On Thursday, September 22, Katharine DeBrecht's children's book, Help! Mom! There
Are Liberals Under My Bed!, available only two days before from World
Ahead Publishers, ranked second only to J. K. Rowling'sHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in Amazon's children's book
category. How does an author go from obscure to famous
in a matter of hours?
Liberals Under My Bed! is a humorous story
about two brothers who dream that their efforts to start a lemonade
stand are thwarted by liberals (who look all too familiar) intent
on controlling every aspect of the boys' business. In
the process of trying to keep their operation afloat and successful,
they realize that people in high places believe they know what's best
for the boys and for their customers. Soon the boys find
themselves in a battle for their basic freedoms.
As one can imagine,
liberals were seething over this insult, even before the book was
released, and it was promptly denounced by the likes of Ron Reagan
and Alan Colmes. On September 21, Rush Limbaugh had picked
up the story and loved the fact that this lady from the South was
rattling the liberals' cages: "I'm telling you," said
the immensely popular radio commentator, "the liberals cringe—they
go ape!—when you dare be honest about them." At the end
of this segment, Rush cheered: "Our hat is off here to
Katharine DeBrecht!"
By the time I caught up with the young author,
a mother of three who is also a freelance journalist and an active
member of the South Carolina Federation of Republican Women, I expected
to find someone a bit harried by all the attention, much of which
was less than pleasant. But when I asked how it felt to
be the target of hate speech by liberals, she merely laughed.
Liberals are a rather unhappy lot, she noted, who don't have a sense
of humor. Nevertheless I sensed she was somewhat relieved
that the questions I was about to pose would be coming from a fellow
conservative …
A. M. Siriano: How did the idea
for this book, or planned series of books, come to you?
Katharine DeBrecht: I
actually came up with the idea during the 2000 election.
My husband was downstairs watching a game with my boys, when my oldest
son came upstairs to my room where I was watching the RNC convention.
He asked me what I was watching and I explained to him that we were
electing a new President, and that I wanted Bush to win and not the
liberal Gore. He asked why and I told him: "The
harder Daddy works and the more money he makes, the more money liberals
want to take out of his pocket." We were sitting on my
bed at the time. My son's eyes got real wide and he leaned
over the side of the bed and said, "Where are these liberals, Mom?" At
that point, I knew there had to be something out there to teach my
kids conservative values, such as hard work, self-reliance, charity
and faith. If there wasn't something out there to balance
the liberal agenda—in schools, books, TV, movies, etc.—something that
seeks to undermine these things, then I would write one.
My conversation with my son gave me too perfect of a title to resist.
AMS: Did
it upset you to find yourself at number 10 on Democratic Underground's
"The Top 10 Conservative Idiots" list (No. 214), or to
see the attacks at Daily Kos and other liberal websites?
There you are often called a Nazi, and one liberal insisted that your
book should be burnt.
KB: It is an honor to be named in
the top ten. It is funny that these liberals, who can't
debate ideas, resort to their favorite name (Nazi) to call anyone
they disagree with. It is even funnier that these same
people talk about burning books.
AMS: You have been
derided by liberals for using a pseudonym, though your photo and other
information that might identify you have been made public.
Why use the pen name? Do you think this is disingenuous
or hypocritical, as liberals have suggested?
KB: That was
done to drive liberals even crazier! Actually, there are some
real liberal nuts out there, and I wanted to protect my family.
AMS: Azi
Paybarah of New York Press ended his put-down of Liberals Under My
Bed! with a remark about your publisher, World Ahead Publishing, "and
their fine printers in China"—obviously meant to be ironic.
Does this fact have any bearing on the free market lessons promoted
in your book?
KB: A lot of children's books are printed
in China. Most of World Ahead's books are printed in the
USA. If businesses in this country didn't have to deal
with all the obstacles liberals have put up, such as high taxes and
over-regulation, perhaps more publishers would choose to print in
the USA!
AMS: A Free Republic commenter (apparently a woman)
remarked, "I don't care which side: there's a special place
in hell for people who try to warp kids with politics."
What do you think about that statement, and that it came from a conservative
camp? Is there any merit in the idea that your book is
a tool for "brainwashing" children, as Alan Colmes has stated?
KB: I
have seen a lot of liberals pretending to be conservative and posting
on conservative websites. Her anger suggests to me that
she is a member of the angry left. My book doesn't brainwash
children. It is a fun story about traditional values and
what happens when liberals try to thwart them. It exposes
the truth about liberals, that they are for higher taxes and over-regulation.
They believe the government is the solution to all problems in society;
they are offended by anything Christian; and they constantly push
their anti-family views on our children.
AMS: You have been
quoted, notably by Rush Limbaugh, that "liberals oppose anything that
supports religion, traditional families, and the free market," but
most liberals, including many that I know, vehemently disagree.
Do you really think what you said is true?
