Wednesday
A DISCREDITED PRESIDENT
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THIS WEEK'S EDITORIAL COMMENT: In our issue of Jan. 6, 2010,
these words appeared: "As of today, there are just 300 days till Nov. 2,
2010. Mark that date on your calendar. It is 'Take back America' day for
American Christians. Let's not give up on America!" In every issue since
that date, we have counted down the days till Nov. 2. This will be the
last "count down" issue. There are now 6 days -- less than one week --
till Election Day, Nov. 2. It is, indeed, "Take back America" day. It is
the day when we prove that, as Christians, "We can make a difference."
We have regularly urged a two-fold plan: Pray and Vote. Nov. 2 is the
day to vote, but there are still 6 days to pray about the candidate for
whom you will be voting. From the nation's earliest years, American
politics have followed a two-party system. In 1828, Andrew Jackson
became the first Democrat president. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln became
the first Republican president. The differences between the two parties
have varied through the years, but in recent days have been essentially
between Conservative and Liberal political ideals. Setting aside the
usual names of "Republican" and "Democrat," focus on what the nation
truly needs. The clear majority of Conservative nominees have proved
themselves to be firmly in line with the expressed viewpoints of the
American people, and are capable of giving us the most Conservative
Congress since 1994. Plan to vote for Conservative candidates, with
strong pro-family, pro-life, pro-moral values, pro-America loyalties,
and from a religious standpoint, with Biblical views adhering to the
historic Judeo-Christian principles upon which this nation was founded.
In 1788, James Madison foresaw the problem we could be facing more
than two centuries later, and the wisdom of one of our Founding Fathers
is of real value to us today: "What is to be the consequence, in case the
Congress shall misconstrue...the Constitution, and exercise powers
not warranted by its true meaning. I answer the same as if they should
misconstrue or enlarge any other power vested in them...a remedy must
be obtained from the people, who can by the elections of more faithful
representatives, annul the acts of the usurpers." That statement clearly
expresses the problem we are facing today, and offers the solution.
Because of the tremendous importance of next week's election, this issue
of ANC will be focused more sharply on the election itself, and the great
responsibility that we, as Christians, have in our voting decisions.
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A DISCREDITED PRESIDENT, HIS
ADMINISTRATION'S AGENDA
ALREADY A SHAMBLES, GOES
ALL OUT TRYING TO SECURE
SOME OF HIS LEFT-WING
SENATE SUPPORT IN TUESDAY'S
ELECTION
And as he spends so much time on the road, as the featured entertainer at
fund raising functions at tremendous expense -- much of which is paid by
taxpayer dollars -- logical questions arise: "Is this what he is paid to do
as president?" and "Who's minding the store?" With two wars taking the
lives of American soldiers every day . . . with unemployment locked in
around 10% . . . with our national debt already at unimagineable heights
. . . with the Muslims' recently expressed threat of seeing the flag of Islam
waving over the White House, shouldn't he be giving first thought to our
national obligations rather than to partisan political conflicts?
But it isn't just Obama, by himself, who is making the all-out, desperate
drive to protect his liberal, left-wing power base in the Congress -- the
Democrat assault team includes Vice President Joe Biden, former
President Bill Clinton, and even, occasionally, Michelle Obama, who
is now proud to be an American. Those are basically political heavy
weights that the Republicans can't match.
One might even be inclined to feel pity for Obama -- a picture circulated
on the Internet during one of last weekend's shrill-voiced desperation
speeches carried the term "demonic," not an overly inaccurate description.
It was during the speech in Nevada in Senator Reid's behalf, and where
he spoke of Republicans in these words, "why should we buy their snake
oil now?" Not exactly "presidential" in tone, but when has he displayed
much of that? The current polls show that his approval ratings have been
continuing to tumble in a consistent down-hill trend, quarter by quarter for
his first 18 months in office, from 63% to 44.7%. More recently, polls have
been asking about his re-election prospects in 2012, and a new Gallup poll
conducted Oct. 14-17 disclosed that only 39% of Americans believe he
deserves to be re-elected, with 54% saying he does not. Only the most
liberal, and most desperate Democrat candidates seem eager to have Mr.
Obama appearing in their behalf -- Senators Murray (WA), Boxer (CA),
and Reid (NV) are among those few.
