Jimmy Carter Interceded for Nazi SS Guard

Posted by Rick Pearcey

"A former U.S. Justice Department official disclosed to Arutz 7 that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s advocacy extended beyond the PA Arabs, when he interceded on behalf of a Nazi SS man," reports Arutz Sheva broadcasting network at Israel National News.

* Carter's Letter: "Neal Sher, a veteran of the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigation, described a letter he received from Carter in 1987 in an interview with Israel National Radio’s Tovia Singer. The letter, written and signed by Carter, asked that Sher show 'special consideration' for a man proven to have murdered Jews in the Mauthausen death camp in Austria." . . .

* Carter's Book: "Now, following Carter’s book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, Sher has decided to go public with the hope that a public made aware of Carter’s support and defense of a Nazi SS man will help illustrate why the arbiter of the Camp David Accords came out with a book defending the Palestinians after the landslide election of the Islamist Hamas terror group."

* Carter's Heart: “'It always bothered me, but I didn’t go public with it until recently, when he wrote this book and let it spill out where his sentiments really lie,' Sher said. 'Here was Jimmy Carter jumping in on behalf of someone who did not deserve in any way, shape or form special consideration. And the things he has now said about the Jewish lobby really exposes where his heart really lies.'”

The entire news report is here.

Related:
Dershowitz to Rebute Carter Speech at Brandeis
14 Carter Center Advisers Resign Over Book
Many Who Condemn Holocaust-Denial Help Pave the Way
Fascism Is Back

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Malkin -- What I Saw in Iraq

By Rick Pearcey

Here are a few passages from Michelle Malkin's latest column. Malkin just returned from Iraq on an embed tour with HotAir colleague Bryan Preston.

* Unexpected: "I came to Iraq a darkening pessimist about the war, due in large part to my doubts about the compatibility of Islam and Western-style democracy, but also as a result of the steady, sensational diet of 'grim milestone' and 'daily IED count' media coverage that aids the insurgency.

"I left Iraq with unexpected hope and resolve."

* Peace Activists, Bush Missteps: "The troops I met scoff at peace activists' efforts to 'bring them home now.' But they are just as critical of the Bush administration and Pentagon's missteps -- from holding Iraqi elections too early, to senselessly breaking up their brigade combat team, to drawing down forces and withdrawing last year in Baghdad and Fallujah, to failing to hold cities after clearing them of insurgents."

* What It's About: "Winning the counterinsurgency battle is not just about keeping Iraqis safe. It's about keeping Americans safe -- by sending a message that the mightiest military in the world cannot and will not be outwitted and outlasted by the fleas. On the emblem of the Dagger Brigade are two imperatives: 'Continue mission!' and 'Duty first.' These troops are committed to their mission. They deserve our commitment to them."

Malkin's entire column is here. Video reports of Malkin and Preston's time in Iraq can be seen at HotAir.com.

Related post:
Michelle Malkin in Slums of Baghdad


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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Nifonged -- "Gross Abuse of Prosecutorial Power"

Posted by Rick Pearcey

"CBS's 'Sixty Minutes' broadcast Sunday showed many people the gross abuse of prosecutorial power in the Duke rape case," writes columnist Jack Kelly.

* 3 Lacrosse Players: "Durham district attorney Michael Nifong indicted three Duke University lacrosse players last April after a stripper who performed at a team party claimed she had been raped.". . .

* 1 Accuser: "The only evidence against the lacrosse players is the testimony of the accuser, who was inebriated at the time of the alleged assault, and who has changed her story in significant ways on multiple occasions."

* DNA 5: "DNA from five men was found on the accuser, but none of it belonged to the three defendants. Mr. Nifong knew this before he indicted the trio.". . .

* Black & White: "The case has drawn national attention because the accuser is black, and the accused are white males."

* Money & Power: "Mr. Nifong's reason for pursuing such a flimsy case seems clear. The electorate in Durham is more than 40 percent black. At the time the accuser made her accusation, he was trailing in the Democratic primary to a woman he once had fired. If he lost, it was unlikely the winner would keep him on, and his pension has not vested."

* Agony of Victory: "Mr. Nifong won the election. But short term gain likely will be followed by long term pain. Last week he bowed to pressure to recuse himself. He faces a hearing before the North Carolina bar association that could result in his disbarment." . . .

* Why the Rush? "Liberals rushed to condemn the Duke lacrosse players because they loved the narrative: rich white guys abuse poor black woman."

* Reverse, Full Speed: "Some furious backtracking is taking place as evidence of their innocence mounts. A new verb, to 'nifong,' has been coined. It's a synonym for 'to frame.'"

Jack Kelly's entire column titled "Nifong & Fitzgerald's Prosecutorial Abuse" is available here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Wilberforce, Newton, and Christians' "Disregard for the Truth"

By Rick Pearcey

"On Feb. 23," writes Ken Walker, "a sister company of Walden Media -- the folks behind such films as Charlotte’s Web, Winn Dixie and Chronicles of Narnia -- will release its latest positive fare, Amazing Grace, the story of British abolitionist William Wilberforce."

* John Newton: The Wilberforce film, says Walker, "shines a light on John Newton, author to the words of the legendary hymn [Amazing Grace] that lives on and in recent years inspired a PBS television special on its impact."

* Newton's Inspiring Story: "John Newton? The slave ship captain caught in a powerful storm who struck a bargain with God, promising to set the slaves free if the Almighty saves their lives? And after God calmed the storm, Newton instantly converted to Christianity, freed the captives and quit the slave trade?"

