Michael Gaynor
Bill O'Reilly helps the secular Coalition for America
By Michael Gaynor
Say it ain't so, Bill.
To be sure, it was unintentional. Bill O'Reilly obviously recognizes the danger of secular extremism. He fights it vigorously and regularly. But Bill blundered badly in putting the Secular Coalition of America's atheist paid lobbyist, Lori Lippman Brown, on the air last night without being prepared to discuss the history of "The Pledge of Allegiance" or the particulars of the bill paid lobbyist Brown is campaigning against these days.
Brown used the airtime Bill gave her last night to charge that the inclusion of the words "under God" in "The Pledge of Allegiance" was the result of "McCarthyism" (translation: a hysterical fear of communism) and to attack a bill that would protect religious organizations from people who would subvert their message and good work.
Bill erroneously stated that "under God" had historically been part of "The Pledge." His ignorance of the history of "The Pledge" played into Brown's
skillful and manipulative hands. First, Brown pointed out, rightly, that Bill was wrong; then, she attributed, ridiculously, the inclusion of the words in the 1950's to McCarthyism.
The late Republican Senator from Wisconsin probably would be delighted to take credit, but his was but one vote for that inclusion. CONGRESS WAS UNANIMOUSLY IN FAVOR!
And the impetus for the inclusion came from the Knights of Columbus, not Senator McCarthy.
President Eisenhower, no McCarthyite, joyously signed the bill into law and proudly proclaimed: "From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty." They would be proclaiming what Americans had believed from the beginning, in the century before Karl Marx, the Father of Communism, was born and two centuries before Lenin made Russia a Communist state.
Brown also enthusiastically lobbied for the infiltration of religious organizations that would be stopped by a bill that just passed the House of Representatives, while misrepresenting the bill as pro-religious discrimination rather than protective of the free exercise of religious rights.
The Coalition website contains misleading notice about the bill:
"Last week, the House voted 220-196 to include an amendment in the
Head Start re-authorization (HR 2123 School Readiness Act) allowing religious organizations to practice religious discrimination in the employment of publicly funded personnel. Head Start, designed to help academically disadvantaged youngsters and their families, is a federally funded secular pre-school program that operates nationwide.
"Please contact both of your U.S. Senators and ask them to support the civil rights protections used by Head Start since 1972 by opposing the language incorporated into the House version of the bill by the Boehner Amendment (House Amd. 574). If this language is included in the Senate version, Head Start teachers working in programs managed by religious organizations could lose their jobs simply because of their religious beliefs, and future hires could be subjected to religious tests.
"You can contact your Senators through their websites or through the Legislator/Media Lookup by Zip Code."
Bill sensed that Brown's attack was fundamentally flawed, but was unable to explain how and why.
Bill reported that atheists had created something God surely would not: a lobbying group called the Secular Coalition for America, headed by Herb Silverman and directed by Brown, which is newsworthy, but he essentially welcomed the Coalition to the public arena instead of pegging it as pernicious.
To be sure, the Coalition, which was organized in 2002 and stunned by the 2004 election results, is determined to defend and to extent secular extremism.
Their sly thought is that the word secular is much more palatable than atheist, so they use it instead.
And Brown said they are not fighting to end Christmas as a national holiday yet.
But they surely are out for publicity and money to promote their atheist agenda to the fullest extent that seems politically possible, and Bill O'Reilly helped them with publicity last night.
The leftist website Daily Kos trumpeted Brown's appearance on O'Reilly's "Factor":
"Lori Lipman Brown, the Director and Lobbyist of the Secular Coalition for America (SCA) is going to be on Bill O'Reilly's TV show on Wednesday, September 28th.
"It should be an interesting showdown. O'Reilly is one of the loudest attackers of secular humanism on the air. He constantly misrepresents what secular humanism stands for, painting secular humanists as Satan's minions out to destroy America.
"Lipman Brown is a former State Senator from Nevada, a lesbian, a lawyer, and a teacher/college professor.
"For more info about Lipman Brown, the Secular Coalition, and O'Reilly's attacks on secular humanism, read across the break.
"Lori Lipman Brown began her lobbying effort on Monday opposing a bill allowing federally-funded Head Start programs to base hiring decisions on the religious beliefs of applicants.
"A Monday morning USA Today article, Non-believers raising voice in capital, has rapidly spread word of the secular lobbyist's Congressional debut and resulted in a deluge of requests for interviews.
