LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY nebris)

From The NY Times

June 18, 2007
By ANDREW ADAM NEWMAN

IN a commercial for Trojan condoms that has its premiere tonight, women in a bar are surrounded by anthropomorphized, cellphone-toting pigs. One shuffles to the men’s room, where, after procuring a condom from a vending machine, he is transformed into a head-turner in his 20s. When he returns to the bar, a fetching blond who had been indifferent now smiles at him invitingly.

Directed by Phil Joanou (“State of Grace”), with special effects by the Stan Winston Studio (“Jurassic Park”), the commercial is entertaining. But it also has a message, spelled out at the end: “Evolve. Use a condom every time.”

“We have to change the perception that carrying a condom for women or men is a sign they’re on the prowl and just want to have sex,” said Linda Kaplan Thaler, chief executive of the Kaplan Thaler Group, the New York advertising agency that created the “Evolve” campaign. “It’s a sign of somebody being prepared — if the opportunity arises — to think about their own health and the health and safety of their partner.”

( But the pigs did not fly at two of the four networks where Trojan tried to place the ad. )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY hummingwolf)

"Evangelical youth leader Ron Luce thinks the secular media is demonically-inspired, and he’s fighting fire with fire. Religion writer Jeff Sharlet describes BattleCry, Luce’s angry attempt to infiltrate enemy bastions like MTV and Hollywood."

You can listen now at the link above. Transcripts will be available Monday afternoon (in some U.S. time zone, presumably).

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY pope_guilty)

Some of you may have heard of "Path to 9/11", the slanderous miniseries produced by Disney which depicts Bill Clinton ignoring a chance to catch Usama bin Ladin and depicts the Bush Administration as concerned about al Qaeda prior to 9/11.

Did you know that it's got ties to dominionists?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY multiclassgeek)

Just finished watching the aforementioned show: A documentary about Patrick Henry College in the US (for background,click here for the discussion we had here a few hours ago - It's a good primer on the PHC agenda.

Whilst I'm in no position to reiterate the entire documentary, here's some thoughts

( Warning: May Contain Sarcasm )

Overall, I was slightly disappointed by the show. Whilst it did a good job of showing how these young people wanted to become politically active in order to advance their faith in a suitably Dominionist way, there was no time taken to look at the roots of why they believe this (i.e the core of Dominionist/Christian Reconstructionist thought). It came across as more of a "Look at this college in the USA which trains kids to enter politics and exert influence" rather than a "Look at the sort of shit that's being pulled, here" (which I think would have been a better doc all round). However, the announcer at the end did point to Channel 4's own Religion Resourse, http://www.channel4.com/believe as a link for those who "wanted to find out more about US Evangelicals" (I can't vouch for the content, but I thought the link might warrant another mention).

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

The British Channel 4 is going to take a look at students from the extremely religious Patrick Henry College. The show is called "God's Next Army":

God's Next Army investigates Patrick Henry College (PHC), set up five years ago in Virginia, near Washington DC. Its mission is to train young fundamentalist Christians to become the next generation of America's cultural and political leaders. Though the separation of church and state is enshrined in the US Constitution, with financial backing from the evangelical community the college aims to 'rechristianise' America; to 'preserve the world from the sinfulness of man'.

PHC students are an isolated group who come from close-knit communities where everyone prays together and shares moral certainties. Most have been educated at home and have had no contact with either the social diversity or the political and intellectual cut and thrust of mainstream schools. Derek Archer, a prospective PHC student believes home-schooling has protected him from the 'moral decay of the world'.

Once at the college, the students ceremonially sign a covenant which commits them to a strict behaviour code: no alcohol, drugs or obscene literature; sex will be reserved for marriage; personal conflicts will be resolved biblically; the students will be above reproach, will uphold the tenets of evangelical Christianity and lead the nation for Christ.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY gleef)

The United Church of Christ, a far-more-accepting-than-most mainline Christian denomination, has been having trouble getting an ad aired, lightly poking fun at some churches mistreatment of certain groups (minorities, single mothers, homosexuals, etc), to underscore their message of openness and inclusion.

In response, the UCC has set up a blog, http://accessibleairwaves.org, to organize information and action to convince the networks to stop discriminating in favor of the religious right. Some people here might be interested in checking them out. [Audio alert: the site currently has a copy of the ad in question embeded on the front page of the blog, so the audio from the ad might start coming out of your speakers]

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY eiredrake)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/16/business/media/16fine.html

Censorship is a pet peeve of mine. Especially when:

The orders are in response to more than 300,000 consumer complaints about programming that viewers found indecent, profane or obscene. Many complaints are lodged in large numbers by organized groups and not by independent viewers.

