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Thursday, August 9, 2012

2012 / Books My Old Professor Has Been Debunked

Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 4:22 PM

Back in 2010, I attended Glenn Beck University, a three-course online tutorial hosted by Glenn Beck and taught by several of Beck's cronies. The worst of the lot was David Barton, whose Faith 101, Faith 102, and Faith 103 classes were all about the close ties between the United States government and Christianity. (Sample quote: "It’s impossible to have limited government without applying faith to it.”) Barton is a popular speaker at right-wing events, and his accounts of the secret history of Christianity in the US government are often quoted by Republican politicians and pundits.

Now, All Things Considered is leading an attack on Barton, spotlighting the many inaccuracies in his "historical" "teaching." The publisher of Barton's most recent book, The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed about Thomas Jefferson has ceased publication of the title, because they have “lost confidence in the book’s details.” It's delicious watching my old professor losing what little credibility he had.

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Comments (19) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

The quote sounds accurate to me. What else does a gutted, underfunded government have to run on besides a hope and a prayer?

Posted by Zebes

on August 9, 2012 at 4:36 PM

History is the easiest subject to fake expertise in, because it happened so long ago, nobody alive remembers it. Abner Doubleday first said that, after he built the first bible-powered rocket ship and invented selenium.

Posted by Proteus on August 9, 2012 at 4:39 PM

lost confidence in their ability to feign ignorance about the lies in the book’s details.

Fixed that for them.

Posted by Warren Terra on August 9, 2012 at 4:49 PM

Fucking hilarious.

Posted by Baconcat on August 9, 2012 at 4:49 PM

What's most infuriating is the clear long game strategy involved (and the fact that it's gaining traction.). Honestly, other than common sense, are there any equally aggressive long range efforts for people against mass stupidity?

Posted by Capt. Astounded on August 9, 2012 at 4:56 PM

He's still going to be quoted as a reliable source by fundamentalists 20 years from now.

Posted by dwightmoodyforgetsthings

on August 9, 2012 at 4:58 PM

Sounds like when the Ford Theater stopped selling Bill O'Reilly's book about the Lincoln assassination, because it was full of errors. I guess, like in that case, we can expect a lot of phony whining about censorship and loss of freedom of speech.

Posted by GermanSausage on August 9, 2012 at 4:58 PM

I heard that yesterday. When you have historians from Messiah and Grove City Colleges, two of the most conservative, evangelical instituions in the country, saying that you are totally wrong...you must not even be in the same state as the ballpark.

Posted by Sheryl on August 9, 2012 at 5:04 PM

Thanks for doing the dirty work.

Posted by sparkglobal on August 9, 2012 at 5:09 PM

Your reports on your experience as a student at GBU will be a treasure forever.

Posted by crone on August 9, 2012 at 5:20 PM

Um, Barton's work is still causing problems. Take a look at what's happening at Alabama Public Television these days:

http://www.salon.com/2012/08/09/tea_part…

Posted by brinsonian on August 9, 2012 at 5:22 PM

What @5 said x 10.

Posted by rob!

on August 9, 2012 at 6:09 PM

Huckabee: Every American should be forced at gunpoint to listen to every David Barton message...
HooEEE! Did I really hear that?

Posted by crone on August 9, 2012 at 6:14 PM

"All the signs are right this time
You don't have to try so very hard

If you live in this world
You're feelin' the change of the guard"

S. Dan

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on August 9, 2012 at 7:50 PM

> It's delicious watching my old professor losing what little credibility he had.

You take that back. David Barton has never had any credibility whatsoever, except among the extremely gullible.

Posted by rainbird on August 9, 2012 at 10:16 PM

True story: Bartons visits to TDS and the constant softballs Jon Stewart kept tossing to him made me stop watching the show for a while.

Posted by mubhappy on August 9, 2012 at 11:11 PM

Seems to me that in a truly free, free-market society, you'd be able to ask for a refund, Paul. And if GB University doesn't want to give it to you, it's obvious they hate capitalism.

Posted by bookworm on August 10, 2012 at 9:29 AM

@14- Steely Dan? The band named after a steam powered dildo (whatever that means) from William S. Borroughs Naked Lunch? The band founded at Bard College, where black-listed intellectuals could get a job at the height of the Red Scare?

You've got gall to quote them as if they're part of your fascist dream world.

Posted by dwightmoodyforgetsthings

on August 10, 2012 at 10:13 AM