Yes -- one might be inclined to feel some measure of pity for Obama, but
when one reflects on what he has done to America in less than two years,
pity gives way to anger. And anger is what pollsters and obervers say is
driving the upcoming election.
Summarizing the prevailing situation in the last few days prior to Election
Day next week, Ship MacLure, writing in Conservative Outpost said: "The
Democrat mid-term election campaign has been disastrous. They could
not campaign on their achievements, which included what is possibly the
most unpopular bill in recent decades, or their track record on
employment and the economy. Some attempted to use the ‘fear factor,'
warning voters of the result of going back to the days of the Republican-
controlled Congress. Can anyone truly say that things were not better
before 2006 than they are today?"
And just yesterday, Rich Lowry, writing in the New York Post, brought
this to our attention: "Just when we'd been told that the Chamber of
Commerce had bought the election, along comes the American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to pour nearly
$90 million into the campaign. According to the Wall Street Journal,
this makes the public-sector union the biggest spender of all the
outside groups." And Lowry adds that just three groups of unions are
collectively devoting "an estimated 170 milliom to an election
Democrats insist that they are losing because of the nefarious
influence of outside money."
But like the more cautious predicters said in mid-Summer, it's a long time
till November. That time has been shortened to less than a week, but the
election isn't over until all the votes are counted. And that brings us to the
question we often seem to face: "What can we, as Christians, do now?"
We go back to our long-time, two-fold plan: Pray and Vote. We can
probably assume that through your prayers to date you have decided on
the candidates for whom you will vote. Now focus your prayers on your
fellow Christians across America that they will decide to vote for the
right candidates. And then, of course, be sure to vote. Sitting-out this
election is not an option this year. It is entirely too important.
Some research facts to keep in mind as you vote . . .
The Fourth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Marshall, wrote
in 1833: "The American population is entirely Christian, and with us
Christianity and Religion are identified. It would be strange indeed, if
with such a people, our institutions did not presuppose Christianity
and did not often refer to it and exhibit relations with it." Some 60
years later, in 1892, in the case of Holy Trinity Church vs. United States,
after reviewing the history, the Supreme Court declared the United States
to be a "Christian nation." Justice David Josiah Brewer wrote the
decision, including the words, "These, and many other matters which
might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass
of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation."
Reflecting these court decisions, a recent survey from Purdue University
discloses that between 1996 and 2004, Americans who saw Christian
identity as a "very important" attribute of being American, increased
from 38% to 49%. And in a separate survey, Public Religion Research
Institute found that 42% believe that "America has always been and is
currently a Christian nation."
These facts of past and current history are sharply at odds with the
personal viewpoint of President Obama, who has declared on several
occasions that "America is no longer a Christian nation." Earlier this
year he refused to give any White House recognition of the National
Day of Prayer, but sponsored a gala White House dinner affair honoring
the beginning of the Islam holy month of Ramadan. Even more recently,
not once but three times in just the past month (Sep. 15, 22 and Oct. 18),
he omitted any mention of the Creator as the giver of our inalienable rights
of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as stated in the Declaration of
Independence. Once might be a simple error; twice might be a coincidence
-- but three times takes on the characterization of "intentional." Small
wonder that a Pew Research Center survey this Fall found that 18% of
Americans think he is a Muslim, while 34% think he is a Christian, down
from 47% just a year ago.
This is where this trend begins to get serious! The Pilgrims and the
earliest settlers of this new nation affirmed solid Christian beliefs. The
men who created the Declaration of Independence were Christian men.
The drafters of the Constitution were Christian men. Until the mid-
twentieth century America held to the Judeo-Christian principles upon
which the nation was founded. Then in 1947 the theory of "separation of
church and state" became a legal principle . . . in 1963 Madalyn Murray
O'Hair, the nation's leading atheist, won her court case to ban Bible
reading in schools . . . in 1973 the Supreme Court in Roe v. W ade
legalized abortion, with already some 50 million babies killed . . . and
in 2004 with a majority of one vote, a Massachusetts court legalized
homosexual marriage . . . and that minority voice is not silenced -- the
trend to destroy marriage and family continues.
Mr. Obama has promised to revoke DOMA, the federal law establishing
the traditional, God ordained union of a man and a woman as marriage. He
has promised to open the military to homosexuals. He is encouraging
abortion through federal funding in his health care reform law. He is backing
the so-called "hate" laws which will limit freedom of religious speech.
