Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Transcript: Barnes On Bush(and Religious Right)
CBSNEWS.com ^ | Sept. 8, 2004

Posted on 09/24/2004 4:33:52 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch

BEN BARNES:
I think the country is probably more divided today then it's been since the Civil War. I certainly was not alive, although some people probably think I was alive at the conclusion of the Civil War. So I wasn't there firsthand.

But I believe that this country is very severely divided. Families are divided. Friends are divided. Communities are divided. Churches, schools. It's not healthy.

I have a letter in my possession from my grandfather who wrote to my uncle who was on Iwo Jima. And in the first paragraph, he talks about the crops are in the ground. We've had ground rain. He's trying to write a kind of letter to cheer my uncle up. But he says in the next paragraph that, "I'm very concerned about the fact that the religious right in this country--" and he talked about a person that was on the radio that was talking about the religion and politics had to mix. And that we should get involved because God was telling us to do this. And God was telling us to do that.

And I'm like-- my grandfather in 1943 speculated that he was very concerned because he thought it was very important in this country to keep the separation between church and state. And I believe that very strongly also.

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: benbarnes; cbs; christianright; danrather
He's right about it being divided, Ben and his daughter Amy are certainly divided!

"I'm very concerned about the fact that the religious right in this country--"

Is this a term that would have been used in 1945?

1 posted on 09/24/2004 4:33:52 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
Dems are always concerned about the country being 'divided' when they are losing. When they're shoving the Republicans out the door, 'division' is never a concern of theirs.
2 posted on 09/24/2004 4:39:04 PM PDT by atomicpossum (If there are two Americas, John Edwards isn't qualified to lead either of them.©)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
I think the country is probably more divided today then it's been since the Civil War.

And WHO's doing the dividing, Clymer?

And by the way, Opie, how interesting is it that just by mentioning our name, you acknowledge that we are right?

3 posted on 09/24/2004 4:41:12 PM PDT by Christian4Bush (Pajama Freeper Christian 4 Bush (PFC4B) is responsible for the content of this posting.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
I have a letter in my possession from my grandfather who wrote to my uncle who was on Iwo Jima. And in the first paragraph, he talks about the crops are in the ground. We've had ground rain. He's trying to write a kind of letter to cheer my uncle up. But he says in the next paragraph that, "I'm very concerned about the fact that the religious right in this country--" and he talked about a person that was on the radio that was talking about the religion and politics had to mix.

I don't believe it. I very seriously doubt the phrase "religious right" had ever been used prior to the 80s, 70s at the earliest. He is lying about this letter.

If he does have such a document, I bet it was written in proportional spacing Times New Roman font!

Be the first person to find a legitimate use of the term "religious right" from the WWII era, used in its present sense. I will personally send you $5.

4 posted on 09/24/2004 4:44:30 PM PDT by Restorer (They have the microphone, but we have the remote.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch

Is it really his assertion that we are suffering from too much religion in our country? That doesn't pass the straight face test.


5 posted on 09/24/2004 4:57:36 PM PDT by grace522 (Let's not slander our intelligence to that degree)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Restorer
I think he's lying, too. If he did produce a letter, it would probably be done with a word processor.
6 posted on 09/24/2004 4:58:12 PM PDT by Nosterrex
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
I think the country is probably more divided today then it's been since the Civil War.

What nonsense. We're more divided than in the 1960s? Gimme a break.

7 posted on 09/24/2004 4:59:17 PM PDT by NYCVirago
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch

I agree, Barnes is lying right through his teeth. How can we call him on the carpet? Any ideas?


8 posted on 09/24/2004 4:59:24 PM PDT by grace522 (Let's not slander our intelligence to that degree)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch

the left most fears religion. this has been a cosistent dnc taling poit against bush. the fear that bush's example will allow people to speak of God without fear of legal cosequences


9 posted on 09/24/2004 5:01:33 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! NOV 2, 2004 is VETERANS DAY! VOTE!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
I think the country is probably more divided today then it's been since the Civil War.

Though most of Barnes' screed is unmitigated bullsqueeze, he is correct in this. The Second Civil War draws near.

10 posted on 09/24/2004 5:02:17 PM PDT by clee1 (Islam is a deadly plague; liberalism is the AIDS virus that prevents us from defending ourselves.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch

First thing I saw! Is Burkett typing for him, too?


