Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 11:24:29

Washington's $8 Billion Shadow

About the best dang magazine on the market today is Vanity Fair. Sure it's got Paris Hilton news and too much Italian fashion coverage for my tastes, but mixed in between is some of the best reporting, best investigating, and hardest hitting information you can find today on the cancer that is killing our country. No need for me to fumble around and tell these stories, you need to read them first hand.

A careful reading of this article best explains New America. In my opinion Old America died the day the US sanctioned torture. Our Founding Fathers are waterboarding in their graves....American Torture...who would have thought? However that is not what this article is about. It clearly shows the dangers of the Military Industrial Complex that Ike warned us about nearly 50 years ago. The history of this giant company most of us have never heard of before, helps explain the cheer leading for a war that has killed over 3200 of our soldiers and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis. As quoted in this article, 9-11 was a horrible day for Americans, but the best thing that ever happened to big business in the US. Read it and weep and then think about ....oh.....say how easy it was for Senator Mark Pryor to raise almost 1 million dollars at his fund raiser last week.......

Washington's $8 Billion Shadow

Mega-contractors such as Halliburton and Bechtel supply the government with brawn. But the biggest, most powerful of the "body shops"—SAIC, which employs 44,000 people and took in $8 billion last year—sells brainpower, including a lot of the "expertise" behind the Iraq war.

by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele March 2007

The McLean, Virginia, offices of Science Applications International Corporation, a "stealth company" with 9,000 government contracts, many of which involve secret intelligence work. Photograph by Coral von Zumwalt.

One of the great staples of the modern Washington movie is the dark and ruthless corporation whose power extends into every cranny around the globe, whose technological expertise is without peer, whose secrets are unfathomable, whose riches defy calculation, and whose network of allies, in and out of government, is held together by webs of money, ambition, and fear. You've seen this movie a dozen times. Men in black coats step from limousines on wintry days and refer guardedly to unspeakable things. Surveillance cameras and eavesdropping devices are everywhere. Data scrolls across the movie screen in digital fonts. Computer keyboards clack softly. Seemingly honorable people at the summit of power—Cabinet secretaries, war heroes, presidents—turn out to be pathetic pawns of forces greater than anyone can imagine. And at the pinnacle of this dark and ruthless corporation is a relentless and well-tailored titan—omniscient, ironic, merciless—played by someone like Christopher Walken or Jon Voight.

To read the rest of this story click here.

Posted by Death by Inches at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments [6]

Sunday, March 04, 2007 - 17:42:53

Ronnie Floyd and the Gay Menace

Ronnie Floyd and the Gay Menace

Mega-Church leader's book preaches simplistic sermon to choir

Written by Richard S. Drake

Little Rock Free Press - March, 2007

"My point is, homosexuality is an idea. You have never heard a doctor
say, ‘Mr and Mrs John Doe, you have a bouncing baby homosexual.' It's an
idea. - Ronnie Floyd, "The Gay Agenda."

To say that Dr. Ronnie W. Floyd is a man with a powerful voice would be
something of understatement. The mega-church pastor not only preaches to
two churches - First Baptist Church of Springdale, and The Church at
Pinnacle Hills in Rogers - but also has a syndicated television program
("Winners"), and is the author of several books.

I first became aware of Floyd's book, "The Gay Agenda: It's Dividing the
Family, the Church, and a Nation" through the letters column in the
Northwest Arkansas Times. From there it was only a short trip to a local
Christian bookstore to buy a copy of his sincere "warning" about the "Gay
Agenda."

The Gay Agenda is not just any agenda. For Ronnie Floyd and his flock,
the Gay Agenda - you know it's serious because of the capital letters -
is set to destroy American culture as we know it.

"The Gay Agenda" opens on a bizarre note - Ronnie Floyd is watching an
episode of "The West Wing" that he says "astounded" him. In the episode
in question, the President of the United States, played by Martin Sheen,
confronts a radio talk show host obviously patterned after "Dr. Laura."
As Floyd recounts the incident, he writes, "My eyes widened as his anger
rose."

