Tuesday
THE SCRIPTURES SPEAK OFTEN OF WAR
`
THE SCRIPTURES SPEAK OFTEN
OF WAR, WARS AND WARFARE . . .
REAL AND RUMORED . . . AND OF
WARS BEING MADE TO CEASE
This nation, for so long acknowledged as a "Christian nation,"
today faces so many serious problems -- the health care
fiasco, our economy in the midst of total destruction, our
loss of respect on the international scene, our shift from
the historic principles which made us great, the yielding to
the homosexual minority, the complete and utter decline in
morality -- that the fact that we are at war on two fronts,
with other fronts in the offing almost escapes us in our
daily perusal of the news.
In the Bible war is spoken of as hostilities between cities,
states or even tribes on political or religious grounds. It is
also spoken of as the inner conflict between forces of good
and evil within an individual. For the Christian it is spoken
of as the daily struggle to maintain a spiritual life in the
midst of a wicked and profane environment.
It is also spoken of as one of the elements leading to the
return of our Lord. But in Psalm 46:9 the God of Jacob
is spoken of in these words, "He maketh wars to cease
unto the end of the earth ..." and He promises, "Be still
and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the
heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." And then the
Psalmist promises, "The Lord of hosts is with us; the
God of Jacob is our refuge."
Despite his exercise of temporal power, and his scheming
to "change" America, even President Obama cannot
prevail against our God.
The one war, as yet officially undeclared, is of Biblical
hostilities between Palestine and Israel, and in that conflict
the Obama administration and the United Nations have
cast Israel as the aggressors, and the Muslim forces of
Palestine as the people under attack. This is the war that
needs to be resolved, with God's plan and purpose for
His land kept foremost in our nation's actions.
In the two wars now in progress, we seem constantly
haunted by our fear of "another Vietnam." But we walked
away from that conflict without victory, and survived as a
nation. Russia walked away from failure in Afghanistan
and survived. Meantime, leaderless we await a long
overdue decision. Again we urge prayer for wisdom to
be given to President Obama to make the right decision.
A current day comment on war, from Bob Hebert,
writing in the New York Times: "The U.S. economy is in
free fall, the banking system is in a state of complete
collapse and Americans all across the country are
downsizing their standards of living. The nation as
we’ve known it is fading before our very eyes, but we’re
still pouring billions of dollars into wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq with missions we are still unable to define.
Even as the U.S. begins plans to reduce troop
commitments in Iraq, it is sending thousands of
additional troops into Afghanistan. The strategic
purpose of this escalation, as Defense Secretary Robert
Gates acknowledged, is not at all clear. We invaded
Afghanistan more than seven years ago. We don’t
even have an escalation strategy, much less an exit
strategy. An honest assessment of the situation ...
would lead inexorably to such terms as fiasco and
quagmire. Instead of cutting our losses, we appear to
be doubling down. As for Iraq, President Obama
announced last week that substantial troop
withdrawals will take place over the next year and a
half and that U.S. combat operations would cease by
the end of August 2010. But, he said, a large contingent
of American troops, perhaps as many as 50,000, would
still remain in Iraq for a “period of transition.” That’s
a large number of troops, and the cost of keeping them
there will be huge. I can easily imagine a scenario in
which Afghanistan and Iraq both heat up and the U.S.,
caught in an extended economic disaster at home,
undermines its fragile recovery efforts in the same way
that societies have undermined themselves since the
dawn of time -- with endless warfare."
There are ideological differences in the White House.
Conservative columnists Tony Perkins and Gary Bauer
commented last week on White House Communications
Director Anita Dunn's statement that she considers Mao
Tse-Tung and Mother Teresa as her "favorite political
philosophers." Hmmmmm. Aside from our wondering
how the Communications Director for Barack Obama
could consider a communist revolutionary, one of the
greatest mass murderers in all history, as one of her two
"favorite political philosophers," we also wonder how
as Obama's Communications Director she can handle
Mother Teresa's words as she received the Nobel Peace
Prize: "We are talking of peace...the greatest destroyer
of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a
direct killing - direct murder by the mother herself."
Thus Dunn's "favorite political philosopher" has views
which are diametrically opposed to those of her boss, an
ardent supporter and promoter of abortion.
An exercise in date setting: Remember when you were
a child, and began counting how many days till Christmas?
Maybe it is time to start counting again -- but this time
keep a record of how many days to ELECTION DAY,
2010. Starting right now, today, there are exactly 370 days
to November 2, 2010. That can be the day we Christians
unite and replace the Obama-controlled Democrat Congress
with people who really represent us, and who will help
return this country to the moral, ethical, religious -- even
Christian -- country it once was. Mark that date!
Agreed -- we should not quit citing great "one liners."
"War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the
oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious.
It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars
and the losses in lives." (General Smedley D. Butler, USMCR)
"Three forces threaten Democrats in the 2010 elections: populist
anger on the right, disaffection in the middle and potential
disillusionment on the left." (Dan Balz, in The Washington Post)
"This isn't like four bad years of Jimmy Carter or even eight
years of Bill Clinton. This is the systematic transformation
of our nation from an open, capitalist society, to a Big
Brother-type, socialist nation." (David Horowitz)
Our Founding Fathers commented on current day life:
George Washington had this to say about the sexual
promiscuity that seems so prevalent today among our
entertainment personalities and prominent politicians:
"More permanent and genuine happiness is to be found
in the sequestered walks of connubial life than in the
giddy rounds of promiscuous pleasure."
-- George Washington, 1786
And this very pertinent word of advice: "Religion in a
Family is at once its brightest Ornament & its best
Security." --Samuel Adams, 1780
THE SCRIPTURES SPEAK OFTEN
OF WAR, WARS AND WARFARE . . .
REAL AND RUMORED . . . AND OF
WARS BEING MADE TO CEASE
This nation, for so long acknowledged as a "Christian nation,"
today faces so many serious problems -- the health care
fiasco, our economy in the midst of total destruction, our
loss of respect on the international scene, our shift from
the historic principles which made us great, the yielding to
the homosexual minority, the complete and utter decline in
morality -- that the fact that we are at war on two fronts,
with other fronts in the offing almost escapes us in our
daily perusal of the news.
In the Bible war is spoken of as hostilities between cities,
states or even tribes on political or religious grounds. It is
also spoken of as the inner conflict between forces of good
and evil within an individual. For the Christian it is spoken
of as the daily struggle to maintain a spiritual life in the
midst of a wicked and profane environment.
It is also spoken of as one of the elements leading to the
return of our Lord. But in Psalm 46:9 the God of Jacob
is spoken of in these words, "He maketh wars to cease
unto the end of the earth ..." and He promises, "Be still
and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the
heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." And then the
Psalmist promises, "The Lord of hosts is with us; the
God of Jacob is our refuge."
Despite his exercise of temporal power, and his scheming
to "change" America, even President Obama cannot
prevail against our God.
The one war, as yet officially undeclared, is of Biblical
hostilities between Palestine and Israel, and in that conflict
the Obama administration and the United Nations have
cast Israel as the aggressors, and the Muslim forces of
Palestine as the people under attack. This is the war that
needs to be resolved, with God's plan and purpose for
His land kept foremost in our nation's actions.