11 posted on 09/24/2004 5:04:53 PM PDT by Mach9 (.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
"I'm very concerned about the fact that the religious right in this country--" Is this a term that would have been used in 1945?

Back then, even Democrats believed in God, so no, it wouldn't have been used. Besides, there really was no such thing as "the right," or a conservative movement, as we know it. And there was no separation of church and state movement back then. Madalyn Murray O'Hair was the leader of that, and she didn't start until the early 60s. I never even heard the "religious right" term used until the 1980s.

As for "and he talked about a person that was on the radio that was talking about the religion and politics had to mix. And that we should get involved because God was telling us to do this. And God was telling us to do that," the only person that could have possibly been was Father Coughlin, but he stopped his broadcasts in 1940, three years before this alleged letter. And Couglin started out an FDR fan, but became disillusioned with him for not being radical enough!

12 posted on 09/24/2004 5:07:11 PM PDT by NYCVirago
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYCVirago

Who can ask Barnes for a look at this alleged letter?


13 posted on 09/24/2004 5:14:35 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch (A 4 month swift boat commander or a 4 year Commander in Chief? - You Decide.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch

'I think the country is probably more divided today then it's been since the Civil War"

Apparently you were out of the country during the Klintoon years, (!)wipe


14 posted on 09/24/2004 5:17:06 PM PDT by moonman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Restorer
I have a letter in my possession from my grandfather

What do you bet it's a fake?

15 posted on 09/24/2004 5:18:16 PM PDT by brivette
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
Who can ask Barnes for a look at this alleged letter?

I dunno, but you ought to send this to one of the bloggers (instapundit or powerlineblog.com or something) and publicize this. Very good catch on your part.

16 posted on 09/24/2004 5:21:50 PM PDT by NYCVirago
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
I think the country is probably more divided today then it's been since the Civil War.

I don't agree

17 posted on 09/24/2004 5:27:55 PM PDT by gilliam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYCVirago
Can you do it for me, NYCV? I need to take off for home.

Also Ben's uncle must have been Japanese. The marines didn't land on Iwo Jima until 1945!
18 posted on 09/24/2004 5:28:05 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch (A 4 month swift boat commander or a 4 year Commander in Chief? - You Decide.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch

No, I don't believe "religious right" was coined then. They certainly wouldn't have been frightened by the "right" at the time, either. The Left was dominant, FDR loyalties.

And, then, people in both parties actually believed in God. Right now I count only Zell and Joe that still practice their faith with sincerity.


19 posted on 09/24/2004 5:28:20 PM PDT by Soul Seeker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
"I'm very concerned about the fact that the religious right in this country--"

I highly doubt this is a phrase that was in use then. It hasn't even been mainstreamed for more than 30 years at best.

20 posted on 09/24/2004 5:32:22 PM PDT by ShadowDancer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
It is not the "religious right" that bothers the RATS, but the fact that most people believe there is such as thing as moral certainty. Post modernism, liberals and the left all nuance everything.

Barnes was hand picked by LBJ to be the next Senator or Governor of Texas and then President. Unfortunately Barnes had no sense of moral certainty and got caught with his other post modern Texas RAT brethern in a fraud. His political career ended and he has been resentful since --after all what is a psychopath to do if he cannot enter public service?

21 posted on 09/24/2004 5:44:59 PM PDT by shrinkermd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Soul Seeker

Is the Joe you mention Joe Lieberman?

He has such a dandy press office. He was one of the few Dems who voted against the partial birth abortion ban, for example. He isn't nearly as moral as he would like folks to think.


22 posted on 09/24/2004 5:45:22 PM PDT by HitmanLV (I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
Can you do it for me, NYCV? I need to take off for home. Also Ben's uncle must have been Japanese. The marines didn't land on Iwo Jima until 1945!

I sent powerlineblog.com an email, and a summary of what's wrong with the letter, including the Iwo Jima reference and the "religious right" comment.

