Monday, April 6, 2009

BornAgainAmerican.org - Wolf in sheep's clothing...

Today a forwarded message urging folks to visit BornAgainAmerican to listen to their "great" song found its way into my inbox and was passed along with the qualifier, "More right wing propoganda (sic) from my Republican brother-in-law."

Right-wing?!

This organization was founded by Norman Lear, founder of People for the American Way, whose goals are to promote secular humanism.

Actor Keith Carradine, tapped by Lear to write the song, recalls a key motivator: "The secular ideals of Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine are what we need to remind ourselves of at this critical time in our Nation's history."

While the official lyrics at the site say, "My Bible and the Bill of Rights", in Carradine's bio at the site, it says, "my bible is The Bill Of Rights". Quite different!

Now look at the lyrics on the "Add Your Voice" Page, and look at how many of the lyrics added by visitors are profoundly Christian or at least generically God-oriented in their content. Quite different again!

It's pretty clear to me that Lear and Company are brazenly co-opting the term "born again" to fool folks who don't look too close at the background.

For instance, on the "About Us" page, the photo inset on the left is titled, "The harvest of the spirit has begun". Wow...

(click for full-sized)

I think they want to gather as many signatures as they can, then later use that "support" base to push a very different agenda than many of their site visitors might have in mind.

Just watch the video "Norman Lear’s Preamble at the Lincoln Memorial" on the "About Us" page.

The song is well done, it is emotional and gripping, but this project looks to me like the classic wolf in sheep's clothing.

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