Posts on Jim Inhofe

Last month, James Dobson and his Focus on the Family radio program were inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.  Understandably, Truth Wins Out, which is dedicated to opposing the phony ex-gay movement, was outraged and vowed to protest the induction ceremony in November:

TWO vowed to protest the annual awards dinner, the second Saturday in November, to inform the world of Dobson’s shameful and bigoted record.

“It is an affront for the Radio Hall of Fame to honor James Dobson, a right wing demagogue, who built his radio empire on the backs of gay and lesbian people,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “We vow to stand up and protest this outrageous insult and let the world know that Dobson is a dishonest, hatemongering ideologue.”

Dobson told The Daily Oklahoman on Oct. 23, 2004, “Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth.”

But apparently not everyone is quite as outraged.  In fact, Focus on the Family reports that they are getting some love from Sens. Sam Brownback, Jim DeMint, Orrin Hatch, James Inhofe, Mel Martinez, Mitch McConnell, and Pat Roberts who are sponsoring a Senate resolution [PDF] honoring Dobson and his radio program:

Whereas James C. Dobson, Ph.D., is founder and chairman of Focus on the Family;

Whereas the Focus on the Family radio program first aired in 1977 and now is heard through more than 3,000 radio outlets in North America and in 27 languages in over 160 other countries;

Whereas the Focus on the Family radio program has benefitted the lives of families and individuals across the United States and around the world; Whereas the Focus on the Family radio program has been named as a 2008 inductee to the National Radio Hall of Fame; and

Whereas the Focus on the Family radio program is the first faith-based radio program to receive this honor: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate congratulates the Focus on the Family radio program, its staff, and its founder and chairman, James Dobson, for their excellence in radio programming and the program’s worthy induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

With the passing of right-wing luminaries such as Jerry Falwell and D. James Kennedy in recent months, coupled with the aging of many of the Right’s traditional leaders, the movement itself appears to be in flux and some are getting worried about just what will become of it in the future.  Just last week, James Dobson voiced these concerns while addressing the National Religious Broadcasters Convention:

“It causes me to wonder who will be left to carry the banner when this generation of leaders is gone. The question is, will the younger generation heed the call? Who will defend the unborn child in the years to come? Who will plead for the Terri Schiavos of the world? Who’s going to fight for the institution of marriage, which is on the ropes today.”

The emerging conventional wisdom is that the Religious Right is on the verge of being replaced by a “new evangelical” movement that shares the old-guard’s opposition to gays and abortion, but also cares about issues like poverty and the environment.  The standard-bearer of this “new breed” is Mike Huckabee who, as he puts it, drinks “a different kind of Jesus juice” than the traditional leaders and routinely says things like this: 

I don’t see [the right-wing movement] going into decline. I see it going into a maturing process. I think the issues are going to broaden and force Evangelicals to expand their horizons of concerns to poverty, disease, issues of education and homelessness. These are issues that I think are going to become increasingly important along with the environment as part of an overall focus that you’re going to see from - I would use a broader term - values voters - that would include not only Evangelicals but also Catholics and conservative Jewish voters as well.

Of course, just because a bunch of young upstarts think that caring about the environment is important doesn’t mean that the old-guard has any interest in broadening their agenda.  As we noted last year, when the National Association of Evangelicals started to voice concerns about the environment and global warming, right-wing stalwarts like Dobson, Tony Perkins, Don Wildmon, Gary Bauer, Rick Scarborough, and Paul Weyrich dashed off an angry letter essentially demanding that the NAE fire its own Vice President over it.

The NAE didn’t back down, but the Right didn’t give up.  Instead, they formed their own organization, the American Environmental Coalition, and now seek "to bring balance to the debate by being an alternative source of reliable information to Americans who seek the best way forward for our country.” 

Much has been written of the unseasonably early 2008 presidential campaign, but one unanticipated side effect is that the Conservative Political Action Conference agenda is larded with ambitious politicians hoping to surprise – or at least appease – what all of them have apparently decided is their best hope, the far-right base. No less than eight Republican contenders (if you count Newt Gingrich, who appears to be looking for the side entrance to the White House) are scheduled; the only major candidate missing is John McCain.

And so the activist crowd, compared to last year’s conference, is more enthused with people than with causes. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, a relatively unknown candidate, managed to fill a good portion of the large hall first thing in the morning. By 10 this morning, Mike Huckabee had people standing in the back, and at noon, CPAC staff closed off the wing as Rudy Giuliani had filled it up. At that point, a line began forming for those who wanted to see Tom Tancredo, Sam Brownback, and Mitt Romney, and by the time Giuliani finished his hour-long speech, the hundreds in line stretched back to the exhibit hall in the next wing. Of course, that may not have reflected any popularity on the part of the candidates themselves so much as the crowd wanting to get their money’s worth at the three-day event.

