In the News

The Right's Victories are in its Economic Agenda Rather Than Culture

2009-06-30T12:25:00.000-05:00

Although there is a huge wealth of writing about conservatism, most of it focuses on the cultural and social sides of the movement. But many of the victories of the right have come in the realm of political economy rather than culture, argues author Kim Phillips-Fein in her interview with Laura Flanders about her book, Visible Hands The Making of the Conservative Movement from the New Deal to Reagan. And according to Phillips-Fein, it took the power and money of a few businessmen to put conservatives on this path to victory.

Laura Flanders on GritTV reports.

The Decline Of Christian Media?

2009-06-30T12:24:00.001-05:00

The "death" of Christian magazine Today's Christian Women (TCW) may be more than a casualty of the general problems print media is facing. Many of the prominent Christian magazines, such as Discipleship Journal, Pray Magazine, and CCM are facing similar fates. This could signal an increasing willingness of Christians to find their news through secular sources, and may even point to a larger phenomenon: "an end in America to the perceived separation between the secular and the evangelical worlds".

Newsweek reports.

Apparent Gay Exorcism in Conn. Church Sparks Outrage

2009-06-30T12:23:00.000-05:00

A video showing the exorcism of a teen to drive out apparent "homosexual demons" has sparked outrage among several gay rights activists.

The Los Angeles Times reports.

Anti-Choice Groups Quickly Return to Old Ugly Rhetoric

2009-06-30T12:22:00.000-05:00

In the weeks following the assassination of Wichita abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, it was perhaps too much to hope that antiabortion organizations and activists would reflect on, and even temper, their movement’s rhetoric. Instead, the halfhearted denunciations of violence issued by groups like the National Right to Life Committee and Operation Rescue were all too quickly followed by a return to offensive characterizations not only of abortion, but of abortion providers.

Alternet reports.

White Nationalists Find A Home In The Military

2009-06-30T12:21:00.000-05:00

Increasingly lax recruitment standards may be giving White Nationalists a home in the military. People associated with White Nationalist ideologies have expressed their views both in the international affairs of the military and after finishing their terms of duty. Internationally, Aryan Nation graffiti has been found in Iraq. In the US, there is fear that White Nationalists returning from the military may be more likely to use violent means to accomplish their goals.

Inter Press Service reports.

Rick Warren Addresses Breakaway Episcopalians

2009-06-30T12:20:00.000-05:00

Evangelical pastor Rick Warren addressed Episcopalians who are forming a new church and breaking away from the Episcopal Church USA in protest of its ordination of gay clergy. The new church will use traditional Bible teachings and forbid ordaining gay people to the clergy unless they are celibate. Warren tells the gathering that God loves everyone.

Associated Press reports.

The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized The American Right

2009-06-19T10:23:00.003-05:00

In his new book, David Neiwert uses the word "eliminationism" to capture "a politics and a culture that shuns dialogue and the democratic exchange of ideas in favor of the pursuit of outright elimination of the opposing side, either through suppression, exile, and ejection, or extermination," Digby reports on Firedoglake. This new strain of conservatism is a hearkening back to old radical strains of American tribalism and imperialism (and some very unpleasant 20th century European political movements) which had all focused on the annihilation of perceived internal enemies. One would have thought that notions of expelling racial groups or committing genocide had been purged from the American body politic sometime around the turn of the last century. But here it was again, all mixed in with White supremacy, fundamentalist religion, nationalism, chauvanism and paranoia—and it was being absorbed into the mainstream of one of the two American political parties.

Alternet interviews Neiwert.

Promise Keepers Decide to Honor Those They Exclude: Women and Jews

2009-06-19T10:21:00.001-05:00

Promise Keepers (PK), a ministry of men aiming to change the world following Christian values, has decided to honor some of those excluded from their organization: women and Jews. Women are invited to PK’s summer event this year. Founder and former President Bill McCartney urged, “We want you to bring your wives, your daughters, your sisters, your mothers, your nieces.” Current President Dr. Raleigh B. Washington hopes this event will “relaunch” PK, bringing the group national attention.

LifeSiteNews reports.

