Wednesday
INCONGRUOUS & DEJA VU
"We are a nation under God...I believe God intended for us to be free."
-- President Ronald Reagan, in his first inaugural address, 1981
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THIS WEEK'S BRIEF EDITORIAL COMMENT: As we observe this
month the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth, it is appropriate
for us to recall some of his quotations which merit being included with
the timeless quotes from our Founding Fathers. In this statement from his
first inaugural address in 1981, he could have been speaking of the same
situation which exists today: "It is not my intention to do away with
government. It is, rather, to make it work -- work with us, not over us;
to stand by our side, not ride on our back .... It is no coincidence that
our present troubles parallel and are proportionate to the intervention
and intrusion in our lives that result from unnecessary and excessive
growth of government." Looking back a few years, one commentator
said: "We had to suffer through Carter to get Reagan." And followed
that comment with: "Who is the 2012 Reagan?" Toward achieving the
goals of President Reagan, we are reminded that there are 636 days till
Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012; 636 days to pray on how to vote to restore
America to what it was always intended to be: One nation, under God.
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WITH RESPECT TO THOSE RIOTS IN EGYPT --
THE MAJOR STORY IN TODAY'S NEWS --
TWO TERMS SEEM TO BE APPLICABLE:
"INCONGRUOUS" AND "DEJA VU."
First, before any comments on this week's current events, let's take a few
minutes to consider those two terms. The simplest dictionary definition
of "incongruous" is "out of place." What we have been observing these
past few days of Mr. Obama's involvement in the current crisis in Egypt
truly merits the term "incongruous" -- it is definitely out of place. What
we have witnessed is a young man, with only two years into his first
term as president, and with no experience and without any successful
accomplishments in any form of diplomacy or international negotiations
telling the president of a foreign country, who has served as leader of
that country for 30 years, what he should do and when he should do it.
"Out of place" is a mild term for such unwarranted attempts to interfere
in the internal affairs of a nation whose history predates America's by
more than 5,000 years. Who is Obama to instruct the man who has been
our closest ally in the Muslim world, who has been the prime symbol of
stability in that restless area of the world, who was the first Muslim
nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel, a treaty still unbroken? This is
not to endorse the Mubarak method of governing -- a dictatorship is not
the American way. But it is the prevailing form of government in much
of the world. Why should some rank amateur in government try to tell the
leader of another nation what he should do and when he should do it?
The other applicable term is "deja vu" with the simplest dictionary
definition: "a feeling of having experienced the present situation before."
From the begining of Mr. Obama's term of office, the similarities between
his administration and that of Jimmy Carter have been striking. Just like
Obama, Carter invested all the international prestige of his presidency
in diplomacy and image-making. Then Carter had to stand by impotently
as violence engulfed Iran, revolutionaries celebrated in the rubble of the
U.S. embassy, and Americans were taken hostage. Obama has faced very
similar problems, and has failed to deter aggression from Iran, Hamas, or
Hezbollah. Now, we are faced with a leadership crisis in Egypt, and as
David Stokes expressed it: "We all know how the story played out in
Iran. Out went the Shah and in came Sharia." If Obama continues to
follow the Carter-type of foreign policy, he will put American lives
and the prospects for peace in that part of the world in greater jeopardy
than ever. "Deja vu" is indeed an applicable term.
Now for the major current events news story. The media, virtually
every form of it, seems to delight in offering us comprehensive, never-
ending, 24/7 coverage of one theme, until another headline grabbing
event occurs, and their focus is abruptly shifted. Thus after weeks of
minute-by-minute coverage of Congress-woman Gifford's wounding
and recovery, her story was sudenly dropped and the riots in the streets
of major cities in Egypt took up the 24/7 schedule of coverage.
There is little point in attempting to comment on the Egyptian situation.
President Mubarak will be out of power, sooner or later. At the moment
it seems that the succeeding government will be strongly influenced by,
if, indeed, not controlled by, the Muslim Brotherhood. There has been
serious persecution of Christians in Egypt under Mubarak -- one can only
perceive of more intense persecution, perhaps leading to elimination of
Christians under Shariah law. Already spokespersons for the MB have
predicted the ending of the peace treaty with Israel.
Thus there are profound implications for American Christians. As Russ
Jones, in Christian Press Newspaper put it: "As turmoil from Tunisia,
Lebanon and Egypt spreads throughout the Muslim world, Christian
communities in the region are increasingly concerned. They fear
Islamic extremist groups could exploit political instability throughout
the Middle East and create dangerous conditions for Christians...
Christians in these Muslim-led countries have battled persecution for
decades. Now, with unrest rising throughout the region, the crisis for
Christians could reach epic proportions." And from Troy Senik, Center
for Individual Freedom (CFIF), admitting that Mubarak's "departure is
already a fait accompli. But if the idealistic young activists of Egypt
hope to have their dreams of freedom fulfilled, they have only a few
monthsâ•˙ time in which to do it. If they donâ•˙t, there will soon come a day
when the Mubarak era is remembered as the good old days."
