Wednesday
DEFINING THE STATUS OF MUSLIMS
AND ISLAM IN TODAY'S WORLD!
A DIFFERENT, BUT IMPORTANT, WORD OF INTRODUCTION:
First, we want to thank all those who wrote to say they liked our new
approach of commenting at length on one major issue, and then offering only
brief comments on a few of the other issues confronting us today. We plan to
continue to follow that editorial approach in future issues. And second, this
issue marks the completion of 8 full years of ANC. Next week, on July 6,
we will begin Volume 17, and will present ANC in an entirely new format,
new features which will enable you to participate, etc. But one thing will not
change: we will continue to be Pro-Christian, Pro-Conservative, and Pro-
American in our approach to the important news issues of the day. And third,
as we don't do often enough, we want to thank you -- our thousands of "ANC
family members"-- who have helped our circulation grow from 27 names to
thousands, here in America and all over the world. Literally: we couldn't have
done it without you!
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"An America that is militarily and economically strong is not enough.
The world must see an America that is morally strong with a creed and
a vision. This is what has led us to dare and to achieve."
-- Ronald Reagan, 1983
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THE FAMILIAR BRITISH METAPHOR ABOUT AN ELEPHANT
IN THE ROOM, AND THE AMERICAN IDIOM ABOUT AN
800 POUND GORILLA, SEEM TO DEFINE THE STATUS
OF MUSLIMS AND ISLAM IN TODAY'S WORLD
And in line with our new format, this will be the "at length" commentary in this
issue, with just the highlights of other important issues presented in order to
help in keeping you informed.
The term, "elephant in the room," is a way of referencing a subject or an event
or a movement which is so big that it simply cannot be ignored. The other term,
an "800 pound gorilla," is a way of referencing a person or organization so
powerful that it can act without regard to the concerns or desires of others or
any limitations of existing law. It doesn't take much of a stretch of the mind to
see how either or both of those terms define the existing situation with respect
to Muslims and Islam, their chosen religion.
As for size, as in the "elephant in the room" description, it is not easy to get
an accurate count of Muslims in America. In 2008, three different surveys
reported Muslims as a percentage of the U.S. population ranging from 0.6%
to 1.6%. In 2010 the percentages ranged from 0.6% to 2.3% -- that last one
was from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a controversial
organization which is much in the news. The prevailing opinions seem to favor
the report of the Pew Research Center, which presents an 0.8% figure.
As for mosques in America, in 2000 the Mosque Study Project 2000
reported a total of 1,209 mosques. By 2010 that number had increased by
65% to something over 2,000 mosques. One additional proposed mosque
has captured the attention of America and the whole world -- it is the mosque
to be built at "Ground Zero" in New York to commemorate the Muslim attack
on 9/11 which killed 2,996 people. It is obvious that Muslims in America
are like an "elephant in the room;" they are entirely too large to be ignored.
As for the other aspect, referred to as an "800 pound gorilla," the Muslims
have shown no mercy in pursuing their Quran directed goal of religious world
domination, and the killing of infidels, the non-believers in Islam. Besides the
devastating Muslim attack on 9/11, there have been an unrelenting series of
other attacks -- some resulting in killings; others foiled before they could take
effect. In addition to incidents in Detroit, MI, Portland, OR, Salt Lake City,
UT, and Times Square, NY, to mention just a few, there was the horrendous
attack at Fort Hood, TX in November, 2009. Then Army Major Nidal Malik
Hasan, a devout Muslim, killed 13, and wounded more than 30 other American
military as he shouted "Allahu akbar" (Arabic for "God is great") while firing
his weapons in a crowded room. Has he been brought to justice? No, but he
is being given excellent medical care as the result of wounds he suffered during
his murderous attack. Like the "800 pound gorilla," militant Muslims can do and
are doing just about anything they choose to accomplish their goals.
We have spoken here only of Muslim attacks in America. In previous issues
we have mentioned their relentless attacks on Christians in lands where Islam
is the dominant religion -- in Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, and more.
Consider just this brief word from the Rt. Rev'd. Yusuf Janfalan, Bishop of
Ikara, Nigeria about killings in that African nation just last week: “The
attackers burned not only the church but the entire village. All living
and non-living things were set ablaze." And they are not geographically
restricted in their terrorist attacks -- over the past weekend the world was
shocked to learn of a suicide bomber killing 35 women and children in a small
medical clinic in Afghanistan.
