Dallas and its Historic Connection to the Religious Right
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Fri Dec 30, 2016 at 03:02:35 PM EST
There has been a recent rash of demonstrations outside of the famous First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.  The current pastor appears to be the brunt of the vocal sign -wielding mobs gathering outside the building that houses the congregation.  Pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress is accused of being responsible for the election of Donald Trump as President.  Vocal activists have given credit to Jeffress for changing the course of the Nation.  Few appear to be aware of historic relevant connections to the church and city to the foundation of the modern Religious Right.  Author Bill Minutaglio has written a book seeking to make the connection between the Dallas of the sixties and the hard right.  Minutaglio has authored a book named Dallas 1963, in which he unveils peculiar and little unknown facts about the city and the fascinating peoples that staffed the movement that appears to have come of age and blossomed into a national phenomena.  A movement  that led to recent political results.  Jeffress and his rival in North Dallas, Jack Graham, can boast of accomplishments started by foundations laid in Dallas over fifty years ago.
Minutaglio is currently a professor of writing at the University of Texas.  He is an expert on race issues and tends to describe Dallas in the early sixties as a center for Jim Crow advocacy.  He ties together Dallas events in historical perspectives I have not found before.  I was not aware that just before the election of JFK there was an embarrassing event in Dallas that impacted the nation.   LBJ and Lady Bird had come to Dallas to promote electing the Democratic ticket.  They were set upon by a famous crowd of so- called mink coat women.  Wealthy Dallas women screamed insults at Johnson and his wife.  Lady Bird was spit on and feared for her life at the hands of an angry mob.  Johnson lamented it was not safe to walk down the street with your lady it appears.  The scene was filmed and broadcast around the nation happening just before the election.  Millions saw and were horrified at the scenes and some experts claim it caused many fence sitting electors to turn toward the Kennedy/Johnson ticket.  Nixon attributed the loss of Texas to a far right congressman in the GOP who became a huge embarrassment.  The Congressman represented the Dallas area.      
     Dallas Morning News publisher Ted Dealey is another case in point.  The editor was a staunch supporter of far right ideology.  He was a segregationist and believed JFK was a socialist.  There is an historic encounter between Kennedy and Dealey at the Whitehouse.  Dealey's accusations against JFK were so extreme even far right editors in the nation take the editor to task for his harsh language he used in the presence of the President. Dealey believed integration was a Communist plot.  He editorialized that Brown vs. the Board of Education was wrongly decided by the court.  Segregated schools were best for the nation.  Dallas was the last major city in the nation to finally integrate public schools.   After the reprimand by some editors over what Dealey said in D.C., he sent a note to his bureau chief in the city.  It said, "Regards to you and all the other folks in nigger town."
     The city of Dallas embraced the Joseph McCarthy movement.  Many of its leading citizens were John Birch Society members.  Robert Morris, the famous attorney who was chief counsel to Joseph McCarthy was invited to become President of Dallas University.  When James Meredith, a Korean War veteran who was black, tried to enroll in Ole Miss, the Dallas paper drew grave affection from its readers by condemning the plot by the Kennedys to inflict their views on the South.  An early forerunner to Russ Limbaugh, Dan  Smoot enjoys a daily program sponsored by Dallasite H.L. Hunt and his fortune.  Smoot often warns listeners that Kennedy's drive toward a one world government is a threat to national security. He notes something must be done to stop Kennedy.   The book helps set the groundwork for understanding the climate in Dallas at this time.
     Prior to the fateful journey of JFK to Dallas, months before the visit, Adlai Stevenson has a scary visit to the city.  A prominent Jewish family from Dallas had invited Stevenson to speak about the United Nations.  Stevenson was ambassador to the U.N. at the time.  He is set upon by angry protestors, spit upon, and hit on the head by a lady swinging an anti- Stevenson sign.  He fears for his life and is angered by such a volatile and ignorant representation of the city population.  He warns Kennedy not to go to Dallas thinking it not safe for him to be there.  City fathers are embarrassed by the Stevenson events much like they were the assaulting of Lady Bird.  There is a growing fear the city will lose business because vendors will find the citizens in the city too extreme.  Stevenson is called a traitor by the angry mob.  Meanwhile, segregationist governor George Wallace visits Dallas and finds a receptive audience.
     The famous ad taken out in the Dallas Morning News is another example of the city climate.  The Hunt family and  John Birch  Society members purchase a full page ad attacking Kennedy and advocating he is wanted for treason for several events listed in the ad.  The ad is bordered by ink that is used in death notices.  It is the famous ad JFK showed Jackie and told her they were headed into nut country.  Editor Dealey approved the ad, even though there was a growing fear that something might happen to Kennedy after what happened to Stevenson.  Racial tensions were so hostile in Dallas, when Kennedy came to town,  his staff refused to allow their Black member of the administration to come with the team.  I now have a better understanding of why Johnson was so terrified after Kennedy is shot.  