"Surprisingly, O'Reilly will get one of the first cracks at Lipman Brown. Or maybe it isn't surprising. No doubt Lipman Brown wants to confront O'Reilly for his constant attacks and lies about secular humanism. I hope she takes him over her knee and gives him the spanking he so rightly deserves.
"What sorts of things does O'Reilly say about secularists?:
'Patriotism, spirituality, respect for authority, and basic moral values are all under siege from a well-funded, secular lobby that envisions a society free of judgments about personal behavior. And if that society falls apart in the process, so be it.'
"That 'well funded secular lobby' is a figment of the blowhards imagination. The Secular Coalition for America is a brand new lobby, and is the ONLY lobby dedicated to furthering the cause of secular and non-religious Americans. The SCA has a meager budget built from donations collected from average Americans like me. O'Reilly's statement clearly shows he knows nothing about what secular humanism espouses. The SCA began its lobbying effort on September 19, 2005 in response to the kinds of mis-information O'Reilly spreads. Lipman Brown says her two main goals are, 'To keep religion out of government and win respect for a stigmatized minority.'
"The coalition's Position Statement and Mission Statement:
"Position Statement
"The Secular Coalition for America is committed to promoting reason and science as the most reliable methods for understanding the universe and improving the human condition. Informed by experience and inspired by compassion, we encourage the pursuit of knowledge, meaning, and responsible ethical codes without reference to supernatural forces. We affirm the secular form of government as a necessary condition for the interdependent rights of religious freedom and religious dissent. We come together as national freethought organizations to cooperate in areas of mutual interest and to support each other in our efforts to uphold separation between government and religion for the benefit of all within the nontheistic community. As resources allow, we will actively cooperate in projects that support our position, with priority given to political action initiatives and public relations opportunities.
"Mission Statement
"The mission of the Secular Coalition for America is to increase the visibility and respectability of nontheistic viewpoints within the larger culture and to protect and strengthen secular government as the best guarantee of freedom for all.
"How about the boring details:
"The Secular Coalition for America has incorporated as a 501(c)(4). This tax status will enable the Coalition to engage in lobbying to an extent previously unheard of in the nontheistic community.
"Our status as a lobbying organization prevents us from supporting or opposing candidates for political office, but it opens doors for us to directly influence legislation affecting the nontheistic community. This lobbying effort will require us to summon all our resources and energy — and your help — if we are to turn the tide against assaults on the wall of separation by proponents of a creeping theocracy...
"The Secular Coalition for America focuses on the concerns of America's brights, whether they self-identify as agnostics, atheists, freethinkers, humanists, or skeptics, as well as others who consider themselves non-religious. The Coalition also enthusiastically welcomes the participation of religious Americans who share our view that freedom of conscience must extend to people of all faiths and of none.
"The coalition was formed by Atheist Alliance International, Institute for Humanist Studies, Internet Infidels (the Secular Web), and The Secular Student Alliance, and was later joined by the American Humanist Association, the nation's largest and oldest humanist association. The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers is an honorary member group. For a complete listing of endorsing organizations or to donate, visit the SCA website.
The Coalition website sets forth but one correction to the Daily Kos post:
"Webmaster's note: The reporter assumed, because of Brown's work for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality, and because Brown refers to her husband as her 'partner' that Brown is a lesbian. Brown is hopeful that the error will point out that allies are welcome in every civil rights struggle, and that our members welcome the assistance of Theists in our fight to be included in our secular government and in society in general."
SELF-LOATHING THEISTS, SUPPORT THE SECULAR COALITION FOR AMERICA!
President Silverman posted this plea for funds (including a tasteless "gods" joke) on the Coalition's website (www.secular.org)
"No gods will help us, so we hope you will! Please donate today
"Dear coalition supporter,
"The day has finally come that many of you have financially helped bring about. The Secular Coalition has hired a director/lobbyist AND a legislative assistant. But this is just the beginning. Now more than ever we need your generous support to meet our startup costs, attract even more media attention to our freethought issues, and advocate in the political arena for a broad base of nontheistic Americans.
"Can we count on your help? Please donate today!"
The Coalition website notes that Mr. Silverman considers Michael Newdow, the atheist out to remove "under God" from "The Pledge" and "In God We Trust" from America's currency is an "outstanding representative" of America's secularists.
What you can count on is my opposition, Mr. Silverman.
