Wednesday
THERE IS MORE TO CONCERN US
`
THERE IS MORE TO CONCERN US AS
CHRISTIANS THAN JUST OBAMA'S
FALLING APPROVAL RATINGS
In last week's issue we discussed the steady
downward trend in the ratings by the public of
President Obama's performance since taking
office. During the week just passed, that subject
has been much in the news, as one poll after
another confirmed that decline, using words
like "tumbling" and "plummeting."
More than one commentator is asking the same
question: "Is the Obama honeymoon over?"
And a quick survey of the various national polls
provides the same answer -- it is significant that
Obama's performance rating now places him at
10th out of the 12 post-war presidents. He has
slipped to a level below where George W. Bush
was at the same period in his presidency -- and
is 10 points below where Richard Nixon was after
one year in office. The Rasmussen Daily
Performance Rating Index remains in a negative
range around -9 to -11 -- the first time it has hit a
double-digit rating in negative territory.
On his overall performance rating, he has fallen
below 50% in most polls in July -- in the Zogby
poll only 48% approve his performance; in a
Fox News poll his approval rating dropped 8%
in July over June; a USA/Gallup poll on his
performance reached a new low in July, and a
WND Freedom Index showed a feeling on the
part of the American people that liberty has been
lost under Obama.
Looking to the future, a Rasmussen Poll shows
that 63% of American voters believe that the
nation is headed in the wrong direction -- only
31% feel we are headed in the right direction.
A Zogby poll on the same subject shows that
51% feel we are on the wrong track, with 41%
feeling we are going in the right direction. Thus
in the opinion of the American people, the
future doesn't look good under Barack Obama.
Perhaps most significant is a July Gallup
poll where Obama's leadership ability (not his
performance) is viewed favorably by 54%, but
in his dealing with the issues, 63% disapprove
with only 17% showing approval. However,
another rating scale involved his personal
characteristics -- which includes honesty --
and here there was a 24% negative vote with
only a 15% positive vote.
And that is where we, as Christians,
should be most concerned. This nation, which
was unquestionably created and intended by
our Founding Fathers to be a Christian nation,
is now being ruled by a president about whom
we know very little. For some reason he has
refused to disclose proof of where he was
born . . . his college and graduate school
records . . . his health reports . . . his records
pertaining to his religious beliefs; we know
he was brought up as a Muslim, but he has
offered no evidence, no baptismal records of
his conversion to the Christian faith, although
he spent more than 20 years in a church where
the minister proclaimed "God d--- America"
over "God bless America." We know that
he is half white and half black by heritage and
is half American, by heritage. In all of these
aspects of his background he stands absolutely
alone -- no president in American history has
been so secretive and has refused to disclose
such basic facts about himself.
And this is where we begin to notice that
there are serious concerns being expressed
by the American people. Think back, America:
when has our president ever been spoken of in
this way by reporters on the scene: "As I looked
at my notes about President Obama's press
conference on health care tonight, there was a
complete shock at the lies, evasive spin and lack
of facts in the answers the President foisted on
the American People." -- Sammy Benoit
Or when have you read an evaluation like this:
"In my 40 years here in Washington, D.C., I
have witnessed dozens of presidential news
conferences televised on primetime national
television... Not until last night, however,
had I ever seen a president lie and attempt
to deceive the American people regarding
health care as much as Barack Obama did."
-- Gary Bauer
"After a mere six months in office, the
American people are seeing the real Barack
Obama. The huckster who sold us a line of
socialist snake oil disguised as magic elixir
is starting to show his true colors. What we
witnessed at the president's press conference
is the community organizer who spent most
of his adult life sitting under the tutelage of
an America-hating bigot masquerading as
a Christian minister. Look for him to
continue 'acting stupidly.'" -- Doug Patton
"Although he was, by far, the least qualified,
the most inexperienced, and the most
intellectually flawed individual ever to seek
the presidency, his ability to read a speech
from a teleprompter with feigned conviction
and sincerity captivated the vast majority of
blacks and left-leaning whites."
-- Paul R. Hollrah, O.E..
"The president, in short, may be facing a real
loss. ... His news conference the other night
was bad. He was filibustery and spinny and
gave long and largely unfollowable answers
that seemed aimed at limiting the number of
questions asked and running out the clock.
You don't do that when you're fully confident.
Far more seriously, he didn't seem to be
telling the truth." -- Columnist Peggy Noonan
This is our president, referred to as the "leader
of the free world," being and openly accused
of telling lies, of ignoring the facts, of being
inexperienced and intellectually flawed, and
most important to us as Christians -- breaking
the more than 200 year history of American
presidents who professed the Christian faith.
His actions while in office have often been anti-
Christian in nature -- his open support of the
homosexual life style which is condemned by
God ... his advocacy of the killing of babies
through abortion ... his pledge to destroy the
traditional American family through repeal of
the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
None of these could represent the beliefs of a
Christian, and all of these relate to the broader
concern which is being so openly expressed
by the nation's news commentators.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AN IMPORTANT INTERRUPTION!
Right now, before Congress takes off for
the August recess -- take a few minutes to
phone your Senators and Representative
and tell them to oppose the proposed health
plan. The phone number: (202) 224 - 3121,
And while they are back at home, call your
Representative at his/her local office. Let
them know how the people back at home
feel about some of these proposed bills.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And consider this poignant confession from
Lauri Ringer: "I voted for Obama! That's right,
Robert Ringer's strong-minded daughter (yes,
the social activist, best selling author) was swept
away by the waves of social convention and a
sea of 'change' rhetoric. Mortified, I've watched
as Obama and his machine have replaced my
ideals of liberty with their collectivist agenda.
To say the least, I, like millions of other naive
Americans, feel duped. Worse, I feel
embarrassed to the point that it's difficult to
look in the mirror." We wonder: how many
Christians who voted for Obama, like Lauri
feel embarrassed to look in the mirror? If you
are one, your prayer should be that God will
over-rule, and prevent Barack Hussein Obama
from destroying America as a Christian nation.
Two quotes from a Founding Father seem
to be appropriate for this time in America's life:
"There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so
contemptible; and he who permits himself to
tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a
second and a third time, till at length it becomes
habitual, he tells lies without attending to it,
and truths without the world's believing him."
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1785
"I think we have more machinery of government
than is necessary, too many parasites living on
the labor of the industrious."
--Thomas Jefferson, 1824
Not from a Founding Father, but from
a great American president who was always
proud of America, and who never denied his
Christian faith: "Let us, young and old, join
together, as did the First Continental
Congress, in the first step - humble, heartfelt
prayer. Let us do so for the Love of God and
His great goodness, in search of His guidance,
and the grace of repentance, in seeking His
blessings, His peace, and the resting of His
kind and holy hands on ourselves, our Nation,
our friends in the defense of freedom, and all
mankind, now and always." -- Ronald Reagan,
1988 National Day of Prayer Proclamation,
establishing by law the first Thursday in May
as the National Day of Prayer
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
It's difficult to stop citing 'one liners" --
they convey so much meaning in a few words.
Here are a few we came across this week:
"Facts have no place in the fantasy world
of Democratic policy-makers. Nor does history."
(Ann Coulter)
"It's truly amazing. How can some speak so
often and for so long, yet say so little. That is
the mystery of Barack Obama." (Bobby Eberle)
"The United States is declining as a nation and
a world power with mostly sighs and shrugs to
mark this seismic event." (Les Gelb)
"The 20th century may have been the American
Century. The 21st shows another pattern."
(Pat Buchanan)
"At least my God never forgets His word. That
is more than can be said of the Pseudomessiah
Barack Obama." (Internet- source unknown)
As you know, we don't sell books -- but often
an advertisement for a book makes some very
good sense. With that thought in mind we offer
an advertisement for your consideration -- it
makes a lot of sense: "One of the first things
Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and other totalitarians did
was rewrite the histories of their nations,
remaking the past to bolster their control of
the present. The American Left has done the
same thing in our country: Most American
history books -- both for students and adults --
are riddled with PC nonsense that makes the
Founding Fathers over into racist slaveholders,
the settlers of the West into genocidal land-
stealers, and the welfare state into America's
ultimate triumph." The book which is said to
refute this reasoning is "The politically Incorrect
Guide™to American History," by a professor
of history, Thomas E. Woods.
"The Four Horsemen of the Obamalypse"
was an interesting headline to report the
confrontation Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
faces while White House strongmen visit him
during this week: White House Special Envoy
George Mitchell; Secretary of Defense Robert
Gates; National Security Advisor James Jones,
and White House Iranian Advisor Dennis Ross.
Their visit follows the demand by Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton that Israel "cool it" with
respect to attacking Iran, and stop any building
projects in Jerusalem. Someone should remind
the present occupants of the White House that
Israel is our long time ally -- our only ally in the
Middle East. Meantime, over the past weekend
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas referred
to Jerusalem as the "the key for peace" and said
that justice and peace would not come to the
Middle East without there being established, in
his words: "an independent Palestinian state
with Jerusalem as its capital." That might even
be the demand those "Four Horsemen" are
trying to force upon the Israeli Prime Minister.
Al Gore just can't seem to win! At anything.
Marc Morano (ClimateDepot.com) reports that
all over the country temperatures have broken
new lows this "Summer," and blames it on the
trend of "global cooling" that has been evident
for more than seven years. Even Nashville, TN,
the home base for "Global Warming" creator,
Al Gore, recorded a new record low temperature
for the month of July, breaking the old record
which was set in 1877.
It is always difficult to anticipate Bill Clinton's
positions. As president he signed into law DOMA,
the Defense of Marriage Act -- the one Obama
has promised to repeal. Now this past week
Clinton came out in favor of same-sex "marriage."
He is not alone among Democrats in changing
his views on this issue -- in January, 2008 only
2 Democrat Senators backed same-sex marriage;
today that number has increased to 11. While
there might be some among them who endorse it,
to date no Republican Senators have voiced
support for it.
The Episcopal Church may have been hurt
by their decisions at their recent convention,
but according to Rev. Jay Johnson, an ordained
gay Episcopal priest, their actions "delivered
some good news to lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) Episcopalians," Citing
the decision to keep ordinations open to all,
Johnson said, "This is good news indeed, but
not terribly surprising. After all, the Episcopal
Church has been ordaining openly lesbian
and gay people as deacons and priests in
many locales for many years." The fact that
the church will certainly suffer further decreases
in membership does not seem to mean much
to the supporters of a homosexual life style.
From our 22nd and 24th president - actually
the same man, with the two terms 4 years apart:
"Let us not trust to human effort alone, but
humbly acknowledge the power and goodness
of Almighty God who presides over the
destiny of nations, and who has at all times
been revealed in our country's history, let us
invoke His aid and His blessings upon our
labors..." -- Grover Cleveland, 1885
"All must admit that the reception of the
teachings of Christ results in the purest
patriotism, in the most scrupulous fidelity to
public trust, and in the best type of citizenship."
-- Grover Cleveland, 1889
THERE IS MORE TO CONCERN US AS
CHRISTIANS THAN JUST OBAMA'S
FALLING APPROVAL RATINGS
In last week's issue we discussed the steady
downward trend in the ratings by the public of
President Obama's performance since taking
office. During the week just passed, that subject
has been much in the news, as one poll after
another confirmed that decline, using words
like "tumbling" and "plummeting."