As Christians, relatively -- but not entirely -- safe here in America, we must
be concerned about the growth of Islam and the militancy of Muslims world-
wide, and our prayers must be not only for the Christian Church in America,
but for our fellow believers who face persecution and death daily in Muslim
lands throughout the world.
And for our brief commentaries on other issues: first, there is the
economy. According to Rasmussen Reports, the Consumer Index has fallen
to its lowest point in 2 years. Now just 20% of U.S. consumers think the
economy is improving; 56% think it is getting worse. 46% see Mr. Obama as
doing a poor job in handling the economy; only 34% think he is doing a good
job. That is somewhat better than voters' opinion of Congress -- only 8% think
that the Congress is doing a good job; 52% consider Congress' performance
as poor. As for the president's overall performance rating, 46% of U.S. voters
at least somewhat approve of his performance; 53% disapprove. And his Daily
Tracking Poll rating remains in the double digit negative range. (Currently -15.)
Last week Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who is by default our
source of economic wisdom, said that the Fed has no explanation as to why,
after two years into a supposed "economic recovery," signs of growth remain
disappointing, and admitted that the outlook for next year has gotten worse.
(How would you like to be a president running for re-election on that news?)
And then there is the matter of Bible prophecy: we must always
remember what Jesus said about the end times, "Of that day and hour
knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
(Matt. 24:36) Despite this unquestionable truth, one pastor recently set
the definite date of May 21, 2011 for the Lord's return. And some nominal
"Evangelical" spokespersons see the disastrous tornado which destroyed so
much of Joplin, MO, as resulting from Mr. Obama's urging Israel to accept
a return to the pre-1967 borders.
Stepping a bit outside usual theological sources for comment, we go to
Joel Rosenberg's Blog to find his viewpoint: "In a time when economic
religious and geopolitical threats are rising....a time when so much of
the world is turning against God...a time when so many have forgotten
God in their daily lives....a time when so many think the Church is
irrelevant and/or hypocritical....and a time when many have turned
against Israel and God's Chosen People, what we need isn't a bunch
of religious hot air -- slogans, bumper stickers or platitudes. What
we desperately need is a bold and sincere and solid and revolutionary
faith that moves us to action, that moves us to know God more deeply
and serve Him more faithfully before the Day of the Lord arrives."
What is the Christian responsibility for today's problems? We have
occasionally used the familiar Christian response to the Great Commission
of Jesus Christ: "Some can go; others can give; all can pray." Prayer
is the ultimate Christian capability and responsibility -- in the words of Jesus,
"Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name; Ask and ye shall
receive..."(John 16:24). Toward that end we have been counting the days
in which we can pray for America prior to the next Election Day, Nov. 6,
2012. As of today there are just 496 days to pray for our nation, our
leaders, and for God's direction as we vote for America's future.
Texas Governor Rick Perry last week made this perceptive analysis of
our need for prayer: "Right now, America is in crisis: we have been
besieged by financial debt, terrorism, and a multitude of natural
disasters. As a nation, we must come together and call upon Jesus
to guide us through unprecedented struggles, and thank Him for
the blessings of freedom we so richly enjoy...There is hope for
America ... and we will find it on our knees."
As usual, so as to balance the Liberal bias of the media, here are
a few examples of "What Others are Saying". . .
Mat Staver (Liberty Counsel): "In America, our core values are
systematically being dismantled, making us increasingly vulnerable to
attack from radical factions that seek to destroy our religious, social,
and moral foundations - and completely redefine our society."
Rasmussen Reports (National opinion pollsters): "Americans appear
more pessimistic about the economy than they have been in months,
and also express little confidence that their elected leaders will do
anything about it."
MSNBC's Chris Matthews (on Obama's troop withdrawal plan):
"Where's the hope? If I were with the Taliban right now, I'd put a little
Post-it up on that that month in 2011, and say: 'This is when we do
OUR surge.'"
Al Lewis (Dow Jones columnist): "The Federal Reserve and the U.S.
government injected trillions into the economy, yet the recovery has
remained 'moderate' at best, for two years. Instead of generating
'shovel ready jobs,' most of that money benefited financial companies
that probably deserved to fail."
Rich Galen (Conservative political commentator): "Obama’s plan
appears to have pleased almost no one except the Taliban who have
begun measuring for drapes in Kabul for when they return to power."
And here are some random "Afterthoughts" for this week . . .
