Pursuing Holiness

Some folks are working themselves up into a froth over this: McCain Ad Suggests Obama is the Antichrist?

That’s just what some outraged Christian supporters of the Democratic nominee are claiming John McCain’s campaign did in an ad called “The One” that was recently released online. The Republican nominee’s advisers brush off the charges, arguing that the spot was meant to be a “creative” and “humorous” way of poking fun at Obama’s popularity by painting him as a self-appointed messiah. But even this innocuous interpretation of the ad — which includes images of Charlton Heston as Moses and culled clips that make Obama sound truly egomaniacal — taps into a conversation that has been gaining urgency on Christian radio, political blogs, and in widely-circulated email messages that accuse Obama of being the Antichrist.

Here’s a double-dog dare for any lefties who read this blog. Find just ONE clip of a nationally syndicated Christian radio host who declares that Obama is or even might be the anti-Christ. It doesn’t exist. As for blogs, any idiot can start one. (Q.E.D.) But show me a link from a blog with any kind of decent following - someone in the top 100, say - who declares that Obama is or even might be the anti-Christ. It doesn’t exist. Time just made that up. It’s an outright lie.

I wonder if leftists actually think that President Bush is a chimpanzee. I mean, that IS how they portray him in a lot of political cartoons, and even call him Chimpy. And you’d never portray a political figure as something if you didn’t actually believe it to be true, right?

You know another group who tends to hold really literal, black and white views? High schoolers. People on the left who think that mainstream Christians really buy the idea that Obama is the antichrist probably also believe that Bush is going to institute a fascist theocracy. Oh, wait. They do. (Even though it’s their side who’s actually doing what they accuse Bush of.) Which is probably why they’re so wrought up about this ad. As it turns out, I got that email. Not from someone who sent it in a serious way, but someone who thought I’d enjoy it because she knows it is dangerous to send me forwarded email blasts. I have been known to “reply to all” with a sound debunking. So here’s the infamous email:

Consider this…………

This will make you re-think: A Trivia question in Sunday School :
How long is the beast allowed to have authority in Revelations ?
Guess the Answer?
Revelations Chapter 13 tells us it is 42 months, and you know what that is.
Almost a four-year term………….. to a Presidency.
All I can say is Lord Have Mercy on us.!!!!!!
According to The Book of Revelations the anti-Christ is:
The anti-Christ will be a man, in his 40’s, of MUSLIM descent,
who will deceive the nations with persuasive language,
and have a MASSIVE Christ-like appeal….
the prophecy says that people will flock to him and he will promise false hope and world peace,
and when he is in power, will destroy everything ….
Is it OBAMA??
I STRONGLY URGE each one of you to repost this as many times as you can!
Each opportunity that you have to send it to a friend or media outlet…do it!
Refuse to take a chance on this unknown candidate who came out of nowhere.

And my response, dashed off in about a minute and a half - no research required:

I do love debunking this stuff… Aside from the fact that the original author of the email doesn’t know the correct name for the final book in the bible… and none of the undoubtedly well-meaning Christians who forwarded it caught that red flag… and the fact that the word Muslim is not in the bible at all; in fact Islam wasn’t even invented until nearly 700 years after the bible was written… even if it had been, there’s no proof Obama ever practiced Islam, especially as an adult when it would really “count” as children can’t be held responsible for following a faith their parents teach them, and in any event his Muslim father did not raise him… and then there’s just basic math – 4 years x 12 months = 48 months, not 42, and “close enough for horseshoes and hand grenades” isn’t exactly how the bible handles time-related prophecies.

I have a long list of reasons to oppose Obama politically, but this email is just nonsense. Thanks for the chuckle – after the chaos of the last two weeks I really needed it!

Obamessiah’s euphoric, faith-based “I’m going to save the world” rhetoric leaves him wide open for such insults, including their inverse. “This is our moment,” indeed! Like this:

I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.

How any intelligent person can hear or read that and not marvel at his arrogance and the sheer foolishness of such a prediction - the utopianism - the dishonesty of pretending that America is not already doing a phenomenal job of caring for the sick and has a FAR lower unemployment rate than the European countries Obama seems so in love with - it’s very perplexing. But with that statement and countless others, Obama brings this sort of thing on himself:

Charles at LGF writes,

I’ve received quite a few emails from evangelist mailing lists (lists I didn’t ask to join) that make the Antichrist accusation very explicitly—so I know that they really are trying to spread this ridiculous canard. Is this an attempt by the McCain campaign to leverage far-right religious support on the sly?

