A Different Look At Our Second Biggest Problem

Illegal
mmigration

What the Liberal Press Won't Tell You

Another Former Liberal Turning to "Right"eous Heroism

Where Los Angeles Lives | Pro and Anti-Immigration Rallies Clash in Downtown: Ana Beatriz Cholo, The Associated Press, March 26, 2007

Dueling immigration rallies Sunday marked the
one-year anniversary of a massive pro-immigrant demonstration that jammed downtown streets with a half-million protesters and framed new debate in Washington.

Standing among the anti-illegal immigration protesters was 76-year-old Esther Lofton. Lofton said she was representing "my community, the black community" of Watts - an area that has seen a surge of Hispanic immigrants in the past decade. She said she is against illegal immigration regardless of race.

"I'm not out here just fighting Hispanics," she said. "I'm out here fighting illegal immigration. This is my first march, but I hope to get something started."

Ted Hayes was the leader of this rally in Los Angeles, but he was not interviewed by any newspaper, nor any television station. Being Black, he's not the right face for the liberal media to display, considering that he is deeply anti-illegal immigration. He is a hero to me, much like other liberal heroes like Tammly Bruce, Zel Miller, and Joe Lieberman, who take unpopular stands on issues they strongly believe. I am especially proud of Ted Hayes, since he is finally getting Blacks aroused against illegal immigration, which hurts Blacks more than any other group, taking skilled and unskilled jobs away from their community.





During the rally, one thuggish demonstrator dirtied the American flag, threw it to the ground, spit and stomped on it. Ted Hayes went to the flag, picked it up, and smothered it in kisses.

Ted Hayes Says: Biggest Threat to Blacks Since Slavery

Some months ago, Ted had this exchange with Sean Hannity on Fox News:

HANNITY: You're under fire for saying the biggest threat to blacks in America since slavery is illegal immigration. A lot of people don't like the fact that you made that analogy. How do you...

HAYES: Absolutely. Because it's true.

HANNITY: I've known you a long time. You never — you never shy away from a fight or a controversy. What did you mean by that for maybe somebody who didn't understand what you meant?

HAYES: If this illegal immigration process continues, it is going to completely destroy us. We are losing our homes, our lands, our houses, our employment.

Mr. Hayes

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Theodore "Ted" Hayes, Jr. is an American advocate for the homeless and has recently become an activist for the Republican Party.

Hayes' liberal activism began in January 1985, when Justiceville, a community of homeless people in Los Angeles, was founded. It survived for five months, until authorities moved to shut down the shantytown. When they did, Hayes entered 35-day fast in protest.

In 1993 he founded Dome Village, a Los Angeles homeless facility consisting of geodesic domes designed by architect Craig Chamberlain and funded by ARCO. During the same year, he ran for mayor of Los Angeles during the primary election, receiving 0.63% of the vote. In the mid-1990s, he organized a youth- and homeless cricket team that toured Ireland and England and inspired an opera. He is also the current president of the Los Angeles Social Cricket Alliance.

At the 2000 Democratic National Convention, Hayes, who was leading a contingent of homelessness activists, was shot with a rubber bullet by police.

In 2001 he ran unsuccessfully for the Los Angeles City Council seat of the 9th district, receiving 5.3% of the vote. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, he was criticized by Muslim leaders for his role in persuading the Los Angeles City Council to pass a resolution demanding that Muslims take a stronger stance against global terrorism. Recently, he has become a vocal critic of illegal immigration, joining the Minutemen Project at protests and staging his own. There was an altercation at an anti-illegal immigration rally at Leimert Park organized by Hayes.

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Another Aspect of Illegal Immigration

The Southland's hidden Third World slums - Los Angeles Times: "In the Coachella Valley, hundreds of trailer parks house desperately poor Latino workers amid burning trash, mud, contaminated water," by David Kelly, Times Staff Writer, March 26, 2007.

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THERMAL, CALIF.

Like most of their neighbors in the sprawling, ramshackle Oasis Mobile Home Park, the Aguilars have no heat, no hot water. On cold nights, the family of eight stays warm by bundling up in layers of sweaters and sleeps packed together in two tiny rooms.

