The "Heart of Republican Darkness" Pt 1

Just

Is The Question

The "Heart of Republican Darkness" -that's what Andrew Sullivan called Conservapedia - especially after its totally biased and erroneous portrait of Barack Obama:

In 2007, Obama was rated the most liberal Senator by the National Journal, who had rated Senator John Kerry the most liberal senator during his presidential run as well. If elected, Obama may become the first Muslim President of the United States.

Conservapedia actually tauts itself as "trustworthy," but lacks the self-regulation that wikipedia.org has (like - "the impartiality of this article is questioned"). Of course, since it is a neocon resource, regulation is out of the question. Conservapedia is "trustworthy" only to severe Christofascists. "Creationism" (not Intelligent Design) is given a great deal of space for just about every animal, fish, bird, etc.

The search for "kangaroo" yielded four paragraphs of creationism plus these pearls of wisdom and "scientific" fact:

After the Flood, these kangaroos, bred from the Ark passengers, migrated to Australia. There is debate whether this migration happened over land with lower sea levels during the post-flood ice age, or before the super-continent of Pangea broke apart. The idea that God simply generated kangaroos into existence there is considered by most creation researchers to be contra-Biblical.

Then in short shrift:

The evolutionary view is that kangaroos and other marsupials evolved from a common marsupial ancestor which lived hundreds of millions of years ago.

The purpose of an encyclopedia is to dispense facts. True, wikipedia.org has its faults, but has been trying to sharpen credibility through citing sources and discussions about what the facts really are and how they are presented. Conservapedia does no such thing. It's much too politically and religiously motivated to make an honest attempt at the facts.

Conservapedia looks like something made up out of old FOX News transcripts.

Just a thought.

The Fine Print of Pat Robertson's Website

Or, The Hypocrisy of Making An American Icon
To His Own Image

Pat Robertson delivered a speech at the University of Virginia (founded by Thomas Jefferson). On Robertson's website (under the dubious link to "statesman") is given the following description:

PatRobertson.com - Synopsis: The Jefferson Memorial pledge on the "altar of God (of) eternal enmity against every form of tyranny over the mind of man" challenges Americans today. Governments can cause tyranny, a welfare state can cause tyranny, and political correctness creates tyranny. Pat calls for freedom for believers to pursue their faith, freedom from undue government regulation and a restoration of Jeffersonian defense of God-given liberties.

Jefferson was a deist as far as religious beliefs go. He believed that a higher power created the world, then sat back, as it were, to look at it, but not interfere with it in any way. When it came to religion, Jefferson coined the phrase "Wall of separation between church and state." Although Thomas Jefferson was a deist, he clipped pieces of the New Testament and bound together his own work called The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. This "Jefferson Bible" was devoid of all the miracles and the entire Old Testament. The last year of his life, Jefferson became a Unitarian.

Robertson's ballsy hypocrisy takes everything Jefferson ever held dear, makes them sins, then pins the REAL tyranny on Jefferson as the founder of it all:


Jefferson not only believed in freedom of religion, he believed in freedom FROM religion. He believed in the freedom of the mind, an idea that Robertson constantly and thoroughly removes from the discourse on "faith". Jefferson never believed in the miracles of the Bible. Robertson's speech declares himself to be :

a Jeffersonian Conservative, and as such, I share his hatred of any form of tyranny over the minds of men, be it Communism, be it Fascism, be it Socialism, be it the over-bearing liberal welfare state, or be it the stultifying political correctness that has reached out to stifle freedom of expression on countless college and university campuses across America.

Robertson never states that it is religion that has a "tyranny over the minds of men." His idea of "stultifying political correctness" is any ruling concerning hate speech. Political correctness is therefore anti-Christian and, as follows, anti-American.

When will people learn to tell the difference between a clown like Pat Robertson and a minister who has no political ambitions or biases? Oh well, there will always be two kinds of Elmers: Elmer Gantry and Elmer Fudd. Robertson is a Gantry for sure. He doesn't have a shotgun.

He doesn't need one.

Someone will use the shotgun for him.

Just a thought

Holy Pat Robertson! The "Lions of Tarshish" Landed in Davenport, Iowa!

All just a hop, skip, and a jump from Davenport, Iowa!

Hope They're Not Too Hungry!

Ever media-hungry Pat Robertson has tried to muscle in on the national news before and this time he doesn't disappoint: Between now and the inauguration of the next president, Israel will do a pre-emptive strike against Iran and send the Middle East into a tailspin, not to mention usher in Christ for Armeggedon and the Millenium.

(From Pat Robertson's website)

Where will the United States be in all of this conflict? According to Ezekiel, the “young lions of Tarshish” will be questioning the Russians about their aggression – questioning, but not acting to stop it. Who are these “young lions of Tarshish?” Tarshish was the region beyond Cadiz in Spain. In antiquity, explorers from Tarshish came to Ireland, then across the ocean to North America, traveling the Mississippi River as far as the present-day site of Davenport, Iowa.

