1

Congrats, Joe! And welcome to DC! If you're ever around the Georgetown area, I can show you where to get some pretty good barbeque (and the only sweet tea in the city).

2

"the Family Research Council."!?!?!?!?!?

Considering how misleading, duplicitous, and even down-right untruthful Family web pages and other communications often have been, I'm surprised and disappointed you would be willing to work for such a shady organization. I have always thought of you as reasonably fair and honest although you tend to lose your temper when it involves I.D.

I don't know quite what to make of this. Your writings here, certainly don't seem to match their particular cut & burn style of activism. Not to mention the little "I'm a Victim too" sing-a-long they have joined up with in American politics.

Yuck. After further examination of their website I have to say that this is an organization that apparently works daily to make the lives of people such as myself, your ex-wife, and every other gay or lesbian American, miserable outcasts from society. Sheesh. They should get another hobby.

I'd be careful Joe, you may have found that you have sold your soul to the devil on this one. After all, I'm told that he does often show up in unexpected places. Besides, these are lobbyists. Thats not exactly a group of people known for their ethical standards. And it is your reputation on line in this I think.

3

Hey! that's awesome!!! Welcome to the DC area, Joe! I had the immense pleasure of meeting Charmaine at the last Blogs for Life conferance. She is immensely charming, and I'm sure it will be wonderful working with her.

I know the FRC has done some great things, it will be interesting to see you working there! :oD

4

So you're going to work for the guy who bought David Duke's KKK mailing list. And who has no problems, evidently with the Council of Conservative Citizens.

Wonderful.

I guess in your spare time you can help out George Allen.

5

Let me know if you need to contract out some software development. :)

6

Congratulations Joe. And may you wear the derision of those who are sniping here with honor.

7

Good luck Joe, I hope you still have plenty of time to blog.

8

Joe:

Congratulations, and good luck with the stuff we discussed in e-mail a while back.

9

I don't know much about the FRC. But it seems to be giving the vapors to all the right people.

Good luck moving to DC. And if you ever get northeast of Baltimore, check out Mountain Christian Church in Joppa.

10

What are the odds? =) I'm moving down to Virginia this weekend too for a fellowship program.

Congratulations and God bless you!

11

Congratulations on the new position, Joe. And welcome to the East Coast!

12

Joe,
Unless Boontoon and Larry Lord come here and criticize your new position, I don't know if your are really doing the right thing. Hopefully these moral giants will weigh in with their profound wisdom about what you should do with your life.
I thought these critics were pro-choice, non-judgmental types.

13

Congrats, Joe! I hope you find the new job (and living in that area) fulfilling and joyful.

14

Congrats, Joe. Good organization, good boss, and a good opportunity to serve God thru your daily conduct. What more could you ask for in a career move?

15

Congrats, Joe, and Godspeed :-)

16

Congratulations, Joe!

17

Congratulations, friend. You will love the city.

18

My opinion of the Family Research Council just went up a notch...

19

Oyarsa:

I concur. Maybe it's because the Family Research Council (like most explicitly evangelical organizations) gets nothing but negative press, but I think it just went up a notch for me, too.

20

hi! hope you don't mind, but adding your site as a link for 31o8 (blog) day! awesome stuff. thanks.

21

Family Research Council?

Jesus wept.

22

Please, Joe, say it ain't so.

From a description by Tony Perkins of FRC's weekly radio show for Sept 1 (yesterday): "I'll also talk with bestselling author Ann Coulter about her book: Godless: The Church of Liberalism. Miss Coulter is one of our featured speakers at the September 22-24 Briefing."

From Joe Carter earlier this year:

"Conservatism is dead and Ann Coulter is its corpse.

That was my initial reaction to hearing Coulter’s latest semi-racists jibe: "I think our motto should be post-9-11, 'raghead talks tough, raghead faces consequences.'"

. . . Coulter has been serving up such excrement for years, yet far too many conservatives lap up such feculent bons mots as if they were bon bons.
Here are a few choice selections (courtesy of Dignan):

"liberals are always against America. They are either traitors or idiots..."
"I think we ought to nuke North Korea right now just to give the rest of the world a warning."
"Press passes can't be that hard to come by if the White House allows that old Arab Helen Thomas to sit within yards of the President."
"We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed, too."
"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times building."
"Frankly, I'm not a big fan of the First Amendment."
"We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' creme brulee."

. . . There is no disputing the fact that Coulter has the politically guaranteed freedom to spew her bile. There is also no question, at least in my mind, that we conservatives should exercise our own freedom of speech by telling her to shut her yap.

"There really is no excuse for accepting her as one of our own. Perhaps if she possessed intelligence and a rapier wit, her cutting barbs might be endurable. But Coulter’s “humor” slices like a shard from a Mountain Dew bottle found on a meth lab floor. Her remarks leave jagged gashs that grow infected and fester with pus, infecting all of us in the process.

