In 2022, Hung Cao was the republican nominee for the 10th Congressional District of Virginia. He lost to the democratic runner. However, he is now running against the Democratic Senator Tim Kaine in the same State.
You'll probably remember Kaine as the Vice Presidential running mate for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Keep in mind, Kaine is a United States Senator, not a Congressman, so the seat that Cao is currently seeking would be higher than the one he just lost, although it's also probably true that Cao stands little chance of success.
But in an interview this summer, Cao made a statement where he expressed extreme discontent with the fact that Christianity has significantly declined in America, and in addition, blamed namely Wiccans for taking over parts of California (America's most populous State), ending by saying that "we can't let that happen in Virginia."
For one, neither Wicca or any religious minority has taken over any State or even any significant part of one. In California, Catholics currently make up the largest religious group, who are Christians. But hypothetically speaking, in any given place where Wiccans or Pagans have a large grouping, they have never posed any threat or advocacy against the religious freedom of Christians or any religious group.
While this hate speech is being specifically directed toward Wiccans, it's a safe bet he would include all Pagans and Polytheists in the mix. For someone who is a historian, we all know this is the kind of rhetoric with which massive oppression and crimes against humanity start.
There would, of course, be only one way that Cao could use the law to stop non-Christians from becoming significant, and that would be to find ways to attack their religious rights (persecution).
What's astounding to me is that he is also a decorated American veteran. I would expect more sense and decency from someone who has fought for freedom. Not to mention that being an ethnic minority himself should make him more aware of the propaganda and hate he's spreading.
Cao would say he believes in the Constitution and religious freedom, but this is untrue if he also believes the government can use its power to stop a religion from growing. The real truth is that Cao believes in freedom for people like himself, and he knows the end of Christian dominance in America is on the horizon.
In truth, I have feared this kind of day would come once Christianity realized it was on the road to losing absolute power. It is in the religion's history to use force against people who refuse to accept it. However, I suppose the good aspect of it is that we no longer live in a time where this kind of hate speech is ignored and not called out. People like him have lost the ability to keep things concealed.
In the Goodness of the Gods,
I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,
Chris Aldridge.