Tuesday
QUO VADIS IS NOW
`
THIS MAY NOT MEAN MUCH TO YOU,
but this is the last issue of Vol. 1 of this
newsletter. We began on a weekly basis on
June 16, 2003, so we have now completed
6 years. Next week's issue will be "Vol. 13,
No. 1" and we will have something special
to say about it. For now please remember
the link which will take you to each week's
issue in case email delivery to your in-box
fails: http://american-news.notlong.com
Thank you . . . and enjoy this week's issue!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
IF THE LATIN PHRASE 'QUO VADIS'
IS EVER TO HAVE MEANING IN
AMERICA, THAT TIME IS NOW
"Whither goest thou?" "Where are we
going?" Accompanying the use of this
phrase in our current discourse is another
one, this one in English rather than Latin:
"Be afraid ... be very much afraid." A
very hasty bit of research found several
different applications; one by Lee Brodie
with reference to the stock market; another
by Phil Kerpen referring to the Obama
administration's plan for a national Value
Added Tax (VAT); another by Joe Hakum
with reference to voting for Barack Obama;
another by Tracey Watson with reference
to teaching sex to teen-agers in school,
and another with reference to the book
with that title, by Anne Schraff.
It is, obviously, a perfectly valid practice
to utilize those two phrases in combination --
"Where are we going . . . be afraid, be very
much afraid." And when we apply the first
one ("Where are we going") to the present
situation in America, the second one ("Be
afraid, be very much afraid") follows quite
logically.
The Obama administration is doing much
that is beyond our primary focus of interest,
including a sweeping reform of our health
care systems; spending vast amounts of
money (trillions of dollars) to cover financial
shortfalls in various businesses; taking on
the managing and operating of banks, auto
manufacturers and other aspects of our
national life, and incurring debts in massive
proportions for future generations to repay --
those are not our main concerns, but our
apprentice president and the coterie of his
liberal, left wing sycophants, who, in their
initial efforts have awed us as they displayed
their total incompetence -- they are remaking
America to fit their preconceived mold (but,
admittedly, better days may be ahead).
One of their major projects -- the reform
of our healthcare system will be presented
tonight (June 24) in an extended "infomercial"
from the White House on ABC-TV -- which
is currently being referred to as the "All Barack
Channel." (For those of us whose memories
are keen enough, we can recall the years when
CNN was referred to as the "Clinton News
Network.") As Doug Patton wrote this week:
"The mainstream media is so in love with
Barack Obama that they continually try
to one-up each other in their sycophantic
coverage of their new president. But ABC
has raised the stakes by taking up residence
in the White House for a day in order to
spew the Official Party Line on health care."
Some of the undertakings assumed by the
Obama administration are not only beyond
our main area of concern, but are also
proving to be "firsts" for any American
president in the history of our nation. They
include the socialist-style operation of our
institutions like major banks and industries.
But there are also other "firsts" which do
directly concern us -- such as being the
first president to deny America's position
as a Christian nation ... the first president
to apologize for our "arrogance" in our
sacrifices in behalf of the free world in
previous world wars ... his much heralded
speech from Cairo included blaming our
nation for colonialism, for conduct of the
Cold War and somehow for all of the
frustrations Muslims face ... he also
apologized for our efforts to stop terrorism
after 9/11... and he has also been the first
president to expand the use of American
funds to encourage the killing of babies
through abortion ... the first president to
pledge to repeal federal law defining the
traditional Christian concept of marriage
as being between a man and a woman ...
those are some Obama administration
"firsts" which concern us Christians.
As patriotic Americans, it is our challenge
to speak out against the president's often
repeated shaming of our nation before
other countries of the world. We have
always been and must always be a people
proud of our nation, and all that America
stands for. We should never have to see
our president bowing the Saudi king, or
apologizing to anyone, anywhere, for our
role in history. For some reason all of this
reminds us of the statement made by Mrs.
Obama in February of 2008, during the
presidential campaign,"For the first time
in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of
my country."
Taking all these factors into account,
if we ask the first question, "Where are we
going?" the answer will prompt the use of
the second phrase, "Be afraid . . . be very
much afraid."
