Cable television mega-star Bill O'Reilly has posed the most intriguing question of the year: Are you a culture warrior? In his new best-selling book, Culture Warrior, O'Reilly spells out the culture war raging between traditionalists and what he terms the secular-progressives or SPs.
O'Reilly's book may be one of the more significant in recent years because he captures the essence of the monumental cultural struggle of our time. Simply put, he gets it.
Those of us on The Forgotten Street know full well what he is talking about. We have been living for years with the erosion of traditional values and our American heritage as the SPs try to shove their godless agenda down our throats.
Yet the mainstream media continues to ignore this huge story. Many of the larger newspapers have not reviewed O'Reilly's book, even though it is number one on the best-seller list. He recently appeared on the Oprah show to talk with the daytime diva about his work, and she looked befuddled during most of the show. Simply put, she doesn't get it.
An interesting side note to his Oprah appearance: when Oprah moved into the audience participation portion of the program, some of the audience displayed open hostility to O'Reilly. There were, however, two men in the audience who stood up for him and his defense of traditional values. Both men were black.
What the liberal media overlook is the fact that many black Americans are socially conservative. They are deeply religious, they oppose abortion, they support traditional marriage, they dislike music that degrades women and they believe strongly in personal responsibility. They are, in essence, what Bill calls traditional warriors or T-warriors.
Like those of us on The Forgotten Street, O'Reilly knows full well what is at stake in the culture war: the very heart and soul of America. Like us, O'Reilly believes that our country is noble, a force for good in the world. Like us, he is fed up with the political, media, academic and entertainment elites who run down America.
Interestingly enough, O'Reilly is not a traditional conservative. His political compass moves between liberal and conservative, depending on the issue. But bottom line, he is a traditionalist whose love of country is self-evident.
What I find most fascinating about O'Reilly and his new book is that his motivation appears to be this: he is challenging Americans to shake off their stupor, to get engaged and involved, to fight for their country and what they believe is right and worth saving.
In short, Bill O'Reilly is a full-fledged citizen of The Forgotten Street. His words resonate with folks like us because he cares. You don't have to agree with him on every issue, but you do have to respect his integrity, his honesty and his passion.
It's no wonder he has the highest-rated program in cable television news. It's no wonder his books are best-sellers. Do yourself a favor. Read Culture Warrior. It will inspire you and help you realize that as a member of The Forgotten Street, you have to band together with other T-warriors to stand up for America.
We have to fight for what is right. We must defeat the secular-progressives in their drive to rob America of its greatness.
