Correcting Patrick J. Buchanan

I quote Patrick J. Buchanan here quite a bit. However, in his latest column, Pat misses the mark a bit.

Pat Writes:

Contrast if you will the sins for which Phil Robertson is being blacklisted with those of the Hollywood Ten.

He is a fundamentalist Christian professing his belief in what he holds to be Bible truths about sin, homosexuality, heaven and hell. For so doing, he is being censored by elites who wish to deny him access to the medium they largely control — television.

And what were the comparable sins of the Hollywood Ten?

via ‘Duck Dynasty’ and the New Blacklist – Patrick J. Buchanan – Official Website.

You see that part up there, that I underlined and turned red? That is where Mr. Buchanan is wrong. Phil Robinson is no more a Fundamentalist, that I am a Roman Catholic. One look at Mr. Roberson’s Church’s website will prove that. I don’t see any statement of faith, I do not see any King James Bible quotations, I do not see any conservatively dressed young man and women. All I see is a website full of, what David W. Cloud calls, “Rock and Roll Christianity.”  That last link in the previous sentence is a link to a man who is a Fundamentalist Christian! Phil Robertson is nothing more than someone who is a part of the compromising Evangelical apostate form of Christianity.

While Phil Robertson has some great values, of which I am in agreement with; I will not sit here and candy coat it and tell you something that is not true. I mean, the actual show, Duck Dynasty is a Evangelical Christian’s dream; and a Fundamentalist Christian’s nightmare! I mean you have an intro that features, ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” for a intro video. You have the Robertson’s in a Bentley, and wearing rings and dressed like wealthy people. Is that not glamorizing materialistic things?

Not only that, but in one of the episodes, where Willie Robertson’s daughter was going to the prom, or something to that effect; Willie does not like the length of her dress. So, She tries a bunch of dresses, Willie likes none of them. Instead of standing his ground and not allowing her to dress like a slut. Willie Robertson caves to the wishes of his daughter and his wife! That does not sound very Fundamentalist Christian to me! Not only that, but in one episode, you had the Robertson brother wives, ordering a man around like he was some sort of a mindless stooge! Since when did women start usurping authority over a man? Does not the Bible say that they are not supposed to do this?

In closing: The Robertsons might have their Christianity basics down very well. However, they fall short of what we Fundamentalists and we old school Baptists consider to be Biblical Christianity.

Quote of the Day

To our modern moral and cultural elites, it is those who condemn the values of GLAAD who are the enemies of decency and progress who ought to be fired and blacklisted to prevent their poisonous views from being disseminated.

In the Hollywood of the late 1940s, Communism was persona non grata. In the 21st century, biblical Christianity is persona non grata.

No, this is not the America we grew up in. And it is becoming less so.

According to a CNN poll last week, while belief in God and the divinity of Christ is still shared by two-thirds of Americans, that share — older, more Republican, less educated — is falling.

Worldwide, too, Christianity at Christmas 2013 seems in a long retreat. Receding slowly in America, and moribund in Europe, Christianity is undergoing merciless persecutions in Africa and the Middle East — from Nigeria to the Central African Republic to Egypt, Syria and Iraq.

Compared to these folks suffering martyrdom for the faith, we have it easy here.

So, Sursum Corda. Lift up your hearts. And Merry Christmas.

The Tuesday Music Express – Special Memorial Edition – Presents: Woody Guthrie

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No Christmas tree was ever again allowed in Mary Krainatz’s Upper Peninsula home.

The sight of a decorated fir tree, resplendent with colorful ornaments, yuletide cheers and the gaiety of children, reminded her of a Christmas Eve she longed to forget.

Seventy-three people, the majority of them children younger than 10, died in a stampede after someone supposedly yelled “fire” during a holiday get-together for striking miners in Calumet on Dec. 24, 1913. Krainatz’s 11-year-old daughter, also named, Mary, was among those killed when people rushed for the staircase down to the first floor.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the tragedy, a time of remembrance in a small Copper Country community where no survivors remain to share their firsthand accounts.