Something has to be said about the riots
in Iran. But what? There are so many views
being expressed -- but no one, not even
those most directly involved -- knows what
is going to happen. One headline expressed
it this way: "From Jimmy Carter to Barack
Obama -- a horror story." Looking back
some 30 years to 1979, it is true that then
President Carter was largely responsible for
aiding in deposing the pro-West Shah and
then placing in power Ayatollah Khomeini,
whom Carter trusted and endorsed as being
a "holy man." Upon Khomeini's death in
1989 he was succeeded by the present
Ayatollah Khomeini, who is the supreme
ruler of Iran. The recent election with much
suspicion of fraud, became the divisive
issue to cause several days of rioting, but
with little apparent lasting effect on the
government of Iran. The four presidential
candidates were all selected and approved
by Khomeini. With the ousting of the Shah
in 1979, millions of pro-West Iranians fled
to other countries. The result is that today
some 50% of Iranians are under 30 years
old and have known no other government.
An underlying yearning for freedom and
liberty prevails, and the US had allocated
millions of dollars to encourage such views,
until the Obama administration cut off those
funds. While what Carter did was indeed a
horror story -- but that was 30 years ago.
President Obama has offered mild words
of rebuke, but has been openly and frankly
afraid of being accused of meddling -- yet
he keeps insisting he wants to negotiate
with President Ahmadinejad, and that could
surely be considered as meddling. Along
with everyone else, we will have to wait to
see what happens. One thing we do know
for sure_ Jimmy Carter should be restrained
from traveling around the world, making
further blunders and recommending our
support for the wrong people -- who would
merit the title of "terrorists" if that word were
included as acceptable in the new politically
correct lexicon.
Last week we offered "Mini Editorials"
to share with our readers thoughts from
others who have similar concerns about
what is happening to America. Here are a
few from this week's research, carefully
chosen from perhaps a score of "possibles."
"The president has a lot on his plate, so I
don’t want to be unfair. It takes a lot of
hours to bankrupt a nation while running
several major industries and getting ready
to direct health care and control our
climate. He needs to drop something from
the 'to do' list. Here’s my suggestion: You
could stop bashing democracies like Israel,
which is on our side, and instead bash
tyrants that hate America." (Gary Bauer)
"History is made by the conservatives and
re-written by the liberals. They still credit
Mikhail Gorbachev for the fall of the Soviet
Union. Not Lech Walesa. Not Margaret
Thatcher. Not Pope John Paul II. And
certainly not Ronald Reagan. No, never
Ronald Reagan. That would be an
admission that peace comes through
strength and that everything the Left told
us for 70 years about the Soviets was a
lie. Gorbachev. Sure, just like death cures
cancer." (Don Surber)
“Considering Obama’s questionable
place of birth, his early education in a
Muslim school, his denunciation of our
closest allies, his unqualified apologies
for our nation’s beneficence to the world-
at-large, his blatant inaccuracy
concerning our Judeo-Christian heritage,
his indefatigable effort to dismantle the
traditional concept of marriage and the
certain butchery of innocent babies via
the abortion process, the rupture of the
undeniably finest medical system the
world has ever known, it is more than
difficult to ignore the view that his
agenda is the total eradication of the
principles and practices that in
combination have made the United States
what native-born and legally-constituted
American citizens have desired. If such
does not constitute treason, then truth
itself has ceased to exist." (Gene L. Jeffries)
President Obama's signing a memorandum
extending benefits to the same-sex partners
of federal employees "is a direct violation
of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
and a big step toward redefining marriage.
The president thumbed his nose at the rule
of law and continues to undermine marriage
as society’s most pro-child institution...
Congress already defined marriage for
purposes of federal law in 1996 with the
passage of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Treating same-sex partners as the
equivalent of spouses is therefore a direct
violation of DOMA and merely Obama's
contribution to the clearly-stated, gay-
activist agenda of redefining marriage
and family.” (Tom Minnery)
"So far, 'hope and change' has meant
spending trillions we do not have on
expanded government we do not need.
Meanwhile, the huddled masses of
Iranians yearning to breathe free think
hope and change means something
more. But the new American colossus
stands all but silent, her beacon dimmed,
her luster tarnished. Please, Mr. President,
prove me wrong. Stop voting 'present' on
democracy." (Jonah Goldberg)
A quote from a Founding Father as we
come to Independence Day, the 4th of July:
“Why is it that, next to the birthday of the
Savior of the world, your most joyous and
most venerated festival returns on the
Fourth of July? Is it not that, in the chain
of human events, the birthday of the nation
is indissolubly linked with the birthday of
the Savior? That it forms a leading event
in the progress of the Gospel dispensation?
And is it not that the Declaration of
Independence first organized the social
compact on the foundation of the
Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it
laid the cornerstone of human government
upon the first precepts of Christianity"?