     After the Dallas visit the presidential team was to travel to Austin for a final speech.  LBJ had all ready planned on what to say when he introduced the President.  The event, that never took place, had Johnson introducing the President with these words, "And thank God, Mr. President, that you came out of Dallas alive."  Immediately  after the assassination the Dallas police office is flooded with phone calls from distraught and weeping women.  The women are sobbing that they are sure their husband killed the President.
     Upon hearing about the loss of his President, Kennedy's senior aid Timothy Reardon, exploded with these words.  "Three years ago you assaulted Senator Johnson.  Last month, you spit on and broke a sign over the head of Governor Stevenson.  And today, you killed our president...What kind of people are you? ...You can take your stinking city and your stinking state and secede from the union..."  
     Dallas had an embarrassing connection to the Klan until city businessmen advocated they distance the citizens from the organization.....fearing it would harm business.  Future Supreme Court Judge Thurgood Marshal was once chased by the chief of police in Dallas with his police gun drawn swearing at Marshal telling the civil rights leader to get out of town.  The author notes the disdain for FDR and his new deal in this Texas city.  Economic advisors in Dallas believed the New Deal was Socialism and one step closer to Communism.
     There were many right wing organizations in the city. Typical of gatherings is the one mentioned by the author that drew a huge crowd. It hosts a visiting tape from Ronald Reagan.  Reagan notes that the progressive income tax was spawned by Karl Marx.  There were even circles in Dallas where the far right was accused of being Communist.  
     W.A. Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Church is featured in the book.  Criswell's noted link to hard right politics and segregation are well known among historians.  Minutagilo places Criswell in the power structure that fuels the anti-Kennedy sentiment in the area.  Criswell's famous sermon denouncing the election of a Catholic President is mentioned as laying a type of local hysteria regarding the Kennedy Presidency.  After the assassination, Criswell preaches a sermon blaming Communism for the slaying.  He never mentions the fact that one of his members will leave town to escape the hostility of grieving citizens.  It is the member who is blamed for creating a climate that led to the death of the young President.  Criswell teams up with a church member who is known as the wealthiest man in the world.  His name is H.L. Hunt.  Dr. Criswell baptized the older Hunt into his church.  The author notes that Hunt never ceased his womanizing nor habitual gambling after joining the church.  At his funeral, Criswell called Hunt "Mr. Golden heart."  Criswell was well known for his segregationist views.  He once boasted he would not allow blacks to join his church.  Hunt was welcome, but black folks better apply to another congregation.  Speaking of integrationists Criswell said, "They are not our folks.  They are not our kind.  They don`t belong to the same world in which we live...There are people who are trying to force upon us a situation and a thing that is a denial of all that we believe in."  JFK actually went to Houston to respond to Criswell's sermon attacking Kennedy that was mailed out to every church in Texas.  The funding for the project came from Hunt money.  When Kennedy went to Houston to respond to accusations he would be controlled by the Vatican, Criswell was not present.  The Baptist preacher said he would like to have come but had an important meeting with Nixon.  Criswell noted if Kennedy is a sorry Catholic he should get out of the church.  If he is a good Catholic he should not be President.
     Dallas Morning News publisher Dealey, Dr. Criswell and Richard Nixon were all close to one another.  The connection of these three men in a solidly Democratic state is a symbol of the politics of Dallas.  It was different.  It is home to the farthest to the right Congressman in the nation at this time.  The Sunday morning sermon Criswell preaches before Kennedy comes to town is insightful.  Criswell preaches a sermon glorifying Confederate General Stonewall Jackson.   Criswell notes his church is like the Confederacy.  Fighting to preserve all that is grand in the nation.  To Criswell, Kennedy represents a far left agenda and Civil Rights that is a direct assault on Christian values.   Another prominent member of Criswell's church is head of Texans for Nixon.  
     Any story about Dallas and the Religious Right has to contain something about H.L. Hunt.  Hunt published a book named Alpaca.  In the book the author wrote about a utopian society where wealthy men had more voting power than the middle class.  Poor people were not allowed to participate in this ideal society.  Right wing organizations often came to town seeking the blessing or money from H.L.  Exposure from his radio programs provided an audience and revenue for right seeking politicians and authors.  The author noted Hunt hated black people.  He was particularly offended that a black person carried as much voting power as he did.  
     Hunt was an early opponent of government medical programs.  He hated Medicare thinking it would create government death panels.  A reminder of right wing warnings about Obama care being devised to liquidate older citizens.  Hunt warned that Medicare would make the President a medical czar with life-death choices delegated to the commander in chief.
     To me the books most intriguing story is the legacy of the notorious General Edwin A. Walker.  His epic life story almost appears too hard to believe.  Walker, a decorated World War II General, also served in the Korean conflict.  Walker later on gets into hot water with Presidents because of his involvement in right wing politics.  Walker starts accusing everyone of being Communists.  He even doubts the credentials of President Eisenhower.  Walker has his command taken from him because he refuses to back off of his McCarthy-like activities.