OMG! Hmm... do you know of anyone from Davenport, IA who looks kind of, well, you know, un-American? I've been there - my maternal grandfather is buried there - but I never saw anyone vaguely Semitic. Will you vote Republican to shore up our defenses? Should we watch Christian Broadcasting Network for further updates? (Because, as everyone knows, all of the other "news" programs are bastions of Godless atheism!). Should we warn Iran? (There must be SOME good Iranians there, possibly some Christians hiding in catacombs).

"...Will this unfold all at once? It’s difficult to say. But what is clear is this: The Israeli strike against Iran will be the trigger. From then on, dramatic events will follow in quick succession. It all will conclude when God has rained fire on the islands of the sea and on the invading force coming against Israel."

Reality check here: the "Lions of Tarshish" have about five different Biblical meanings, only one of which (Ezekiel) mentions something about a city which might have been called Tartessos in southern Spain which might have had trade relations with the city of Tyre. The Bible says nothing about the children of Tarshish settling in Davenport, IA or even going to Ireland. Robertson's "antiquity" is immensely screwed up.

Could it be that national and international news has taken its toll on poor Pat's self-esteem and he is, again, crying desperately for attention? Could it be that, in his own inimitable way, he is saying "See what you get for not electing me president in '88!" His website touts him as a "Statesman" because he ran for election and spoke to some national leaders. As I've said before, "statesman" is different than "politician." Madelaine Albright was a "statesman" while George W. Bush is a politician (as was his father).

They don't look corn-fed to me!

Could it be that this is Pat's way of telling every "Christian" to vote against Barack Hussein Obama? Maybe he (like some other dimwits) truly believes that Obama is the AntiChrist.

Sorry, Pat. That spot's already been taken up by Sarah Palin.

Pat Robertson History's Oldest Pharisee

pat-robertson
Originally uploaded by DiscoWeasel

Unfortunately, there are STILL some people who believe him!

Pat Robertson's Pre-election Prayers for the theologically-challenged:

• Pray that God’s mighty angels would surround and protect our nation in these perilous times;
• Pray that America’s leadership will seek godly wisdom as they face critical events in the weeks and months ahead;
• Pray for the Holy Spirit to sweep across the globe, preparing hearts to accept Jesus and enter God’s Kingdom before tragic events unfold;
• Pray for God to change the hearts of leaders in Russia, Iran, and other nations who wish to do harm to Israel.

And pray that Israel will accept our plans for a JesusLand museum and theme park near Jerusalem.

A Rock? Should We Send More Troops To A Rock?

Oh, You Mean IRAQ!?

From the PEW Research Center For the People and the Press:

Public awareness of the number of American military fatalities in Iraq has declined sharply since last August. Today, just 28% of adults are able to say that approximately 4,000 Americans have died in the Iraq war. As of March 10, the Department of Defense had confirmed the deaths of 3,974 U.S. military personnel in Iraq.

Of course, that was 6 months ago. The problem with facts and figures is that unless they are kept in front of the public eye - and hammered into the public consciousness constantly in big bold letters - the importance or enormity of any situation will always wane.

Iraq has taken a poor second place (some say third or fourth) in the presidential and vice presidential debates. In a previous post, I created "Wordles" out of both sides of the vice presidential debate. Iraq was mentioned only 4 times. The war in Iraq has cost us over 4,000 lives, $12 billion per month and it's barely on our national scope. Why? Is it the media's fault?

Not necessarily. A great many journalists have been trying to hammer a great deal into our heads, but America clings to old images and ideas whether or not they are factual. In other words, there is tendency for the American public to hear or read about something and run with it whether or not that something turns out to be false. Think "weapons of mass destruction" and "Obama's middle name is Hussein so he must be a Muslim." Americans hate changing their first perspective because they don't like being wrong.

And Americans hate to research. They like to believe the first person with a title like "Ph.D." "Rev." "Dr." They like to be fed the first spoonful of spinach, then reject what consists of the rest of the meal (even if they like spinach!). Another thing they hate: the subject of history.

Remember what Sen. Joe Biden said: "The past is prologue". History is obligatory in parsing whole cultures as well as individuals. It's obligatory for everyone to know history simply because their lives depend on knowing what happened, where and when. Gov. Sarah Palin chided Senator Biden for bringing up the past: it's possible that the candidate's picture of the future was too vague, too definitive to compare to the past. If no plans exist for the future, many politicians depend on negating any memories of the past. It makes the future easier to sell. "Don't dwell in the past, think of the future...whatever it might be." This is foolish. History is doomed to repeat itself but only if we don't know our history. And our neighbor's history.