-- John Quincy Adams, 1837
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
Until someone tells us differently, and
as long as our readers write to say they enjoy
them, we will continue to bring you some
of the "One Liners" we come across during
the week's research. Admit it: there is a lot
of truth expressed in just a few words.
"Today, fact and truth suffer the narcissism
of a generation of self-indulgent ideologues
who have sought to shape the world to their
belief system, doing so armed with little more
than falsely elevated self-esteem." (Frank Salvato)
"Don't Call What Happened in Iran Last
Week an Election." (Christopher Hitchens)
"Love or lust, Obama and the fawning press
need to get a room." (Phil Bronstein)
"Of all the enemies we face today and may
face tomorrow, the most dangerous is our
own wishful thinking." (Ralph Peters)
"Barack Obama is overexposed and under-
challenged." (Brent Bozell)
As we were saying about polls: President
Obama had been faring well in the various
polls in weeks past, but in more recent
weeks his approval ratings by the American
people have been slipping. The Gallup poll
showing approval of his job performance
had averaged 63% since his inauguration in
January. This past week it had slipped 5%
to 58. Rasmussen's daily approval rating
index had been around 30 after inaugural
day, but had been in steady decline into the
+1 to +3 range until the past weekend when
for the first time it slipped into negative
territory. On a longer time scale basis, only
31% of voters believe that the US will be the
most powerful nation in the world at the end
of this century. 35% disagree and 34% are
not sure. This headline caught our attention
this week: "Are the American people
starting to catch on"?
Apparently the president's daily personal
television appearances have not been
accomplishing all that he intended for them
to do. And apparently also, many Americans
are tired of his irresponsible talk and reckless
actions in snubbing allies like leaders of
Great Britain and France, while fraternizing
with Islamic oriented countries.
People are saying about the president's
obvious desire to become a TV personality,
that it could be pointed out that Obama
spent more time with TV talk show host
Stephen Colbert, taping a segment for his
part in a TV comedy show, than he did in
responding to the turmoil in Iran this week.
And someone suggested that NBC had
perhaps acted too hastily in naming a
replacement for Jay Leno on the network's
"Tonight Show."
A Founding Father's government quote:
"If the people let government decide what
foods they eat and what medicines they take,
their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state
as are the souls of those who live under
tyranny." -- Thomas Jefferson
- - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
To Subscribe - (No subscription charge):
american_news-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
THIS MAY NOT MEAN MUCH TO YOU,
but this is the last issue of Vol. 1 of this
newsletter. We began on a weekly basis on
June 16, 2003, so we have now completed
6 years. Next week's issue will be "Vol. 13,
No. 1" and we will have something special
to say about it. For now please remember
the link which will take you to each week's
issue in case email delivery to your in-box
fails: http://american-news.notlong.com
Thank you . . . and enjoy this week's issue!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
IF THE LATIN PHRASE 'QUO VADIS'
IS EVER TO HAVE MEANING IN
AMERICA, THAT TIME IS NOW
"Whither goest thou?" "Where are we
going?" Accompanying the use of this
phrase in our current discourse is another
one, this one in English rather than Latin:
"Be afraid ... be very much afraid." A
very hasty bit of research found several
different applications; one by Lee Brodie
with reference to the stock market; another
by Phil Kerpen referring to the Obama
administration's plan for a national Value
Added Tax (VAT); another by Joe Hakum
with reference to voting for Barack Obama;
another by Tracey Watson with reference
to teaching sex to teen-agers in school,
and another with reference to the book
with that title, by Anne Schraff.
It is, obviously, a perfectly valid practice
to utilize those two phrases in combination --
"Where are we going . . . be afraid, be very
much afraid." And when we apply the first
one ("Where are we going") to the present
situation in America, the second one ("Be
afraid, be very much afraid") follows quite
logically.
The Obama administration is doing much
that is beyond our primary focus of interest,
including a sweeping reform of our health
care systems; spending vast amounts of
money (trillions of dollars) to cover financial
shortfalls in various businesses; taking on
the managing and operating of banks, auto
manufacturers and other aspects of our
national life, and incurring debts in massive
proportions for future generations to repay --
those are not our main concerns, but our
apprentice president and the coterie of his
liberal, left wing sycophants, who, in their
initial efforts have awed us as they displayed
their total incompetence -- they are remaking
America to fit their preconceived mold (but,
admittedly, better days may be ahead).
