One would think that George Bush would have learned his lesson about appointing people to jobs whose only qualification is how much they froth at the mouth when the word “Republican” is mentioned.
I mean, if the federal government was ever going to put on an Arabian Horse show, I know that Michael Brown would have been the perfect guy I would want on point to shepard that project through to completion. Alas, Mr. Brown was stuck whiling away the hours as Director of FEMA - a position for which he had little aptitude and less experience.
Ditto for Harriet Miers who was perfectly qualified to do something at the Supreme Court – just what I’m not sure. They may have eventually had an opening for “President’s Crony” or some such job that wouldn’t have taxed Ms. Miers’ abilities to the limit.
This is not to say that the President shouldn’t have the right to name whomever he damn well pleases to any position he sees fit. It’s just that this appointment of Paul Bonicelli to be Deputy Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which is in charge of all programs to promote democracy and good governance overseas is a true and total embarrassment:
Bonicelli is dean of academic affairs at Patrick Henry College (PHC) in Purcellville, Virginia, whose motto is: “For Christ and Liberty”. This ultra-fundamentalist institution requires its students and faculty to sign a “statement of faith” declaring that they believe “Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, is God come in the flesh”, “Jesus Christ literally rose bodily from the dead”, and Hell is a place where “all who die outside of Christ shall be confined in conscious torment for eternity”.
That’s not all. Patrick Henry College also requires its “science” professors to sign a statement saying they believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible that says the world was created in 6 days. Here is the school’s own statement:
‘Creation. Any biology, Bible or other courses at PHC dealing with creation will teach creation from the understanding of Scripture that God’s creative work, as described in Genesis 1:1–31, was completed in six twenty–four hour days. All faculty for such courses will be chosen on the basis of their personal adherence to this view. PHC expects its faculty in these courses, as in all courses, to expose students to alternate theories and the data, if any, which support those theories. In this context, PHC in particular expects its biology faculty to provide a full exposition of the claims of the theory of Darwinian evolution, intelligent design and other major theories while, in the end, teach creation as both biblically true and as the best fit to observed data.’
I am at a total loss. Anyone who can say with a straight face that the theory of the world being created in 6 24-hour days is “the best fit to observed data” is not only crazy but a living, walking insult to rational thought.
And to make someone like this the Deputy Director of USAID is an insult to the overwhelming majority of the rest of the world that is not Christian. One wonders what a Hindu or Muslim would say if they saw that bit about “all who die outside of Christ shall be confined in conscious torment for eternity.” Kind of puts the kibosh on democracy and good governance if the pagan devils are going to hell anyway, doesn’t it? I mean, why bother being good if being bad is so much more fun? And since they’re going to hell anyway, might as well make the journey a helluva a ride, no?
I am not totally against cronyism as long as the crony being appointed has at least a passing familiarity with what the job is all about. Someone with as narrow a world view as Mr. Bonicelli cannot possibly be the right person for a job that would seem to require an individual with a breadth of experience that would enable them to deal with everyone from raving atheists in the Chinese Politburo to the fanatical Islamists in Saudi Arabia. Someone whose entire intellectual framework is squeezed through the narrowest of prisms – the Bible – would seem ill-suited to promote anything except, well Bible sales.
Perhaps Mr. Bonicelli could inquire whether the Gideons could use some help in promoting readership of the Bible and leave the promotion of democracy to others who are more qualified.
And one note to George Bush: Who ever is sending these nominees your way needs to be fired forthwith. They are making you look ridiculous. And a President cannot afford to look ridiculous.
10:43 pm
Interesting that you would espouse a kind of tolerance and broadmindedness and then take such a narrow view yourself. You seen to indicate that the doctrinal view of an educational institution will, of necessity, have an particular effect on the thinking of anyone associated with that institution. You might consider that the doctrinal snips that you quoted likely describe the the doctrinal statements of universities attended by the authors of the Declaration and the Constitution. Somehow they seem to have transcended the kind of narrow thinking you fear. You might even consider that the larger worldview described by those doctrinal statements gave rise to the very rights, liberties, and protections we appreciate in this country.