In the two wars now in progress, we seem constantly
haunted by our fear of "another Vietnam." But we walked
away from that conflict without victory, and survived as a
nation. Russia walked away from failure in Afghanistan
and survived. Meantime, leaderless we await a long
overdue decision. Again we urge prayer for wisdom to
be given to President Obama to make the right decision.
A current day comment on war, from Bob Hebert,
writing in the New York Times: "The U.S. economy is in
free fall, the banking system is in a state of complete
collapse and Americans all across the country are
downsizing their standards of living. The nation as
we’ve known it is fading before our very eyes, but we’re
still pouring billions of dollars into wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq with missions we are still unable to define.
Even as the U.S. begins plans to reduce troop
commitments in Iraq, it is sending thousands of
additional troops into Afghanistan. The strategic
purpose of this escalation, as Defense Secretary Robert
Gates acknowledged, is not at all clear. We invaded
Afghanistan more than seven years ago. We don’t
even have an escalation strategy, much less an exit
strategy. An honest assessment of the situation ...
would lead inexorably to such terms as fiasco and
quagmire. Instead of cutting our losses, we appear to
be doubling down. As for Iraq, President Obama
announced last week that substantial troop
withdrawals will take place over the next year and a
half and that U.S. combat operations would cease by
the end of August 2010. But, he said, a large contingent
of American troops, perhaps as many as 50,000, would
still remain in Iraq for a “period of transition.” That’s
a large number of troops, and the cost of keeping them
there will be huge. I can easily imagine a scenario in
which Afghanistan and Iraq both heat up and the U.S.,
caught in an extended economic disaster at home,
undermines its fragile recovery efforts in the same way
that societies have undermined themselves since the
dawn of time -- with endless warfare."
There are ideological differences in the White House.
Conservative columnists Tony Perkins and Gary Bauer
commented last week on White House Communications
Director Anita Dunn's statement that she considers Mao
Tse-Tung and Mother Teresa as her "favorite political
philosophers." Hmmmmm. Aside from our wondering
how the Communications Director for Barack Obama
could consider a communist revolutionary, one of the
greatest mass murderers in all history, as one of her two
"favorite political philosophers," we also wonder how
as Obama's Communications Director she can handle
Mother Teresa's words as she received the Nobel Peace
Prize: "We are talking of peace...the greatest destroyer
of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a
direct killing - direct murder by the mother herself."
Thus Dunn's "favorite political philosopher" has views
which are diametrically opposed to those of her boss, an
ardent supporter and promoter of abortion.
An exercise in date setting: Remember when you were
a child, and began counting how many days till Christmas?
Maybe it is time to start counting again -- but this time
keep a record of how many days to ELECTION DAY,
2010. Starting right now, today, there are exactly 370 days
to November 2, 2010. That can be the day we Christians
unite and replace the Obama-controlled Democrat Congress
with people who really represent us, and who will help
return this country to the moral, ethical, religious -- even
Christian -- country it once was. Mark that date!
Agreed -- we should not quit citing great "one liners."
"War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the
oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious.
It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars
and the losses in lives." (General Smedley D. Butler, USMCR)
"Three forces threaten Democrats in the 2010 elections: populist
anger on the right, disaffection in the middle and potential
disillusionment on the left." (Dan Balz, in The Washington Post)
"This isn't like four bad years of Jimmy Carter or even eight
years of Bill Clinton. This is the systematic transformation
of our nation from an open, capitalist society, to a Big
Brother-type, socialist nation." (David Horowitz)
Our Founding Fathers commented on current day life:
George Washington had this to say about the sexual
promiscuity that seems so prevalent today among our
entertainment personalities and prominent politicians:
"More permanent and genuine happiness is to be found
in the sequestered walks of connubial life than in the
giddy rounds of promiscuous pleasure."
-- George Washington, 1786
And this very pertinent word of advice: "Religion in a
Family is at once its brightest Ornament & its best
Security." --Samuel Adams, 1780
Wednesday
WHEN WILL WE WAKE UP?
`
AN URGENT TWO-FOLD QUESTION
FOR TODAY: FIRST, WHEN WILL HE
WAKE UP? SECOND, WHEN WILL WE
WAKE UP?
Sometimes a statement from an independent, outside observer says it
best. In Canada, our neighbor to the North, Howard Galganov is an
editorial writer, whose editorials appear in more than a score of
Canadian newspapers. Last week he wrote: "I'm going to make yet
another prediction: OBAMA WILL PROBABLY NOT FINISH HIS
4-YEAR TERM, at least not in a conventional way. He is such a political
HORROR-SHOW, and so detrimental to the USA and his own
Democratic Party, that the Democrats themselves will either FORCE
him to resign or figure out a way to have him thrown out."
Or within our own borders, syndicated columnist Sher Zieve just last
week offered this comment: "At this juncture, I think it safe to observe
that neither our Legislative nor Executive branches of government are
listening to We-the-People and have no intention of doing so now or
in the foreseeable future. Obama plans to destroy us as quickly and
completely as is possible."
Just those two examples, out of so many in similar vein, lead us to
today's first question, "When will he wake up?" With his approval
ratings falling through the floor, it is obvious that the American
people simply do not trust him. The polls are all uniform in this
report, although in slightly varying degrees. Gallup polls, for example,
placed him at an unsurpassed high of 83 in January ... and saw that
public approval fall to 52 in September. And although he experienced
a slight rebound to 56 last week, at the same time Hillary Clinton sur -
passed him in public approval at 62. Rasmussen polls have recorded
his fall from 65 to 47, while their daily index rating has become firmly
entrenched in negative territory, double digit at present.
But he shows no signs of waking-up ... he is still flying across country,
delivering the same teleprompter message, taking advantage of every
opportunity to get before TV cameras ... not seeming to understand
that he just isn't liked or trusted in America. The entrancement with
"Change you can believe in" has now worn off.
But that brings up the second question: "When will we wake up?"
There are probably some Christians who voted for Obama. Looking
back over the past 9 months, it is difficult to understand why. His
views of the Christian faith are totally anti-Christian. In his pep rally
speech to the homosexuals on the eve of their march on Washington,
he reassured them: "When you look back on these years,you will see
a time in which we as a nation finally recognized relationships
between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as
relationships between a man and a woman."
And he promised to end "Don't Ask; Don't Tell" in the armed services,
and promised to pass "hate crimes" legislation in their behalf, and to
repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. And he said this about Christians
who believe the Bible: "Despite the real gains that we've made, there's
still laws to change and there's still hearts to open. There are still
fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors, even loved ones - good and decent
people -- who hold fast to outworn arguments and old attitudes, And
that's painful and it's heartbreaking."
Obama's catering to the homosexuals would seem to be at odds with
the results of a Pew poll in August which found that 49% of American
adults feel that homosexuality is morally wrong; 9% find it morally
acceptable, and 35% do not find it a moral issue. During the past 8
years Gallup polls have found that 48 to 55% of American adults find
homosexuality to be morally wrong.
Another pressing issue on the president's agenda is whether he will
commit more troops to Afghanistan – the "good war." But first we
have to win the battle at home – the battle to convince Obama to learn
the right lessons from history and to heed the wise counsel of his own
generals. In the realm of international affairs, Mr. Obama is equally as
remiss as he is with respect to moral issues.
