"Don't worry, Governor. None of the children in MY agency's custody're gonna be lodging any complaints..." JEB APPOINTS CHILDBEATING ADVOCATE TO HEAD CHILD WELFARE AGENCY! SPOKESWOMAN: PRO-CHILDBEATERS ARE "MEN AND WOMEN OF FAITH" BEAT THEM OUT OF THE LORD'S LOVE? HUSBANDS HAVE FINAL SAY IN ALL DISPUTES! WOMEN WHO WORK OUTSIDE HOME "IN BONDAGE"! "CONFORM ALL FAMILY LEGISLATION TO BIBLICAL REALITY AND MORALITY"! TALLAHASSEE - The man named Thursday by Gov. Jeb Bush to head Florida's notoriously inept child welfare agency is an evangelical Christian who views spanking that causes ''bruises or welts'' as acceptable punishment. The revelation did not come to Bush's attention until hours after the governor introduced Jerry Regier, a former Oklahoma Cabinet secretary and aide to Bush's father, as the new chief of the state's Department of Children and Families. Regier, 57, was named less than 48 hours after the resignation of DCF Secretary Kathleen A. Kearney. He takes over an agency that has been embroiled in scandal since 5-year-old Rilya Wilson disappeared. In a 1989 essay entitled The Christian World View of the Family, Regier and co-author George Rekers railed against abortion and gay couples forming families, and emphasized that husbands have "final say in any family dispute.'' And the essay declares that ''biblical spanking'' that leads to "temporary and superficial bruises or welts do not constitute child abuse.'' ... But Regier's essay raises questions about the suggestion that he would keep beliefs and government duties separate. He and Rekers at one point urge Christians to take "whatever actions we can, within our biblical and constitutional limits, to realign county, state, and federal legislation regarding family issues in order to make it conform to the Bible's view of reality and morality.'' Full Story Jeb Bush has been under intense fire in recent months for his negligence in overseeing Florida's Department of Children and Families, ridden with controversy recently for losing track of foster children, leaving children in abusive situations and falsifying reports. So how does this sorry excuse for a public servant respond? Why in typical, negligent, patronage-for-Poppy-pals Bush Crime Family fashion: He appoints Jerry Regier, fundie fanatic and former Poppy aide with a paper trail revealing he is pro-child abuse as the agency's new chief! Shockingly, Bush says he didn't even know enough about Regier's background to realize he held fanatical, godless, anti-family views. Say what? Bush is faced with the responsibility of cleaning up a disgraced and scandal-ridden agency charged with protecting children and he doesn't even bother to find out the candidate's view on beating children? But wait, it gets worse... Now that Bush does know, what is his response? Bush spokeswoman Katie Muniz: "Mr. Regier has been an outstanding public servant for over a decade serving two presidents and a sitting governor. His record speaks for itself. Many of our nation's finest public servants past and present have been men and women of faith.'' That's right. Basically it comes down to: "We didn't know. But now that we do, we don't care." And, apparently, those formerly known as childbeaters are now to be known as "men and women of faith" in the Jeb Bush administration. Furthermore, aside from his extremism, Regier's record does indeed "speak for itself." But it doesn't say what Jebbie wants us to believe it says: When Gov. Jeb Bush appointed a Broward judge with a passion for reform to overhaul his badly damaged child welfare agency, he promised to repair a system he said other politicians had left in shambles. ''It's not how I want my state to be viewed,'' he said. The year was 1999, and Florida ranked 36th among the 50 states for key indicators of children's well-being. Oklahoma ranked 40th. Its secretary of Health & Human Services at the time was Jerry Regier, the man Bush tapped last week to head Florida's Department of Children & Families. Full story But wait... It gets worse still. How have Jeb's prospective Democratic opponents responded? Bush "should be focusing on what needs to be done to protect children, not on a controversy about who his nominee is," said Tampa lawyer Bill McBride. Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno said, "With all of the challenges facing DCF, one would think that the governor would pick someone who would not be a lightning rod for controversy." Full Story What is wrong with Florida Democrats? Why haven't they seized on an issue like this one that so clearly illustrates why any member of the Bush Crime Family should be permanently deprived of power? Why have these Democratic candidates made general, vague "controversy" the issue instead of the reason for the controversy: Jeb Bush's persistent and now more undeniable than ever unbelievable negligence and incompetence! (Flashback: In its early days, MWO exposed Jeb for the same kind of neglect and malfeasance when he refused to take action against another official/crony whose agency was embroiled in scandal after scandal -- but once the media determined they could not prove Jeb had an affair with the woman, they lost interest in the story.) UPDATE Jeb Bush's office has released a statement denying that Regier co-wrote the fundie extremist essay: Regier tried to disassociate himself with the paper, which lists him on the cover page as co-chairman of the group that authored it. "I was not a co-author of this paper and did not exercise editorial control over its content," Regier said in a statement released by the governor's office. "Rather, as a family advocate, I was asked to serve as a co-chairman of the group that released the paper." He said he broke his relationship with The Coalition on Revival Inc. a year after the paper was published because of the group's extreme interpretations of the Bible. But he looks to us to be extremely "associated" with the paper and the group. Determine for yourself whether Regier's claim that he did not endorse the contents of the essay is believable: http://www.reformation.net/COR/cordocs/family.pdf The Christian World