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If you haven’t reserved your seat for this Friday’s Valley Family Forum “Salute to the Family,” with special guest Bishop E. W. Jackson, time is running out. If you live or work in the Shenandoah Valleyare within driving range, or just want to make a night of it, we hope you will join us at this wonderful event.

The program begins at 6:30 Friday, May 13, at the James Madison University Festival Conference and Student Center in Harrisonburg. This year’s theme is “A Celebration of God and Country.”

Bishop Jackson is founder and Chairman of S.T.A.N.D., a national organization dedicated to restoring America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and to preserving our Christian faith and values, and Exodus Faith Ministries, based in Chesapeake. He is a nationally acclaimed speaker, combining immense intellect and passion, whom no one forgets after hearing. He is an ex-Marine, Harvard Law School educated attorney, and frequent guest on the national media programs, including those on ABC, FOX News and NPR. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have covered him and he’s even braved the liberals on MSNBC. Bishop Jackson also is the former chaplain at Boston Red Sox Services and for The Family Foundation.

The evening will include special music by The Faithful Men, plus the annual Wilberforce Award presentation. Tickets are $25 per person or $200 for a table of eight. For reservations, e-mail family@valleyfamilyforum.org or call 540-438-8966. The Valley Family Forum is a grassroots chapter of The Family Foundation.

* This event is to benefit The Valley Family Forum and The Family Foundation and is not a campaign fundraiser for Bishop Jackson. Titles, party affiliations and references to elected offices sought are listed for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by The Family Foundation.

Here’s another reminder of the Valley Family Forum’s 10th annual Shenandoah Valley “Salute to the Family,” with special guest Bishop E. W. Jackson. If you live in the Valley, or even outside of it, this is a terrific event that has gained a prominent spot on the political calendar each year. So, we hope you can join us in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, on Friday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the outstanding James Madison University Festival Conference and Student Center in Harrisonburg. This year’s theme is “A Celebration of God and Country.”

Bishop Jackson is founder and Chairman of S.T.A.N.D., a national organization dedicated to restoring America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and to preserving our Christian faith and values, and Exodus Faith Ministries, based in Chesapeake. He is an ex-Marine, Harvard Law School graduate, acclaimed speaker, and frequent guest on national television and radio, including ABC, MSNBC, FOX News and NPR. He has been written about in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Bishop Jackson also is the former chaplain of the Boston Red Sox and for The Family Foundation.

The evening will include special music is by The Faithful Men, plus the annual Wilberforce Award presentation. Tickets are $25 per person, or $200 for a table of eight. For reservations, write to family@valleyfamilyforum.org or call (540) 438-8966. The Valley Family Forum is a grassroots chapter of The Family Foundation.

Note: This event is to benefit The Valley Family Forum and is not a campaign fundraiser for Bishop Jackson. Titles, party affiliations and references to elected offices sought are listed for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by The Valley Family Forum or The Family Foundation.

Tomorrow night, barring a presidential interruption, The Charlie Brown Christmas special will air on ABC (or see it here on FanPop). The show’s everlasting quality and meaning is grounded in a longing for the meaning of Christmas beyond the corruption of the Holy Day by crass commercialism.

While the Peanuts gang may be more subtle, there’s no question its Christmas special is an in-your-face slam at those who would secularize Christmas. In a modern day slam along the same lines, we have this “Christmas Flash Mob” stunt produced by Alphabet Photography of Niagara Falls, Ontario. How appropriate! One of the most famous songs of praise to Christ in the middle of a mall! This must see video was done less than a month ago and already is a YouTube sensation with about 12.5 million views!

A modern day sequel to A Charlie Brown Christmas? Timeless music in an unusual place, a must see, truly putting Christ back in Christmas.

If I seem pre-occupied by cartoons of late (see this Cold War classic), you may be right. I’ve haven’t really thought about it, but do freely admit my affection for Peanuts and Charles Schulz’s Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and gang.

Cartoons, though, have been in the news recently and not always for the most noble reasons. First, the Charlie Brown Christmas special was preempted, somewhat controversially, athough ABC later rescheduled. Now we learn that CBS has corrupted the legendary Frosty The Snowman cartoon. It mashed up an online promo (a “mash” is one medium mixed into another) where it uses actual Frosty scenes to front foul-mouthed audio from two of its sitcoms (See FoxNews.com). The result is an indecent Frosty, zapping Christmas innocence out of any children who may happen upon it thinking it’s the real Frosty.

Ironic that this comes from CBS where, at one time, as I discussed earlier this week, it actually cared somewhat about Christmas. But it isn’t a network that has distinguished itself in recent years, what with Dan Rather and its news division’s pretense of objectivity (See Media Research Center). Cartoons, especially this time of year, especially the classic ones, represent the last remnant of Big Media’s family-oriented culture, of a different, slower paced time, when people and families could gather for a common nationwide experience. Especially during the Christmas season, when parents can pass along the times of their youth to their children. CBS’ move was a step to debase that.