One of their major projects -- the reform
of our healthcare system will be presented
tonight (June 24) in an extended "infomercial"
from the White House on ABC-TV -- which
is currently being referred to as the "All Barack
Channel." (For those of us whose memories
are keen enough, we can recall the years when
CNN was referred to as the "Clinton News
Network.") As Doug Patton wrote this week:
"The mainstream media is so in love with
Barack Obama that they continually try
to one-up each other in their sycophantic
coverage of their new president. But ABC
has raised the stakes by taking up residence
in the White House for a day in order to
spew the Official Party Line on health care."
Some of the undertakings assumed by the
Obama administration are not only beyond
our main area of concern, but are also
proving to be "firsts" for any American
president in the history of our nation. They
include the socialist-style operation of our
institutions like major banks and industries.
But there are also other "firsts" which do
directly concern us -- such as being the
first president to deny America's position
as a Christian nation ... the first president
to apologize for our "arrogance" in our
sacrifices in behalf of the free world in
previous world wars ... his much heralded
speech from Cairo included blaming our
nation for colonialism, for conduct of the
Cold War and somehow for all of the
frustrations Muslims face ... he also
apologized for our efforts to stop terrorism
after 9/11... and he has also been the first
president to expand the use of American
funds to encourage the killing of babies
through abortion ... the first president to
pledge to repeal federal law defining the
traditional Christian concept of marriage
as being between a man and a woman ...
those are some Obama administration
"firsts" which concern us Christians.
As patriotic Americans, it is our challenge
to speak out against the president's often
repeated shaming of our nation before
other countries of the world. We have
always been and must always be a people
proud of our nation, and all that America
stands for. We should never have to see
our president bowing the Saudi king, or
apologizing to anyone, anywhere, for our
role in history. For some reason all of this
reminds us of the statement made by Mrs.
Obama in February of 2008, during the
presidential campaign,"For the first time
in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of
my country."
Taking all these factors into account,
if we ask the first question, "Where are we
going?" the answer will prompt the use of
the second phrase, "Be afraid . . . be very
much afraid."
Something has to be said about the riots
in Iran. But what? There are so many views
being expressed -- but no one, not even
those most directly involved -- knows what
is going to happen. One headline expressed
it this way: "From Jimmy Carter to Barack
Obama -- a horror story." Looking back
some 30 years to 1979, it is true that then
President Carter was largely responsible for
aiding in deposing the pro-West Shah and
then placing in power Ayatollah Khomeini,
whom Carter trusted and endorsed as being
a "holy man." Upon Khomeini's death in
1989 he was succeeded by the present
Ayatollah Khomeini, who is the supreme
ruler of Iran. The recent election with much
suspicion of fraud, became the divisive
issue to cause several days of rioting, but
with little apparent lasting effect on the
government of Iran. The four presidential
candidates were all selected and approved
by Khomeini. With the ousting of the Shah
in 1979, millions of pro-West Iranians fled
to other countries. The result is that today
some 50% of Iranians are under 30 years
old and have known no other government.
An underlying yearning for freedom and
liberty prevails, and the US had allocated
millions of dollars to encourage such views,
until the Obama administration cut off those
funds. While what Carter did was indeed a
horror story -- but that was 30 years ago.
President Obama has offered mild words
of rebuke, but has been openly and frankly
afraid of being accused of meddling -- yet
he keeps insisting he wants to negotiate
with President Ahmadinejad, and that could
surely be considered as meddling. Along
with everyone else, we will have to wait to
see what happens. One thing we do know
for sure_ Jimmy Carter should be restrained
from traveling around the world, making
further blunders and recommending our
support for the wrong people -- who would
merit the title of "terrorists" if that word were
included as acceptable in the new politically
correct lexicon.
Last week we offered "Mini Editorials"
to share with our readers thoughts from
others who have similar concerns about
what is happening to America. Here are a
few from this week's research, carefully
chosen from perhaps a score of "possibles."