A brief thought on New York's same-sex "marriage" law: at the huge
"gay pride" parade in New York on Sunday, Governor Cuomo said, "I was
so proud and honored to be governor of this state signing this law into
effect." Governor Cuomo is a Catholic, and in the Vatican the hierarchy of his
faith have said that he can no longer receive communion. One has to wonder
if the momentary pride, and political boost his action produced is worth
abandoning a primary, basic facet of his Christian faith. Among the first
reactions from Protestant denominations has been the enthusiastic support of
the new law from the majority of Episcopal bishops in New York State.
There are times when you just feel sorry for Mr. Obama -- part of his
failure, or lack of success, as president, is due to the abysmally incompetent
staff of advisors and counselors he has surrounded himself with. Like last
week when he addressed the Army's 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum,
and he told them about his awarding the first Medal of Honor to a soldier who
didn't receive it posthumously -- except the Medal awardee, Jared Monti, died
in service in Afghanistan, and the award was made posthumously. He is so often
made to look like a klutz, when he should be looking presidential, as our chief
executive. We are reminded of his flubbing his toast to the Queen during his
recent visit to England, when he tried to talk over the traditional playing of
"God Save the Queen." (So often we reflect that we should have a president
who looks and acts -- well, "presidential.")
Well, he said it himself . . . on NBCTV's Today show on June 14, Mr.
Obama said, "I'm sure there are days when I say that one term is enough."
No argument there, but then he said that his wife was "not invested in my
husband being president." Now there is a point where his opinion might be
questioned. It seems difficult to believe that Mrs. Obama would be happy to
give up some of the perks which come with being the president's wife -- like
last week's tourist visit to internationally non-strategically significant South
Africa, where she took along her two children, her mother and a niece and a
nephew. Or her holiday last August with her daughter, at a 5 star luxury resort
in Marbella, Spain. It will be hard to give up all that; still, she may be able to
get in a few more international holiday excursions before this term ends.
More and more we find that the opinions of our Founding Fathers
apply very appropriately to our problems today . . .
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude
better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace.
We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the
hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may
posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams, 1776
- Samuel Adams, 1776
"A rigid economy of the public contributions and absolute interdiction
of all useless expenses will go far towards keeping the government
honest and unoppressive." -- Thomas Jefferson, 1823
And from a 20th century president:
"Every collectivist revolution rides in on a Trojan horse of 'emergency.'
It was the tactic of Lenin, Hitler and Mussolini. In the collectivist sweep
over a dozen minor countries of Europe ... 'emergency' became the
justification of the subsequent steps. This technique of creating
emergency is the greatest achievement that demagoguery attains."
-- President Herbert Hoover
THE FAMILY REMAINS A MOST IMPORTANT
ASPECT OF AMERICAN LIFE
A BRIEF EDITORIAL COMMENT: and an equally brief announcement.
With this issue we begin a slightly different approach to our comments on the
current news events of interest and concern to American Christians: we will
summarize several briefly, and discuss one in greater detail. And we will continue
to research and bring to you "What Others Are Saying" -- all part of our goal:
"We present the facts; you decide." In line with this new approach, this week's
Commentary will focus on the American Family, which has historically been
considered as the basic unit of the American way of life, until a small segment --
a very small segment -- of our population began their campaign to make the
homosexual life style acceptable, even though it is contrary to Christian tradition,
and the clear teaching of the Word of God, the Bible.
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"The sum which two married people owe to one another defies calculation.
It is an infinite debt, which can only be discharged through eternity."
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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DESPITE ALL THE EFFORTS TO DESTROY IT, THE FAMILY,
BASED ON THE BIBLE AND TRADITION, REMAINS A
MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF AMERICAN LIFE
We have often referred to the ministry of Billy Graham, who for more than 50
years evangelized this nation and the world. During the momentous decade of
the '50s, when the threat of an atheistic Communist USSR was our greatest
international concern, Mr. Graham often preached that the family was the basic
unit of American society ... destroy the family, and you destroy the American
way of life as we have known it.
He was right, of course, but the concept of the importance of the family did not
originate with him. In 295 B.C., Confucian scholar Mencius wrote, "The root
of the kingdom is in the state. The root of the state is in the family." Both
Mencius and Billy Graham spoke of the time before a relatively small group
of homosexuals -- representing perhaps 2 - 4% of our population -- began their
drive to ignore tradition and God's law, and make the concept of "same-sex
marriage" lawful. Massachusetts was the first state to do so, in 2004 -- to date,
4 other states (Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont) and the
Disrict of Columbia allow same-sex marriage, with California and New York
close to a decision to join them. But contrary to that trend is the fact that 63
million voters in 31 states -- by an average majority of 63% -- have recently
adopted amendments to their constitutions establishing marriage as solely
between a man and a woman. Most recently, between May 16-19, a national
scientific survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, showed that 62% of
Americans support the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.