Bathing is a luxury that requires using valuable propane to boil gallons of water. So the farmworker clan spends a lot of time dirty.

Jose Aguilar, a wiry 9-year-old, has found a way around the bath problem. He just waits until dinner. "My mom makes frijoles,' he said, 'then I take a bath in that water."

The purpose of this article, of course, appearing in the Left-Angeles Times, is to make you feel sorry for illegal immigrants. I have a different response to it. I believe this is what you can expect when you have an unregulated invasion of our country. Like Ted Hayes, I have nothing against Hispanics. I do have something against filling our nation with unskilled, uneducated, poverty-stricken people who will naturally turn to crime or at least undercut our wages. I continue to repeat, too, that I resent people coming to our nation who do not want to become Americans, will not learn our language, and who bankrupt our hospitals, fill our prisons, and lower the standards in our schools.

Many Hispanics, and now, as we've seen with Ted Hayes and other Blacks, feel the same way. Any Hispanic who comes to America wanting to be an American, willing to work hard, get educated, learn our language, and eschew gangs, to me, is welcome. We do not promote this kind of immigration, however, by being "kind" to all comers. Reality has to set in. Despite our riches, we cannot feed the whole world. If we try, then we will become Third World ourselves, and this cannot be good for anyone. Go to the Oasis Mobile Home Park to see liberal heaven.

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The Solutions?

What is the solution for us? A sensible immigration policy.

What is the solution for poor Mexicans? Believe it or not, it remains in helping and persuading Mexico to treat its citizens better, develop capitalism, decrease corruption, and take care of their own poor. Yes, we need a wall; better border enforcement; and penalties for businesses that hire illegals. Plus, we must stop feeling guilty. We cannot import all the world's poor. The best thing we can do for them is spread democracy, and support the rise of capitalism—as we see happening in China. The Chinese poor no longer need our charity, do they? Neither will Mexico if they change direction.

In conclusion, I salute you Ted Hayes; and I point to the Oasis Mobile Home Park as the vision we want to avoid in America.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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A Classical Liberal's View on Iraq

ovelyL
ife-saving
iberals

Good Guys and Gals

There are several living Democrats whom I admire. A short list would include of course Joe Lieberman, Zell Miller, Tammy Bruce, and even Bill Richardson (for his integrity and honesty), and well, let's see—I'm thinking.

A Liberal with Integrity Defends the Iraq War

There is one liberal, however, whom I admire as much as anyone, even as much as such heroes as Larry Elder, Tom Tancredo, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham.

Christopher Hitchens.

The man is the epitome of what I call the Classical Liberal. He is liberal in many of his viewpoints, but counterbalances this with being strong on defense, a lover of America, and a man who tells the truth,





without demagoguery.

A rare bird these days. He ought to be cherished.

The great one speaks about the Iraq War: So, Mr. Hitchens, weren't you wrong about Iraq? - By Christopher Hitchens - Slate Magazine: Fighting words: Hard questions, four years later. By Christopher Hitchens, Posted Monday, March 19, 2007, at 1:53 PM ET

Four years after the first coalition soldiers crossed the Iraqi border, one can attract pitying looks (at best) if one does not take the view that the whole engagement could have been and should have been avoided. Those who were opposed to the operation from the beginning now claim vindication, and many of those who supported it say that if they had known then what they know now, they would have spoken or voted differently.

What exactly does it mean to take the latter position? At what point, in other words, ought the putative supporter to have stepped off the train? The question isn't as easy to answer as some people would have you believe. Suppose we run through the actual timeline:

It's a great defense of the Iraq War, and you can go to the above link to read the article. He writes it better than I, so I'll just direct you to it.

Opportunistic Blathering

I, like you, have been hearing the demagogic John Kerry present the other side, and just about every Democrat trying to turn soldiers' lives into political capital.

Too Busy Protesting to See Reality

What is ironic, with all the anti-war protests lately, and the shameless vote-seeking, is that the surge is reportedly actually going quite well. Despite all the complaining by anti-war groups and the left, people on the ground, including Iraqi's and American soldiers, are saying that they are starting to feel safer.