* Oft-Told: "Over the years, you’ve probably heard (maybe preached) that story, or some modified version of it. I heard it early in my Christian life."

* But: "The only problem is none of it is true, according to Christine Schaub, author of The Longing Season, a best-selling historical novel that tells the story of Newton and his beloved hymn."

The rest of Walker's article at ChurchCentral.com is here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Liberal Pundit: Child Porn Should Be Permitted

By Rick Pearcey

"On a recent trip to Istanbul I encountered a group of Muslim students who insisted that American culture was morally perverse," writes columnist and author Dinesh D'Souza. "They called it 'pornographic.' And they charged that this culture is now being imposed on the rest of the world."

* Inversion Perversion: D'Souza "protested that pornography is a universal vice. 'Yes,' one of the students replied, 'but nowhere else is pornography in the mainstream of the culture. Nowhere else is porn considered so cool and fashionable. Pornography in America represents an inversion of values.' . . ."

* New Yorker Boonedoggle: "Recently," D'Souza continues, "the New Yorker reported on an event held at the Mary Boone art galley in Manhattan where 'artists, collectors, literati, and other art world regulars mingled seamlessly with adult-movie producers and directors and quite a few of the performers themselves.'"

* Salman Rushdie: "The purpose of the event was to celebrate the publication of the book XXX: Porn Star Portraits. The pictures in the book are accompanied by appreciative essays by leading figures on the left like Gore Vidal, John Waters, and Salman Rushdie."

* Defending Obscenity: "The liberal defense of obscenity and pornography began many decades ago as a defense of great works of literature and of free speech. It began as a defense of books like James Joyce’s Ulysses, Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, and D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterly’s Lover."

* No Guardrails: "But now some liberal advocates insist that all forms of sexual explicitness are equally deserving of legal protection and that no restriction of obscenity or pornography should be allowed."

* Pornopundit: "This is the position defended in former ACLU president Nadine Strossen’s book Defending Pornography. As liberal pundit Wendy Kaminer puts it, in her foreword to the book, 'You don’t need to know anything about art -- you don’t even need to know what you like -- in order to defend speech deemed hateful, sick or pornographic.'"

* Protecting "Fantasies About Children": "Kaminer even takes the view that child pornography should be permitted because 'fantasies about children having sex are repellent to most of us, but the First Amendment is designed to protect repellent imaginings.'"

Wendy Kaminer is on the advisory board of Secular Coalition for America.

D'Souza's new book, The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11, is just published by Doubleday.

[The entire D'Souza column is here. (Note: the column appeared earlier today at Townhall but is now -- time: 12:15 pm -- not on their site. I will post a link as soon as one becomes available. -- JRP)]

* Update: The author says the column is scheduled to appear tomorrow (Tues., January 16).

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Pro-Existence Welcomes Beckham, Even Though . . .

By Rick Pearcey

As a member of a mighty indoor soccer team based in Northern Virginia, I hereby officially welcome star footballer David Beckham to the Colonies, even though he now is a mere benchwarmer at Real Madrid.

"He is not going to play any more. He will practice, but he is not going to play," said Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello at a news conference, as reported by All Headline News.

Deep sources embedded at Real tell Pro-Existence that the coach's remarks may have something to do with Becks' (soccer lingo for "Beckham") $250 million decision to occupy environs in the western regions of the Milky Way Soccer Galaxy.

Despite the footballer's momentary sitdown, we remain encouraged that Becks is crossing The Pond. More important is the good news that Beckham's focus will be on the "Los Angeles pitch, not the Hollywood glitz." This may fall into the "easier said than done" file, however.

Meanwhile, speaking of Hollywood, Pro-Existence is pleased to have found a spot in "Rocky's" neighborhood, as part of the lineup at "Rocky News," a website dedicated to Sylvester Stallone's latest effort, Rocky Balboa.

Someone out there must have liked "Stallone on Faith: Down, Out, Up," which was posted here Dec. 12, 2006.

By the way, as the Aussie Sunday Mail reports, Brazilian superstar Ronaldo could be the next benchwarmer.

P.S. -- Regarding sports and entertainment, Steve Turner's comments on Olympian Eric Liddell may be of interest. See Christian TV vs. Christian Thinking. Turner is author of The Gospel According to the Beatles.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

WND/Rick Warren Forum: Should WND Criticize Pastor Rick Warren?

By Rick Pearcey

WorldNetDaily has recently published several articles (see below) highly critical of Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church. Some within evangelical circles might challenge the appropriateness of such criticism.

The Pearcey Report and Pro-Existence would like to open a WND/Rick Warren Forum on the following questions:

Should WND publish articles critical of Rick Warren? More generally, what role do the news media, including Christian-based media, have in holding well-known or lesser-known Christian figures accountable for what they say and do? Why? Why not?

Rick Warren responds to the criticism here. For additional background information on this question, you may want to read one or more of the following WND articles:

* Rick Warren: Is He or Isn't He?
* Rick Warren Says He's Sorry
* The Purpose-Driven Lie
* Calling Rick Warren!
* Rick Warren on Syria: "A Moderate Country"
* Megapastor Rick Warren's Damascus Road Experience
* Megapastor Rick Warren Blasts Iraq War, Praises Syria
* Rick Warren Shows Syria Video in Church
* Megapastor Warren Denies Praising Syria

What are your thoughts and comments on issues raised by WND's reporting and commentary on Rick Warren, occasioned by Warren's recent trip to Syria?


