I Am Starting to Be Afraid
wilkyjr printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 09:27:47 AM EST
Almost two decades have passed since I started monitoring the movement of the new right in America. I have enjoyed the friendships with fellow students and writers about the cultural drift. I have to admit I at first found the movement entertaining and often humorous. I have just recently become frightened. Michelle Goldberg sat in my office to glean some information before she wrote her book KINGDOM COMING. I thought it kind of cute that she was troubled about these religious right people and tried to assure her they were really not dangerous. Looking back at that, she is probably smarter than I am in more ways than I thought.
I just got back from a trip to Austin to be in a moderate Christian activist conference sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Topics included human trafficking, gambling, the root of the economic downfall, and the environment. There was a presentation and charts showing how that global warming was a reality and needed to be dealt with.

Believe me when I say we were a stark minority in the state Christian airways regarding global warming. On the way I listened to talk radio to pass the time traveling. I tuned into stations that were Christian Radio networks. In the past these stations were filled with Christian music, sermons and an occasional devotional. This is no longer true. There is now a new concept known as Christian news. Programs contained networks with the Wildmon family from Mississippi and links with Fox News.

Just about every channel, (more than hundreds in the state),had programs about the sad state of the current administration.

I was reminded several times that global warming is more than a myth, it is a tool to harm the nation. Gary Bauer told us that President Obama is a slow learner and we cannot know who he really is, but is probably part of the extreme left with secret connections. Phyllis Schlafly, of Eagle Forum, told us that Obama is working with globalists to destroy our national identity and independence. There was a 100% consensus that the current bailout will not work and will only make things worse.

Yesterday I traveled through Houston to a funeral and checking out the stations it was more of the same. Regional Christian stations had the same connections with right wing information about the country and were passing it on as church dogma. Bauer and friends sat with Tim Wildmon and wanted to return the nation to pre-FDR economic systems in the nation. If there was another view on the radio I never found it and I surfed for quite some time.

Going through downtown Houston on the freeway, I saw a sign on the back of a yellow cab I had seen before. It had a billboard that read, "Feel depressed, listen to Sean and Rush" and there was a picture of Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. I am truly feeling depression about all this, but doubt these two channels of communication will help much.




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Answer is no.  I haven't figured out how to run a spell check on the posts, if one can. I recently have had an expert who goes over and fixes my posts.  She is ill for the moment and I sent this forth myself.  I regret you might not find anything here in this article to take seriously.

by wilkyjr on Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 04:26:41 PM EST
in our software.

However, if you compose your posts in any other word processing program, such as Word that may have spell check and other editorial features, that should take care of most routine typos. Then you should be able to cut paste your copy into the text boxes for posting with no difficulty.

by Frederick Clarkson on Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 05:42:22 PM EST
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You can put posts up with spell checking- I use Firefox with the spell checker enabled.  It works well.  I'm pretty sure that Navigator and Explorer also have the spellchecker feature.


by ArchaeoBob on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 11:50:56 AM EST
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I did not know that Firefox even had a spell-checker.

by nogodsnomasters on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 09:42:13 PM EST
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by trog69 on Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 05:49:48 PM EST
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I listen to secular music on a radio headset while I work outside, and frequently a couple of Christian stations will overpower the airways and I will hear their programming instead. It used to be mainly sacred music and the typical Christian fare, but recently the broadcasts have begun to sound like FOX News. They are instilling fear in their audience, and their agenda is to repeat the same lies over and over until they are unquestioningly believed. Keep at it, wilkyjr. Your message must to get out to the public.

by offbeatjim on Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 11:57:37 PM EST
Many of the "Christian" radio stations have been fined for violating the terms of their license.  They run too much power, use the wrong antenna, etc.  In some cases it was/is a deliberate attempt to "drown out" other stations that didn't follow their ideology.

Several years ago my wife and I used to like to listen to a radio station put out by one of the R.C. dioceses.  The local (at the time Assembly-owned) radio station next to them on the dial would often run their station in such a way that we could not clearly receive the station we wanted to (I'm pretty sure they got fined for doing so, and they suddenly sold the station- making me suspicious that they got in real trouble).  

At the same time, there was a low-power Baptist-owned radio station that obviously was running too much power, and they made it impossible to receive the RC station in the eastern part of the county (and in some southern parts). (I later heard said station also got fined, and possibly even taken off the air for deliberately trying to jam the RC station.)  That station had lots of hellfire and damnation programming.