A few weeks ago, Obama attempted to "reset" relations with Russia,
and had given in to Russia by cancelling the missile defense shield in
Eastern Europe. It was his theory that the grateful Russians would
surely side with us and get tough on Iran. But Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton flew to Moscow last week to finalize how Russia would work
with us to impose real sanctions on Iran. But instead, she received a
warning from Russia's Putin for the US and the rest of the world not
to attempt to "intimidate" Iran, and added that talk of sanctions was
"premature." And beyond that, Obama has given Russia permission to
inspect our total nuclear armamanent; count our bombs, etc. Nice.
And so it appears that either with respect to moral issues or with
respect to dealings on the international scene, it is time that we -- the
Christian church of America -- should wake up, and involve ourselves
in reclaiming this nation to the moral and spiritual principles upon
which it was founded. And for a suggested date for that awakening:
Election Day, November 2, 2010.
The president's potential new pastor ... the Rev. Jeremiah Wright
is long gone ... the fond hopes of Rick Warren are now almost forgotten
inauguration day memories ... and the pastor the president hears
preach most often is Carey Cash (at Camp David), Johnny Cash's
great nephew, and a Southern Baptist who served in Iraq and holds
that Islam is a violent faith. He may be the most valuable element in
the Obama-sphere.
One feature we hate to give up: just these few choice "one liners:"
"Nothing is inevitable. For America today, decline is not a condition.
Decline is a choice. Decline-or continued ascendancy-is in our hands."
(Charles Krauthammer)
"The United States of America is the greatest, the noblest, and in its
original founding principles, the only moral country in the history
of the world (save Israel), and it is being led by an amoral radical."
(Pamela Geller)
And it doesn't seem right to ignore our Founding Fathers' ideals.
"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon
the power of government, far from it. We've staked the future of all
our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves
according to the Ten Commandments of God." -- James Madison, 1778
Not from a "Founding Father," but from a present day pastor:
"After hearing about the East African Revival while I was in Uganda
last week, I was convinced that this type of movement is the only
thing that will pull the United States out of its current despair. We
must have a spiritual awakening, or we die. Political engineering,
economic policies, government bailouts and stimulus packages will
not save us. No politician, Democrat or Republican, will reverse our
course toward destruction. Our only hope is that a backslidden
American church will be zealous and repent" -- Rev. J. Lee Grady
AN URGENT TWO-FOLD QUESTION
FOR TODAY: FIRST, WHEN WILL HE
WAKE UP? SECOND, WHEN WILL WE
WAKE UP?
Sometimes a statement from an independent, outside observer says it
best. In Canada, our neighbor to the North, Howard Galganov is an
editorial writer, whose editorials appear in more than a score of
Canadian newspapers. Last week he wrote: "I'm going to make yet
another prediction: OBAMA WILL PROBABLY NOT FINISH HIS
4-YEAR TERM, at least not in a conventional way. He is such a political
HORROR-SHOW, and so detrimental to the USA and his own
Democratic Party, that the Democrats themselves will either FORCE
him to resign or figure out a way to have him thrown out."
Or within our own borders, syndicated columnist Sher Zieve just last
week offered this comment: "At this juncture, I think it safe to observe
that neither our Legislative nor Executive branches of government are
listening to We-the-People and have no intention of doing so now or
in the foreseeable future. Obama plans to destroy us as quickly and
completely as is possible."
Just those two examples, out of so many in similar vein, lead us to
today's first question, "When will he wake up?" With his approval
ratings falling through the floor, it is obvious that the American
people simply do not trust him. The polls are all uniform in this
report, although in slightly varying degrees. Gallup polls, for example,
placed him at an unsurpassed high of 83 in January ... and saw that
public approval fall to 52 in September. And although he experienced
a slight rebound to 56 last week, at the same time Hillary Clinton sur -
passed him in public approval at 62. Rasmussen polls have recorded
his fall from 65 to 47, while their daily index rating has become firmly
entrenched in negative territory, double digit at present.
But he shows no signs of waking-up ... he is still flying across country,
delivering the same teleprompter message, taking advantage of every
opportunity to get before TV cameras ... not seeming to understand
that he just isn't liked or trusted in America. The entrancement with
"Change you can believe in" has now worn off.
But that brings up the second question: "When will we wake up?"
There are probably some Christians who voted for Obama. Looking
back over the past 9 months, it is difficult to understand why. His
views of the Christian faith are totally anti-Christian. In his pep rally
speech to the homosexuals on the eve of their march on Washington,
he reassured them: "When you look back on these years,you will see
a time in which we as a nation finally recognized relationships
between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as
relationships between a man and a woman."
And he promised to end "Don't Ask; Don't Tell" in the armed services,
and promised to pass "hate crimes" legislation in their behalf, and to
repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. And he said this about Christians
who believe the Bible: "Despite the real gains that we've made, there's
still laws to change and there's still hearts to open. There are still
fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors, even loved ones - good and decent
people -- who hold fast to outworn arguments and old attitudes, And
that's painful and it's heartbreaking."
Obama's catering to the homosexuals would seem to be at odds with
the results of a Pew poll in August which found that 49% of American
adults feel that homosexuality is morally wrong; 9% find it morally
acceptable, and 35% do not find it a moral issue. During the past 8
years Gallup polls have found that 48 to 55% of American adults find
homosexuality to be morally wrong.
Another pressing issue on the president's agenda is whether he will
commit more troops to Afghanistan – the "good war." But first we
have to win the battle at home – the battle to convince Obama to learn
the right lessons from history and to heed the wise counsel of his own
generals. In the realm of international affairs, Mr. Obama is equally as
remiss as he is with respect to moral issues.
A few weeks ago, Obama attempted to "reset" relations with Russia,
and had given in to Russia by cancelling the missile defense shield in
Eastern Europe. It was his theory that the grateful Russians would
surely side with us and get tough on Iran. But Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton flew to Moscow last week to finalize how Russia would work
with us to impose real sanctions on Iran. But instead, she received a
warning from Russia's Putin for the US and the rest of the world not
to attempt to "intimidate" Iran, and added that talk of sanctions was
"premature." And beyond that, Obama has given Russia permission to
inspect our total nuclear armamanent; count our bombs, etc. Nice.
And so it appears that either with respect to moral issues or with
respect to dealings on the international scene, it is time that we -- the
Christian church of America -- should wake up, and involve ourselves
in reclaiming this nation to the moral and spiritual principles upon
which it was founded. And for a suggested date for that awakening:
Election Day, November 2, 2010.
The president's potential new pastor ... the Rev. Jeremiah Wright
is long gone ... the fond hopes of Rick Warren are now almost forgotten
inauguration day memories ... and the pastor the president hears
preach most often is Carey Cash (at Camp David), Johnny Cash's
great nephew, and a Southern Baptist who served in Iraq and holds
that Islam is a violent faith. He may be the most valuable element in
the Obama-sphere.
One feature we hate to give up: just these few choice "one liners:"
"Nothing is inevitable. For America today, decline is not a condition.
Decline is a choice. Decline-or continued ascendancy-is in our hands."
(Charles Krauthammer)
"The United States of America is the greatest, the noblest, and in its
original founding principles, the only moral country in the history
of the world (save Israel), and it is being led by an amoral radical."
(Pamela Geller)
And it doesn't seem right to ignore our Founding Fathers' ideals.