Whether it’s news or entertainment, CBS and its fellow Mainstream Media cohorts fall exceedingly short. Although an obscene rendition of Frosty The Snowman isn’t necessarily shocking anymore (unfortunately), most critics do at least find it disturbing. Which still, rightfully, makes it a sad day for CBS, although less sad for any unsuspecting child (or family) who happens upon this trash.

We’re not in the habit of promoting certain television programs, but it is worth noting one airing tonight on ABC at 8:00 Eastern. It’s the A Charlie Brown Christmas special (see it online, here). 

Last week, you may recall, President Barack Obama unceremoniously bumped the show from its original air date with the pomp of his West Point Afghanistan speech. ABC imediately re-scheduled.

The lackluster speech and indecisive policy added only slightly less to the public’s displeasure of him than did the canceling of the special. That’s because, despite what the media portrays and tried to convey, Americans still love traditional values and cultural institutions that portray and communicate them. It may be campy to some, who see it as a relic of a simpleton time, but countless millions, no matter how many times it has aired, sit down, many with their own children, and watch this most meaningful of shows. Especially in this era when even the innocence of cartoons has been debased and corrupted, not to mention that the word ”Christmas” practically is shunned, A Charlie Brown Christmas  means a lot to most (see Ralph Couey’s tribute in the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat).

In other words, people instinctively don’t need modern culture’s twist on what they inherently know is right, just and good. No amount of modernism (or “post-modern” culture), however sophisticated it positions itself in an attempt to make the public feel inadequate for not “progressing,” can substitute for everlasting truth, or redefine what is wholesome. It is as ever present as the life sprung forth in Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree. For the Truth is out there. In this case, it’s in this memorable scene:

Enduring values and the true meaning of Christmas continue to resonate in the truth that comes from innocence in this memorable television moment. In its simplicity, its message is more powerful than the one conveyed by modern culture.

We had some comments earlier this week on the vice presidential debate, such as posing questions we’d like to hear asked. We only had two. Alas, neither were asked.

In just a few hours, live at 7:00 from Roanoke’s new Taubman Museum, former governors Jim Gilmore, the Republican nominee, and Mark Warner, the Democrat nominee, will have their only live televised statewide debate in their campaign for Virginia’s open U.S. Senate seat. (George Allen and Jim Webb even debated on NBC’s Meet The Press.) It will be worth watching. Record it if you must. In some areas it will be replayed later and C-SPAN is televising it and may repeat it as well. Others are Web streaming it.

Since Jim Gilmore has repeatedly asked for several live debates, as is the Virginia tradition, and since Mark Warner bailed out of one and only agreed to this one late in the game, we’d like to hear any one of these questions to Mr. Warner:

1. Mr. Warner, you claimed at the time, and still do, that your record setting tax increase was necessary because you had cut state government spending as far you could and needed the state revenue to keep the budget in balance. If so, why does the State Department of Planning and Budget Web site (click here) show that state spending under your administration went from $12.1 billion in Fiscal Year ’03 general fund spending to $12.4 billion in FY ’04 and then to $13.8 billion in FY ’05. What exactly did you cut before you burdened Virginia’s families with higher taxes?

2. If you tax increases left Virginia in such great fiscal shape, why has Governor Tim Kaine felt it necessary to try to raise taxes still more every year since?

3. Mr. Warner, when you were governor, you vetoed a bill to allow off shore drilling in Virginia. Now you say you are for it. Why should we believe you are for meaningful off shore drilling that will create thousands of jobs and bring in millions in revenue for Virginia?

4. Mr. Warner, you say you are a “moderate” who is willing to reach out and be bi-partisan. Yet you have not shown one area of disagreement with Barack Obama, who was listed as the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate by the non-partisan National Journal (more liberal, even, than the avowed socialist Bernie Sanders of Vermont). Please list some major policies where you disagree with Barack Obama and agree with John McCain.

5. To both: What year was Franklin Roosevelt elected president and when did he first go on television?

We’re not expecting any of the questions to be asked, but the candidates are welcome to come here and respond.

Stations Showing The Debate Live Tonight
Charlottesville: WVIR 29 NBC
Johnson City, Tenn.: WJHL 11 CBS
Harrisonburg: WHSV 3 ABC
Norfolk: WVBT 43 Fox
Norfolk: WHRO 15 PBS
Richmond: WWBT 12 NBC

 Streaming live online at WTVR.com

Stations Re-Broadcasting The Debate
Washington, D.C.: News Channel 8 at 11:00 p.m. Friday
Washington, D.C.: WRC 4 NBC at 7:00 a.m. Sunday