Contest: name this social movement

[Bill Haywood]

I consider this the most important post I've ever written here.

Things need labels, but there is a frightening political phenomenon that does not have a name. You have your Neocons, your New Dealers, Cold War liberals, lesbian separatists -- most political tendencies have names. Without names, an entire fascist movement can remain cloaked in Orwellian invisibility.

Several recent books expose Christian dominionism -- a rightwing evangelical movement that seeks to extend Christ's "dominion" (i.e. control) throughout American society and the military. Chris Hedges wrote American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America. A brand new book describes an antisemitic Christian cult that has taken over the Air Force Academy. The book is With God on Our Side: One Man's War Against an Evangelical Coup in America's Military by a Jewish Air Force Academy graduate. It has a website too. Another related book is Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism.

A lot of sober minded people say this movement represents a genuine American fascist movement in its early stages.

These folks are getting a pass in political discourse, so far, largely because they do not yet have a good handle. Take the Iraq war -- they are being let off the hook. We blame Bush and the Neocons, but the dominionists are even more to blame for making this war possible. Their crazy beliefs reach even the outback of Arkansas, where many people believe that US support for Israel is the only thing holding back God's wrath on us. Literally.

So what should we call them? I don't like "Christian Right" because it is not specific enough, and has too many positive connotations. Christian fascists may be accurate, but won't stick. Some concepts that a new label might invoke:

Separation of state and church
Moral absolutism
Belief that God speaks directly to believers
God takes sides
Apocalypse is coming, make America Christian now.

Some attempts:

Dominionists
NeoCrusaders
Kevlar Christians

Other suggestions?