A Rather Radical Proposal by a Fed Up American

Okay, what I am about to propose may seem crazy to you... but I have about had it with the Republican Party's Overt and Stubborn Denial of the Separation of Church and State, and of politicians within the Democratic Party being tentative on defending it.

In the United States, a group of people with a similar set of attitudes can form their own political party if they fulfill several requirements.

You probably think I'm crazy right?

Well... I was thinking that, if anyone is for it... perhaps Americans like us that are tired of the mixing of religion and politics could form something like a "Secularist Party?" It would be a third party and difficult to get started... but with effort and working together... I think we could do it! ^_^

What do you guys think?

First... in order to form a political party [according to Ehow.com] we would have to:

Contact the state election commission in every state in which you wish to register your political party. Each state has different guidelines for how to go about starting a political party, but overall they're pretty similar. Basically, the devil is in the details. Some states, for example, might expect you to secure a certain number of signatures per precinct, while others are less discerning and will allow all state residents to qualify equally regardless of precinct lines.

Convince one percent of last election's voters to complete an "affidavit of registration.” This is a document filled out by individual voters with the name of the prospective party. This is about heavy canvassing, except that you have about three seconds to hook people with the idea for your new political party.

Even if you have a tough time convincing people to join your merry little band of politicos, you can continue trying while fulfilling one of the other requirements. If they won’t join the party, you simply have to convince 10 percent of people who voted in the last election that they should have the right to vote on your agenda at the ballot box. Get 10 percent of last election’s electorate to sign a petition adding your party to the ballot, in time for the next election, and you will have fulfilled this requirement for starting your own political party.

4. File your petition and your affidavits with the state election commission in each state according to their submission regulations and voila! You will be the proud party leader of a brand new political party. It’s time to write your platform, find some candidates to run for office and find them secret lovers with whom to have completely deniable love children.

I say SCREW THE EXISTING PARTIES!! Let's make our own and base it on Jefferson's wall of separation. ^_^

Of course... I am certain that there would be organizations that would support the forming of a "Secularist Party"... The Freedom From Religion Foundation [FFRF], American Atheists, Americans for Separation of Church and State, and maybe the ACLU?

But... I would like to hear feedback on this idea....

Who likes this idea? ^_^

If you don't that's okay too.

Tags: church and state, create, new, of, parties, party, political, politics, secularist, separation

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Permalink Reply by David M. Beyer on October 14, 2010 at 5:10pm

A single issue party is asking its voters for a lot of (irony intended) faith. I wouldn't cast my vote solely on separation of church and state, even though it's very important to me and pretty clear in the constitution and supported by the bill of rights. I'd need to feel comfortable with the party's general platform.
That can be accomplished by a broader application of (a) critical thinking, (b) skepticism, or (c) strict interpretation of the constitution, based on whatever matters to you, I guess. I could get behind a party whose platform is informed by one of those, and separation of church and state would be a facet.
I could also get behind a party that states that it's willing to change its stance and focus based on new information to best serve a few guiding principles, such as: the government's job is to protect its people, protect their civil rights and civil liberties, work to inform the electorate, and do what's best in the long term for its people. Under those principles, what exactly needs to be done can change over time based on new information.

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Permalink Reply by Skycomet the Fallen Angel on November 4, 2010 at 12:06pm

The Teabaggers are just radical republicans in disguise. :P

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Permalink Reply by Matt Peters on November 4, 2010 at 11:46am

I'd rather abolish the Party system all together, as two "platforms" are not representative of nuanced views held by many Americans, it suppresses new ideas, and is something many of our Founders would have balked at (particularly George Washington; read his Farewell Address: http://www.bartleby.com/43/24.html )

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