{"product_id":"wrapped-in-the-flag-isbn-9780807033319","title":"Wrapped in the Flag","description":"\u003cb\u003eA narrative history of the John Birch Society by a daughter of one of the infamous ultraconservative organization’s founding fathers\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNamed a best nonfiction book of 2013 by \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eTampa Bay Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eLong before the rise of the Tea Party movement and the prominence of today’s religious Right, the John Birch Society, first established in 1958, championed many of the same radical causes touted by ultraconservatives today, including campaigns against abortion rights, gay rights, gun control, labor unions, environmental protections, immigrant rights, social and welfare programs, the United Nations, and even water fluoridation. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Worshipping its anti-Communist hero Joe McCarthy, the Birch Society is perhaps most notorious for its red-baiting and for accusing top politicians, including President Dwight Eisenhower, of being Communist sympathizers. It also labeled John F. Kennedy a traitor and actively worked to unseat him. The Birch Society boasted a number of notable members, including Fred Koch, father of Charles and David Koch, who are using their father’s billions to bankroll fundamentalist and right-wing movements today. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The daughter of one of the society’s first members and a national spokesman about the society, Claire Conner grew up surrounded by dedicated Birchers and was expected to abide by and espouse Birch ideals. When her parents forced her to join the society at age thirteen, she became its youngest member of the society. From an even younger age though, Conner was pressed into service for the cause her father and mother gave their lives to: the nurturing and growth of the JBS. She was expected to bring home her textbooks for close examination (her mother found traces of Communist influence even in the Catholic school curriculum), to write letters against “socialized medicine” after school, to attend her father’s fiery speeches against the United Nations, or babysit her siblings while her parents held meetings in the living room to recruit members to fight the war on Christmas or (potentially poisonous) water fluoridation. Conner was “on deck” to lend a hand when JBS notables visited, including founder Robert Welch, notorious Holocaust denier Revilo Oliver, and white supremacist Thomas Stockheimer. Even when she was old enough to quit in disgust over the actions of those men, Conner found herself sucked into campaigns against abortion rights and for ultraconservative presidential candidates like John Schmitz. It took momentous changes in her own life for Conner to finally free herself of the legacy of the John Birch Society in which she was raised. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eWrapped in the Flag\u003c\/i\u003e, Claire Conner offers an intimate account of the society —based on JBS records and documents, on her parents’ files and personal writing, on historical archives and contemporary accounts, and on firsthand knowledge—giving us an inside look at one of the most radical right-wing movements in US history and its lasting effects on our political discourse today.\u003ci\u003ePreface: \u003c\/i\u003eI Know What Extremism Looks Like ix\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eIntroduction: \u003c\/i\u003eNovember 1963 1\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter One: \u003c\/i\u003eRally Cry 5\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Two: \u003c\/i\u003eThe Captain’s Law 11\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Three: \u003c\/i\u003eSacrifices 15\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Four: \u003c\/i\u003eTextbook Wars 21\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Five: \u003c\/i\u003eHard Right 30\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Six: \u003c\/i\u003eTwisted 39\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Seven: \u003c\/i\u003eMoving Up 45\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Eight: \u003c\/i\u003eThe Black Book 52\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Nine: \u003c\/i\u003eStirring the Pot 58\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Ten: \u003c\/i\u003eThe Uncivil War 72\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Eleven: \u003c\/i\u003eHere We Go Again and Again and Again 80\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Twelve: \u003c\/i\u003eThe End of the World 90\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Thirteen: \u003c\/i\u003eCivil Rights Marching 100\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Fourteen: \u003c\/i\u003eA Big Texas Howdy 106\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Fifteen: \u003c\/i\u003eCrossfire 117\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Sixteen: \u003c\/i\u003eCarrying the Cross 130\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChapter Seventeen: \u003c\/i\u003eAuH2O 137\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Eighteen: \u003c\/i\u003eSomething’s Happening Here 147\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Nineteen: \u003c\/i\u003eA Good Man Is Hard to Find 156\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Twenty: \u003c\/i\u003eOne Woman’s Heart 169\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Twenty-one: \u003c\/i\u003eBang the Drum Slowly 180\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Twenty-two: \u003c\/i\u003eAttention Must Be Paid 191\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Twenty-three: \u003c\/i\u003eHell in a Handbasket 201\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChapter Twenty-four: \u003c\/i\u003eBedtime Story 213\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAcknowledgments \u003c\/i\u003e220\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eNotes \u003c\/i\u003e222\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eIndex \u003c\/i\u003e245\u003cp\u003e“Both of Claire Conner’s parents were deeply involved      in the cult of far right politics: they knew that Eisenhower was a secret      Communist and they idolized Francisco Franco. \u003ci\u003eWrapped in the Flag \u003c\/i\u003eis      at once the heartbreaking and intermittently hilarious story of her coming      of age and a first-hand history of the far right since the 1950s. Conner’s      book is required reading for anyone who wants to understand the sources of      the conspiratorial, hate-filled tropes of the right today—whether they      emanate from the Tea Party, the gun movement, race realists, Sovereign      Citizens, or, increasingly, from elected officials in the GOP.\" —Arthur      Goldwag, author of \u003ci\u003eThe New Hate: Fear and Loathing on the Populist      Right\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An invaluable contribution to understanding the mentality of extremist conservatism and its supporters.”  —\u003ci\u003eKirkus, \u003c\/i\u003estarred review\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The John Birch Society had a huge impact on American      politics. They were responsible for the lurch into insanity. The religious      right, the Tea Party and the takeover of the Republican Party by      extremists can't be understood unless you understand the paranoid      xenophobia Birchers injected into America. This book is about a      journey through and out of that Bircher netherworld. It's a vital      piece of the puzzle to understanding the madness that overcame      America and a moving story about one person's journey back to sanity.” —Frank      Schaeffer, author of \u003ci\u003eCrazy For God\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Experiencing      this splendid volume is like reading a history book inside out: events you      only knew about from afar are revealed anew, with the striking      ground-level intimacy of a fine family memoir. I've been waiting for a      book like this: one that demonstrates the shockingly effectual continuity      of the John Birch Society as a force in American political life: from its      early days discrediting the Cold War credentials of JFK, to its outsized      role building up grassroots momentum in the Clinton impeachment, to its      sudden eruption into mainstream Republican thinking with the rise of the      Tea Party movement.\" —Rick Perlstein, author of \u003ci\u003eNixonland\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This      passionate, personal history of the John Birch Society is timely and      important.  At a moment when Tea Party activists have embraced many      of the Birchers' most outrageous notions, Claire Conner has performed a      great service by reminding us of the origins of some of most virulent      ideas that continue to pollute our body politic.  As the skeptical      daughter of two passionate Birchers, Conner may be the only person who      could have written such a clear-eyed, insider’s      account of the persistent dangers of right-wing extremism.” —Charles Kaiser, author of \u003ci\u003e1968 In America\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Gay Metropolis\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An affecting portrait of late-20th-century America on the fringe.\" —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This insider’s view of the most radical right-wing organization of the Cold War era describes the seeming paranoia and questionable logic of the most devoted JBS members. Conner provides colorful descriptions of many of the eccentric JBS leaders, including founder Robert Welch. . . . Readers interested in learning more about this example of the Cold War era’s ultraconservative political trends will be fascinated by Conner’s description of the perpetual fear of JBS members regarding communist takeovers and communist infiltration of the highest levels of our government. Recommended.” —\u003ci\u003eLibrary Jounal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eClaire Conner’s\u003c\/b\u003e father was a national spokesperson for the John Birch Society for more than thirty years; her mother was also a staunch follower. Conner holds a degree in English with honors from the University of Dallas and a graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin. She lives in Tampa, Florida.