“Jerry Falwell Saved My Life”

"Jerry Falwell saved my life."

Those weren't exactly the words I expected to hear poolside at a hotel in Bahamas last week.

I had just parked myself on my chair, a fancy one with a shade attached. My kids had just run off to the waterslides when another family took their seats just to my right.

Those children were well behaved and happy and the mother seemed pleasant, but the father was so big I nearly didn't need that fancy shade that went with my chair. The guy was huge... not overweight, just tall and... huge. The guy had on a "Super Bowl" visor and big, silver-dollar size, football helmet-shaped gold medallion around his neck. I told my wife this guy must have played pro ball. Pretty good guess, huh? He seemed a little old to be a current player, but he was not all that far from it. She asked who it was. I didn't know but I figured hanging out at the pool, it wouldn't take long.

Several minutes later, after my wife had left... and the "player's" family had taken off to the pool, the guy turned to me and asked, "how long does it take for a waitress to come around?" I told him, then asked him where he was from. He told me Orlando but he grew up in Savannah, and then he returned the question. He asked me if I knew one certain person from Myrtle Beach, but I didn't. But when I told him I had also lived in Florence for a long while, he said he knew it well... "used to always travel Highway 52 to school in Virginia." I asked him what school. He said Liberty. That's when I mentioned Falwell and he turned to me and behind his dark shades said, "he was a great man. The very best." After a pause he added, "Jerry Falwell saved my life."

I asked him how. He told me he played ball at Liberty and got into some trouble. He didn't tell what that trouble was. I didn't ask, but he said Dr. Falwell gave him a second chance, enabled him to stay in school and stay on the team. He went on and on about how, if that hadn't happened, he would have probably dropped out, gone home to Savannah and never amounted to much of anything.

My poolside neighbor was Eric Green. Not being a huge NFL fan (and being out of the sports side of TV for nearly 16 years), I was pretty much unaware.

After getting home I did some research. Green was a first round pick out of Liberty. Not taking anything away from him, but the 1990 draft was rather weak. Jeff George was the top pick and Blair Thomas was second. However, both Emmitt Smith and Junior Seau were first round picks; Smith going not that much higher than Green. And Green had a solid career, catching more than 350 passes in his career, making two Pro Bowls and scoring 36 touchdowns. I didn't know all that as we sat by the pool. Some more research showed he was once suspended for substance abuse violations. Another entry indicated he was the leader of the Steelers who wanted to do a Super Bowl video in 1994 (like the Bears' "Super Bowl Shuffle" in '86). The only problem was, the Steelers were upset in the '94 AFC title game by San Diego. I found a report or two that showed the Chargers used Green-led video idea as an incentive to beat Pittsburgh.

He brought none of that up poolside. However, he spoke of playing in Pittsburgh and later in Miami and Baltimore. He later coached in NFL Europe and in some Florida high schools, but now he was pretty much just taking it easy for awhile. He told me he had a son who was not with in the Bahamas, a son who was being heavily recruited to play college baseball. He told me he nearly went to Clemson. Chuck Reedy recruited him, but Danny Ford wanted blocking tight ends more than receiving ones, so they passed on Green. Plus, Green said Clemson already had Jim Riggs (from Laurinburg), who later played in the NFL with the Bengals. Green also asked me if knew Bo Holloman, a former star at Myrtle Beach HS. I covered Bo during his high school days. He was the top recruit in South Carolina one year. I believed he signed with Clemson, but later went to Lees McRae and then to Liberty, where he played with Green. I have no idea where Bo Holloman may be today, but Green said Holloman could have been a star in the NFL. It didn't work out.

But it seems it did work out for Eric Green. He's a good guy. All 6-5, 280 of him. He played with his kids, he joked with other children. He was having a good time and while a high percentage of those around the pool were enjoying adult beverages, Eric drank Coca-Cola.

And none of that would, apparently, have been possible without the Reverend Dr. Jerry Falwell.

Posted by on 04/03 at 12:30 PM

I never really had an opinion on Falwell until he proclaimed the Teletubbies as gay. Now, I can live without him and his moral majority.

“In an article called Parents Alert: Tinky Winky Comes Out of the Closet, he says: “He is purple - the gay-pride colour; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle - the gay-pride symbol.”

He said the “subtle depictions” of gay sexuality are intentional and later issued a statement that read: “As a Christian I feel that role modelling the gay lifestyle is damaging to the moral lives of children.”

In the same article he also condemned the US animated show South Park as “vile and impudent”.

Posted by  on  04/03  at  03:07 PM

The possible “gayness” of Tinky Winky was far from a new observation when Falwell’s Liberty Journal reported on it in 1999. That’s right. Other media outlets have previously reported, since 1997, that Tinky Winky is or could be gay. In fact, there were rumors that the character would be pulled because of the possible sexual orientation, but it obviously wasn’t.

Some Facts:
On the 24th of December, 1997 CNN reported that Tinky Winky was gay.
“The Teletubbies also have a following among the gay community. Tinky Winky, who carts around a red handbag but speaks with a male voice, has become something of a gay icon.” CNN, 12/24/97
On April 17, 1998, the Village Voice praised the Teletubbies series for their gay Tinky Winky character.

On January 1, 1999, in its New Year’s IN/OUT list, The Washington Post anointed “Tinky Winky, the gay Teletubby,” as next year’s Ellen DeGeneres.

In 1997, when the BBC, which produces the show, wanted to fire the human who plays Tinky for dancing in the streets wearing only a balloon, gay groups protested. It has also been reported that some gay groups have “claimed Tinky Winky as their own”. (Washington Post, February 11, 1999, Page C01)

So why the sudden media frenzy? It’s pretty simple. Publications such as the Village Voice praised the Teletubbies; Jerry Falwell criticized them. The former is obviously more politically correct. The reason the Teletubbies have become the latest hot topic is because a publication reported that the character could be gay and criticized it. It was the criticism that caused this to become a story - not the fact that someone suggested that Tinky Winky could be gay. But to hear the media reports, you’d think that The Liberty Journal was the first and only publication or media outlet to suggest such a thing.

Perhaps the people at The Liberty Journal would not have published this new...wait, this OLD, information about Tinky Winky if it hadn’t been reported here and there since 1997. Where was all this investigative reporting when the Washington Post carried the information in January 1999? Did all the news stations carry the statements made by the Village Voice back in 1998? This is a perfect example of how the media twists such a situation. The Teletubbies are ALL OVER the news, and all the news programs are acting as if this is the FIRST TIME anyone had suggested such a “ridiculous” thing. The impression people are left with is that the Reverend Falwell just thought up some outlandish thing and applied it to a children’s show. No matter what one’s view is on homosexuality, this should be seen as totally unfair. Somehow a “scandal” erupts when a publication which doesn’t condone homosexuality reports what has already been published elsewhere. Is the media that hard up for newsworthy items?

And Mr. Mookie, are you so easily manipulated by the media that you just believe everything you read or hear? Get your facts straight before you post… you’ll save yourself future embarassment.

Posted by  on  04/28  at  11:58 PM

Page 1 of 1 pages

Log In | Register as a new member