A ceremony, including a reading of the names of the deceased, will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the site of where the Italian Hall once stood at Seventh and Elm. Now, a park is punctuated by the sandstone block archway that once served as the building’s entrance. A white, silk lily for each victim pays silent testament in Calumet’s Village Hall.

The pre-holiday horror was immortalized in the Woody Guthrie song “1913 Massacre,” a 2001 opera, a book by Birmingham lawyer Steve Lehto and the documentary “Red Metal: The Copper Country Strike of 1913” that debuted on PBS earlier this month. — Source

This posting is dedicated to the 73 people who lost their lives on December 24, 1913 in Calumet, Michigan. May they rest in peace.

May this be a reminder to all my Conservative and Tea Party friends that dishonest, crony capitalism hurts people; this being a perfect example.

Correcting Joseph Farah

First off, let me say that I do support the Roberson Family and I hope they really do find another network that is friendly to their Christian beliefs. However, once again, I feel the need to correct those who are telling mistruths about the First Amendment.

Joseph Farah at WorldNetDaily writes a fairly decent article about what happened with Phil Robertson. However, he kind of goes off a bit in the piece too:

This is a dangerous precedent. In fact, I’d say Old Phil would have a pretty legitimate shot at a First Amendment lawsuit because his own religious liberties have been violated by the actions of A&E. I mean, it’s not exactly possible the network didn’t know his beliefs until this week.

As I have written before, the only thing that the First Amendment is supposed to protect American citizens from is repression of freedom of speech from the United States Government; and that is it; not from private businesses such as A&E.

The idea that we can reinterpret the U.S. Constitution to suit our own personal agendas, is a progressive idea. Now, I am not calling Joseph Farah a progressive, far from it. I am just simply stating facts about the original intent of the Constitution. Now what Phil Roberson could do is sue A&E for breach of contract; but even then, he would have a tough time with it. Because unless A&E guaranteed the Robertsons in writing that they would be free to express their personal opinions without worry of censorship; Robertson would have a tough time getting any sort of judgement against A&E.

Again, as I wrote before; I am not on the side of those who want to squelch Christian’s the right to express their opinions; However, I do think that everyone that cries, “First Amendment!” ought to try actually reading the first amendment and see what it really says, before yowling on about it.

In case you have forgotten, this is what the first amendment says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Notice it says, “Congress?” Congress is a part of the United States Government; A&E network is not. Let’s not confuse the two.

This posting about Obamacare by a liberal progressive blog is very telling

It is very telling about the mentality of the progressive left towards anyone, who has any sort of money or success.

Quote:

I see the New York Times has published yet another article about very privileged people whining about the ACA.

In this case, said article features a couple making $100,000 a year who, under the ACA, will be paying $1,000 a month for health care covering themselves and their two sons. Take it away, Dean Baker:

Here they are with a front page story telling us about the tragic situation of the Chapmans, a New Hampshire couple making $100,000 a year who will have to spend $1,000 a month for insurance with Obamacare. This would come to 12 percent of their income. The piece tells readers:

“Experts consider health insurance unaffordable once it exceeds 10 percent of annual income.”

That’s interesting. If we go to the Kaiser Family Foundation website we find that the average employee contribution for an employer provided family plan is $4,240. The average employer contribution is $11,240. That gives us a total of $15,470. Most economists would say that we should treat the employers payment as a cost to the worker since in general employers are no more happy to pay money to health insurance companies than to their workers. If they didn’t pay this money as health insurance then they would be paying it to their workers in wages.

A couple of years ago, when my ex-husband and I were paying for health insurance under COBRA, we were shelling out something like $1,200 a month for just the two of us — and we were making far less than 100K a year. In fact, we were earning more like half that.

Enough already. In the real world we live in, $1,000 a month for good health insurance for a family of four in the top quintile of U.S. household income is pretty damn good. Upper middle class people, quitcher whining already — and New York Times, please stop enabling this nonsense.

via The New York Times and the ACA: the yuppie whine-athon continues by Kathleen Geier | Political Animal | The Washington Monthly.