More than one commentator is asking the same
question: "Is the Obama honeymoon over?"
And a quick survey of the various national polls
provides the same answer -- it is significant that
Obama's performance rating now places him at
10th out of the 12 post-war presidents. He has
slipped to a level below where George W. Bush
was at the same period in his presidency -- and
is 10 points below where Richard Nixon was after
one year in office. The Rasmussen Daily
Performance Rating Index remains in a negative
range around -9 to -11 -- the first time it has hit a
double-digit rating in negative territory.
On his overall performance rating, he has fallen
below 50% in most polls in July -- in the Zogby
poll only 48% approve his performance; in a
Fox News poll his approval rating dropped 8%
in July over June; a USA/Gallup poll on his
performance reached a new low in July, and a
WND Freedom Index showed a feeling on the
part of the American people that liberty has been
lost under Obama.
Looking to the future, a Rasmussen Poll shows
that 63% of American voters believe that the
nation is headed in the wrong direction -- only
31% feel we are headed in the right direction.
A Zogby poll on the same subject shows that
51% feel we are on the wrong track, with 41%
feeling we are going in the right direction. Thus
in the opinion of the American people, the
future doesn't look good under Barack Obama.
Perhaps most significant is a July Gallup
poll where Obama's leadership ability (not his
performance) is viewed favorably by 54%, but
in his dealing with the issues, 63% disapprove
with only 17% showing approval. However,
another rating scale involved his personal
characteristics -- which includes honesty --
and here there was a 24% negative vote with
only a 15% positive vote.
And that is where we, as Christians,
should be most concerned. This nation, which
was unquestionably created and intended by
our Founding Fathers to be a Christian nation,
is now being ruled by a president about whom
we know very little. For some reason he has
refused to disclose proof of where he was
born . . . his college and graduate school
records . . . his health reports . . . his records
pertaining to his religious beliefs; we know
he was brought up as a Muslim, but he has
offered no evidence, no baptismal records of
his conversion to the Christian faith, although
he spent more than 20 years in a church where
the minister proclaimed "God d--- America"
over "God bless America." We know that
he is half white and half black by heritage and
is half American, by heritage. In all of these
aspects of his background he stands absolutely
alone -- no president in American history has
been so secretive and has refused to disclose
such basic facts about himself.
And this is where we begin to notice that
there are serious concerns being expressed
by the American people. Think back, America:
when has our president ever been spoken of in
this way by reporters on the scene: "As I looked
at my notes about President Obama's press
conference on health care tonight, there was a
complete shock at the lies, evasive spin and lack
of facts in the answers the President foisted on
the American People." -- Sammy Benoit
Or when have you read an evaluation like this:
"In my 40 years here in Washington, D.C., I
have witnessed dozens of presidential news
conferences televised on primetime national
television... Not until last night, however,
had I ever seen a president lie and attempt
to deceive the American people regarding
health care as much as Barack Obama did."
-- Gary Bauer
"After a mere six months in office, the
American people are seeing the real Barack
Obama. The huckster who sold us a line of
socialist snake oil disguised as magic elixir
is starting to show his true colors. What we
witnessed at the president's press conference
is the community organizer who spent most
of his adult life sitting under the tutelage of
an America-hating bigot masquerading as
a Christian minister. Look for him to
continue 'acting stupidly.'" -- Doug Patton
"Although he was, by far, the least qualified,
the most inexperienced, and the most
intellectually flawed individual ever to seek
the presidency, his ability to read a speech
from a teleprompter with feigned conviction
and sincerity captivated the vast majority of
blacks and left-leaning whites."
-- Paul R. Hollrah, O.E..
"The president, in short, may be facing a real
loss. ... His news conference the other night
was bad. He was filibustery and spinny and
gave long and largely unfollowable answers
that seemed aimed at limiting the number of
questions asked and running out the clock.
You don't do that when you're fully confident.
Far more seriously, he didn't seem to be
telling the truth." -- Columnist Peggy Noonan
This is our president, referred to as the "leader
of the free world," being and openly accused
of telling lies, of ignoring the facts, of being
inexperienced and intellectually flawed, and
most important to us as Christians -- breaking
the more than 200 year history of American
presidents who professed the Christian faith.
His actions while in office have often been anti-
Christian in nature -- his open support of the
homosexual life style which is condemned by
God ... his advocacy of the killing of babies
through abortion ... his pledge to destroy the
traditional American family through repeal of
the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
None of these could represent the beliefs of a
Christian, and all of these relate to the broader
concern which is being so openly expressed
by the nation's news commentators.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AN IMPORTANT INTERRUPTION!
Right now, before Congress takes off for
the August recess -- take a few minutes to
phone your Senators and Representative
and tell them to oppose the proposed health
plan. The phone number: (202) 224 - 3121,
And while they are back at home, call your
Representative at his/her local office. Let
them know how the people back at home
feel about some of these proposed bills.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And consider this poignant confession from
Lauri Ringer: "I voted for Obama! That's right,
Robert Ringer's strong-minded daughter (yes,
the social activist, best selling author) was swept
away by the waves of social convention and a
sea of 'change' rhetoric. Mortified, I've watched
as Obama and his machine have replaced my
ideals of liberty with their collectivist agenda.
To say the least, I, like millions of other naive
Americans, feel duped. Worse, I feel
embarrassed to the point that it's difficult to
look in the mirror." We wonder: how many
Christians who voted for Obama, like Lauri
feel embarrassed to look in the mirror? If you
are one, your prayer should be that God will
over-rule, and prevent Barack Hussein Obama
from destroying America as a Christian nation.
Two quotes from a Founding Father seem
to be appropriate for this time in America's life:
"There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so
contemptible; and he who permits himself to
tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a
second and a third time, till at length it becomes
habitual, he tells lies without attending to it,
and truths without the world's believing him."
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1785
"I think we have more machinery of government
than is necessary, too many parasites living on
the labor of the industrious."
--Thomas Jefferson, 1824
Not from a Founding Father, but from
a great American president who was always
proud of America, and who never denied his
Christian faith: "Let us, young and old, join
together, as did the First Continental
Congress, in the first step - humble, heartfelt
prayer. Let us do so for the Love of God and
His great goodness, in search of His guidance,
and the grace of repentance, in seeking His
blessings, His peace, and the resting of His
kind and holy hands on ourselves, our Nation,
our friends in the defense of freedom, and all
mankind, now and always." -- Ronald Reagan,
1988 National Day of Prayer Proclamation,
establishing by law the first Thursday in May
as the National Day of Prayer
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
It's difficult to stop citing 'one liners" --
they convey so much meaning in a few words.
Here are a few we came across this week:
"Facts have no place in the fantasy world
of Democratic policy-makers. Nor does history."
(Ann Coulter)
"It's truly amazing. How can some speak so
often and for so long, yet say so little. That is
the mystery of Barack Obama." (Bobby Eberle)
"The United States is declining as a nation and
a world power with mostly sighs and shrugs to
mark this seismic event." (Les Gelb)
"The 20th century may have been the American
Century. The 21st shows another pattern."
(Pat Buchanan)
"At least my God never forgets His word. That
is more than can be said of the Pseudomessiah
Barack Obama." (Internet- source unknown)
As you know, we don't sell books -- but often
an advertisement for a book makes some very
good sense. With that thought in mind we offer
an advertisement for your consideration -- it
makes a lot of sense: "One of the first things
Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and other totalitarians did
was rewrite the histories of their nations,
remaking the past to bolster their control of
the present. The American Left has done the
same thing in our country: Most American
history books -- both for students and adults --
are riddled with PC nonsense that makes the
Founding Fathers over into racist slaveholders,
the settlers of the West into genocidal land-
stealers, and the welfare state into America's
ultimate triumph." The book which is said to
refute this reasoning is "The politically Incorrect
Guide™to American History," by a professor
of history, Thomas E. Woods.
"The Four Horsemen of the Obamalypse"
was an interesting headline to report the
confrontation Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
faces while White House strongmen visit him
during this week: White House Special Envoy
George Mitchell; Secretary of Defense Robert
Gates; National Security Advisor James Jones,
and White House Iranian Advisor Dennis Ross.
Their visit follows the demand by Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton that Israel "cool it" with
respect to attacking Iran, and stop any building
projects in Jerusalem. Someone should remind
the present occupants of the White House that
Israel is our long time ally -- our only ally in the
Middle East. Meantime, over the past weekend
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas referred
to Jerusalem as the "the key for peace" and said
that justice and peace would not come to the
Middle East without there being established, in
his words: "an independent Palestinian state
with Jerusalem as its capital." That might even
be the demand those "Four Horsemen" are
trying to force upon the Israeli Prime Minister.
Al Gore just can't seem to win! At anything.
Marc Morano (ClimateDepot.com) reports that
all over the country temperatures have broken
new lows this "Summer," and blames it on the
trend of "global cooling" that has been evident
for more than seven years. Even Nashville, TN,
the home base for "Global Warming" creator,
Al Gore, recorded a new record low temperature
for the month of July, breaking the old record
which was set in 1877.
It is always difficult to anticipate Bill Clinton's
positions. As president he signed into law DOMA,
the Defense of Marriage Act -- the one Obama
has promised to repeal. Now this past week
Clinton came out in favor of same-sex "marriage."
He is not alone among Democrats in changing
his views on this issue -- in January, 2008 only
2 Democrat Senators backed same-sex marriage;
today that number has increased to 11. While
there might be some among them who endorse it,
to date no Republican Senators have voiced
support for it.
The Episcopal Church may have been hurt
by their decisions at their recent convention,
but according to Rev. Jay Johnson, an ordained
gay Episcopal priest, their actions "delivered
some good news to lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) Episcopalians," Citing
the decision to keep ordinations open to all,
Johnson said, "This is good news indeed, but
not terribly surprising. After all, the Episcopal
Church has been ordaining openly lesbian
and gay people as deacons and priests in
many locales for many years." The fact that
the church will certainly suffer further decreases
in membership does not seem to mean much
to the supporters of a homosexual life style.
From our 22nd and 24th president - actually
the same man, with the two terms 4 years apart:
"Let us not trust to human effort alone, but
humbly acknowledge the power and goodness
of Almighty God who presides over the
destiny of nations, and who has at all times
been revealed in our country's history, let us
invoke His aid and His blessings upon our
labors..." -- Grover Cleveland, 1885
"All must admit that the reception of the
teachings of Christ results in the purest
patriotism, in the most scrupulous fidelity to
public trust, and in the best type of citizenship."
-- Grover Cleveland, 1889
Tuesday
OBAMA'S NUMBERS PLUNGE
`
LAST WEEK WE PROMISED TO FOCUS
ON THIS HEADLINE IN THIS ISSUE:
"OBAMA'S NUMBERS PLUNGE"
And that is certainly a valid issue for concern.
It is desirable -- in fact it has always been the
intent of the form of government which we
enjoy, as expressed from the earliest days of
our nation's Founding Fathers -- that the
administration in power should function within
the will and expressed desire of the American
people.