Those are not the limits of moral value issues, but they are examples of what
votes for Liberal Democrat law makers will bring about.
The issues on this Election Day -- Nov. 2 -- go far beyond partisan
political bounds -- they focus on and closely involve the Christian way
of life which has always made America a "shining city on a hill" to the
rest of the world. It's that serious. Pray for God's blessing on this nation
as you vote.
Somewhat briefer this week; only a few "What Others Are Saying."
Mike Pence (R, IN): "Today, change is in the air. A whirlwind from
Washington has swept across America. Our homes, livelihoods and
liberty itself are threatened. After years of runaway federal spending,
borrowing, bailouts and takeovers, people are scared. Barack Obama,
Nancy Pelosi and their Democrat colleagues in Washington are leading
America down a dangerous path where the cherished ideals of our
forefathers cease to exist. As Americans, it is our duty to stop them."
Don Feder (Syndicated columnist): "When you step into the voting
booth on November 2, you will make the most important decision of your
life. You’ll literally be voting on your future – or, more precisely,
whether or not you and your country will have one."
Archbishop Raymond Burke (Head of Vatican Canonical Court; just
appointed a Cardinal): "Catholic politicians who publicly support
abortion or homosexual marriage and then seek to turn away from such
'gravely sinful acts' must perform 'public acts of repentance.'”
Frank Donatelli (Chairman, GOPAC): "The winds of change are
blowing strongly upon us. What began as a storm in 2008 has become
a tornado in 2010. The American people thought they were voting
for change when they elected Barack Obama to the White House and
Democrat majorities in Congress. Instead they got one of the most
arrogant and bitterly partisan administrations that have ever ruled in
Washington, DC."
And a couple of great "One Liners" . . .
"When Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner admitted he has 'never had
a real job' he was not only talking for his own adult life, but also for
"Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed." (U.S. Declaration of Independence, 1776)
And here are a few -- very few -- random "Afterthoughts" . . .
We are used to reading horror stories of mass murders in countries
around the world. But in recent weeks we have been shocked to read of
murders -- even beheadings -- of people, including children, just across
our border in Mexico, as drug lords and gangs appear to be free to carry
on their slayings, unimpeded by the government, the military or the police.
And this is the nation which the Obama administration is permitting to file
legal action against the State of Arizona because the U.S. Attorney General
doesn't like an Arizona law to limit illegal immigration?
Very rarely do we read as honest a confession as this: From Hill Buzz,
a D.C. based political commentary site: "All of us here at Hill Buzz were
Democrats until 2008 -- the exact date of leaving the party was on
Christmas Eve, 2009, the day all Democrats voted for Obamacare
without reading it, which was the last straw for us, but we emotionally
left on May 31st, 2008 when the Rules and Bylaws Committee met in
Washington, DC and took delegates away from Hillary and gave them
to Obama -- and we have been actively working against the Democrat
Party since it veered so far to the Left and essentially went to war
against Americans." Words like those, from young intellectuals, are
encouraging to us "Old Timers."
We have not spent much time on the dangers in the growth of Islam,
but Author Gary DeMar in reflecting on the comparisons with Hitler's
use of Nazi-ism cited William Shirer's comments: "We know now what
Hitler envisioned for the German Christians: the utter suppression of
their religion." With Christianity out of the way, all that Hitler wanted
was possible. DeMar writes that Islam follows a similar pattern:
"Everything non-Muslim must embrace all things Muslim or be
destroyed. The history of Islam is the history of perpetual warfare and
bloodshed in the name of an uncompromising ideology, an ideology
that is religious. Islam is known by the practice of jihad ... a militaristic
struggle against infidelity." And Iranian-born, pro-democracy activist,
Amil Imani, adds: "Islamism -- the radical, political form of Islam -- is
seen in its 'mild' form as something harmless. Not true. Islamism's aims
are ultimate control over societies and people alike."
It always makes sense to recall the words of our Founding Fathers.
"In the midst of these pleasing ideas we should be unfaithful to ourselves
if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything
partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous,
and independent elections." -- John Adams, 1797
"I never believed there was one code of morality for a public and
another for a private man." -- Thomas Jefferson, 1809
"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
And our last opportunity before the election: God Bless America!
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