Exorcising Ann Coulter: Ebola Comments Aren't As Effective As Laughter

"Christianity fuels everything I write. Being a Christian means that I am called upon to do battle against lies, injustice, cruelty, hypocrisy—you know, all the virtues in the church of liberalism".
Yes, that's Ann Coulter without air-brushing or the Fox News filter. Yes, that's Ann Coulter sporting her ubiquitous gold crucifix. No, that's not Ann Coulter trying to look human.

There are some things that even Ann Coulter cannot do.

I have been writing about Ann Coulter for over seven years (some posts below). Let's face it, her outrageous comments are infuriating enough to incite riots, let alone acidic prose in response. They are the stuff of righteous arrogance on crack and so stupefyingly mean-spirited as to question one's faith in humanity. All the facets of a contemptuous bitch who perversely considers them virtues.

And glories in the hatred she engenders against herself.

It is perhaps this iron-clad maiden, seemingly without a conscience, always begging for publicity, is too good for even the most blase writer to pass up: an addiction created by hypocrisy and venal interests so blatant that not to address her would seem inhuman. "Lies" "Injustice" "Cruelty" "Hypocrisy." With everything she's ever written (especially tweets), she herself covers the gamut of evils.

Exorcising A Demon Who Mocks God

For this writer, Ann Coulter has been almost impossible to exorcise from the brain: like a horrible image embedded in the psyche, Ann Coulter and her inhumanity can only be removed temporarily.

And concentrating on worst-person-in-the-world comments are not very effective. For example, while articles about Coulter's egregious ebola statements have gotten many page views, Coulter herself remains un-exorcised from my world. The demon who mocks God is a tough one.

And she does mock God: I've long posited that the only reason that crucifix hasn't burned a hole in her chest is because Ann Coulter's righteous arrogance oozes out of every pore in a gelatinous mass, hardening and forming a shield through which neither Jesus Christ nor any of his teaching could ever get through. At church, she tells God what to do.

So I have to pull out the heavy guns of ridicule (laughter) to erase Coulter for even a short while:

On her persona:

Ann Coulter Channels Margaret Sanger
Ann Coulter To Jesus: Fix Bethlehem First!
A Failed Test of Compassion:Whatever Ann Coulter has it's Worse Than Ebola
Ann Coulter's Condition Downgraded To Beyond Useless
Ann Coulter as evangelist: she turns prospective converts away from Christianity and toward a more compassionate ideology, like ISIS
If we took away the right to read, we'd still have to worry about Ann Coulter's fan base

On her vanity:

She can't go to England: Princess Ann would try to ride her.
Looking at her neck it reminds me to defrost the chicken.
Dude! You may look like a lady, but wear a damned turtleneck to hide that adam's apple!
She's what nature abhors - an old maid, a frozen asset.

And one of my own: Ann Coulter and this author actually have something in common: Phyllis Schlafly hates us both. I'm married to a man - and she isn't.

I feel better already.

Ebola As The New AIDS: Will The Wrath-Of-God Syndrome Ever Be Cured?

"Ebola is a plague. Liberians have to pray and seek God’s forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts (such as homosexualism, etc.) that continue to penetrate our society.” Liberian Council of Churches.

“God does not exist to give us what we want, and if killing off our loved ones is going to help us realize this, then this is what He will do.”

It seems incomprehensible to the rest of reasoning civilization - especially after the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic - that people believe plagues are the "wrath of God." Incomprehensibility, however, often has a hard time coming to grips with reality: in an age that still includes Charismatics and Fundamentalists, the "Wrath of God" is as definite as death. 

WOGS

Of course, many people see this kind of belief system as a kind of disease in itself - so let's call it WOGS, or "Wrath-Of-God Syndrome." WOGS is prevalent among the uneducated, the absolutists, the terminally isolated from reason and is spread by the righteously arrogant religious - often pastors - who need to instill fear to gain control.

The prevalence of WOGS is everywhere and certainly exists in "civilized" America:

Major Warning! Proof God’s About To Pour Out His Wrath: Ebola, TB, Psalm 83 War, Blood Moon Tetrad, Mark of the Beast, NWO, and More Stunning Evidence.