*         Walker, a Texan, enters into the American pop culture scene by activities in Little Rock.  Central High school, an all white school, is forced by the courts to admit black students.  Arkansas Governor Fawbush refused a court order to allow black students to attend Central.  He surrounds Little Rock with state national guard troops to protect his prize.  Eisenhower intercedes and sends in Federal troops to force the decree from the court onto the state.  General Walker is solicited to be in charge of the federal troops.  Walker hates this job and believes it beneath him to force the high school to bring in Black students.  Walker is an advocate for segregation and resents being forced to uphold something he despises.....integration.
*         It is hard to make up stories like this, but truth is stranger than faction.  Believed to be a champion for Civil Rights, Walker only does the job  as commanded by the President.  A president he does not like.  Walker moves to Dallas which is a home base to right wing propaganda.  He likes Hunt's programs and hates the Kennedys.  
*         Walker volunteers to go to Ole Miss where James Meredith is seeking to enter the school as its first Black student.  Not only does Walker vocalize his disgust at the attempt by Meredith, he even helps instigate events that some believe turn into the bloody riots that erupted there.  Armed men from around the nation travel to Mississippi to support Walker and participate in the violence at Oxford.  He hates the Kennedys and believes they are using integration to force socialism and ultimately Communism on Americans.  Walker led some of his volunteers to beat up an Episcopalian priest who happens to be in Oxford in support of Meredith.  Newsmen and other citizens are also beaten in the riot.
*         Walker has a noted following in Dallas and holds several rallies.  He decides to seek the Presidency and wants to unseat JFK.  His hatred of the Kennedys is notorious and his rallies are notorious for inflammatory statements. He tries to be elected governor of Texas but does not finish very high among the Democrat candidates in the race.  Avid South Carolina segregationist, Senator Strom Thurmond, works with Walker and promotes his agenda.  Walker even travels to Mississippi to visit imprisoned Klan member, Byron Beckwith.  Beckwith is the man accused of gunning down Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers.  Beckwith is the man played by James Wood in the film starring Alec Baldwin titled Ghosts Over Mississippi.  Governor Barnett is the leader of the segregation movement in Mississippi.  Even the right wing governor  wants to distance himself from Walker who is known for his extremist statements.
*         By now the reader might be wondering if this legendary historical figure's story is believable.  It gets even more bazaar.  After the riot in Mississippi, Walker jumps in a car with Texas segregationist politician J. Evetts Haley to travel back to Dallas.  The Kennedys find out Walker was connected to the violence and seek to file charges against the general.  Walker ends up in Parkland Hospital in Dallas to undergo psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is fit to stand trial.  This, of course, is the same hospital that in a few years in the same week will be the place Kennedy and Oswald will be pronounced dead.  The Kennedy family is so incensed at the vile statements they find leveled at them by Walker, they rejoice in the chance to take him to court over what happened in the tragic episode in Mississippi.
*         During these times Walker hooks up with the founder of the modern Religious Right,
Reverend Billy Hargis.  Hargis and Walker share a common bond in the fear of Communism, hatred of Democrats, and the belief that integration is a plot devised by Communists to destroy America.  
*         Walker and his friends have connections to extremist statements.  One interesting story was the event he traveled to and reporters asked him to comment on the recommended reading he had proposed for the nation.  It was discovered Walker was promoting or denouncing books he had never even read.  With this discovery about his scholarship, some in the nation started backing away from the general.
*         When Walker heard that Kennedy was coming to town he decided to leave.  He feared that if anything happened to JFK he would be the one blamed for the tragedy.  He left town to be in New Orleans with a notorious racist named Judge Perez.  Perez claimed Negroes were animals right out of the jungle.  He even tried to harass and punish white parents who sent their children to integrated schools.  After the discovery of the assassination Walker asked all the people on board the airplane he was flying on to sign a document stating he was with them during the murder of the  President.
*         There is another ironic twist to his story.  He is the general Oswald attempted to kill.  Oswald walked up on Walker's house in the dark.  Standing in the alley, he fired the same weapon used to kill Kennedy at Walker.  That's right, he tried to kill the arch enemy of JFK.  If this makes no sense, it is just Oswald, he tended to make little sense in his actions.  The bullet just missed Walker and grazed his arm.  As fate would have it,  Oswald hit his target with the President, but missed his attempt on a man who was the enemy of Kennedy.  On the day of the assassination, Walker had journeyed to Louisiana to speak at a White Citizen's Council rally.  He was asked, when news got out about of the President's death, if he was going to cancel his speaking engagement.  He responded, "Hell no."
*         Walker shared another bond with Hargis.  His sexual attraction to men.  Several men spend the night at the home of the general, who never married.  The last public record we have of Walker's newsworthy actions was his arrest twice for soliciting sex from undercover male police officers.
     I had often wondered about who the man was that Oswald tried to kill before he shot Kennedy.  Readers who are interested in the Religious Right need to pick up Dallas 1963.  It more than adequately defines the building blocks of the modern movement.  The epic event that defined a period of history  in Dallas 1963.