And this is as the Bible has always taught us, beginning with the first chapter
of Genesis, "...male and female created he them. And God blessed them,
and said, Be fruitful and multiply . . ." (Gen. 1:27-27) And that theme
continues all the way through the Scriptures, for example, "Marriage is
honorable ..." (Hebrews 13:4)
Michael Savage, Conservative commentator, recently wrote on this subject:
"Gay marriage is an oxymoron; it is a mockery of marriage by radical
homosexuals who wish to destroy one of the last cornerstones of our
culture." And he reminded us that Karl Marx, in his Communist Manifesto,
derided marriage and the family in these words: "The bourgeois claptrap
about the family and education, about the hallowed co-relation of parent
and child, becomes all the more disgusting … On what foundation is the
present family, the bourgeois family, based? On capital, on private gain. ..
The bourgeois family will vanish as a matter of course ... with the
vanishing of capital."
It must be a matter of deep concern on the part of American Christians to see
our president so dedicated to the support of the agenda of the homosexuals
and to note his repeated assurances to them that he has not forgotten the
promises he made to them. We also note his repeated statement of his intent
to seek repeal of the Defense of Mariage Act (DOMA), the most important
national protection of traditional marriage that we have in our country.
And there is a further correlation with Karl Marx's statement of Communist
principles which must concern us; it is seen in the concept of a need for change.
Marx wrote: "The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various
ways; the point, however, is to change it." On Oct. 31, 2008, just prior
to election day, candidate Obama said, "We are five days away from
fundamentally transforming the United States of America." And his
overall campaign slogan was, as you will recall, "Hope and Change."
To conclude this commentary, history has established that marriage and the
family constitute the solid foundation of our civilization. To refer back to Billy
Graham: destroy the family, and you will destroy America. But despite the
facts of history, homosexual activists -- with a voice far more powerful than
their small numbers would indicate, are united to do everything possible to
persuade the American people to give up on the traditions of marriage and
the family. Most recently -- just this past week during the annual meeting of
the Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix, AZ -- a delegation of homosexual
advocates under the name of "Get Equal" met with SBC President Bryant
Wright, and demanded that the Southern Baptists apologize for their use of
the Scriptures to criticize the homosexual lifestyle. Dr. Wright refused to yield
to their demands, saying that Scripture is clear on that issue. But the battle, let
alone the war, is not over, and the homosexuals will doubtless continue their
attacks on the Christian churches, the Bible and the overwhelming viewpoint of
the American people as demonstrated in current polls, and the ongoing
governmental actions by so many states.
That constitutes our full length commentary for this week; now here
are our brief summaries of other key issues which are confronting us,
not treated in depth or detail, and not listed in order of importance.
(1) The continuing Israeli-Palestinian problem. Our friend, Mat Staver,
founder and president of Liberty Counsel, is in Israel, and this week sent this
message: "Every Israeli leader I have encountered believes that President
Obama's call for Israeli-Palestinian borders to be realigned to their 1967
status, including a divided Jerusalem, is a recipe for disaster and can only
lead to escalating conflict." He also added two foundational tenets for peace
which must be non-negotiable: "(1) Palestine must acknowledge Israel's
right to exist as a state; and (2) Jerusalem must never be divided again."
Of this he may be certain: American Christians stand firmly with him on these
principles. Peace in the Middle East, particularly involving Israel and Palestine,
remains elusive, and will continue to be so as long as Mr. Obama sides with
Palestine Muslims against our long time ally, Israel.
(2) A brief update on our continuing unemployment problem. Despite
the constantly repeated claims by spokespersons for the Obama administration
about the hundreds of thousands -- even millions -- of new jobs created by the
much touted, but obviously unsuccessful "stimulus program," the facts tell a
much different story. In Feb. 2009, shortly after Obama took office, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that 141.7 million people were
employed. Now more than two years later, at the end of May, 2011, that
number has fallen to 139.8 million -- showing that after all the $800 billion
"stimulus" spending, there are 1.9 million fewer people employed. In just the
first half of his first term as president, Mr. Obama's massive spending plans
have lost nearly 2 million jobs for American workers. And as a reminder, in
this "Summer of Recovery" (to use an Obama phrase), we have seen the
unemployment percentage stay above 9%. These are the facts; don't let the
teleprompted oratory deceive you.