Terrorists Love the Left

Of course, this is only a temporary phenomenon, as the terrorists know that the left continues its drumbeat to remove the troops, thereby ensuring that we will be withdrawing in the sometime not so distant future.

The sad thing is that much of the public is buying the left's propaganda. Too bad. If we do withdraw prematurely, then we might be snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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A Documentary on Michael Moore

What Goes Around Comes Around

I find this hilarious. It validates my judgment to myself. I was thinking of making a documentary about Michael Moore, showing his hypocrisy, and voila, a pair of liberals beat me to it. Of course, they didn't mean to be negative. They practically worship the guy. Still, his duplicity shines through their film.

Documentary questions Moore's tactics - Yahoo! News: By Christy Lemire, AP Movie Writer.

AUSTIN, Texas - As documentary filmmakers, Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine looked up to Michael Moore.

Then they tried to do a documentary of their own about him — and ran into the same sort of resistance Moore himself famously faces in his own films.

The result is "Manufacturing Dissent," which turns the camera on the confrontational documentarian and examines some of his methods. Among their revelations in the movie, which had its world premiere Saturday night at the South by Southwest film festival: That Moore actually did speak with then-General Motors chairman Roger Smith, the evasive subject of his 1989 debut Roger & Me, but chose to withhold that footage from the final cut.

The husband-and-wife directors spent over two years making the movie, which follows Moore on his college tour promoting 2004's Fahrenheit 9/11. The film shows Melnyk repeatedly approaching Moore for an interview and being rejected; members of Moore's team also kick the couple out of the audience at one of his speeches, saying they weren't allowed to be shooting there.

You can read the full article to get all the details. The point is, Michael Moore's whole reason for making the documentary Roger and Me was that Roger (Roger Smith) supposedly was inaccessible, and wouldn't meet with Moore. Whoops! I guess Mr. Moore wasn't entirely honest was he? His other documentaries are just as full of holes, as is Mr. Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

Great Editing

Left-wing documentaries, and organizations for that matter, are like this. They are propaganda pieces designed to inflame people and set up fundraising for pet projects. Gore's got the whole world scared. Hollywood continues to honor people like Moore and Gore. I'd rather have "more gore," Hollywood horror movies, than anything Moore and Gore manufacture. I will see their movies, because they are entertaining. I feel bad about them, though, because they masquerade as truth, and people believe them.

We ought to have a board of Truth that looks into the validity of the claims of documentaries, including left- and right-wing films. After all, you can lie with pictures, photos, and interviews. It all depends on the editing. If you're Michael Moore you just leave out the fact that you did meet with Roger. If you're Gore, you leave out the scientists who don't believe that global warming is as bad as he says it is.

Leftists are great editors.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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Shoulda Been Biden his Time

Soul
of a liberal

Oops!

Biden Unwraps His Bid for '08 With an Oops! - New York Times: WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2007. In an era of meticulous political choreography, the staging of the kickoff for this presidential candidacy could hardly have gone worse.

Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, who announced his candidacy on Wednesday with the hope that he could ride his foreign policy expertise into contention for the Democratic nomination, instead spent the day struggling to explain his description of Senator Barack Obama, the Illinois Democrat running for president, as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”

The remark, published Wednesday in The New York Observer, left Mr. Biden’s campaign struggling to survive its first hours and injected race more directly into the presidential contest. The day ended, appropriately enough for the way politics is practiced now, with Mr. Biden explaining himself to Jon Stewart on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”

Racism

I think a liberal leader has gotten caught for exactly the attitude that is felt but unspoken among their ilk.






The disclaimers are coming hot and heavy that he didn't really mean it the way it sounded. Au contraire. Liberal leaders are the true racists at this time in history. Exactly as Bush has said for years, they harbor in their hearts the soft bigotry of low expectations, patronizing blacks and Hispanics and marveling when they just show up.

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The Obama Halo

I have nothing against Barack Obama. I agree with some of the hype that he is a potential star. And yes, to be honest, as this is what this blog is all about, part of the mystique is that he is black. I yearn for a black candidate that can put an end to the unfair charge that America is still racist. So I find myself rooting for Obama, because he is black, and because he is articulate, and because he has captured the imagination with some charisma, and all this means he has a chance.