© Michael Gaynor
Say it ain't so, Bill.
To be sure, it was unintentional. Bill O'Reilly obviously recognizes the danger of secular extremism. He fights it vigorously and regularly. But Bill blundered badly in putting the Secular Coalition of America's atheist paid lobbyist, Lori Lippman Brown, on the air last night without being prepared to discuss the history of "The Pledge of Allegiance" or the particulars of the bill paid lobbyist Brown is campaigning against these days.
Brown used the airtime Bill gave her last night to charge that the inclusion of the words "under God" in "The Pledge of Allegiance" was the result of "McCarthyism" (translation: a hysterical fear of communism) and to attack a bill that would protect religious organizations from people who would subvert their message and good work.
Bill erroneously stated that "under God" had historically been part of "The Pledge." His ignorance of the history of "The Pledge" played into Brown's
skillful and manipulative hands. First, Brown pointed out, rightly, that Bill was wrong; then, she attributed, ridiculously, the inclusion of the words in the 1950's to McCarthyism.
The late Republican Senator from Wisconsin probably would be delighted to take credit, but his was but one vote for that inclusion. CONGRESS WAS UNANIMOUSLY IN FAVOR!
And the impetus for the inclusion came from the Knights of Columbus, not Senator McCarthy.
President Eisenhower, no McCarthyite, joyously signed the bill into law and proudly proclaimed: "From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty." They would be proclaiming what Americans had believed from the beginning, in the century before Karl Marx, the Father of Communism, was born and two centuries before Lenin made Russia a Communist state.
Brown also enthusiastically lobbied for the infiltration of religious organizations that would be stopped by a bill that just passed the House of Representatives, while misrepresenting the bill as pro-religious discrimination rather than protective of the free exercise of religious rights.
The Coalition website contains misleading notice about the bill:
"Last week, the House voted 220-196 to include an amendment in the
Head Start re-authorization (HR 2123 School Readiness Act) allowing religious organizations to practice religious discrimination in the employment of publicly funded personnel. Head Start, designed to help academically disadvantaged youngsters and their families, is a federally funded secular pre-school program that operates nationwide.
"Please contact both of your U.S. Senators and ask them to support the civil rights protections used by Head Start since 1972 by opposing the language incorporated into the House version of the bill by the Boehner Amendment (House Amd. 574). If this language is included in the Senate version, Head Start teachers working in programs managed by religious organizations could lose their jobs simply because of their religious beliefs, and future hires could be subjected to religious tests.
"You can contact your Senators through their websites or through the Legislator/Media Lookup by Zip Code."
Bill sensed that Brown's attack was fundamentally flawed, but was unable to explain how and why.
Bill reported that atheists had created something God surely would not: a lobbying group called the Secular Coalition for America, headed by Herb Silverman and directed by Brown, which is newsworthy, but he essentially welcomed the Coalition to the public arena instead of pegging it as pernicious.
To be sure, the Coalition, which was organized in 2002 and stunned by the 2004 election results, is determined to defend and to extent secular extremism.
Their sly thought is that the word secular is much more palatable than atheist, so they use it instead.
And Brown said they are not fighting to end Christmas as a national holiday yet.
But they surely are out for publicity and money to promote their atheist agenda to the fullest extent that seems politically possible, and Bill O'Reilly helped them with publicity last night.
The leftist website Daily Kos trumpeted Brown's appearance on O'Reilly's "Factor":
"Lori Lipman Brown, the Director and Lobbyist of the Secular Coalition for America (SCA) is going to be on Bill O'Reilly's TV show on Wednesday, September 28th.
"It should be an interesting showdown. O'Reilly is one of the loudest attackers of secular humanism on the air. He constantly misrepresents what secular humanism stands for, painting secular humanists as Satan's minions out to destroy America.
"Lipman Brown is a former State Senator from Nevada, a lesbian, a lawyer, and a teacher/college professor.
"For more info about Lipman Brown, the Secular Coalition, and O'Reilly's attacks on secular humanism, read across the break.
"Lori Lipman Brown began her lobbying effort on Monday opposing a bill allowing federally-funded Head Start programs to base hiring decisions on the religious beliefs of applicants.
"A Monday morning USA Today article, Non-believers raising voice in capital, has rapidly spread word of the secular lobbyist's Congressional debut and resulted in a deluge of requests for interviews.