"The president has a lot on his plate, so I
don’t want to be unfair. It takes a lot of
hours to bankrupt a nation while running
several major industries and getting ready
to direct health care and control our
climate. He needs to drop something from
the 'to do' list. Here’s my suggestion: You
could stop bashing democracies like Israel,
which is on our side, and instead bash
tyrants that hate America." (Gary Bauer)
"History is made by the conservatives and
re-written by the liberals. They still credit
Mikhail Gorbachev for the fall of the Soviet
Union. Not Lech Walesa. Not Margaret
Thatcher. Not Pope John Paul II. And
certainly not Ronald Reagan. No, never
Ronald Reagan. That would be an
admission that peace comes through
strength and that everything the Left told
us for 70 years about the Soviets was a
lie. Gorbachev. Sure, just like death cures
cancer." (Don Surber)
“Considering Obama’s questionable
place of birth, his early education in a
Muslim school, his denunciation of our
closest allies, his unqualified apologies
for our nation’s beneficence to the world-
at-large, his blatant inaccuracy
concerning our Judeo-Christian heritage,
his indefatigable effort to dismantle the
traditional concept of marriage and the
certain butchery of innocent babies via
the abortion process, the rupture of the
undeniably finest medical system the
world has ever known, it is more than
difficult to ignore the view that his
agenda is the total eradication of the
principles and practices that in
combination have made the United States
what native-born and legally-constituted
American citizens have desired. If such
does not constitute treason, then truth
itself has ceased to exist." (Gene L. Jeffries)
President Obama's signing a memorandum
extending benefits to the same-sex partners
of federal employees "is a direct violation
of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
and a big step toward redefining marriage.
The president thumbed his nose at the rule
of law and continues to undermine marriage
as society’s most pro-child institution...
Congress already defined marriage for
purposes of federal law in 1996 with the
passage of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Treating same-sex partners as the
equivalent of spouses is therefore a direct
violation of DOMA and merely Obama's
contribution to the clearly-stated, gay-
activist agenda of redefining marriage
and family.” (Tom Minnery)
"So far, 'hope and change' has meant
spending trillions we do not have on
expanded government we do not need.
Meanwhile, the huddled masses of
Iranians yearning to breathe free think
hope and change means something
more. But the new American colossus
stands all but silent, her beacon dimmed,
her luster tarnished. Please, Mr. President,
prove me wrong. Stop voting 'present' on
democracy." (Jonah Goldberg)
A quote from a Founding Father as we
come to Independence Day, the 4th of July:
“Why is it that, next to the birthday of the
Savior of the world, your most joyous and
most venerated festival returns on the
Fourth of July? Is it not that, in the chain
of human events, the birthday of the nation
is indissolubly linked with the birthday of
the Savior? That it forms a leading event
in the progress of the Gospel dispensation?
And is it not that the Declaration of
Independence first organized the social
compact on the foundation of the
Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it
laid the cornerstone of human government
upon the first precepts of Christianity"?
-- John Quincy Adams, 1837
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
Until someone tells us differently, and
as long as our readers write to say they enjoy
them, we will continue to bring you some
of the "One Liners" we come across during
the week's research. Admit it: there is a lot
of truth expressed in just a few words.
"Today, fact and truth suffer the narcissism
of a generation of self-indulgent ideologues
who have sought to shape the world to their
belief system, doing so armed with little more
than falsely elevated self-esteem." (Frank Salvato)
"Don't Call What Happened in Iran Last
Week an Election." (Christopher Hitchens)
"Love or lust, Obama and the fawning press
need to get a room." (Phil Bronstein)
"Of all the enemies we face today and may
face tomorrow, the most dangerous is our
own wishful thinking." (Ralph Peters)
"Barack Obama is overexposed and under-
challenged." (Brent Bozell)
As we were saying about polls: President
Obama had been faring well in the various
polls in weeks past, but in more recent
weeks his approval ratings by the American
people have been slipping. The Gallup poll
showing approval of his job performance
had averaged 63% since his inauguration in
January. This past week it had slipped 5%
to 58. Rasmussen's daily approval rating
index had been around 30 after inaugural
day, but had been in steady decline into the
+1 to +3 range until the past weekend when
for the first time it slipped into negative
territory. On a longer time scale basis, only
31% of voters believe that the US will be the
most powerful nation in the world at the end
of this century. 35% disagree and 34% are
not sure. This headline caught our attention
this week: "Are the American people
starting to catch on"?
Apparently the president's daily personal
television appearances have not been
accomplishing all that he intended for them
to do. And apparently also, many Americans
are tired of his irresponsible talk and reckless
actions in snubbing allies like leaders of
Great Britain and France, while fraternizing
with Islamic oriented countries.
People are saying about the president's
obvious desire to become a TV personality,
that it could be pointed out that Obama
spent more time with TV talk show host
Stephen Colbert, taping a segment for his
part in a TV comedy show, than he did in
responding to the turmoil in Iran this week.
And someone suggested that NBC had
perhaps acted too hastily in naming a
replacement for Jay Leno on the network's
"Tonight Show."
A Founding Father's government quote:
"If the people let government decide what
foods they eat and what medicines they take,
their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state
as are the souls of those who live under
tyranny." -- Thomas Jefferson
- - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
To Subscribe - (No subscription charge):
american_news-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