- a recent post on Before It's News

But while many people laugh at it, WOGS is certainly a threat to humanity, perhaps far greater than Ebola.

Origins: Is The Congo The Root Of All Evil? Did The Apes Sin?

Ebola, like AIDS, has now been labeled a "gay" disease in the sense that the country that accepts homosexuality is sinful. No matter where AIDS originated, it MUST have had something to do with homosexuality.

In an analysis of the genetic history of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, the scientists said the global pandemic almost certainly began its global spread in the 1920s in Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Certain researchers have claimed that the AIDS virus began first in primates.* So who were the sinners in this WOGS thesis - gay monkeys or gay Congolese? Yes, it may seem quite disrespectful to put a terrible disease in such a light, but the real disrespect lies in the people who proselytize WOGS - in their disrespect for humanity. 

Researchers also point to the same area - and some of the same primates - as the origin of ebola, with primates being the hosts of the disease. 

Poor Africa, the hotbed of sin and disease.

Ebola As A Weapon - "It's Obama's/Gays'/Liberalism's Fault"

"All the world needs to know that sodomy and homosexuality is more deadly than the ebola virus that is spreading all over the world. Everybody who stands up and embraces sodomy, BE THOU CURSED WITH EBOLA! Cursed be ye for embracing this!" - Pastor James Manning of ATLAH World Missionary Church (Harlem)

Ebola - like AIDS - is now being used as the weapon du jour for many of the Christian Right. No matter that Jesus would have been more sympathetic and forgiving than His Father, GOD WILL STRIKE YOU! And it is being used as a political weapon as well: a hot-button issue to charge President Obama with everything from willful negligence to "intentionally bringing in Ebola to make America more like Africa." (Phyllis Schlafly). Pundits like Ann Coulter** and Donald Trump have shunned compassion for Ebola victims and made medical teams look feeble. 

Ann Coulter's answer to the immigration crisis:

“First thing I would do is infect every one of those kids with the ebola virus,” she told host Sean Hannity. “The reason why people come to this country is because the government gives illegal immigrants free goodies like welfare.
“I say we give them a free case of hemorrhagic fever instead. If we pump every illegal child in this country full of ebola, parents would think twice before sending their kids to U.S. shores."

Seems like the "Wrath of God" has turned into the Wrath of Man/Coulter.

Will WOGS Ever Be "Cured"?

Education as the cure to the Wrath-Of-God Syndrome may seem too simplistic: after all, it has not yet rid the world of superstition, nor has it entirely coaxed man away from the unreasoning side of what we call "human nature." It has made small dents in the armor of Fundamentalist religion, but can it prove enough to stem the current tide? 

Then again, education is our only hope. 

Men often make up in wrath what they want in reason.

William R. Alger

*The Christian Right interpreted that speculation as a gay airline steward having sex with a monkey. 
** OpEdNews 8-8

How To Get Better Ratings (And A Spot On FOX): Go Hypocritical, Homophobic and Victimized

“When parents do not have a choice about whether or not they want their children to see this, it is wrong… I don’t call it a moment of celebration… It’s being pushed in faces. I don’t want to see that. I don’t want to see cake in your face, kissing each other,”


My Texas Today:

This down home girl not only strives to be the best but also to bring the best out in others around her. She doesn’t let any grass grow under her feet. A graduate of SMU, a full-time wife and mother of three believes that life is short and doing what you’re called to do, is doing what you love.
MyTexasToday was created out of sheer desire to promote the great state and pursue her dreams of sharing on-air.

Never trust rich people dabbling at a "career". Especially rich children of scamvangelists.

Amy Kushnir created a small (but rating-lucrative) firestorm when she walked off a Dallas- Forth Worth morning show after discussing Michael Sam's ESPN kiss. She decried the in-your-faceness of it all and said that children, families should not be "forced" to see it. Social media reacted negatively, so Amy got a spot on FOX, naturally, to expound on her family values.