I have to watch myself, though. I have this tendency to put a halo around Obama. When I look at his voting record, he is a pure liberal. Liberals are not good for the country at this time. Ergo, Obama would not be good for the country. Still, and I am being dead honest, I sense something more in him, aside from his race, and aside from his ill-chosen liberalism. I detect some common sense in him. Common sense can steer a person away from nonsense. Sometimes, away from the nonsense of his party.

Take Away the Halo

Let's put it this way. I desperately don't want a liberal to win the presidency in '08. I fear our country is veering fast towards socialism and a crippling weakness in the face of terrorism and other threats. But if a liberal has to win, then I'd fear Obama less than any other Democrat who has a chance in this race. Even taking away the halo, Obama has something solid about him.

Advice for White Liberals

I have some advice for liberal whites, though, and this is good for the rest of us too. The best way to honor African-Americans, or Hispanics for that matter, is to treat them as your equals. Don't patronize them. Catch yourself when you want to surround them with halos, good or bad; which means treating them with discrimination, positive or negative. Both are dehumanizing.

Treating people as equals means being honest with them, and judging them fairly. Obama, for example, needs to be considered on the content of his character, by his words, and by his deeds. I'll give you an example of what I mean. My opinion of him as a presidential candidate is that he doesn't have the heft yet to be president. He is bright and articulate, and I'd love that in a president, but he needs to understand the world more. I wouldn't trust him yet with Iraq.

Of course, I wouldn't trust any Democrat with Iraq except Joe Lieberman.

Still, my earlier statement stands. If I have to trust a liberal with Iraq, other than Lieberman, I fear Obama less than the others, because of his common sense, and his ability to learn quickly.

Democrat equals Demagogue

Democrats have chosen, over the last fifty or so years, not only to patronize blacks, but to demagogue them. This means they communicate with them by playing to their fears. The underlying assumption is that blacks are not bright enough to see through this. Unfortunately, the strategy has worked. Blacks vote overwhelmingly Democratic. What a crock. The party that uses them has gained their confidence. The party that preaches what could lift them up, the Republicans, is scorned.

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Bring on the Gaffs!

One day, through gaffs like Biden's, maybe blacks will see through the Democratic hypocrisy, and realize that a good economy, effective policing, a strong defense, and family values are good for them, as opposed to the welfare state that Democrats promise.

Biden did us a favor. He allowed us to look into the soul of the white liberal.

Disclaimer

There probably are a small number of true progressives and true classical liberals among the Democratic and leftist leaders of today. This post of course does not apply to them. They represent an honest disagreement with the right, unlike the corrupt demagoguery of the mainstream Democratic Party leadership.

Plus, I realize that not all liberal leaders are racists; and that those who are racists do not see themselves as such. Their racism is hidden even to themselves, and it is a racism without malice. It is just as harmful, though, as deliberate persecution.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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Unperky Ratings for Couric

Couric
rashes

Gender Bias?

"Gender" Blamed for Katie Couric's Low Ratings: Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007

CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus says that gender bias may play a role in the disappointing ratings Katie Couric has been getting on CBS Evening News.

"I think it is a fact there are probably people, both men and women, who are perhaps uncomfortable having a woman anchor the news," McManus told the media industry publication Broadcasting & Cable.

"The way she is scrutinized, I think sometimes unfairly, quite frankly, I think a lot of that has to do with gender."

McManus maintained that as a woman, Couric has to be concerned about 'a lot of things the male anchor doesn't have to worry about, like how she looks or what she is wearing."

The Real Reasons for Couric's Low Ratings

With all due respect to Mr. McManus, I believe the reason Couric's numbers have fallen is not because she is different, ala being a woman, but that she is the same. She is the same old touchy feely liberal bias wrapped up in a new gender and new clothes.




Despite her attempts at being objective, with her Free Speech segments, her underlying sympathies show through loud and clear. What makes FOX so appealing on cable is that they give voice to a side that has been neglected by the other media. The same can be said for talk radio. When the people have a choice, they go for Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity over Air America, Al Franken, and even Alan Combs any day.