Conservatives Shouldn't Leave Investigative Journalism to Liberals

2009-06-19T10:19:00.005-05:00

Mark Tapscott is building an all-star team of investigative writers as part of the conservative Washington Examiner's editorial-page staff. But conservatives too often choose punditry over investigative journalism. After some conservative bloggers began contemplating the future of the movement, Tapscott pointed them toward journalism training programs, including the computer-assisted research and reporting classes he started years ago at the Heritage Foundation, and fellowships that fund newsworthy projects." In short," he wrote, "we've complained about liberal media bias for decades, but now that the mainstream media is steadily being displaced by online media, many of us need to become ... journalists, or capable of doing the online analogy of traditional journalism, particularly in its investigative phase."

Accuracy in Media reports.

Late-Term Abortion: In Silence No Longer

2009-06-19T10:17:00.000-05:00

In an important political advance following the horrific anti-choice assassination of Dr. George Tiller, former patients of Dr. Tiller’s—or those who have had similar experiences with late term abortions—came out of the woodwork to testify to the necessity of their abortions.

RH Reality Check reports.

Connecticut State Police Spy on Green Party Activists

2009-06-19T10:15:00.000-05:00

Connecticut state troopers' surveillance of Green Party activists serves as the latest warning of whether we should allow government to conduct political intelligence and engage in "preventive" policing. Political intelligence likely led to the pre-emptive arrest of the Greens' campaign director at a public event for merely photographing the incumbent Governor.

PRA's Thom Cincotta reports on Liberty Beat.

Obama fails to quell gay uproar even as supporters withdraw from fundraiser

2009-06-19T09:57:00.001-05:00

Several powerful gay fundraisers withdrew their support from a Democratic National Committee event June 25 where Vice President Joe Biden is expected to speak in response to a Justice Department brief last week that defended the Defense of Marriage Act, a prime target for gay and lesbian criticis, reports the Associated Press. President Obama’s promise to offer ancillary employee benefits — such as long-term-care insurance and the right to use sick leave to care for domestic partners — while still denying more valuable benefits, such as health insurance and retirement funds, may have further agitated gay and lesbian activists who were already fuming over other perceived snubs.

Politico reports.

Video Shows U.S. Troops Proselytizing

2009-05-20T09:52:00.002-05:00

Mikey Weinstein, President of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, released the following statement after Al Jazeera aired its report on U.S. military proselytization at military bases in Afghanistan: “This video clearly shows that fundamentalist, evangelical Christians within the U.S. military are putting their fellow soldiers at extreme risk by attempting to convert Afghans to Christianity." The group's research director adds, "The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has known about the existence of this video since last fall, and the description of it in Harper's Magazine cover story, 'Jesus Killed Mohammed: The Crusade for a Christian Military,' by Jeff Sharlet caught the attention of Al Jazeera, leading them to be in contact with MRFF over the last few weeks. This video needed to get out, and now it finally has."

Watch the video here.

Employers Intransigent Over Labor Bill

2009-05-20T09:51:00.000-05:00

In the often fierce battle over organizing a workplace, current law and practices unduly favor an employer determined to defeat unionization. When unions launch organizing campaigns, employers can require workers to attend repeated anti-union presentations, while unions have no comparable access to workers and are left to try to contact them off company premises. The Employee Free Choice Act would address this imbalance by allowing unions to gain recognition if a majority of workers sign cards indicating support for the union. Sen. Arlen Specter is leading negotiations for an alternative to "card check." But in a "Dear Senator" letter last week, the Coalition for a Democratic Workforce, composed of 580 organizations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, summarily dismissed any such discussion. "Let us be clear and frank on this matter; there can be no acceptable 'compromise' on any issue of labor law reform due to the very real threat posed by EFCA."

The Washington Post reports.

Winning the Battle, Losing the Culture War

2009-05-20T09:50:00.000-05:00

Obama’s Notre Dame speech seemed to reinforce the “common ground” school, which adopts Christian Right frames in the name of compromise. But a careful look at the numbers reveals that Democrats have more to gain by articulating a strong moral message—whatever the content—than by watering down the message in an effort to appease conservative Christians.

PRA's Chip Berlet reports.

Georgia GOP Calls for Human Life Amendment

2009-05-20T09:49:00.000-05:00

At its state convention in Savannah,the Georgia GOP passed a resolution calling for a Human Life Amendment "to establish protection for all Georgians under the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution from the moment of fertilization until natural death." Georgia Right to Life argues this resolution is especially timely given a recent Gallup Poll finding that more Americans consider themselves "prolife" (51%) than "pro-abortion" (42%).

