Broadcasting & Cable reports that Alabama Public Television's board fired executive director, Allan Pizzato, and deputy director, Pauline Howland, presumably because Pizzato and Howland refused to air programming from WallBuilders, an organization whose stated mission is to present "America's forgotten history and heroes with an emphasis on the moral, religious and constitutional foundation on which America was built."
Let me translate. WallBuilders wants to redact America's history in accordance with founder David Barton's teachings that America should be a Christian nation with no separation of church and state. If you've ever watched Glenn Beck, you've probably seen David Barton preaching his theocratic vision for America.
So far, all of the involved parties are mum about why Pizzato and Howland were fired but "minutes from recent AETC meetings reveal that commissioners had been working behind the scenes to pressure APT's professional staff to broadcast programs from evangelical historian and conservative activist David Barton." says Current.org.
If Current.org and Broadcasting & Cable got the story right, Howland and Pizzato were right to resist pressure from commission member, Rod Herring and others who want to use a taxpayer-funded public broadcasting service to distort American history and promote a Glenn Beck/David Barton style theocracy in which there is no separation of church and state.
Read my 7 June and 20 January archives to learn about how West Virginia Public Broadcasting's staff has been promoting Christianity through its programming.
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Showing posts with label separation of church and state. Show all posts
Showing posts with label separation of church and state. Show all posts
23 July, 2012
20 January, 2012
How To Get WVPBS to Promote Your Religion
When I complained about gospel preaching, gospel singing and "intelligent design" programming on West Virginia PBS the Director of Programming, Craig Lanham, said the offensive programming was donated free of charge so it didn't cost taxpayers anything.
Hmmm. Does this mean that Sam Singleton , Atheist Evangelist, could get DVDs of his act on WVPBS if he donates them for free?
If Dan Barker donates CDs of his atheist tunes would Craig Lanham air those?
And what about Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus; can they get Craig Lanham to broadcast shows that promote their religions of they donate the programs free of charge?
To offer Craig Lanham and WVPBS free DVDs that promote your religion, email Clanham@wvpubcast.org or call Craig Lanham at (304) 254-7896.
Hmmm. Does this mean that Sam Singleton , Atheist Evangelist, could get DVDs of his act on WVPBS if he donates them for free?
If Dan Barker donates CDs of his atheist tunes would Craig Lanham air those?
And what about Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus; can they get Craig Lanham to broadcast shows that promote their religions of they donate the programs free of charge?
To offer Craig Lanham and WVPBS free DVDs that promote your religion, email Clanham@wvpubcast.org or call Craig Lanham at (304) 254-7896.
19 January, 2012
Why Won't WVPBS Meet With Me?
If you've been feeling lately that WVPBS stands for West Virginia Parochial Broadcasting System, then you've seen the same gospel preaching and gospel singing shows I've seen and wondered why WVPBS is promoting a religion. Every time I see gospel sings, "intelligent design" shows and shows in which a preacher asserts that "God jammed the cross into the machinery of sin and separation from God" or "the resurrection of Jesus conquered death" I wonder why my tax money is being used to support and promote the Christian religion.
Does WVPBS plan to air atheist singing shows or Muslim singing shows? Does WVPBS plan to let Hindus or Buddhists preach on their channels?
I've been trying for some time now to get someone at WVPBS to meet with me so I can discuss these programming issues with someone in charge but, as of this writing, my emails and voice mails to Dennis Adkins, Marilyn DiVita and various board members have gone unanswered and unacknowledged.
Only Program Director, Craig Lanham, bothered to phone me. I give him kudos for that but I'm pretty sure I heard him snort when I mentioned "separation of church and state". Then he started using words like "conservative" and "liberal" - words I didn't use. I didn't come away from that phone call with a feeling that WVPBS understands my concerns so I'm still seeking a meeting.
If any of my readers have influence at WVPBS, please show them this post and help me get a meeting with someone who will listen to my concerns. Maybe we can go together. We can call the meeting "Occupy WVPBS".
Does WVPBS plan to air atheist singing shows or Muslim singing shows? Does WVPBS plan to let Hindus or Buddhists preach on their channels?