The networks have never used a conservative anchor. They ought to try it. They might like it.

The Stiffness Factor

One problem with finding a conservative for the job is the stiffness factor. Several conservatives are less fun than liberals. They are wrapped up in righteousness and act like they have a stick up their rears. Some conservatives who are enjoyable are too radical. Ann Coulter is more fun than a barrel full of puppies, but she'd be a poor choice for a news anchor.

Find the Doppelganger Plus of Katie Couric on the Right

I suggest the networks find a conservative female who is not overly religious, and not overly stern, but who has gravitas on the major issues of the day. This would be a more serious version of Katie Couric, but on the right. Not too religious. Not too dogmatic. But with a conservative bent. Able to smile, and laugh, and joke; but with a real interest and understanding of world issues.

One Girl Who Could Do It

Do I have suggestions? It's a difficult task.

Surprisingly, even to me, is one person that pops into my head as perfect for the job, Democrat Tammy Bruce. Of course, she would have to abandon her combative side and adopt a more sober demeanor, but she is an example, to me, of the kind of woman who could present the news with a depth of understanding and draw ratings too.

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About Ms. Bruce

Tammy Bruce (born August 19, 1962) is an author and political commentator. Bruce hosts The Tammy Bruce Show, a radio talk show broadcast on over 160 stations in the United States. The show broadcasts six days a week, including Saturdays. Each episode is three hours long. NewsMax.com Magazine's "Top 25 Talk Radio Host" list selected Bruce as the twenty-fourth most influential host in the nation. She is described on her website as "an openly gay, pro-choice, gun owning, pro-death penalty, voted-for-President Bush progressive feminist". Bruce is a self-described classical liberal.

For seven years, Bruce served as president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) from 1990 to 1996, the longest continuous tenure in the chapter's 30-year history. She mobilized activists locally and nationally on a whole range of issues, including women's image in media, childcare, health care, violence against women, economics, and domestic violence. She also served two years on the board of directors for NOW, which she heavily criticizes in her last book.

Tammy, while remaining a Democrat, has taken a decided right turn in her outlook in the last several years. She is highly supportive of George Bush and the Iraq War, and holds now several conservative positions on national issues. She does remain liberal on many social issues, but she is tolerant of opposing views. She takes her Democratic Party to task on their demagoguery, as I do.

Her Books

The New Thought Police: Inside the Left's Assault on Free Speech and Free Minds

The Death of Right and Wrong: Exposing the Left's Assault on Our Culture and Values , (Random House, 2003).

The New American Revolution: Using the Power of the Individual to Save Our Nation from Extremists (Morrow, 2005)

Her newest book is The New American Revolution, How You Can Fight The Tyranny of The Left's Cultural and Moral Decay

Pigeonholing Tammy

Ms. Bruce is an anomaly, and the left doesn't know what to do with her. She still stands tall as a hard-driving, reasonable feminist, and wants to remain a Democrat, but she is disgusted where her party has gone. Sound familiar? That's my line. She is a classical liberal. That's how I see myself. Which translates into today's jargon as conservative, or even neo-con. But it's really just classical liberal—the same beliefs on many issues that great Democrats have held, like FDR, Truman, and Kennedy. Strong on defense, patriotic, pro-business. Believing in God, but not overly religious. Tolerant.

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Ms. Bruce as Anchor

Anyway, off my soapbox and back on topic. Ms. Bruce is one example of a female, I think, who could hold her own as a news anchor. Why would she succeed where Couric is failing? Ms. Bruce is pretty, like Couric, but more so; intelligent, far more than Couric; and has gravitas, far more than Couric. She is passionate about world issues, much like the men—Brokaw, Williams, and Gibson. Plus, she is basically conservative, without being stiff.

Let's face it, Couric is a lightweight. She is not passionate about world events. She is not well informed. Her politics are liberal, and based on feelings. Who will turn to her for her views on the world?

