Fanklin Graham is coming to town...
... there goes the neighborhood!
The Greater Jacksonville Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham will occur next weekend, and with all the billboards, yard-signs and other expensive promotional items and activities in ethnic neighborhoods, you'd think it was the second coming of his imaginary friend. Right here on the big chrome buckle on the nation's bible belt -- even though the buckle is almost entirely hidden by a morbidly distended gut (AKA Dunlap's Disease).
I use the term "friend" loosely. From his recent statements on Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Robert Gates vis-a-vis the latter's position on gay Scout leaders, our President, and -- of course -- Muslims and the threat of Sharia Law, I wonder if the "friendship" isn't a bit one-sided.
Has anybody else endured a similar Festival of Nope?
What really happens at these gigs, and how have the non-ovine community members responded?
Should I start making picket signs ("Love thy neighbor...", "Judge not..." ?
Should I feed juicy news reports to the non-mainstream media outlets here on how these festivals are funded and organized?
Or is this just the 21st Century version of an old-fashioned tent revival, and by calling attention attention to it, I'd be giving the organizers that much more free publicity?