But that is not the situation in which we find
ourselves today. Perhaps as clear a voice as
an expression of this concern is the reaction
of a retired US Marine General in commenting
last week on the heavy handed techniques of
the Obama administration in managing some
of the president's proposals before Congress:
"When will the general population catch on?"
And that is the real question. The encouraging
aspect is that the general population -- the voters
who helped put this administration into power --
are in fact beginning to catch on. As Senators
and Congressmen returned from the July 4 recess
they demonstrated strong reactions to what they
had learned from their visits back in their districts.
One long time Washington observer spoke of the
returning members of Congress as "shell shocked
from the citizen outrage in response to the 'cap
and trade' energy tax."
This has been called the "age of the poll."
And that has both good and bad aspects, but
overall it is helpful to understand just how people
feel about political candidates, elected officials
and government programs, for example. And
here is where we have begun to see some sharp
changes in the public's perception of those items.
Public opinion of various elements of our
national government are changing slowly --
but are deteriorating -- including approval and
disapproval ratings for the US Congress, for
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, for House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and most sharply of all,
for President Barack Obama. His daily approval
rating index has fallen from a high in the +20 or
higher range on Inauguration Day, all the way to
a -6 to -8 range at present. In other polls which
measure the president's performance in handling
the economy, a majority of the public -- more than
50% -- gave the president a rating of "C" or lower.
As for the nation's optimism rating on economic
prospects, it fell 9% during July to a low of below
50%. Just yesterday, this was the headline which
described the current USA Today/Gallup poll on
the president's approval rating: "Obama's Approval
Plummets."
In that poll the president's approval ratings have
fallen to a level which places him in 10th place
out of the 12 post-war presidents whose approval
was measured at the same point of time in office.
Included in the reasons for such major drops are
public disapproval of the health plan he is trying
to force through Congress, the excessive levels
of government spending required by his programs,
the growth of federal government interference in
their lives, and the apparently failed stimulus plan.
This very mild evaluation may be made:
regardless of the president's daily (at least!) TV
appearances, the American public is increasingly
unhappy with his administration's performance to
date -- and does not like what it has heard about
some of the new proposals being considered by
the Congress.
However, this may also be said: the approval or
disapproval of its performance by the American
public apparently means nothing to the Obama
administration which continues to devise new
programs to be forced through the Congress by
whatever means possible, ethical or non-ethical.
And although it is not immediately evident, the
answer to the Marine General's question is that
the time of "catching on" is coming and it is
hopefully not too late. One example is the
"hate crimes" bill which the Senate voted to
relabel as an amendment to the Defense
Authorization bill (no connection, of course).
In other words, Majority Leader Harry Reid
found a way to work around the rules and to
prevent an honest vote on a controversial bill.
In practice this new law can, for example, take
away the right of free speech by the nation's
pastors in preaching against , or even quoting
the Bible on the subject of homosexuality.
Whether this is our opinion or not, it is
certainly President Obama's opinion that his
proposed health care plan merits primary
attention in every form of news media. The
daily stories of this person or that organization
speaking in opposition to the concept are buried
in the "full court press" attack by the team of
Obama, Pelosi and Reid to force passage of a
Congress approved bill to meet the president's
demand to have one on his desk by August.
Rather than create a new clarifying explanation
of the fallacy underlying this matter, we here offer
as a "mini editorial" this summary from an IBD
Editorial which appeared last week:
"America has a health care crisis. No, we don't.
Forty-seven million people lack insurance. Of the
remaining 85% of the population, or 258 million
people, polls show high satisfaction with the
current coverage. Indeed, a 2006 poll by ABC
News, the Kaiser Family Foundation and USA
Today found 89% of Americans were happy with
their own health care.
"As for the estimated 47 million not covered by
health insurance, 20 million can afford to buy it,
according to a study by former CBO Director
June O'Neill. Most of the other 27 million are
single and under 35, with as many as a third
illegal aliens.
"When it's all whittled down, as few as 12
million are unable to buy insurance — less
than 4% of a population of 305 million. For
this we need to nationalize 17% of our nation's
$14 trillion economy and change the current
care that 89% like?"
We could not have said it more clearly.
A good and important question to ask:
We know that members of Congress -- Senators
and Representatives -- enjoy the finest health
care available anywhere in the world. Right now
when versions of the president's controversial
health care plans are being discussed, phone
your Senators and Representative, and ask if
the health insurance plan they are voting to inflict
on everyone in this country will also apply to
them. In other words, are they voting to give
the rest of us a form of health care rationing,
while they continue to have the absolute finest
health care available anywhere? Their phone
number is: (202)224-3121. Simply ask to speak
to your Senator or Representative.
Meanwhile, where is the church in all this?
There is so much news coverage of the "Mega
Churches," so much attention to the glamorous
life style their preachers demonstrate, that the
faithful pastors of small churches who serve
and preach to a few hundred members are
completely overlooked.
Marie Jon, writing in Renew America Newsletter
commented: "The evangelical mega-churches
have become entertainment centers where
God's Word is lost amongst the contemporary
music and the jokes that glibly roll off the
tongues of pastors who appear to be auditioning
for American Idol." On the same subject. Ray
Pritchard, writing last week in Church Leader
Gazette, asked: "If Christian fellowship is
considered to be shaking hands and asking
about your church friends' week and then
sitting down and singing and listening to
preaching and then going home, how is that
any different than going to the bar and seeing
familiar faces over a couple of beers?"
The point is that today the church has become
voiceless and powerless in being able to cope
with the challenges which the historic Christian
American way of life is being forced to face.
Part of the failure of the church may be seen in
a recent evaluation of the nation's "Mega Church"
pastors who are portrayed in the media as leaders
of the American Christian church. According to
the latest Leadership Network Survey, only 14%
of those who lead churches of more than 2,000
describe themselves as "pastor or spiritual guide."
Instead 81% consider themselves as "preacher-
teacher," with 51% claiming the "directional
leader" label. As for their actual ministry, 79%
consider their greatest gift as preaching, with
only 10% saying they are best as at "offering
counsel or spiritual direction."
Somehow we have got to get back to the way
Jesus spoke of the Church He was building, a
force so powerful that the gates of Hell would
not be able to withstand their attacks -- a Church
He conceived of as an aggressive irresistible
force, not merely a facility for entertainment and
fellowship.
Subjects we didn't discuss this week, but
probably should have: (1) Those 30 "Czars" in
the White House, under the best headline of
the week - "Czar 54, where are you?" (2) The
Middle-east story that created much attention,
where the president who says he doesn't like to
meddle the affairs of other counties, ordered
the State of Israel to cease construction of
buildings within the City of Jerusalem. (3) The
friendly, lovable Muslims with whom we are
urged to work together in common causes,
bombed Western hotels in Indonesia, a Roman
Catholic cathedral in the Philippines, and held a
major conference in Chicago with the theme.
"The Fall of Capitalism and the Rise of Islam."
(4) Al Gore's latest psychobabble defense of
his Global Warming theory, and (5) The proposal
for the US Congress in the midst of debates on
serious matters to adopt a resolution to honor the
life, music and dances of Michael Jackson. And
there were the hearings for soon-to-be Justice
Sotomayor -- not much of a controversy on this
issue; candidates could have been proposed who
were less qualified or more qualified. If a female
were deemed essential, TV's Judge Judy comes
to mind. There is apparently nothing wrong with
performing on TV as the main qualification --
comedian Al Franken made it to the US Senate.
A word for today from a Founding Father:
"As a man is said to have a right to his property,
he may be equally said to have a property in
his rights. Where an excess of power prevails,
property of no sort is duly respected. No man is
safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties,
or his possessions." -- James Madison, 1792
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
Apparently you still enjoy them, so here
are a few more "one liners" we found this week:
"Chicago has its coolest July 8 in 118 years.
This is global warming?" (Chicago Tribune,
July 9)
"We talk of the Second Coming; half the world
has never heard of the first." (Oswald J. Smith)
“The Fed, in my opinion, has zilch idea about
monetary policy.” (Marc Faber)
"The healthcare reform plan--as currently
written --would result in the largest expansion
of abortion since Roe v. Wade." (Tom Minnery)
"Franken, a clown for all seasons, arrives in
time." (Wesley Pruden)
What don't we know about Mr. Obama?
According to World Net Daily, some of the
documentation still unavailable includes: his
kindergarten records, his Punahou school
records, his Occidental College records, his
Columbia University records, his Columbia
thesis, his Harvard Law School records, his
Harvard Law Review articles, his scholarly
articles from the University of Chicago, his
passport, his medical records, his files from
his years as an Illinois state senator, his Illinois
State Bar Association records, any baptism
records, and his adoption records. To date,
every attempt to obtain such basic information
about the President of the United States has
been rejected -- often by courts. Can anyone
come up with a valid reason why such secrecy
about his life still persists? As American citizens
don't we have the right to know the basic facts
about him?
They have done it again! The American
Episcopal Church has taken what must surely
be almost the final step to remove it from any
semblance of orthodoxy -- by a huge margin
they have voted to revoke their previous intent
not to ordain any more openly homosexual
bishops and clergy. The new resolution said
in part that “God has called and may call”
gays and lesbians in lifelong committed
relationships “to any ordained ministry in the
Episcopal Church.” In addition to permitting
bishops blessing same sex marriages, it was
decided that a study should begin to develop
wording for prayers at such services to be
included in the Book of Common Prayer.
The radical actions took place despite the
statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury at
the opening of the convention, "I hope and
pray that there won't be decisions in the
coming days that could push us further apart."
In taking this action, the Episcopal Church has
displayed its determination to defy Scripture,
tradition, and the strong views of its fellow
churches in the worldwide Anglican communion.
Prior to the convention, presiding Bishop
Schori deplored what she called "the great
Western heresy -- that we can be saved as
individuals, that any of us alone can be in
right relationship with God." As membership
in the Episcopal Church continues on its down
trend, the new American Anglican Council will
doubtless be showing substantial new growth.
A new weekly feature might be in order:
We would title it "Whatever happened to."
The first nominee for this new feature could
reference the president's promise of earmark
reform. "It is easy to recall that in March, when
signing the Omnibus Spending bill, Mr. Obama
said: "Earmarks must have a legitimate and
worthy public purpose. Each earmark must
be open to scrutiny at public hearings, where
members will have to justify their expense to
the taxpayer." Thus, the new feature would
easily look like this: "Whatever happened to:
the president's promise of earmark reform?"
Imagine life without Joe Biden, (we have
already considered the dullness of life without
Al Gore). This week Joe produced another
memorable gaffe: "To those who say that our
economic decisions 'have not produced jobs,
have not produced and simply have not
worked' I say, take a look around...we have to
go spend money to keep from going bankrupt."
It must keep the president busy, just reversing
(if there are any he doesn't agree with) VP Joe's
unorthodox pronouncements.
A Founding Father's somber warning:
"In those wretched countries where man
cannot call his tongue his own, he can
scarce call anything his own. Whoever would
overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin
by subduing the freeness of speech."
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1779
LAST WEEK WE PROMISED TO FOCUS
ON THIS HEADLINE IN THIS ISSUE:
"OBAMA'S NUMBERS PLUNGE"
And that is certainly a valid issue for concern.