"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon
the power of government, far from it. We've staked the future of all
our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves
according to the Ten Commandments of God." -- James Madison, 1778
Not from a "Founding Father," but from a present day pastor:
"After hearing about the East African Revival while I was in Uganda
last week, I was convinced that this type of movement is the only
thing that will pull the United States out of its current despair. We
must have a spiritual awakening, or we die. Political engineering,
economic policies, government bailouts and stimulus packages will
not save us. No politician, Democrat or Republican, will reverse our
course toward destruction. Our only hope is that a backslidden
American church will be zealous and repent" -- Rev. J. Lee Grady
Tuesday
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE HILARIOUS
`
WITHOUT GETTING TOO PERSONAL, there is this
bit of news which we would like to share with our readers,
whom we have come to think of as our friends. Just a few
days ago, our Senior Editor underwent eye surgery, and as
of this date is still functioning on a "one and one half eye"
basis. Obviously this does not permit the research required
to maintain our level of analysis and commentary. Thus we
offer this week just a very brief 3 point commentary, and
hope to resume as usual next week. Thank you for your
understanding and your prayers, if you feel so inclined.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A NEW RECORD FOR BREVITY --
JUST A THREE WORD ANALYSIS
OF TODAY'S NEWS: "THE GOOD,
THE BAD AND THE HILARIOUS"
In trying to develop a brief, three point analysis of current events,
one logically turns to some of the great three word descriptions
which have been used in the past. One such group of words which
comes to mind is the title of the 1996 Italian film on the US Civil
War, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." That phrase seems to cut
across just about every aspect of our life in today's world.
But since we have to include the Obama administration in any such
contemporary analysis, it does seem a bit crude to use the term
"Ugly," although that is how the president usually describes America.
So, we prefer to substitute the equally applicable word "Hilarious"
in place of "Ugly." So we end up with these three words, "The Good,
the Bad and the Hilarious."
Point One -- the Good: Oddly enough, this was the most difficult
example to find. There did not seem to be anything really "Good"
in today's news to analyze and discuss. But as we examined our
many news sources, one great "Good" was clearly evident. And
fellow Christians -- it involved us! The great all-permeating "Good"
demonstrated in so many parts of our world this week is certainly
the response of churches and Christian organizations in trying to
meet the needs of millions who have been devastated by earthquakes,
tsunamis, typhoons and floods which have wrought havoc in the
Philippines, India, Samoa, Indonesia and Viet Nam ... plus the effects
of the worst drought in decades in the Sudan.
Literally armies of relief workers, and thousands of tons of supplies
have been been on-site, to relieve human suffering, save lives, and
thus demonstrate the acceptance of the service responsibilities on
the part of world Christendom.
So let us thank God for this practical, effective demonstration of
the Christian spirit of concern for our fellow man, world-wide.
Point Two -- the Bad: From the viewpoint of American Christians,
this was the easy one to decide upon.The undebatable example of
"Bad" was the announcement by the President of the National
Association of Evangelicals (NAE) favoring a program of amnesty
for illegal aliens. The announcement came as Rev. Leith Anderson,
the NAE president, testified on request of Senator Charles Schumer,
(D, NY) in the Senate Immigration Committee's hearing to push
Schumer's effort to create amnesty legislation for illegals in this
session of Congress. Clearly, the NAE is no longer what it was
founded to be, nor what it was for many years. The name could
well be changed to "National Association of Neo-Evangelicals." It
is certainly not today the organization we remember under Clyde
Taylor and J. Elwyn Wright.
Anderson's testimony was a hodge-podge of conflicting statements,
but the greatest damage is for the world to think that these views are
representative of the true Evangelical Christian believers in America.
When Schumer asked him if there had been any dissent among the
members, Anderson said that the 75 member Board was absolutely
uniform in their decision. Anderson said that: "Evangelicals do not
condone law breaking ... borders are necessary for public order."
Then he told Schumer that the Gospel requires that Christians forgive
aliens for breaking immigration laws, adding these words: "The process
of redemption and restitution is core to Christian beliefs, as we were
all once lost and redeemed through love of Jesus Christ."
To cap that mystifying theological application, Anderson expressed
agreement by the 75 "Evangelical leaders" that immigration laws that
have allowed legal immigration to soar from a traditional average of
250,000 a year to more than 1,000,000 a year are too strict and must
be changed to allow many more foreign workers to enter. You have
to shake your head in wonderment!
Point Three -- the Hilarious: No competition on this point; easily
the most hilarious event of the past week was the award of the Nobel
Peace Prize to Barack Hussein Obama. First, there is one element of
spelling which must be cleared up: The award is called the "Nobel"
prize, not the "Noble" prize. Be very sure of this fact -- there is not
anything "Noble" about this award.
But the really hilarious aspect was emphasized in Obama's response
to the early morning wake-up call. From the White House release of
the transcript: "To be honest, (well, that would be nice!) I do not feel
that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative
figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've
inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous
pursuit of peace."
Let's see: that list of inspiring figures would include in the past few
years Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan, Yasser Arafat, Mikhail
Gorbachev and Desmond Tutu. Ask yourself: are these the people
to whom the President of the United States should be turning for
inspiration? It really would be hilarious -- if it weren't so serious
and frightening.
Oh, yes . . . another hilarious aspect is the national and international
reaction to the award. It has been quite difficult to find any meaningful
favorable reactions from liberals or conservatives ... from Christian
or from non-religious. George Stephanopoulos, almost a member of
the White House cheer leading team, described it neatly; "The president
has essentially gotten the world's biggest, most elaborate fruitcake
from a wealthy aunt he can't afford to offend. You can't return it, you
can't re-gift it. You just gotta make the best of it..."
Naturally UN Secretary General Ban Kin-moon loved it: "This is great
news for President Obama, for the people of the United States and
for the United Nations." And former Polish President and Nobel Peace
Prize winner Lech Walesa said, "So soon? This is too soon. He has not
yet made a real input ... this is probably an encouragement for him
to act." And for a Christian reaction, Bill Donohue, president of the
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, commented: "Unlike
another Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Mother Teresa, who said abortion
was 'the greatest destroyer of peace,' Obama has never indicated that
abortion undermines the cause of peace. Indeed, he champions
abortion as if it were a sacred right." Oh yes ... the "NAE" thought the
award was deserved because Obama is all for nuclear disarmament.
And after that concise, 3 word analysis of current events,
here is an equally concise word for today from one of our Founding
Fathers: “God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot
fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can
rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that
except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I
firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we
shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of
Babel” -- Benjamin Franklin, 1787
WITHOUT GETTING TOO PERSONAL, there is this
bit of news which we would like to share with our readers,
whom we have come to think of as our friends. Just a few
days ago, our Senior Editor underwent eye surgery, and as
of this date is still functioning on a "one and one half eye"
basis. Obviously this does not permit the research required
to maintain our level of analysis and commentary. Thus we
offer this week just a very brief 3 point commentary, and
hope to resume as usual next week. Thank you for your
understanding and your prayers, if you feel so inclined.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A NEW RECORD FOR BREVITY --
JUST A THREE WORD ANALYSIS
OF TODAY'S NEWS: "THE GOOD,
THE BAD AND THE HILARIOUS"
In trying to develop a brief, three point analysis of current events,
one logically turns to some of the great three word descriptions
which have been used in the past. One such group of words which
comes to mind is the title of the 1996 Italian film on the US Civil
War, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." That phrase seems to cut
across just about every aspect of our life in today's world.
