<div>A decent article on the AlterNet site about the rise of the evangelical right (<A href="http://www.alternet.org/story/36640/">http://www.alternet.org/story/36640/</A>). An excerpt:</div> <div> </div> <div>"The country's demographics are on the movement's side. Megachurch culture is spreading. The exurbs where religious conservatism thrives are the fastest growing parts of America; in 2004, 97 of the country's 100 fastest-growing counties voted Republican. The disconnection of the exurbs is a large part of what makes the spread of Christian nationalism's fictitious reality possible, because there is very little to conflict with it."</div> <div> </div> <div>Near where I live, there is a stunning example of the speed of exurban growth. Just a few years ago, New Milford's Route 202 cut through farmland, produce stands, and tiny outposts of light industry. (The most distinctive feature was a large plot devoted to a weekly flea market.) Now it is chock-a-block with fast food joints, strip malls, and various big-box structures, including a new high school, a Wal-Mart, and the Faith Church Family and Community Life Center. (Within its own big box, the Center plans a cappuccino/ice cream shop, a fun zone with arcade games, and a theater with more than 100 seats. It already offers daycare programs.) All this to serve a surge of residential development, which is attracting people who would otherwise be priced out of Fairfield County.</div> <div><A href="http://flickr.com/photos/emizael/57624071/in/set-1205968/">http://flickr.com/photos/emizael/57624071/in/set-1205968/</A></div> <div><A href="http://www.faithchurchct.com/about/history.html">http://www.faithchurchct.com/about/history.html</A></div> <div> </div> <div>Other sights: Flags. Banners (Support Our Troops). Signs (Proud to Be an American). A lot of pick-up trucks.</div> <div> </div> <div>Possible that the electoral/structural bias favoring rural areas also intensifies sprawl, big box retailing, and the growth of evangelical churches? </div> <div><BR>Kevin<BR></div><p> <hr size=1>Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/postman1/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=39663/*http://voice.yahoo.com">Make PC-to-Phone Calls</a> to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.