Producer's Desk — conservatism

My latest post at Casting Stones:

I was getting very sleepy as I drove across middle Tennessee the other day, so I stopped to get some coffee at a Waffle House in a rural area.

As I sipped my coffee, I eavesdropped on a conversation among some male blue-collar workers who were raising their cholesterol levels while solving the world’s problems. Sen. Obama’s clinging comments came up and one middle-aged man in bib overalls and work boots said, “I hate to say it, but he sounds like just another limousine liberal to me!”

Does this “cling-gate” story have a shelf life—Yep!

Read the complete post at Casting Stones…

My latest post at Casting Stones:

In his new book, Gross National Happiness, Dr. Brooks finds that “conservatives” are happier than “liberals.” In fact, Dr. Brooks’ research shows that conservatives have been happier than liberals for nearly four decades. Why?

Dr. Brooks’ research reveals that conservatives are more likely to be married and go to religious services on a weekly basis (twice as likely in both cases).

Conservatives are also more likely to have children, and more of them, than liberals. Dr. Brooks found parents are significantly happier than non-parents.

Read my complete commentary…

On April 12, 2007, Richard Land appeared on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report

My latest post at Casting Stones:

Excerpt: “Do “conservatives” give more to charitable causes than “liberals”? Dr. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University, was quite astounded with the results of his own research, which was so at variance with the common perception of the generous “liberal” and the Scrooge-like “conservative.” “

Read the complete entry at Casting Stones, a Beliefnet.com blog.

The Economist reports on Arthur Brook’s latest publication, Gross National Happiness

“When researchers ask parents what they enjoy, it turns out that they prefer almost anything to looking after their children… Despite this, American parents are much more likely to be happy than non-parents. This is for two reasons, argues Mr. Brooks, an economist at Syracuse University. Even if children are irksome now, they lend meaning to life in the long term. And the kind of people who are happy are also more likely to have children. Which leads on to Mr Brooks’s most controversial finding: in America, conservatives are happier than liberals. “

Read the rest at The Economist…

• A Tennessee Church expands free English classes - Tennessean
• Rick Santorum says McCain must change views on social issues - Philly Inquirer
• The Washington Times editorializes the D.C. gun ban on trial
• “Newsflash”: The “right” is underrepresented in press’s diversity - Wash. Times
• Catholics Flock to the right Wash. Times

The founder of the Weather Channel calls global warming a fraud, suggests suing Al Gore.

• Global Warming Skeptics Insist Humans Not at Fault.

More links on that subject after the break.

Also after the break:

• Obama: Sermon on the Mount supports gay civil unions
• Goldwater, the John Birch Society, and Me - William F. Buckley, Jr.
• Web surpasses TV, papers as top news source
• What, Exactly, Is An Evangelical?

I’ve posted a new entry at the Newsweek/Washington Post On Faith blog in response to this question:

“According to a new Pew Forum survey, more than 4 in 10 Americans have switched their religious affiliation since childhood or dropped out of any formal religious group. Is this a mark of the health or sickness of American religion?” - Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham

• Read my response to this question.
• Listen to related commentary on the most recent Richard Land LIVE! broadcast.
• My OnFaith Archive