But since we have to include the Obama administration in any such
contemporary analysis, it does seem a bit crude to use the term
"Ugly," although that is how the president usually describes America.
So, we prefer to substitute the equally applicable word "Hilarious"
in place of "Ugly." So we end up with these three words, "The Good,
the Bad and the Hilarious."
Point One -- the Good: Oddly enough, this was the most difficult
example to find. There did not seem to be anything really "Good"
in today's news to analyze and discuss. But as we examined our
many news sources, one great "Good" was clearly evident. And
fellow Christians -- it involved us! The great all-permeating "Good"
demonstrated in so many parts of our world this week is certainly
the response of churches and Christian organizations in trying to
meet the needs of millions who have been devastated by earthquakes,
tsunamis, typhoons and floods which have wrought havoc in the
Philippines, India, Samoa, Indonesia and Viet Nam ... plus the effects
of the worst drought in decades in the Sudan.
Literally armies of relief workers, and thousands of tons of supplies
have been been on-site, to relieve human suffering, save lives, and
thus demonstrate the acceptance of the service responsibilities on
the part of world Christendom.
So let us thank God for this practical, effective demonstration of
the Christian spirit of concern for our fellow man, world-wide.
Point Two -- the Bad: From the viewpoint of American Christians,
this was the easy one to decide upon.The undebatable example of
"Bad" was the announcement by the President of the National
Association of Evangelicals (NAE) favoring a program of amnesty
for illegal aliens. The announcement came as Rev. Leith Anderson,
the NAE president, testified on request of Senator Charles Schumer,
(D, NY) in the Senate Immigration Committee's hearing to push
Schumer's effort to create amnesty legislation for illegals in this
session of Congress. Clearly, the NAE is no longer what it was
founded to be, nor what it was for many years. The name could
well be changed to "National Association of Neo-Evangelicals." It
is certainly not today the organization we remember under Clyde
Taylor and J. Elwyn Wright.
Anderson's testimony was a hodge-podge of conflicting statements,
but the greatest damage is for the world to think that these views are
representative of the true Evangelical Christian believers in America.
When Schumer asked him if there had been any dissent among the
members, Anderson said that the 75 member Board was absolutely
uniform in their decision. Anderson said that: "Evangelicals do not
condone law breaking ... borders are necessary for public order."
Then he told Schumer that the Gospel requires that Christians forgive
aliens for breaking immigration laws, adding these words: "The process
of redemption and restitution is core to Christian beliefs, as we were
all once lost and redeemed through love of Jesus Christ."
To cap that mystifying theological application, Anderson expressed
agreement by the 75 "Evangelical leaders" that immigration laws that
have allowed legal immigration to soar from a traditional average of
250,000 a year to more than 1,000,000 a year are too strict and must
be changed to allow many more foreign workers to enter. You have
to shake your head in wonderment!
Point Three -- the Hilarious: No competition on this point; easily
the most hilarious event of the past week was the award of the Nobel
Peace Prize to Barack Hussein Obama. First, there is one element of
spelling which must be cleared up: The award is called the "Nobel"
prize, not the "Noble" prize. Be very sure of this fact -- there is not
anything "Noble" about this award.
But the really hilarious aspect was emphasized in Obama's response
to the early morning wake-up call. From the White House release of
the transcript: "To be honest, (well, that would be nice!) I do not feel
that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative
figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've
inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous
pursuit of peace."
Let's see: that list of inspiring figures would include in the past few
years Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan, Yasser Arafat, Mikhail
Gorbachev and Desmond Tutu. Ask yourself: are these the people
to whom the President of the United States should be turning for
inspiration? It really would be hilarious -- if it weren't so serious
and frightening.
Oh, yes . . . another hilarious aspect is the national and international
reaction to the award. It has been quite difficult to find any meaningful
favorable reactions from liberals or conservatives ... from Christian
or from non-religious. George Stephanopoulos, almost a member of
the White House cheer leading team, described it neatly; "The president
has essentially gotten the world's biggest, most elaborate fruitcake
from a wealthy aunt he can't afford to offend. You can't return it, you
can't re-gift it. You just gotta make the best of it..."
Naturally UN Secretary General Ban Kin-moon loved it: "This is great
news for President Obama, for the people of the United States and
for the United Nations." And former Polish President and Nobel Peace
Prize winner Lech Walesa said, "So soon? This is too soon. He has not
yet made a real input ... this is probably an encouragement for him
to act." And for a Christian reaction, Bill Donohue, president of the
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, commented: "Unlike
another Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Mother Teresa, who said abortion
was 'the greatest destroyer of peace,' Obama has never indicated that
abortion undermines the cause of peace. Indeed, he champions
abortion as if it were a sacred right." Oh yes ... the "NAE" thought the
award was deserved because Obama is all for nuclear disarmament.
And after that concise, 3 word analysis of current events,
here is an equally concise word for today from one of our Founding
Fathers: “God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot
fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can
rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that
except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I
firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we
shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of
Babel” -- Benjamin Franklin, 1787
THE PAST WEEK WAS NOT ONE OF
THE BEST FOR BARACK OBAMA
`
ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT
IT THE PAST WEEK WAS
NOT ONE OF THE BEST
FOR BARACK OBAMA,
HERE AT HOME OR
INTERNATIONALLY
Obviously we do not have the time or the space to comment at length on
things that continue to go wrong with the Obama proposed program to
"change" America. Instead we will comment on just two from the past few
days. and on the overall angst which the American people are manifesting.
First, domestically: the report that for the month of September the
national unemployment rate had increased to 9.8% came as not only
as a shock, but also a set-back for the Obama administration's claim
for the success of its "stimulus" program. That was the highest level the
unemployment rate had reached in more than two decades, and the
number of new job losses also exceeded expectations with 263,000 more
jobs lost. (A substantial increase over the 201,000 jobs lost in August.)
The spin put on this report by the administration is that the number of job
losses is slowing. But with 15.1 million jobs lost since this recession
began, the actual percentage of job losses is increasing because of the
base of fewer employed people.
Unfortunately, we can all remember that when they began administering the
economy the Obamites promised that if their stimulus program were
adopted the unemployment rate would not exceed 8%. And among other
incorrect predictions, in mid-September Federal Reserve Chairman Ben
Bernanke said that the recession was probably now over. Now with the
national unemployment rate already at 9.8%, a rate of 10% seems likely in
the not too distant future. No, it's really not over, Ben.
And internationally, the prevailing news is that Chicago was not selected
by the International Olympic Committee as the host city for the 2016
games, but that it was eliminated from consideration on the first vote. The
crack US team of persuaders who confidently expected to win by the
sheer force of their personalities, included President Obama, his wife,
Michelle, and popular entertainment star, Oprah Winfrey. But they failed
abjectly in their pitch to the IOC. Chicago was the first city eliminated --
didn't even get to a second round vote. The problem may have been that
Mr. Obama was required to extol the advantages of Chicago, and he just
isn't accustomed to saying anything good about America. It appears that
his teleprompters are not programmed in that way.
So, in just those two instances, among others, it was not one of Mr.
