Tuesday
HOW WE ARE GOING TO VOTE
WITH LESS THAN TWO WEEKS TO
ELECTION DAY, IT IS TIME FOR
SERIOUS THOUGHT ON HOW
WE ARE GOING TO VOTE
In last week's issue we reminded our readers of the
virtually identical quotes by Edmund Burke in the
18th century and George Santayana in the more
recent years of the 20th century: "Those who
cannot remember the past are condemned
(destined) to repeat it."
The implications of this philosophy came into focus
during the present election campaign when Barack
Obama was asked by the now well known "Joe, the
Plumber," during a campaign stop in Ohio concerning
the higher tax burden he would have to bear under
the Obama plans. Obama replied: "My attitude is
that if the economy is good for folks from the
bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody ... I
think when you spread the wealth around, it's
good for everybody."
"... spread the wealth around ..." In case you
have forgotten past history, redistributing the wealth
of a nation is a basic principle of the communist
program of Karl Marx, as expressed in his slogan
dating from 1875: "From each according to his
ability; to each according to his needs." And
that appears to be exactly where Obama plans to
take this nation if elected. Benefits accruing to the
more talented and hard working will be taken from
them in the form of increased taxation, and will be
redistributed to the under-achievers -- including in
our present situation the millions of illegal aliens
who cost us billions of dollars each year.
Those plans seem to have at their root both the
elimination and replacement of the capitalist system
which has made America the great nation that it has
always been. Broadly based fears are being voiced
that this is a first step toward Socialism.
Strikingly appropriate in line with these plans of
Barack Obama is this quote attributed to Nikita
Khrushchev, in June of 1959, about 3 months before
his visit to America for meetings with President
Eisenhower in September of that year: "We can't
expect the American people to jump from
capitalism to Communism but we can assist
their leaders by giving them small amounts of
Socialism until they awaken one day to find
out they have Communism."
But those are primarily financial issues; there
are also the moral issues, including at least two
major concerns: abortion and homosexual marriage
with its accompanying destruction of the traditional
American family. And despite the liberal outcry, the
American people do not really favor either of these
two elements of the liberal political platform. A new
poll conducted by the Marist College Institute of
Public Opinion just last month, disclosed that 84%
of American voters favor restrictions on abortion,
with 71% believing that life begins at conception.
70% of responders opposed same-sex marriage --
and lest it be felt that these were Roman Catholic
opinions, less than half of the people surveyed were
Catholics. There is obviously strong national
sentiment in favor of America's traditional moral
values despite the loud voices of the liberals, and
the homosexuals in our society.
But the positions of the two major candidates are
in direct opposition on those points. Obama has
made clear his strong support for abortion-on-
demand by strangely equating a woman's "right" to
kill an unborn baby with our First Amendment rights,
stating that neither "should be subject to popular
vote." Expressing his position on this subject, John
McCain said simply that he is "proudly pro-life."
And as for homosexual marriage, the Democrat
position is being referred to as Joe Biden's
"Marriage of Convenience." In the recent debate
between vice-presidential candidates, Biden was
absolutely clear and definite in saying: "I will tell
Americans straight up that I don't support
defining marriage as anything but between one
man and one woman...I'm being as straight up
with Americans as I can in my non-support for
anything but a traditional definition of marriage.."
Then just a couple of weeks later he appeared this
week on the Ellen Degeneres show and did a fast,
180 degree turn and said, "If I lived in California,
I'd clearly vote against Prop 8." (Proposition 8
defines marriage in California as between a man
and a woman.) Convictions as fluidly changeable as
Biden's make it difficult (no, impossible) for a voter
to vote for a candidate based on what his position
on an issue really is. A thought for November 4.
And from California reports are coming in that
thousands of lawn signs expressing "Yes on 8" have
been stolen or destroyed, with instances of vandalism
on the homes where the signs appeared. Cash
rewards are being offered for information on the
vandals in the homosexual community who are
violating First Amendment rights of free expression.
If you have friends living in California, urge them to
vote "Yes" on Proposition 8.
Jesse Jackson is still active, even if we don't
hear from him as often as we used to. Last week at
a World Policy Forum in Evian, France, he urged,
"Prepare for a new America," and admitted that
although "Zionists who have controlled American
policy for decades," will remain strong, he predicted
that they will lose a great deal of their clout when
Barack Obama becomes president."Obama is about
change," he said, and warned that the greatest change
would occur in the Middle East, where "decades of
putting Israel's interests first will end." One more
thought to keep in mind on November 4.
Finally, if anyone believes the polls, here's a
Halloween type quote which is really frightening:
"You are more likely to be killed by a meteor
dropping on your head than McCain becoming
president," according to Professor Michael McDonald,
who specializes in polls at George Mason University.
Regardless of present day issues, in these pages
we try never to forget the principles and convictions
of the Founding Fathers who established this nation.
Concerns about banking aren't new; consider
this quote from a famous Founding Father: "I
believe that banking institutions are more
dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
If the American people ever allow private banks
to control the issue of their currency, first by
inflation, then by deflation, the banks and
corporations that will grow up around the banks
will deprive the people of all property until their
children wake-up homeless on the continent
their fathers conquered." - Thomas Jefferson, 1806
And if you're still willing to learn, consider this
from a wise man of our own time: “I mean to live
my life as an obedient man, but obedient to God,
subservient to the wisdom of my ancestors;
never to the authority of political truths arrived
at yesterday at the voting booth.” -- William F.
Buckley Jr., 1985
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
Remember that lawsuit against God? A state
Senator in Nebraska, Ernie Chambers, filed a
lawsuit seeking a permanent injunction against God
for terrorist acts against mankind. After due
consideration, a District judge dismissed the case
on the grounds that the named defendant could not
properly be served because of an unlisted home
address. Senator Chambers, himself a law school
graduate, found fault with the court's ruling: "Since
God knows everything, God has notice of this
lawsuit." Hopefully this is the end of the story, but
things being as they are, one never knows.
Concerning the present financial crisis, we have
not commented, but from a Christian standpoint this
situation can be considered to provide an opportunity
to look about your own community to determine if
there are situations where you can help others. Even
as financial experts will be offering debt counseling,
so Christian believers can offer spiritual counseling
to individuals experiencing stress and depression.
The comparison has been made that when disasters
like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina struck we accepted
the challenge of helping others. This period has been
described as an "economic storm." The need to help
is just as keen now as then.
A different view of Islam: this past week, at the
sixth annual conference on Jerusalem, held this year
in Doha, Qatar, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi told the
300 participants, "The collapse of the capitalist
system... is proof that it is in crisis and shows
that Islamic economic philosophy is holding up...
We have a complete economic philosophy as
well as spiritual strength." He urged the Muslims
present to "profit from this crisis to bring about
the triumph of the Islamic nation, which holds
the spiritual and material resources for victory."
A Founding Father's warning about dangers like
the ones we face today: "There are more instances
of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by
gradual and silent encroachments of those in
power than by violent and sudden usurpations."
-- James Madison, 1788
-- James Madison, 1788
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