Obama wants to pretend, for political reasons, that he’s the messiah. A handful of others want to pretend, for political reasons, that he’s the antichrist. Both groups have some sheeple who buy into it, but the antichrist crowd is by far the smaller movement. I seriously doubt that even McCain is so stupid that they’re doing it. It’s more likely to be a Huckolyte somewhere. They’re known for that kind of bad behavior.

Bottom line - no serious person buys this stuff. People forward it for a variety of reasons. I.) they can’t stand Obama to the point that any argument against him seems worthwhile, just like the right did against Clinton (remember that list of dead people?) and the left does against Bush. 2) they are new or nominal Christians without a good grasp of theology. c) they have no grasp of history, particularly biblical history. 4) They just think it’s funny. V) any combination of the above. But let me tell you, if we actually believed that Obama is the antichrist, you’d be seeing some very different behavior from us - not politics as usual. Consider the fact that we genuinely believe the rise of the anti-Christ presages the LITERAL END OF THE WORLD as we know it. Do you REALLY think that we’d be fretting about a lousy election at that point? Lefties, please - use your common sense, if you have any.

It’s just another election. If he loses, good. If he wins, we’ll survive it. And idiocy like the email is no different than what’s been passed around for every election since we started having elections, right back to the pamphlets Jefferson sponsored against Adams. But what do I know? I’m just bitterly clinging to my guns and religion.

Added: Hot Air has more on this ridiculous story.

Their racial paranoia having earned them ridicule even from “The Daily Show,” the forces of progress shift gears. Karl reminds us in the comments to our Headlines item that author Amy Sullivan comes to Time mag from the Washington Monthly (see his post from March about her take on l’affaire Wright) and the piece itself follows hot on the heels of Democratic consultants circulating a memo that pushes the Antichrist read.

written by Laura

Five and a half years. And that includes time served.

Salim Hamdan could go home in less than six months after a military tribunal gave him a “stunningly lenient” sentence for his conviction on providing material support for terrorism. Hamdan got 66 months instead of the 30 years to life sentence recommended by prosecutors

Okay, so let’s review sentences:

Libby, 30 months - perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators in the probe of the leak of the name of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative who was actually exposed by someone else - and the investigator knew it the whole time he was investigating Libby - and in the course of her double-super-top-extra secret job, actually drove to CIA headquarters to work every day.

Hamdan, 66 months - providing material support to al Qaeda, which has murdered thousands of Americans.

Niiice.

written by Laura

From Walking’s World, “one of the best I’ve seen when it comes to documenting the anti-Americanism of the radical left. Complete with an upside down flag, spitting on an Iraq War veteran and calling him a rapist, it’s sure to make your blood boil.”

My blood’s not boiling, but I’m quite depressed. This is what it’s come to. That this behavior is considered socially acceptable anywhere, for any reason, is just sad. The video is well done, but the content is shameful. It’s not shameful to have a reasoned position against the war, or against specifics in how the war is being fought. But the willful ignorance and the uncivil behavior is shameful. It’s legal and should remain so, of course, but it ought to be socially unacceptable in the same way that racism is socially unacceptable. I’m more of an Adams fan than a Jeffersonite, but this quote is spot on:

“I fear [political difference] is inseparable from the different constitutions of the human mind and that degree of freedom which permits unrestrained expression. Political dissention is doubtless a less evil than the lethargy of despotism, but still it is a great evil, and it would be as worthy the efforts of the patriot as of the philosopher, to exclude its influence, if possible, from social life. The good are rare enough at best. There is no reason to subdivide them by artificial lines. But whether we shall ever be able so far to perfect the principles of society, as that political opinions shall, in its intercourse, be as inoffensive as those of philosophy, mechanics, or any other, may be well doubted.” –Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Pinckney, 1797. ME 9:389

[Added: and it's not just a handful of freak protestors in CA.  The ultimate in incivility.]

And now, to cleanse the palate, via Baldilocks, the news the “professional” media will not give you:

written by Laura

Over at Riehl World View Dan asks the question -

But seriously, now that the media will be in Iraq and things are much improved, will they genuinely report that … the way they should have been doing all along? Or, will they simply deliver the profound wisdom emanating from Obama’s teleprompter and talking points to their all too eager ears? Stay tuned.