Related article
Rick Warren Debate Forum on Fire

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

PBS: Jew-Hatred Caused by Jews, Israel, Christianity

Posted by Rick Pearcey

"It only took PBS one hour to uncover the causes of anti-Semitism, now in an alarming heyday," writes columnist Diana West. "In 'Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century: The Resurgence,' narrated by Judy Woodruff, PBS offered the answer: The reason for Jew-hatred, now widely promulgated among Muslim populations, is, well . . . Jews! Israel! Even Christianity! . . .

"The conventional wisdom, as expressed on PBS, does two things. It blames Christianity and the West for introducing Anti-Semitism to a practically Edenic Islamic world, and it minimizes Islam's non-original sin of partaking of it. . . .

"This same conventional wisdom suggests that Anti-Semitism is the natural, if unfortunate, response of 'unempowered' Muslims to contemporary political events beyond their control -- namely, the essentially Christian/Western-sponsored establishment of the modern state of Israel.

"If we bothered -- if we dared -- to examine Anti-Semitism in its historical Islamic context . . . , we would better understand Islam's hysterical rejection of Israel, which, in Islamic terms, is a state of 'dhimmi' inferiors restored to equality, if not economic and military superiority, its very existence a violation of traditional Islamic code.

"Failing to do this, the West overlooks and effectively absolves Islam of its animus against Jews, and, by modern extension, Israel. The West also consigns itself, and, weirdly enough, Israel also, to the role of guilty parties who must continually try to appease an aggrieved Islam. . . ."

Read the entire column here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Michelle Malkin in Slums of Baghdad

By Rick Pearcey

Michelle Malkin and colleague Bryan Preston at Hot Air are currently embedded with a U.S. Army unit in Baghdad.

The unit is "tasked with training Iraqi security forces (both Shia and Sunni) conducting counterinsurgency operations, and carrying out civil affairs work," Malkin writes today at her website.

* Unspeakable Bloodshed: "Yes, there is danger and chaos and unspeakable bloodshed in parts of Baghdad. Sectarian violence -- compounded by everyday street crime and tribal conflict -- is rampant. Corruption, incompetence, and apathy infect the Iraqi government. You've gotten endless news coverage of all that."

* Hope Amid Despair: "But there are also pockets of success and signs of hope amid utter despair."

* Faith in Military, But No Sugarcoat: "Having met, watched, and interviewed a broad cross-section of our troops during our brief but fruitful travels, my faith in the U.S. military has never been stronger -- but I will not sugarcoat my skepticism and doubts about decisions being made in Washington."

See the rest of Malkin's post, plus photos, here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Plantinga Reviews Dawkins' Bluster

By Rick Pearcey

Notre Dame Professor of Philosophy Alvin Plantinga's review of The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins, is now available. What follows are a few passages from the beginning and conclusion of the review:

* Displeased With God: "Richard Dawkins is not pleased with God," Plantinga begins. The data, from Dawkins: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all of fiction. Jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic-cleanser; a misogynistic homophobic racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal . . . (16)."

* Sworn Enemy: "Well, no need to finish the quotation," Plantinga continues. "You get the idea. Dawkins seems to have chosen God as his sworn enemy. (Let’s hope for Dawkins’ sake God doesn’t return the compliment)."

* Extended Diatribe: "Dawkins’ new book (The God Delusion) is an extended diatribe against religion in general and belief in God in particular; he and Daniel Dennett (whose recent Breaking the Spell is his contribution to this genre) are the touchdown twins of current academic atheism." [see note below]

* Courageous Atheists: "Dawkins has written his book, he says, partly to encourage timorous atheists to come out of the closet. He and Dennett both appear to think it requires considerable courage to attack religion these days; says Dennett, 'I risk a fist to the face or worse. Yet I persist.'"

* No Danger: "Apparently atheism has its own heroes of the faith -- at any rate its own self-styled heroes. Here it’s not easy to take them seriously; the fact is religion bashing in the current Western academy is about as dangerous as endorsing the party’s candidate at a Republican rally. . . ."

* Science vs. Naturalism: "People like Dawkins hold that there is a conflict between science and religion because they think there is a conflict between evolution and theism; the truth of the matter, however, is that the conflict is between science and naturalism, not between science and belief in God."

* The End of Bluster: "By way of conclusion: The God Delusion is full of bluster and bombast, but it really doesn’t give even the slightest reason for thinking belief in God mistaken, let alone a 'delusion'."

* Naturalism in Deep Trouble: "The naturalism that Dawkins embraces, furthermore, in addition to its intrinsic unloveliness and its dispiriting conclusions about human beings and their place in the universe, is in deep self-referential trouble. There is no reason to believe it; and there is excellent reason to reject it."

Note: "Sam Harris has written a third recent book -- The End of Faith -- along these same lines, so perhaps we should speak of the touchdown triplets -- or, given that Harris is very much the junior partner in this enterprise (he’s a grad student) maybe the ‘Three Bears of Atheism’?"

The entire review can be read here, in a Word format.

Related articles:
Darwin Meltdown Reaches England, by Rick Pearcey
Christianity a Science-Starter, Not a Science-Stopper, by Nancy Pearcey

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell Should Face Jail for Preaching

By Rick Pearcey

War against Christmas? How about a war on America, not by secularists but by fascist Christians?

That, at least, is the subject of American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, a "call to arms against what [author Chris] Hedges sees as the efforts of Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and the operators of Trinity Broadcasting Network, among others," writes UC Irvine history professor Jon Wiener in a January 7 book review published in the Los Angeles Times.

