Get the scene. The McCain/Palin ticket wins in November and soon afterwards mobs of wild eyed bible-toting evangelicals will burn stacks of books in giant bonfires. Sound ridiculous? Well, that is exactly what Andrew Greeley is laughably claiming in his latest Chicago Sun-Times column ominously titled, "Next Chapter for radical right: Burn books." Years ago, Greeley sounded somewhat sane but lately he has gone off the deep end such as his claim in June that it is racist not to vote for Obama. Greeley's latest sanity-challenged screed presents a bleak future of crazed book-burning evangelicals taking over the country. Try not to laugh too hard as you read Greeley's rantings (emphasis mine):
Let's fill some trucks with books, drive them downtown and burn them in front of the Chicago Public Library. Let's drive other trucks to the regional libraries and burn them, too . . . I mean the books, not the libraries, though libraries are the source of the problem. If it weren't for the libraries, it would be hard for innocent young people to be corrupted by the filth pouring out of the country's printers.
Instead of burning books or libraries, perhaps we ought to start smashing printing presses. They have served as tools of sin and the devil since Herr Gutenberg invented them.
When the radical evangelicals take over the White House, lists of books that one shouldn't read or in fact are forbidden to read will spread around the country like wildfire, you should excuse the expression. Unless a much tighter control is imposed on distribution of books, the morals of the country will continue to deteriorate, which will in turn weaken us in the long war on terror.
One almost pictures John Connor somewhere in this bleak evangelical future of Greeley's fantasy sending a terminator back to our time to keep evangelicals from taking over Skynet and nuking all books on the planet. Father Greeley then invokes some biblical sounding language to attempt to make his silly case:
Oh ye of little faith! Why must ye think that the power of the biblical stories depends on their literal, word-for-word inerrancy? Why can't you see that those men and women who study it so closely actually enhance its wonder? Why instead must ye wander through the desert searching for the pillar of salt that was Lot's wife? Why can't ye understand that ye continue the battle between science and religion with thy concern about routing evolution from the classrooms? Don't ye realize that ye reinforce the paradigm, so loved by thy friends in the national media, of the battle between science and religion? When the results finally leak out about the European Organization for Nuclear Research experiments in Switzerland, just watch the stories confronting religious ideas about creation with "scientific" knowledge.
Yes, Greeley works himself into a lather over his highly fictional evangelical book burning future but he conveniently overlooks a very real case of censorship in his own Chicago, namely the attempts by the Barack Obama campaign to suppress books critical of him. One of the many comments following Greeley's bizarre column is an on the mark comment calling him on his hypocrisy from someone called ajea:
The most recent public outcries for censorship were from the Obama contingent over guests David Freddoso, author of The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media’s Favorite Candidate, on September 15th and Stanley Kurtz on 8/27 who Milt Rosenberg from WGN radio had on his show in an attempt to bring some balance to the MSM's blind worship of Obama. There is a link to his interview with Stanley Kurtz on Milt's file wgnradio.com.
As far as Rev Greeley goes, he is just a regular reminder that wearing a collar does not automatically confer wisdom.
—P.J. Gladnick is a freelance writer and creator of the DUmmie FUnnies blog.
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I have been hearing that
September 18, 2008 - 19:21 ET by NewsbusterbrownI have been hearing that same old crap for 30 years now.
“There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
Deja-moo:
September 18, 2008 - 22:22 ET by RESTLESS 1The irrepressible feeling that I've heard this bullshit before.
"This
liberal would be all about socialize -- uh, uh, would be about
basically taking over and the government running all of your companies."-Maxine Waters 2008
good company
September 19, 2008 - 12:16 ET by TruthMongerthe world's been hearing this for centuries
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
Racists are going to burn buildings if Obama doesn't win
September 18, 2008 - 19:31 ET by Daniel BakerProbability of Riots could be high with a media focused on race
Protect Traditional Marriage California Get Out the Vote
Traditional Marriage is not "Divisive" President Obama
Andrew Greeley needs to take
September 18, 2008 - 19:46 ET by cocodrieAndrew Greeley needs to take Horace Greeley's advice and go west to the People's Republic of California.