"Conservatism deserves better, deserves more civility and less Coulter. The fact that she is tolerated—much less admired--by conservatives is evidence that we have lost our philosophical moorings. If the Big Tent of conservatism really has room for the likes of Coulter, then it might just be time to close this circus down."

I hope you got a good price for your soul.

23

ex-preacher,

This is why I said my opinion of the FRC just went up a notch. If they want Joe, who is on record for saying such things, then maybe they are headed in a sane and profitable direction. Hopefully Joe will help get 'em there.

Somehow (through some petition I signed at one point) I got on the Tony Perkins FRC spam list. I was getting a little irritated with the wholesale adoption of the neocon agenda by this famous Christian organization. I mean, border security may be an important issue facing our nation, and the conservatives may be right, but what does this have to do with me as a Christian? Surely this is a mere question of prudence, where Christians could easily fall on both sides.

Anyway, I hope Joe's voice is heard loud and clear.

24

Joe,

Congratulations. I hope the FRC is a good experience for you. DC is a great place to live.

25

Joe:

Congratulations.

Make sure to keep your objectivity and balance in the DC climate. But then EO has been excellent practice for that!

GEM

26

"Anyway, I hope Joe's voice is heard loud and clear"

Wonders, do you spend much time thinking? You know, that business where your brain fires its synapses and moves electricity around and develops these things called "ideas"? Do you do that?

Doesn't sound like it.

So Uncle Raven is here to help. And I'll type extra slow so that even a drooling Bible-thumping moron like you can follow, OK? Here we go.

1. The Family Research Council needs tech support.

2. The Family Reseach Council doesn't like people with liberal ideas.

3. Most IT people are smart, so they usually aren't conservative.

4. The Family Research Council doesn't trust smart people.

5. The Family Reseach Council hired Joe to help them run their Website.

6. The Family Research Council is not hiring Joe in order to hear his "input" or gain "direction" from him, and if he doesn't toe their line, they will fire him faster than you can say "DC Parking Ticket."

Hope we cleared that up.

27

Joe:

You asked, re FRC blog and site: Suggestions for improvement are highly encouraged

Quick, indicative points as I glance around. Please take them as observations and suggestions -- the site does not come across as having been developed by a Web professional, so in no way could I cricise it as if it had been:

1] Blog, top story -- anniversary of beginning WW II. Tone is far too acid and partisan, and the jump from Chamberlain to Kerry and Pelosi lacks a justifying framework [appeasement -- remember too that the invasion of Poland was the point where Chamberlain led Britain into WW 2 after the failure of appeasement.] Facts on history needed checking -- Polish campaign was more of kessel schlact [classic Moltke-style encirclement] than blitzkrieg, never mind the light armoured thrusts that did go in a wide arc. Blitzkrieg was exactly a way around lack of overwhelming numbers in aggregate through use of concentrated thrusts at decisive points coupled to holding and breaking operations elsewhere that served to distract and pin.

2] The general layout seems okay if you like that much colour. Perhaps the sort of comments policy at Powerline where selective comments are put in as part of the updates process? [My concern here is for organised spamming and/or trolling. Perhaps a forum?]

3] What is the relevance of the obit on a singer to the blog? [This speaks to a need for an editorial input.]

4] But then the Kangaroo on the road story suggests there is a quirky, off-focus aspect to the blog, which can help keep up interest. Maybe some of the Yak Shaving ideas etc from EO may help?

5] The ACT story is a good one, and reminds us on how financial interests and agendas may distort stories inthe media. I note hearing on BBC, with the rebuke to Mr Bush on his "excuse" to not fund ESC R, so on following the link to MSNBC [which also speaks to the stock spike from 40c to $2 and rapidly back to 80c, and the injection of US$ 13,5 Mn] I find this interesting:

When the company’s press release finally appeared, it called the new finding “a way out of the current political impasse in this country and elsewhere” over the use of stem cells from human embryos. Many broadcasts and newspapers repeated that claim in lead stories and headlines. While the research is reasonable, published in the highly respected journal Nature, the notion it will solve ethical dilemmas, as claimed in the press release, is just plain wrong. Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania and an MSNBC.com contributor, set out the reasons in a recent article on this site

6] But, I had to follow the link to see that! [Why wasn't there a link from this story to the previous one on ACT within the FRC blog? To other related stories?] I note too that BBC did not hint that ACT was s struggling shoestring operation, as MSNBC indicates.

7] Okay,the Aug 28 story is two below. This does lead with an important point, but should link Nature so we can check it out [if online . . .]:

Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) published a new study in Nature on Wednesday, and it has been completely mis-reported. What ACT did was use 16 human embryos each at the 8-10 cell stage, and then extracted an average of 4-6 cells from each embryo. This effectively killed all 16 of the embryos in the process. They took the embryonic cells, 91 of them, and generated a total of 2 stable embryonic stem cell lines. They did this by placing a number of embryonic cells together in a dish in an attempt to turn them into embryonic stem cells, but not, as ACT's press release claimed, by plucking only 1 cell off each embryo, without harming the embryos, and turning that cell into an embryonic stem cell line.

