Never has so much been said and written about so few words. Say something that the liberal news media dislikes and a piranha-like frenzy commences. Take, for example, words articulated by Gov. Mike Parson: “Missourians know that I share these beliefs and would not have nominated someone who does not share the same Christian values.” This “micro-aggression” triggered an outrageous onslaught, implying something patently false. It is yet another example of why the public does not trust the media.
The Republican governor, who happens to be a long-time Southern Baptist, was frustrated that his nominee to run the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services, Don Kauerauf, failed to win Senate approval. Kauerauf ran into opposition from Republican lawmakers who suggested he supported mask and vaccine mandates. Some felt Kauerauf was evasive when asked about his views on abortion.
Parson defended his nominee in a subsequent press release, insisting Kauerauf is conservative. “Don is a public health expert that is on record opposing masking requirements and COVID-19 vaccine mandates,” he wrote. “He is outspokenly pro-life and morally opposed to abortion.”
Then came these words from Parson: “(my) Christian values.” The media went berserk. They claimed it “suggested,” or “could” mean anyone who is not a Christian could not work in state government while Parson is governor. What they implied triggered a false assumption. To most of the media, truth does not exist, or if it does, it’s up to us to “create” it.
So, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch seized the opportunity to manufacture controversy with a story critical of the governor’s remarks. I suspect their motivation was their disagreement with the governor’s pro-life position. “The suggestion that Parson would only be open to Cabinet members with ‘Christian values’ didn’t sit well with some observers,” the newspaper reported. It then quoted a rabbi and Muslim leaders saying they were filing a complaint with the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice. They reported that “Muslims in the region” put their threat on Twitter.
“It’s pretty clear looking at the governor’s senior staff, looking at the governor’s nominees for various positions, that this has been a policy for a while, that the governor very much surrounds himself and fills Missouri government with Christians, particularly white Christians most of the time,” said Rabbi Daniel Bogard of the Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis.
“White” Christians? Such a characterization is shocking, for we all know what the Nazis did to Jews. The real irony is Southern Baptists (Parson has been one for nearly four decades) are among the staunchest supporters of the Jewish nation of Israel.
One of the more surprising Parson critics was State Rep. Adam Schwadron of St. Charles. He is a Jew and Parson’s statement caused him to wonder. So, does he go see his fellow Republican to ascertain what he meant? No. He airs his mistaken concern through a liberal, pro-abortion newspaper.
Meanwhile, St. Louis Public Radio had to express outrage, too. They called a Washington University law professor for an opinion. The same Washington University that supplies doctors to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest provider of abortions. The professor called Parson’s words “troubling and divisive” before acknowledging the Department of Justice would not be inclined to address the issue – no doubt, to the chagrin of the rabbi and “Muslims in the region.”
With all this weeping, wailing and gnashing teeth, the Associated Press and The Missouri Times joined the action. The Missouri Times felt compelled to tell Missourians that atheists from Wisconsin were in distress over Parson’s words. The Freedom from Religion Foundation wanted to join the frenzy, the same foundation that threatened school districts with legal action if prayer and Bible readings are allowed. They brag on their website how they successfully sued Alabama, forcing the state to remove the “so help me God” oath on voter registration forms.
After two days of this manufactured drama, the media published a response from the governor through spokeswoman Kelli Jones: “The Governor’s statement was intended to point out that Don Kauerauf shared values that aligned with the Governor’s and was not intended to imply that he imposes a requirement that job applicants adhere to any particular religion.
“Just because an appointee happens to possess values that align with the Governor’s Christian faith doesn’t mean that he requires them to adhere to his religion. Governor Parson has never required a religious litmus test for appointments.”
It is one thing to hold public officials accountable, but it’s another to purposely create fake outrage and mischaracterize. In the irony of all ironies, the very week the media lost their minds over Parson’s “Christian values” and implied he had a religious litmus test, he appointed a Muslim to the State Parole Board.