Christian Right Values Voter Summit Void of Values

By Larry Jones

If one is looking for values such as the humane treatment of all humans
worldwide, women’s right to control their own bodies, social justice
for the oppressed – including gays and lesbians, an end to the use of
U.S. military and political power to dominate the Middle East and
beyond, or the use of the scientific method to discover truth – then
don’t expect to find them at the so-called Values Voter Summit on
September 12 – 14.  As the Rev. Barry Lynn of of Americans United for
Separation of Church and State said, “There seems to be a real values
void at the Values Voter Summit.”

The Summit is hosted by Tony Perkins” Family Research Council, a
Washington, D.C. Christian lobbying group and an arm of James Dobson’s
far right Focus on the Family, as well as the Alliance Defense Fund, a
Christian legal group organized specifically to counter the American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).  Also among the sponsors is Bishop Harry
Jackson’s High Impact Leadership Coalition.  An African-American,
Bishop Jackson, a fervent opponent of gay rights and an equally fervent
supporter of President George W. Bush, founded the coalition to promote
his six-point platform calling for a prohibition of same-sex marriage,
support for school vouchers, and private Social Security investment
accounts, among other things. Jackson plays a prominent media role in
efforts to encourage African-Americans to vote for “values” candidates.

The presidential candidates have been invited to the Summit, as has
Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, herself a darling of the extreme
religious right as well as of others who have not yet become aware of
her own extremely radical Pentecostal fundamentalism.  Several thousand
right wing Christians are expected to be at the D.C. Hilton to hear
speeches from a gaggle of dangerous religious politicos.  Whether Palin
will be there is not certain at this writing, but it would be a great
surprise if she didn’t show up to receive their accolades.

Some pundits claim that this event has the possibility of altering the
outcome of the presidential elections, although there are, of course,
many other variables that might do the same.  In any event, it will
surely have an important impact, especially on conservative Christians,
between now and the November election.  What is not clear, however, is
what percentage of the electorate that group represents.  The estimated
figures vary widely.

If John McCain attends, it is well to recall that at last year’s Summit
he was last in the preferential poll of those present.  However, if
Palin attends, his star will shine much brighter as it has ever since
she spoke at the GOP convention when she spoke untruths a number of
times.

Summit leaders give the following as their rationale for the gathering:
“Are we losing America?  Radical activists redefine marriage.  Your tax
dollars put towards abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.  Your
parental right erased.  Your religious liberties expunged.  Your basic
freedoms eliminated.  Are we losing America?  Unless we act now, the
answer is YES!  That’s why this year’s Values Voter Summit in
Washington, D.C. is so vital.  This September, you”ll discover how you
can make a difference.  We”ll equip you to protect the tradition of
marriage, the innocence of your children, and the sanctity of your
faith. ” Are we losing America?  We don’t have to.”

Suffice it to say, these religious fanatics have a very different
future in mind than you or I do.  The invited speakers give you an idea
of just how dangerous they are.

SPEAKERS AND THEIR DANGEROUS IDEAS

Speakers are expected to include the following:

DAVID HOROWITZ, President of the so-called Freedom Center.  During the
week of October 21, 2007, far-right wing operative and former radical
agitator David Horowitz and his fellow deceivers went to college
campuses to issue anti-Muslim diatribe.  He called this event
“Islamofascism Awareness Week,” a series of events profoundly opposed
and exposed by World Can’t Wait and others. Among Horowitz’s group of
speakers were noted “Islam experts” Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity.

NEWT GINGRICH, former Speaker of the House who was reprimanded in 1997
and ordered to pay a $300,000 penalty for giving the House false
information about some tax-exempt entities he ran.  He has frequently
spoken to Values Voter Summits about the sanctity of marriage and
saving it from gays.  He has been married three times and had an
extramarital affair while leading the charge against Bill Clinton’s
Monica Lewinsky escapade.  He now heads up American Solutions for
Winning the Future, a pro-oil drilling group funded by large corporate
donors such as Sheldon Addison, now owner of the Las Vegas casino The
Venetian, who gave over $3 million to Gingrich’s “solutions” group.

