The answer to that question can be found in yet another "open mike oops moment," when President Bush's private comments to group of Catholic leaders were accidentally played on an Oval Office speaker system. The President was heard telling the group that his program to give tax money to religious groups is part of a "mission" to "change the culture" of America in ways that will make it easier for them to oppose abortion and save "babies."

That's right, folks, your tax dollars are the Religious Right's newest weapon in the "Culture War."

According to a report by Margaret Sykes, About's Guide to Pro-Choice Views, Bush spelled out relationship between his mission to "change the culture" and his faith-based initiative to the Catholic leaders in no uncertain terms: "...because when you're talking about welcoming people of faith to help people who are disadvantaged and are unable to defend themselves, the logical step is also those babies," he said, adding that, "the language of the issues is never for life, it's always anti-somebody's right." He then told the group that they are "vital allies" in this effort, because they won't "be eroded by political correctness or whatever."

Ah, yes. Political correctness, the right's favorite dysphemism for "respecting the rights of others." Thank goodness that Bush has an ally that won't be diverted from its mission by such a ridiculous idea.

In his remarks announcing the initiative, Bush said, "... when we see social needs in America, my administration will look first [emphasis added] to faith-based programs and community groups, which have proven their power to save and change lives. [...] The change we seek won't come all at once, by an act of Congress or any executive order signed by the President. Real change happens street by street, heart by heart, one soul, one conscience at a time."

Of course, when your mission is as vital as saving souls, an act of Congress here, an Executive Order there - and a little tax payer funding - doesn't hurt, either.

One of the Bush plan's strongest critics is the organization Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. "The president appears to believe that the government should use religion to solve all of the nation's social problems. [...] His plan for social services would essentially merge church and state into a single bureaucracy that would dispense religion alongside government aid," notes an AU Special Report on the initiative. In a press release posted on the AU site, the head of the organization, Barry Lynn, addresses the core of his organization's problem with that merger: "People shouldn't have to go to a church they may not believe in to get help from the government. Placing people in need in this kind of position is just plain wrong."

And there is no doubt that people would be placed in just such a position. Although Bush insists that secular alternatives will be available, as a practical matter, those alternatives are not always available in many communities. Existing secular charities are already straining under increased burdens - widely viewed as fall-out from the 1996 welfare reform law - and many states have cut welfare costs by denying benefits and driving people to those private charities. Thus, Bush's initiative is likely to put many of the poor in just that untenable position: Either submit to religious coercion or go without services to which they are legally entitled by federal programs.

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