Georgia Right to Life reports.

"Domestic Extremism Lexicon" Retracted

2009-05-20T09:48:00.000-05:00

In May 2009, Homeland Security released—and quickly retracted—a "Domestic Extremism Lexicon," one in a series of reference aids designed to provide operational and intelligence advice to state, local, and regional fusion centers. The 11 pages of the latest Lexicon define animal rights extremism, antiabortion extremism, anti-immigration extremism, antitechnology extremism,anarchist extremism, Black nationalism, Christian Identity, direct action, hate groups, Jewish extremism, and racist skinheads, among other categories. What are the implications of DHS analysts developing such an ideologically charged "reference aid" and pushing it out to state agencies?

PRA's Thom Cincotta reports on Liberty Beat.

National Organization for Marriage Thrives on You Tube Controversy

2009-05-20T09:47:00.000-05:00

The National Organization for Marriage posted an ad on You Tube using footage of Miss California USA to argue that same sex marriage violates religious liberty. Now it has posted an ad showing how it threatens small children. Box Turtle Bulletin editor Timothy Kincaid is not worried.

Box Turtle Bulletin reports.

FBI Ordered to Provide Muslim Surveillance Records in California

2009-04-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

A federal judge ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigations to share nearly 100 documents detailing its surveillance of Muslim leaders and organizations in Southern California. Until now, the FBI has released only heavily redacted versions. But those have confirmed suspicions that the agency is monitoring even the most innocuous free speech activities such as religious services and talks.

The ACLU of Southern California reports.

Rush Limbaugh: The Vanity Fair Profile

2009-04-22T13:15:00.001-05:00

The most elemental fact about the Limbaugh career might be that, outside of seriously corrupt dictatorships, nobody has made as much money from politics as Rush Limbaugh.

Vanity Fair reports.

Recent Poll Indicates Social Capitalism on the Rise

2009-04-22T13:14:00.000-05:00

The number of Americans with socialist leanings has increased sharply since the first socialist ran for President in 1912, garnering a mere 6% of the vote. For Americans under the age of 30, 37% prefer capitalism, 33% prefer socialism, and 30% are undecided. These high numbers represent the mindsets of those Americans who have seen capitalism at its most corrupt and are seeking major changes, such as stricter control on capital and promoting universal access health care.

The Washington Post reports.

Morality in Media Links Gay Marriage and Mass Murders

2009-04-22T13:13:00.000-05:00

Morality in Media President Bob Peters blames a secular society for the increase in violence, and especially the loosening of morals displayed by the gay rights movement. A sexual revolution has brought us same sex marriage in Iowa, and this is an indication of societal decay, he says, explaining, "It most certainly is not my intention to blame the epidemic of mass murders on the gay rights movement! It is my intention to point out that the success of the sexual revolution is inversely proportional to the decline in morality; and it is the decline of morality (and the faith that so often under girds it) that is the underlying cause of our modern day epidemic of mass murders."

Christian Newswire reports.

The Rise of Glenn Beck's Bizarre Media Militia

2009-04-22T13:11:00.000-05:00

A young man who killed three police officers responding to a 911 call to his house was heavily influenced by conspiracy theories that claimed the government was out to get him and his guns. But you can hear these outlandish theories touted by Glenn Beck on his Fox News Channel show.

Alternet reports.

Abortion Reduction and Fatherhood Promotion Focus of White House Faith Office

2009-04-22T13:09:00.001-05:00

Joshua Dubois told a conference last week that the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnership which he directs will now focus on four issues—reducing the need for abortion, reducing domestic poverty, promoting fatherhood and fostering interfaith dialogue abroad—and no longer distribute grants.

National Partnership for Women and Families reports.

"Conscience" Rule Allowing Health Providers to Deny Service Under Review

2009-03-26T10:13:00.000-05:00

The Obama administration will soon face a decision about whether to rescind a last-minute rule of the Bush Administration cutting off federal funding to state and local governments, hospitals, clinics, and other entities that fail to accommodate workers' opposition to abortion, birth control and other measures. Should physicians, for instance, be able to decline to provide birth control services, without referring patients to other providers? Can an emergency-room doctor who believes that emergency contraception is morally wrong refuse to tell a rape victim that it is available?

The Christian Science Monitor reports.