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's Harry 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, as saying 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's book, Help! Mom! There are Liberals 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.

Help! Mom! There are Liberals Under My Bed! is available on Amazon.com.

A. M. Siriano is a DBA/web developer by day and writes for his own website, amsiriano.com, by night. First published on amsiriano.com.

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