http://lanternsofliberty.us The Battlefield of Ideas Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:26:50 GMT http://lanternsofliberty.us/images/battlefield.png http://lanternsofliberty.us http://www.lanternsofliberty.us/chrispilie.cfm?thread=A31D78FB-123F-7491-A4C19714F7C95019 When Alvin Green legally became the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina, his legitimacy was immediately challenged by his party's elite and members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Although Green withstood their attacks, he was lampooned by the national media and his campaign has since been abandoned by his party. Many dismiss this situation based on his unorthodox presentation. Others knowledgeable of the Democratic Party, its platform, and its history know that this is a typical example of how they treat black members of their party. The mainstream media serves as a tool to reinforce black peoples position at the bottom of the Democratic Party. Rep. Kendrick Meek on the other hand is no Alvin Green. Meek is a well educated man, a sitting congressman and son of a congresswoman. He no doubt has the political pedigree to serve in the United States Senate. I am proud to say that he is a fellow graduate of my alma mater, Florida A&M University. Like Green, Meek earned his place as his party's nominee. While Meek & Green may have different backgrounds they share two traits that condemn them to the bottom of their party. They are both black and aspire to represent a constituency larger than their neighborhood. The truth is, Meek could be a congressman for the rest of his life if he decided to stay in his "safe" district. However, his senatorial aspiration could lead to his political demise. Meek was confronted on MSNBC about dropping out of the race in order to make way for Republican turned Independent Charlie Crist. The 2010 election is looking bad for Democrats across the country. Yet no one is calling for Barbara Boxer, Russ Feingold or any other white liberal candidate to move aside for an independent. Liberals only seem to single out black candidates for such acquiescence. According to the polls MSNBC sited, Meek is polling poorly among Democrats proving more racism within their party. Read liberals posts on MSNBC which further illustrates my point. Meek's voting record is as liberal as you can get. Unlike Green, Meek is well-qualified, so it is impossible not to consider his race as a factor in this situation. Chuck Todd was doing a great impersonation of a plantation overseer as he tried to steer Meek in the direction of abandoning his campaign in order to make room for a white man to take his place. Todd addressing Meek was like watching a recreation of Democrat "Bull" Connor talking down to Martin Luther King, Jr. Todd is making the assumption that a black man can't win statewide in Florida and that his best chance is finishing second. Perhaps the most racist part of the interview was watching Todd and co-host Savannah Guthrie blatantly ignore Meek's attempt to focus on the issues. Guthrie asked him if he could live with himself should Rubio win. While I am no political supporter of Meek, I do support a citizen's decision to run for public office. I would personally love to see Marco Rubio represent my home state of Florida in the United States Senate. The issue here is the mainstream media's facilitation of Liberal attacks on black people that aspire to represent districts bigger than their neighborhoods. When I say "black" people, I don't mean Obama, I mean people like me who are descendents of slaves. With stories and interviews like these, MSNBC, the Democratic Party, and the mainstream media continue to let black people know that their place in the Democratic Party is at the bottom. Tue, 12 Oct 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.lanternsofliberty.us/chrispilie.cfm?thread=A31D78FB-123F-7491-A4C19714F7C95019 http://www.lanternsofliberty.us/chrispilie.cfm?thread=60FAD561-123F-7491-A4F14CD207B8E909 I am ashamed to admit that there is one thing that I admire about liberals. While this confession may be painful, I believe that you give credit where it is due. Having spent years studying politics, history, and language, I find it amazing that liberals are able to convince people to believe conflicting narratives. The creation and perpetuation of these contradictory beliefs cannot be possible without a media structure, as well as educational structure, that discourages, and too often scorns, analytical thinking. In George Orwell's novel "1984", he described this as doublethink which is the power to hold two completely contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accept both of them. Now that we are a month away from the midterm elections, the Democrats and their friends in the media are going to be working overtime to create these conflicting narratives that confuse and distort reality in order to preserve their power. What I find most fascinating is the liberal perception of tolerance. Liberals are probably the most intolerant people in America. Recently, Andrew Brietbart was spit on by liberals at an "Anti-Hate" rally. Understanding doublethink and the process of creating conflicting narratives will help you navigate this campaign season. Liberals and the media have figured out that injecting emotion into rational debate confuses those who cannot separate fact from feelings. The liberal elite have used this tactic to control black people by using powerful accusations like racism, bigotry, and injustice that conjure up fierce emotions yet are nearly impossible to define. You will notice that the biggest supporters of liberalism too often can't define this doctrine or the policies that result from it. This lack of critical thinking and intellectual maturity is why liberals prey on those in hardship, those with little education, children and students. Taking advantage of the homeless and drug abusers was a big part of Obama's election strategy. Recently, I got a message from moveon.org bragging about how productive this congress has been by passing Obamacare, stimulus and financial reform. For years, Democrats have told us how great these things will be. Now that they are law, some Democrats are running away from these great "accomplishments" while others are campaigning against them. So what's their strategy going into the midterms? Their strategy is to double