And what are the "efforts" that so worry Hedges? The attempt of Pat and Jerry and other Christian brownshirts "to turn the United States into a Christian nation." American Fascists is currently ranked No. 71 on Amazon.

"Hedges is not your average secular humanist," notes Wiener. "He knows his Bible. He's the son of a Presbyterian minister and a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. He's also a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent for the New York Times who has reported from more than 50 countries over the last 20 years."

According to Wiener, Hedges argues that the "Christian right 'should no longer be tolerated,' because it 'would destroy the tolerance that makes an open society possible.'

Hedges wants teeth in his "No Toleration" solution. According to Wiener, Hedges "endorses the view that 'any movement preaching intolerance places itself outside the law,' and therefore we should treat 'incitement to intolerance and persecution as criminal.' Thus he rejects the 1st Amendment protections for freedom of speech and religion."

Independent-minded individuals who think Hedge's enforced toleration has a 1930s Germanic ring to it may want to consider the analysis set forth in Modern Fascism: Liquidating the Judeo-Christian Worldview, by Gene Edward Veith.

Jon Wiener's review of American Fascists is here.

Related article:
Fascism Is Back, by Rick Pearcey

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

John Yates and Os Guinness: 5 Outrages -- Why We Left the Episcopal Church

Posted by Rick Pearcey

"We believe it is time to set the record straight as to why our church and so many others around the country have severed ties with the Episcopal Church," say Rev. John Yates and author Os Guinness in the Washington Post today.

* What the Core Issue Isn't: "The core issue in why we left is not women's leadership. It is not 'Episcopalians against equality,' as the headline on a recent Post op-ed by Harold Meyerson put it. It is not a 'leftward' drift in the church. It is not even primarily ethical -- though the ordination of a practicing homosexual as bishop was the flash point that showed how far the repudiation of Christian orthodoxy had gone."

* What the Core Issue Is: "The core issue for us is theological: the intellectual integrity of faith in the modern world. It is thus a matter of faithfulness to the lordship of Jesus, whom we worship and follow." . . .

* Godless Episcopalians: "The American Episcopal Church no longer believes the historic, orthodox Christian faith common to all believers. Some leaders expressly deny the central articles of the faith -- saying that traditional theism is 'dead,' the incarnation is 'nonsense,' the resurrection of Jesus is a fiction, the understanding of the cross is 'a barbarous idea,' the Bible is 'pure propaganda' and so on." . . .

* Cultural Captivity: "Cutting itself off from the universal faith that spans the centuries and the continents, it becomes culturally captive to one culture and one time. While professing tolerance and inclusiveness, certain Episcopal attitudes toward fellow believers around the world, who make up a majority of the Anglican family, have been arrogant and even racist."

* Anglicans Yes, Episcopalians No: "We remain Anglicans but leave the Episcopal Church because the Episcopal Church first left the historic faith. Like our spiritual forebears in the Reformation, 'Here we stand. So help us God. We can do no other.'"

The entire column by Rev. John Yates and Os Guinness, including the 5 outrages they protest, is available here.


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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Townhall Columnist: "Most of the Racists in America Are Black"

Posted by Rick Pearcey

"Recently, I was being interviewed on radio by a black woman," writes author and Townhall columnist Burt Prelutsky. "We were discussing my new book and were getting along just fine until she decided to attack me for suggesting that most of the racists in America are black."

* Janet Jackson: "She refuted my conclusion, arguing that even the brouhaha a few years back over Janet Jackson’s bared breast proved that white America was a racist society."

* Britney and Madonna: "I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked her if she’d been unaware of the stink raised over Britney Spears smooching with Madonna. And that display took place on a music awards show that had nothing near the audience that the Super Bowl commanded." . . .

* Black-on-Black: "The fact is, most blacks who are raped, robbed and murdered, are the victims, not of white bigots or white cops, but of black thugs."

* White Society Out to Get Them: "But some people find it easier to play the race card, to pretend every time black celebrities are arrested, it’s because rotten white society is out to get them. Funny how that works, though."

* And Yet: "The same society that arrested O.J. Simpson had first given him a college education and then handed him millions of dollars to play football, make movies, and run through airports in TV commercials.

"The very same society that arrested Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson and Kobe Bryant, first made them kazillionaires.

"It’s the same society that has made icons of Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Tiger Woods, Quincy Jones, Alice Walker, Beyonce Knowles, Toni Morrison, Barry Bonds, Shaquille O’Neal, Colin Powell, Will Smith, Condoleezza Rice and, most recently, Barack Obama."

* Oprah Who? "If this were a racist society, believe me, we would not know any of those names."

Burt Prelutsky's column, "It's Black and White," is here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Malkin: "Utterly False" Pro-Abort Story Exposes Shameless NYT

By Rick Pearcey

* No Shame: "It's official," writes columnist Michelle Malkin. "The editors of the New York Times have no shame. Don't take my word for it. Listen to the Times' own ombudsman, Byron Calame."

* NYT Ombudsman Debunks NYT Story: "On Sunday, Mr. Calame wrote a stunning column debunking an April 9 New York Times Magazine cover story on abortion in El Salvador. The sensational piece by freelance writer Jack Hitt alleged that women there had been thrown in prison for 30-year terms for having had abortions. Mr. Hitt described his visit to one of them, inmate Carmen Climaco. 'She is now 26 years old, four years into her 30-year sentence' for aborting an 18-week-old fetus, Mr. Hitt reported."

