Dispatches From the Culture Wars
The Texas State Board of Education has long been a disaster, a haven for right-wing know-nothings who continually try to get their views into textbooks and curricula. Those views are almost always reject by actual scholars in the relevant fields, but that matters not at all to them. God, after all, is on their side. And now we see a perfect example — might I say a textbook example? — of what happens when we let conservatives write the textbook standards:
In a rather odd turn of events, Glenn Beck is now promoting Seven Mountains theology, a dominionist Christian theology that says Christians must take control of what they consider the seven key institutions of human societies. He invited David Barton on his show, as he so often does, along with George Barna, a Christian right pollster, to discuss the matter.
Family Research Council leader Tony Perkins is leaping to the defense of Ben Carson after the Republican presidential candidate sparked a huge controversy by saying that we should never elect a Muslim as president because Islam is not consistent with the Constitution. Perkins says he was absolutely right because Islam is “not just a religion” but is a political, economic and judicial system as well.
From the Birds of a Feather Department: Professional liar and fake historian David Barton has been named the new leader of the Keep the Promise PAC, the Super PAC set up to support Ted Cruz’ presidential campaign (which can’t coordinate at all with his actual campaign *wink, wink*). It’s actually a collection of PACs operating under the Keep the Promise Super PAC. I’m sure the job pays quite handsomely.
Former Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, an absolutely unhinged bigot and theocrat, went on the air with Christian right con man Rick Joyner and repeated the ridiculous David Barton lie about how the Constitution took every idea straight from the Bible. He also reveled in his desire to turn the United States into a theocracy by declaring that Christians ARE the government.
Mat Staver, the dumbest lawyer in America not named Larry Klayman, may have broken his own world record for the dumbest legal argument ever made. Appearing on David Barton’s Wallbuilders radio show, Staver offered up an argument so staggeringly stupid that I fear it may have opened up a hole in the space-time continuum. Not only is it stupid, but it’s actually self-defeating, though he isn’t smart enough to recognize that.
Michael Peroutka, former Constitution Party presidential candidate, local Maryland official, former board member of the neo-Confederate and white nationalist League of the South, and a dyed-in-the-wool Christian Reconstructionist and theocrat, spoke at an impromptu rally for Kim Davis outside the jail where she is being held. He gave an unapologetic argument in favor of a Christian theocracy to wild applause and cheers from the audience.
Professional hysteric Glenn Beck and professional liar David Barton took a road trip together down to Houston for the funeral of the police officer who was murdered — gotta show up where the cameras might be, of course — and had a discussion about the Kim Davis situation along the way. Thankfully they took video of it so we could hear Barton lie about the founding fathers and advocate theocracy. Again (and again).
Just last weekend, Glenn Beck held his All Lives Matter unity rally in Birmingham, Alabama and he was all sunshine and rainbows as he gushed about how inspired he was about 20,000 people showing up and how this was going to change the world and usher in a Third Great Awakening that will resurrect America as a Godly country. That seems to have lasted less than 72 hours. Now Gloomy Glenn is back, declaring our imminent doom.
Glenn Beck has a favorite new right-wing activist, introduced to him by none other than David Barton. Alice Patterson is from Texas and she’s affiliated with the self-declared prophets of the New Apostolic Reformation. She spoke at Rick Perry’s big prayer rally. Beck says he’s going to do a whole series of shows with her so everyone else can get a taste of her “wisdom.” Right Wing Watch highlights some of her bizarre views:
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In