Wouldn't work
September 18, 2008 - 20:21 ET by Indiana JoeIt was "Go West, young man..."
One thing Andy ain't, is young!
>;^)>
"... smells like... victory." - Robert Duvall
It's ironic that...
September 18, 2008 - 19:54 ET by exLibThe foundation of Christianity, especially Evangelical Christianity, that every person be exposed to reading and studying the Bible.
In the dark ages common folk weren't allowed to read the Bible and hence allot of really bad things were done in the name of God because of the ignorance of the masses.
IT wasn't until the Bible was printed and made available to the masses that "The Church" as a ruling authoirty was somewhat taken away even though the person who printed the bibles was killed, if I am not mistaken. (Why I can't remember his name, he was very famous).
One of the biggest problems with this fictional seperation of Church and State argument is that you can't teach ANY history that involves Christianity in lives of those who founded, formed and developed our country. THerefore you have an entire generation of people growing up totally ignorant of any influence Christianity had on the world, as well as any idea of all the good that has been done by Chrisitans.
Christianity, Democracy and Capitalism go hand-in-hand with an educated, and I mean properly educated populace.
The other irony is, of course, that if "gay" marriage becomes the law of the land the first book that truly will be burned is The Bible. After that "leftists" will be the ones banning and burning the books, not Christians.
I thought it was William
September 18, 2008 - 20:16 ET by KStormI thought it was William Tyndale, but I could be mistaken.
I've heard of Guttenberg Bibles...
September 18, 2008 - 20:23 ET by Indiana Joeare you thinking of ... Umm... Johann Guttenberg? Not sure of the first name...
"... smells like... victory." - Robert Duvall
I thought he died...
September 18, 2008 - 19:54 ET by cest moiIs Father Greeley still out there? I thought his 15 minutes were up aaaaaaages ago.
Yeah, he's "out there" all right
September 18, 2008 - 20:24 ET by Indiana JoeAnd you're correct, his 15 is waaaa-aaaay gone.
"... smells like... victory." - Robert Duvall
Opposite Land
September 18, 2008 - 20:07 ET by Kirk TurnerIt is amazing that the left raises the spectre of book burning. Who has installed a system of hegemonic political correctness so ominous that people are afraid to speak openly about a universe of topics ranging from abortion to zoning?
When you go to a book store and request a book that isn't on the liberal "approved list," how are you treated? It is the left that has frozen free speech in this country.
Some of these very same
September 18, 2008 - 20:27 ET by Clear thinkerSome of these very same people would burn Bibles in a heart beat!
They know they are lying about the book burning, so what does this tell you about THEM?
Hate Rush Limbaugh Week - Again
Making Fun of AGW http://giovanniworld.wordpress.com/
libs are racist - so they
September 19, 2008 - 12:21 ET by TruthMongerlibs are racist - so they call us racist
libs are liars - so they call us liars
libs are censors - so they call us censors
libs are spies - so they call us spies
libs are corrupt - so the call us corrupt
libs are hypocrates - so they call us hypocrates
libs are against the death penalty - so they favor abortion
libs bitch about losing civil rights - so they celebrate dictators
and on and on
Journalism is the opium of the liberals
This guy regularly ticks me off.
September 18, 2008 - 20:32 ET by Indiana JoeI had heard he was defrocked, but his Wiki bio doesn't mention that. Not proof, I know, but....
I've learned to steer clear of this sad, pathetic, hate-filled maniac. I'd cross the street to avoid him. Interestingly, his "author's list" on wiki is massive. One has to wonder, if he wanted to be a writer, why become a priest?
I registered and posted a reply to his screed. Well, more of a reply to him, as he exists today. The comments are pretty much universally negative. Maybe he's a masochist or something. No one I've read seems to agree with him or excuse him in any way, but I haven't read them all.