Jerry Falwell dedicated this week’s sermon at his Thomas Road Baptist Church to debunking “The Myth Of Global Warming.”

Almost right off the bat, Falwell issued the disclaimer that “I am quick to say that I am not a scientist,” but that didn’t stop him from making a series of boldly incoherent statements:  

The endless hysteria and alarmism over alleged global warming has increasingly become a national and international nuisance and loses credibility with every passing day. The entire myth has little to do with science and much to do with politics.

Falwell lays the blame for the perpetuation of this myth squarely at the feet of Al Gore, liberal politicians, the media, “radical Hollywood,” … and the Weather Channel:

The Weather Channel has taken up that task with its series ‘It Could Happen Tomorrow’. The Weather Channel started its "It Could Happen Tomorrow" series in January 2006. The program includes episodes where a tornado destroys Dallas, a tsunami destroys the Pacific Northwest, Mount Rainier erupts and destroys nearby towns, and San Diego is devastated by wildfires. What is the Weather Channel up to? … The big lie, conceived by the Weather Channel in cahoots with environmental extremists, is to get us in a tizzy over global warming.

Despite admittedly having no scientific credibility whatsoever, Falwell nonetheless feels that he is perfectly qualified to declare:

This so-called fact is the greatest deception in the history of science. We are wasting time, energy and trillions of dollars while creating unnecessary fear and consternation over an issue with no scientific justification.

As for why Hollywood, liberals, and The Weather Channel are so intent on pushing this myth, Falwell offers three simple explanations:

(1) To Create Major Economic Damage to America.

(2) The Desire To Change the Subject Concerning the World’s Moral Bankruptcy.

(3) Most importantly, it is Satan’s Attempt to Re-direct the Church’s Primary Focus.

You can’t argue with that sort of rigorous scientific reasoning, especially since Falwell’s presentation appears to have been based largely on “A Skeptic’s Guide to Debunking Global Warming Alarmism,” (PDF) a report released by that other noted scientific expert, Sen. James Inhofe.

With control of the House after November’s elections, Democrats are investigating the Bush Administration’s manipulation of science, apparently including efforts to edit references to “global warming” out of findings. On the Senate side, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) is no longer the powerful chairman of the Committee on the Environment and Public Works, but as the ranking member still holds substantial influence on issues such as global warming, which he passionately denies.

But it appears Inhofe is setting his sights a little lower than federal policymaking. The senator took his case to the pages of the right-wing CNSNews.com to warn of the dangers of a children’s book written by environmental activist and “Inconvenient Truth” producer Laurie David.

Inhofe said he also found it interesting that Scholastic made the announcement regarding David's book just before the United Nations is set to release a major study on climate change.

"It appears that Laurie David is joining the United Nations in aiming its global warming propaganda at children," the senator said.

"Having failed for nearly three decades to convince the American people and their leaders to jump on the global warming alarmism bandwagon, David and the U.N. are trying to fill the minds of children with 'sky-is-falling' global warming hysteria," Inhofe said.

This is not the first time Inhofe has invoked the U.N. as a sort of global-warming bogeyman. In fact, as he detailed at last fall’s “Values Voter Summit,” the U.N. is only a part of his argument – which also touches on animal worship and those who wish to “shut down” America – as to why Christians should fight back against concern about the environment.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) warned the crowd at the Values Voter Summit about the "attack to eliminate the conservative agenda of Evangelicals," which includes "scriptural" issues such as flag burning, abortion, and homosexuality. But the main thrust of his speech was a push back against environmentalism. According to Inhofe, the "smartest thing" that "liberal groups" have done is to introduce the issue of the environment to churches, and he said he was "very worried" that the majority of the audience "believe[s] global warming is real." He set out to dispell that understanding, using a somewhat convoluted logic.

"It was started really by the United Nations," Inhofe's argument began. He said that the "motive" was "to try to shut down this machine called America." From there he turned to environmental terrorism, and then he jumped to "animal rights people" who say animal and human lives are "morally equal." He returned to the theme of "global governance" briefly before asking, "What does God say about this thing?" He quoted Romans' warning of those who worship "birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." He concluded: "We have something that we know is scriptural."

Armed with this conclusion, Inhofe had harsh words for the National Association of Evangelicals, a group strongly allied with the Right which nevertheless has spoken out about the environment, and NAE spokesman Richard Cizik, "the man behind this." The senator called on the Values Voter Summit crowd to fight back: "If you do this, you'll be doing the Lord's work and he'll richly bless you for it."