After confirming that the Bible (Leviticus 18:22) does, indeed, refer to
homosexuality as an "abomination," the Sheen character then recounts a
few other warnings from the Bible, such as working on the Sabbath, or
touching the skin of a dead pig (specifically, footballs).

Floyd leaps from describing the scene on his TV screen to discussing his
take on the Gay Agenda, charging that "proponents" of homosexuality have
declared war on American culture. He also writes that, "It seems that
everything you see these days, everything you read, and everything you
hear, is about the gay lifestyle."

Well, maybe if you are specifically looking for it. Other than that, the
casual reader of "The Gay Agenda" may have some difficulty with his
views.

Of course, "The Gay Agenda" isn't written for the casual reader. It is
addressed to those who feel as Ronnie Floyd does, those who look at the
world around them, and see trials and tribulations.

It is difficult, writing in the early stages of the 21st Century, to
understand the paranoia and fear-mongering that Floyd stirs in his
cauldron. Liberals have made great strides? The institution of marriage
is in danger?

Floyd is already known to many through his television programs, and the
fact that a complaint was filed against him with the IRS, charging that
his infamous July 4, 2004 sermon in which he exhorted his flock to "Vote
God," violated the law.

In 2006, he claimed that a vision from God meant that he should seek the
leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention. Sad to say, a majority of
other Southern Baptists were not privy to Floyd's vision, and he was
soundly defeated.

"The Gay Agenda" is essentially bathtub reading (159 pages), adopting
what some might call "down to earth" writing. Others might shake their
heads at the simplicity of both Floyd's arguments, and his writing
style.

Issuing what he terms a "warning" to those who support traditional
marriage, Floyd writes at length about how the Gay Agenda (as he spells
it) is dividing the country, from the family hearth to the halls of
power.

And all the while, he says that the gay community " . . . continues to
sing the song of inclusiveness."

Well, yes, it is dividing families, but an outside observer might answer
that that is because so many families are unable to deal with the fact
that a family member is gay.

Nowhere is mention made of just how difficult a decision it is to come
out, and reveal oneself to a family that may only react with anger.

The problem with writing something is so obviously meant for True
Believers is that a lot of the arguments contained in such a book may not
pass any sort of Logic Test. This doesn't just apply to those on the
Right; liberals are just as often capable of writing things that make
absolutely no sense.

When you write something meant for the choir, you fall into a sort of
intellectual shorthand - you don't have to expand on some arguments,
because you are all on the same page, as it were. Books like this really
aren't meant for those on the other side of the fence.

One glaring example of this sort of intellectual fuzziness is reflected
in Floyd's writing, in declarations such as "Those who embrace the gay
lifestyle feel the dread that comes from living without a moral
anchor."

The kindest thing that can be said about such a statement is that it is
silly. But it goes far beyond that in its sheer offensiveness. Does
Ronnie Floyd actually mean that gay men and women have no moral compass?

One is tempted to wonder at this point - how many gay people does Dr.
Floyd even know, other from those anguished souls who have been led to
believe that the life they lead is the result of "choice"? How many gay
men and women has he actually sat down and broken bread with, just to
have an actual conversation?

No moral anchor?

And yet Ronnie Floyd doesn't exist in a vacuum; he is just one the many
voices out there that people pay heed to. And while he may not recognize
it, books like this are helping to further divide the country.

"What could actually prevent a person from marrying, say, an animal" An
inanimate object?" - Ronnie W. Floyd, "The Gay Agenda

Those who see acceptance of gay men and women as one of the great evils
in society will find plenty to confirm their suspicions in this book.
Floyd tells a horror story of gay marriage, gay unions, gay adoption and
the striking down of statutes that criminalize sexual relations between
those of the same sex.

There is also high praise for President George W. Bush, who
"courageously" spoke of the sanctity of marriage in July, 2003, and
supported a amendment to the U.S. Constitution limiting marriage to a man
and a woman.

That Bush may have been cynically appealing to the GOP base doesn't occur
to Ronnie Floyd.

And, of course, there is everyone's favorite whipping boy, the media.
Besides his discomfiture with the "West Wing," there is also "Queer Eye
for the Straight Guy," and "Will and Grace."

