Rev. Dr. Jerry Fallwell, Dead at 73

While I have no great respect for Fallwell's political interests, I do have great respect for his willingness to defend his beliefs (and the lack of personal scandal surrounding his life). Liberty Baptist (founded by Fallwell) hosts a debate tournament every year and just prior to the final awards ceremony, Fallwell hosted a question/answer session for the participants. If you haven't already guessed, debaters are incredibly argumentative, scary-smart people who tend to lean left....way left. Fallwell allowed the debaters to ask him questions on any topic - no holds barred. He was gracious, respectful and seemed to be a genuinely nice guy. I also noticed that, as of late, Fallwell avoided many of the media trappings enjoyed by the likes of Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson. Probably the best thing that could have happened to his reputation. RIP Jerry.