Get a woman like Tammy Bruce, and you've got a chance for an audience.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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Friends of God

Evangelicals

Pelosi Documentary: Evangelism in America's Heartland

Yesterday, I watched with fascination, awe, and yes, a good feeling, Nancy Pelosi's daughter's documentary about evangelicals in America, "Friends of God."

God, Mom and Country: A Filmmaker's Odyssey - The New York Times:








Ms. Pelosi with her son, Paul Michael Vos, born in November.

You are a young documentary filmmaker with a reputation for capturing politicians' antics. In a deliberate departure from politics, your latest film is

a road trip into the world of evangelical Christians that includes a drive-through church, a Christian wrestling federation, a stand-up Christian comic, and an evangelical Elvis.





HBO's Friends of God - TCA Report - TV Squad:

Documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi, who also directed the doc about the Presidential campaign of George W. Bush "Journeys with George," tackles evangelicals in "Friends of God," an original film for HBO. It's a startling look deep inside the conventions, beliefs, and personalities that make up this larger than you would think demographic in the United States, which contains an estimated 50 to 80 million Americans.

Here is what one dismissive critic had to say: "Friends of God" goes into the belly of Evangelical America - TELEVISION REVIEW - Los Angeles Times:

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But in "Friends of God" Pelosi takes her "Real World" self and noncombative questions into Evangelical America and fails to achieve any intimacy whatsoever. The film is a Rough Guide of Holy Roller-ville, Pelosi the Blue State girl hitting the road with implied Trader Joe's snacks to have look-but-don't-touch encounters with Christian wrestlers, Christian car enthusiasts, Christian theme park operators, Christian home-schoolers.

What she observes — that there are millions of evangelicals out there, sectarian culture warriors, young and old, folded into pop culture and with political might — never rises to anything more than the preordained tour into the Land of Difference that Pelosi herself is on.

At its worst, it all comes off as a social worker's patronizing home visit, as when Pelosi drops in on a brood of Christian home-schoolers in Pikeville, Tenn., and seems to want to spirit away the mother of 10, maybe take her back to New York City to teach her how to blog.

Though Pelosi does, once again, get a "get" just by having a knack for being there. In this case it's the Rev. Ted Haggard, disgraced ex-leader of the New Life Church and National Assn. of Evangelicals, who resigned over "sexually immoral conduct" shortly after Pelosi finished her documentary.

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Freaks and Jerks

If you are a conservative, you'd expect a hate-filled film, ala Michael Moore, about a subject so foreign to such a secular family as the Pelosi's. Indeed, several evangelicals are up in arms about the film, saying that Ms. Pelosi focused on the "freak-show" aspects of evangelicals.

Dr. Larry Poland said that seeing certain evangelicals on-screen made him cringe a bit, because "Every congregation has their 'jerk factor.' The gays and lesbians have it, the Democrats have it, and we have it."

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Ironic Backdrop

Ms. Pelosi, when she made this documentary, could not have known two things that would be true when it first aired: that her mother would be installed as the first female Speaker of the House; and that her main spokesman for the evangelicals in the film, Ted Haggard, would disgrace himself.

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True Believers

I watched the smorgasbord of "freaks" and "jerks" but didn't get the same feeling as some of the defensive evangelicals feared. In fact, witnessing the panoply of eccentrics, as well as the many more ordinary believers, just gave me the feeling that these people really believe. They really really believe, to an extent that is absolute. They are a mighty army trying to use all of modern man's quirks and idiosyncrasies to fight the war for Christ. In their own minds, and with tangible results in reality, as in election victories and stable families, they are winning, one soul at a time.

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Disclosure

In the interest of disclosure, I am not an evangelical. I believe in God, with a mix of Catholicism, Judaism, New Age, and an ear towards listening to God in the real world. If anything, I am biased against evangelicals, since though I believe in God, I do not believe in mankind's absolute interpretations of Him. I believe all religions have something to offer humanity, and do represent a communion with God, but that fallible humans have taken the Bible, the Qur'an, and other holy books, and characterized them as the literal spoken word of God. They presume that they know God and no one else does. Why? Because it says so, in the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Qur'an, or the Bhagavad Gita.