View of The Family Dr. George Rekers, Ph.D., Chairman Mr. Jerry Regier, M.A.B.S., Co-Chairman With contributions by members of: The Family Committee of The Coalition on Revival Dr. Jay Grimstead, D.Min., General Editor Mr. E. Calvin Beisner, M.A., Assistant to the General Editor Bush: Regier "thoroughly checked" Bush, who is seeking a second term this fall, defended his choice and said Regier's background was thoroughly checked. He said he did not know about the essay before he appointed Regier, but accepted that Regier disavowed himself from it. Jebbie claims Regier's background was "thoroughly checked," yet he didn't know about the essay?? Readers: Perform a Google search on "Jerry Regier and The Coalition on Revival Inc." That's right -- at the time Bush claims he "thoroughly checked" out Regier, the FIRST ITEM that appeared when one entered the appointee's name and the organization he co-chaired: the essay Bush claims he did not know about. (Stories about the Bush controversy now appear above the listing.) "He doesn't share those extreme views," Bush said. "The focus ought to be on protecting children and I believe he will do a good job." Is that so? He doesn't share the extremist views of a group he co-chaired? What about this "Manifesto For a Christian Church" document that lists "Jerry Regier" among those endorsing it? THE MANIFESTO FOR THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH Declaration and Covenant July 4, 1986 An Act of Contrition and Humble Repentance A Solemn Covenant A Statement of Essential Truths and a Call to Action National Christian Leaders Who Signed the COR Manifesto in 1986: Mr. Jerry Regier, President, Family Research Council We affirm that all Bible-believing Christians must take a non-neutral stance in opposing, praying against, and speaking against social moral evils such as the following: B. Adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bestiality and other forms of sexual perversion Regier equates homosexuality with bestiality and considers it "sexual perversion," yet is not an extremist? J. Statist-collectivist theft from citizens through devaluation of their money and redistribution of their wealth Regier regards taxation as "theft," yet is not an extremist? Regier signs a document affirming that he will actively oppose "moral evils" like homosexuality and taxes - and Little Brother claims he doesn't share the views of extremists? UPDATE II From Counterspin Central: It appears that Mr. Regier's split with Christian fundamentalist group Coalition on Revival, was far more amicable then he claimed. According to the Miami Herald: "A fundamentalist Christian theologian who headed the group that issued a radical Christian essay now linked to Jerry Regier, the new chief of Florida's child-welfare agency, said Saturday that he does not recall Regier cutting ties with his organization because of its ''extreme views,'' as Regier said in a statement issued Friday. Contact Florida's Democratic gubernatorial candidates: Bill McBride Janet Reno -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to Media Whores Online. Media Whores Online takes an unbiased, in-depth look at the astonishingly vast myriad of whores who call themselves "journalists." MWO casts a garish spotlight on the relentless screaming heads of television, the babbling paranoids of squawk radio, and the crayon scribblings of lazy print media "columnists." Whore Watch -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KRUGMAN TELLS TRUTH ABOUT BUSH, INC.!! Breaks Time Honored Media Taboo: Openly Acknowledges Reality! Contrasts PHONY Bush Image With Policies Love 'Em And Leave 'Em Faux Populism Liberals Have Facts. Conservatives? Staged Schmoozing The Real Thing Paul Krugman The point is that there is an inexorably growing gap between the image and the reality of the Bush administration's policies. Mr. Bush is a master of photo-op populism; his handlers seek out opportunities to show him mingling with blue-collar workers. But the reality is that this administration loves 'em while the TV crews are around, then leaves 'em when it comes to actual policy. And that reality is becoming ever harder to conceal. ... In other words, behind the photo-ops, the administration is busy squeezing programs that benefit firefighters, police officers, coal miners, veterans and other "humble people of America" (Mr. Novak's phrase), in order to make room for tax cuts that mainly help a handful of not at all humble people. That's not demagoguery, it's the plain truth. And it's a truth that will become ever harder to disguise. What are the political implications? When Al Gore wrote an Op-Ed article condemning the elitist policies of the Bush administration, pundits — and many Democratic politicians, including his former running mate — jumped on him with both feet. Populism, everyone insisted, doesn't work in American politics. Yet conservatives enthusiastically rely on populism — fake populism, based on staged shmoozing with ordinary Americans and attacks on the imagined cultural elitism of the liberal media. Why shouldn't liberals, who actually have the facts on their side, try engaging in the real thing? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONSERVATIVE "MORALITY" STRIKES AGAIN Wingnut Turns Breast Cancer Forum Into Abortion Sermon Survivors Just "Didn't Want To Hear It" Complains GOP Rep A group of breast cancer survivors who met with Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind., to ask for his support of breast cancer research said all he wanted to talk about was some controversial studies that have linked breast cancer to abortions. "He was obsessed with that," said Coral Cochran, a Terre Haute grandmother who has had two battles with breast cancer and was one of 11 women at the meeting. "We were extremely disappointed," she said. Some of the women said they felt Hostettler was implying that they had abortions. One woman said she cried. Hostettler said in an interview that he felt it was important for the women to know about the studies linking abortions to breast cancer. But, he said: "They didn't want to hear it."