Christians don't know their own history. One of the founding "Fathers" of Christianity and its first theologian was Tertullian. Ever heard of him? No? Why not? The promoter (or inventor) of the concept of Original Sin was Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo. It's because of him that babies are baptized early (so that if they should die early, they won't go to hell), it's because of him that Christians believe every man is born in sin. Such an important person in the history of your theology and you haven't heard of him - or you remember him with some vague memory of Bible school? Come on, this is your SPIRITUAL LIFE we're talking about and you don't know its history?

You say you've memorized the Bible inside out and that's enough? No, it's not enough. The Bible was related by word of mouth and stories passed on, interpreted, analyzed, edited, whole books included and whole books yanked out. If you don't know how the Bible came to be, how do you read it? If you just take it at face value, you short-change yourself by not knowing the full story of the Bible. You're not smart enough? Or you don't have the time? Which is it?

O.K., I got carried away. Sorry.

How'd I get from knowing about Iraq to the history of Christianity? I dunno.

Maybe someone didn't keep me on track. I need to be kept on track. Just like everyone else.

Just a thought.

With Some Christians - "Screw Social Problems, SHOW US THE MONEY!

...And Obama's A Goddam Muslim!!
(well, that's what Ann Coulter says!)

Bigotry is always attached to greed. Why? Because, in some ways, bigotry is profitable: televangelists can attest to that. Just ask one. (He/she will, of course, suddenly and vehemently subscribe it to "prosperity theology." God is making them rich!). Just look at the two campaigns we have at hand: each one is going for the middle road because they would lose more votes if, say, Obama talked too much about the poor while McCain focused on the rich. Neither of them wants to seem at all bigoted.

A new study published by the PEW Research Forum has concluded that, while voters have generally remained loyal to political parties, this year, the ISSUES have changed from social to economic. Yes, there are a great deal of Evangelicals vehemently (or violently) campaigning against same-sex marriage and abortion, but more of them are concerned with the economy and their stake in it.

A recently published national survey finds remarkable stability in the candidate preferences of major religious groups when compared with those at a similar stage in the 2004 campaign. The survey was conducted in the summer of 2008 by the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron and headed by John Green, a Pew Forum senior fellow and director of the Bliss Institute. The survey also shows, however, that issue priorities among these same groups have changed since 2004 with the economy taking on greater importance relative to social issues such as abortion and gay marriage.

Evangelicals and Christofascists can take heart, however, that old bigotries are hard to dispel, so while they are trying to protect their interests, most of the earlier political views have remained in the minds of the dullard faithful. Take the false position about Barack Obama being Muslim:

Nearly half of Americans (46%) are unable to correctly identify Barack Obama as a Christian including 13% who still maintain that he is a Muslim and another 16% who say they have heard different things about his religion. In addition, 11% say they don't know because they have not heard enough about Obama's religion. The percentage of voters continuing to say that Obama is a Muslim is largely unchanged from June (12%) and March (10%), when the controversy over Obama's former pastor at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ was fresh in many people's minds. In the current survey, nearly one-in-five McCain supporters (19%) say that Obama is a Muslim, up from 14% in March. Fewer than one-in-ten Obama supporters (7%) identify him as a Muslim. More than three times as many white voters than African Americans see Obama as a Muslim (14% vs. 4%). Among white voters, 17% of those who have not completed college say Obama is a Muslim and 45% say he is a Christian. Among white college graduates, 7% say Obama is a Muslim while 69% say he is a Christian.

Sarah Palin said to Charles Gibson in her interview: "Jefferson said, never underestimate the wisdom of the people." Never mind the fact that Jefferson never said it, but think about the opposite: never underestimate the stupidity of the people. We've given other countries all over the world enough fodder for laughter for at least the next fifty years.

Please, America, read more, study more, analyze more. Look to facts and not to tabloid gossip and rumor. This campaign is a circus for the world and we're being far too entertaining at our own expense. Don't be selfish when you look for facts. Selfishness will always lead to someone getting hurt.

Just a thought.

Fox News: The Bigger The Pin ....

The Bigger The Pinhead!

Even Sarah Palin doesn't deserve such an attempt at a lame comparison:

FoxNews' Steve Doocy really made an ass out of himself when he critiqued the debate by the size of flag pins Biden and Palin were wearing: Palin’s was “about three times the size of his.” “So I would say flag-pin wise, she is a hands-down winner,” said Doocy. [Gretchen] Carlson noted that her pin had “a few more jewels” too.

Look at the clip and you decide whether or not this was done is jest. Sorry, I noticed that all of them sitting around their "folksy" cocktail table look dead serious. Brian Kilmeade said nothing. Just as well.

I'm sorry I don't watch FoxNews or Fox and Friends because I usually need a good jolt of rationality to start my day.