God Speaks to Everyone

So I get very nervous when I hear someone so certain that they have a direct pipeline to God while the rest of us are out in the cold. I believe God speaks to all of us—Christians; Jews; Wiccans; even Muslims, the good ones; Buddhists; and even atheists and agnostics.

Charlatans, God, and Fallible Humans

Still, though I believe that about 60% of the pastors of these evangelicals are charlatans, just out to rake in the money, and I cringe at the absolutism of the evangelicals' beliefs, I do sense God in their midst. They are so happy, so involved, and so certain of their salvation through Christ.

Their young people are smiling. They might have rings in their lips, and purple hair, and sing punk rock, but it's Christian punk rock. These kids seem to have channeled their youthful rebellions into peculiar dress codes instead of drugs, sex and violence.

The families appear happy, united, working hard, the way families are meant to be.

The one glaring failure of all Christians, as with all humans it seems, is in the sexual realm. There are so many sexual scandals. Witness your Jimmy Swaggarts, your Jimmy Bakers, several Catholic priests, and your Ted Haggards.

Still, the evangelicals evidently have great sex lives with their partners. Another plus.

Haggard as Spokesperson

I found the use of soon-to-be-morally-exposed Haggard as the main spokesperson for the evangelicals to be ironic and emblematic. He seemed a good enough fellow throughout the film, full of good will and cheer, enlightenment, and moral certainty, even against gays. Until he was exposed as having gay sexual encounters himself. Again, Pelosi did not know Haggard would fall when she made her film. Still, he added a lot to the documentary, including its irony and a warning to the world that all is not as it seems.

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Kansas City Star | 01/16/2007 | Journeys with Ted and "Friends of God":

Besides, it's hard to see how "Friends of God" could have survived if Haggard had been sliced out of it. As president of the 30-million-member National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of a sprawling megachurch in Colorado, Haggard proved a helpful guide, on-camera and off, for the secularized, urbanized Catholic Democrat as she began her explorations of the praise-Jesus crowd.

If “Friends of God” is able to overcome the doubters and become a useful document of today’s Bible Belt, much of the credit must go to Haggard (he also was featured in the film “Jesus Camp,” which was partly shot in Lee’s Summit). Pelosi said he took her into his family and on trips through the evangelical world; opened doors to Jerry Falwell, who allowed her to film inside his Thomas Road Baptist Church; and turned her on to subculture phenomena like Christian wrestling, which looks just like the blood-and-guts version on cable TV, except there’s an altar call at the end.

Unfortunately, Haggard also provided what, in hindsight, will surely be the film’s touchstone moment. Standing outside church, he tells Pelosi’s camera that surveys have found evangelicals enjoy the best sex lives. Without warning, he turns to a couple of men standing nearby and asks them, “How many times a week do you have sex with your wife?” and, “How many times does she climax?”

But as weird as this exchange is, it does help establish an authentic voice for “Friends of God” that it would not have if it had been made by a born-again believer, who might have left scenes like that one out.

Larry Poland, an evangelical who was a consultant for Pelosi and HBO, told the TV critics he wasn’t entirely happy with the film, but then, “the film I’d have made wouldn’t have been interesting and fascinating."

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Cult?

Are evangelicals part of a cult? In my opinion, definitely yes. Some parts of the cult are harmless, as when the pink-haired wrestlers proselytize after a Christian wrestling match.















I am reminded though of the extent that evangelism can go when I watch the 1980 movie about the charismatic psycho-preacher, Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, the guy who led almost 1000 followers to commit suicide. I am reminded of the absolute faith that some Muslims have that lead them to fly planes into towers of innocent people.

Yet, most of the cult of evangelism is either harmless or even positive. After all, they advocate following Christ, whose teachings were very humanistic and positive to all. Until, of course, you get to the dark side, where lurks hatred for those non-Christians, gays, and sinners of all kinds. Then, these Christians forget that Christ said ye without sin cast the first stone.

There is also something creepy about having these guys and gals proselytize 24 hours a day. Who likes a "Bible-thumper" bending your ear when you don't want it?

