The Right Wing Revealed: Bill Berkowitz Pulls the Blanket Off Religious Extremists and Right Wing Nutters, a Retrospective

BUZZFLASH GUEST COMMENTARY

By Bill Berkowitz
 
With a nod, a wink, apologies, and great appreciation to Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities:
 
It was the best of times (the inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African American president in U .S. history), it was the worst of times (the killing in Iraq and Afghanistan rages on), it was the age of wisdom (a time to find solutions to difficult problems), it was the age of foolishness (birthers, deathers, gun-toting anti-Obama protesters), it was the epoch of belief (can we really come up with meaningful health care reform?), it was the epoch of incredulity (Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck), it was the season of Light (could real solutions to climate change be at hand?), it was the season of Darkness (tea partiers were on the move), and, it was the spring of hope (“Yes We Can”), it was the winter of despair (Is this the change we believed in?), we had everything before us (a brand new day), we had nothing before us (same as it ever was), we were all going direct to heaven (“It’s a Beautiful Day”), we were all going direct the other way (“I still haven’t found what I’m looking for) - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
 
The following are some of the stories I covered during the past year.
 
My great thanks to the readers who read these pieces and the editors that saw fit to publish them. This review is dedicated to my grandson, Alton Theodore Berkowitz-Gosselin, who will be six months old on January 1, 2010.
 
 
Conservative Black Preacher Leads Crusade Against Hate Crimes Legislation, Religion Dispatches, February 3, 2009

Bishop Harry Jackson, the African American head of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, has raised his profile by joining with top-shelf Religious Right groups in opposing gay rights and the inclusion of gays in hate crimes legislation.
 
Worse Than Madoff: Amway Launches Domestic Revival, Religion Dispatches, February 11, 2009

The company whose founders helped finance the modern conservative movement is returning home to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary.
 
What in the Name of the Crusades are Tennessee Evangelicals Doing in Kurdish Iraq?, Religion Dispatches, February 20, 2009

In an exclusive interview, investigative reporter Mike Reynolds uncovers the special relationship between Iraqi Kurds and a group of American evangelicals that practices “spiritual warfare,” harbors a deep animosity toward Islam, and views the region as the evangelistic final frontier.

Postcards From the Edge: Crackpot Anti-Gay Crusader Goes Global, Religion Dispatches, March 4, 2009

Scott Lively, the founder of Abiding Truth Ministries and the author of The Pink Swastika, is declaring war against the Southern Poverty Law Center, while taking his anti-gay crusade overseas (Uganda).
 
Christian White Nationalism in the Age of Obama, Religion Dispatches, April 27, 2009

What’s a white racist to do these days? A new book examines the history of white nationalism as it has moved from the fringe to the mainstream, describes the religious roots of the movement, and alerts us to its political and social goals.
 
Hate Speech Leads to Violence: In Wake of Abortion Doc Murder, Religious Leaders Skirt the Issue, Dissident Voice, June 3, 2009

While everyone on both sides of the abortion issue seems to condemn the murder of George Tiller, few admit the malignant effects of “baby killer” rhetoric.
 
Planned Parenthood ‘Stung’ By Lila Rose, Religion Dispatches, June 18, 2009

Lila Rose, a 20-year-old UCLA student, is taking on Planned Parenthood with a phony story, video equipment, and support from a host of Christian Right media outlets and organizations.
 
WGWJP - What Gun Would Jesus Pack?, Smirking Chimp, July 4, 2009

Packin' Pistols for God and Country: NRA Christians stake claim on patriotism and the America.
 
Promise Keepers: Christian Men's Movement Making a Comeback?, Alternet, July 7, 2009

The Promise Keepers -- a conservative men's group -- is focusing on women, the poor and Jews.

The Next Generation of the Pro-Life Movement, Religion Dispatches, July 19, 2009

Young people are being trained by militant anti-abortion groups to be informed, media-savvy, publicity-oriented foot soldiers in the battle to outlaw abortion.
 
Black Conservatives in the Age of Obama, Alternet, August 21, 2009

The most prominent voices for conservatism in African American communities continue to be those of Christian church leaders.

Attempted deconstruction of Chai Feldblum, BuzzFlash, October 5, 2009

Feldblum's record indicates that she is a perfect fit for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision; a compassionate advocate for the rights of the disabled and the disaffected. Au contraire say several Religious Right groups: Her appointment will be a victory for the ‘forces of darkness,’ and mark the end of ‘religious liberty.'
 
C Street Scandal, the Media, the Future of the Family: An Interview with Jeff Sharlet, Religion Dispatches, October 1, 2009

It was a hot summer for the Family, the exclusive conservative Christian group with designs on DC power — three politicians with ties to their C Street headquarters were caught in sex scandals. Jeff Sharlet, author of the definitive book on the secretive group, talks with us about the flickering media spotlight, and the future of the Family.
 
New Moons Rising, Inter Press Service, October 29, 2009

In January, Moon will turn 90, and while he's alive and apparently well, he is deeply involved in charting his group's future.

Evangelical Christian groups spar over immigration reform, BuzzFlash, November 11, 2009

If you think that the debate over health care reform has taken some decidedly nasty, and often unexpected, turns, just wait until the issue of immigration returns to the spotlight on Capitol Hill.
 
Christian PR Man Goes on 'The Road' With Movie About Post-Apocalyptic America, BuzzFlash, November 27, 2009

Larry Ross, a Christian PR man extraordinaire, has been working to take ‘The Road’ to a religious audience in search of buzz, box office and discussion.
 
WWJS (What Would Jesus Say) about the CHRIST-mas Tree, Talk2Action, December 11, 2009
 
Tired of being 'Happy Holidayed' everywhere she went, Boss Creation's Martha Boggs came up with the end all/be all in Christmas tree decorations.
 
Race and the Tea Party Movement, BuzzFlash, December 15, 2009

One issue raises the hackles of Tea Party participants and sympathizers and could stymie its growth: the role that race plays in the movement.

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