili leSigele. Ngaleso sikhathi, Carole Shields of People for the
I-American Way yaphawula ukuthi “uSenator u-Ashcroft wenza iNkolo samuntu
Amalungelo angayekethisi uhlobo lwepolitiki.” I-Ashcroft's "no-compromise brand
kwezombusazwe” kwabonakala kakhulu phakathi nempi yokuqinisekiswa kwe
U-African American u-Ronnie White wejaji likahulumeni, u-Ashcroft elivimbile.
Ngesikhathi kuqhubeka isithangami sabezindaba ememezela ukuqokwa kuka-Ashcroft, lapho ebuzwa
mayelana nodaba lukaRonnie White uMongameli okhethiwe uBush waphendula ukuthi wayenjalo
waqiniseka ukuthi u-Ashcroft wenze ngendlela efanele. I-Ashcroft nayo ayizange iphumelele
vimba uDavid Satcher, ukukhetha kukaMongameli Clinton kudokotela ohlinzayo jikelele. Inikezwe eyakhe
irekhodi ekuqinisekisweni kwe-White ne-Satcher, umuntu angazibuza ukuthi enzeni
ulindele kummeli jikelele olandelayo ngendlela yamalungelo abantu?
Ngemuva kwakhe
ukunqotshwa ngoNovemba, ukukhishwa kwezindaba kwe-Handgun Control (HC) kuphawule ukuthi i-Ashcroft
"ivote ngokumelene nezikhundla ze-Handgun Control izikhathi ezingu-13 kwezingu-13, kuhlanganise
amavoti ngokumelene nezingidi zokuphepha kwezingane futhi avale izintuba zokubonisa izibhamu.”
Yize ezame ukuziqhelelanisa neNational Rifle Association, HC
ibika ukuthi i-NRA yachitha cishe u-$400,000 egameni lokuqokwa kabusha kwakhe
umkhankaso, futhi “wamnikeza u-A ekhadini labo lombiko Wokhetho lwango-2000.”
Enye enkulu
indawo yokukhathazeka imayelana nokuthi i-Ashcroft izobhekana kanjani nezindaba zokukhishwa kwezisu.
Ekubukeni kuka-Ephreli 1998 "Meet the Press", u-Ashcroft uthe ukube ubenakho
ithuba elilodwa lokushaya umthetho owodwa, “Ngingaqaphela ngokugcwele
ilungelo elingokomthethosisekelo lokuphila lazo zonke izingane ezingakazalwa, futhi uvimbele konke ukukhipha isisu
ngaphandle kwalezo ezidingekayo ngokwezokwelapha ukuze kusindiswe impilo kamama.”
Z
Umthethosivivinywa
U-Berkowitz ungumbhali ozimele ohlanganisa Ilungelo Lezenkolo nokuhlobene
ukunyakaza okulandelanayo.