And, as a cult, there is also the mind-numbing, automaton-like behavior of people in groups—doing, saying, and thinking the same things, reinforced by ritual, song, and groupthink. This is no different from any kind of brainwashing (although evangelicals would say it is a kind of good brainwashing). All religions do it, but evangelicals do it with a special gusto. Radical Muslims do it too, only with evil in their hearts.

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Conclusion

I will never be an evangelical, and I would not want my children to be one either.

On the other hand, if I could capture the good parts of the phenomena, and add tolerance, skepticism about their beliefs (a healthy uncertainty), an openness to other religions, and a receptivity to God speaking in the here and now, then I think you'd have something. Keep God and Christ, and the rituals and goodness. Get rid of the hatred, exclusivity, moral certainty, and sinful pride. Admit that you are human, fallible, and that your interpretation of the Bible, or any other holy book, is your interpretation. Don't mistake your interpretation for the word of God.

On the other extreme, I advise not to discriminate against evangelicals. They are mostly good people. Very good people.

I urge every American to see this film, "Friends of God." It captures some truth about America, and about God, and is supremely entertaining.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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Communicating the State of the Union

Clarity and




Good will

Hat Trick

I watched the State of the Union Speech last night and paid attention to the substance, but also to the tone.

First, I observed something that only I probably noticed: I received everything I asked for yesterday from George Bush on the topic of Iraq. In my last two posts, My Fellow Americans, and Pandering President Pursues the Arnold Effect, I advised President Bush:

• Do talk about Iraq at length.


• Level with the American people as much as you can, and give them the feeling that you have a plan for all contingencies.


• Think of a way or ways to involve the American people in the sacrifice for this war.

In yesterday's post, I describe how I got exactly what I advised on the first two points from General David Petraeus' in his explanation of Iraq for his confirmation hearings yesterday. Then, last night, it appears that President Bush continued to communicate about Iraq with more depth and subtlety than he has in the past. And my personal hat trick was delivered when Bush added this suggestion:

A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. And it would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time.

This partially answered my point three about involving the American people in the sacrifice for the Iraq War, although Bush didn't make a big deal about this, just including it in his laundry list of things he wants to do. I would have preferred he did make a big deal about it, but at least this is a start.

So, yesterday I got everything I asked for, quite unexpectedly, on the subject of Iraq. Does Bush read my blog?




Probably not. Nonetheless, I remain dumbfounded, and grateful. George W. Bush made the first steps in adequately explaining the Iraq War to the American people, and involving them in the process. He also delivered an effective plea to Democrats to give his troop surge plan a chance.

Pandering?

I was pretty harsh on Mr. Bush yesterday. Was I correct? Believe me, I don't care to be correct. I just care about what happens. It turns out I was right, and I was wrong.

Bush did pander to the left, as I said he would, with a laundry list of leftist proposals, but I have to be honest, it didn't sound like pandering. He was very forceful, and sounded reasonable in suggesting such things as reducing gas consumption by 2017 by 20%.

Still on energy, he "snuck in" some conservative values such as building nuclear power plants, stepping up domestic oil production "in environmentally sensitive ways," and doubling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

So, I have to apologize to the President and remove my label of "pandering." I think I can characterize what he did all yesterday as beginning to really communicate with the American people; and addressing the issues that Americans, including leftists, care about. I don't think Reagan would have "given in" as much as Mr. Bush did, but I have to give the President high marks for the speech.

Tone

With regard to tone, the atmosphere in the chamber was pleasant. The Democrats, led by Nancy Pelosi in her historic appearance as the first female Speaker of the House, were on their best behavior. I was grateful to her for removing all of the anger and hatred I've seen coming from the Democratic Party in recent years, and this is a major change. Of course, it's easy to be gracious when you are the winner. Still, this is one of the most significant reversals in attitude ever. Bush was treated with dignity and respect, which is how it should be. Bush, of course, was as gracious as usual. It was fascinating to hear him work the room after the speech. He is probably as good as Bill Clinton at working a room.

Conclusion

Nice job, Mr. President.

My advice for you for the future is more of what I gave the last two posts. Continue to elevate the tone and complexity of your communications. Treat the American people as sophisticated adults who can understand the complexities of war and the truth about all the issues.

Rock

(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)


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