Culture Warrior
Bill O'Reilly (Broadway Books, New York, NY 2007, paperback).

Bill O'Reilly, well-known Fox News and national radio host, goes after what appears to be his real concern about America in Culture Warrior.

As O'Reilly discusses, much of the heat in American political discourse is left vs. right, Democrat vs. Republican, liberal vs. conservative. Yet, these battles generally miss the real culture war going on in this country-- secular progressivism vs. traditional values. It seems many people are entertained by, if not invested in, the ongoing political wars. But the culture war doesn't seem to get the attention it deserves as secular progressive ideas continue to be insidiously smuggled into all areas of American culture and consciousness. Culture Warrior is O'Reilly's contribution to getting politically interested people more interested in and paying attention to the more important battle, the culture battle.

Political battles seem to determine who is "in charge" but often there is more similarity than differences between politicians. By contrast, these culture battles have enormous potential to affect our lives and the American way of life. From attacks on Christianity and Christian values, to undermining parental authority, excusing child molestors and taking private property, to defending terrorists and bashing America, all of these have something in common-- they are part of a secular-progressive agenda to radically change America's values, and America itself.

Culture Warrior spends a lot of time discussing the media, sharing both professional and personal observations based upon his more than thirty years in the media. Indeed, because of its enormous influence, the media is one of the front lines of the culture war. O'Reilly uses his experience in the industry to discuss and expose both the on-air and behind the scenes players in this industry. He helps the reader understand the agenda-driven nature of the "news shows" and the like that naive people take at face value:

I have ... dangerous targets in my sights-- establishment players who can change your life with the stroke of a pen, an activist court ruling, or a dishonest article in the press. My goal is to expose and defeat people who have the power to do you great harm. My weapons will be facts and superior analysis based upon those facts. It is absolutely fair and vital to democracy to confront people in the arena of ideas. (p. 5)

Yet the media isn't the only target. There are other behind-the-scenes players who have a lot of money and use that money to advance the secular-progressive or  anti-American agenda-- in Hollywood, academia, the judiciary, politics, the ACLU, various internet bloggers. O'Reilly exposes some of the big-money players and the agendas they are advancing.