8] The article also gives important background on earlier poorly based claims by ACT on human cloning. The link to the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal article on raising money after the current anouncement should probably have led into an excerpt.

9] Turning to the web: too crowded, scatter-shot and simplistic/cookie cutter a layout for a major organisation. [This looks a lot like say Blogger's freebie layouts, but is far too crowded and the print looks too fine, which of course gets tothe "busy" problem.] H'mm, in fact it looks a lot like a blog -- is that what you want -- in effect two blogs? And, what is the main theme of the site?

10] The tone, for an organisation that titles itself a RESEARCH organisation, is too stridently advocating. I want to see the RESEARCH, not advocacy here! A dignified but engaging tone is better for a research organisation, perhaps with an advocacy arm. But, the point of RESEARCH is that one has objective facts, in context and with the best explanations on offer. I would take a serious look at the way the CATO Institute does its thing, as a simple start-point. Just compare the two opening parges, not that CATO is anywhere near a perfect model for either web or research or advocacy. [Here is my favourite recipe for web sites, web-based courses and curricula, the spiral web network. The idea is to find out where the target audience lives, then start by appealing to and addressing them where they are, then lead them through a coherent story, through the content and touching on the key themes and big ideas that frame your message. Then, lead to action. My mom, my first teacher and first adviser on curriculum design, taught me: "start with the student where he is -- not where you think s/he should be."]

9] I think your true target is the ordinary, Judaeo-Christian influenced American Joe Blow, who is not so sure the MSM and his schooling have led him right, but is not getting much solid guidance and ability to respond to the “shut-up” rhetoric that is out there aplenty. That Joe Blow probably includes a lot of pastors and church leaders, as well as a lot of ordinary people out there in middle America somewhere, including the Reagan Democrats and their ilk. Jews who are getting uncomfortable and blacks like me who are convinced evangelicals beginning to be concerned on trends in the Western world too. [In that context I would not put such an emphasis on the photos of the leader of FRC -- confine that to the page for the president to speak. You are simply inviting stereotyping!]

10] “Contact us” is too hard to find in the opening page. [Is it there at all?] Ditto for FAQs.

Sorry to be a bit sharp, but I trust this helps. ; -> )

Others may want to add their observations.

+++++++

Okay, trust that helps.

All the best

Gordon

28

PS: And, I see Raven is coming out with just that stereotyping. Pardon, Raven, but your biases and attitudes are showing.

FYI Raven, there is no shortage of web talent or intellectual and technical horespower on the centre-right side of the US political spectrum, but I can easily see how a relatively small organisation can have some challenges appreciating and best making use of what the Web can do, especially with the emerging world of blogs.

If you doubt me, I think that EO, Powerline and the new trend at Townhall [aided and abetted by that bloggist and Centre-right spokesman, Hugh Hewitt] are interesting cases in point.

Further to that, as a student of strategic change in organisations, the hiring of Joe Carter is a strong signal that FRC's leaders realise their shortcomings and are opening the door for them to be addressed. After all, strategic personnel decisions are maybe the most important ones an organisation makes.

And, that is exactly what Director of Web Communications is all about.

Kudos to FRC for such a move.

Joe, good luck and I am willing to help out further.

GEM

29

Wow, Raven, I never realized that I was a total idiot. I guess I need to do something about that. Thanks for offering me some good constructive criticism - I'll be back once I'm done reforming my intellectual life.

Isn't it interesting that, with the safty of cyberspace, people have no qualms about saying things that would get them a fist in the mouth if they said it to someone in person?

30

Hey! Joe! What about dinner before you leave town?!?!

I miss CBHD too, but I know you're going to do great things in DC.

Sarah

31

Congratulations, Joe.
I hope that you will be fair and open-minded when it comes to decision making. I am a Born Again Christian, but I am a moderate. I have supported candidates from both parties.
I do not believe either side is infallible. You are human, so you will make some mistakes, that's okay. Please don't just sign off on every party line without putting some serious thought into it.
Again, all the best.

32

Good for FRC in getting Joe Carter. Though I share some of the disdain for this group mentioned by Gryph and others -- and I've always considered Joe "better" than those types of activists -- let's hope he will move them in his direction, and not vice versa.

33

Daniel, Jewels, Cheeshead, David, Tgirsch, Giggling, Mickey, Ogre, George 2, Bonnie, Tom, John C, Oyarsa, Mark: Thanks for the kind words.

Patrick I'd be careful Joe, you may have found that you have sold your soul to the devil on this one.