Joe Jervis of Joe.My.God.com got suspicious of such righteous indignation and found out that Amy Kushnir is the daughter of Robert Tilton, the televangelist who was one of the first "prosperity preachers" to be investigated.

It appears that anti-gay Dallas television host Amy Kushnir, who is so terribly outraged by Michael Sam's kiss, is the daughter of legendarily disgraced scamvangelist Rev. Robert Tilton, whose multi-million dollar grifting empire first crumbled in the early 90s following an exposé by ABC News. Christian Nightmares points us to this 2011 post on the televangelists watchdog blog Snake Oil, which refers to Kushnir as "Amy Tilton Kushnir."

Interestingly enough, Jervis also points out that bios of Kushnir (like the one above) are exceedingly thin and never mention the father-daughter connection. Check out "My Texas Today" (Kushnir's home page). Her blog is almost non-existant (last post - February and quite innocuous). Her blogger bio simply says "wife. mamma.foodie.girlfriend." Her biggest achievement outside the home is a slim, spiral-bound cookbook - Red Dirt Recipes - which has a whopping 47 recipes. She hosts a radio foodie program and hosts on KTXD's The Broadcast, a "The View"-like local show. In February, Amy played host to the famous Chippendales, fanning her face constantly, apparently unaware that she looked ready to have an orgasm - not very family friendly programming. 

The fluff bios, the inexperience, the amateurish attempts at social media all seem to point to a bored, spoiled, 43 year-old woman playing at being something - anything.

Was It All About Amy ... And Ratings?

Before the show of family values righteousness, even FOX News would have said, "Who the hell is Amy Kushnir?" With flimsy bios negating her childhood, it's no wonder Amy Kushnir was kept exceptionally local. The fact that she is host of The Broadcast, however, might be due to the history of the station KTXD (formerly KTAK) which started out as the "flagship station" for PromiseLand Television Network.

KTXD was not very well known either, but obviously loved the attention it got from the walk-out:

KTXD-TV started the The Broadcast in February 2013 as an opinion-based show. We selected five hosts who represent a subset of the vast, diverse community that we serve, and we encourage them on a daily basis to share their personal opinions on a variety of topics.

On Tuesday, May 13, that topic happened to be Michael Sam’s draft day kiss and the controversy it was generating. The debate between our four hosts that day got unusually heated and ended with one host – Amy Kushnir – leaving the set. Ms. Kushnir’s action was a signal of frustration on her part, as she felt she was unable to express her own views correctly.

While KTXD-TV neither supports nor condemns opinions shared by our hosts, we stand behind both The Broadcast and Ms. Kushnir. We wholeheartedly stand behind our hosts right to voice their opinions as an integral part of our program. We have clearly ruffled feathers, and in doing so we hope we have advanced the dialogue on this important issue.

The "Important issue" could be ratings. It seems that KTXD was left out of a massive Gannet buy-out.

wikipedia:

On May 14, 2014, the Gannett Company announced the purchase of six of London Broadcasting's Texas television stations for $215 million. London exempted KTXD and Longview sister station KCEB from the deal.

London kept KTXD, but never mentioned if Gannet wanted it or not. Hmmm... And looking at that representation of the "vast, diverse community" on The Broadcast one would never guess that Texas has any African-Americans or Hispanics.

Texas Born, Texas Proud. We Are Texas. 

That's London Broadcasting's signature slogan. We get the picture.
A Media Star Is Born!

Since Kushnir's walk out generated almost as much attention as "the kiss" itself, FOX News picked it up and gave Amy's crusade for family values a boost: on FOX, Kushnir said that she received hate mail and death threats too horrible to mention on air.* 

To recap: spoiled daughter of a disgraced televangelist gets bored, produces lame self-published cookbook, gets into minor-league media, gets righteous about a televised gay kiss and snags an interview on FOX. Got that?


Gay Family Values puts it in perspective:

*While it is possible to receive death threats these days from anyone via social media, I doubt most gay people wouldn't go that far. "SNAP!' would be about as close to a threat as they could muster. Either that, or "Go suck a Chippendale, bitch!" 