Basically, it's yet another political maneuver by our right wing Masters.

Sign on San Diego TV Ratings Guide says that Without a Trace gets a viewership of 20.1 million people. 20.1 MILLION. Yet 300,000 people, an apparently small but vocal minority can decide what the remaining 19,800,000 are permitted to watch? Yes, 300,000 is a lot of people and yes there needs to be some sort of standard for regular broadcast Tv. But this whole batch of nonsense is to protect kids and protect uppity sensibilities in adults. It would be more effective if these people claiming to be protecting their kids would actually be PARENTS and keep track of what Junior is watching instead of forcibly limiting other people's choices.

Personally I find shows like Fear Factor to be utterly repugnant and vile ( especially when they start eating roaches ). But just because I don't like it doesn't mean someone else shouldn't be able to watch it.

I hate to use the phrase 'vast Right wing conpiracy' ( since the vast left wing conspiracy is a favorite Republican/Conservative buzzword ) but this censorship nonsense is one facet of that very thing. Not necessarilly dark Christians ( though I'm willing to bet it's primarilly them ) but definately the type of right-wingers that want to live everyones lives for them. Changing how people express themselves isn't easy. But if you limit what they get to see and hear... and limit their avenues of expression you can affect their minds, behavior and so forth. 1984, anyone?

I wonder if we could possibly cost guys like Pat Robertson money if we all started writing into the FCC about how his comments and hypocrisy are morally indecent and should be stricken from the air. Naturally it'll never happen, since he's a core dominionist type but it'd be interesting to see what might happen. Anyone up for a letter writing campaign?


Not directly relevant to my proposal and argument but this ticked me off anyways...
"We absolutely are elated by the rulings handed down by the F.C.C.," Mr. Winter said. "Where they could fine a broadcaster for breaking the law, they did so. We think this sends a very powerful signal that those who violate the law will be punished."

Yeah... unless of course you're President.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY jaded_journeys)

I posted this in my journal, but figured I'd mention it here in a somewhat more civilized manner. OK, at least it has fewer naughty words than the post in my journal.

I know y'all might be sick of hearing about South Dakota's abortion ban, but I find this transcript of a news report on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer sickening. I'm only including a few quotes in this entry, but the whole thing is an interesting read. ( I'm cutting this for possible rape triggers. It's mild, but it might be there. )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY amethyst_hunter)

The Good:
Pat Robertson loses seat on evangelical broadcasters' board

Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson, criticized by some evangelicals recently for his comments about Venezuela's president and the prime minister of Israel, has lost a bid for re-election to the National Religious Broadcasters' board of directors.

Unfortunately it's not all good news: Among the successful candidates for the board was Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the Washington-based American Center for Law and Justice, a nonprofit group founded by Robertson.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

The idea of paying for only the cable channels they want might have strong appeal for consumers, but to religious programmers, the prospect seems just short of apocalyptic

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY jenfer47)

...captured the dark side of Christianity to a "T." This is not a program that I normally watch, but this episode had me riveted.

The "Prayer Warrior" Prima Donna was taken in by a host family of upscale New Age hippies, and every little thing about them rattled her chain as a possible sign of the Dark Side (her words)! By the end of the week, she had gone into a full-fledged psychotic break. The episode ends with a screaming rant wherein she tears up the $50,000 check and orders the camera crew out of her house - "in Jesus name I pray, amen!" (After she had calmed down, however, she decided to keep the money.)

In the other home, the puzzled hypnotherapist mom (who looks like Cher) hosted a potluck and was confronted by the Prayer Warrior's kindred spirits - a houseful of supercilious bitches demanding to know her religious credentials.

Guess whose kids liked their new stepmom better!


http://www.fox.com/tradingspouses/bios/perrin.htm
http://www.fox.com/tradingspouses/bios/damicoflisher.htm

http://www.fox.com/tradingspouses/recaps/201.htm
http://www.fox.com/tradingspouses/recaps/202.htm


"Chris wants to continue reaching out to Marguerite and takes her to the radio station.... When they get on the air, Chris announces to the audience the guest is a psychic. Marguerite immediately gets defensive and furious. She storms out of the radio booth, while she begins breaking down. 'Find me a church,' she orders the camera crew. Chris is baffled; he doesn’t understand how someone can be so close-minded.... After crying in the bathroom, Chris wants Margaret to talk to the man, but Margaret is afraid to get evil on her. The psychic [who has been wearing a cross since age 12] makes an effort, but it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for somebody to get through to Margaret."

This experience has given this lady a better look at her true character than $50,000 worth of psychotherapy could ever have done. I'm afraid it is all for naught, however. If a monkey looks into the mirror, no philosopher will look out!