Most of the focus of this trip will be on Afghanistan; how awful things are and how we’re losing and can’t ever possibly win, ad infinitum. Every difficulty will be lovingly reported in the greatest possible detail. The New York Times has already started, taking care in this article to note that an Afghanistan surge would be a complete waste of time, and that we should instead send more money immediately.

But in what reporting on Iraq that the media does deliver, I predict that because Obama will be in Iraq, the media will associate him with victory almost to the point of giving him credit for it.

Highly Dowdified quotes will be employed, as well as repeated clips of his pro-troop quotes. There will be no mention of the fact that he voted against troop funding. The focus will be bringing the troops home in victory, not on how the victory was achieved.

This is the only way the media will be able to bring themselves to report that the troops have achieved any success at all. That’s the only way the victory will get the front page coverage it deserves. If John McCain is mentioned at all, it will be on the 18th paragraph of page A15.

The narrative will be that the Messiah has come to Iraq and consequently peace reigns. Hallelujah.

Updated: Baldilocks notes the audacity as well:

You have to “admire” Barack Obama’s ability (audacity) to get out in front of a passing parade and become its leader, while MSM entities like Reuters are content to carry on with the months-long process of anointing him.

written by Laura

We’re sending diplomats back to Iran. What could go wrong? The Guardian article has a photo of Iranians at a rally with a “Death to America” sign but that was waaay back in 2004. I’m not worried. After all, Iran has signed onto the International Convention Against the Taking of Hostages, which is also known as the Hostages Convention.

Iran has announced its opposition to all terrorist activities, including the taking of hostages and any other measure that breaches people’s fundamental liberties and rights, upsets the peace and stability of societies, and hinders the development of countries.

So it’s aawwl good, baby. I’m not a bit worried. It turned out okay last time, right?

52 Americans arrived back in the United States today after being held hostage by Iran for 444 days. The hostages were released five days earlier, the same day Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th U.S. President.

“The released hostages stepped off ‘Freedom One,’ the jet that brought them home from West Germany, to an explosion of cheers at Stewart Airport and threw themselves into the arms of waiting and weeping relatives,” reported The Post Standard on January 26, 1981. “The hostages were serenaded along the route with ‘God Bless America’, ‘America the Beautiful’ and chants of ‘USA! USA! USA!’ by people teeming behind barricades along the route under trees streaming with yellow ribbons.”

Jimmy Carter admitted to just one mistake throughout the crisis: a failure to use enough helicopters in the rescue attempt.

This BBC article includes interviews with a hostage and a hostage taker. Typically of the Beeb, it’s extremely sympathetic to the hostage-taker, and it’s one of the least angry hostages. An interesting footnote is that his wife is the one who kicked off the ribbon movement:

My wife did [the yellow ribbon] which of course triggered the way in which American people hang up ribbons for all manner of causes.

It’s a symbol, a national symbol in this country of reaching out, of caring for caring for our fellow Americans.

Now the yellow ribbon that was put around the oak tree in my front yard that began this tradition is on permanent display at the library of US Congress.

Others following the story.

written by Laura

New York state stepped up to protect author Rachel Ehrenfield (a really gracious woman - I booked her when I was producing talk radio and she was a pleasure to deal with, unlike many others) from an attack on her free speech by passing the Libel Terrorism Protection Act.

However, a federal version of Rachel’s Law was needed. Joe Lieberman and Arlen Specter sponsored the Senate version - here’s their WSJ article on Free Speech Protection Act of 2008:

…introduced by U.S. Rep. Pete King (R., N.Y.) and co-sponsored by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D., N.Y.). This legislation builds on New York State’s “Libel Terrorism Protection Act,” signed into law by Gov. David Paterson on May 1.

Our bill bars U.S. courts from enforcing libel judgments issued in foreign courts against U.S. residents, if the speech would not be libelous under American law. The bill also permits American authors and publishers to countersue if the material is protected by the First Amendment. If a jury finds that the foreign suit is part of a scheme to suppress free speech rights, it may award treble damages.

First Amendment scholar Floyd Abrams argues that “the values of free speech and individual reputation are both significant, and it is not surprising that different nations would place different emphasis on each.” We agree. But it is not in our interest to permit the balance struck in America to be upset or circumvented by foreign courts. Our legislation would not shield those who recklessly or maliciously print false information. It would ensure that Americans are held to and protected by American standards. No more. No less.

As much as I gripe about Congress, every once in a while I couldn’t be happier with them. This is really important legislation - please contact your Congressional representation and urge them to co-sponsor and to vote for it.

Added: thanks for the link, Foxfier!

written by Laura