CONGRESSWOMAN MICHELE BACHMANN, (R) Minnesota, an ultra-conservative
who said this about global warming: “The big thing we are working on
now is the global warming hoax. It’s all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a
hoax.”   Of the Iraq war, she spoke about the “astounding” success of
U.S. troops and that “God has not abandoned us.”

TED BAEHR, the founder and Publisher of Movieguide® and Chairman of the
Christian Film & Television Commission, as well as being a noted
conservative critic.  He says his life’s purpose is to be used of God
to redeem to values of the media.

KEN BLACKWELL is an African-American right wing commentator and serves
as Chairman for the Coalition for a Conservative Majority.  He is also
the Senior Fellow for Family Empowerment at James Dobson’s/Tony
Perkins” Family Research Council.

CHUCK COLSON, former Watergate felon; now Chairman of the fundamentalist Prison Fellowship.

LOU DOBBS, CNN commentator and possibly America’s most well known immigrant basher.

JONATHAN FALLWELL, Jerry’s son and fundamentalist pastor of a Baptist church in Virginia.

FRANK GAFFNEY, a former Reagan administration official who got his
start under super-hawk Richard Perle on the senate staff of Henry
“Scoop” Jackson.  He is a prominent neo-conservative hardliner whose
Center for Security Policy serves as a clearinghouse for information
and analyses that promote controversial weapons programs.  He is a
founding member of Project for A New American Century, the powerful
neo-con group who planned for an Iraq invasion in the 1990s while
waiting for a “new Pearl Harbor attack” to justify it, which 9/11 soon
provided.  The rest is history, a horrifying history.

MAGGIE GALLAGHER, President Institute for Marriage and Public Policy
and a conservative syndicated columnist.  In 2002, she repeatedly
defended President Bush’s push for a $300 million initiative
encouraging marriage for unmarried parents as a way of strengthening
families.  But Gallagher failed to mention that she had a $21,500
contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to help
promote the president’s proposal.  Gallagher received an additional
$20,000 from the Bush administration in 2002 and 2003 for writing a
report, titled “Can Government Strengthen Marriage?”, for a private
organization called the National Fatherhood Initiative.

MICHAEL MEDVED, film critic and now a senior fellow at the Discovery
Institute, where plans are created and implemented to get intelligent
design/creationism taught in public school science classes.

FR. FRANK PAVONE,  President, Priests for Life.  In 2001, 700
anti-abortion activists in tuxedos and gowns paid $500 a plate at a
dinner to award Fr. Pavone the annual “Proudly Pro-Life Award.”  The
dinner was organized by the virulently anti-abortion National Right to
Life Committee. The honorary committee included radical right
commentator Rush Limbaugh, billionaire publishing scion and 1996 and
2000 presidential candidate Steve Forbes, the late Charlton Heston,
then head of the National Rifle Association, and Ben Stein then a TV
actor and now producer of the deceptive “Expelled” movie about
intelligent design/creationism.  On the night of the Waldorf-Astoria
event, 250 people gathered outside to protest Pavone. The crowd
included New York University students, veteran pro-choice leaders, two
state legislators, and New York City comptroller Alan Hevesi.  (Village
Voice 1/21/08)

MITT ROMENY, former governor of Massachusetts and 2008 candidate for
president who gave his campaign $35 million of his own money.  He was a
pro-choice supporter of Planned Parenthood before, under conservative
political pressure, he “saw the light” and became anti-abortion.  He
worked hard to convince fundamentalist conservatives that he was far
right enough to be worthy of their support.

PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY, far right columnist and author and head of the Eagle
forum which works for conservative candidates and legislation.

TONY PERKINS, Family Research Council head and one of the main
organizers of the Summit, whose own jaded career includes speaking at
the white racist Council for Conservative Citizens and purchasing
former KKK leader David Duke’s mailing list.

None of the above is someone we’d like to have a beer with.  Moreover,
they are all, separately and singularly, a threat to a better future.