It is desirable -- in fact it has always been the
intent of the form of government which we
enjoy, as expressed from the earliest days of
our nation's Founding Fathers -- that the
administration in power should function within
the will and expressed desire of the American
people.
But that is not the situation in which we find
ourselves today. Perhaps as clear a voice as
an expression of this concern is the reaction
of a retired US Marine General in commenting
last week on the heavy handed techniques of
the Obama administration in managing some
of the president's proposals before Congress:
"When will the general population catch on?"
And that is the real question. The encouraging
aspect is that the general population -- the voters
who helped put this administration into power --
are in fact beginning to catch on. As Senators
and Congressmen returned from the July 4 recess
they demonstrated strong reactions to what they
had learned from their visits back in their districts.
One long time Washington observer spoke of the
returning members of Congress as "shell shocked
from the citizen outrage in response to the 'cap
and trade' energy tax."
This has been called the "age of the poll."
And that has both good and bad aspects, but
overall it is helpful to understand just how people
feel about political candidates, elected officials
and government programs, for example. And
here is where we have begun to see some sharp
changes in the public's perception of those items.
Public opinion of various elements of our
national government are changing slowly --
but are deteriorating -- including approval and
disapproval ratings for the US Congress, for
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, for House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and most sharply of all,
for President Barack Obama. His daily approval
rating index has fallen from a high in the +20 or
higher range on Inauguration Day, all the way to
a -6 to -8 range at present. In other polls which
measure the president's performance in handling
the economy, a majority of the public -- more than
50% -- gave the president a rating of "C" or lower.
As for the nation's optimism rating on economic
prospects, it fell 9% during July to a low of below
50%. Just yesterday, this was the headline which
described the current USA Today/Gallup poll on
the president's approval rating: "Obama's Approval
Plummets."
In that poll the president's approval ratings have
fallen to a level which places him in 10th place
out of the 12 post-war presidents whose approval
was measured at the same point of time in office.
Included in the reasons for such major drops are
public disapproval of the health plan he is trying
to force through Congress, the excessive levels
of government spending required by his programs,
the growth of federal government interference in
their lives, and the apparently failed stimulus plan.
This very mild evaluation may be made:
regardless of the president's daily (at least!) TV
appearances, the American public is increasingly
unhappy with his administration's performance to
date -- and does not like what it has heard about
some of the new proposals being considered by
the Congress.
However, this may also be said: the approval or
disapproval of its performance by the American
public apparently means nothing to the Obama
administration which continues to devise new
programs to be forced through the Congress by
whatever means possible, ethical or non-ethical.
And although it is not immediately evident, the
answer to the Marine General's question is that
the time of "catching on" is coming and it is
hopefully not too late. One example is the
"hate crimes" bill which the Senate voted to
relabel as an amendment to the Defense
Authorization bill (no connection, of course).
In other words, Majority Leader Harry Reid
found a way to work around the rules and to
prevent an honest vote on a controversial bill.
In practice this new law can, for example, take
away the right of free speech by the nation's
pastors in preaching against , or even quoting
the Bible on the subject of homosexuality.
Whether this is our opinion or not, it is
certainly President Obama's opinion that his
proposed health care plan merits primary
attention in every form of news media. The
daily stories of this person or that organization
speaking in opposition to the concept are buried
in the "full court press" attack by the team of
Obama, Pelosi and Reid to force passage of a
Congress approved bill to meet the president's
demand to have one on his desk by August.
Rather than create a new clarifying explanation
of the fallacy underlying this matter, we here offer
as a "mini editorial" this summary from an IBD
Editorial which appeared last week:
"America has a health care crisis. No, we don't.
Forty-seven million people lack insurance. Of the
remaining 85% of the population, or 258 million
people, polls show high satisfaction with the
current coverage. Indeed, a 2006 poll by ABC
News, the Kaiser Family Foundation and USA
Today found 89% of Americans were happy with
their own health care.
"As for the estimated 47 million not covered by
health insurance, 20 million can afford to buy it,
according to a study by former CBO Director
June O'Neill. Most of the other 27 million are
single and under 35, with as many as a third
illegal aliens.
"When it's all whittled down, as few as 12
million are unable to buy insurance — less
than 4% of a population of 305 million. For
this we need to nationalize 17% of our nation's
$14 trillion economy and change the current
care that 89% like?"
We could not have said it more clearly.
A good and important question to ask:
We know that members of Congress -- Senators
and Representatives -- enjoy the finest health
care available anywhere in the world. Right now
when versions of the president's controversial
health care plans are being discussed, phone
your Senators and Representative, and ask if
the health insurance plan they are voting to inflict
on everyone in this country will also apply to
them. In other words, are they voting to give
the rest of us a form of health care rationing,
while they continue to have the absolute finest
health care available anywhere? Their phone
number is: (202)224-3121. Simply ask to speak
to your Senator or Representative.
Meanwhile, where is the church in all this?
There is so much news coverage of the "Mega
Churches," so much attention to the glamorous
life style their preachers demonstrate, that the
faithful pastors of small churches who serve
and preach to a few hundred members are
completely overlooked.
Marie Jon, writing in Renew America Newsletter
commented: "The evangelical mega-churches
have become entertainment centers where
God's Word is lost amongst the contemporary
music and the jokes that glibly roll off the
tongues of pastors who appear to be auditioning
for American Idol." On the same subject. Ray
Pritchard, writing last week in Church Leader
Gazette, asked: "If Christian fellowship is
considered to be shaking hands and asking
about your church friends' week and then
sitting down and singing and listening to
preaching and then going home, how is that
any different than going to the bar and seeing
familiar faces over a couple of beers?"
The point is that today the church has become
voiceless and powerless in being able to cope
with the challenges which the historic Christian
American way of life is being forced to face.
Part of the failure of the church may be seen in
a recent evaluation of the nation's "Mega Church"
pastors who are portrayed in the media as leaders
of the American Christian church. According to
the latest Leadership Network Survey, only 14%
of those who lead churches of more than 2,000
describe themselves as "pastor or spiritual guide."
Instead 81% consider themselves as "preacher-
teacher," with 51% claiming the "directional
leader" label. As for their actual ministry, 79%
consider their greatest gift as preaching, with
only 10% saying they are best as at "offering
counsel or spiritual direction."
Somehow we have got to get back to the way
Jesus spoke of the Church He was building, a
force so powerful that the gates of Hell would
not be able to withstand their attacks -- a Church
He conceived of as an aggressive irresistible
force, not merely a facility for entertainment and
fellowship.
Subjects we didn't discuss this week, but
probably should have: (1) Those 30 "Czars" in
the White House, under the best headline of
the week - "Czar 54, where are you?" (2) The
Middle-east story that created much attention,
where the president who says he doesn't like to
meddle the affairs of other counties, ordered
the State of Israel to cease construction of
buildings within the City of Jerusalem. (3) The
friendly, lovable Muslims with whom we are
urged to work together in common causes,
bombed Western hotels in Indonesia, a Roman
Catholic cathedral in the Philippines, and held a
major conference in Chicago with the theme.
"The Fall of Capitalism and the Rise of Islam."
(4) Al Gore's latest psychobabble defense of
his Global Warming theory, and (5) The proposal
for the US Congress in the midst of debates on
serious matters to adopt a resolution to honor the
life, music and dances of Michael Jackson. And
there were the hearings for soon-to-be Justice
Sotomayor -- not much of a controversy on this
issue; candidates could have been proposed who
were less qualified or more qualified. If a female
were deemed essential, TV's Judge Judy comes
to mind. There is apparently nothing wrong with
performing on TV as the main qualification --
comedian Al Franken made it to the US Senate.
A word for today from a Founding Father:
"As a man is said to have a right to his property,
he may be equally said to have a property in
his rights. Where an excess of power prevails,
property of no sort is duly respected. No man is
safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties,
or his possessions." -- James Madison, 1792
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
Apparently you still enjoy them, so here
are a few more "one liners" we found this week:
"Chicago has its coolest July 8 in 118 years.
This is global warming?" (Chicago Tribune,
July 9)
"We talk of the Second Coming; half the world
has never heard of the first." (Oswald J. Smith)
“The Fed, in my opinion, has zilch idea about
monetary policy.” (Marc Faber)
"The healthcare reform plan--as currently
written --would result in the largest expansion
of abortion since Roe v. Wade." (Tom Minnery)
"Franken, a clown for all seasons, arrives in
time." (Wesley Pruden)
What don't we know about Mr. Obama?
According to World Net Daily, some of the
documentation still unavailable includes: his
kindergarten records, his Punahou school
records, his Occidental College records, his
Columbia University records, his Columbia
thesis, his Harvard Law School records, his
Harvard Law Review articles, his scholarly
articles from the University of Chicago, his
passport, his medical records, his files from
his years as an Illinois state senator, his Illinois
State Bar Association records, any baptism
records, and his adoption records. To date,
every attempt to obtain such basic information
about the President of the United States has
been rejected -- often by courts. Can anyone
come up with a valid reason why such secrecy
about his life still persists? As American citizens
don't we have the right to know the basic facts
about him?
They have done it again! The American
Episcopal Church has taken what must surely
be almost the final step to remove it from any
semblance of orthodoxy -- by a huge margin
they have voted to revoke their previous intent
not to ordain any more openly homosexual
bishops and clergy. The new resolution said
in part that “God has called and may call”
gays and lesbians in lifelong committed
relationships “to any ordained ministry in the
Episcopal Church.” In addition to permitting
bishops blessing same sex marriages, it was
decided that a study should begin to develop
wording for prayers at such services to be
included in the Book of Common Prayer.
The radical actions took place despite the
statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury at
the opening of the convention, "I hope and
pray that there won't be decisions in the
coming days that could push us further apart."
In taking this action, the Episcopal Church has
displayed its determination to defy Scripture,
tradition, and the strong views of its fellow
churches in the worldwide Anglican communion.
Prior to the convention, presiding Bishop
Schori deplored what she called "the great
Western heresy -- that we can be saved as
individuals, that any of us alone can be in
right relationship with God." As membership
in the Episcopal Church continues on its down
trend, the new American Anglican Council will
doubtless be showing substantial new growth.
A new weekly feature might be in order:
We would title it "Whatever happened to."
The first nominee for this new feature could
reference the president's promise of earmark
reform. "It is easy to recall that in March, when
signing the Omnibus Spending bill, Mr. Obama
said: "Earmarks must have a legitimate and
worthy public purpose. Each earmark must
be open to scrutiny at public hearings, where
members will have to justify their expense to
the taxpayer." Thus, the new feature would
easily look like this: "Whatever happened to:
the president's promise of earmark reform?"
Imagine life without Joe Biden, (we have
already considered the dullness of life without
Al Gore). This week Joe produced another
memorable gaffe: "To those who say that our
economic decisions 'have not produced jobs,
have not produced and simply have not
worked' I say, take a look around...we have to
go spend money to keep from going bankrupt."
It must keep the president busy, just reversing
(if there are any he doesn't agree with) VP Joe's
unorthodox pronouncements.
A Founding Father's somber warning:
"In those wretched countries where man
cannot call his tongue his own, he can
scarce call anything his own. Whoever would
overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin
by subduing the freeness of speech."
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1779
Is Obama The Anti-Christ?
