This image is more than a little disturbing (h/t Torpor Indy):
The New York Times has the story about the statue which was erected at a megachurch in Memphis.
The real Statue of Liberty’s more formal name is Liberty Enlightening the World. Her powers of enlightenment are gone with the new statue, her torch having been replaced with a cross, and the tablet she held bearing the inscription “July IV MDCCLXXVI” now holds a tablet with the 10 commandments; pretty lousy trades in my opinion.
Doug,
Really this may disturb you, but it should not surprise you. This is simply more DOMIONIST propaganda that the US was founded as a CHRISTIAN nation. Doug, seriously do you ever scan the radio dial while in your car? North central Indiana must have at least a half dozen very similiar Christian Right stations in same market. Just wait until next fall, the War on Christmas will come early being an election year. You will be able to hear the same Dominionist message 24/7. Personally hearing that crap on the radio creeps me out. It reminds me too much of Hotel Rwanda and Hutu Power Radio. I am afraid I will have nightmares about someday hearing Cut the Tall Trees over my car radio.
What is really scary is that Rev. Dobson and his ilk are buying up radio stations across America left and right placing 4, 5 + Christian stations in the same markets. For example Phoenix got its eighth Christian station knocking Air America off the airways even though the station was profitable for the first time in years. Finally, a couple of months ago Air American got back on the air in Phoenix. The Progressive talker Ed Schultz has the single fastest growing audience in the fastest growing radio format, progressive talk. However, the Right Wing and the Bushco FCC has found a way to prevent Schultz from expanding across the central and western states.
The Religious Right has been allowed to buy up radio stations and operate them at a lost inorder to keep Schultz off the air in many markets.
No, it doesn’t surprise me. As for radio, there is plenty of religious programming in my area (though I haven’t listened to it long enough to know if it’s of a Dominionist flavor.) But, much as there is around here, nothing prepared me for the radio on my trip through Tennessee to Alabama.
Searching for that last cite, I stumbled across an entry I had done on low power radio licenses being snatched up by Christian groups.
Doug,
First of all check out the segment that appeared on PBS’s Now on Dauphin Island Alabama. http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/227/index.html
I have to agree with those that say that the Federal government should have nothing to do with insuring the rebuild of such disaster prone private beach front property. I say put a couple of tow away barges housing resturants, bars and tourist facilites, for the public, fresh water, toliets and camp grounds and let nature take its course each hurricane season.
Doug,
So you are an XM fan. I mainly stream radio on the computer, right now I am not driving much. Personally I thought the Wing-nuts’ boycott of the Dixie Chicks was insanely stupid and incredibly short sighted. Now XM will be one of their main sponsors and I am sure the Chicks will promote loadly at each concert. Satellite radio has a complete roster of left-wing/alternative/out of favor country artists doing promotional deals with them; Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam… I can not imagine living in Radio wasteland without satellite radio.
Small and low power radio stations are meant serve the local community. Just patching in Rev Dobson’s Focus on the Family media empire out of Colorado Springs, or one of the Christian Right networks out of Nashville when there are several stations in the same markets carrying the exact same broadcasts at different times seems to me a violation of the Congress’s intent or a major loophole.
Progressive talk stations, even those on the Air American network, usually have regional line-ups and local broadcasters.
I love the radio faith healers down here in Kentucky. “You don’t need that biopsy, ma’am. Just put your hand on the radio and be healed!”
Speaking of Alabama… During my Ft. Benning days I used to drive to Auburn University to hang out. On these trips I would pass a billboard of a cartoon picture of the devil (complete with tail and a pitchfork) sitting in a pool of fire, with the caption “PRAY, or the devil will get YOU!!!”
I wrote a long entry on this very issue entitled “Their Reality has Lapped Our Satire” over on The Daily Pulse (http://thedailypulse.blogspot.com). Anybody interested in this might find it entertaining/terrifying.