11:10 pm
Is it possible that the Dean of this university actually did the things Deans are supposed to do, like, I don’t know, boost enrollment; improve funding from alumni, government grants (by very good writing) and other resources; reduce costs; improved testing scores and number of graduating students and all the other important business like Dean responsibilities for a University?
Do you really think that, even if this guy does hold fundamental beliefs of Christianity, that this some how disqualifies him as a good administrator? Do you suppose he’ll go around the USAID program and make people sign a declaration of faith to work there or receive funds?
Don’t get me wrong, because I know nothing about him or the university, I just think that your reaction is, well, over the top.
11:15 pm
No offense Rick, but the first two posts are right on.
12:36 am
Like the previous poster, I know nothing about this guy, but I assume that, as dean of a college, he is a bit more sophisticated than to go about telling those who are not fundamentalist Christians that they’re going to hell.
And even if he believes it, so what? People believe all kinds of things without its affecting their ability to deal capably with the real world. Why so afraid of Christians? (I’m Catholic myself, and therefore doomed by the standards of many fundamentalists. Yet working with fundamentalists bothers me not at all.)
4:17 am
First, this “college” has been in existence since 2000. It was created to serve radical fundamentalist home schoolers. It has failed to receive proper accreditation several times – not because of its religious slant but because anyone school that teaches the world was created in 6 24-hour days is a disgrace to American education.
As for his personal views, in 2002, Bush named Bonicelli, along with former Vatican advisor John Klink and Janice Crouse of the ultra-conservative Concerned Women for America, to a U.N. delegation to promote biblical values in U.S. foreign policy. Nothing wrong with biblical values in general but it would be national suicide to “turn the other cheeck” to al Qaeda. And if you’re not going to promote all values in the Bible, you leave yourself wide open to charges of hypocrisy. Not to mention that it is not the job of the State Department to promote biblical values but rather to represent American interests – period.
Anyone who holds such views does not belong in the State Department.
11:45 am
You are saying that:
anyone who believes the Bible is unfit to be an educator
and
Aayone who believes the Bible is unfit to represent America.
Is that correct?
12:28 pm
Yes, David Kjos, that seems to be what Rick is saying.
I guess he thinks it’s better to have say, a secular humanist, who believes there is no objective basis for morality be an educator, rather than someone who believes that God has given guidelines (sometimes inconveniently known as “laws”) to govern human relationships.
It also seems like he’d rather have a scientific “realist” who believes in survival of the fittest represent America than someone who believes man was made in God’s image (no matter how long it took.)
Rick, consider that when you make such sweeping statements you run the risk of making yourself the hypocrite. (By the way, it doesn’t sound like your critique above was served up with a smile but rather with anger and, at the least, distain. Can’t you even be consistent to your principles in something as simple as a blog comment?)
1:26 pm
“The world was created in seven days.”
True or false?
“The world is flat.”
True or false?
A person is entitled to believe whatever they want and to answer those questions anyway they want.
But, kiddies, we live in the real world, where many things have been established as fact.
The President can find better appointees to high office than people who believe in fairy tales.
These commenters try to make Rick sound like some sort of anti-religious bigot. Perhaps they should ponder the wisdom of St. Augustine and the Catholic bishops of the UK.
2:00 pm
So, Commissar, I am to believe that the big bang, or whatever origin-of-the-universe theory you believe “has been established as fact?” Please. That everything was made from nothing by no one can hardly be called “established as fact.”
You say a person is entitled to believe whatever they want, but unless they believe what you believe, they are unfit for office. Both you and Mr. Moran are bigots. The fact that you limit your bigotry to those who believe the Bible does not make you any less a bigot.
3:24 pm
Me and St. Augustine.
3:32 pm
[...] by commissar @ 3:32 pm. Filed under U.S. – General, Science & Technology
Right Wing Nut House » ANOTHER PERPLEXING BUSH APPOINTMENT [...]
4:18 pm
Prior to his work at Patrick Henry College, Bonicelli was a professional staff member for the International Relations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, and with a background consisting of both practical experience and scholarship regarding Latin American politics and U.S. foreign policy, he served on the staff of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. Development, democratization and the drug war were the main issues he worked on during his tenure at the Congress. In 2001 and 2002, he was tasked by the White House to serve as an official delegate to the United Nations.
