We've just come into possession of a 1935 letter from President Franklin Roosevelt to an Oklahoma Baptist preacher puts the lie to George W. Bush’s stump-speech references to Roosevelt and his arguments that Social Security should be privatized.
We've been putting the lie to a lot of right-wing political claims. Most recently our Freedom AND Faith Sunday showed that Bill Frist and his theocratic allies have no monopoly on faith. This month we're continuing our "Break the Silence" bus tour with stops in Nashville and Atlanta, where we'll be joined by Jim Wallis among others. To support this initiative, please click here to contribute:
https://www.onlinecontribution.com/drivedemocracy/The Roosevelt letter will be a key part of our message as we expand the campaign to include protecting Social Security and the environment. The next leg of the bus tour will include Kansas City, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Louisville (KY) and Lexington. We're still firming up dates so stay tuned for more details.
The Roosevelt letter also offers convincing proof that once upon a time the faith community was looked to by those in government for ways to improve “the spiritual and material conditions for the American people.” The difference could not be more striking. Bush uses the Christian Right to divide and threaten Americans. Roosevelt looked to America’s spiritual leaders for advice on how government could help the people – all the people.
In his Sept. 24, 1935 letter to the Rev. A.F. Whitehurst of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, Roosevelt wrote, “I am particularly anxious that the new Social Security Legislation just enacted, for which we have worked so long, providing for old age pensions, aid for crippled children and unemployment insurance, shall be carried out in keeping with the high purposes with which this law was enacted.”
To read my entire blog post, including the complete letter from FDR, please click here:
http://www.drivedemocracy.org/blog/index.php?p=266#more-266
