Comps Topic #1: Visual Rhetoric & Ideology

Analyze the following interactive painting from McNaughton Fine Art, playing close attention to the development of a political ideology that constitutes the American Polity. After analyzing the painting, provide an answer to the following question: What is the construction of the American ethos revealed by this painting?

When writing this essay, it is important to note who is included, who is excluded, and who has been represented? Furthermore, you need to identify the god and devil terms and the consequences of those terms as revealed in this painting.

You should complete this answer in two hours.

Thanks to Sully for the link.

A Right Winger's Response to Obama's Remarks on Islam in Cairo

An interesting column is up today, by Bruce Bialosky, entitled Let’s All Accept Islam.

The author is right that these Muslim theocracies are incredibly benighted, period, when it comes to political and human rights.

But what the author largely misses, as Bill Maher would quickly point out, is that what he is rightly skewering has a hell of a lot more to do with the nature of Theocracy than with the nature of Islam or any other religion. This is surely not a surprise given the author's political and religious biases. But if Bialosky wants to be intellectually honest, he'll have to accept the existence of a richly documented past of theocracies, ranging from pagan to Christian to Jewish to Mormon, featuring the broad suppression of women and in which social deviance of many kinds is met with violence on an institutional level.

The Old Testament reminds us that theocracies have rolled like this for quite some time.

Theocracy sucks. That's a statement to which Harrogate allows no "on the other hand."

You Might Be a Nutbag If......; Or, Tip of the Hat to Fox News Online

One of the big questions right now for the Presidential campaign is, will Sarah Palin remain out of the Media's reach until her debate with Biden, or will the McCain campaign let her elaborate on her views for the General Public.

Kudos and Tips of the Hat to media of all political persuasions which are in the process of trying to 'smoke Palin out,' as it were, by discussing her views and posting them online. Certainly Harrogate didn't expect this AP piece to show up on the front page of Fox's Website yesterday. But, there you have it. A blind groundhog really will find an acorn now and then.

The AP Headline reads: "Palin’s Church Promoting Conversion of Gays to Heterosexuals."

It is tongue-talking level scary. Harrogate seems to remember there was a wee bit of discourse surrounding the church that Barack Obama attended. Perhaps stuff like this deserves a bit of attention, Yes?

“You’ll be encouraged by the power of God’s love and His desire to transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality,” according to the insert in the bulletin of the Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years.

Palin’s conservative Christian views have energized that part of the GOP electorate, which was lukewarm to John McCain’s candidacy before he named her as his vice presidential choice. She is staunchly anti-abortion, opposing exceptions for rape and incest, and opposes gay marriage and spousal rights for gay couples.

Harrogate's favorite part though is the way the AP ends it. This is also why Harrogate was pretty stunned that Fox ran it. For the final paragraph, O Readers, is is one sentence long:

“People are looking at Sarah Palin as someone who might feasibly be in the White House,” he said.

McCain, utterly void of ideas, has decided to turn this election on the Culture Wars. But the Irony is, he and Palin hope to do it without Independents finding out until it is too late. Will it work? Not if Brave Media such as Fox News keep up such brilliant participation in the discourse.

Comic Relief II

From the NY Times, (Hat tip Andrew Sullivan):

“The churches that Sarah has attended all believe in a literal translation of the Bible,” Ms. Kincaid said. “Her principal ethical and moral beliefs stem from this.

Prayer, and belief in its power, is another constant theme, Ms. Kincaid said, in what she has witnessed in Ms. Palin. “Her beliefs are firm in the power of prayer — let’s put it that way,” she said....

In the address at the Assembly of God Church here, Ms. Palin’s ease in talking about the intersection of faith and public life was clear. Among other things, she encouraged the group of young church leaders to pray that “God’s will” be done in bringing about the construction of a big pipeline in the state, and suggested her work as governor would be
hampered “if the people of Alaska’s heart isn’t right with God.”

She also told the group that her eldest child, Track, would soon be deployed by the Army to Iraq, and that they should pray “that our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God, that’s what we have to make sure we are praying for, that there is a plan, and that plan is God’s plan.”

Oh wait. Faith-based reality is not that funny. And this is the modern day GOP.