Bookhitch.com does not endorse any political party or view. Before you read the Interview, and more for the Politically Inept (such as ourselves), here are a few terms you may want to know:

Liberal - A liberal is 1.one who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties 2.one who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets.

Conservative: A conservative is 1.One favoring traditional views and values. 2. A supporter of political conservatism.

- Definitions provided by www.dictionary.com

Independent Liberoconservatat: An individual who takes into account many different points of views from various parties (independent, liberal, conservative, democrat…minus those confusing ones on the major TV networks) and defies traditional labels. In other words…Coming Soon.

- Definition made up by www.bookhitch.com

We decided to Interview Mr. Jackson because he touches upon almost every controversial issue in politics. We wanted to learn more about the viewpoints discussed in his book, and some of the facts behind his arguments.

Gregg Jackson is the national best-selling author of “Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies,” co-host of Pundit Review Radio heard on Boston's #1 talk station WRKO, a contributing editor to punditreview.com, and a 2005 and 2006 Weblog Award Finalist in the Best Media/Journalist Blog category.

1. What made you interested in politics; was it from your college years at Colby College, or did something trigger your interest before that?

The thing that got me interested in politics was living in San Francisco and listening to Michael Salvage on radio. At first I was a leftist, more of a Democrat than a Republican, but I started to rethink a lot of issues. Living in San Francisco in the 90s, I saw first hand the type of destruction socialist ideas can have in a society—just looking at the large population of homeless people defecating in public streets and not having our almost exclusively Democrat elected officials doing anything about it created a dangerous and chaotic place. It was a very unfriendly place to live and the elected officials were not doing anything. Around 1995, I became more conservative as I read more. Michael Savage awakened my interest in politics. When I was in college, I was interested in sports and being with friends. I was a late bloomer in politics.

2. Your book “Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies” debates over 241 liberal arguments in the current political climate on issues such as gay marriage. Which points do you feel should be considered the most by the public given the major political issues of today's world? In other words, what are the most contended points in your book that you feel the general public are misinformed about?

Well, there are many of them. Chapter 3 is about church and state, where I debunk the notion that there is a separation of church and state. That is in the former Soviet Union’s constitution, not in ours [America’s]. Over the last 40-50 years, Americans have come to believe that we have a separation of church and state, which is mandated in the constitution. This guarantees that you can’t mix religion and government but that is the exact opposite of what the First Amendment guarantees—it ensures freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. We have almost an entire generation of people who believe that they can’t freely pray or read Bible in school or say God in pledge of allegiance. Thomas Jefferson did use the words ‘separation of church and state’ in a private letter to the Danbury Baptists 11 years after the ratification of the First Amendment; to signify a one-way wall where the federal government could not establish a federal religion on individual states.

The First Amendment enables individual Americans to freely worship as they see fit, without interference from the government, as long as they are not harming anyone else. The Framers believed that free religious expression was so significant, that they enshrined it in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Yet Leftist Democrats and organizations such as the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State have intentionally manipulated and distorted the true meaning of the First Amendment by advancing the false notion of an "absolute" wall of separation between church and state. While the Left has been accusing Conservatives and Christians of imposing a Christian theocracy in America, they have been simultaneously establishing a secular humanist theocracy in America by deceiving Americans. My book rebuts this very dangerous lie.

On the Social side, the claim that it is “uncertain when life begins” is one frequently repeated. In actuality, life begins at conception. It is an empirical, biological scientific fact that has nothing to do with philosophy or religion. Even an atheist can acknowledge that human life begins at the very moment of conception. This is a crucial fact that needs to be clarified and acknowledged in order to promote a culture of life in America and outlaw abortion which has killed over 45 million babies since it became legal nationwide. My book shoots this myth to pieces.

3. One of the liberal points you refute is that "Global warming is real, and results from human activity." Do you not believe in global warming, or do you believe that it is naturally occurring?

Regardless of political preference, the earth is always warming or cooling, and the temperature of the earth has warmed a degree is the past century. The real question isn’t if global warming is happening but whether it is anthropogenic—are humans causing the warming of the earth from increased carbon emissions? There has been no empirical evidence, which has demonstrated a causal length between man-made carbon emissions and the slight increase of the earth’s temperature. Between 1940-1970, we saw a cooling trend in the United States, which was during the most significant increase in carbon emissions over the last century. Many of Al Gore’s claims [in The Inconvenient Truth] have been refuted by NASA. For example, Gore said that in the next century the sea level in the world will rise 20 feet, whereas NASA said it will rise only 18 inches. Consensus has nothing to do with science—scientific theory has to do with the empirical method, testing hypothesis and having data to substantiate them. Gore shows Lake Chad being dried up because of man-made carbon emissions but in actuality Lake Chad has dried many times including 2000 years ago, before there were any airplanes and SUVs. He conveniently omits this from his "documentary."