* NYT Story Utterly False: "The magazine featured heart-rending photos of Climaco's 11-year-old daughter, eyes filled with tears as she clutched a photo of her jailed mom. Cruel. Horrible. Outrageous. And utterly, demonstrably, false. Climaco was actually convicted of murder for strangling her newborn baby [emphasis added] . . . ."

* Facts vs. Reporting: "The facts did not fit with Mr. Hitt's pro-abortion narrative. Authorities found Climaco's dead baby hidden in a box wrapped in bags under her bed. Moreover, Lifesite reported, forensic examination showed it was a full-term normal delivery. The child was breathing at birth. The official cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation. . . ."

* Infanticide for Pro-Abortion Poster Child: "The Times' pro-abortion poster child is a woman convicted of infanticide. But the Times, questioned by its own public editor, refuses to acknowledge Jack Hitt's false reporting. There is 'no reason to doubt the accuracy of the facts as reported,' the editors imperiously told Mr. Calame."

* NYT Keeps Readers in Dark: "They refuse to issue a correction, publish an Editors' Note or inform their readers of the ready availability of the court decision that exposes Jack Hitt's deception about the Climaco case."

* Slinging Bull: "Mr. Calame concluded that 'Accuracy and fairness were not pursued with the vigor Times readers have a right to expect.' That's too polite. The Times slung bull and refuse to clean it up."

* Textbook Media Malpractice: "The Times' Climaco-gate, like the Associated Press' Jamil Hussein-gate and Reuters' fauxtography scandal and CBS's Rathergate, will go down in mainstream history as yet another case of textbook media malpractice."

Read "All the Fibs Fit to Print," by Michelle Malkin, here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

"I Thought Creationists Were Monsters -- Until I Married One"

Newsweek -- "Before Rob, I hadn’t known any creationists," writes Tatiana Hamboyan Harrison. "I assumed that they were people who believed in the Bible more than in scientific data, probably out of stupidity."

"Whenever I imagined what a creationist might look like, he or she was always standing up on a podium, passing judgment on all evolutionists, condemning them as nonbelievers and scorning them with hateful words. I wasn’t sure where these people lived, but I figured it was probably down South somewhere, or in the Midwest.

"Surely I’d never have to interact with any of them. But falling in love with Rob changed everything."

The rest of "Loving the Enemy" is here.

Related article:
Why Intelligent Design Will Win: 5 Reasons to Keep an Open, Educated Mind, by Nancy Pearcey

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Posted by Rick Pearcey, editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Art Without Meaning: Francis Schaeffer on "The Red Virgin"

By Rick Pearcey

News outlets are reporting that an artist has portrayed actress Angelina Jolie as the Virgin Mary. The following analysis by philosopher-theologian Francis Schaeffer of Fouquet's The Red Virgin provides background on the worldview dimension of this use of Marian imagery and on the modern problem of art divorced from meaning.

* Masaccio: "It is crucial to notice that with Masaccio [1401-1428?] and the others up to this point," writes Schaeffer, "art could still have moved toward either a biblical or a nonbiblical concept of nature and the particulars (that is, the individual things, including the individual man). Up to this time it could have gone either way."

* Nature's Proper Place: "It was good that nature was given a proper place. And there could have continued an emphasis on real people in a real world which God has made -- with the particulars, the individual things, important because God made the whole world. Masaccio . . . pictured Adam and Eve as the Bible portrays them -- as real people in a real world. Or at this point humanism could take over, with its emphasis on things being autonomous."

* Dilemma of Humanism: "Immediately after Masaccio, the die was cast and the movement went in this direction. Man made himself increasingly independent and autonomous, and with this came an increasing loss of anything which gave meaning, either to the individual things in the world or to man. With this we see the dilemma of humanism which is still with us today."

* Fouquet's Red Virgin: "This position and its dilemma is strikingly shown in a shift in art. In France, one sees this with Fouquet (c. 1416-1480) in his painting The Red Virgin (1450?)."

* King's Mistress: "The world red refers to the overall color used in part of the picture. The girl was shown with one breast exposed, and everybody who knew the situation knew that this was a picture of the king's mistress, Anges Sorel."

* Not the Madonna: "Was this the Madonna about to feed her baby? No, the painting might be titled The Red Virgin, but the girl was the king's mistress; and when one looked at the painting one could see what the king's mistress's breast looked like."

* Mary as a Real Person: "Prior to this time, Mary was considered very high and holy. Earlier she was considered so much above normal people that she was painted as a symbol. When in the Renaissance Mary was painted as a real person, this was an advance over the representations of Mary in the earlier age, because the Bible tells us that Mary was a real girl and that the baby Jesus was a real baby."

* Where Has All the Meaning Gone? "But now not only was the king's mistress painted as Mary with all of the holiness removed, but the meaning, too, was being destroyed. As first it might have seemed that only the religious aspect was threatened. But, as we can see in retrospect, gradually the threat spread to all of knowledge and all of life."

* Beyond Meaningless Mary: "All meaning to all individual things or particulars was removed. Things were being made autonomous, and there was nothing to which to related them or to give them meaning."

-- Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live?, pp. 68-71; for a fuller statement on Christianity and art, see Schaeffer's Art & The Bible


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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

The Bible, the Africans, and the Slave Ship

By Rick Pearcey

Church-state separationists and other secular heirs of the Enlightenment tell us that Christianity is a matter of private faith best practiced by consenting adults in the privacy of their homes, churches, and prayer closets.

The best option among these, some say, is the prayer closet, for by limiting the free exercise of religion to this spiritual Liechtenstein, innocent children will be less subject to infection by a far-from-harmless myth. Planned Parenthood and the ACLU assure us that other kinds of collateral damage will be minimized as well.