Author's Note: Kushnir's personal story (actually Robert Tilton's story) may be a good lead-in to the next installment of Billionaire Jesus. Stay tuned y-all. 

Twitter Truth, Mark Driscoll, Hell and The Righteous Arrogance Award

Pastor Mark Driscoll loves firestorms. He's that kind of preacher. He likens himself to Chris Rock.

wikipedia;

     "In a Crosscut.com article, his style was described this way: "Pacing the stage at the main Ballard campus, he delivered a sermon on marriage roles as he saw them set forth in the Song of Solomon. He told stories from his own marriage, offered statistics, and dropped jokes without their feeling forced. Every few minutes he would sniff in a thoughtful, practiced sort of way. This untucked, down-to-earth demeanor was the opposite of a huckster televangelist, but polished in its own way. It makes the guy easy to listen to."

But his tweets are not easy to read.





There is no humility about Driscoll: his writings and sermons may seem "down-to-earth" but they are like Rick Warren's Hawaiian shirts: casual dressing on a Southern Baptist theology. And whereas Warren is Southern Baptist, Driscoll is Calvinist (with a capital C): everyone is called, but few are predestined. And Mark Driscoll is predestined. Definitely.


Bludgeoning People With "I Am The Way, The Truth, and The Life"

Driscoll may, however, suffer from the kind of righteous arrogance many evangelicals have about Christianity: we are the ONE, the ONLY way to heaven. We are RIGHT. EVERYONE else is either WRONG, MISGUIDED, or simply OF THE DEVIL. But because of this attitude, WE ARE SO PERSECUTED! Too many evangelicals have taken one passage from Scripture and made it into a sword/mantra, smiting sinning souls while repeating it endlessly to themselves as a balm for any wounds encountered.

Ironically, it is the one thing that is causing most young people to leave their churches (and religion) altogether. Such righteous arrogance has become abrasive. And Driscoll's tweet has caused similar reactions.

Here are some of the reactions thus far:



Hell Exists - For The Righteously Arrogant

The world's biggest guilt trip was done by God: "I created you, but you sinned against me. Then I came down to earth in your form and died an agonizing death in order to absolve you of those sins because I love you." Yes, God as Jewish mother. And this particular guilt trip has endured throughout centuries. The guilt trip also comes with a penalty from a stern father: hell.

Scholars and theologians doubt the existence of hell - the fiery place where a vengeful God sends people after they die. While Jesus mentions a fiery place (often thought of as Gehenna), his focus is more on love and forgiveness than vengeance and control. For the only purpose of such a place is control, a carrot or stick approach to the human condition: without the prospect of hell, man's sins would overcome him. The promise of heaven isn't enough. Bishop John Shelby Spong has some good thoughts on the man-made concept of hell (see below).

For the righteously arrogant, however, hell is heaven-sent (sorry): it gives them authority (and a bit of sadism) while it covers them in heroism: battling evil while saving everyone else.

Mark Driscoll's tweet puts him on a pedestal while dousing him with radiant heroism. "It's unloving not to say that." How noble. How righteous ... ly arrogant. In a sense, Driscoll uses a hypocritical slash and burn tactic against everyone not Christian. And friends of non-Christians don't like it. If Driscoll wants an even bigger firestorm, he should address the Dalai Lama directly. Or Mohammed.

I'm thinking about instituting an annual Righteous Arrogance Award to be voted on by readers (and, yes, I'll include myself as a nominee, for even bloggers about RA can be R[ly]A at times). I will, of course, post all the nominees and the winner towards the end of the year in a full article (on OpEdNews as well).

Driscoll, of course, is the first nominee.

DJesus Uncrossed or Rambo Jesus? Aren't They The Same, Bryan Fischer?

For years, Bryan Fischer, the most righteously arrogant man on the planet, has touted a kind of Rambo Jesus - a Messiah who will come back to kick ass. He's also an ardent NRA supporter and rip-snortin' vigilante. So why is Bryan Fischer upset at SNL for DJesus Uncrossed? (See below). He's just warning, of course. Just warning. The man is actually salivating at the possibility that DU will come to pass. 

Such are the ways of the righteously arrogant.