For a Conservative, Life is Sweet in Sugar Land, Tex. (Free Republic mentioned)

The Washington Post ^ | Monday, April 26, 2004 | David Finkel

[kristinn]

SUGAR LAND, Tex. -- This is the home of Britton Stein, who describes George W. Bush as "a man, a man's man, a manly man," and Al Gore as "a ranting and raving little whiny baby."

Forty-nine years old, Stein is a husband, a father, a landscaper and a Republican. He lives in a house that has six guns in the closets and 21 crosses in the main hallway. His wife cuts his hair with electric clippers. His three daughters aren't embarrassed when he kisses them on their cheeks. He loves his family, hamburgers and his dog. He believes in God, prays daily and goes to church weekly. He has a jumbo smoker in his back yard and a 40-foot tree he has climbed to hang Christmas lights. He has a pickup truck that he has filled with water for the Fourth of July parade, driving splashing kids around a community where Boy Scouts plant American flags in the yards. His truck is a Chevy. His beer is Bud Light. His savior is Jesus Christ. His neighbors include Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), the House majority leader, who says of Sugar Land, "I think it is America."

SNIP

And now his version of the real world is a two-story house in a neighborhood of like-minded people, where he begins every day by turning on his computer.

Time for the news.

Some people get their information from the TV networks or the paper. Stein starts with the Drudge Report Web site, where he scans the headlines and clicks on one that says, "Rallying Cry For Dems: Vote Bush Out of Rove's Office." "This is the kind of stuff that pisses me off," he says. "They don't give Bush the respect he deserves. Not only because he's president, but because he's a helluva good man."

Next he goes to a Web site called WorldNetDaily.com. He clicks on an article that says, "Poll: Bush's Approval Sinking," but dismisses it as untrustworthy when he sees the poll was done by CBS. "Of course I have a suspicion of CBS," he says. "Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw -- they don't have any credibility with me."

Next he goes through a site called FreeRepublic.com, which calls itself "the premier conservative news forum," and then moves on to a site called sftt.org. "Soldiers for the Truth," he says, scrolling through another list of articles and watching a video of what the site says is a U.S. Apache helicopter targeting and obliterating three Iraqis. "Another guy moving right there," one voice on the video says, all business. "Good. Fire. Hit him," another voice says.

SNIP

[Wheee The People]

Britton-
Great read. You have more courage than I do. I doubt that I would ever trust a reporter from the Post or NY Slime. My disdain for them would show in every word I spoke.

I'd be afraid that they would twist everything I said or did. What did they tell you before they started, that put your mind at ease and convinced you it would be a fair and balanced article?

[Redbob]

"Funny thing is, folks like Mr. Stein are all over the country--even in The Post's backyard."

But especially in Texas!
Not all of us drive Chevies, though:

Some drive Fords and drink Shiner Bock!
Oh, but never at the same time! ;-)

[treeclimber]

I talked with David Finkel and met with him in person before we got started. He told me he would write an objective portrayal of the life of a conservative. He wanted to get to the 'why' I/we have the principles I/we have. (I use I/we because it wasnt about me in a truly personal way, but rather I was a representative of a larger group to whatever extent that is possible.) He wanted to see my lifestyle, my habits, my daily routine, he asked a lot of questions trying to get to why do I think this or that. I think he was objective and fair. I told him early on that my concern was that he would take a minor part of my life and blow it out of proportion to paint me in the way he wanted. He assured me that he didnt intend to do that. I asked him if he came with pre-conceived notions and was looking for evidence to support these. He said he didnt have any preconceptions and was trying to learn about the life experiences of someone such as myself so he could show this as a representation of "Red America". He honored his word on a particular issue with me that if he wasnt a man of honor, he might have not done so. He was very interesting to talk to; he has had some incredible experiences in his career. All in all, to answer your question, I went on his word that it wouldnt be a spin job and it wasnt. Mr. Finkel is welcome in my home whenever he is in Texas.

[Redbob]

My little boy starts every morning by giving me a hug and a kiss as soon as he gets out of bed;
damme if I can bring myself to make him stop...

[Redbob]

Notably absent in Mr. Stein's life is any mention of the Houston Chronicle - think the Post feels a little threatened?

[Redbob]

Hey, great story!

Just wish you drove a Ford, that's all!
(grin)

[treeclimber]

Read this segment of the story. The subscription I cancelled was the Houston Comical. That editorial was written by Maureed Dowd and it pissed me off.

"This is how Stein gets his information, along with watching Fox News and skimming the local paper, to which he once canceled his subscription because he was so offended by an opinion column about Bush that began, "The Boy Emperor picked up the morning paper and, stunned, dropped his Juicy Juice box with the little straw attached."

[Straight Vermonter]

Funny thing is, folks like Mr. Stein are all over the country--even in The Post's backyard.

Even back here behind the maple curtain.

[MissAmericanPie]

Just a tad.=o)

[Wheee The People]

Do you have any idea how the Post found you? How were you identified as a conservative? In other words why you, as opposed to a hundred other conservatives in Sugerland?

[Tribune7]

This guy sounds like me.

[Tribune7]

I'm not sure, but I think the liberal media like using what they perceive as a negative stereotype to depict those of us on the right.

Yo, this guy sounds like me. (And I bet you he can articulate what he believes and why he believes it, a lot better than the fellow from the Post.)

[Tribune7]

Guy did a good job. You sound like an all right guy.

[treeclimber]

I think David Finkel contacted the local precinct chairman to get a few names. He talked to several others and settled on me.

[treeclimber]

Thanks.

[Mudboy Slim]

"...a video of what the site says is a U.S. Apache helicopter targeting and obliterating three Iraqis. "Another guy moving right there," one voice on the video says, all business. "Good. Fire. Hit him," another voice says."

AWW-RIIGHT!! Ain't being American GREAT?!

FReegards...MUD

[Redbob]

That's me and our local paper; the Denton Record-Chronicle was bought a couple years ago by the Dallas Morning Spew, and has gone down-hill ever since.

Finally, I cancelled my subscription altogether, last December, renewed my subscription to the Wall Street Journal, and have never looked back.

[.cnI redruM]

Some of the guys I hung out with in Northern Va. made this Stein guy look like a commie pink-wiener. An utterly biased and insulting piece.

[GATOR NAVY]

This part jumped out at me.Yes, me too. All I could think of was "why should they be embarrassed"? My two boys ask for hugs and kisses every morning before they leave for school. I guess according this writer, they're freaks of some sorts.

[beckett]

Hey don't feel bad I didn't know Tab Hunter was gay either, but I don't see how you missed the news on Rock Hudson, seeing as how it was a mega-story.

All in all, Finkel did not rake you over the coals too bad, and the beauty of your family comes shining through, which I know must make you proud.

It's in the very nature of reporting that some distortion and condescension factors in, since the reporter assumes the role of filter and judge. It's possible Finkel might have set out to do a hatchet job on you, but you blindsided him by being a good guy and nobody's fool. You represented your fellow conservatives well. Thank you.