`
THANK YOU -- ALL OF YOU -- for your
expressions of concern. The surgery is over
(for now) and improved sight is back. We can
now get on with fulfilling our responsibility to
encourage the Christian Church in America to
wake up and accept the challenge which it has
faced for two thousand years. Please continue
to help us by referring each weekly issue to
your friends -- and remember: if you should
miss an issue, you can always find it at this link:
http://american-news.notlong.com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CONSIDER TWO CURRENT QUESTIONS:
IS OBAMA THE MESSIAH, OR IS HE THE
ANTI-CHRIST? AND THE FALLACIES IN
THE "COMMON GROUND" CONCEPT
Neither of those words is used very frequently
in the New Testament. "Messiah" is used only
twice, and both times in the Gospel of John.
Literally, in Hebrew it means "the anointed
one." In Greek the same word is "Christ."
For example, when Andrew sought for men to
follow Jesus, he first went went to his brother,
Simon Peter, and said to him, "We have found
the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the
Christ." (John 1:41) When Jesus asked His
disciples: "Whom say ye that I am?" Peter
answered with what has been called the "first
Christian creed" -- "Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:15-16)
Thus Jesus was confirmed as the Christ... the
Messiah...the anointed One...the Son of God.
Nowhere in the entire Bible is such designation
ever given to anyone else. Nor, in all the pages
of the history of the world, has any one else
ever rightfully claimed that title.
But the media, oh yes, the media. There
is the memorable statement by Newsweek
magazine editor, Evan Thomas, writing
about Mr. Obama: "In a way, Obama is
standing above the country, above the
world. He's sort of God." Or Chris Matthews,
host of the once popular MSNBC talk show,
Hardball, speaking of Obama: "This is bigger
than Kennedy ... This is the New Testament ...
I felt this thrill going up my leg... seriously;
It’s a dramatic event.” Or Ezra Klein, of the
Washington Post,“Obama’s finest speeches
do not excite. They do not inform. They don’t
even really inspire. They elevate... He is not
the Word made flesh, but the triumph of
word over flesh." Even the London Times
(on line): "He ventured forth to bring light
to the world. The anointed one's pilgrimage
to the Holy Land is a miracle in action, and
a blessing to all his faithful followers." And
among those faithful followers is, for example,
Oprah, who helped him so much as he began
his campaign. She simply calls him "The One"
and says, "we need politicians who know how
to be the truth." (Remember that Jesus says in
John 14:6 "I am the truth.")
And even some clergymen have been caught
up in the Obama-Messianic fervor: “I would
characterize the Senate race as being a race
where Obama was, let’s say, blessed and
highly favored. I think that Obama, his
election to the Senate, was divinely ordered
... I know that that was God’s plan.”– Rev.
Bill Rush “I cried all night. I’m going to be
crying for the next four years. What Barack
Obama has accomplished is the single most
extraordinary event that has occurred in the
232 years of the nation’s history ... The event
itself is so extraordinary that another chapter
could be added to the Bible to chronicle its
significance.” -- Rev Jesse Jackson, Jr.
It is not hard to recall the theme of Obama's
presidential campaign rallies -"We Can Change
the World" ... "We Can Save the Planet" ...
"Yes, we can." But we knew those were simply
campaign promises, and that no mere mortal
could ever achieve them. But millions of fellow
Americans believed them. He offered hope to
a troubled nation, and hope is a very powerful
emotion ... in the terms of contemporary jargon,
"The force was with him." There was -- and
there still is -- a spiritual hunger in America. To
the extent that the churches have failed in being
salt and light to the world -- the vision of hope
for a changed world which Barack Obama held
out found a ready audience, an audience which
spoke with its ballots at the polls.
Obama himself, did little to dispel the Messiah
concept which was being developed. At a rally
for Dartmouth University students in Lebanon,
New Hampshire in January, 2008 he said, "A
light will shine through that window, a beam
of light will come down upon you, you will
experience an epiphany ... and you will
suddenly realize that you must go to the polls
and vote for Obama." And in his nomination
victory speech in Minnesota in June, 2008, he
said, "I am absolutely certain that generations
from now, we will be able to look back and
tell our children that this was the moment
when we began to provide care for the sick
and good jobs to the jobless; this was the
moment when the rise of the oceans began
to slow and our planet began to heal."
There are so many who have written or spoken
to dissuade Americans from this Messianic
delusion; Thomas Sowell has said it as plainly
as any: "Barack Obama says that he wants
to 'heal America and repair the world.' One
wonders what he will do for an encore and
whether he will rest on the seventh day. That
we have so many people who are ready to be
swept along by such rhetoric is a huge danger,
for it means that the fate of this great nation is
at risk from any skilled demagogue who comes
along."
One is reminded of the editorial in the New
York Sun, in 1897, written by Francis Church,
with the title, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa
Claus." We can readily appropriate that phrase
and affirm, "No, America, Barack Obama is
NOT the Messiah." In fact, we affirm that truth
on the authority of the Word of God: Barack
Obama is NOT the Messiah. Not even close.
As for him being the anti-Christ, a "yes"
or "no" answer cannot be accurate within our
present time constraints. Jesus was very precise
in speaking of the end-times: "But of that day
or hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels
of heaven, but my Father only." (Matt. 24:36)
The term "anti-Christ" is found in only four
places in the New Testament, and all in Epistles
of John. But even those uses are quite broad,
and can be taken to refer to anyone or any thing
which is contrary to Jesus Christ -- and therefore
"anti-Christ." Equivalent terms, such as the
"man of sin," "the beast," "the wicked prince,"
and, even further removed, "the little horn"
spoken of in Daniel, are also used in Scripture.
Through the years, Christians who have become
deeply involved in eschatological matters have
found many characteristics in one world leader
or another which would indicate that he might
be the anti-Christ. This sort of guessing took
place in somewhat recent years when Hitler,
Mussolini and Gorbachev, for example, were
all named as being the anti-Christ.
Those who have been positively definite in the
time of the end of the world and of the identity
of the anti-Christ have always experienced brief
and soon passing ridicule. One is reminded of
the British stage presentation of the 1960s,
"Beyond the Fringe," where Peter Cook led
his followers to a hillside outside London to
watch the end of the world. When the expected
moment had passed, and nothing had happened,
he said, "Well, it's not quite the conflagration
I'd been banking on."
And so, based on the Scriptural accounts of
the end times, and related leaders, we cannot
say with any certainty that Barack Obama is the
anti-Christ. Nor can it be said that he may not
yet be. It may be noted that some of his actions
and some of his positions may be considered
as "anti-Christian," and could conceivably be
seen as representing the "spirit of anti-Christ"
as described in John's epistles. So the answer
to this question about his identity in this regard
is, at best, "doubtful."
One other term is much in the news: it is
the two word phrase "common ground." We spoke
in the opening heading for this issue of the fallacy
of that concept as seen in two contemporary
events. One such example comes from Barack
Obama himself. In last week's meeting with Pope
Benedict XVI. Obama spoke of his desire for a
debate with the Pope on the subject of abortion,
and said he was looking for a common ground.
What colossal arrogance, for this young man,
unlearned in Christian doctrine, to "debate" the
leader of the largest branch of Christianity, the
largest religion in the world. There can never be
any "common ground" between Christian
doctrine which includes among the Ten
Commandments of God the commandment
"Thou shalt not kill," and those who condone
the murder of babies through abortion, with
already more than 50 million killed since the
practice became legal in this country. Such
"common ground" is a fallacy, unattainable,
and totally foreign to any understanding of the
Christian faith.
The other use of the term "common ground"
emerged from the recent speech by California
pastor Rick Warren, when he addressed the
Islamic Society of North America. He spoke
of his desire for an interfaith project, and urged
his listeners to work together with Christians
for the common good. The news headlines of
this past weekend should make it clear to any
person of reasonable intelligence that such
cooperation is not possible. In Iraq, in a 3 day
period, Islamists bombed and destroyed 7
Christian churches, killing four and injuring
more than 35 Christians. One spokesperson
for the Christian cause, said, "There will soon
be no Christians left in Iraq if the bombing
of the churches continues." Already many of
Iraq's one million Christian believers have had
to flee the country. And at almost the same time,
in Somalia 7 Christians were beheaded, charged
with violating Islamic Sharia law. It is difficult
to grasp Mr. Warren's concept of an interfaith
project with a religion which considers all non-
Islamics "infidels," deserving of beheading, and
their churches to be bombed and destroyed.
America was born as a Christian nation;
it has grown and prospered and been a blessing
to the whole world as a Christian nation. This
is no time for the Christians in America -- 82%
of the population -- to step aside and allow
new concepts of religion, social and political
experiments, to destroy all that this nation has
always stood for.
And from our sixth president, this very fitting
quote: "Posterity -- you will never know how
much it has cost my generation to preserve
your freedom. I hope you will make good use
of it." --John Quincy Adams
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
As long as you still enjoy them, here are
a few "one liners" from this week's research:
"There is nothing quite so infuriating as
watching ACLU attorneys running roughshod
over the rights of students and teachers in a
small public school district." -- Mat Staver,
Liberty Counsel
"Americans grew tired of being thought to
be dumb and stupid by the rest of the world,
so they went to the polls last November, and
removed all doubt." -- Source unknown
"Mr. Obama has bought time by casting the
struggling economy as the legacy of President
George W. Bush, but as time passes it
increasingly becomes his problem and his
party’s."--NY Times, July 9
"If Evan Thomas is free to ascribe a God-like
quality to Obama, I also have my own free
speech observation of “The Anointed One”—
which is also biblical. Barack Obama is
a lot less God-like, and a lot more Antichrist-\
like." -- Robert Frederick
Al Gore never seems to go away. What he
couldn't accomplish in his failed attempt to be
president, he is accomplishing through his
"Global Warming Hoax." Note this news
brief: "Eco-Zealot and financial opportunist
Al Gore said of the recently passed House
Climate Bill, 'It is the awareness itself that
will drive the change and one of the ways
it will drive the change is through global
governance.'” Global governance: just what
we always wanted -- but not very much.
From the German Press (GW-World):
How other nations envision things in America:
"A large crowd gave President Obama a
rapturous send off from Accra airport before
he and his family began the flight back to
their present home, the White House, in
Washington D.C., a mansion built by slave
labor at the end of the 18th century."
The American Episcopal Church, still trying
to keep up with the times: Episcopal bishops
from the six states where same-sex marriage is
legal, are seeking to have the historic Book of
Common Prayer revised to accommodate use at
such unions. The Episcopal Church has made
a substantial change in traditional doctrinal
norms by consecrating an openly homosexual
bishop in New Hampshire in 2003. However,
the church's liturgy and rules still define marriage
as between a man and a woman. Movement in
the direction of some recognition of gay clergy
appears to be taking place at the Convention
currently in session in Anaheim, California.
President Obama's denial that America is a
Christian nation in his speeches to Muslim and
Islamic audiences has frequently been spoken
about in this Commentary (and will be again,
we promise!). Of concern is the fact that the
Atheists in America are not giving up in their
support of his position. Two examples are
before us this week -- in Pennsylvania, the
Democrat Speaker of the House has issued
and enforced a policy which bans the use of
the name of Jesus in any prayer offered before
the Pennsylvania state legislature. The case was
brought to attention when a pastor, scheduled
to offer the opening prayer, was told his prayer
could not be used. When he asked for the
reason, he was told it contained an "offensive"
word -- and was told that word was "Jesus."