Obama's best weeks. On other fronts, his demand for the "public option"
or government-run health insurance was not doing well in the Senate, and
on a national basis, the polls show American voters just don't want it. His
plan to shut down the Guantanamo detention facility and relocate the
detainees elsewhere ground to a slow-down or halt -- even his most solid
Democrat states do not want to accept the terrorists. And despite all his talk
about diplomatic approaches to Iran, the threat of a nuclear war is ever
present. Meanwhile, even with his excessive TV appearances and public
speeches on just about every opportunity, his performance approval
numbers continue to tumble, and the Rasmussen daily approval index
remains firmly in negative territory.
And now only 49% of American voters believe that the national economy
will be better in five years -- that figure is down from 64% who felt that
way at the start of the year. Even the TV show the Liberals love, "Saturday
Night Live," has gone so far as to ridicule his lack of accomplishments.
But Obama is still in power, and both Houses of Congress are firmly in
Democrat hands. And some of the actions currently underway provide
serious concerns for American Christians. FOCA ("Freedom of Choice
Act") will do more than any action since Roe v. Wade to increase the use
of abortion. An amendment to prohibit any use of public funding of
abortions through the proposed health reform act (offered by Senator
Hatch, R,UT) was rejected by the Democrat controlled Finance Committee
by a 13-10 vote. The committee also defeated an amendment to protect
the rights of doctors and nurses who refuse to perform abortions, and an
amendment to require proof of identity for individuals enrolling in the new
healthcare plan was also defeated by the Democrat majority. Action to
repeal DOMA ("Defense of Marriage Act") and thus increase national
recognition of same-sex "marriage" is expected shortly. So despite some
major setbacks in his sweeping program to "change" America, President
Obama still has tremendous power through his control of the Congress --
all of which makes the upcoming elections in 2010 all the more important if
we are to have any hope of the reclaiming of America to bring it back in
accord with its founding principles.
So what, as Christians, can we do in these difficult times? In our
September 23 issue we pointed out that in the 2008 elections which put
Barack Obama in power, 54% of Catholics, a large share of main line
Protestants and even a good percentage (25%) of Evangelical Christians
voted for the "change" which candidate Obama promised. We concluded
that summary with these words, "These facts help answer the question as
to who elected Barack Obama." Given his performance to date. it would
seem that Evangelicals and most nominal Christians, plus Catholics who
follow the church's teaching about abortion, would be ready to correct the
errors which they made in November of 2008. We are instructed to be both
"light" and "salt" in the world in which we live. We are also instructed not
to put our light under a basket, but to let it shine and be seen, and we are
warned against our salt losing it's taste -- in other words our opinions must
remain clear and strong and meaningful. We are encouraged to pray for
those in authority, and beyond that, to become what the Apostles were
spoken of -- "those who have turned the world upside down." (Acts 17:6)
As Christians our responsibility remains as a three-fold program . . . to pray
for our leaders, that their eyes may be open to the truth and that they be
given wisdom to act in accord with the truth . . . to speak our minds (as a
simple suggestion, take a few moments to phone (202) 224 - 3121 and tell
your Senators and Congressional members what you want them to do) . . .
and to work -- get ready for the 2010 elections and take the first step in
calling this nation back to what it was, and what is must be.
But we often wonder about the so-called "mega churches" -- as
an interesting comment on this subject, Chuck Colson, in his "Breakpoint"
column spoke about his "Centurions" program, and said that one of the
program's graduates, Matt Guerino, put it this way: "A majority of
evangelical churches today seem intent on feelings—how people feel
when they walk in the door, when they listen to the preacher, when they
leave after the service. Much of our preaching sounds like a
Christianized version of popular self-help thinking." Just as this nation
needs to return to the principles upon which it was founded, so the
Christian church needs to return to the principles upon which Jesus Christ
established it, that it should be such a powerfully effective force that even
the gates of Hell could not withstand its onslaughts.
Very frequently, it seems, we have to ask: Who can we believe?"
This past week former President Jimmy Carter insisted that he never said
that the protests against President Barack Obama were driven by racism in
his interview with Brian Williams on NBC TV on September 15. In that
interview he said very clearly that "there is an inherent feeling among
many in this country that an African-American should not be president.”
But during last week's interview with Candy Crowley on CNN he backed
off those remarks and said, “If you read the remarks carefully, you’ll see
that’s not what I said." And he added, “I said those that had a personal
attack on President Obama as a person, that was tinged with racism,
but I recognize that people who disagree with him on health care or the
environment, that the vast majority of those are not tinged by racism.”
And he concluded, “What I actually said, if you look at the transcript,
is what I just repeated to you.”
The problem is that a replay of the tape of the NBC interview shows that
the original remarks, as reported, are exactly what he said, and his revised
version on CNN is absolutely incorrect and untrue. What is embarrassing
for him and destructive of his credibility, is the fact that the two conflicting
tapes are being shown side by side on YouTube, available on line through
Newsmax.com.
Given the failure of the American presentation in behalf of Chicago for the
2016 Olympics, Mr. Carter can probably add to his use of the race card
the charge that the IOC ruled against Chicago because the American team
leaders were all blacks.
And Jimmy Carter isn't alone . . . remember "Actress/activist" Janeane
Garofalo? She's back. Last Friday night she used a media appearance on
HBO (with Bill Maher, naturally) to smear anti-Obama protesters as
racists, saying, "it's obvious to anybody who has eyes in this country that
tea-baggers, the 9-12ers, are clearly white power movements," and she
expressed regret that "so few people are willing to say that yes, it is
racism, straight up racism."
And a Founding Father said: "A feeble executive implies a feeble
execution of the government. A feeble execution is but another phrase
for a bad execution; and a government ill executed, whatever may be its
theory, must be, in practice, a bad government."
--Alexander Hamilton, 1788
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
A few classic "one liners" from this past week . . .
"The next time that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears before an
international tribunal, it must not be as an honored guest at the United
Nations General Assembly. It must be as a defendant in the dock of the
International Criminal Court." (Pastor John Hagee)
"Barack Obama is on track to have the most spectacularly
failed presidency since Woodrow Wilson." (Geoffrey P. Hunt)
"There has been a growing narrative taking hold about Barack
Obama's presidency in recent weeks: that he is loved by many, but
feared by none; that he is full of lofty vision, but is actually achieving
nothing with his grandiloquence." (Tim Reid, UK Times)
"... ultimately, it comes down to the fact, it seems to me, that he seems
to have some malevolence toward this country which is unabated."
(Tammy Bruce)
"The major function of secrecy in Washington is to keep the U.S.
people from knowing what the nation’s leaders are doing."
(John Stockwell)
And not exactly "one liners," but a selection of comments arising
out of President Obama's initial UN speech . . .
"It was a combination of anti-Americanism, apologies to our sworn
enemies and outright foolishness." (Gary Bauer)
From former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger on Barack Obama:
"a nice, well educated adolescent."
And even French President Sarkozy found it difficult to take Obama
seriously, and said: “We live in a real world, not a virtual world. And the
real world expects us to make decisions. ...President Obama dreams of a
world without nuclear weapons…but right in front of us two countries
(Iran and North Korea) are doing the exact opposite.”
But as former President Bill Clinton warned while he was in office: "You
know, by the time you become the leader of a country, someone else
makes all the decisions. … You may find you can get away with virtual
presidents, virtual prime ministers, virtual everything."
People are talking about . . .
