SOC-307

My Thoughts and Reflections on
Moyers on America: A Journalist and his Times
Bill Moyers

Moyers on America, America Now had a profound effect on me. It spoke about how Evangelical Christians in the early 1980’s started to support the Republican Party and President Reagan. Evangelical leader Jerry Falwell was quoted as saying, “Get them saved, get them baptized and get them registered to vote.” I was appalled but I know that even though our constitution declares separation of church and state, that many people still get their political ideas from their place of worship. Statements like these were made by several Evangelical leaders and it helped them to elect Presidents Reagan, Bush and G.W. Bush, they had personal agendas and connections with oil, coal, and other utility industries. Land, water and other natural resources became a hot topic during the 2000 election season when Al Gore was the Democratic presidential canidate. Global warming was one of the most important topics Gore was championing to bring about stricter laws and regulations on the above industries. Member of the Evangelical and conservative side called this speculative if not downright false. The evangelical quoted scripture from the book of Genesis where God gives dominion of the planet, plants, and animals to man, as an answer to the growing debate over man’s contribution to global warming, and then they used the sins of mankind as a reason why God was punishing us with “global Warming”. Evangelicals and some republicans were benefitting from disagreeing with the global warming debate; the oil, coal, and utilities industry were contributing money to them personally or to organizations which they were involved with. When the republicans were in office in the 1990’s President Bush relaxed environmental standards and was out for people and their jobs, and not for the protection of endangered species of plants, animals and land. All his efforts were in vain he was a one term president who fought an unwinnable war and was a puppet for the big corporations. Many members of congress and senate are paid by lobbyist for the industries that are the biggest threat to the future of our planet not to mention the already eminent danger our planet is in with rising temperatures, rising water, and more animals and plants becoming near extinct, concern for those in positions of power is only for the here and now and personal wealth and profit. The core of America is democracy George W. Bush and his administration deluded the American people into thinking that Saddam Hussein was involved with the 9/11 attacks and that Iraq was a imminent threat to our country. People who spoke out against this were tagged as unpatriotic and un-American. Elite Americans and heads of corporations were all for a war with Iraq because of their vast oil reserves and the fact that they would benefit from manufacturing weapons and vehicles for our military complex. Black water Security which is connected with Vice President Chenney benefitted from the war they