The real myth, however, is the naturalistic myth that humanity lifted itself miraculously out of absolute nothingness into somethingness into consciousness by chance, law, dumb luck, and -- well, anything but the Creator that the Declaration of Independence talks about. That's way too scary, uncomfortable, and it interferes with Spring Break.

Happily for a bunch of black African slaves on the Amistad, the secular memo proclaiming the pretended autonomy of human beings from their true Creator never boarded ship. For the benefit of these people made in the image of God and not in the image of cosmic mudslop, the Bible and its verifiable information about God, man, the cosmos, what went wrong, and how to fix it, got there first.

Thus a story in today's Boston Globe.

* 160 Years Ago: "A prominent Massachusetts politician, former President John Quincy Adams, played a role in black history by persuading the US Supreme Court to free a group of African captives who had staged a mutiny on the slave ship Amistad."

* So Tomorrow: When governor-elect "Deval Patrick takes his place in the history books as the state's first African-American governor, he will offer a symbolic nod to that storied past, taking the oath of office on a leather-bound Bible given by the freed captives to the former president."

* You Must Be Kidding: On the contrary, "This Bible is a quintessential American symbol, one of democracy, and the inner workings of freedom, and our system of laws, and the abolitionist movement, and it represents a real victory for Africans who stood up for themselves." -- Beverly A. Morgan-Welch, Executive Director, Museum of African American History, and a "cochair of Patrick's inauguration committee"

* The Bible & Freedom: "The Bible was given to Adams by these freed African men because they so appreciated that Adams was not just their legal advocate, but he believed in their freedom."

* Precious Book: "On an inside page, the Mendi men wrote a note of thanks to Adams, saying the Bible 'has been a precious book to us in prison, and we love to read it now we are free.'

* Out of the Prayer Closet, Out of Slavery: "Adams sent the men a letter back, saying, 'It was from that book that I learnt to espouse your cause when you were in trouble.'"

Final note: It's also from that book that the Founders learned their major lessons on how to start a country. And when -- very sadly -- the Founding generation inconsistently failed to allow all people, regardless of skin color, to express their birthright of freedom under Heaven, history judged them.

This is what happens when people walk away from the Creator's "DNA for human freedom," as it were. Clearly, it could happen again. It could happen if politicians regard that "precious" book as merely a symbol, a religious prop on the political stage. A text by which to be inspired, to move an audience, a constituency, raise funds, but also a content to be ignored at vital points.

Materialists may differ, racists may protest, and co-opted religionists may squirm. But Man is not a piece of meat to be manipulated and bought and sold and stuck in closets. The Bible unbound confirms what human beings experience moment by moment: We live in a moral universe.

"Bible With Ties to Slave Ship Will Be Used for Oath" appears here in the Boston Globe.

Related Article:
America Was Meant to Be Free, Not Secular


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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

What Did James Brown Want?

By Rick Pearcey

"Last week we experienced the passing of three men -- former President Gerald R. Ford, singing legend James Brown and the sadistic madman Saddam Hussein." . . .

"Of the three, James Brown will be the most misrepresented. Brown's impact on music and the music culture cannot be applauded enough. His social relevance in the late 1960s is also undeniable."

* Message Co-opted: "But Brown's message, as is the case with many of his contemporaries, has been co-opted, truncated and obfuscated in ways that prevent the true relevance of his message from being applied in the lives of those who gleefully tapped their feet to the beat of his music, but are blissfully deaf to the message it proclaimed.

"For instance, every black from 'back in the day' can recall the raw empowerment exuded in his power anthem 'I'm Black and I'm Proud.' However, very few realized then, and even fewer realize today, exactly what Brown was advocating.

* Empowerment for All: "His message was co-opted to be a cry for black militancy -- truncated to be 'afros' and afro-centric attire -- and obfuscated to cloud the truth. His lyrics were simple truth -- 'We demand a chance to do things for [ourselves] . . . we're tired of . . . workin' for someone else.' What greater cry of empowerment for all people, but especially for those crippled by the Great Society initiatives.

"His lyric 'We'd rather die on our feet, than be livin' on our knees' is a clarion reminder of a people's life spent waiting for the government to give them their next stipend. Brown's message was 'I'm black and I'm proud' -- get out of my way, I can do it myself. OOH-RAH belongs at the end of that refrain.

"Brown penned: 'I don't want nobody to give me nothing -- open the door I'll get it myself . . . don't give me no animation, give me true communication . . . don't give me no sorrow . . . give me equal opportunity to live tomorrow -- give me schools and give me . . . books -- so I can read . . . and gain my truly looks . . . we don't want no sympathy. . . .'

"The message was one of self-motivation and meritocracy, but vampiristic ghouls who gain presence by corrupting the message of life that men like Brown proclaim will pompously pontificate his message into that which leads to the very subjugation he challenged blacks to overcome."

-- Mychal Masssie, columnist, talk radio host. Mychal Massie's entire column "2 Men and a Butcher" can be found here.

Related post:
"Godfather of Soul" James Brown, Dead at 73 -- "From Augusta, GA"

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Saddam Hussein -- Dec. 30, 2006

By Rick Pearcey

This snapshot is taken from a video image released by Iraqi state-run television Iraqiya.

The image is from moments before the execution of Saddam Hussein Dec. 30, 2006.

Video images released by Biladi TV are here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Iraqi-Americans Cheers Reports of Saddam Execution

By Rick Pearcey

Dearborn, Mich. -- "A crowd of Iraqi-Americans cheered and cried late Friday outside a mosque as some Arab media reported that Saddam Hussein was executed," reports AP.