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Left out a couple of intriguing stories in the book.  I found it symbolic that a store in Dallas was being boycotted when residents found out it was receiving bread to sell from Yugoslavia.  This product meant the store was promoting Communism.
     The author notes that Ruby had some of Hunt's literature in his back pocket when he shot Oswald.  We knew this, but the author explained that Ruby was upset at this pamphlet that was saying untrue and unkind things about Kennedy.  That explanation makes sense of the story.  

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 03:19:35 AM EST

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 03:20:19 AM EST

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 03:21:01 AM EST

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 03:21:41 AM EST

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 03:32:51 AM EST

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 03:52:52 AM EST

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 03:53:41 AM EST

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 03:54:29 AM EST

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 03:59:32 AM EST

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 10:18:53 AM EST

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ahmedsayeed1982 on Mon Mar 11, 2024 at 10:19:44 AM EST


WWW Talk To Action


Cognitive Dissonance & Dominionism Denial
There is new research on why people are averse to hearing or learning about the views of ideological opponents. Based on evaluation of five......
By Frederick Clarkson (374 comments)
Will the Air Force Do Anything To Rein In Its Dynamic Duo of Gay-Bashing, Misogynistic Bloggers?
"I always get nervous when I see female pastors/chaplains. Here is why everyone should as well: "First, women are not called to be pastors,......
By Chris Rodda (195 comments)
The Legacy of Big Oil
The media is ablaze with the upcoming publication of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon. The shocking non fiction account of the......
By wilkyjr (110 comments)
Gimme That Old Time Dominionism Denial
Over the years, I have written a great deal here and in other venues about the explicitly theocratic movement called dominionism -- which has......
By Frederick Clarkson (101 comments)
History Advisor to Members of Congress Completely Twists Jefferson's Words to Support Muslim Ban
Pseudo-historian David Barton, best known for his misquoting of our country's founders to promote the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation,......
By Chris Rodda (113 comments)
"Christian Fighter Pilot" Calls First Lesbian Air Force Academy Commandant a Liar
In a new post on his "Christian Fighter Pilot" blog titled "BGen Kristin Goodwin and the USAFA Honor Code," Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan......
By Chris Rodda (144 comments)
Catholic Right Leader Unapologetic about Call for 'Death to Liberal Professors' -- UPDATED
Today, Donald Trump appointed C-FAM Executive Vice President Lisa Correnti to the US Delegation To UN Commission On Status Of Women. (C-FAM is a......
By Frederick Clarkson (126 comments)
Controlling Information
     Yesterday I listened to Russ Limbaugh.  Rush advised listeners it would be best that they not listen to CNN,MSNBC, ABC, CBS and......
By wilkyjr (118 comments)
Is Bannon Fifth-Columning the Pope?
In December 2016 I wrote about how White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who likes to flash his Catholic credentials when it comes to......
By Frank Cocozzelli (250 comments)
Ross Douthat's Hackery on the Seemingly Incongruous Alliance of Bannon & Burke
Conservative Catholic writer Ross Douthat has dissembled again. This time, in a February 15, 2017 New York Times op-ed titled The Trump Era's Catholic......
By Frank Cocozzelli (64 comments)
`So-Called Patriots' Attack The Rule Of Law
Every so often, right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan lurches out of the far-right fever swamp where he has resided for the past 50 years to......
