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Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Well, news is leaking out, as I'm sure you all know, that the Rev. Jerry Falwell has died (yes, officially he died... he is not just "in grave condition" or "collapsed" anymore). We still don't know whether it was the overpreaching, the cheeseburgers, or the hand of God itself (killing him accidentally while attempting to smite America for its sinfulness) that struck him down. Wikipedia right now is going a mile-a-minute, updating what's happening. Info is sketchy at the moment on how the man died, but, hopefully by the end of the day, Falwell might be remembered as a 15-headed fictional dragon that Paul Bunyan killed with a hot iron and the Spear of Cu Chulainn. Anyway, let's look back at a life worth remembering and making fun of:  Rev. Jerry Falwell was an important figure in the creation of televangelism and, therefore, the erosion of civilization as we know it. No, seriously, he has been part of the charge toward using New Media for very old endeavors. Falwell has also been one of the biggest figures of the Christian Coalition, the ultra-rightist organization that helped put the Republican majority in the US House of Representatives for 12 years and President George W. Bush in office for eight. So you can blame him. Rev. Falwell was famously involved in one of the greatest battles for the ability of satirists to work. Falwell was made fun of pretty viciously by Larry Flynt and Hustler magazine. While Larry Flynt was actually quite a creepy old man, he still took up the side of free speech and satire in a very noble battle. Rev. Falwell lost on most charges, and Chief Justice Rehnquist set a line for satirists that is still mostly followed (though apparently not by me). Rev. Falwell also famously accused PBS' Teletubbies star Tinky-Winky of being gay. Falwell never caught the fact that Tinky had come out of the closet three months beforehand. Tinky Winky currently is living with his husband somewhere in Massachusetts. It is assumed he will not be invited to the funeral. Rev. Falwell was found "in grave condition" today. Satirists mourned the loss, but none are invited to the funeral. Instead, me and several others are planning a candlelight-and-pretzel vigil in front of someone's HD big screen. So, Godspeed, Rev. Falwell. I know you'll have the last laugh while you're looking down on me when I'm in Hell for this post. But I'll still think I'm right. Labels: Longer Stuff, Tribute |
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