The pastor was not allowed to offer a prayer,
and the House Speaker says he fears a lawsuit
from Atheist groups.
Across the nation, in Lodi, California, the City
Council has scheduled a debate on August 5
as to whether the name of Jesus can be used
in prayers before the opening of City Council
meetings. The Lodi mayor says the city is
being threatened by Atheists from the Freedom
From Religion Foundation in Madison, WI.
The group is currently targeting other small
cities, not equipped for expensive lawsuits,
including Chesapeake, VA and Independence,
MO, and has attacked various "Mayor's Prayer
Breakfasts" and the National Day of Prayer. A
public prayer rally is scheduled on August 5
in Lodi prior to the Council debate and vote.
It isn't getting any easier to be a Christian in
America!
Looking ahead to next week's issue: This
headline, just selected from our extensive news
sources, will be the basis for our lead story:
"Obama's Numbers Plunge to New Lows."
And from a Supreme Court Chief Justice:
"I believe no one can read the history of our
country without realizing that the Good Book
and the spirit of the Savior have from the
beginning been our guiding geniuses ...
Whether we look to the first Charter of
Virginia... or to the Charter of New England
... or to the Charter of Massachusetts Bay ...
the same objective is present ... a Christian
land governed by Christian principles. ...
I like to believe we are living today in the
spirit of the Christian religion. I like also to
believe that as long as we do so, no great
harm can come to our country." -- Supreme
Court Chief Justice, Earl Warren, 1954
THANK YOU -- ALL OF YOU -- for your
expressions of concern. The surgery is over
(for now) and improved sight is back. We can
now get on with fulfilling our responsibility to
encourage the Christian Church in America to
wake up and accept the challenge which it has
faced for two thousand years. Please continue
to help us by referring each weekly issue to
your friends -- and remember: if you should
miss an issue, you can always find it at this link:
http://american-news.notlong.com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CONSIDER TWO CURRENT QUESTIONS:
IS OBAMA THE MESSIAH, OR IS HE THE
ANTI-CHRIST? AND THE FALLACIES IN
THE "COMMON GROUND" CONCEPT
Neither of those words is used very frequently
in the New Testament. "Messiah" is used only
twice, and both times in the Gospel of John.
Literally, in Hebrew it means "the anointed
one." In Greek the same word is "Christ."
For example, when Andrew sought for men to
follow Jesus, he first went went to his brother,
Simon Peter, and said to him, "We have found
the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the
Christ." (John 1:41) When Jesus asked His
disciples: "Whom say ye that I am?" Peter
answered with what has been called the "first
Christian creed" -- "Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:15-16)
Thus Jesus was confirmed as the Christ... the
Messiah...the anointed One...the Son of God.
Nowhere in the entire Bible is such designation
ever given to anyone else. Nor, in all the pages
of the history of the world, has any one else
ever rightfully claimed that title.
But the media, oh yes, the media. There
is the memorable statement by Newsweek
magazine editor, Evan Thomas, writing
about Mr. Obama: "In a way, Obama is
standing above the country, above the
world. He's sort of God." Or Chris Matthews,
host of the once popular MSNBC talk show,
Hardball, speaking of Obama: "This is bigger
than Kennedy ... This is the New Testament ...
I felt this thrill going up my leg... seriously;
It’s a dramatic event.” Or Ezra Klein, of the
Washington Post,“Obama’s finest speeches
do not excite. They do not inform. They don’t
even really inspire. They elevate... He is not
the Word made flesh, but the triumph of
word over flesh." Even the London Times
(on line): "He ventured forth to bring light
to the world. The anointed one's pilgrimage
to the Holy Land is a miracle in action, and
a blessing to all his faithful followers." And
among those faithful followers is, for example,
Oprah, who helped him so much as he began
his campaign. She simply calls him "The One"
and says, "we need politicians who know how
to be the truth." (Remember that Jesus says in
John 14:6 "I am the truth.")
And even some clergymen have been caught
up in the Obama-Messianic fervor: “I would
characterize the Senate race as being a race
where Obama was, let’s say, blessed and
highly favored. I think that Obama, his
election to the Senate, was divinely ordered
... I know that that was God’s plan.”– Rev.
Bill Rush “I cried all night. I’m going to be
crying for the next four years. What Barack
Obama has accomplished is the single most
extraordinary event that has occurred in the
232 years of the nation’s history ... The event
itself is so extraordinary that another chapter
could be added to the Bible to chronicle its
significance.” -- Rev Jesse Jackson, Jr.
It is not hard to recall the theme of Obama's
presidential campaign rallies -"We Can Change
the World" ... "We Can Save the Planet" ...
"Yes, we can." But we knew those were simply
campaign promises, and that no mere mortal
could ever achieve them. But millions of fellow
Americans believed them. He offered hope to
a troubled nation, and hope is a very powerful
emotion ... in the terms of contemporary jargon,
"The force was with him." There was -- and
there still is -- a spiritual hunger in America. To
the extent that the churches have failed in being
salt and light to the world -- the vision of hope
for a changed world which Barack Obama held
out found a ready audience, an audience which
spoke with its ballots at the polls.
Obama himself, did little to dispel the Messiah
concept which was being developed. At a rally
for Dartmouth University students in Lebanon,
New Hampshire in January, 2008 he said, "A
light will shine through that window, a beam
of light will come down upon you, you will
experience an epiphany ... and you will
suddenly realize that you must go to the polls
and vote for Obama." And in his nomination
victory speech in Minnesota in June, 2008, he
said, "I am absolutely certain that generations
from now, we will be able to look back and
tell our children that this was the moment
when we began to provide care for the sick
and good jobs to the jobless; this was the
moment when the rise of the oceans began
to slow and our planet began to heal."
There are so many who have written or spoken
to dissuade Americans from this Messianic
delusion; Thomas Sowell has said it as plainly
as any: "Barack Obama says that he wants
to 'heal America and repair the world.' One
wonders what he will do for an encore and
whether he will rest on the seventh day. That
we have so many people who are ready to be
swept along by such rhetoric is a huge danger,
for it means that the fate of this great nation is
at risk from any skilled demagogue who comes
along."
One is reminded of the editorial in the New
York Sun, in 1897, written by Francis Church,
with the title, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa
Claus." We can readily appropriate that phrase
and affirm, "No, America, Barack Obama is
NOT the Messiah." In fact, we affirm that truth
on the authority of the Word of God: Barack
Obama is NOT the Messiah. Not even close.
As for him being the anti-Christ, a "yes"
or "no" answer cannot be accurate within our
present time constraints. Jesus was very precise
in speaking of the end-times: "But of that day
or hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels
of heaven, but my Father only." (Matt. 24:36)
The term "anti-Christ" is found in only four
places in the New Testament, and all in Epistles
of John. But even those uses are quite broad,
and can be taken to refer to anyone or any thing
which is contrary to Jesus Christ -- and therefore
"anti-Christ." Equivalent terms, such as the
"man of sin," "the beast," "the wicked prince,"
and, even further removed, "the little horn"
spoken of in Daniel, are also used in Scripture.
Through the years, Christians who have become
deeply involved in eschatological matters have
found many characteristics in one world leader
or another which would indicate that he might
be the anti-Christ. This sort of guessing took
place in somewhat recent years when Hitler,
Mussolini and Gorbachev, for example, were
all named as being the anti-Christ.
Those who have been positively definite in the
time of the end of the world and of the identity
of the anti-Christ have always experienced brief
and soon passing ridicule. One is reminded of
the British stage presentation of the 1960s,
"Beyond the Fringe," where Peter Cook led
his followers to a hillside outside London to
watch the end of the world. When the expected
moment had passed, and nothing had happened,
he said, "Well, it's not quite the conflagration
I'd been banking on."
And so, based on the Scriptural accounts of
the end times, and related leaders, we cannot
say with any certainty that Barack Obama is the
anti-Christ. Nor can it be said that he may not
yet be. It may be noted that some of his actions
and some of his positions may be considered
as "anti-Christian," and could conceivably be
seen as representing the "spirit of anti-Christ"
as described in John's epistles. So the answer
to this question about his identity in this regard
is, at best, "doubtful."
One other term is much in the news: it is
the two word phrase "common ground." We spoke
in the opening heading for this issue of the fallacy
of that concept as seen in two contemporary
events. One such example comes from Barack
Obama himself. In last week's meeting with Pope
Benedict XVI. Obama spoke of his desire for a
debate with the Pope on the subject of abortion,
and said he was looking for a common ground.
What colossal arrogance, for this young man,
unlearned in Christian doctrine, to "debate" the
leader of the largest branch of Christianity, the
largest religion in the world. There can never be
any "common ground" between Christian
doctrine which includes among the Ten
Commandments of God the commandment
"Thou shalt not kill," and those who condone
the murder of babies through abortion, with
already more than 50 million killed since the
practice became legal in this country. Such
"common ground" is a fallacy, unattainable,
and totally foreign to any understanding of the
Christian faith.
The other use of the term "common ground"
emerged from the recent speech by California
pastor Rick Warren, when he addressed the
Islamic Society of North America. He spoke
of his desire for an interfaith project, and urged
his listeners to work together with Christians
for the common good. The news headlines of
this past weekend should make it clear to any
person of reasonable intelligence that such
cooperation is not possible. In Iraq, in a 3 day
period, Islamists bombed and destroyed 7
Christian churches, killing four and injuring
more than 35 Christians. One spokesperson
for the Christian cause, said, "There will soon
be no Christians left in Iraq if the bombing
of the churches continues." Already many of
Iraq's one million Christian believers have had
to flee the country. And at almost the same time,
in Somalia 7 Christians were beheaded, charged
with violating Islamic Sharia law. It is difficult
to grasp Mr. Warren's concept of an interfaith
project with a religion which considers all non-
Islamics "infidels," deserving of beheading, and
their churches to be bombed and destroyed.
America was born as a Christian nation;
it has grown and prospered and been a blessing
to the whole world as a Christian nation. This
is no time for the Christians in America -- 82%
of the population -- to step aside and allow
new concepts of religion, social and political
experiments, to destroy all that this nation has
always stood for.
And from our sixth president, this very fitting
quote: "Posterity -- you will never know how
much it has cost my generation to preserve
your freedom. I hope you will make good use
of it." --John Quincy Adams
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
As long as you still enjoy them, here are
a few "one liners" from this week's research:
"There is nothing quite so infuriating as
watching ACLU attorneys running roughshod
over the rights of students and teachers in a
small public school district." -- Mat Staver,
Liberty Counsel
"Americans grew tired of being thought to
be dumb and stupid by the rest of the world,
so they went to the polls last November, and
removed all doubt." -- Source unknown
"Mr. Obama has bought time by casting the
struggling economy as the legacy of President
George W. Bush, but as time passes it
increasingly becomes his problem and his
party’s."--NY Times, July 9
"If Evan Thomas is free to ascribe a God-like
quality to Obama, I also have my own free
speech observation of “The Anointed One”—
which is also biblical. Barack Obama is
a lot less God-like, and a lot more Antichrist-\
like." -- Robert Frederick
Al Gore never seems to go away. What he
couldn't accomplish in his failed attempt to be
president, he is accomplishing through his
"Global Warming Hoax." Note this news
brief: "Eco-Zealot and financial opportunist
Al Gore said of the recently passed House
Climate Bill, 'It is the awareness itself that
will drive the change and one of the ways
it will drive the change is through global
governance.'” Global governance: just what
we always wanted -- but not very much.
From the German Press (GW-World):
How other nations envision things in America:
"A large crowd gave President Obama a
rapturous send off from Accra airport before
he and his family began the flight back to
their present home, the White House, in
Washington D.C., a mansion built by slave
labor at the end of the 18th century."
The American Episcopal Church, still trying
to keep up with the times: Episcopal bishops
from the six states where same-sex marriage is
legal, are seeking to have the historic Book of
Common Prayer revised to accommodate use at
such unions. The Episcopal Church has made
a substantial change in traditional doctrinal
norms by consecrating an openly homosexual
bishop in New Hampshire in 2003. However,
the church's liturgy and rules still define marriage
as between a man and a woman. Movement in
the direction of some recognition of gay clergy
appears to be taking place at the Convention
currently in session in Anaheim, California.
President Obama's denial that America is a
Christian nation in his speeches to Muslim and
Islamic audiences has frequently been spoken
about in this Commentary (and will be again,
we promise!). Of concern is the fact that the
Atheists in America are not giving up in their
support of his position. Two examples are
before us this week -- in Pennsylvania, the
Democrat Speaker of the House has issued
and enforced a policy which bans the use of
the name of Jesus in any prayer offered before
the Pennsylvania state legislature. The case was
brought to attention when a pastor, scheduled
to offer the opening prayer, was told his prayer
could not be used. When he asked for the
reason, he was told it contained an "offensive"
word -- and was told that word was "Jesus."
The pastor was not allowed to offer a prayer,
and the House Speaker says he fears a lawsuit
from Atheist groups.
Across the nation, in Lodi, California, the City
Council has scheduled a debate on August 5
as to whether the name of Jesus can be used
in prayers before the opening of City Council
meetings. The Lodi mayor says the city is
being threatened by Atheists from the Freedom
From Religion Foundation in Madison, WI.
The group is currently targeting other small
cities, not equipped for expensive lawsuits,
including Chesapeake, VA and Independence,
MO, and has attacked various "Mayor's Prayer
Breakfasts" and the National Day of Prayer. A
public prayer rally is scheduled on August 5
in Lodi prior to the Council debate and vote.
It isn't getting any easier to be a Christian in
America!
Looking ahead to next week's issue: This
headline, just selected from our extensive news
sources, will be the basis for our lead story:
"Obama's Numbers Plunge to New Lows."
And from a Supreme Court Chief Justice:
"I believe no one can read the history of our
country without realizing that the Good Book
and the spirit of the Savior have from the
beginning been our guiding geniuses ...
Whether we look to the first Charter of
Virginia... or to the Charter of New England
... or to the Charter of Massachusetts Bay ...
the same objective is present ... a Christian
land governed by Christian principles. ...
I like to believe we are living today in the
spirit of the Christian religion. I like also to
believe that as long as we do so, no great
harm can come to our country." -- Supreme
Court Chief Justice, Earl Warren, 1954
POST MORTEM OF AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY
`
AN APOLOGY AND ANNOUNCEMENT:
Some of our readers know the name of our
Senior Editor -- a larger number do not. But
the important announcement is that last Thursday
he had eye surgery, and thus has not been able
to do any research or writing until this Monday.
As a result, this issue will be much shorter than
usual -- and for that we apologize. But we have
been considered as "probably one of the best
researched newsletters on the Internet,"
and we want to continue to earn that evaluation.
So next week we expect to resume as a full length
news commentary you can rely on. Thank you
for your loyalty and referring us to your friends.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
THIS WEEK WE PRESENT AN ANALYSIS
OF THE POST MORTEM OF AMERICA'S
INDEPENDENCE DAY, 2009
You may have noticed -- we frequently use or
refer to a Latin word or phrase, perhaps for no
other reason than that it sounds more erudite,
of perhaps because the Latin word or phrase,
per se, imparts the correct meaning a bit more
accurately. Thus we have chosen to refer to
the "post mortem" of America's Independence
Day, 2009.
But at the very outset, let's get one fact out of
the way: "Independence Day," which is a most
important event in the history of this nation, has
absolutely nothing to do with the Constitution.
"Constitution Day" is a federal observance,
crafted into law in 2004 by Senator Robert
Byrd (D, WVa), and observed on September
17, the date in 1787 when the US Constitution
was formally ratified.
Independence Day, on the other hand, became
a national or federal observance without any
formal enactment. The exact date could well
have been debated. The Continental Congress
voted to approve a resolution of independence
on July 2, 1776, and then on July 4, 1776 the
Congress finally approved the wording of the
Declaration that we know today. One year later
the annual observances began, and they have
continued for more than 230 years.
But the observance has changed. On July
3, 1776, John Adams, our second president, said
of this event: "I am apt to believe that it will
be celebrated by succeeding generations as
the great anniversary festival. It ought to be
commemorated as the day of deliverance, by
solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It
ought to be solemnized with pomp and
parade, with shows, games, sports, guns,
bells, with bonfires and illuminations, from
one end of this continent to the other, from
this time forward forever more."
"Solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."
But that is how America was founded, and
how this nation operated through its entire
history until 1948 when the US Supreme
Court, in essence, kicked God out of our
public schools and adopted the weird
interpretation of the First Amendment,
called" separation of church and state."
John Quincy Adams, our sixth president. said
in a speech on July 4, 1867, “Why is it that,
next to the birthday of the Savior of the world,
your most joyous and most venerated festival
returns on this day, the Fourth of July? 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"?
And consider just these few further quotes
from our nation's Founding Fathers: "It cannot
be emphasized too clearly and too often that
this nation was founded, not by religionists,
but by Christians; not on religion, but on the
gospel of Jesus Christ." - Patrick Henry, 1765
“Providence has given to our people the
choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as
well as the privilege and interest of our
Christian nation to select and prefer
Christians for their rulers.” - John Jay, 1816
"Jews, Mahometans (Muslims), pagans, etc.,
may be elected to high offices under the
government of the United States. Those who
are Mahometans, or any others who are not
professors of the Christian religion, can never
be elected to the office of President or other
high office, unless first the people of America
lay aside the Christian religion altogether."
-- Samuel Johnson, 1788
And the danger Samuel Johnson intimated
seems to be drawing closer. We began this
issue with the words, "The post mortem of
America's Independence Day." With that
thought in mind, consider this week's example
of our frequent "Mini Editorials:" "2009 marks
the end of an era in which the United States
of America led the world in prosperity, power,
individual liberty and freedom. The US
Constitution no longer stands as the
cornerstone of freedom. The average American
is no longer well suited for self-governance.
The federal government no longer serves at
the pleasure of the people and the states, and
the future of the greatest nation ever known
to mankind is beyond bleak." (J. B. Williams,
writing in the New Media Journal)
Our current president has declared to a Muslim
audience that America is no longer a Christian
nation. Inaccurately and not in accord with
statistics, he declared that we are one of the
largest Muslim nations on earth. He rejects
two millennia of Christian doctrine to endorse,
encourage and support the killing of millions
of babies through abortion, and he pledges to
repeal existing federal law which defines the
Christian concept of marriage. On this subject,
President Obama says that while he's dedicated
to expanding homosexual rights, he also
acknowledges that many Americans still
disapprove of homosexuality, saying, "There
are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors or
even family members and loved ones, who
hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes."
He also encourages a new "hate speech" law
which conceivably can lead to enforceable
censorship of Scripture quotations on the part
of the nation's pastors.
Before the Independence Day period, 2009
ends, take just a moment to reflect on the words
of the Declaration of Independence written and
signed more than two centuries ago by the men
who brought this nation into being: "We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable rights, that
among these are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness."
Unalienable rights -- rights which are incapable
of being taken away, sold or transferred to
another -- rights which were given by God, the
Creator -- rights which include life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. These rights can be
considered as Christian rights, Bible-based
rights, and the Declaration asserts they are
gifts of God, the Creator. "Life" -- clearly
intended by God, as stated in His Ten
Commandments, "Thou shalt not kill." (How
can a Bible believer ever accept abortion?)
"Liberty" -- Jesus said, "The truth shall make
you free ... if the Son shall make you free, ye
shall be free indeed." (John 8: 32,36). "Pursuit
of Happiness" -- "he that keepeth the law,
happy is he." (Prov. 29:18)
And it is significant that in the "Bill of Rights,"
the first ten Amendments to the Constitution,
these three basic, God-given rights are not
repeated. These unchangeable, unmovable
rights are set forth and guaranteed in our
Declaration of Independence -- well worth
reading and remembering during this period
of Independence Day, 2009, which increasing
numbers of commentators are warning might
be our last.
From a great American president when he
was still a state governor: "Freedom is a fragile
thing and is never more than one generation
away from extinction. It is not ours by
inheritance; it must be fought for and defended
constantly by each generation, for it comes
only once to a people. Those who have known
freedom and then lost it have never known it
again." -- Ronald Reagan, in his first inaugural
speech as governor of California, Jan. 5, 1967
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
Readers still seem to like them, so here are
just a few "one liners" from this week's reading:
"Canadians come to the US now for health
care to avoid long waits. If the Obama plan
is passed where will you go?" (GOP.USA)
"The truth is, we and everybody else misread
the economy ... We misread just how bad the
economy was." (US Vice President Joe Biden)
"In six months Obama has done more to
destroy the United States than all wars in its
two hundred year history combined." (Col.
Bob Pappas, USMCR)
The Islamists are still at it. We all remember
the lengthy statement from Islamist leaders,
seeking some level of cooperation between
them and Christians. Quite a few liberal religious
leaders signed a compromising document of
assent, including some nominal "Evangelicals."
Now the Islamic Society of North America has
invited Christian spokespersons to share in
their annual gathering, and one of those nominal
Evangelicals accepted -- Rev Rick Warren,
pastor of a mega-church in Southern California.
He urged the two opposing religious groups to
work together "to combat stereotypes." Sayyid
Syeed, head of the Islamic organization stated
his position quite clearly, "The landscape of
religion in America is changing. America
itself has reached a certain level of fulfillment
in terms of diversity of faith." In other words,
any yielding or compromise will come from
American Christians; not from the Islamists.
Honduras still needs our prayers. Last
week we commented on the orderly transfer
of authority in Honduras to avoid a take-over
by a left-wing leader in association with Hugo
Chavez, Fidel Castro and others of similar
persuasion, including the United Nations.
Even President Obama got it wrong, calling
it a "military coup" -- which it was not. Now
we continue to hear from friends in Honduras
and in other Latin America nations, urging
American Christians to pray for the Honduran
democracy to survive. To date they have been
able to halt the return of the left-leaning former
president. Commentator Pat Buchanan has
expressed it well: "Will someone please explain
why this bloodless transfer of power to the
civilian legislator first in line for the presidency,
in a sovereign nation, is any business of the
United Nations, the Organization of American
States, Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers or
Barack Obama"?