KB: If it isn't
true, then why are they opposing this book which talks about these
things? They oppose "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance;
they push books like King and King and Heather Has Two Mommies in
classrooms, and they consistently demonize business and create obstacles
to capitalism through taxation and over-regulation. Liberals
are afraid to admit what they stand for, because America has seen
how their policies have failed for over 40 years. They
took prayer out of the schools and replaced it with metal detectors;
they have taken self-responsibility out of society and replaced it
with an entitlement mentality and lawyers; they have tried to erase
the beauty of the traditional family and replace it with high divorce
rates and out-of-wedlock births; they have attempted to crush the
American Dream and replace it with Karl Marx.
AMS: At the
end of the book, you promise more "Help! Mom! adventures."
Do you plan to touch on hot political issues, such as the War on Terror,
gun control, public education, homosexuality and abortion, or are
these topics too difficult (or unseemly) for the children's market?
KB: I
dread the day when I have to explain to my children what abortion
is. How do I explain to them, that when God gives a woman
a baby (I always tell my kids they are wonderful gifts from God),
some women decide the baby is inconvenient and kill it before it is
born? I don't think abortion will be in any future Help! Mom! Series. On
a lighter note, here are the upcoming titles: Help! Mom! Hollywood
is in My Hamper!, Help! Mom! There Are Lawyers in My Lunchbox!,
and Help! Mom! The Ninth Circuit Nabbed the Nativity!
AMS: In
reading your book, I found myself being reminded of core conservative
values—self-reliance and personal responsibility, unobstructed capitalism,
the traditional family, the preeminence of God, etc. Do
you think your book is instructive for adults as much as it is for
children?
KB: I think the book is simple enough for even
liberals to understand. There is a lot of adult humor
in the book, so parents will enjoy reading it with their child.
I am now hearing how adults without children enjoy the book as well
because of its humor, and they are giving it as gifts to their liberal
colleagues.
AMS: The characters in Liberals Under My Bed! not
only try to earn their own income, but prove themselves to be compassionate,
remembering to "save some money for less fortunate kids."
President Bush ran on a "compassionate conservatism" platform, but
many conservative pundits, such as Jonah Goldberg and Mona Charen,
are complaining that this brand of conservatism is big government
liberalism in disguise. Do you agree or disagree?
KB: I
think conservatism has always been compassionate. Which
would be the more compassionate thing to say to your child?
"You'll never amount to anything without my help, so here is a menial
salary to live on," or, "You have the ability to go out in the world
and accomplish anything you set your mind to; go out and set the world
on fire." The sense of achievement is not only inherent
in the American Dream, it is inherent in the human soul.
Dignity comes from self-accomplishment, not from handouts.
I think President Bush's concept of an Ownership Society reflects
this. Conservatives have always been charitable people.
Conservatives choose to direct their charity to private organizations
or faith-based organizations rather than to bureaucrats.
AMS: In
most of the illustrations, there are many "bits of commentary" that
are really funny (the newspaper headline "Sneeze and Gas Tax Enacted"
comes to mind). How closely did you work with the illustrator,
Jim Hummel, to come up with this added layer of detail.
KB: Jim
Hummel is a phenomenal illustrator. He has illustrated
for the AP as well as Marvel Comics and won a Reuben Award for his
illustrations. I worked very closely with him.
As far as the commentary (e.g., "Sneeze and Gas Tax Enacted") and
all the businesses in Liberaland, I couldn't resist asking Jim to
put all those in there for me, including the picture of Ronald Reagan.
He did a wonderful job capturing the expressions of the boys and the
little dog, and I don't think he could have captured that pants-suit
clad Senator from New York any better.
AMS: There is an
obvious Christian element in this book. Do you believe
that freedom of religion in this country is in jeopardy?
KB: Of
course. The decision by a federal judge to ban the Pledge
of Allegiance in public schools in California is only the most recent
example. Parents in these affected areas, as well as parents
across the country whose children are prohibited from saying the Pledge
in school, should gather outside these schools each morning before
they walk their children in, and say the Pledge of Allegiance as a
group. A prayer would not be a bad idea either.
Liberals have seen their power being slowly chipped away.
To make themselves feel more powerful, liberals have to be offended
by everything these days, especially anything Christian, to make them
feel as if they have some power left. This is also why
they run to the courts since they can't win at the ballot box.
AMS: Has
the sudden notoriety, and all the flak that has come with it, made
you hesitate to produce more books of this type?
KB: Not
at all. It is too much fun to watch liberals up in arms
about my book. I appreciate all the support from conservatives
who are relieved that there is finally something to counteract all
the liberal agenda thrown at our kids on a daily basis.
If you have
children whom you hope to raise as "good conservatives," Katharine
DeBrecht's children book, Help! Mom! There's a Liberal Under
My Bed!, is a must-have. If your children are already
grown, buy it anyway. The sales are driving liberals out
from every bed in the country, and when they rear their miserable
little heads, you can hit them with it.
*****
You can purchase Help! Mom! There
Are Liberals Under My Bed! at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, andWorldNewsDaily.
Other links of note: World Ahead Publishing and
Katharine DeBrecht's Help! Mom! website.
Copyright © 2005 by A. M. Siriano,
All Rights Reserved.
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