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Non-Peace Plan Goes Global By Bill Berkowitz
With the Middle East in turmoil; the war on terrorism bogging down; Operation Anaconda more like Operation Sieve; troops - AKA U.S. military advisors - deployed around the globe; a war with Iraq appearing to be just around the corner; escalation of the drug wars in Columbia practically a done deal; and democratic rights under attack at home - who are you going to call? The Reverend Jerry Falwell hopes you'll keep thinking of him! In the most recent edition of Falwell Confidential, the Reverend's email newsletter, Falwell had this to say about Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat: "Arafat is a murderer and a liar; it's time he is treated as such. The Palestinian president is not a virtuous victim, as some continue to suggest. The fact is he is a bloodthirsty terrorist who has drafted countless attacks on Israel, frequently citing Israeli "aggression" as the culprit. His hatred of Israel is so fierce, Arafat often utilizes children in his inhuman terrorism enterprise, knowing full well that these children will be killed. It happens again and again." No, the good Reverend Falwell doesn't intend to take on all these issues. He's focused on the Israeli/Palestinian crisis. And he's got a plan. Coincidentally, that plan will cost you money. Money will help spread the word and "help end the terror and destruction in the Holy Land." I just received e-mail from the Reverend Falwell asking me to contribute to his "KEEP JERUSALEM FREE!" campaign (his caps). KJF translates into KJFVHE: Keep Jerry Falwell's Voice Heard Everywhere. The Reverend's plan requires him to:
The Reverend does have his modest moments. He acknowledges that he can't do all these things by himself. And that's why he's peppering his followers with e-mail: In an approximately 700-word e-mail the Reverend Falwell gives you 5 opportunities to "Click Here to give an online donation!" The Reverend Falwell has a long history of support for Israel. In a January 1998 article in the New York Times, Laurie Goodstein reports that Falwell and several leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (you know them, they are the folks that hang around synagogues after Yom Kippur hoping to convert repentant Jews to Christianity) "told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel that they would mobilize evangelical churches to oppose steps to give up any more territory to the Palestinians." Falwell said: "There are about 200,000 evangelical pastors in America, and we're asking them all through e-mail, faxes, letters, telephone, to go into their pulpits and use their influence in support of the state of Israel and the prime minister." The Israeli government and evangelical Christians "may appear to be strange bedfellows, but they are old ones." Goodstein writes: " prime ministers from Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, both Likud leaders, to Yitzhak Rabin, of Labor, have broken bread with evangelical Christians vocal in their support for the Jewish state." Some say evangelicals loyalty to the state of Israel stems from their reading of the book of Genesis in which, Goodstein reports, "God promises to bless the nations that bless the Jews, and curse the nations that curse the Jews. 'On the issue of Israel, there is no one stronger than evangelicals,' said an Israeli official who helped plan Netanyahu's visit to the United States. Some evangelicals read certain Bible passages to mean that an 'ingathering' of Jews to Israel is a prerequisite to an apocalyptic war that will usher in the second coming of Christ. But some Jewish leaders who have been active in reaching out to evangelicals said Tuesday that they have rarely heard evangelicals mention that factor as a reason for supporting Israel." Falwell has said denied that he is one of those who see modern-day Israel as merely "the last chapter before a great war." When Robert Novak, on CNN's Crossfire, asked the Reverend Falwell if he favored the "creation of a Palestinian state," Falwell replied: "No, I do not. I think it should be formed, but not in Israel. What's wrong with the other Arab states like Jordan who have great volumes of land?" The Reverend can't take a joke In other Falwell news, the Reverend's lawyer is after two Internet parody websites. The sites JerryFalwell.com and Jerry Fallwell.com "were launched by Illinois resident Gary Cohn, who was angered by the evangelist's tirade blaming the Sept. 11 attacks on feminists, gays and lesbians, among others," according to an early April Wired.com report. Cohn "registered the preacher's name to poke fun of Falwell and his beliefs." One of the site's visuals is a graphic of Falwell sticking his foot in his mouth over and over and over again.
JerryFalwell.com: A Preacher Paraody
Wired.com reports Falwell's lawyer, John Midlen, sent Cohn "a cease-and-desist letter charging him with trademark infringement and offering to pay him $1,000 for the domain names." Cohn refused to be cowed by Falwell's attorney and in a return he refused the offer, saying: "This is a completely noncommercial website, which exists for the sole purpose of expressing, through a parody, my opinion that your client is a jerk." The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will ultimately decide the case. In February, Midlen "filed a complaint on behalf of Falwell…asking WIPO to transfer the domain names to the evangelist. The complaint alleges that the domain names infringe on Falwell's trademark (his name), were registered in bad faith…and will lead visitors to false teachings about the Bible. Although Falwell has never registered his name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, it is a recognized common law trademark, Midlen argued. A common law trademark is established when someone promotes goods and services under a specific name." Cohn's lawyer, Paul Allen Levy, who is affiliated with Public Citizen, is ready for battle. "This is a free speech case," Levy said. "Cohn has every right to express his views, and Falwell has two choices: He can ignore (the sites) or he can stop behaving like he does." Falwell readies launch of new television network It's been a long hard day at work. You pick the kids up on the way home, do a little shopping, arrive at home and check the mail and the messages, chat with the kids while cooking dinner, help the kids with their homework, read them a few stories and say goodnight. It's time to settle down in front of the television for a little R and R. Thanks to the Reverend Falwell, there could be a new choice on the tube. Falwell's new national television network, Liberty Channel, is getting ready to rock - in its own Falwellian way. According to a March 7 announcement, the channel, a 24/7 cable and satellite network, will feature "family programming, concerts, sports, and much more, including news programming that discuss topics, from a Christian worldview, you will not likely see on network and cable television." Where else, with one click of the remote, can you find: Listen America, a weekly hour with the Reverend himself; Law & Justice (not to be confused with Law and Order), hosted by conservative Christian legal beagle Mat Stover of Liberty Counsel; Judicial Watch, a program hosted by America's current litigant King, Larry Klayman of Judicial Watch; The Right Side, with radio talk show host Armstrong Williams; Lighting the Way, the Bible and "its relevance for us today"; Great Truths from God's Word; Sunday morning live from Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church; Pulpit Classics, a Turner Classic Movies-type program featuring the best of Sunday morning pulpitry; and Liberty University in Your Home, which while not exactly sorority streaming video, will take you up close and personal with the happenings at LU. The Liberty Channel will be available through your local cable company (if enough people request it) or on Dominion Sky Angel - a direct broadcast satellite provider. All Falwell…24/7. That's a gift that keeps on giving and taking. Bill Berkowitz is a freelance writer covering right-wing movements. Contact him at wkbbronx@aol.com |
Once known for playing with Teletubbies, now Falwell's fooling with Middle East peace 
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