Hmm…doesn’t sound so much like a crony now does he.
Now, your obvious intolerance toward anyone with another perspective than you regarding origins/creation is disconcerting. I find that when quite intelligent people disagree, distain from others is often rooted in hatred or ignorance. So, which are you?
4:19 pm
oh, my source for the first paragraph…
http://www.usaid.gov/press/releases/2005/pr051019.html
You know, that took about 2 seconds to find. Makes me wonder if you had a deeper agenda in your post. hmmmm….
5:15 pm
I don’t know if the Big Bang is a fact or not, but evolution sure is. Organisms change at a genetic level and it has been observed in the laboratory and in the field. If belief in facts is what makes one a bigot, then sign me up! Personally, I’d rather believe in facts, and be thought a bigot than deny facts and be thought an idiot.
6:19 pm
Steve, what you choose to call fact is entirely up to you. That does not make you a bigot. You can even think Mr. Bonicelli is an idiot, and not be a bigot. But if you believe that his faith in the Bible disqualifies him from public office, then you are bigot.
6:24 pm
David,
Would being an idiot disqualify him?
6:32 pm
I have to say that I am appalled at Rick’s invective in this post. I am a Bible-believing Christian. I work as a chemist. I work with “pagans” all day long and interact with them in many ways. Whether they are damned or not is not up to me, but up to God.
A Christian is compelled to treat all human beings as he would treat the Savior, that is, with the highest regard and esteem. We often fail to do this, but this does not invalidate what the Bible teaches. All people are equally important in God’s eyes, and He wants each and every person to be with Him for eternity.
I fail to see how being commited to this God and these principles makes one unfit for office or to represent the United States. If pious Muslims believe in jinns, are they also unfit to represent their countries?
Really, I am disappointed more than anything else. I expected more from someone of your intellect and talent.
7:27 pm
What on earth could be objectionable about Patrick Henry College’s Statement of Faith? The three points mentioned are all basic tenets of the historic Christian faith. Let’s take them one at a time, shall we:
“Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, is God come in the fleshâ€:
Hard to make a more basic statement of Christian fact, and one accepted by all sects of the historic Christian faith throughout the centuries. All Christians (Protestants/Evangelicals, Catholics, etc.) agree on this one: Christ was God incarnate – nothing out of the ordinary here.
“Jesus Christ literally rose bodily from the deadâ€:
Again, this one is not just basic, it’s literally “crucial” – this is the very heart of Christianity, and all Christians must by definition believe this as fact, regardless of denomination, etc. St. Paul: “...if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” Obviously, all Christians must believe this, and always have.
Hell is a place where “all who die outside of Christ shall be confined in conscious torment for eternityâ€:
There are some fringe groups who might argue semantics here, but again, Christians through the ages have always believed this, again across all major Christian groups.
So in short, that means that Patrick Henry College’s Statement of Faith is simply one that is quite appropriate for a Christian school, and requires nothing other than that one actually believe the most basic and undisputed of Christian tenets to teach in a Christian school – How shocking! Note that this is considerably less stringent than what was once required of faculty at colleges such as Princeton, Harvard, Yale, etc., all of which were founded as overtly Christian institutions!
By the way, evolution is not the scientific lock most people think – check out http://scienceagainstevolution.org/topics.htm if you’re not afraid to see what science really proves about evolution.
10:19 pm
Ooh, yes, and Answers in Genesis is a fine site too for all your scientific needs. You know, if you’re kind of dumb and particularly gullible.
Dublin, it’s hard to have much respect for any creationist site that actually tries to argue that evolution would violate SLOT. Well, it’s hard to have much respect for any creationist site, really, unless I’m looking for a laugh.
12:14 am
I’d say you were missing the point. The point is, if the guy believes in leprachauns, St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland or that Genesis is the literal history of the creation of earth, what’s that got to do with his ability to count, manage people and make appropriate business and administrative decisions?