"The crowd of more than 150 had gathered earlier in anticipation of Saddam's execution, praying for the death of the former Iraqi dictator as people honked car horns, sang and danced in celebration.

"Chants of 'Now there's peace, Saddam is dead' in English and Arabic rang into the night in this Detroit suburb."

The entire report is here.


Related Story:
The Humanity of Hanging Saddam


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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Rick Warren Debate Forum on Fire

By Rick Pearcey

WorldNetDaily has set up a forum to discuss Saddleback's Rick Warren, asking, "What Do You Think of America's Pastor"?

Here's the introduction to the Warren Debate Forum:

"Rick Warren, the best-selling author, pastor of the Saddleback Church, international traveler, has been everywhere lately -- television, magazines, and in the middle of a controversy with WND Editor Joseph Farah over his recent trip to Syria. This forum is the place to debate Warren's actions and Farah's criticisms. What do you think of the man quickly becoming known as 'America's pastor'?"

The earliest forum entry is by "Drummerboy" and dated Dec. 27, 2006, at 10:30 am. There now are 27 pages of postings, with the most recent entry by "Gabriel," dated Dec. 29, 2006, at 1:17 pm.

Total number of posts thus far: 265. Go here to see the debate for yourself.

** Update: The number of posts is now 273 and growing.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

"Christian" TV vs. Christian Thinking

By Rick Pearcey

Steve Turner is a British author and journalist. His book Imagine was published in 2001, and his latest work, The Gospel According to the Beatles, was published in August. The following is from an interview with Infuze magazine.

* Why Worldview? "Christians often develop a Christian view of, say, prayer and scripture but don't think of having a Christian view of the normal stuff of everyday life. If they do not have a Christian worldview, they will inevitably just take the dominant view of the culture they live in. In the West, this tends to be some form of humanistic materialism."

* Beyonce: "If you take an artist like Beyonce, she appears to have a Christian view of Bible reading, church and prayer (from what I've read), and yet her performance, rather than challenging the predominant culture, is a reflection of its current demands."

* Britney Spears: "There was a program about Britney Spears on TV, and writer Chuck Klosterman was saying that when he interviewed her some years ago, he asked her whether she thought her (then) defense of chastity before marriage was at odds with her stage shows and videos where she tended to dress in school girl uniforms and act the temptress. He said that it was one of the strangest moments he'd ever experienced in an interview because she was just dumbfounded. He said it was as if the thought had never occurred to her."

* "Christian" TV: "American 'Christian' TV is a huge enemy of [Christian] worldview thinking, and possibly a huge enemy of Christianity."

* Humans First: "We have to remember that God made us as humans, not Christians. He created the human race and the environment of the world and was pleased with what he had created. He imagined us enjoying our lives in this space He had created."

* Chariots of Fire: "The actor playing the athlete Eric Liddell in the film Chariots of Fire is made to say, 'When I run, I feel God's pleasure.' That is a good doctrine of creation. When we do human things in the world God made for us, God gets pleasure. The need to be Christian entered with the fall. We needed to be redeemed. But, far from wiping out God's orininal intentions, it confirms them. To be Christian is to be on our way to being fully human."

* Evermore Prayer Meetings? "Hank Rookmaaker the Dutch art historian used to say, 'Christ didn't die in order that we could go to more prayer meetings.' People would gasp at this. Then he would add, 'Christ died to make us fully human.'"

* Why Christ Died: "He didn't die to make us religious, but to make us human. In our fallen state, we lack the completeness of our humanity. The monastic tradition makes the mistake of thinking that God is best pleased with us when we cut ourselves off from the world, deny ourselves pleasure, refrain from marriage and devote ourselves totally to religious activities. This almost assumes that God made a mistake in putting us in a world of pleasure, culture, art, nature, work, companionship, etc."

* Love: "Christians have so often 'used' an art form simply to put over a 'message,' but have had no love for the art form. They haven't wanted to leave film or the novel in a better state because they were there. But because these things are good and are pleasing to God, we should make sure that we tend and look after them. The arts help to preserve and invigorate language. They sharpen our vision. They make us notice things. They bring greater understanding between people. We have to respect them."

The entire Steve Turner interview at Infuze magazine can be read here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Breaking News From Iraq -- Top Enemy Adviser Killed, Enemy Gets Mad

By Rick Pearcey

* First, the good news: According to a headline in the Washington Post, "Close Adviser to Sadr Dies in U.S.-Iraqi Raid."

* Now, the bad news: According to the lead paragraph, "A top deputy of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was killed Wednesday during a raid by U.S. and Iraqi troops in the southern holy city of Najaf, sparking protests from Sadr's followers and complicating an already tense relationship with the powerful anti-American leader."

Comment: For the doubters, we now have evidence direct from Iraq -- War is complicated, war is tense. And the enemy doesn't like it when they take casualties.

Bonus Comment: For the believers, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is a fine art. Only top-level journalists need apply.

The rest of the story is here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

"Godfather of Soul" James Brown, Dead at 73 -- "From Augusta, GA"

By Rick Pearcey

From AP -- "James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured 'Godfather of Soul,' whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73.

"Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by his side, he said.

"Copsidas said the cause of death was uncertain. 'We really don't know at this point what he died of,' he said.

"Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, Brown was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie's 'Fame,' Prince's 'Kiss,' George Clinton's 'Atomic Dog' and Sly and the Family Stone's 'Sing a Simple Song' were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style."

