Gunn Shreds Boone : Dispatches from the Creation Wars

ScienceBlogs Book Club: Inside the Outbreaks

Profile

Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)

Search

Other Information

Ed Brayton also blogs at Positive Liberty and The Panda's Thumb

Ed Brayton is a participant in the Center for Independent Media New Journalism Program. However, all of the statements, opinions, policies, and views expressed on this site are solely Ed Brayton's. This web site is not a production of the Center, and the Center does not support or endorse any of the contents on this site.

Ed's Audio and Video

Declaring Independence podcast feed

YearlyKos 2007

Video of speech on Dover and the Future of the Anti-Evolution Movement

Audio of Greg Raymer Interview

E-mail Policy

Any and all emails that I receive may be reprinted, in part or in full, on this blog with attribution. If this is not acceptable to you, do not send me e-mail - especially if you're going to end up being embarrassed when it's printed publicly for all to see.

My Ecosystem Details

« Youtube Gems: Genesis | Main | Duke Coaching Changes »

Gunn Shreds Boone

Posted on: April 27, 2008 9:09 AM, by Ed Brayton

Jeremy Gunn, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, wrote a letter to the Worldnutdaily shredding Pat Boone's latest idiotic screed against the ACLU. And to their credit, they actually published the letter. Well worth reading too.

Comments

/shocked

They actually printed that! What's that cold feeling in the soles of my feet?

Posted by: tincture | April 27, 2008 9:28 AM

Jeremy Gunn states it plain...and, if I'm not mistaken, managed to throw in just a wee bit of subtle retaliation.

I don't visit wNUTd often, so I am wondering...have they ever been this tolerant? And if not, why would they start now? Very odd.

Posted by: BobbyEarle | April 27, 2008 10:35 AM

Good article. I think it makes Boone look like an ass. I already thought he did when I read it but this gives some facts to back it up. I like the way he uses the Bible against him. I think it is well done.

Posted by: King of Ireland | April 27, 2008 11:59 AM

I've tried arguing with Pat Boone types before about their willful mischaracterization of the ALCU's policies, even quoting a long list of cases where they unequivocally defended the right of Christians to participate in religious activities.

The response? The ACLU selects a few "pro-Christian" cases in order to disguise their true anti-Christian agenda. In other words, people like Pat Boone will simply conclude that it's Gunn who is lying. Here are the first two comments from the article's Digg link:

You know how when you hit a nail, it makes a solid sound when you have hit it correctly? That's the sound the ACLU is making with this excuse ridden article. I hope That day comes soon where the ACLU and CAIR have to leave this nation in the same boat they came on.

(I think the above commenter is confused about what "hitting the nail on the head" really means!)

They're not called the Anti Christian Litigation Unit because they are friends of Christianity. I wonder how many of them actually believe in God? By their conduct, not many.

You see? It doesn't matter what WorldNutDaily publishes, and they know it. Their readers just won't register the facts quoted by Gunn in his letter, and even if they do, they will immediately discount them as part of the ACLU's subterfuge. It's hard to overestimate the amount of irrational hatred WND's constituency has for the ACLU.

Posted by: tacitus | April 27, 2008 12:21 PM

Using the phrase "bearing false witness" to call Boone a liar was a nice touch.

Posted by: Chris Bell | April 27, 2008 12:28 PM

I am sincerely impressed with WND publishing the letter. On the other hand, I agree with the other commenters that it won't change any of their readers' minds.

Posted by: Braxton Thomason | April 27, 2008 12:57 PM

...What's that cold feeling in the soles of my feet?

Oh, I get it, it's hell freezing over!

LOL

Posted by: Bill Ware | April 27, 2008 8:03 PM

Of course, it won't change their minds! They have never forgiven the ACLU for desegregation, and they never will. They blame them more than they blame the NAACP. That's the elephant in the room that they don't talk about.

And they hold the ACLU responsible for removing Protestant Christian prayers and Bible readings from the public schools. Although it was Madalyn who initiated the suit which led to the SCOTUS ruling, it has been the ACLU's lawyers all these years since who have enforced the ruling. Every time the Gideons try again to give away their Bibles in public schools, it's the ACLU which is there to say nu-unh, you can't do that. (We just recently had another case in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.) The ACLU is the only local enforcer that the Bill of Rights has in the South.

In his letter Pat Boone says that the ACLU is an atheist organization. What a lie that is! But he doesn't dare to say that they are Jews (that is the rhinoceros in the room) because that would be too politically incorrect, and actually these days that might be factually incorrect, but of course, facts never bother these folks.

We just have to wait for some of these bigots to die off. Pat Boone is, I think, older than I am, so we won't have to put up with his foolishness too much longer.

Posted by: Elizabeth | April 27, 2008 11:07 PM

Gunn blew Pat away. It's just too bad these folks are zombies who don't know when they're dead. Sigh.

Posted by: Dana Hunter | April 28, 2008 4:36 AM