Sold my soul? C’mon, it’s not like I joined MoveOn, ANSWER, or the DNC. ; )

And it is your reputation on line in this I think.

I hope that my reputation will be judged—for better or worse--on my own character and not on that of my employer.

Mumon So you're going to work for the guy who bought David Duke's KKK mailing list.

As usual, Mumon, you are a bit loose with the facts. Perhaps if you had bothered to check Wikipedia you’d have found a link to this info:

Tony Perkins was the manager of the 1996 U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Woody Jenkins in Louisiana where Impact Media was contracted to make pre-recorded telephone calls for the campaign. In 1999, an unrelated federal investigation uncovered that David Duke had a financial interest in the company, which he did not report to the IRS, resulting in his conviction on federal tax evasion charges. This connection was not known to Mr. Perkins until 1999. Mr. Perkins profoundly opposes the racial views of Mr. Duke and was profoundly grieved to learn that Duke was a party to the company that had done work for the 1996 campaign.

And who has no problems, evidently with the Council of Conservative Citizens.

While a state legislator, Perkins gave a speech at a CCC meeting. I haven’t asked him about that incident, though I hope to find out the story behind it. In the meantime, you can email FRC and ask them about it if you want to find out the whole story.

David M. Smith Good luck Joe, I hope you still have plenty of time to blog.

Definitely. After this week, blogging will get back to normal.

ex-preacher ”… Miss Coulter is one of our featured speakers at the September 22-24 Briefing."

It’s true that Coulter was asked to come to the Washington Briefing as were John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Bill Frist, Pat Buchanan, and other people whose positions/character I have dislike. Out of that group, though, Coulter was the only one that accepted. That means I only have one person to avoid her during the event. ; )

Gordon Make sure to keep your objectivity and balance in the DC climate. But then EO has been excellent practice for that!

I’m sure if I ever start getting that inside-the-beltway mentality that my friends here at EO will provide some gentle correction. ; )

The Raven Hope we cleared that up.

I appreciate your effort, Raven, but you are completely wrong.

1. The Family Research Council needs tech support.

Actually, they don’t. FRC already has an incredible IT department. I work for communications, not IT.

2. The Family Reseach Council doesn't like people with liberal ideas.

That’s why they hired me. I’ll be the token liberal. ; )

3. Most IT people are smart, so they usually aren't conservative.

That would have been amusing if you didn’t seriously believe it.

6. The Family Research Council is not hiring Joe in order to hear his "input" or gain "direction" from him,…

Actually, that is exactly why they hired me. Whether it was a wise decision on their part remains to be seen. But they hired me because they wanted me to hear my “input” so that I could help set a “direction” for their web communications. They certainly didn’t hire me for my sub-par skills.

…and if he doesn't toe their line, they will fire him faster than you can say "DC Parking Ticket."

Time will tell if you’re right.

Gordon Okay, trust that helps.

Thanks. A lot of that stuff I’m already working on changing. But its good to hear if from an outsider.

BD And I hope the Family Research Council is planning to pay you very very well.

In my job-hunting I narrowed it down to FRC and Sojourners. Since Jim Wallis wanted to pay me in hugs and warm fuzzies, I went with FRC. ; )

Jon Rowe …-- let's hope he will move them in his direction, and not vice versa.

My most significant impression of FRC was shaped by the Justice Sunday events. As I’ve written before, I wasn’t too enthused by what I found. So when I first visited the FRC office this past May I was pleasantly surprised. There is a lot to FRC that is not seens by the public. I hope to be able to use the web in order to present that side and give people a more balanced view of the organization.

34

Hi Joe:

My sympathies with unpacking -- one of the least pleasant aspects of moving house!

I note how you observe that FRC has a good IT dept [I take the subtle correction], and that they hired me because they wanted me to hear my “input” so that I could help set a “direction” for their web communications. They certainly didn’t hire me for my sub-par skills.

In short, FRC is setting out on cutting edge intellectual and cultural leadership and so has put in place a rising star in the world of successful Evangelical engagement of the current, largely apostate form of western culture.

May God be with you in that endeavour, and please be encouraged by Paul's example in his own sometimes personally quite painful engagement with Greek culture [as I discussed in my own transitional comment in the Islamism thread. My JTS-CGST public ethics lecture, 2002, on ethics, reformation and development may be helpful to you, too.]

"Transitional"?

Yup, I think that my long-term recon in force in prep for Caribbean Christians confronting the dechristianising forces here and globally is now at an appropriate end-point. [Though, I reserve the right to the occasional raid, and will lurk on threads I find interesting -- M et al, take warning. I will also try to keep an eye on developments at FRC.]

++++++++++

Godspeed, Joe [and thanks!]

Grace be with us all

Gordon

35

PS: those wishing to see what I am up to may wish to look here, at my own blog- in- transition. GEM