In Istanbul, many are struck less by parallels between AKP and the Muslim Brotherhood than by parallels between AKP and the Republican Party.

Is the correlation of the Christian Right with Turkish Islamists fair?

Read more: AKP: Turkey’s ‘Islamists’ Remarkably Like Republicans

t’s a match made in political heaven – evangelical Christians and the Tea Party. Starting in 2010, the two huge conservative flanks started coming together, forming what Christian Broadcasting Network Chief Political correspondent David Brody calls the “Teavangelical” movement.

Read more: Tea Party Christians: 5 Reasons ‘Teavangelicals’ matter

‘“Our liberty, our freedom of religion, inalienable, granted by God, and enshrined in our Constitution, is under attack,” Hagen added, parroting the talking points of the national effort by anti-contraception activists which staged 140 simultaneous rallies across the country on Friday. Hagen, a waitress at Carrabba’s who told me she wasn’t particularly political before she learned of the Obama administration’s contraception coverage requirement in January, called the contraception benefit “coercion,” an “infringement of our conscience and our religious freedom,” “indefensible,” and “unjustifiable before God.”’

Read more: ‘Religious Freedom’ Rally Sets Stage for 1st Amendment Collision

‘For months, Catholic religious leaders have waged a PR campaign criticizing the Obama administration for allegedly infringing on their religious liberties. They’ve blasted, among other things, an administration requirement (since rescinded) that institutions affiliated with religious organizations offer contraceptive coverage in their health insurance plans. Religious conservatives are also fuming that the administration declined to renew a contract with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to provide services for human trafficking victims, because the group refused to provide referrals for contraception and abortion to sexual assault victims.’

Read more: What War on Religion?

‎’Many pundits seem convinced the Obama Administration’s decision on contraception coverage is bad politics for the president. And although I support the decision to make coverage mandatory, even for large religious institutions, that conclusion about the politics is likely true in at least one sense.

As you probably know, the big danger for Obama is that this decision alienates Catholic voters. The idea is that these voters, who might otherwise see Obama as a defender of their economic interests, will turn against him: Even if they use contraception personally (as most do) and disagree with the Church’s teaching, they’ll interpret this decision as broadly hostile to religion and, perhaps, specifically hostile to Catholics.’

Read more: New Republic: Birth Control Bad Politics For Obama?

1) Santorum’s a family guy. 2) Santorum’s no PC weenie. 3) Santorum homeshools his lil Christ Warriors. 4) Santorum’s a devout cradle Catholic (sounds legit). 5) Santorum’s not Mitt Romney. 6) Santorum’s not Newt Gingrich. 7) Santorum’s anti-abortion. 8) Santorum’s against same-sex-marriage. 9) Santorum’s big on ‘compassionate conservatism’. 10) Santorum challenges science, questions the theory of evolution, and dismisses global warming as “a hoax.”

Read more: 10 Reasons Religious Conservatives Love Rick Santorum

‘All of a sudden, abortion, contraception and gay marriage are at the center of American political discourse, with the struggling, though improving, economy pushed to the background.

Social issues don’t typically dominate the discussion in shaky economies. But they do raise emotions important to factors like voter turnout. And they can be key tools for political candidates clamoring for attention, campaign cash or just a change of subject in an election year.’

Read more: They’re back: Social issues overtake US politics

1) All major religious groups favor a more equitable distribution of wealth. 2) Latino evangelicals may hold the key to swing states. 3) Don’t expect Romney endorsements from Mormon leaders. 4) White mainline Protestants and white Catholics are trending in opposite directions. 5) Shared religious beliefs are directly related to approval ratings for candidates of either party. 6) Flirting with the “nones”. 7) “Islamophobia” is costing conservatives a key group: Muslims. 8) Evangelical voters are not monolithic. 9) …And evangelical kingmaking days are over. 10) Religious liberty will be a contentious issue.

Read more: 10 Things You Should Know About Religion in the 2012 Elections

1) Catholic employers complain about having to provide birth control coverage with health insurance. 2) Catholic Charities shut down adoption services rather than allow same-gender couples to adopt. 3) Tony Perkins whines after Air Force apologizes for promoting an explicitly Christian charity. 4) Justice Department defends a teacher who claims religious discrimination after being fired from a Lutheran school. 5) Obama administration refuses to defend the Defense of Marriage Act.

Read more: 5 Big Lies About the Phony ‘War on Religion’

The Komen Furor and Abortion as Black/ Latino Genocide http://mys.tc/1s5 plannedparenthood reproductiverights