We have often raised the question: What can we, as Christians, do?
The answer, from New Testament times to now is always the same: we
are instructed to pray. If we believe -- and we do -- that ours is a prayer-
hearing and prayer-answering God, then we are not acting in conformity
with the admonitions in the Scriptures if we do not pray. For example:
"Men ought always to pray." (Luke 18:1); "Pray without ceasing."
(I Thess. 5:17), and more specifically, "I exhort that prayers be made
for all men ... for kings and for all that are in authority." (I Tim. 2:2,3)
And not forgetting Israel, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." (Ps. 122:6)
There is an old familiar saying concerning our part in fulfilling the Great
Commission to preach the Gospel to the whole world: "Some can go ...
others can give ... all can pray."
A brief comment on an overworked phrase in today's news. Some of
the reporters, supposedly "journalists," who have been covering the
ongoing situation in Egypt, have been detained, interviewed and have
even been beaten-up a bit. The prevailing -- and much mis-used -- term
being stressed is "Freedom of the Press." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton (who should be better informed) complained about violations
of "international norms that guarantee freedom of the press." A quick
review of statistics surely available to a person in such authority, would
reveal that approximately 35% of the nations of the world have what we
speak of as "freedom of the press;" another 33% are "partially free," and
32% are definitely "not free." Egypt, for example, ranks 143rd out of 167
rated nations, alongside Saudi Arbia, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Tunisia and Syria
(does a pattern of Muslim governance begin to emerge?), and is above
such stalwarts of civil rights as China, Cuba and North Korea. So the
reporters who entered Egypt, really had no right to be there to photograph
and expose to the world the happenings in that country. In other words,
the First Amendment rights of the U.S. Constitution do not extend carte-
blanche to other nations in the world. Former governor of Arkansas, and
former entrant in the 2008 presidential candidate sweepstakes, Mike
Huckabee, made this comment on his TV show, that those journalists
"are on the front line ... they are our eyes and our ears on what is
happening in the world." That opinion assumes that our eyes want to
watch a crowd of thousands of shouting Egyptians, on a 24/7 basis, day
after day. Mr. Huckabee may enjoy that, but many of us do not.
This is not a subject on which we have spent much time, but maybe
we should. To begin with: we do not offer anything for sale on ANC: no
books, no CD's, no tapes, nothing -- and that may be part of the reason
for ANC's increasing acceptance. But we recently noted on the Internet,
an ad for a new book described as "The Unauthorized Biography of
Barack Obama." Its title: "Born to Lie." This is from that advertisement:
"What if the first African-American president turned out to be African
but not American? Is President Obama even an American citizen? This
unanswered question could be put to rest by simply producing Obama's
original birth certificate. However, because President Obama has
sealed his personal records and refuses to release a certified copy of
his original birth certificate, the question continues to be asked. Like
all questions that are not properly answered, it will not go away...
"In addition to the birth certificate question, there are numerous other
issues of transparency and trust that have caused President Obamaâ•˙s
credibility with the American public to quickly wane. The authors of
'Born To Lie' are not 'birthers' ╉ the label given by Obamaâ•˙s
supporters to any and all who question the validity of his citizenship.
They are patriotic Americans with legitimate concerns who just want
our President to tell the truth..."
It must be admitted that this is an intriguing venture. And, no, we have not
ordered the book for ourselves, nor are we offering it for sale.
And there is this additional note: also this past week we had our attention
called to a video on "Youtube" -- you may check it out by using this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwhKuunp8D8 It fits into the subject
at hand because it shows Mr. Obama admitting he is not an American
citizen, but was born in Kenya, and Mrs. Obama speaking of Kenya as his
"home country."
Like others have done, we ask the simple question: "Why does he refuse
to allow his records to be opened?"
We do the research to bring you "What Others Are Saying." Why?
Because the liberal, left-biased Main Line Media (MLM) cannot be
relied on to present all the facts. Thus we search for other authoritative
voices on current events, and, if appropriate, we add an editorial note.
Cal Thomas: "The turmoil in Egypt must not be seen in isolation from
other events in the world. Neither is it an aberration. It is the next
scene in a long-running play whose final act is the domination of the
world by radical Islamists. The Obama administration has been
delusional in its belief that dictators and religious fanatics can be
coddled." (Editor's Note: the rule of "Separation of Mosque and State"
doesn't seem to apply.)
Joel Rosenberg (in his Blog): "The Obama administration is playing
with gasoline near an open flame. With violence and lawlessness
spreading rapidly throughout Cairo and nearby cities, senior White
House and State Department officials are inexplicably signaling a
willingness to work closely with the Muslim Brotherhood to reshape
the political future of Egypt."