As long as he doesn’t make anyone kiss the crucifix everytime they enter his office or sign any such pledge when working for USAID, there’s no question or problem.
Now, Rick points to some issues, but then another poster comes along and points to this man’s other posts and responsibilities which clearly indicate that he has more than religion or religious based employment to recommend him to an administrative or leadership position. Thus, I return to my original point, what does his religious beliefs have to do with being able to run a program effectively and efficiently?
12:14 am
Dublin,
I’m sorry, but that a few scientists want to put their faith before empirical evidence does not mean one can say that evolution and evolutionary theory are bunkum. The evidence in favor of evolutionary theory is vast and deep. It spans various fields from biochemistry, to physics, to paleontology, to genetics.
As for the tenets of faith for the Christian religion they are just that tenets of faith, not facts.
My objection to such an appointment isn’t based on religious beliefs per se, but that these beliefs violate what we know to be true about nature (i.e. ressurections don’t happen) and rely on the supernatural…myth when you get right down to it. Suppose the official were to believe in astrology I somehow doubt the defense would be as vigorous.
1:40 am
Suppose the official were to believe in astrology I somehow doubt the defense would be as vigorous.
Heh. You just haven’t annoyed the right people yet.
10:32 am
Why is Bush giving jobs to these kooks?
Bush does it again…and even a Rightwing Nuthouse can see the problem. This is not to say that the President shouldn’t have the right to name whomever he damn well pleases to any position he sees fit. It’s just that this appointment o…
10:59 am
I guess you’re right. As long as we’re removing general competence and respect for spheres of knowledge from our criteria for accepting someone in high position, there’s no reason Bush can’t appoint some nutcase who thinks basic science is wrong…and is also willing to indoctrinate young students with his lies. For that matter, felonious conduct, prostitution, or pedophilia also shouldn’t be obstacles to employment in the Bush administration—they’re all irrelevant to the applicant’s ability to “count, manage people and make appropriate business and administrative decisions”; why, they might even be plusses to Bush-style management!
11:10 am
points and laughs at irate fundies
Bad, bad cronyist appointment. And his fundamentalist views make him a liability, especially in parts of the world, where they believe something different. Bigot?, maybe. But Christianity in codified bigotry so get of your high horses. Science his disproved lots of fundamental Christian claims – flat earth, heliocentricity, made in 6 days etc. Christianity usually EVOLVES, after a period of torturing the heretics. Here’s a quiz. Did you asses all of the many world religions then make an informed decision, or was it what your parents taught you? I suspect the vast majority of you would be Muslim if you’d grown up somewhere else… If you didn’t examine them all and critically asses the merits of each, you can’t argue with authority here. Sorry.
I think it’d be great to have a Deputy Director of the United States Agency for International Development who believes god wants him to evangelize. They’ll love that.
11:15 am
IMO the original post makes a lot of sense.
All fundies that have a problem with this should try moving to Iran and experience living in a true theocracy.
Can I get an Amen? AMEN!
1:12 pm
Uh-oh, Rick! You’ve ticked off the wingnuts! Sadly, No! stands in solidarity with you
1:13 pm
There is a radical difference between believing in a particular bit of religious doctrine and in establishing a policy that requires people to avow that science supports that particular doctrine. The very notion of an apriori assertion of what the data will show before the data is considered is antithetical to science and demonstrates a contempt for intellectual discovery. And for private groups, that’s OK too. But for an institution of higher learning, this is an abomination and a total betrayal of reasonable concept of education. If you are the dean of such a place, yup, you’re a total kook.
Note this would apply to such a loyalty oath to Darwin or Lysinko or Freud.
1:32 pm
Wade,et al,
You seem to forget that there are all sorts of private schools and universities that are religious based. I need to look it up, but I believe one such institute has contributed a number of very successful CEOs and other executive management people.
The question here is whether he separates his duty and responsibilities as an administrator for the program from his beliefs and any tendency to prosletyze. People do this in every day life, as Chris points out. There should be a similar expectation for this gentleman and, aside from his position as Dean and the other appointment he filled, there is no indication that he has violated this tenet.
