re: #2 Oh no…Sand People!

‘Religious Right’ and ‘Political Right’ should NOT be the same thing…

Exactly correct. They should not be the same thing; unfortunately, it more and more appears that they are.

I am religious.
I live a conservative life, and while I prefer to see smaller government, I do recognize the need (and the moral correctness) for providing safety-net sorts of social programs for those needing it; and I believe science and religion are perfectly compatible, thankyewverymuch.

The current Republican party and the current “right-wing” are not what I recognize as the sort of conservative I am.