Just disgusting to me that this hateful little person is still a Catolic priest, apparently. A liar, a faker, a con man, a rabble-rouser, and not even a good Catholic! But he does fit right in at the Slum-Times.
"... smells like... victory." - Robert Duvall
Is Greeley really a "Reverend"?
September 18, 2008 - 20:53 ET by Mike BrattonFor what reason should he be revered? Certainly not for his odd worldview.
Greeley actually does things that attempt to besmirch the name of Christ (and Christianity as a whole), yet he suggests that those of us who are Christians--and take the Bible seriously--are somehow dangerous?
--Mike
www.thebrattonreport...
Lighters
September 18, 2008 - 21:17 ET by MES41067I'm so excited I've picked up two or three lighters just waiting in the wings for the phone call.I'm pissing myself with excitment over here.
MES
September 18, 2008 - 21:30 ET by Indiana JoeYou're on my phone tree.
"... smells like... victory." - Robert Duvall
Why dignify it?
September 18, 2008 - 21:43 ET by wdhorningThis is so silly its rediculous.
Banning books? If anyone is trying to ban books it is the looney left that bans the Bible from schools, bans evangelicals from using free speech and otherwise tries to supress anything that proves they are the looney left.
Same Tune After Eight Years
September 18, 2008 - 21:59 ET by GothampcPeople said the same thing about George W. Bush eight years ago. And here we are in the United States of Evangelical Christianity.
The Stasi will ban "1984"
September 18, 2008 - 22:03 ET by Carl KolchakIf Obama wins, we might have the Stasi want to ban books like "1984" and any other books the Stasi deem unfit. From the link below.
"1984 was banned in the G.D.R. but of course, Mielke and Honecker had access to banned material."
http://www.gangstalkingworld.com/Social/print.php?sid=143
"The Chancellor-the late chancellor-was only part correct. He was obsolete. But so was the State, the entity he worshiped. Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of man, that state is obsolete. A case to be filed under 'M' for Mankind in the Twilight Zone" Rod Serling
Fr. Greeley is a Spirit of Vatican II Leftover
September 18, 2008 - 22:17 ET by Tito of Custos FideiWith the exception of some cultural Catholics, Fr. Andrew Greeley has no respect with the Catholic world.
I work in a public library
September 18, 2008 - 22:39 ET by Scout FinchNobody cares about Andrew Greeley and his lousy books, fiction OR non-fiction.
A lot of hot air and "malarkey".
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
September 18, 2008 - 23:24 ET by JWFGet your wacky stereotypes up to date. This is the age of global warming.
We do not burn books anymore. We use them to wack loopy columnists upside the head until they are all bloody. Then we recycle them and turn them into enviromentally correct toilet paper.
recycling is good for you
September 19, 2008 - 06:39 ET by Agnostic"Then we recycle them and turn them into enviromentally correct toilet paper."
Recycle the columnist or the books? I only as because they are so keen on recycling the same lame columns with the same lame stereotypes every single election year.
You mean that after almost 8 years of "Bush the neocon"...
September 19, 2008 - 05:24 ET by JohnMcGrew...that there are any books left? You'd think they'd all be burned years ago.
Damn. Can't the federal government get anything done right?
Imagine the endless fuel
September 19, 2008 - 06:24 ET by Roger the ShrubberImagine the endless fuel supply that Nancy Pelosi's book could provide to the poor, starving, huddled masses that Chimpy McHitler has left this country.
Liberals afraid of ideas
September 19, 2008 - 09:46 ET by LionKingIt is liberals who are afraid of ideas and open debate.
Liberals are afraid to allow the science of both the Theory of Evolution and the Thoery of Intelligent Design to be presented side-by-side...why?
Liberals are afraid to acknowledge that the debate over Anthropogenic Global Warming is not over...they do not want to view all of the facts, only those facts which are convenient to support their claims.
These assertions about book-burnings are just more outrageous liberal lies ... LIEberals and facts do not mix.