Nothing says fun and festive like the Heritage Foundation, which sponsored Tuesday night's CNN GOP Obama-bash fest. But despite all the good feeling flowing about bombing Iranians and expelling Mexicans, the event lacked the warm fuzzy feeling that oozed out of last Saturday's Family Leader Thanksgiving debate. Since the liberal media refused to show this tender face of the GOP on national television (the event was only streamed on-line), most Americans missed out. Specifically, they were deprived of
1) A lovely Thanksgiving spread replete with pumpkins, gourds, and what looked like some sort of Thanksgiving Nativity.
2) The tears of tough, law and order candidates whose sympathy has been understandably depleted and spent on themselves.
3) Frank Luntz's incredible performance as a Christian. Luntz, a Jew, moderated the event -- in which Christian candidates, seated at a table in a church, waxed poetic on their Christian faith, recounted finding Jesus, and lamented those who hadn't -- as if he'd spent his entire life going to Church and not synagogue. Luntz himself is quick to judge other Jews, telling, for example, liberal Jewish American parents "You have let your children down. By your religious liberalism, you have done more to destroy a religion than any suicide bomber, any politician or anyone filled with hate ever could. Shame on you." But I guess passing as a Christian and enabling Christians who consider Jews, at best, "imperfect", is kosher in Luntz's reading of the Torah.
4) Christian rockers David Bush & Michael O'Brien's incredibly moving "(Jesus, We Need You) More than Ever" music video, which was screened before the debate and set a wonderfully Christian tone. The song is brilliant in form and content, opening with a snippet of "America the Beautiful" done in the "Penny for Your Thoughts" musical style featured in Waiting for Guffman.
The good news is that you and your family can spend Thanksgiving watching the Thanksgiving-themed debate. It's the perfect family activity.
The "More than Ever" video will surely be the entertainment center-piece of your holiday gathering, but it will be the moral center-piece as well, informed as it is by the teachings of Jesus Christ. In the tradition of Christian parables, the video refuses to hit viewers on the head with its meanings or spoon feed its messages. Rather, it challenges the viewer with to analyze and deconstruct it. To help friends and family and yourself get the most of the subtle work of art, I present the following viewing guide. The words in italics are the lyrics of the song, which are visually featured during the video, to re-enforce the urgent message. This was an aesthetic choice, and in no way an endorsement of closed captioning or the Americans with Disabilities Act, both of which coddle our disabled, (who would otherwise most likely grow out of their disabilities) and make us less free and less safe! The words In plain font describe the images that accompany the lyrics.
Print out copies for your guests to help them capture the depth, nuance and beauty of what is sure to become an American classic.
[instrumental opening to America the Beautiful" and
pan up on rugged patchwork quilt of images featuring words "More than Ever," an image of David Bush and Michael O Brien, and text saying "David Bush" and "Michael Brien" suggesting to the vie
wer that these two men are responsible for the song you are about to enjoy which is called "Mor
e than Ever". The particular image of David Bush emphasizes his resemblan
ce to
another gifted Christian singer and songwriter ]
fade in text* A land without a conscience cross fade to a shot of a littered street, suggesting that we live in a world in which people don't have the conscience required to put things in a trash can.
A world without a soul
An image of a poster of Chinese Communist and shirt fashion inspirer Mao Zedong, suggesting the soullessness that characterizes the atheist Marxist dictatorships of Chairman Mao and "President" Obama.Can never hope to prosper
An image of a dry crop, suggesting a lack of prospering, lack of growth, lack of life, lack of fecundity. Also suggesting a lack of hope
of prospering, growth etc. The image makes the viewer long for the fertile, prosperous times of yore, when cotton plants were a'bloomin', and a'ripe for a'pickin', and all people, black and white, owner and owned, whole person and 3/5ths, shared (in some way or another) hope and prosperity.
Can only pay a tollAn image of a store front with a "Sorry, we're closed sign" and a gate suggesting that the store is both closed and sorry to be in said closed state. This suggests a bad economy and the fact that we are paying a price even though, ironically, we are unable to pay for anything since when a store is closed there is nothing you can pay for. And even if the store were stocked, it would be closed and impossible to open. Very meta.