Jimmy Carter's inane charge of "racism:" "Former president Jimmy Carter
said, 'I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated
animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he
is a black man.' That's from a man who earlier referred to Obama as
'This black boy' on the Jim Lehrer 'News Hour'" (Walter Williams)
The UN and the recent G-20 Summit: "While all eyes were on the
rantings of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the United Nations, the United
States -- under President Obama -- was surrendering its economic
sovereignty at the G-20 summit." (Dick Morris)
America's loss of strength in the world: "From Afghanistan to Iran, North
Korea to Venezuela, Russia to China, America’s enemies are concluding
there is nothing to fear from America. From Poland to France, Great
Britain to Israel, our friends are concluding there is no resolve in
America. I am no prophet but on this I can predict with certainty: The
headlines in the months ahead from around the world will make it clear
that America is in retreat and that tyrants are on the move."
(Gary Bauer)
On the UN speech from one of our allies: "President Obama, I support
the Americans' outstretched hand. But what did the international
community gain from these offers of dialogue? Nothing."
(French President Nicolas Sarkozy)
And the UN is talking about the suicide bomber who this week struck at
the UN office in Islamabad, the Pakistan capitol, killing 5 staff members.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called it "a heinous crime." On
previous occasions the UN has tended to condemn Israel for reacting to
the ongoing rocket attacks on Israeli cities -- none of which were termed
"heinous." It appears to be an illustration of the validity of the old adage,
"It all depends on whose ox is being gored."
Poverty in America's cities . . . the percentage of the population living
at or below the poverty line.
1. Detroit , MI 32.5%
2. Buffalo , NY 29.9%
3. Cincinnati , OH 27.8%
4. Cleveland , OH 27.0%
5. Miami , FL 26.9%
5. St. Louis , MO 26.8%
7. El Paso , TX 26.4%
8. Milwaukee , WI 26.2%
9. Philadelphia , PA 25.1%
10. Newark , NJ 24.2%
Different as those cities may be, they have at least one thing in common --
they all have Democrat mayors, and most on a frequent recurrent basis.
The lesson to be learned? Do the math. It is the poor who continue to
elect Democrats, and they still remain poor.
And these Founding Fathers said: "An honest man can feel no
pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens."
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1813
"In Europe, charters of liberty have been granted by power. America has
set the example of charters of power granted by liberty. This revolution in
the practice of the world, may, with an honest praise, be pronounced the
most triumphant epoch of its history, and the most consoling presage of
its happiness." -- James Madison, 1792
To which we might add this quote from the 19th century:
"A State which dwarfs its men, in order that they may be more docile
instruments in its hands -- even for beneficial purposes -- will find that
with small men no great thing can really be accomplished."
-- John Stuart Mill, 1856
ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT
IT THE PAST WEEK WAS
NOT ONE OF THE BEST
FOR BARACK OBAMA,
HERE AT HOME OR
INTERNATIONALLY
Obviously we do not have the time or the space to comment at length on
things that continue to go wrong with the Obama proposed program to
"change" America. Instead we will comment on just two from the past few
days. and on the overall angst which the American people are manifesting.
First, domestically: the report that for the month of September the
national unemployment rate had increased to 9.8% came as not only
as a shock, but also a set-back for the Obama administration's claim
for the success of its "stimulus" program. That was the highest level the
unemployment rate had reached in more than two decades, and the
number of new job losses also exceeded expectations with 263,000 more
jobs lost. (A substantial increase over the 201,000 jobs lost in August.)
The spin put on this report by the administration is that the number of job
losses is slowing. But with 15.1 million jobs lost since this recession
began, the actual percentage of job losses is increasing because of the
base of fewer employed people.
Unfortunately, we can all remember that when they began administering the
economy the Obamites promised that if their stimulus program were
adopted the unemployment rate would not exceed 8%. And among other
incorrect predictions, in mid-September Federal Reserve Chairman Ben
Bernanke said that the recession was probably now over. Now with the
national unemployment rate already at 9.8%, a rate of 10% seems likely in
the not too distant future. No, it's really not over, Ben.
And internationally, the prevailing news is that Chicago was not selected
by the International Olympic Committee as the host city for the 2016
games, but that it was eliminated from consideration on the first vote. The
crack US team of persuaders who confidently expected to win by the
sheer force of their personalities, included President Obama, his wife,
Michelle, and popular entertainment star, Oprah Winfrey. But they failed
abjectly in their pitch to the IOC. Chicago was the first city eliminated --
didn't even get to a second round vote. The problem may have been that
Mr. Obama was required to extol the advantages of Chicago, and he just
isn't accustomed to saying anything good about America. It appears that
his teleprompters are not programmed in that way.
So, in just those two instances, among others, it was not one of Mr.
Obama's best weeks. On other fronts, his demand for the "public option"
or government-run health insurance was not doing well in the Senate, and
on a national basis, the polls show American voters just don't want it. His
plan to shut down the Guantanamo detention facility and relocate the
detainees elsewhere ground to a slow-down or halt -- even his most solid
Democrat states do not want to accept the terrorists. And despite all his talk
about diplomatic approaches to Iran, the threat of a nuclear war is ever
present. Meanwhile, even with his excessive TV appearances and public
speeches on just about every opportunity, his performance approval
numbers continue to tumble, and the Rasmussen daily approval index
remains firmly in negative territory.
And now only 49% of American voters believe that the national economy
will be better in five years -- that figure is down from 64% who felt that
way at the start of the year. Even the TV show the Liberals love, "Saturday
Night Live," has gone so far as to ridicule his lack of accomplishments.
But Obama is still in power, and both Houses of Congress are firmly in
Democrat hands. And some of the actions currently underway provide
serious concerns for American Christians. FOCA ("Freedom of Choice
Act") will do more than any action since Roe v. Wade to increase the use
of abortion. An amendment to prohibit any use of public funding of
abortions through the proposed health reform act (offered by Senator
Hatch, R,UT) was rejected by the Democrat controlled Finance Committee
by a 13-10 vote. The committee also defeated an amendment to protect
the rights of doctors and nurses who refuse to perform abortions, and an
amendment to require proof of identity for individuals enrolling in the new
healthcare plan was also defeated by the Democrat majority. Action to
repeal DOMA ("Defense of Marriage Act") and thus increase national
recognition of same-sex "marriage" is expected shortly. So despite some
major setbacks in his sweeping program to "change" America, President
Obama still has tremendous power through his control of the Congress --
all of which makes the upcoming elections in 2010 all the more important if
we are to have any hope of the reclaiming of America to bring it back in
accord with its founding principles.
So what, as Christians, can we do in these difficult times? In our
September 23 issue we pointed out that in the 2008 elections which put
Barack Obama in power, 54% of Catholics, a large share of main line
Protestants and even a good percentage (25%) of Evangelical Christians
voted for the "change" which candidate Obama promised. We concluded
that summary with these words, "These facts help answer the question as
to who elected Barack Obama." Given his performance to date. it would
seem that Evangelicals and most nominal Christians, plus Catholics who
follow the church's teaching about abortion, would be ready to correct the
errors which they made in November of 2008. We are instructed to be both
"light" and "salt" in the world in which we live. We are also instructed not
to put our light under a basket, but to let it shine and be seen, and we are
warned against our salt losing it's taste -- in other words our opinions must
remain clear and strong and meaningful. We are encouraged to pray for
those in authority, and beyond that, to become what the Apostles were
spoken of -- "those who have turned the world upside down." (Acts 17:6)
As Christians our responsibility remains as a three-fold program . . . to pray
for our leaders, that their eyes may be open to the truth and that they be
given wisdom to act in accord with the truth . . . to speak our minds (as a
simple suggestion, take a few moments to phone (202) 224 - 3121 and tell
your Senators and Congressional members what you want them to do) . . .
and to work -- get ready for the 2010 elections and take the first step in
calling this nation back to what it was, and what is must be.