Further, when the constitution said, “there shall be no religious test” for public office, it meant not only that the government cannot demand a person have a specific religious belief to hold office, but that the office could not be denied to them because of their beliefs.
Now, you all might wish to believe that I am arguing this from the point of some sort of “fundamental Christian” belief (did it scare you that I wrote it?), but my point is simply that religious professions of faith cannot be the tool for discrimination against a person, neither the lack of or the belief.
If you found out he was a wiccan would this disqualify him?
If he was a Deacon of the LDS, would this disqualify him? If he was a professed atheist would that disqualify him?
To me, the question is not his faith, but his ability to manage a large organization successfully. If that proof of management ability includes or consists of managing a religious institution (such as this university) or charity, what is the difference? Does it make him less qualified than the CEO of Northwest Camping Gear? Or more?
1:43 pm
Kat, I don’t think he’s qualified, period. And I do think its relgious cronyism.
2:12 pm
I am going to infer that many of the commenters here who are antithetical to professing Christians holding positions of authority are not Christians themselves. I am also going to infer that they apparently know very little of Christian doctrine and teaching.
Christian thought does not reject science. Christian intellectuals attempt to fit scientific discoveries into the world view provided by the Bible and 2000 years of exposition and doctrine. For example, the present flap over “intelligent design”, which seems to be a good example of this type of thing. I seriously doubt that the current thought on this subject has been crystallized into dogma.
Because that’s what the real objection is, isn’t it? That people could believe certain precepts wholly independent from reason or logic. I have faith in a beneficent Creator and Savior, and I also have faith in quantum theory. I really don’t understand either, but that doesn’t seem to prevent me from functioning in modern society.
Oh, by the way, we “fundies” haven’t believed in a heliocentric system for 400 years. Just because the Church was/is a hidebound bureacracy, like any other human institution, doesn’t mean it will forever cling to outmoded theories.
2:29 pm
kat-missouri,
Your thoughtful response doesn’t seem to be to my posting even though you addressed me. Hindu, Buddist, Atheist, Christian: I don’t care. And I don’t see anyone taking him on because of his personal beliefs. What this guy did was to take the job of dean at a place that enforces a particular bit of theology as dogmatic science. The absurdity of this particular “the Earth is only 6000 years old” belief aside, any, read that again, any dogmatic enforcement of some TRVTH into a science cirriculum is abhorant. Reread their policy, it isn’t about faith or belief, it is something else.
And I admit, at the same time this particular belief about the earth being created only 6000 years ago requires such complete rejection of physics, chemistry, biology, geology and astronomy that it additionally impunes someones grip on reality in general. Sure people can compartmentalize but to suggest that this guy was, not necessarily the best guy for the job, but near the top of a sane list, well that’s an insult to our entire country.
3:08 pm
Hi Chris.
Can you please show me the right way to interpret these:
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”—Proverbs 3:5 (KJV)
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…”—2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV)
Many Thanks,
Rich
6:24 pm
Appointing people based on their adherence to any particular dogma is wrong. That said, fundamentalist Christians are wrong about the way the world works. The universe was not created in six days and our species is not the special creation of a supernatural being. Life has evolved on Earth for millions of years and we have all sorts of evidence to back that up. (See talkorigins.org) If you do not accept these facts, then you are not qualified to deal with reality or hold a position in government.
6:39 pm
Apparently we are living in a theocracy. Who knew? And here I thought the Jews controlled everything. Turns out it’s the Jesus freaks.
Rich, I am not a Bible scholar, but Proverbs 3:5 is saying that we should look to God for guidance in all things, listening to the inner voice (not in your head!) that will teach what direction to take, which decisions are best suited to keep you on the path to a more fulfilling relationship with God. To me, this does not mean that God will tell me in excruciating detail how to live my life, but that he will guide me in the path that is in my best interests if I will let Him. I have free will at all times, and can choose based on my own will and talents whenever I want. My choices may coincide with God’s, but they may not. Regardless, He will continue to lead me closer to Him.