Leslie H. Gelb (Pres. Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations): "The
United States has no power to shape events in Egypt, but it does have
real influence. Using that influence effectively absolutely requires
consistency out of the White House. That has not been forthcoming.."
And Mr. Gelb adds, "One cannot count on mobs, no matter how nice or
liberal or unfilled with hatred, to produce democracies."
David Horowitz (Vision to America): "The White House appears to be
leaving Hosni Mubarak, an ally for three decades and lynchpin of
Mideast stability, twisting slowly in the wind. And worse, it appears to
be open to allowing the Muslim Brotherhood play a key role in a
'reformed' Egyptian government, as long as the organization renounces
violence and supports democracy. If the Obama White House really
believes this is possible, it is even more hopelessly incompetent than
we imagined!" (Editor's Note: The White House insistence that the
Muslim Brotherhood renounce violence and support democracy, is an
admission that the MB has previously been supporting violence and
renouncing democracy.)
Bobby Eberle (GOPUSA Eagle): "Amazing, isn't it? Barack Obama's
domestic policy initiatives have been soundly rejected by the American
people ... But could Obama be even worse on foreign policy than he is
domestically? If Egypt becomes the next Iran, people will be wondering
if he is Barack Carter or Jimmy Obama."
Georgie Anne Geyer (in Washington Times): "An idea is growing in
foreign policy circles in Washington ╜ that there is no turning back.
We are stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan...we are embedded in our prideful
unilateralism, and nothing can return us to more traditional American
values and principles of action..." (Editor's Note: Chuck Colson offers
the answer . . . next.)
Chuck Colson (in Breakpoint): "Our society is in moral free-fall . . .
and politics can't save us. But a reawakened, robust, reinvigorated
Church can! Christians applying a bold biblical worldview to every
area of life╉from government to business to family and more╉can
save us. Because that is the kind of faith that has true spiritual power."
Because you say you enjoy them, here are a few "One Liners" . . .
"Barack Obama's Egypt failure: He's becoming Carter faster than
Carter became Carter." -- Erick Erickson
"America needs God more than God needs America." -- President
Ronald Reagan
An Internet "One Liner" which says it well: "Obama disappointed with
US National Intelligence for not predicting Egypt unrest.
And here are just a few "Afterthoughts" you might find of interest:
One of those changes which is already happening here . . . mainline
churches in several metropolitan areas across the country have begun
attempting to develop an ecumenical reconciliation between Christianity
and Islam -- with sermons and Sunday School lessons on the life of
Mohammad, and placing copies of the Quran in racks alongside the Bible.
The name for the new movement? "Chrislam."
Remember when we used to speak of "The year of the polls?" Well,
the national polls are still being conducted, even though the present
administration has demonstrated no interest in what the public thinks
about various issues. The Rasmussen poll, which publishes results on a
daily basis, rather than weekly or monthly, reports a change in the daily
Presidential ratings. After months of being mired in double digit negative
scores, Mr. Obama broke out into scores of only -5 and -6 . . . but after
the State of the Union speech he fell back into double digit negative
scores of -16 and -17 As for other national leaders, the Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid (D, NV) has a 25% positive score against a 52%
negative score, while the Speaker of the House John Boehner (R, OH)
has a 45% positive score against a 34% negative score.
They call it "Dropping the H Bomb." David Kupelian, Editor of
Whistleblower Magazine, explains: "Dropping the 'H' bomb is about
what will happen once open homosexuality â•„ officially prohibited in
the U.S. military continuously since George Washington's time â•„ is
permitted throughout the armed forces as soon as the Senate's repeal
of the Clinton-era 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy is implemented in the
coming weeks and months." Kupelian notes it is the critics' view that
the decision which was "rammed through Congress to satisfy a 2008
pre-election promise Barack Obama made to his LGBT constituency,
recklessly dismantles the time-tested rules, culture and discipline
that have guided America's military since the nation's founding."
Finally, for what it's worth, this is too good to omit ... Chris Matthews,
host of MSNBC's TV show, "Hardball," is normally a strong Obama
supporter (remember, he said hearing Obama speak sent a tingling thrill
up his leg), may have experienced an anti-Obama epiphany. As a guest
on another TV show last Friday he slammed Obama's handling of the
crisis in Egypt, saying it made him "ashamed as an American." How
significant this change may (or may not) be, it is probably a purely
fanciful exercise to consider it permanent.
Regardless of what the present administration thinks about the past
of our nation, our Founding Fathers and our Constitution, we continue
to recall the pronouncements of the men who created this nation, who
believed that what they were doing should not last for just a few years.
"An elective despotism was not the government we fought for; but one
in which the powers of government should be so divided and balanced
among the several bodies of magistracy as that no one could transcend
their legal limits without being effectually checked and restrained by
the others." --James Madison, 1787
"On every question of construction carry ourselves back to the time
when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested
in the debates and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed
out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in
which it was passed." -- Thomas Jefferson, 1823
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