\u003ci\u003ePreface\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eI Know What Exremism Looks Like\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFive years ago, I was sure I’d heard the last of conspiracies, secret Communists, and America’s imminent collapse. After all, the Cold War had been over for twenty years, my parents and most of their fanatic friends were dead, and the Bush administration was killing America’s appetite for right-wing Republicans.\u003cbr\u003e “There’s no one left to hoist the extremist flag,” I told myself. I was wrong. By 2008, political discourse sounded eerily similar to that of 1958, when a brand-new right-wing, populist movement—the John Birch Society—burst onto the American scene. All across the country, newly awakened Birchers rallied to “take our county back.” Two dedicated Birch leaders mobilized the Midwest: Stillwell and Laurene Conner—my parents.\u003cbr\u003e Dad and Mother had been primed for their lurch to the right for many years. They loved Joseph McCarthy and hated the Communists. They’d decided that government assistance made people weak and lazy, and that the New Deal was really a bad deal. They loathed Franklin Roosevelt and blamed Democrats for destroying our free-enterprise system. So in 1955, when Mother and Dad were introduced to Robert Welch, a candy-company executive turned conspiracy hunter, they immediately recognized a kindred soul. My father said Welch was “a brilliant mind and the finest patriot I’ve ever had the privilege to know.” Three years later, when Welch founded his John Birch Society, Mother and Dad didn’t hesitate— they signed up and immediately handed over $2,000 for lifetime memberships, the equivalent of about $15,000 today. \u003cbr\u003e The John Birch Society became my parents’ lifelong obsession; nothing was allowed to interfere with the next meeting, the next project, the next mailing. At fourteen and thirteen, respectively, my older brother and I were deemed old enough to take up the cause as full-fledged adult members. During Birch activities, the other Conner children were banished upstairs, where my ten-year-old sister was put in charge of the baby (eighteen months) and my six-year-old brother fended for himself. In only a few months, the entire Conner family lived and breathed Birch.\u003cbr\u003e Night after night, Birch activists and new recruits filled our living room.\u003cbr\u003e They received hours of instruction about the secret conspiracy, the New World Order, hidden codes on the dollar bill, and Communist spies inside our government. Birchers were schooled in the evils of creeping socialism, Communism, and Marxism. Good Birchers understood the sins of welfare and Social Security. It was time to rise up against the unholy alliance of the Left—Communists, socialists, liberals, union bosses, and the liberal press. Robert Welch identified Communists as one enemy in this epic struggle to save the country. Of course, in the 1950s the march of the Communists across Eastern Europe and Asia was scary to Americans, but Welch was more worried about the Communists lurking inside our country, often holding positions of influence. These home-grown American Communists were ready to spring into action to take down our Constitution and replace it with a socialist manifesto.\u003cbr\u003e Birchers believed that those American Communists were all over the place. They served on school boards, advocated putting fluoride in drinking water, and taught subversive university classes. Others organized labor unions, led the civil rights movement and served in the Congress. The Birch message resonated. Membership exploded and revenue spiked. My father was rewarded for his dedication with a promotion to the Birch National Council, where he served for thirty-two years.\u003cbr\u003e -\u003cbr\u003e From the outset, the GOP applauded the Birchers for their patriotic zeal and embraced them as good Republicans. But after a scandal rocked the society in 1961, the GOP worried that its closeness to the Birchers would taint the Republican brand. It could not afford to be painted by the Democrats as the political arm of the radical right. Republican leaders decided to label the Birchers as crackpots and push them out of the party. Problem solved. The effort worked. Before long, the Birchers had joined the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, and other kooks as the most extreme reactionaries in American politics. The Republican Party took credit for saving the United States from fringe-of-the-fringe crusaders who imagined that even the president was a Commie. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, while the politicians and pundits declared the Birchers dead and buried, the moneyed Birch leadership went to plan B, redirecting their cash and their influence into think tanks and foundations. My parents joined in that diversifying effort. They founded a right-wing Catholic organization, the Wanderer Foundation, in St. Paul, Minnesota and donated to every right-wing organization and political-action committee they could. My parents never had big money, but other Birch families spent huge sums to bankroll Birch ideas. Fred Koch, one of the original Birch founding members and a National Council member with my father, invested a small fortune on his pet projects, including the so-called right-to-work laws, designed to hamper union organizing. His sons, David and Charles Koch, inherited their father’s multimillions, turned them into multibillions, and invested liberally in their favorite political causes: the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, and others. Those organizations incorporated many John Birch Society ideas and effectively increased both their reach and their impact on American politics. Since \u003ci\u003eCitizens United\u003c\/i\u003e, the 2011 Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates to unlimited and unregulated corporate political donations, the Kochs have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to individual candidates and political-action committees. The Kochs and their allies envision the same framework for American government that I heard from my father and his John Birch Society allies: the New Deal dismantled, the federal government reduced to a quarter of its current size, and most federal programs gutted. In this right-wing, libertarian utopia, businesses and individuals would be free to do anything, unrestrained by rules or taxes. In 2008, when the economy tanked and Barack Obama emerged as the Democratic nominee for president, the radical right went on the offense. The Democrat was labeled a Marxist, a Socialist, and a friend of terrorists. Folks unfurled the yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and shouted about trees of liberty being watered with the blood of tyrants. When I heard frenzied voters at a Republican rally shouting, “Treason,” and “Kill him,” in response to one of Sarah Palin’s anti-Obama rants, I worried. “My parents are back,” I told anyone who’d listen. People looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I realized that the Birch Society had faded out of America’s memory. It had been confined to a footnote on\u003cbr\u003e a footnote for political wonks. Six months after President Obama was inaugurated, a new right-wing, populist movement arose. The Tea Party—bankrolled by the Koch brothers and Americans for Prosperity—staged rallies and protests across the country. Self-appointed zealots suggested “Second Amendment remedies” if they didn’t achieve their goals at the ballot box. I shuddered when I heard my father’s favorite rally cry: “We’ve come to take our country back.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e These newly minted right-wingers were rattling off old Birch slogans:\u003cbr\u003e • Immigrants are the enemy. Protect our borders and deport all illegal aliens.\u003cbr\u003e • Gays are ungodly. Pray the gay away from children and teens.\u003cbr\u003e • Unemployed people don’t want to work, and poor people keep themselves poor, on purpose. If we cut the minimum wage and eliminate unemployment compensation, everyone will have a job.\u003cbr\u003e • Unions caused the economic collapse by shielding lazy, incompetent public employees.\u003cbr\u003e • Rich folks are “job creators,” and we need to protect their wealth.\u003cbr\u003e • Social Security is unsustainable, and Medicare and Medicaid have to be restricted so that corporations and “job creators” have lower tax rates.\u003cbr\u003e • Abortion is murder and must be outlawed even in cases of rape and incest. No exception means no exceptions; even in cases where the mother’s life is in danger.\u003cbr\u003e • The economic meltdown of 2008 came from high taxes on corporations, too many regulations, and poor people taking out mortgages they couldn’t afford.\u003cbr\u003e • The government can’t create jobs, so stimulus programs don’t work. Cutting taxes creates jobs.\u003cbr\u003e • The government can’t limit the right to own or carry guns. If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.\u003cbr\u003e • America is God’s chosen nation, but our president can’t understand our exceptionalism. After all, he’s not a “real” American; he’s a Marxist, Socialist, Muslim racist who hates America.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I know that this new radical Right is a rewrite of the old John Birch Society. This time, however, the movement has enormous political muscle, unlimited dollars, and right-wing media support. This reality hit me after studying my parents’ files and personal writing, combing historical archives, and reading contemporary accounts and documents produced by the Birch Society itself.\u003cbr\u003e My notes credit published works and archival documents, but much of this narrative comes from my experience. This book chronicles the history of the John Birch Society and its impact on America, past and present. But above all, \u003ci\u003eWrapped in the Flag \u003c\/i\u003eis my story.","brand":"Beacon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301086679269,"sku":"NP9780807033319","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780807033319.jpg?v=1767744596","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/wrapped-in-the-flag-isbn-9780807033319","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}