down on confusing voters! Pay close attention to what language is used and where it is used because Obamacare will be an "accomplishment" in a union hall and a detriment at a Chamber of Commerce debate. You won't see Democrats flaunt their voting records. You will see them spend millions of dollars on a barrage of the most vicious attack ads in the history of politics. You won't see the media hold liberals accountable that purposely try to destroy opponents reputations and livelihoods. You will see the media portray Democrats as well-meaning servants and at the same time they are going to position the GOP and Tea Party candidates as racist, intolerant war mongers. During this campaign season, I urge you to remove all personal bias and seek facts in order to make informed decisions. It's going to take work because we no longer live in a country where the media reports the news. The mainstream media has drawn a line in the sand and clearly shown us what side of the line they're on. They continue to move farther to the left. At the same time their audience is shrinking. This is a direct correlation. Andre Harper is the founder and president of The Knowledge Movement, LLC and author of Political Emancipation: Observations from a Black Man Who Rejected Liberal Indoctrination. He can be reached at www.AndreHarper.com. Wed, 29 Sep 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.lanternsofliberty.us/chrispilie.cfm?thread=60FAD561-123F-7491-A4F14CD207B8E909 http://www.lanternsofliberty.us/chrispilie.cfm?thread=CE3AC3FF-123F-7491-A46DDEF7BC6A848A By Andre Harper Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending the "Restoring Honor" Rally in Washington D.C. While I'm proud to be an American everyday, I was especially proud on that day. The feeling I had being amongst so many people that love and appreciate the blessings of liberty was at times overwhelming. The purpose of the event was simple. We wanted to express our love for our nation and dedicate ourselves to practicing the values that has made it so strong. Unfortunately, this simple lesson appears to be impossible for liberals and the media to comprehend. The media coverage and the liberal spin stopped short of calling the event a Ku Klux Klan rally, attended by racist tea partiers whose sole purpose is to suppress minorities, destroy the environment and worship big business. To no surprise, all the media coverage reflected this tired narrative. As usual with the media, they got it all wrong. There's no denying that the majority of the attendees were white, so is the majority of America. Blacks were free to attend and many of us did but for some reason the media chose not to show us. There is no surprise that the liberals once again have terribly flawed logic. Consider this. I went to a predominantly black college. Whites are free to go to school there. Despite being heavily recruited in many cases, many still choose to get their educations elsewhere. Many black colleges offer scholarships specifically for white students. Does this make black colleges racist for not having more white students? The point is that the lack of attendance isn't the same as exclusion. Instead of accurately reporting that close to 1 million people attended the rally they choose to say "tens of thousands." They chose to make this about race and politics when the goal was clearly to restore God's place in our daily lives, not in our government. Conservatives are people guided by principles that are often rooted in the Bible. This doesn't mean that we're perfect, it means that we have a moral standard to measure ourselves. A standard that we all fall short of but a standard nonetheless. Liberals don't understand this because their standards are based in the situation, the intent, the beliefs of the offender and arbitrary fairness (which is always subjective.) In addition to ignoring the content of the rally, they chose to (in many cases) give more coverage to Al Sharpton's counter-rally to give it the appearance of equal attendance. The goal of Sharpton's rally was to "reclaim Dr. King legacy" because he believes Glenn Beck has stolen it. This is possibly the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I'm going to start wearing a Michael Jordan jersey every day until I steal his legacy. In reality, Sharpton's rally was nonexistent except in the media. However, his attempt at maintaining relevance provided some valuable insight in addition to a few laughs. Sharpton and his liberal allies provide a great contrast with the conservatives at the "Restoring Honor" rally. The conservatives prayed and asked God to bless our country and thank him for his blessings. On the other hand, the liberals chose to stir up racial hostility and drive further divisions among the nation. They came to fight while the conservatives came to pray. Conservatives believe that the Lincoln Memorial is sacred ground. That's why everyone cleaned up behind themselves and by the time everyone left, you would have never known that there was just 1 million people there. On the other hand, after Obama's inauguration, Washington D.C. was trashed and it took days and thousands of man-hours to clean it up. One liberal posted on a lefty blog that the folks who attended the rally yesterday cleaned up on purpose to keep Park employees from being able to earn a living cleaning up that Park!! You can't make up that kind of ignorance. God bless Glenn Beck for making the sacrifices necessary to pull this event together. He was truly amazing and I'm glad to have been there. His vision has strengthened my personal resolve to always thank God for his blessings, to improve my life and the lives of those around me. In the near future, I don't expect liberals to abandon their tired narratives or judge themselves by the same standards they judge conservatives. Therefore I will continue to follow the direction given to me by God and ignore their predictable criticisms because Jesus Christ was treated far worse than anything I'll encounter. So if the Savior of the world was treated so harshly, how can I expect any different? Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.lanternsofliberty.us/chrispilie.cfm?thread=CE3AC3FF-123F-7491-A46DDEF7BC6A848A http://www.lanternsofliberty.us/chrispilie.cfm?thread=86F4C0D5-123F-7491-A492757AA53D8A4F By Andre Harper I must admit that I am enjoying the coverage or should I say lack of coverage of the death of the so-called ex-Klansman, Robert Byrd of West Virginia. Senator Byrd handed out so many federal dollars that I understand there are plans to rename the entire state after him because all of the highways and federal buildings have his name already. The liberal media has once again come down with a severe case of selective memory. While it's routine for them to find racism in places where it doesn't exist like in the Arizona immigration law or in Don Imus's women's basketball jokes, somehow they always seem to fail to notice the racism that exists in front of their eyes. While I think that is bad practice to insult the dead, I am only going to give an accurate account of the legacy of the late Sen. Byrd because the media won't. The media will create a narrative that paints him as a champion of the working man (code for unions) who fought hard against George W. Bush's commitment to protect our country from terrorists. During their recollections, they will either fail to mention or gloss over his association with the KKK by positioning it as youthful indiscretion. As media watchdogs and Americans fed up with the media being serving as the Democratic Party's propaganda machine, we must make sure that Robert Byrd's legacy is accurately portrayed. While he may have only been an active member of the KKK for a year (1942-43,) his views were left intact after his departure. During the 1960s he was a fierce opponent of civil rights legislation and filibustered for more than 14 hours in an effort to bury the legislation. "Men are not created equal today, and they were not created equal in 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was written," Mr. Byrd proclaimed during the filibuster. "Men and races of men differ in appearance, ways, physical power, mental capacity, creativity and vision." Having a (D) next to his name spared him from the usual attacks of the race profiteering community that mercilessly shakedown anyone that make such remarks at any point in their life. His immunity from their predatory instincts allowed him to continue to make what they typically brand as "racially insensitive" comments throughout his life. While Al Sharpton and pals may have ignored Byrd's obvious racism in order to stay in good graces with their masters and to focus on conjuring racism in Arizona, I won't. Now that the Byrd has passed on, the Democrats must be breathing a sigh of relief because they don't have to hear conservatives talk about how in 2010 we still have a Klansman serving in the United States Senate. While the Liberals may think the albatross is no longer around their neck, we have to remind them that while Byrd's body may no longer be with them, his racist spirit is alive and well in the Democratic Party. There is a reason he was so revered and served them for so long. That reason is because he is the Democratic Party, and the Democratic Party are him. Andre Harper is the founder and president of The Knowledge Movement, LLC and author of Political Emancipation: Observations from a Black Man Who Rejected Liberal Indoctrination. He can be reached at www.AndreHarper.com. Tue, 29 Jun 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.lanternsofliberty.us/chrispilie.cfm?thread=86F4C0D5-123F-7491-A492757AA53D8A4F http://www.lanternsofliberty.us/chrispilie.cfm?thread=72901F9E-123F-7491-A48BAF142B4E520C I'd like to think that I know a thing or two about crushes because I have a young daughter. I've watched her go crazy over the Jonas Brothers, Justin Beiber and the teen heartthrob of the month. I expect that from her, because young girls have always been obsessed over celebrities. However, I was caught off-guard to watch Chris Matthews 44 day obsession over Rush Limbaugh. It must be love. He calls his show "hardball." Based on his past comment's, I have to agree. If his infatuation with Obama resulted in him getting a "thrill" up his leg, then his title must be his reaction to Rush Limbaugh. That's just plain weird. I occasionally watch Matthews. I don't watch him to see "what the other side is thinking about," I watch it because I have to remind myself just how elementary and basic the arguments from the left are. For the last 44 days Chris Matthews has challenged any Republican to come on his show and say that Rush Limbaugh is wrong. He wasn't very specific, so I'm assuming that he wants a Republican to say that Rush is wrong about anything like admitting that Rush is wrong for liking the Pittsburgh Steelers, having pets, or raising millions of dollars for charity. Matthews is so desperate that I'm sure he'd be happy with anything. His stunt is clearly an attempt to shape the argument. However, he looks like a fool because no one took the bait. I must admit that I am enjoying this because Matthews thinks he's so clever and that no one understands what he's doing. For the sake of argument, let's say Matthews is right. Since no Republican came on his show, therefore Rush Limbaugh runs the Republican party and all Republicans fear rush. If this is true then, roosters clucking in the morning must be the reason why the sun comes up each day. Maybe Republicans aren't showing up because they don't think that his show is worth the time. It's not like anyone watches it. In February, TV Newser's prime time rankings ranked MSNBC 26th, far behind the cartoon network at 13th (and Fox News 2nd.) I believe the reason is because he is so irrelevant that no one cares what he thinks. Elitists like Matthews are legends in their own mind. Matthews did admit defeat and credited Limbaugh by saying " I gotta salute Rush. I've never seen a guy on the radio, he doesn't do television, he has one medium of expression, the voice, he doesn't put on guests... Congratulations." The reality is that Matthews and his network are so irrelevant among cables news based on their ratings. His entire obsession was in hopes that Limbaugh would mention him on his radio show. Congratulations Chris! Rush Limbaugh's audience of over 20 million listeners now know how big your man crush is. Andre Harper is the founder and president of The Knowledge Movement, LLC and author of Political Emancipation: Observations from a Black Man Who Rejected Liberal Indoctrination. He can be reached at www.AndreHarper.com. Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.lanternsofliberty.us/chrispilie.cfm?thread=72901F9E-123F-7491-A48BAF142B4E520C