But we often wonder about the so-called "mega churches" -- as
an interesting comment on this subject, Chuck Colson, in his "Breakpoint"
column spoke about his "Centurions" program, and said that one of the
program's graduates, Matt Guerino, put it this way: "A majority of
evangelical churches today seem intent on feelings—how people feel
when they walk in the door, when they listen to the preacher, when they
leave after the service. Much of our preaching sounds like a
Christianized version of popular self-help thinking." Just as this nation
needs to return to the principles upon which it was founded, so the
Christian church needs to return to the principles upon which Jesus Christ
established it, that it should be such a powerfully effective force that even
the gates of Hell could not withstand its onslaughts.
Very frequently, it seems, we have to ask: Who can we believe?"
This past week former President Jimmy Carter insisted that he never said
that the protests against President Barack Obama were driven by racism in
his interview with Brian Williams on NBC TV on September 15. In that
interview he said very clearly that "there is an inherent feeling among
many in this country that an African-American should not be president.”
But during last week's interview with Candy Crowley on CNN he backed
off those remarks and said, “If you read the remarks carefully, you’ll see
that’s not what I said." And he added, “I said those that had a personal
attack on President Obama as a person, that was tinged with racism,
but I recognize that people who disagree with him on health care or the
environment, that the vast majority of those are not tinged by racism.”
And he concluded, “What I actually said, if you look at the transcript,
is what I just repeated to you.”
The problem is that a replay of the tape of the NBC interview shows that
the original remarks, as reported, are exactly what he said, and his revised
version on CNN is absolutely incorrect and untrue. What is embarrassing
for him and destructive of his credibility, is the fact that the two conflicting
tapes are being shown side by side on YouTube, available on line through
Newsmax.com.
Given the failure of the American presentation in behalf of Chicago for the
2016 Olympics, Mr. Carter can probably add to his use of the race card
the charge that the IOC ruled against Chicago because the American team
leaders were all blacks.
And Jimmy Carter isn't alone . . . remember "Actress/activist" Janeane
Garofalo? She's back. Last Friday night she used a media appearance on
HBO (with Bill Maher, naturally) to smear anti-Obama protesters as
racists, saying, "it's obvious to anybody who has eyes in this country that
tea-baggers, the 9-12ers, are clearly white power movements," and she
expressed regret that "so few people are willing to say that yes, it is
racism, straight up racism."
And a Founding Father said: "A feeble executive implies a feeble
execution of the government. A feeble execution is but another phrase
for a bad execution; and a government ill executed, whatever may be its
theory, must be, in practice, a bad government."
--Alexander Hamilton, 1788
Some Random Afterthoughts . . .
A few classic "one liners" from this past week . . .
"The next time that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears before an
international tribunal, it must not be as an honored guest at the United
Nations General Assembly. It must be as a defendant in the dock of the
International Criminal Court." (Pastor John Hagee)
"Barack Obama is on track to have the most spectacularly
failed presidency since Woodrow Wilson." (Geoffrey P. Hunt)
"There has been a growing narrative taking hold about Barack
Obama's presidency in recent weeks: that he is loved by many, but
feared by none; that he is full of lofty vision, but is actually achieving
nothing with his grandiloquence." (Tim Reid, UK Times)
"... ultimately, it comes down to the fact, it seems to me, that he seems
to have some malevolence toward this country which is unabated."
(Tammy Bruce)
"The major function of secrecy in Washington is to keep the U.S.
people from knowing what the nation’s leaders are doing."
(John Stockwell)
And not exactly "one liners," but a selection of comments arising
out of President Obama's initial UN speech . . .
"It was a combination of anti-Americanism, apologies to our sworn
enemies and outright foolishness." (Gary Bauer)
From former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger on Barack Obama:
"a nice, well educated adolescent."
And even French President Sarkozy found it difficult to take Obama
seriously, and said: “We live in a real world, not a virtual world. And the
real world expects us to make decisions. ...President Obama dreams of a
world without nuclear weapons…but right in front of us two countries
(Iran and North Korea) are doing the exact opposite.”
But as former President Bill Clinton warned while he was in office: "You
know, by the time you become the leader of a country, someone else
makes all the decisions. … You may find you can get away with virtual
presidents, virtual prime ministers, virtual everything."
People are talking about . . .
Jimmy Carter's inane charge of "racism:" "Former president Jimmy Carter
said, 'I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated
animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he
is a black man.' That's from a man who earlier referred to Obama as
'This black boy' on the Jim Lehrer 'News Hour'" (Walter Williams)
The UN and the recent G-20 Summit: "While all eyes were on the
rantings of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the United Nations, the United
States -- under President Obama -- was surrendering its economic
sovereignty at the G-20 summit." (Dick Morris)
America's loss of strength in the world: "From Afghanistan to Iran, North
Korea to Venezuela, Russia to China, America’s enemies are concluding
there is nothing to fear from America. From Poland to France, Great
Britain to Israel, our friends are concluding there is no resolve in
America. I am no prophet but on this I can predict with certainty: The
headlines in the months ahead from around the world will make it clear
that America is in retreat and that tyrants are on the move."
(Gary Bauer)
On the UN speech from one of our allies: "President Obama, I support
the Americans' outstretched hand. But what did the international
community gain from these offers of dialogue? Nothing."
(French President Nicolas Sarkozy)
And the UN is talking about the suicide bomber who this week struck at
the UN office in Islamabad, the Pakistan capitol, killing 5 staff members.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called it "a heinous crime." On
previous occasions the UN has tended to condemn Israel for reacting to
the ongoing rocket attacks on Israeli cities -- none of which were termed
"heinous." It appears to be an illustration of the validity of the old adage,
"It all depends on whose ox is being gored."
Poverty in America's cities . . . the percentage of the population living
at or below the poverty line.
1. Detroit , MI 32.5%
2. Buffalo , NY 29.9%
3. Cincinnati , OH 27.8%
4. Cleveland , OH 27.0%
5. Miami , FL 26.9%
5. St. Louis , MO 26.8%
7. El Paso , TX 26.4%
8. Milwaukee , WI 26.2%
9. Philadelphia , PA 25.1%
10. Newark , NJ 24.2%
Different as those cities may be, they have at least one thing in common --
they all have Democrat mayors, and most on a frequent recurrent basis.
The lesson to be learned? Do the math. It is the poor who continue to
elect Democrats, and they still remain poor.
And these Founding Fathers said: "An honest man can feel no
pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens."
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1813
"In Europe, charters of liberty have been granted by power. America has
set the example of charters of power granted by liberty. This revolution in
the practice of the world, may, with an honest praise, be pronounced the
most triumphant epoch of its history, and the most consoling presage of
its happiness." -- James Madison, 1792
To which we might add this quote from the 19th century:
"A State which dwarfs its men, in order that they may be more docile
instruments in its hands -- even for beneficial purposes -- will find that
with small men no great thing can really be accomplished."
-- John Stuart Mill, 1856
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