I say it is telling, because it is the flawed mentality of the progressive left. Anyone who does not accept the idea that Obamacare is the perfect solution the problems of our Nation’s healthcare system are derided as whiners. Which is, in my opinion, a bunch of bullcrap.

This healthcare fix, was nothing short of a disaster. But, to this Obama apologist, the “yuppies” or those who actually work for living; ought to just shut and take what they’ve gotten. It is a flawed mentality and it will cost the Democrats votes in 2014 and 2016; I can assure you of that one.

I think it goes without saying; but this Democratic Party of my grandparents, and even of my parents era — is not the Democratic Party of today. Heck, this modern post-2008 Democratic Party is not even the same party that I voted for in 2000 and in 2004. Needless to say, I will not voting for that party any longer. Because the Democratic Party and the progressive movement as a whole, have proven to me, that they really do not give a darn about those of us, who usually want to work and those of us, who would like our own personal freedoms. It is a sad thing to say about a party, that Ronald Reagan once called the honorable party.

Needless to say, that honor left that party long ago.

Others: JustOneMinute, American Power, Pirate’s Cove, NewsBusters, Ed Driscoll, The Lonely Conservative and Eschaton

Cracker Barrel changes it’s mind

Well, that was quick!

From Cracker Barrel’s facebook page:

Dear Cracker Barrel Customer:

When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty items, we offended many of our loyal customers. Our intent was to avoid offending, but that’s just what we’ve done.

You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren’t shy about it. You wrote, you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings. You flat out told us we were wrong.

We listened.

Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores.

And, we apologize for offending you.

We respect all individuals right to express their beliefs. We certainly did not mean to have anyone think different.

We sincerely hope you will continue to be part of our Cracker Barrel family.

Glad to see that common sense kicked in and they changed course. 😀

 

Clearing the air on Phil Robertson and The First Amendment of the US Constitution

I am writing this, because of a comment that I received here on my blog.

I wrote the following:

There seems to be some confusion about the First Amendment of the the United States Constitution.

The first amendment DOES NOT guarantee you the right expouse your personal views on blacks and homosexuals on a privately owned television network.

The only thing that the US Constitution protects you from is the repression of free speech from the US GOVERNMENT. A&E network is not Government owned.

Phil Robertson does have the right to express his views, but, A&E is not obligated to allow those rights to be expressed on their network. Nor is Cracker Barrel obligated to carry Duck Dynasty or Duck Commander products. Both are private businesses.

Is what A&E is doing discrimination? Yes. Is it bias against Christians? Absolutely. But it is not a violation of the first amendment at all.

The only thing that A&E is guilty of, is caving to pressure from a gay special interest group.

That is all, nothing else.

I do hope that Phil Robertson and the family of Duck Commander finds a better network, that is friendly to the speech of Christianity. because it is quite obvious that A&E is not.

I just felt the need to clear that up.

Saturday at the movies: They Made Me a Criminal (1939)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4f-uXmNsA0

Synopsis:

I am a fugitive… I am hunted by ruthless men! I am shunned by decent women! I am doomed to hide forever!

A 1939 drama crime film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring John Garfield, Claude Rains, Ann Sheridan and The Dead End Kids. It is a remake of the 1933 film The Life of Jimmy Dolan.

Boxer Johnny Bradfield (John Garfield) knocks out a rival in a postfight brawl. Thinking he committed murder, he flees to an Arizona ranch run by hard-as-nails Goldie (Ann Sheridan) and her feisty mother(May Robson) and staffed by Leo Gorcey and the Dead End Kids. Though Johnny is relentlessly dogged by Detective Monty Phelan (Claude Rains), the Kids convince him to finance their future gas station by training for and winning a high stakes prizefight. But just as things seem to going “swell” for both Johnny and the Kids, Phelan shows up ready to take Johnny back east in handcuffs? …

Credits:

Director:

Busby Berkeley

Writers:
Sig Herzig (screen play), Bertram Millhauser (from a novel by), Beulah Marie Dix (from a novel by)

Stars:
John Garfield, Claude Rains, The ‘Dead End’ Kids, Ann Sheridan, May Robson