23 posted on 09/24/2004 6:05:25 PM PDT by NYCVirago
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: ShadowDancer
Yup. The "religious right" is a disparaging term, coined by the leftwing media in the 80's at the earliest. It was obviously intended to scare people about Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Before that, the liberal media talked about the "Moral Majority" being a threat. In 1945, even the most liberal democrat would have all but gone ballistic over someone proposing gay marriage, flag burning, abortion, or even a presidential candidate attacking the CIC during wartime. Even the most out to lunch far left liberals would have rejected such "preposterous" ideas. In 2004, any liberal who DOESN'T support these things is a "rightwing kook".

But of course it is only the republicans who have "turned right" over the past 40 years. The democrats are "mainstream", like Kerry.

24 posted on 09/24/2004 6:33:11 PM PDT by boop (Testing the tagline feature!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: John Thornton

Check this out.


25 posted on 09/24/2004 6:38:38 PM PDT by NYCVirago
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
No it wasn't used in 1945. The guy his grandfather probably heard was Father Coughlin. Coughlin was a Catholic priest whose Detroit Church was burned by the Klan. He was a supporter of FDR and the New Deal until he became convinced of its godless communist direction, He saw international Jewry as the force behind Communism. He was against entry into WWII, but like other isolationists he became irrelevant after Pearl Harbor.

If Barnes grandfather was a Texas Democrat he would have been a segregationist and he would hardly have been the type to separate religion and politics since they were linked in the South.

It is doubtful that Father Coughlin would have been listened to by many southern whites as he was a crusading Catholic and I find it hard to believe he could have found a radio station in the south to give him airtime.

This is just more making it up as you go along. Like Clinton remembering burning black churches in Arkansas when it never happened there. These people must believe that we're all mindless to fall for this nonsense. Maybe they're right about enough to give them the White House.

26 posted on 09/24/2004 7:39:14 PM PDT by xkaydet65 (" You have never tasted freedom my friend, else you would know, it is purchased not with gold, but w)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Restorer
I don't believe it. I very seriously doubt the phrase "religious right" had ever been used prior to the 80s, 70s at the earliest. He is lying about this letter.

Ben Barnes has got a lot of Dick Gephart in him.

And even more of Bill Clinton.

If his lips are moving...

27 posted on 09/24/2004 7:49:30 PM PDT by okie01 (The Mainstream Media: IGNORANCE ON PARADE)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: okie01

In the 1940s hardly anybody was worried about the influence of religion in politics, especially in the South, where if they had thought about they would have wanted more religious influence.

In 1943, there were a lot more important things to worry about.


28 posted on 09/24/2004 8:12:33 PM PDT by Restorer (They have the microphone, but we have the remote.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch

RELIGIOUS RIGHT
gees what's up with these people- definitely not the language in the 40's


29 posted on 09/24/2004 8:14:20 PM PDT by okokie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TexasCowboy; NerdDad

ground rain?

First time, I have ever heard of suchathing and I thought I was good on Southern sayings.


30 posted on 09/24/2004 8:21:46 PM PDT by razorback-bert
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Restorer
I simply cannot imagine somebody on Iwo Jima writing to the folks back home about the "religious right".

But Ben simply lies so much he can't keep his stories straight. He got GWB a spot in the TANG when he was Lt. Governor. But GWB joined the TANG in 1968 and ol' Ben wasn't Lt. Gov. until 1969.

As in this story, Ben's grandfather is writing to his uncle on Iwo Jima in 1943. But we didn't land on Iwo Jima until 1945.

Ol' Ben never lets the facts get in the way of a good story. Especially one that grinds a political axe...

31 posted on 09/24/2004 8:39:37 PM PDT by okie01 (The Mainstream Media: IGNORANCE ON PARADE)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: okie01

....religious right......
WOW. Is Lucy Ramerez that old?


32 posted on 09/24/2004 8:54:52 PM PDT by free thinker 03 (Wounln't it be refreshing if politicians actually did what they said)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: NYCVirago

Thanks, NYCV.


33 posted on 09/24/2004 9:12:56 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch (A 4 month swift boat commander or a 4 year Commander in Chief? - You Decide.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: SwinneySwitch
I don't believe him. Ben Barnes has proved he's a liar so I refuse to believe anything he claims to have in his possession. Period.

....Not to mention he's a pond slug.

34 posted on 09/25/2004 12:26:48 PM PDT by Humidston (COMUNIST PARTY (cpusa.org) USED TO HAVE A DIRECT LINK TO MOVEON.ORG. WHERE IS IT TODAY???)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson