Tuesday
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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