"Global Warming" is a fraud and is solely intended to make America part of an international government. There is no solid science to substantiate the central claim of the warming alarmists that man-made carbon emissions are causing the earth to warm. Al Gore and his friends want to micromanage the world's economy. This is the driving force behind man-made global warming hysteria. Over the last century, there have been three or four other periods where scientists predicted global warming/cooling was going to be catastrophic and none of them actually occurred.

This is also a form of mental terrorism, to scare people. What if we entered a treaty where there would be a drastic cut in carbon emissions? Gore calls for 90% immediate reduction. There would be significant damage to global economy specifically for third world countries. Not to mention, if this were to go into affect, there would be enormous devastation to the global economy. We have a limited amount of resources to spend on other pressing issues such as HIV and malaria. Man-made carbon emissions make up only 2% of carbon emissions. The natural environment produces 98% of greenhouse gases. Even if we abide by these drastic reductions such as the Kyoto Protocol—there would be a negligible decrease in temperature of the earth. My book debunks this very dangerous myth.

4. What was the goal of publishing your book? Was it to change liberals’ opinions about political issues or was it to help conservatives understand the claims by liberals and how to respond?

Both, I think. First and foremost, it was for conservatives who needed a place to go to help defend the claims. This book is a one-stop shop on issues ranging from same sex marriage, gun control, the war on terror, taxes and trade, and more, to help people feel more confident when they are debating liberals. Secondarily, there are a number of people in the middle and my hope was that there would be people open minded enough to examine both sides and want to be informed. My vision was that my audience would include liberals, conservatives, independents, and Reagan democrats. There have been liberals who have examined my points and have debated with me back and forth. The point was to start a debate about the issues, discussing them in a civilized manner, which is why I kept the rhetoric down to minimum and focused on factual evidence. People are entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts. People could be swayed not by what I say—but by the facts themselves. Truth and facts are hard to deny.

5. Marketing wise, do you feel being the host of your radio show, The Pundit Review, helps contribute to the success of your book?

A little bit. I did get a lot of experience debating with liberals and hearing their arguments, which I did include in the book. I do a fair amount of writing, and speak at college campuses and conservative conferences. My book is also a part of the Conservative book club, where it has been a bestseller for over a year. I have also done hundreds of radio and television interviews over the last year that has given the book increased exposure. All of those things have helped promote the book. I don’t mention the book too much on my radio show but I have used it to promote it because it is something I really believe in.

6. Given the upcoming elections, what are your hopes for the book? What are the costs and benefits of writing a political book, have you received a lot of praise or backlash?

I have been blessed because prominent conservatives endorsed the book, such as, Dr. Thomas Sowell, David Limbaugh, Phyllis Schlafley, Michael Medved, Walter E. Williams, and Grover Norquist. It has been a bestseller for over a year, that’s the biggest validation. There are currently 45,000 in print and it is still selling. This book is totally unique from other books because all the arguments are in one book. The positives have definitely outweighed the negatives.

7. Overall, do you feel a citizen’s opinion about a candidate change after a book is published? For example, do you think you have converted any liberals to be conservative?

It is always a good way to advance peoples’ understanding of your issues and who you are and what you believe as a candidate, when you clarify your thoughts and share them with the public. I think with my book, I feel there have been some people who read the book that didn’t consider themselves to be conservatives [specifically college students], and have had their opinions changed. I may not have converted any liberals to the conservative side but I know that I have planted seeds and people have changed their minds about certain issues. Books can be very powerful if people share ideas from the book with others. The truth has an eternal shelf life while lies have a limited shelf life. Books that are truthful have the greatest opportunity to make a difference in the way in which people view the world. Hopefully my book has done that in a positive way.

8. How much research went into the book? Was there anything you felt you did not put in your book that should have been added?

It took me five years to write and I have over 30 pages of footnotes. When I was writing it, new information would come up and I would add more footnotes. New issues popped up, which I will cover in next book—for example is embryonic stem cell research, Darwinian evolution and Atheism. The 2008 presidential edition of my book will discuss Christianity more.

By the way, my book is great for the holidays. It has sold well for parents who bought it for college students and home schooling parents. Word has gotten out about the book as younger kids are being exposed to issues such as same sex marriage, abortion, and global warming, and hearing these issues from teachers unfortunately. They need to be armed with alternative information since the conservative viewpoint is often not part of the conversation in most schools.

We would like to thank Gregg for taking the time out of his busy schedule to share information about his book. It is always refreshing, and enlightening to hear two sides of an argument before forming ones’ own opinion.

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