Also mentioned is the Showtime series, "Queer as Folk." I suppose the
reader should be grateful that Floyd is unaware that one of the creators
of "Queer as Folk" is the producer of the revitalized science fiction
classic, "Doctor Who" - one can only imagine what hidden meanings he
might find there.

In September, 2003, the pastor preached a sermon on gay marriage, which
was picked up by the Baptist Press, and included on their website. His
language in the sermon is harsher than that in his book.

"It appears now that everywhere you look, everything you read and
everything you hear is about the gay lifestyle. Satan has taken his tool
of homosexuality, a gross and evil sin, and done a con job on the
American culture, making it seem like all is okay when you are gay. I
hope you are aware that what was once subtle has now turned into the
rage of a lion as brazen and threatening as anything in our culture." -
Ronnie Floyd, Sermon, July, 2003

Time and again he refers to what he describes at the culture "war."
Those who are gay are at "war" with traditional Americans values.

Sounding eerily like Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Congressman who was widely
ridiculed for his belief that lesbians were laying in wait for young
girls in High School bathrooms, Floyd preached that, "One of the hot
things happening in our high schools and colleges today is bisexuality,
mainly occurring with girls. This means that girls enjoy being with boys
sexually and also enjoy being with girls sexually. They are bi-sexual,
meaning they cross over the sexes. I have been informed this is
happening very much in our local schools as well."

"The Gay Agenda" also speaks highly of Steven Bennett, one of the most
famous "ex-gays" in America. One of Bennett's best known remarks is that,
" . . . God doesn't recognize these so called ‘gay' marriages. They are
an abomination to Him and a putrid stench in His nostrils."

Steven Bennett - ear, nose and throat specialist to God.

After a while, Ronnie Floyd's Eternal Innocent pose wears a little thin,
as well as his stoking the fires of fear and, yes, intolerance.
Interestingly, in the 2003 sermon, Floyd proclaimed that he had never
seen any of the aforementioned gay-themed shows, and had no intention of
ever doing so.

It's easy to demonize - and that is what Floyd is doing - others if you
make no attempt whatsoever to listen to what they have to say. It is
sadly apparent that the only message he is interested in hearing from
gays is that they are filled with shame, and would like to become an
"ex-gay." He warns against watching such programs, claiming that such
shows attempt to "baptize" others into their lifestyle.

As cheesy as "Will and Grace" is, Floyd might benefit from watching a
couple of episodes.

Parts of "The Gay Agenda" Resemble nothing so much as a clarion call to
return to the days of intolerance. No cliche is left unturned as Ronnie
Floyd rails against the perils of the Gay Agenda.

At one point the book actually becomes farcical, especially when he
discusses the reasons that so many conservatives are silent on the issue.
He writes that many "pro-gay men" work for the ACLU, star in TV series,
or are professional lobbyists in Washington, D.C. Such men are all too
often "married" to the gay cause. And have lots of time to write and
speak out on the issue.

A "pro-family dad works in a factory, as an accountant, or as a high
school football coach." At this point one must wonder again, how many gay
people that Dr. Floyd actually talks to.

Naturally, the Episcopal church, ordaining gays into the priesthood, and
even as bishops, comes in for criticism.

Along the way the point is made that God did not make gay people the way
they are. The old "choice" argument rears its ugly head again. That
point can not be made too often, or too loudly, I suppose. It gets people
off the hook from actually thinking about the issue, or from actually
talking with gay people - let alone have any as friends.

In the final analysis, "The Gay Agenda" is just adding more fuel to the
fire of ignorance. At the same time that Floyd is preaching that
Christians should open their hearts to gay people, the case is being made
that they shouldn't be opening their minds.

Ronnie Floyd might have done better to examine that possibility in his
book.

Richard S. Drake is the author of a novel, "Freedom Run," and "Ozark
Mosaic: Adventures in Arkansas Alternative Journalism, 1990-2002." He can
be contacted at: rsdrake@nwark.com.

Posted by Death by Inches at 05:42 PM | Permalink | Comments [6]