"Surprisingly, O'Reilly will get one of the first cracks at Lipman Brown. Or maybe it isn't surprising. No doubt Lipman Brown wants to confront O'Reilly for his constant attacks and lies about secular humanism. I hope she takes him over her knee and gives him the spanking he so rightly deserves.
"What sorts of things does O'Reilly say about secularists?:
'Patriotism, spirituality, respect for authority, and basic moral values are all under siege from a well-funded, secular lobby that envisions a society free of judgments about personal behavior. And if that society falls apart in the process, so be it.'
"That 'well funded secular lobby' is a figment of the blowhards imagination. The Secular Coalition for America is a brand new lobby, and is the ONLY lobby dedicated to furthering the cause of secular and non-religious Americans. The SCA has a meager budget built from donations collected from average Americans like me. O'Reilly's statement clearly shows he knows nothing about what secular humanism espouses. The SCA began its lobbying effort on September 19, 2005 in response to the kinds of mis-information O'Reilly spreads. Lipman Brown says her two main goals are, 'To keep religion out of government and win respect for a stigmatized minority.'
"The coalition's Position Statement and Mission Statement:
"Position Statement
"The Secular Coalition for America is committed to promoting reason and science as the most reliable methods for understanding the universe and improving the human condition. Informed by experience and inspired by compassion, we encourage the pursuit of knowledge, meaning, and responsible ethical codes without reference to supernatural forces. We affirm the secular form of government as a necessary condition for the interdependent rights of religious freedom and religious dissent. We come together as national freethought organizations to cooperate in areas of mutual interest and to support each other in our efforts to uphold separation between government and religion for the benefit of all within the nontheistic community. As resources allow, we will actively cooperate in projects that support our position, with priority given to political action initiatives and public relations opportunities.
"Mission Statement
"The mission of the Secular Coalition for America is to increase the visibility and respectability of nontheistic viewpoints within the larger culture and to protect and strengthen secular government as the best guarantee of freedom for all.
"How about the boring details:
"The Secular Coalition for America has incorporated as a 501(c)(4). This tax status will enable the Coalition to engage in lobbying to an extent previously unheard of in the nontheistic community.
"Our status as a lobbying organization prevents us from supporting or opposing candidates for political office, but it opens doors for us to directly influence legislation affecting the nontheistic community. This lobbying effort will require us to summon all our resources and energy — and your help — if we are to turn the tide against assaults on the wall of separation by proponents of a creeping theocracy...
"The Secular Coalition for America focuses on the concerns of America's brights, whether they self-identify as agnostics, atheists, freethinkers, humanists, or skeptics, as well as others who consider themselves non-religious. The Coalition also enthusiastically welcomes the participation of religious Americans who share our view that freedom of conscience must extend to people of all faiths and of none.
"The coalition was formed by Atheist Alliance International, Institute for Humanist Studies, Internet Infidels (the Secular Web), and The Secular Student Alliance, and was later joined by the American Humanist Association, the nation's largest and oldest humanist association. The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers is an honorary member group. For a complete listing of endorsing organizations or to donate, visit the SCA website.
The Coalition website sets forth but one correction to the Daily Kos post:
"Webmaster's note: The reporter assumed, because of Brown's work for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality, and because Brown refers to her husband as her 'partner' that Brown is a lesbian. Brown is hopeful that the error will point out that allies are welcome in every civil rights struggle, and that our members welcome the assistance of Theists in our fight to be included in our secular government and in society in general."
SELF-LOATHING THEISTS, SUPPORT THE SECULAR COALITION FOR AMERICA!
President Silverman posted this plea for funds (including a tasteless "gods" joke) on the Coalition's website (www.secular.org)
"No gods will help us, so we hope you will! Please donate today
"Dear coalition supporter,
"The day has finally come that many of you have financially helped bring about. The Secular Coalition has hired a director/lobbyist AND a legislative assistant. But this is just the beginning. Now more than ever we need your generous support to meet our startup costs, attract even more media attention to our freethought issues, and advocate in the political arena for a broad base of nontheistic Americans.
"Can we count on your help? Please donate today!"
The Coalition website notes that Mr. Silverman considers Michael Newdow, the atheist out to remove "under God" from "The Pledge" and "In God We Trust" from America's currency is an "outstanding representative" of America's secularists.
What you can count on is my opposition, Mr. Silverman.
© Michael Gaynor
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(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