I've been trying for some time now to get someone at WVPBS to meet with me so I can discuss these programming issues with someone in charge but, as of this writing, my emails and voice mails to Dennis Adkins, Marilyn DiVita and various board members have gone unanswered and unacknowledged.
Only Program Director, Craig Lanham, bothered to phone me. I give him kudos for that but I'm pretty sure I heard him snort when I mentioned "separation of church and state". Then he started using words like "conservative" and "liberal" - words I didn't use. I didn't come away from that phone call with a feeling that WVPBS understands my concerns so I'm still seeking a meeting.
If any of my readers have influence at WVPBS, please show them this post and help me get a meeting with someone who will listen to my concerns. Maybe we can go together. We can call the meeting "Occupy WVPBS".
23 October, 2010
Rush Limbaugh Misrepresents Liberal Position On Separation of Church And State
On a recent broadcast, Rush Limbaugh said that this is how liberals interpret separation of church and state and the First Amendment: According to Rush, liberals think the First Amendment proscribes people like Pat Robertson or other religious people from running for office.
Rush may not have finished college but he knows full well that liberals don't think separation of church and state means religious people can't run for office.
What liberals believe vis a vis separation of church and state is that religious people shouldn't be able to use government to impose their religion on people who don't share their religion.
Some "issues" would vanish if religious people stopped trying to use government to impose their religion on the rest of us. Take same sex marriage, for instance.
The idea that marriage can only be "between one man and one women" is a religious idea. Without this religious definition of what a marriage is, there would be no basis for denying two men to marry each other or two women to marry each other. If same sex marriage were being opposed on grounds other than religious grounds, there would be no violation of the doctrine of separation of church and state and liberals would be open to hearing that argument but when opponents of same sex marriage oppose same sex marriage by using a religious definition of marriage, yes, of course liberals oppose that argument. We're OBLIGATED to oppose arguments that depend on a religious concept of marriage. The only way opponents of same sex marriage can deny tax-paying fellow citizens the right to marry the person of their choice is by using a religious definition of marriage and liberals, indeed all of us who understand separation of church and state, are obligated to oppose such religion-dependent, dare I say, "respecting an establishment of religion", arguments against fellow citizens.
Rush was probably throwing spit wads and daydreaming about football in Civics class, but even he knows that liberals don't believe separation of church and state means religious people can't run for office. What liberals think about separation of church and state is that religious people shouldn't use government to impose religion on others.
The recent flap over the proposed Islamic Cultural Center near ground zero and the flap over whether or not Barack Obama is a Muslim would not exist if our nation were serious about separation of church and state and if political candidates like Christine O'Donnell knew the 1st Amendment.
Rush may not have finished college but he knows full well that liberals don't think separation of church and state means religious people can't run for office.
What liberals believe vis a vis separation of church and state is that religious people shouldn't be able to use government to impose their religion on people who don't share their religion.
Some "issues" would vanish if religious people stopped trying to use government to impose their religion on the rest of us. Take same sex marriage, for instance.
The idea that marriage can only be "between one man and one women" is a religious idea. Without this religious definition of what a marriage is, there would be no basis for denying two men to marry each other or two women to marry each other. If same sex marriage were being opposed on grounds other than religious grounds, there would be no violation of the doctrine of separation of church and state and liberals would be open to hearing that argument but when opponents of same sex marriage oppose same sex marriage by using a religious definition of marriage, yes, of course liberals oppose that argument. We're OBLIGATED to oppose arguments that depend on a religious concept of marriage. The only way opponents of same sex marriage can deny tax-paying fellow citizens the right to marry the person of their choice is by using a religious definition of marriage and liberals, indeed all of us who understand separation of church and state, are obligated to oppose such religion-dependent, dare I say, "respecting an establishment of religion", arguments against fellow citizens.
Rush was probably throwing spit wads and daydreaming about football in Civics class, but even he knows that liberals don't believe separation of church and state means religious people can't run for office. What liberals think about separation of church and state is that religious people shouldn't use government to impose religion on others.
The recent flap over the proposed Islamic Cultural Center near ground zero and the flap over whether or not Barack Obama is a Muslim would not exist if our nation were serious about separation of church and state and if political candidates like Christine O'Donnell knew the 1st Amendment.
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