I’ll bet you didn’t even know there was a “religious left”, since all we ever hear about, especially from the left and far, radical left (especially the radical religious left), is hateful rhetoric about “the religious right”. They throw the term “religious right” around so often you’d think there must be an official head office for “the religious right”. But if there is one, I don’t know where to find it. Nor do I know how to join, except it seems to be very easy. Be a conservative and a Christian at the same time, and say anything or write anything that mentions both of those things at the same time. See, now I’m a member!
So Vancouver Sun “spiritiual” columnist Douglas Todd, whose job as a Vancouver Sun columnist seems to me to be marginalizing conservatism and Christianity as best he can, writes again about, well, that ever so noble cause, today. Because he’s so progressive and trendy, and Glenn Beck is so popular, he naturally writes today about why you should hate Glenn Beck. And, well duh, Sarah Palin. It’s de rigueur for all leftists to attack — on a personal level —the characters of Glenn Beck and of course Sarah Palin —that’s how you join their club. You get an honorable mention at the next club meeting if you slam and bash Ann Coulter too, usually by calling her a Nazi. And of course mention Fox News Channel in the derogative, and you get an autographed photo of Markos Moulitsas. All liberals and leftists and other so-called “progressives” like Douglas Todd, and all those who hate conservatives and Christianity, write negatively about them and some try to assassinate their 
character. It’s their way of showing that famous liberal-left “compassion” and “tolerance” and their “love for diversity”.
But both Beck and Palin (and Coulter and Fox News) are too successful at exposing the left for what they, which is nothing like compassionate and tolerant and loving of diversity, so the left fear them. (But don’t worry, it’s not anything “-ophobic”.)
“Both frequently declare Democrats to be ‘socialists,’ to vigorously support the war against Iraq (and Vietnam), to raise suspicions about black people…” he intones, as if he’s completely stupid. But let’s face reality, shall we Mr. Todd? (1.) Many Democrats in the Obama administration are demonstrably and even declaratively socialists (no scare-quotes needed, here, Todd)—and at least one who was exposed by Glenn Beck (Van Jones) was an outright and self-admitted communist, with others in the Administration (Anita Dunn) merely idolizing communists like Chinese 
Communist Party Chairman Mao. (2.) Neither Beck nor Palin support any wars “against” Iraq and “against” Vietnam, but rather against the evil tyrants and/or communists who took them over, and are in fact “for” Iraq and “for” Vietnam and their respective people, and the freedom which was their God-given (oops — I just renewed my membership!) right —something I’d think the “spiritual” Douglas Todd would appreciate! (3.) And neither of them “raise suspicions against black people”, but what a fantastic, glib, hateful and racist smear against two Christian people who love all peoples — the kind of smear-job you usually read only in the most far-left hate-filled “socialist” blogs, and of course in CBC reader comments! So nice effort, Douglas Todd.
But if Todd wants you to hate Glenn Beck, he’s got his work cut out for him.
He says Glenn Beck is noted for writing best-selling books such as “America’s March to Socialism”, which I’ve never heard of but I’m sure it’s good. In fact, it’s not a book but only an audio recording of excerpts from his hugely popular radio show —- one of the most popular radio shows in all of the United .jpg "Sarah Palin")
States. Which comes on just before one of the most popular cable news shows in all America, on the Fox News Channel, which is by far the most popular cable news channel. And as most readers know, Beck is known for writing three books last year which were (maybe still are?) all simultaneously on the New York Times best-seller list (The Christmas Sweater, Arguing With Idiots, and Glenn Beck’s Common Sense, which shoved another of his books, An Inconvenient Book, off the NYT best-seller list), in some sort of record-breaking festival of conservative book sales. Coincidentally, Sarah Palin’s book Going Rogue occupies another of the top-ten New York Times best-seller slots at the same time. You can see how the religious and other left-wing progressives are outraged and become unhinged by Palin and Beck. Their words are getting out! They must stop them! Marginalize them! Assassinate their characters! It’s funny to me.
Douglas Todd concludes that Beck and Palin are “two of its newest and most outspoken religious and political radicals.” Well they certainly are outspoken. And they’re religious to a very balanced, comfortable extent. .jpg "image")
And that’s all a good thing — a very good thing. But “religious and political radicals”? Please. That’s just stupid.
I’ve gone over Beck’s massive popular — and therefore the opposite of radical, by definition — appeal. For her part, Palin was not only recently voted as the second most admired woman after Hillary Clinton (Clinton was one percentage point ahead of Palin in the poll, and both were ahead of that “radical” named Oprah, and that other “radical”, Michelle Obama). Palin has also already had a successful career as a popular and well-liked Governor and mayor, has a huge best-selling book, is one of the most sought-after speakers in America, draws crowds bigger than Barack Obama at many speaking engagements, and is one of the most talked-about people of the past year and a half. I suppose she is “radical” in that regard. Radically popular and refreshingly spot on and loved by and in tune with millions of people in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere.
Which makes Douglas Todd… what? Normal? In touch with reality? Balanced? In tune with the folks? No, I think it makes him rather radical. A religious-left radical.
”[B]oth end up championing what American historian Richard Hofstadter famously called “the paranoid style,” he informs us. But don’t worry, Douglas Todd isn’t demonstrating any form of “paranoia” himself, he’s just a normal “spiritual” liberal-leftist, full of tolerance and compassion and love for diversity.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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