A few James Brown memories:

* Christmas -- During Christmas season, we would sometimes drive by the home of James Brown to see the Christmas decorations. We would always look for the black Santa Claus.

* Toronto -- A man and a woman on a date stop me on a street in Toronto. It's the mid-1980s. The guy is trying to convince the girl to go to a James Brown concert that evening. He asks my opinon. I tell them I'm from Augusta, Ga., as was James Brown, and that whatever else they're thinking about doing, the only real option is to go see James Brown perform.

* Augusta, Ga. -- My dad retired from the Army at Ft. Gordon, near Augusta, Ga. I graduated from Butler High in 1969 and did my undergraduate work at Augusta College (now "State University"). So Augusta is about as close to a "hometown" as this "Army brat" will ever get (born in Aschaffenburg, Germany).

Sometime around 1968-69 on the highway into town, I remember first hearing the refrain on the radio, "I'm black and I'm proud." Musically, I was not impressed. But over time, I came to enjoy not only that song (both the sentiment and the music) but also such James Brown hits as "It Is a Man's World" and "Living in America."

* A Favorite Episode -- My memory tells me that James Brown tried to get out of traffic violations by claiming "diplomatic immunity" because he was the "Ambassador of Soul." Checking the web today indicates it may have been his wife claiming immunity because of the dignitary she was married to. I look forward to an honest, fact-based biography of this man and his times.

If you read the news reports, you'll see that James Brown had a difficult life, a tough upbringing, and he made unfortunate choices as an adult. Today, his friends mourn the passing of a brother, his fans celebrate the gift of his creativity and music.

Today is Christmas. We recall how, in utter contradiction to religio-political authorities then and materialistic authorities now, the true source of human creativity entered the world by choice. A hard world in which to live an unforgettable life. An imperfect world in which to demonstrate the triumph of good over evil, creativity over chaos, redemption over indifference, science over materialism, and the humanity of God over the inhumanity of man.

The rest of the AP story is here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

By Rick Pearcey

As no doubt millions of readers have noticed, The Pearcey Report is currently not up and running.

This is because a) The Pearcey Report elves are otherwise occupied this evening, b) the editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report has been naughty, or c) The Pearcey Report has exceeded its bandwidth.

Top Pearcey Report scientists, technicians, elf negotiators, and Condoleeza Rice are working around the clock to restore order. Good cheer, of course, remains.

Meanwhile, have a Merry Christmas!

Cheers to all,

Rick

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Christmas in Brazil

By Rick Pearcey

To our friends in Brazil. You know who you are.

And to all who enjoy the land, the beauty, the samba, the soccer, and the sensitive engagement of people and culture on the basis of truth.

Obrigado!

Merry Christmas!

Rick, Nancy, Michael


Of Interest:
"Easter and Other Four-Letter Words," by Rick Pearcey

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Zawahiri Christmas Message

By Rick Pearcey

News satire site ScrappleFace offers a bit of Christmas cheer with "Al Qaeda's No. 2 Releases Christmas Video."

According to Scott Ott at ScrappleFace, "Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's second-in-command, today released his Christmas video through Al Jazeera TV." Date of release: Dec. 20, 2006.

ScrappleFace's mission: "News Fairly Unbalanced. We report. You Decipher."

To view "Seasonal Greeting from Ayman al-Zawahiri," click here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Banned in Pakistan

By Rick Pearcey

"Robert Spencer's latest book, The Truth About Muhammad, has been banned in Pakistan," writes Ivy Sellars in Human Events," the Capitol Hill weekly newspaper where I once was employed as managing editor.

Spencer's book, "published by Regnery (a Human Events sister company), was pulled off shelves after it was found to contain 'objectionable material' about Islam's founder, according to a notification obtained by the Kuwait National News Agency.

"The Pakistani government has confiscated all copies and translations of the book."

The rest of the article is here.

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.

Bush Falling Down: Is Homosexual Adoption a Benign Reality?

By Rick Pearcey

WPost Attacks: "Deliberately bringing a child into the world without a father and exposing that child's moral formation to an atmosphere of homosexuality is a "benign reality," according to Ruth Marcus in the Washington Post," writes George Neumayr today in American Thinker.

"Marcus was writing in praise of 'Mary Cheney's pregnancy,' only regretting that it hadn't occurred during the 2004 election cycle, when a 'hugely pregnant' Cheney could have illustrated the clanging disconnect between the Republican Party's outmoded intolerance and the benign reality of gay families today.'"

Bush Concedes: "Unfortunately, the Republican Party isn't as reactionary as Marcus supposes. Hasn't she noticed that it is happy to make mindless concessions to social liberals like her? After all, George Bush evidently considers gay adoption a benign reality too.

"Quickly crying uncle to his glib questioners at People magazine, he predicted Mary Cheney will be a very good mother and 'loving soul' to her child."

Children Lose: "Bush's interest in the domestic culture war at this point is almost nil and his handling of it is certainly as questionable as his conduct of the Iraqi one.

"The rhetoric grows more and more depressingly empty: White House spokesmen rattle on about the danger foreign radicals pose to our 'way of life' even as they watch, with fashionable passivity, domestic liberals damage it. Is there nobody at the White House who can bring themselves to say that gay adoption is bad for children?"

The rest of George Neumayr's article is here.

Related Article:
"Rosie O'Donnell's Oppressive Coat: Imposing "Private" Homosexual Values on Everyone," by Rick Pearcey

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Rick Pearcey is editor and publisher of The Pearcey Report.