I overheard a recent conversation about this very topic between a radio engineer and another person (on this very topic) ... indicating that this is a very common practice- running way more power than their license allows.  The problem is, the licenses are set up so that a station's "footprint" doesn't interfere with another that is near or on the same frequency.  (Nothing was said about deliberate jamming, just that many of these types of stations run too much power and often the wrong antenna types).

Indeed, I remember hearing about radio station "wars" (from the 80's and early 90's) where Bible pounder stations would try to jam or drown out other stations that had programming they didn't approve of (on the AM bands).  They'd do it by running far more power than allowed- and unless someone brought it to the attention of the FCC, they'd get away with it.

by ArchaeoBob on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 12:44:23 PM EST
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It has been apparent for some 20 years that there is a parallel media universe for right-wing Christians, and increasingly a parallel social universe. The rest of the population generally is oblivious to this fact, and doesn't understand how differently the right-wing Christians talk when among themselves.

I have been listening to right wing syndicated Christian radio for some 15 years or more, and have been worried all along.

by NancyP on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 01:24:55 AM EST

It's a world all its own.
I have been monitoring it since 1994, when hateful anti-gay religious conservatism raised its ugly head in Austin, Texas, my beloved home town.
What our dear Wilkyson says is absolutely correct.
I think it is important to keep a careful ear on religious conservative radio. Its distortions of reality and expressions of bile often can and do reach the mainstream public, fast or slow. Case in point: Jay Sekulow, of Pat Robertson's "American Center for Law and Justice," last week alleged quite falsely that President Obama's stimulus package included a provision discriminatory against Christian students on college campuses. Already, this lie has been picked up as a talking point in the secular "conservative" talk radio world and in the right-wing blogosphere.

by nogodsnomasters on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 09:40:38 PM EST
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Hmmm... having not read the package and not knowing the details- might it be that there is provisions to stop the jackleg preachers and "in your face" anti-science "Christian" students?  That would qualify as anti-Christian in dominionist eyes, while actually being something that protects the rest of us and ensures a safe learning environment, not to mention supporting the teaching of scientific truth instead of brainwashing and lies.  President Obama HAS said that he was going to emphasize science during his term.

(I know such a provision against "Christian Students" doesn't exist, but if there was something that might push back some of those jerks like I've regularly experienced, I'd be happy!!!)

by ArchaeoBob on Sat Feb 07, 2009 at 10:04:01 AM EST
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Back in 1963-64 I was stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas and came away convinced that if the US Army ever needed an enema they should shove the hose in Ft. Hood and the rest of Texas. Rumor has it that the Texans fought two wars, one against the Mexicans and the other against the Apache Indians - and lost both wars. As a result the rest of the United States was "forced" to take Texas. As for these so-called radical right religious nuts, they should be reminded of what Lincoln wrote in a letter to his Sec. of War, Edwin Stanton on 11 Feb 1964: "Any individual, in the church, or out of it, who becomes a danger to the public interest, MUST be CHECKED...." and they better believe that they WILL BE CHECKED. Bonatti

by Bonatti on Fri Feb 06, 2009 at 03:59:37 AM EST


by NancyP on Sat Feb 07, 2009 at 02:53:33 PM EST
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Does anybody at T2A proofread the posts? It creates a very bad impression when there are so many typos. Just thought I'd ask. I really like this site and want folks to take it seriously.

by RevFredA on Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 10:44:59 AM EST
as far as proofreading and all other editorial matters go. I intervene only in eggregious cases.

We are an all volunteer site, and with rare exceptions, there is no editing that goes on.  Some pieces crossposted from elsewhere, have received the benefit of professional editorial services.

If we ever have a budget, how we manage editorial matters will be different. But until that time, you have to take it as it comes, warts and all.

by Frederick Clarkson on Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 05:39:21 PM EST
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What started out as a bad response to the story ended up with several folks finding interest in the article.  I checked out the blog from the original critic, Rev. Fred.  Guess whose article was featured on the front of the blog?  This one.  I emailed the Rev. and he emailed me back and said the article really was a "great" one, just need some proofing.  He seems to have a different way of giving a complement.
     My "editor", when available, was editor for the Mayor of a major city in the state.  She was a legal secretary and knows her stuff. I take seriously any criticism, since on this post are many accomplished writers who have written books etc.  I have only had some articles in a couple  of major newspapers, some magazines, and a few web sites. Viewpoints on writing it seems is like preaching, there is no accepted "best" style.  When I attempt to do this I hope that what might be short on style, is high in content.  A professor was once asked how many points does a good sermon have?  He repled, "At least one."  I hope to have one or two things to keep some of you interested...which many of you seem to be.

by wilkyjr on Sat Feb 07, 2009 at 05:39:42 PM EST


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