So I was waiting for House to start -- if you haven't caught it yet, that show House on the Fox network, Tuesday nights before NYPD Blue is a lot of fun, mostly because (a) the main character, Dr. House, gets to be so wittily insulting to everyone and (b) it's medical puzzle solving, so it's like a mystery novel and medical show, all in one tidy packet -- it does get all heart-warming at least once in every episode, I have to warn you, but you can do what I do and go get some ice cream during that bit.
Anyway. I'm waiting for House to start and I'm skimming through the channels looking for something to watch and I notice Bill O'Reilly's on. Well. Here's my chance, thinks I. How long can I take?
About six minutes, as it turns out.
He's got this really shiny guest on. A Christian writer who has written some tome about how if you think positive Jesus will give you a shiny life, and lots of money. Or something like that. I'm not sure, because Bill wouldn't actually let him talk about his book much. Bill wanted to talk about how Bill couldn't do much positive thinking because Bill had to fight, yes, FIGHT against the evil secular humanists who wanted to change this country -- this country that used to love Jesus, don't you know, the way the Founding Fathers meant it to -- you know that's how the Founding Fathers wanted it, don't you? he paused to ask the shiny writer of the book about thinking positive thoughts for Jesus.
Gamely the shiny writer grinned a shiny grin and said yes Bill, of course Bill.
They wanted it that way for practical reasons, claims Bill. Because a population that's religious behaves better, says Bill.
Of course, says Shiny Jesus Writer, though, to give him credit, with some hesitation.
Now people, secular people, they want to change this country. And they're wrong and they're bad, says Bill. And they're coming after ME. And I have to fight them. I have to read the BAD EVIL things they write. So I can't think positive thoughts, the way you say I should. Do you think that's wrong? Counsel me! Counsel me!
What Bill is talking about is his great Christmas Crusade. Only, of course, no one is "coming after" Bill. No one's coming after Christmas, either, no matter what Bill and his buddies claim. This whole tempest is one of their own brewing. It would be funny if it weren't (1) stupid and (b) self-fulfulling.
Media Matters does a run-down on the whole thing here:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200412220006
I'd like to just ignore it, and to ignore Bill, and Rush, and Ann Coulter, and the rest of these yapping liars. But their lies become the world that half of America believes is real -- and then it is real.
The teen pregnancy rate thing is a good example -- ask most Americans what's going on with teen pregnancy. Most of them think the rate is increasing, and that it's higher now than it's ever been. The truth, of course, is that the rate is now lower than it's been since the 1950's. (See here for the stats on that: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0193727.html )
But the disinformation squad has been yapping their lies so long that people now believe we've got some sort of teen pregnancy crisis.
Same thing for the War on Drugs -- and Crack Babies -- and the "failing" public schools -- and a number of other issues. By feeding the public a steady diet of lies, key figures created crises that we still are dealing with.
Well, this soi-distant assault on the Christian religion is one that I'd prefer not to see succeed. I happen to like living in a country that has freedom of, and from, religion.
Oh, and by the way? That bit about the Founding Fathers? Bill's wrong on that one, too.
56 minutes ago
2 comments:
Grrrrrrrr. I would like to ask this Bill guy how come it is I am still poor as dirt and I spent years praying for Jesus to mail me the Publisher's Clearing House check. I did all the right things. I went to church everytime the doors were open. Never did anyone try so hard to win Jesus favor and did it pay off in bucks? Shiny car? Good Husband? NOT! Hey, I earned that check and it never came.
I stopped waiting for it, thanks to the Spirit that speaks to my soul and due to life-lessons, I changed my whole spiritual way of thinking. I seek truth and knowledge and believing this way I find love has a definition of purer quality.
I rarely go to church anymore. I refuse to hear hell, fire and brimstone lectures about how I am supposed to act to get good things. Those who teach this are busy collecting money and imposing "If you aren't good, hell is waiting," guilt on their victims.
Just this week I had a very upsetting thing happen to one of my children. My sister's answer to the problem was for me to get back to church. For an instance childhood guilt flooded my soul then I remembered that the God I believe in is everywhere and I can draw strength wherever I am.
Yes,bad things happen to good people and people who profess to be good, do bad things to good people after they walk out of a church! My belief is "Jesus" came in many forms and still does.
1st Corinthians 13, the "Love" chapter of the bible, is my favorite. The chapter explains how we can have all gifts from the creator, but if we do not have love and practice love, the rest is useless.
Buddah, Mohammed, and the original gods of the Lakalai people of New Guinea, all teach love in some form.
Being rich and driving a new car every year is not a testimony of goodness, it is a testimony of greed, one of the 7 deadliest sins! There are many cultures who still don't have a clue as to who Jesus is and they aren't going to hell.
If only the "fundies" could have a taste of simplicity and like it!
Thoreau, where are you?
I went to the O'Reilly web site and read where he and this guy were having an argument. It seems that Bill went on this one guy's talk show and the guy said a few things that pissed Bill off and he, like a spoiled child, and he, unlike all those people who were on his show and tuffed it out, stormed off the set. Bill does have that, they are out to get me, complex. He does believe that he is so righteous and it's his responsiblity to save righteousness for the rest of the world. However, he doesn't practice what he preaches. Now, why is it that a man who touts such high morality can have these disgusting phone conversations with an employee and say all these sexiest things and maintain his on popularity, but then I remembered that he, like so many other money making fundies, can and do break the rules and do so with such public forgiveness and without it being thrown up into his face over and over again. I guess through my rampage the point is that Bill is like Rush, "Look at how great and godly we are" regardless of how lowlife we really are. Also, if the rate of teen pregnancy is up then they all need to look at sex education and perhaps think it's time to let the educated liberals, who actually read books and know what works and doesn't, take a hand at teaching that course for a semester or two because honestly that little ring thing that the girls all put on the fingers a few years ago, an idea of fundies, and before their parents and the church promised to be pure as the driven snow, and wore their virginity on their fingers; well, instead of the ring, they should have given them condoms, birthcontrol pills, in addition to giving them a ring too. Where was I going with this? Bill oh Bill he is a total hypocrite and a bully. Stay away from that chanel.
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