We've lost our sense of justiceAn image of Lady Justice. The video is more overt here, since the viewer needs a break from decoding the past 4 images.]
What can we do or sayAn image of Supreme Court. This suggests the theme of Justice reflected above. This is for anyone who missed the above, either because they went to the bathroom or don't recognize Lady Justice, who, for good reason and under John Ashcroft's watchful eye, is less visible than she used to be. Jesus, we need You more than ever An image of an inter-racial crowd of people walking down the street. Some of the faces are blurry, all are sad or Maoistly soul-less, suggesting our blurred identities, confusion, and just how much we need Jesus. today
An image of a white yet sultry and exotic young woman, maybe even Italian, with tears running down her cheek. Her eye make up slightly smeared probably because she was tarted up and thus provoked some kind of attack. Her tears suggest urgency and how we need Jesus not next week, not tomorrow... but... today!.
CHORUS
Come be my KingAn image of a silhouette of a man praying at a huge cross who may or may not be Tim Tebow, suggesting how we "bow" (get it?) to our King, the lord Jesus Christ.And heal a landAn image of an icy window across which it is written "Trust Jesus" presumable by some one's finger, suggesting that if we trust Jesus we will be healed and if we have lost mobility in our hand or are illiterate, Jesus will heal us and allow us to move our hand and write things like "trust Jesus." that lives in darkness
A sad woman sits in the forefront with a mardi gras scene in the background suggesting that mardi gras (which was one of the factors -- if not THE cause -- responsible for Hurricane Katrina), as well as other rainbow-themed events, such as pride parades, bring with them sadness and darkness. And turns from Your command Two pretty women holding red roses are getting married by a woman-priest. The red roses suggest the sinful lost motivating the gays to marry and the bloodshed that God is sure to visit upon them because they have turned from his command.
a light that never fades awayA lighthouse suggesting a house that emits light. This light will never fade away. Oh Jesus we need you more than ever todaya sad woman sits on a bench with her face in her hand. Unlike the tarted up woman from earlier in the video, this woman is dressed conservatively and she is wearing a wedding ring, suggesting that she is not a whore but a baby killer. This baby killer is upset and she needs Jesus really bad. A calling to repentanceA man holding a holy bible up in the air suggesting that he is, in fact, calling to repentance Is hard to realizea man is covering his ears suggesting that he is in a state in which it is hard to realize something, or anything, quite frankly, because he literally CANNOT hear and hearing something is required for realizing something! when every man's behavior Is right in his own eyes
and image of Jack Kavorkian followed by an image of Ben Bernanke suggesting that Bernanke and Kevorkian-- two men who see their own behavior as right even though their behavior, killing
people in one case, regulating the federal reserve in another -- are equally heinous and sinful. It is for this reason that Newt Gingrich
takes the more moderate position that Bernanke should
be arrested, while a more extreme Perry suggests that Bernanke be tried for treason and, for his own safety, never come to Texas.
[In the interest of time and pedagogy, I leave the rest of the video to you and your guests. By now you should be able to deconstruct the video's meaning. Some images, like a man on his knees, and a building which says CHRISTIAN CHURCH should be easy or easier by now. But the following image is especially challenging, so I'll take the liberty of helping you break it down.]
.... turns from your command
boy on laptop suggesting he is turning from Jesus. This is somewhat open ended or ambiguous and lends itself to various interpretations, encouraging the viewer to imagine various ways this young man is sinning. This is an opportunity to get creative and outside the box. What could the boy be doing? How, exactly is he turning from Jesus? Perhaps the boy is playing on the computer instead of doing his homework and thus committing the sin of sloth. Perhaps he is playing online poker and being greedy, committing another sin. Perhaps he is violating one of the Commandments and online chatting with his neighbor's wife. Maybe is in a gay chat room or watching an online porno.
Why wait until Christmas (Frank, that's Christian speak for Chanukah) to celebrate the birth of our lord. Why not take the opportunity to turn to Him now. Because, like the song says, we need him more than ever... today. On Thanksgiving and every day, bow your head in thanks that we live in a Christian nation, whose values are unsullied by the Enlightenment and other modernistic perversions of faith. Have a happy and holy Thanksgiving!
*fade ins and cross fades used in every transition.
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