Values voters

Onward Christian Soldiers, I guess.

Equally striking is the rhetoric that leaders of the religious right use to motivate their followers. In the course of traveling around the country, I have been impressed anew by the pervasiveness of the language of militarism among leaders of the religious right. Patrick Henry College, according to its founding president, Michael Farris, "is training an army of young people who will lead the nation and shape the culture with biblical values." Rod Parsley, pastor of World Harvest Church, in Ohio, issues swords to those who join his organization, the Center for Moral Clarity, and calls on his followers to "lock and load" for a "Holy Ghost invasion." The Traditional Values Coalition advertises its "Battle Plan" to take over the federal judiciary. "I want to be invisible. I do guerrilla warfare," Ralph Reed, former director of the Christian Coalition, famously declared about his political tactics in 1997. I wonder how that sounds in the ears of the Prince of Peace.

And, speaking of Ralph Reed.

In his statement on Thursday, Mr. Reed said he had agreed to organize the antigambling campaigns for Mr. Abramoff after receiving assurances "that I would not be paid with funds derived from gambling."

In many cases, the report found, payments to Mr. Reed were handled through third parties in what appeared to be an effort to disguise the fact that the money was from tribes with large casino operations.

Not quite invisible enough, eh Ralphie? Heaven forbid the sainted Ralph would receive the filthy lucre of gambling money. I don't see why, though. Some of it probably came from his buddy and fellow moral paragon, Bill Bennett.