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY seshen)

Tonight's "previously enjoyed" episode of Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy finds heated mama Marguerite Perrin looking for a way to cool down while her hen-pecked hubby lies low and does what he's told. Marguerite became something of a media sensation last year in her TV debut, thanks to her oft-stated faith in the Lord. What, you'd rather be watching the Winter Olympics than this? (Global, Fox)

Tonight on Fox, 8 pm EST/7 pm CST. Check your local listing; it's a two-hour event!

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY exotic_princess)

NBC cancels Will and Grace episode featuring Britney Spears doing a segment called Cruci-fixin's

I didn't even realize the 'history' of that term!

The NBC "Will and Grace" episode featuring Britney Spears hosting a cooking show called "Cruci-fixins" has been cancelled in the wake of Christian protests, but the term was actually recycled from a Fox network show.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY polypolyglot)

was scheduled to be a guest on Good Morning America today. Did anyone catch it? What did he talk about?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY britzkrieg)

According to NBC's initial synopsis of the [Will & Grace] episode, Jack's fictional TV network, Out TV, is taken over by a Christian broadcaster, leading [Britney] Spears' character to do a cooking segment on his show called "Cruci-fixin's."

The American Family Association immediately raised objections to the planned episode, saying it "mocks the crucifixion of Christ" and will "further denigrate Christianity" by airing the night before Good Friday.

On its Web site, the Mississippi-based advocacy group called on its supporters to urge network affiliates to refuse to run the episode and to write letters of protest to NBC.

NBC countered that the dispute stems from an inaccurate press release that went out without being properly vetted.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY multiclassgeek)

Tonight's editon of "The Daily Show" featured an interview with the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, who was promoting his book, American Vertigo.

During his interview he cut straight to the heart of the Christian Church's problem in America; In reference to MegaChurches (Willow Creek in particular), he said "There's a lot of good people out there, but there's also a lot of crooks". He then then went on to rail against the teaching of ID as science, and to give huge credit to Bono (who, he suiggested, would be a good guest for the show).

Not exacly an in-depth analysis of the issues, but it certainly made a good point, and thus I considered it woth a mention here.

Go here and click on the "Watch Bernard-Henri Levy" link to hear it in full.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY jmthane)

Don Wildmon of the AFA is gloating over the fact that NBC canceled "The Book of Daniel" (something I am not yet finding substantiated by any news source I actually trust), and is crediting the influence of the AFA and similar right-wing organizations for getting advertisers to not buy advertising on the show. Well, that's as may be, but there was a quote in there that I just had to comment on:

"Even an impassioned plea by Daniel's producer Jack Kenny could not match your participation. 'Ordinarily, I would never ask anyone to do this, but the AFA and bullies like them are hard at work to try and prevent you from seeing these beautiful shows, and that is censorship—pure and simple. And that is both un-Christian and un-American,' Kenny wrote. His attitude is typical in today’s society. Non-Christians telling Christians what is Christian."

My first thought was, "Well, *someone* has to tell you radical religionists what it is to be Christian..."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

A "Real Live Preacher" takes a look at "The Book of Daniel" on Salon:

Sinfully bad TV
A real live preacher weighs in on NBC's "The Book of Daniel" and the unholy outrage from the religious right.

By Gordon Atkinson

Jan. 09, 2006 | I wanted so badly to like "The Book of Daniel," NBC's new series about an Episcopalian minister and his rather interesting family. I wanted to like it if only because some of the religious right are soundly condemning it. I usually can't pass up an opportunity to distance myself from those guys.

But I couldn't like it. I just couldn't. Not because it is sacrilegious, but because it is bad. It is very bad. This is a bad and boring show. I stayed with it as long as I could, but when the two bishops were having a torrid affair while the priest with the Mafia connections was calling in favors to find the missing $3.2 million, all the while trying to convince the reverend to hire a Mafia construction company -- something the reverend seems to be seriously considering -- I had to call it a night.( Read more... )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY exotic_princess)

If this is too off topic, let me know and I'll delete!

I know O'Reilly gets old, but c'mon...

"At this point, anyone who thinks the ACLU is looking out for the folks, sticking up for your rights, is absolutely hopeless. The American Civil Liberties Union has become the attack dog in the secular progressive jihad to change the culture and political landscape in America."

Yeah, that's it.

( More Here )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY lihan161051)

Bill O'Reilly got into it with David Letterman last night. It was spectacular when the gloves came off.

My $.02: O'Reilly could have been a typical Letterman guest and loosened up and had a few laughs, but instead decided to try to make a scene of his appearance on the show, and it really cost him. Lesson learned: Don't f*** with a professional! ;-)

( Highlight of the show.. )