Friday, November 03, 2006

Allen's book burning ploy

Since the Allen camp is running ads in the last weekend before the election, using its book-burning hype to smear Webb as a writer of pornography, it’s time to think again about where this sort of tactic ends up. To go after writers for expressing in their own voice what truths they’ve found in their travels is to march backward toward a darker time.

For the Allen supporters who would burn the widely-acclaimed novels written by Jim Webb, calling him a pornographer in order to achieve their political end, there may be a lot more work to do. Below is a section of Genesis they may feel compelled to set ablaze, as well. After all, if just mentioning an act is to advocate it, well ...

"19:30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

"19:31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth.

"19:32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

"19:33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

"19:34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

"19:35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

"19:36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father."

Does this rather sordid story in the first book of the Bible make the Good Book itself pornography? Do Christians who believe in a strict interpretation of Genesis, the anti-evolutionists, also favor incest when the end justifies the means?

Once you start pointing fingers at literature and burning selected books, where does it stop?

Updated on Nov. 3.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The people who would "burn Webb's book" would most likely also participate in "selective Biblical interpretation". That is, they only take to hear the parts of the Bible they are comfortable with and agree with what they want and like.

For example, the passages in Leviticus that is said to condemn homosexuality is immediately preceded by passages that condemn the eating of shellfish and any other thing from the seas without fins and scales.

Yet Red Lobster is still a popular after-church attraction... go fig.

Carl Kilo said...

The only person talking about burning books in Virginia is you Mr Rea. Please link us a post calling for that so we can all condemn the author.

F.T. Rea said...

Kilo,

My use of “book-burning” is my own characterization of the attitude of the knuckle-dragging strategy to cast Webb’s novels as pornography, and indicative of some sort of criminal and/or depraved mindset on the part of the author.

This is politics at its worst. The people behind this push have their villainous counterparts down through history.

Like Jim Webb, I, too, am a writer who can decide for himself how to portray something with words. So, I say “book burners.”

You say I’m the only Virginia blogger saying such.

Well, I say that doesn’t bother me a bit.

That is due in some part to my lack of respect for the integrity and insight of many of the propagandists to which you refer. Beyond that I am a man who thinks for himself. I’m not taking any cues or any orders from anybody.

And, here’s something else Mr. Kilo:

Until now, I’ve tried to be a voice of moderation with regard to my support of Webb. You may not know that, but I think you do. I’ve stayed away from beating the racism drum on Allen, and I‘ve counseled others to do the same. But this last-ditch attack on Webb as a pornographer has pissed me off.

So, the gloves are coming off now.

“So what!” I can hear the drooling, Bible-thumping, Rush Limbaugh-worshipping set saying.

OK. You’ll see. I’m not through with this.

Anonymous said...

From his blogger profile, I'd say that Kilo should learn how to spell before he attacks any form of literature.

"Shakespear"? S.E. "Hinten"?

He says he likes "Shakespear" - gosh, has he read "Titus Andronicus" lately? That's really some fun for the whole Bible-toting family there.

Good on you, F.T. I hope you continue to blog about Allen's latest tactics -- and the mindset of his followers -- because it's really an outrage. But, you know what, this kind of thing has worked before for the GOP so it shouldn't surprise anyone.

But talk about a hypocrite - didn't Mr. Macaca just buy a big block of TV time in order to whine that the candidates should start talking about substantive issues? Please.

Staff said...

I agree with F.T. 100% and I have also characterized Senator Allen's actions as "book burning," because that's precisely where his line of argument will lead us.

Shame on Senator Allen and those of his supporters that endorse this tactic.