Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Television star Oprah Winfrey is the “high priestess of American paganism” and “may have single-handedly done more damage to American culture than any currently living human being,” according to WHO 1040 radio host Steve Deace.
Deace, who hosts a three-hour Christian drive-time show on Iowa’s largest radio station, made the comments in a YouTube video posted on his blog. His reasoning behind taking on Winfrey includes her work with Eckhart Tolle, a motivational speaker and writer who has appeared on her show several times.
“[Oprah Winfrey has] given people who want to reject moral absolutes an emotional reason to do that,” he said. “She’s helped further the careers of people who reject moral absolutes. She’s essentially created a cult religion with Eckhart Tolle on her Web site and through her television show that’s led millions and millions of people probably away from the eternal truth of God’s word.”
She’s also, according to Deace, a bad influence for women everywhere.
“She is a voice looked at by millions and millions of women as a paragon of virtue even though she’s never chosen to really participate in the two things that are most uniquely feminine, and that’s marriage and motherhood,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Deace has attacked Winfrey. He dedicated a large segment of his program to the topic last year, arguing that Tolle’s book, A New Earth, directly contradicts the teachings of the Bible.
“The emphasis of her message is on you and what you can do for yourself and whatever image of god you have,” Deace said. “The emphasis in our Christian message is on Christ and what he has already done for us.”
Deace has been no stranger to controversy over the years. He caused a furor in 2004 when he criticized Shawn Green, a Jewish outfielder who at the time played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, for missing an important game scheduled during Yom Kippur. Deace said Green could solve all his problems by converting to Christianity and recognizing Jesus Christ as his Messiah.
He has referred to Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin as a “pagan who wants to kill all the babies.”
Most recently he’s drawn the ire of many Republicans for publically bashing them for a perceived lack of action on the same-sex marriage issue.
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