Occasionally the Islamists speak clearly;
in June Tayseer Tamimi, the Chief Religious
Justice for the Palestine Authority, did just that.
Here is a summary of some of his main points:
"The Quran says Jews have inherently
negative characteristics -- Jews have no
connection to Jerusalem -- Israel is acting to
destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque -- Orthodox Jews
deny the Western Wall is part of the Temple
-- and Jesus was not a Jew but a Palestinian
prophet of Islam." Given that these are
doctrinal positions held by Islamists through
their holy book, the Quran -- how can there
be any working together, or cooperative effort
between two such divergent religions?
In this regard, a breaking news story from
Pakistan tells of a cleric in the village of
Bahmaniwala using a mosque loudspeaker
to announce a call to attack Christians that
resulted in more than 500 Muslim recruits,
rampaging through the village, breaking down
gates, wrecking and plundering more than 100
homes and in some cases beating Christian
women. Again, it would seem difficult to
undertake cooperative projects with Islamists.
A headline from the Internet, and a one line
opening statement in the accompanying story:
"NEW EVIDENCE -- Global Warming
Is an Expensive Hoax
If you troll around the internet you can find
much evidence that the Global Warming,
Global Climate Change, etc. is all a scientific
Hoax." (Al Gore, Barack Obama and the US
Congress notwithstanding, this seems to say
it all.)
As we move onward, out of the Independence
Day period, never forget this statement from
our nation's second president: "Liberty must
at all hazards be supported. We have a right to
it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not,
our fathers have earned and bought it for us,
at the expense of their ease, their estates, their
pleasure, and their blood." - John Adams, 1765
AN APOLOGY AND ANNOUNCEMENT:
Some of our readers know the name of our
Senior Editor -- a larger number do not. But
the important announcement is that last Thursday
he had eye surgery, and thus has not been able
to do any research or writing until this Monday.
As a result, this issue will be much shorter than
usual -- and for that we apologize. But we have
been considered as "probably one of the best
researched newsletters on the Internet,"
and we want to continue to earn that evaluation.
So next week we expect to resume as a full length
news commentary you can rely on. Thank you
for your loyalty and referring us to your friends.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
THIS WEEK WE PRESENT AN ANALYSIS
OF THE POST MORTEM OF AMERICA'S
INDEPENDENCE DAY, 2009
You may have noticed -- we frequently use or
refer to a Latin word or phrase, perhaps for no
other reason than that it sounds more erudite,
of perhaps because the Latin word or phrase,
per se, imparts the correct meaning a bit more
accurately. Thus we have chosen to refer to
the "post mortem" of America's Independence
Day, 2009.
But at the very outset, let's get one fact out of
the way: "Independence Day," which is a most
important event in the history of this nation, has
absolutely nothing to do with the Constitution.
"Constitution Day" is a federal observance,
crafted into law in 2004 by Senator Robert
Byrd (D, WVa), and observed on September
17, the date in 1787 when the US Constitution
was formally ratified.
Independence Day, on the other hand, became
a national or federal observance without any
formal enactment. The exact date could well
have been debated. The Continental Congress
voted to approve a resolution of independence
on July 2, 1776, and then on July 4, 1776 the
Congress finally approved the wording of the
Declaration that we know today. One year later
the annual observances began, and they have
continued for more than 230 years.
But the observance has changed. On July
3, 1776, John Adams, our second president, said
of this event: "I am apt to believe that it will
be celebrated by succeeding generations as
the great anniversary festival. It ought to be
commemorated as the day of deliverance, by
solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It
ought to be solemnized with pomp and
parade, with shows, games, sports, guns,
bells, with bonfires and illuminations, from
one end of this continent to the other, from
this time forward forever more."
"Solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."
But that is how America was founded, and
how this nation operated through its entire
history until 1948 when the US Supreme
Court, in essence, kicked God out of our
public schools and adopted the weird
interpretation of the First Amendment,
called" separation of church and state."
John Quincy Adams, our sixth president. said
in a speech on July 4, 1867, “Why is it that,
next to the birthday of the Savior of the world,
your most joyous and most venerated festival
returns on this day, the Fourth of July? 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"?
And consider just these few further quotes
from our nation's Founding Fathers: "It cannot
be emphasized too clearly and too often that
this nation was founded, not by religionists,
but by Christians; not on religion, but on the
gospel of Jesus Christ." - Patrick Henry, 1765
“Providence has given to our people the
choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as
well as the privilege and interest of our
Christian nation to select and prefer
Christians for their rulers.” - John Jay, 1816
"Jews, Mahometans (Muslims), pagans, etc.,
may be elected to high offices under the
government of the United States. Those who
are Mahometans, or any others who are not
professors of the Christian religion, can never
be elected to the office of President or other
high office, unless first the people of America
lay aside the Christian religion altogether."
-- Samuel Johnson, 1788
And the danger Samuel Johnson intimated
seems to be drawing closer. We began this
issue with the words, "The post mortem of
America's Independence Day." With that
thought in mind, consider this week's example
of our frequent "Mini Editorials:" "2009 marks
the end of an era in which the United States
of America led the world in prosperity, power,
individual liberty and freedom. The US
Constitution no longer stands as the
cornerstone of freedom. The average American
is no longer well suited for self-governance.
The federal government no longer serves at
the pleasure of the people and the states, and
the future of the greatest nation ever known
to mankind is beyond bleak." (J. B. Williams,
writing in the New Media Journal)
Our current president has declared to a Muslim
audience that America is no longer a Christian
nation. Inaccurately and not in accord with
statistics, he declared that we are one of the
largest Muslim nations on earth. He rejects
two millennia of Christian doctrine to endorse,
encourage and support the killing of millions
of babies through abortion, and he pledges to
repeal existing federal law which defines the
Christian concept of marriage. On this subject,
President Obama says that while he's dedicated
to expanding homosexual rights, he also
acknowledges that many Americans still
disapprove of homosexuality, saying, "There
are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors or
even family members and loved ones, who
hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes."
He also encourages a new "hate speech" law
which conceivably can lead to enforceable
censorship of Scripture quotations on the part
of the nation's pastors.
Before the Independence Day period, 2009
ends, take just a moment to reflect on the words
of the Declaration of Independence written and
signed more than two centuries ago by the men
who brought this nation into being: "We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable rights, that
among these are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness."
Unalienable rights -- rights which are incapable
of being taken away, sold or transferred to
another -- rights which were given by God, the
Creator -- rights which include life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. These rights can be
considered as Christian rights, Bible-based
rights, and the Declaration asserts they are
gifts of God, the Creator. "Life" -- clearly
intended by God, as stated in His Ten
Commandments, "Thou shalt not kill." (How
can a Bible believer ever accept abortion?)
"Liberty" -- Jesus said, "The truth shall make
you free ... if the Son shall make you free, ye
shall be free indeed." (John 8: 32,36). "Pursuit
of Happiness" -- "he that keepeth the law,
happy is he." (Prov. 29:18)
And it is significant that in the "Bill of Rights,"
the first ten Amendments to the Constitution,
these three basic, God-given rights are not
repeated. These unchangeable, unmovable
rights are set forth and guaranteed in our
Declaration of Independence -- well worth
reading and remembering during this period
of Independence Day, 2009, which increasing
numbers of commentators are warning might
be our last.
From a great American president when he
was still a state governor: "Freedom is a fragile
thing and is never more than one generation
away from extinction. It is not ours by
inheritance; it must be fought for and defended
constantly by each generation, for it comes
only once to a people. Those who have known
freedom and then lost it have never known it
again." -- Ronald Reagan, in his first inaugural
speech as governor of California, Jan. 5, 1967
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
Readers still seem to like them, so here are
just a few "one liners" from this week's reading:
"Canadians come to the US now for health
care to avoid long waits. If the Obama plan
is passed where will you go?" (GOP.USA)
"The truth is, we and everybody else misread
the economy ... We misread just how bad the
economy was." (US Vice President Joe Biden)
"In six months Obama has done more to
destroy the United States than all wars in its
two hundred year history combined." (Col.
Bob Pappas, USMCR)
The Islamists are still at it. We all remember
the lengthy statement from Islamist leaders,
seeking some level of cooperation between
them and Christians. Quite a few liberal religious
leaders signed a compromising document of
assent, including some nominal "Evangelicals."
Now the Islamic Society of North America has
invited Christian spokespersons to share in
their annual gathering, and one of those nominal
Evangelicals accepted -- Rev Rick Warren,
pastor of a mega-church in Southern California.
He urged the two opposing religious groups to
work together "to combat stereotypes." Sayyid
Syeed, head of the Islamic organization stated
his position quite clearly, "The landscape of
religion in America is changing. America
itself has reached a certain level of fulfillment
in terms of diversity of faith." In other words,
any yielding or compromise will come from
American Christians; not from the Islamists.
Honduras still needs our prayers. Last
week we commented on the orderly transfer
of authority in Honduras to avoid a take-over
by a left-wing leader in association with Hugo
Chavez, Fidel Castro and others of similar
persuasion, including the United Nations.
Even President Obama got it wrong, calling
it a "military coup" -- which it was not. Now
we continue to hear from friends in Honduras
and in other Latin America nations, urging
American Christians to pray for the Honduran
democracy to survive. To date they have been
able to halt the return of the left-leaning former
president. Commentator Pat Buchanan has
expressed it well: "Will someone please explain
why this bloodless transfer of power to the
civilian legislator first in line for the presidency,
in a sovereign nation, is any business of the
United Nations, the Organization of American
States, Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers or
Barack Obama"?
Occasionally the Islamists speak clearly;
in June Tayseer Tamimi, the Chief Religious
Justice for the Palestine Authority, did just that.
Here is a summary of some of his main points:
"The Quran says Jews have inherently
negative characteristics -- Jews have no
connection to Jerusalem -- Israel is acting to
destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque -- Orthodox Jews
deny the Western Wall is part of the Temple
-- and Jesus was not a Jew but a Palestinian
prophet of Islam." Given that these are
doctrinal positions held by Islamists through
their holy book, the Quran -- how can there
be any working together, or cooperative effort
between two such divergent religions?
In this regard, a breaking news story from
Pakistan tells of a cleric in the village of
Bahmaniwala using a mosque loudspeaker
to announce a call to attack Christians that
resulted in more than 500 Muslim recruits,
rampaging through the village, breaking down
gates, wrecking and plundering more than 100
homes and in some cases beating Christian
women. Again, it would seem difficult to
undertake cooperative projects with Islamists.
A headline from the Internet, and a one line
opening statement in the accompanying story:
"NEW EVIDENCE -- Global Warming
Is an Expensive Hoax
If you troll around the internet you can find
much evidence that the Global Warming,
Global Climate Change, etc. is all a scientific
Hoax." (Al Gore, Barack Obama and the US
Congress notwithstanding, this seems to say
it all.)
As we move onward, out of the Independence
Day period, never forget this statement from
our nation's second president: "Liberty must
at all hazards be supported. We have a right to
it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not,
our fathers have earned and bought it for us,
at the expense of their ease, their estates, their
pleasure, and their blood." - John Adams, 1765
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