WEST MONROE, La. (AP) — "Faith. Family. Ducks." It’s theunofficial motto for the
family featured in the TV reality show DuckDynasty and that homespun philosophy permeates nearly
everything in thissmall north Louisiana town.It’s perhaps most on display at theWhite’s Ferry Road
Church of Christ in West Monroe, where the Robertsonfamily prays and preaches most Sunday mornings.The
family —including patriarch Phil Robertson, who ignited a controversy last weekwhen he told a magazine
reporter that gays are sinners andAfrican-Americans were happy under Jim Crow laws — were in a front
pewthis past Sunday. And standing by beliefs they say are deeply rooted intheir reading of the Bible.The
rest of the flock, decked out inDuck Dynasty hats and bandannas, stood by the family and the
sentimentsPhil Robertson expressed.Alan, Robertson’s eldest son, helped deliver a Christmas-themed
sermon. He started off by referring to last week’s controversy."Hope your week went well," he
dead-panned. "Ours was kinda’ slow."Hewas referring, of course, to Phil’s forced hiatus: TV
network A&Esuspended Phil last week after remarks about blacks and gays caused apublic
uproar.But the controversy barely resonated above theorgan music at White’s Ferry Road Church. Son
Willie — the CEO of themultimillion dollar Duck Commander duck call and decoy enterprise thatinspired
reality show producers to give the family a show — put oncamouflage wader overalls and baptized three
people, including one manwith cancer."Who’s going to be the lord of your life?" he
asked,before dipping the man back into the baptismal pool at the front of thechurch.To the people of
West Monroe, this is the Robertsonfamily: honest, family-focused and filled with the love of God
andJesus. It’s the family that brought the spotlight to West Monroe,population 13,000, and in doing so
put in sharp relief the cultural,political and religious differences that define — and often divide
—America.Folks here don’t care that Phil Robertson told a GQreporter that gays are sinners who are going
to hell. Or that as a youthhe picked cotton with African-Americans and never saw "the
mistreatmentof any black person. Not once."They do care that A&Esuspended Phil. The move,
they say, was unfair and an affront toviewers, to the Robertsons and to Christians
everywhere."Theprogram and his comments take a snapshot and it doesn’t represent thetotality of
what the guy is all about," said Richard Laban, the owner ofRedneck Roots, a downtown West Monroe
store that sells some ‘DuckDynasty’ T-shirts and souvenirs."A&E reacted entirely too
quickly," added Laban. "They really treated Phil as if he was a terrorist."Withits lakes
and rolling hills and pine forests, West Monroe in northernLouisiana is Duck Country USA, a place where
Robertson and his four sonsbuilt an empire on duck call devices and decoys before becoming wildlypopular
TV stars.Politicians have taken a stand on thecontroversy — Sarah Palin posted a picture on her Facebook
page of herwith the reality show clan with the message, "Free Speech is anendangered
species."Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal also lamented thesuspension.Even State Rep. Marcus Hunter — a
Democrat and blackman who represents West Monroe — issued a statement saying that "thefaith and
family structure exhibited by the Robertsons on the hitA&E show is part of the allure which
makes it so special."Hunterdid say he would like to "enlighten" Robertson about the
"challengesand triumphs of black people during and after Jim Crow."To be sure, not everyone
here agrees with the Robertsons.JohnDenison, a former Monroe TV personality who is gay and the head
ofForum for Equality, a group that advocates for the equality of gay,lesbian, bisexual and transgender
rights, said he’s appalled byRobertson’s remarks."I want Phil Robertson and the world to knowthat
what he said hurt me and many people here in our state," saidDenison, who wrote an open letter to
Robertson, asking him to dinner todiscuss "not what separates us but what brings us
together."Denison said Robertson’s beliefs do not resonate with everyone in Louisiana."I’m a
Christian," said Denison. "No one wants to talk about my Christ, they only want to talk about
their brand."Rev.Welton Gaddy, who preaches at the Northminster Baptist Church in Monroeand is the
president of a national group called the InterfaithAlliance, said it saddens him to think that people
would assume allLouisiana residents think the same as Robertson about gays and
AfricanAmericans."There are some of us who are working hard every dayfor justice for everybody in
this nation, for equality for everybody inthis nation, and we don’t appreciate people tearing that
down," Gaddysaid. "If Robertson wants to do that as an entertainer, go to it. But todo that in
the name of religion crosses the line."But like manypeople across America who enjoy the show,
Robertson’s fans here in WestMonroe see something genuine about the reality TV family and believe
hespeaks his brand of the truth. Even though it’s a program about a groupof wealthy business owners who
hunt and fish, people say it accuratelyreflects life here, as well as its Christian and American
foundations.Whenoutsiders in New York or Hollywood make fun of the show — or worse,criticize Robertson
for his beliefs — it’s like part of the country iscriticizing the essence of West Monroe. To the people
here, it’s justproof that a segment of America doesn’t understand the rural,conservative, Christian part
of this country.They — theNortherners, the liberals, the non-Christians — don’t get us, peoplehere
think. Ironically, those Northerners are the ones who put WestMonroe on the map in the first place by
producing Duck Dynasty for TV.Marilyn Lovett of West Monroe shrugs off the criticism. The
"ducks," as she calls them, reflect her and her people."Wholesomevalues," she said.
"The fact that they pray after every dadgum meal. Ijust think it’s wonderful. I wish there was more
people like them."When asked about what people elsewhere in America thought when they read
Robertson’s comments in GQ, she shrugged."I don’t really care," she said. "They sure as
hell don’t care about what we think down here."DuckDynasty, which is one of the most-watched
reality shows of all time, isnaturally the area’s biggest tourist draw. The Robertsons not only own
alarge gift store and warehouse where they sell everything from brandedbody wash to "Bearded
Blend" coffee to a camouflage recliner, but theyhave opened Willie’s Duck Diner and a women’s
boutique called Duck andDressing.There are self-guided tour maps, so fans can visitplaces seen on the
show — the church, hardware store and doughnut shopare on the tour — and people say that West Monroe,
and the Robertsons,are popular because it’s all a throwback to small-town America."I’veknown Phil
for 30 years," said Mike Walsworth, the owner of theGingerbread Shop, an antique and gift shop.
"He hasn’t changed for 30years."In the store’s window, there’s a miniature holiday village and
model train in the window.Thetiny drive-in theater’s movie marquee shows "It’s a Wonderful
Life,"and, indeed, West Monroe could perhaps be mistaken for a smaller BedfordFalls — if reality
hadn’t come to town.___Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralushCopyright 2013 The
Associated Press. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
orredistributed.