As far as 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul was concerned that the Corinthian church was backsliding into pagan rituals (some member was sleeping with his father’s wife!), and he was pointing out that the Corinthians needed to get their minds right, so to speak. He was reminding them to get back to the basics of the gospel he had taught them, and to ignore the false teachings that had been imported into the church.
6:58 pm
Er as per my last post, replace racial bigotry with religious bigotry. Typo.
8:43 pm
I guess religious bigotry does not include dismissing people out of hand based on their profession of faith. Huh.
11:23 pm
Bonicelli is a biblical literalist.
“And what is Bonicelli’s own view? He smiles. ‘I am basically persuaded by the young Earth. I believe in six literal days, but I remain open to someone persuading me otherwise.’
But that’s neither here nor there.
I’m tolerably familiar with his new job. He’s going to be the #3 guy at USAID, which is the major dispenser of US foreign aid and assistance. It has about 4,000 employees and a budget of around 7.6 billion. Bonicelli will be running the Democracy and Governance section, which is USAID’s biggest component; it has a budget of about $3 billion.
What’s disturbing about this appointment isn’t the creationism. That by itself hardly matters. No, the problem here is that Bonicelli has no relevant experience. Basically, he’s been a House staffer and academic dean at a small Bible college. Think of it this way: if you were choosing someone to run a $3 billion company in the private sector, would you accept these as valid qualifications?
USAID is no small thing. It’s the agency most central to rebuilding US “soft power” around the world. It’s not a trivial job, and we should have good people in charge.
Rich is right: this appointment reeks of political correctness (Republican version) and cronyism.
Doug M.
3:06 am
That someone really believes that the world was created 6000 years ago yes, definately does make me question their judgement in all things. It’s like finding out that the head of the department of education thinks that the government can tune into his thoughts and that tinfoil hats can stop their eavesdropping. It’s just totally batty. Now, perhaps they conduct themselves normally aside from that, in which case it may well be harmless. But if their logical reasoning can go so badly, horrendously wrong in one instance, I don’t think it’s wrong to worry that they may be prone to falling off the trolley track on any given other subject.
6:07 am
Once again I see that if I, as a believer, espouse some doctrine which does not fit with someone else’s, then I must be, by definition, some kind of moron. I’m sure none of the detractors here have ideas which I would think equally silly, and I’m not talking about evolutionary theory.
At least plunge had a somewhat cogent argument related to experience in large-scale management. Prefaced by dismissal on grounds that the candidate held certain thoughts he found silly, and which are not particularly germane to the post for which he is nominated.
4:17 pm
Ok chris, I see you’ve taken to using the same line over and over, so why don’t you tell me why a shift in policy toward Africa, like the one I mentioned earlier concerning abstinance, isn’t A} Religiously motivated and B)One of the worst ideas ever concieved.
9:42 pm
PCH is not an accredited college.
WingNut U
4:31 pm
I was just going to leave well enough alone, but
Explain to me which approach is more realistic, continuing to supply condoms when that has been tried for a while now and the rates of disease keep growing, or possibly suggesting the only way you can be 100% sure of not getting STDs? Which is more condenscending, assuming that Africans are unable to understand the concepts of monogamy and restraint, or asking them to think about changing behaviors that increase risk needlessly? Has the U.N. stopped supplying condoms to Africa? How does nominating a practicing Christian curtail worldwide programs which have been in place for years?
Heaven forbid that religion motivate altruistic impulses, like the equality of men and women, Greek and Jew, free and slave. Or the abolition of slavery. Or the idea that your enemies deserve respect because they are your equal in God’s eyes. Or the idea that you should serve others instead of yourself.
12:45 pm
[...] To be sure, this is the rub between libertarians and social conservatives. The prominence with which George Bush has featured Christian conservatives in his nominations to fill important posts (too many to list but Paul Bocelli to head USAID is one I wrote about here) as well as virtually turning over parts of the State Department to ideologically driven religious conservatives who have changed American policy as it relates to family planning, AIDS education, and even some aspects of women’s rights has grated with libertarians. And the prominence of social conservative issues (some have called them “wedge” issues) has also worried the libertarians who seek a broader agenda in order to attract more independents and moderates. [...]