Tuesday
NATION'S ANGER AND ANGST OVER THE OBAMA AGENDA
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THIS WEEK'S EDITORIAL COMMENT: Thirteen days from today --
that's less than two weeks -- the polls will be open and all eligible,
registered Americans should be voting in what Conservatives and Liberals
alike agree is the most important election in our nation's 221 year history.
An article by George Will carried the title: "An Election of Historic
Significance." And aside from the purely partisan political aspects, from
a religious standpoint with all the moral value implications, this election
is indeed most important for American Christians. We have long urged
our thousands of readers to focus on a two step approach: Pray and Vote,
and in doing so, prove the truth of the slogan: We Can Make a Difference.
The only alternative is to shrug our shoulders, do nothing, allow the status
quo to continue, and admit that we agree with Mr. Obama that this is no
longer a Christian nation . . . let the Liberals win, let the abortionists
continue to kill millions of babies, and let the homosexuals destroy the
traditional God-established concepts of marriage and family. The America
we have always known is at the point of decision . . . this may be our only
chance to save it. Don't fail America on Nov. 2.
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THE NATION'S ANGER AND ANGST
OVER THE OBAMA AGENDA IS TURNING
TO CONCERN ABOUT THE LACK OF
RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES AND THE
HYPOCRISY OF THE NATION'S LEADERS
"Hypocrisy" is another way to define the "Crisis of Confidence" about
which we have so frequently spoken -- or stated more effectively: "We
can't believe our government's leaders." In previous issues we have
recalled some of Mr. Obama's statements which have proved to be false.
There is now yet another one this week in an article in the New York
Times Magazine, where Times reporter Peter Barker quotes President
Obama saying he had learned some "tactical lessons," among which
was realizing too late that "there's no such thing as shovel-ready
projects" when it comes to public works. We can all remember when
the Obama "stimulus" package was passed in 2009, the administration's
supporting propaganda featured "shovel-ready projects," which could
start within 90 days, and which, Mr. Obama assured us again and again,
would be the key to the nation's economic recovery. Of course, we are
now painfully aware that the stimulus plan with its unprecedented cost
is not the success we had been promised it would be -- but is one more
factor in the "Crisis of Confidence" we are facing.
But President Obama does not stand alone in demonstrating hypocrisy
in government. He is aided and abetted by the very outspoken Speaker
of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who recently earned an approval rating of
15% in a poll by CBSNews. Jeff Dunetz, who is editor and publisher of
the Conservative Blog, "The Lid," points out that in 2003, Ms. Pelosi led
an attack on the Bush administration, saying, "The unemployment rate is
the highest in nine years and middle class families are finding it hard
to succeed." (The unemployment rate in 2003 was 5.9%.) What Speaker
Pelosi misses is that under the Obama administration the unemployment
rate hit a 26 year high of 10.2% in 2009, and has currently settled into a
9.6% rate, although included in the multi-billion dollar "stimulus" plan
which she so strongly supported was the Obama administration's promise
that the unemployment rate would not rise above 8%. And along with the
soaring unemployment rate, the number of people utilizing the food stamp
program has set new records for 20 months. It is hypocrisy of the highest
order to ignore such clearly evident facts, and is part of the prevailing
"Crisis of Confidence." But Ms. Pelosi did make one statement in her
attacks which is true and applicable today: "We need policies that create
jobs. It is simple ... the choice for the American people is clear." That
choice has never been more clear than it is today, and will be on Nov. 2.
With their disdain of hypocrisy, American voters sense another need:
a return to an emphasis on moral values. This fact was expressed in a new
survey conducted by the Pew Research Center which reported that 61% of
Americans feel it is important for government leaders, including members
of Congress, to have strong religious beliefs. Mr. Obama does not ignore
such trends, and recently declared, "I am a Christian ... I am a devout
Christian." And as the internet column, "Hill Buzz" reported on the
Obama family's visit to a local church, "Apparently, the Obamas figured
out today that there are churches near the White House. Right there in
Washington, DC. Walking distance. Can you imagine it? The last time
any of these supposed Christians were spotted in a church, to our
knowledge, was Ted Kennedy's funeral last fall."
