Joseph's Bedtime Story

by Michael Gregory Steele and Herman B. Hayes

Every Sunday evening I try and share an inspirational story about parenting.

Being the incredible father I am, I often read my 8 year old son Joseph to sleep. I'll usually read half a chapter or so of an Ann Coulter or Bill O'Reilly book to help soothe him to sleep. If he prematurely drifts into a slumber, I'll nudge him with a firm elbow so I can continue to preach the gospel of conservatism to him.

Early last week I started reading a book to him that's near and dear to my heart: Sean Hannity's masterpiece "Deliver Us From Evil." This is a book that insightfully traces the root of all the world's problems to the abstract concept of evil. This is a book I've already had to replace because I've read it so many times. Even my newest copy is already beginning to show some serious signs of wear.

As I was reading a chapter of this book to Joseph and lulling him to sleep with Sean's sweet song of patriotism little Joseph opened his eyes and spoke. "I heard that they never found those WMDs in Iraq and that President Bush may have lied about them being there," he naively said.

I choked on my next sentence and quickly exited Joseph's bedroom almost tripping over myself as I left. I grabbed the bathroom sink to try and steady myself. I splashed some cold water onto my face in a vain attempt to stop my body from trembling.

What is going on with this family? First Michael Jr. befriends an atheist and now my other son is spewing vile liberal propaganda. Once the color returned to my face I calmly walked back into Joseph's bedroom.

"Who put this idiotic idea into your head, Joseph?"

He told me had accidentally turned to a news station that wasn't Fox News. It was an honest mistake he says, but one that I won't allow to happen again. His TV has since been removed from his room and it will no longer pose a threat to his young impressionable mind.

For this first time in my life I had failed to protect my own son from the insidious liberal mainstream media. As I tucked young Joseph into his bed I vowed never to allow his ears to be met with such a poisonous pronouncement. I let my guard down for a second, but never again, Joseph. Never again.