By Rob Boston (161 comments)
Bad Faith from Focus on the Family
Here is one from the archives, Feb 12, 2011, that serves as a reminder of how deeply disingenuous people can be. Appeals to seek......
By Frederick Clarkson (176 comments)
The Legacy of George Wallace
"One need not accept any of those views to agree that they had appealed to real concerns of real people, not to mindless, unreasoning......
By wilkyjr (70 comments)
Betsy DeVos's Mudsill View of Public Education
My Talk to Action colleague Rachel Tabachnick has been doing yeoman's work in explaining Betsy DeVos's long-term strategy for decimating universal public education. If......
By Frank Cocozzelli (80 comments)
Prince and DeVos Families at Intersection of Radical Free Market Privatizers and Religious Right
This post from 2011 surfaces important information about President-Elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. -- FC Erik Prince, Brother of Betsy......
By Rachel Tabachnick (218 comments)

Respect for Others? or Political Correctness?
The term "political correctness" as used by Conservatives and Republicans has often puzzled me: what exactly do they mean by it? After reading Chip Berlin's piece here-- http://www.talk2action.org/story/2016/7/21/04356/9417 I thought about what he explained......
MTOLincoln (253 comments)
Fear
What I'm feeling now is fear.  I swear that it seems my nightmares are coming true with this new "president".  I'm also frustrated because so many people are not connecting all the dots! I've......
ArchaeoBob (107 comments)
"America - love it or LEAVE!"
I've been hearing that and similar sentiments fairly frequently in the last few days - far FAR more often than ever before.  Hearing about "consequences for burning the flag (actions) from Trump is chilling!......
ArchaeoBob (211 comments)
"Faked!" Meme
Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible move to try to discredit the people openly opposing Trump and the bigots, especially people who have experienced terrorism from the "Right"  (Christian Terrorism is......
ArchaeoBob (165 comments)
More aggressive proselytizing
My wife told me today of an experience she had this last week, where she was proselytized by a McDonald's employee while in the store. ......
ArchaeoBob (163 comments)
See if you recognize names on this list
This comes from the local newspaper, which was conservative before and took a hard right turn after it was sold. Hint: Sarah Palin's name is on it!  (It's also connected to Trump.) ......
ArchaeoBob (169 comments)
Unions: A Labor Day Discussion
This is a revision of an article which I posted on my personal board and also on Dailykos. I had an interesting discussion on a discussion board concerning Unions. I tried to piece it......
Xulon (156 comments)
Extremely obnoxious protesters at WitchsFest NYC: connected to NAR?
In July of this year, some extremely loud, obnoxious Christian-identified protesters showed up at WitchsFest, an annual Pagan street fair here in NYC.  Here's an account of the protest by Pagan writer Heather Greene......
Diane Vera (130 comments)
Capitalism and the Attack on the Imago Dei
I joined this site today, having been linked here by Crooksandliars' Blog Roundup. I thought I'd put up something I put up previously on my Wordpress blog and also at the DailyKos. As will......
Xulon (329 comments)
History of attitudes towards poverty and the churches.
Jesus is said to have stated that "The Poor will always be with you" and some Christians have used that to refuse to try to help the poor, because "they will always be with......
ArchaeoBob (148 comments)
Alternate economy medical treatment
Dogemperor wrote several times about the alternate economy structure that dominionists have built.  Well, it's actually made the news.  Pretty good article, although it doesn't get into how bad people could be (have been)......
ArchaeoBob (90 comments)
Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

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