And now Michelle Obama, who is out campaigning for several troubled
incumbent Democrats, has suddenly become very religious in her
approach. In Chicago last week she appeared on the Tom Joyner radio
show and said, "Everybody I know in our communities is praying for
us. Every day we feel that, and let me just tell your listeners, it means
the world to us to know that there are prayer circles out there and
people who want to keep the spirits clean around us.” What she meant
about "keeping the spirits clean around us" is not clear. It is certainly not
part of any Christian doctrine, and indicates at best that her grasp of
Christian truth is very shallow, or at worst that she may hold to some
form of animism or voodoo. It is, to most observers, definitely unclear.
Religion, embodying moral values, is important to Americans. The
polls continue to support the conviction that in spite of Barack Obama's
repeated assertion that this is not a Christian nation, there is a strong
movement to reclaim the standards which made America great. As a
nation, we are approximately 80% Christian, and are concerned about
issues like abortion . . . homosexuality . . . gay marriage . . . Islam in
America . . . kicking God out of our schools . . . the rejection of the
Judeo-Christian principles upon which our nation was founded. The
left-wing, Liberal, progressive, politically correct road down which
Mr. Obama and the Democrats are leading us, is not the route we want
to follow. On Nov. 2 we can bring about what the Obamites promised
in 2008 -- "change" -- but this will be a change from the disastrous
failures of the inept Obama administration, and a change toward moral,
ethical and economic values which we have lost but which we sorely
need. In these next two weeks till Nov. 2 -- Pray and then Vote. And
always remember: We can make a difference.
We still feel there is much to learn from "What Others Are Saying"
William Teach (Conservative columnist): "The Obama excitement
that pervaded college campuses two years ago has faded. An
Associated Press-mtvU poll found college students cooling in their
support for President Barack Obama ... Students wanted their hopey
changey free money and stuff. As time goes on, they are certainly
realizing that, under Obama, their chances of getting a decent paying
job out of college are diminishing, that their health costs are going to
go up, their taxes will go up, and, for the hardcore campus leftists,
Obama is too incompetent to push forth the social justice he promised
them. The cold dead mackerel of reality is smacking them in the face."
Michele Bachman (R, MN): "There is an unmistakable conservative
wave building across America, and it stretches from coast to coast.
This wave is poised to usher in a conservative majority ready to undo
the destructive policies of the Obama/Pelosi agenda. Even liberal
stalwarts like George Soros know they can't stop this wave. In fact,
last week, Soros, the liberal billionaire funder said, 'I don't believe in
standing in the way of an avalanche.'"
Mark Halperin (Senior Political Analyst, TIME): "Obama is being
politically crushed: From above, by elite opinion about his
competence. From below, by mass anger over unemployment. And
it's too late for him to do anything about it until after the midterms."
Scott Rasmussen (Rasmussen Reports): "With a Democratic
president and Democratic majorities running both the House and
Senate, it’s no surprise that Democrats like the idea of one party
running both Congress and the White House. Republicans and voters
not affiliated with either of the major political parties are less
thrilled by the idea."
Thomas Sowell (Economist and columnist): "The big question for the
election next month is whether the voters keep their eye on the ball
and judge candidates by what policies they advocate or whether they
can be thrown off the track by red herrings. We have already seen in
2008 what can happen when voters fail to pay attention to a
presidential candidate's track record, and let themselves be dazzled
by rhetoric, symbolism and media hype."
Jay Sekulow (American Center for Law and Justice): "There is
clearly a great awakening occurring in America, and it is on the cusp
of bringing about a great change in how our nation is governed.
Concerned citizens -- not political professionals -- are driving this
change. Citizens who want to see a return to our founding principles
that are embodied in our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the
Declaration of Independence."
Washington Times (On Nobel Peace Prize): "The contrast between
the Nobel Committee's choice for its Peace Prize a year ago and today
couldn't be more stark. In 2009, the Norwegian group tapped President
Obama for its prestigious award. On Friday, they chose a genuine hero:
Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. Mr. Obama was nominated within days
of taking office, and the committee ridiculously claimed it awarded him
the prize not for his accomplishments, but for the promise of what he
might achieve. Mr. Liu was selected 'for his long and nonviolent struggle
for fundamental human rights in China.' Such is the distinction between
style and substance."
And here are just a few applicable "One Liners" . . .
"The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to Socialism."
-- Karl Marx, the father of Communism
"Patricians versus plebeians. Not much has changed since the Roman
Empire." -- Patrick Dorinson, in Politico
"For the next few months, you won't be able to find a positive Obama
poll between here and Kenya." -- The D.C. Daily Caller
"The rule seems to be that casting a decisive vote for Obamacare
And now here are a few random "Afterthoughts" . . .
For the second year in a row, the nearly 54 million retirees and other
Americans who receive Social Security benefits will not get any cost-of-
living increase in their monthly checks during 2011. These two years are
the only such failures in increasing the payments in the 35 years since the
automatic adjustments began.
It's called "A typo to end all typos". . . Rich Whitney, a candidate for
Governor in Illinois, found his name misspelled as "Rich Whitey" on
the elecronic voting machines, and the problem can't be fixed before
Election Day. About half of the flawed machines are in precincts largely
populated by African-Americans.
Statistics prove Obama beats Bush . . . new numbers released this
week by the Treasury Department show that the national debt has
increased by $3 trillion during Mr. Obama's first two years in office.
By contrast, it increased by $4.9 trillion during Mr. Bush's two terms.
Projections are that by the end of Mr. Obama's four years in office it
will have increased by $5.9 trillion over what it was on his first day on
the job. He is clearly superior to Mr. Bush in debt creation.
And then there's the "other mosque" . . . with attention focused on the
controversial mosque at Ground Zero, little interest is shown on the other
mosque under construction in Shanksville, PA, at the site of the Flight 93
crash on 9/11. Plans call for it to be the world's largest open-air mosque.
One has to give those Muslims credit for their public relations skills.
Obama claims to be his "brother's keeper," as the principal aspect of
his Christian faith. That half brother of his in Kenya, Malik Obama, a
Muslim, already has two wives, but at 52 has now married a 19 year
old who quit high school to get married, something she tried to do two
years ago, but her mother wouldn't give permission. Her mother, Mary
Aoko Ouma, told the Associated Press last week that she is furious.
A new poll proves that Israel is still important to Americans. The
McLaughlin Associates poll conducted on Oct. 3-5 disclosed that 50.9%
of voters would vote for a strongly pro-Israel candidate, vs. 25.2%
who would not make that choice. On the question as to whether Obama
is less friendly toward Israel than other presidents, 51.6% agreed, while
35.4% disagreed. Concerning Obama's policy toward Iran, 58.6%
felt it would succeed, vs. 28% who disagreed. And as to whether the
voters whould choose to re-elect Obama, 35.7% voted yes, while 55.6%
said they would consider someone else. The poll respondees were
almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats.
Another item in the religious political trend. A new poll by the Public
Religion Research Institute discloses that Catholic voters, usually at the
middle ground in the religious political debate are now moving to the
political right. The poll shows that 49% of Catholic voters, both Latino
and white, say they are likely to vote Republican.
This may be part of the reason why the "stimulus" plan didn't work.
The Inspector General of the Social Security Administration has reported
that nearly $18 million in stimulus payments went to 72,000 dead people.
To date about half the money has been returned. Another $4.3 million was
paid to 17,000 people in prison. Those expenditures may have been as
useful and have accomplished as much as any of the stimulus dollars.
Our Founding Fathers' thoughts and opinions are always important.
"If there is a form of government, then, whose principle and foundation
is virtue, will not every sober man acknowledge it better calculated to
promote the general happiness than any other form?"
-- John Adams, 1776
"He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of this country who tries
most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence
extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and
trust who is not a wise and virtuous man....The sum of all is, if we would
most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people."
-- Samuel Adams, 1778
[as President] according to the safe and honest meaning contemplated
by the plain understanding of the people of the United States at the time
of its adoption — a meaning to be found in the explanations of those who
advocated it, not those who opposed it."
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1801
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