(3) "Freedom of Choice" has become a Democrat position, as support
for taxpayer dollars to fund abortion mills like Planned Parenthood is firmly
part of the Obama program. In just the 38 years, since the ill-conceived
Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade made abortion legal, some 50 million
babies have been killed. It is difficult to think that any Christian -- of whatever
denomination -- could support this violation of God's commndment, "Thou
shalt not kill." While Mr. Obama and the Democrats grasp abortion as their
position, by default, the Republicans hold to the Right to Life as theirs.
writing in Conservative Outpost, reminds us that America has a real prison
problem. In fact, never before in history has any country imprisoned so many
of its people. For example, we have more people in prison than does China,
and China has a billion more population than America. And this problem has
shown almost overnight growth. In the 70s, just 40 years ago, there were
338,000 people in prison. Today that total is 2.3 million -- more prisoners
than we have soldiers. The situation in California recently made the news
when the Supreme Court ordered that 33,000 prisoners be relocaed to other
facilities or be released. Neither option is suitable, but the seriousness of the
problem is very evident. And this is not just a California problem.
Those are the current issues we decided to comment on this week. It
is obviously not a complete or exhaustive list, but it does provide some issues
which merit the consideration and prayer attention of American Christians. We
have been maintaining a count-down of days remaining to our next Election Day,
Nov. 6, 2012. As of today, there are just 503 days until that date -- 503 days
to pray for our nation and its leaders . . . for our military service personnel on
duty in so many parts of the world . . . and for God's wisdom and direction as
we go to the polls, 503 days from today, to vote for leadership which will lead
America back to the kind of nation our Founding Fathers intended it to be.
To help keep you informed, we use our research facilities to bring you
"What Others Are Saying" about major elements of the day's news.
Jack Marshall, writing in Ethics Alarms: "The Obama administration,
despite its leader’s stirring words in the 2008 campaign, has already
shown itself capable of outrageous misrepresentations ... So we
shouldn’t be surprised, only nauseated, when it tells Congress ... that
U.S.participation in the Libyan uprising doesn’t fall under War Powers
Resolution."
Timothy H. Lee (writing in Center for Individual Freedom): "Professor
John Lott, economic scholar and foremost authority on the deadly real-
world consequences of gun 'control' laws across the globe, labeled Barack
Obama 'undoubtedly the most anti-gun candidate ever nominated by a
major party for President.' Well, that apparently depends on who possesses
the gun. If you're a law-abiding American citizen, the Obama Administration
would prefer that you remain defenseless. ... But if you're a potential gun
trafficker with connections to Mexican drug cartels? Then you're in luck."
Walter E. Williams (Economics Professor, George Mason University):
"Since government has no resources of its own, and since there's no Tooth
Fairy handing Congress the funds for the programs it enacts, we are
forced to recognize that government spending is no less than the
confiscation of one person's property to give it to another to whom it does
not belong -- in effect, legalized theft."
And here are a few random "Afterthoughts" . . .
Doubtful if it makes any difference, but another of Mr. Obama's inner
circle of White House appointees, Vivek Kundra, the man tapped by President
Obama to be the nation's first ever federal Chief Information Officer, will be
leaving his post later this Summer to take a position at Harvard. His two White
House associates, Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer, and Jeffrey Zints,
Chief Performance Officer, are apparently still on the job. Amazing that this
country succeeded so many years without these unique Obama concepts of
advisory personnel. One can only think, with longing, of how far we might
have gone without these "Chief Officers."
NBC-TV cut the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance in the
introduction to its coverage of the U.S. Open last week. Jack Marshall, whom
we often quote from his Ethics Alarms column, rightly called this omission
"an audacious and inexcusable unilateral kowtow to political correctness."
The network made a sort of apology, something to the effect that they are sorry
if anyone was offended. But Mr. Marshall went further in his objection to their
action, and we agree with him on this point as we so often do on other violations
of ethics: "What’s next, NBC? Removing that upsetting stuff about bombs
in 'The Star Spangled Banner?' Changing the lyrics of 'God Bless America'
to 'I Like America?' What’s going to rhyme with 'From sea to shining sea'
in your version of 'America the Beautiful,' since 'God shed his grace on thee'
is politically incorrect ... 'Let's have some wine and Brie?' ... 'Stay tuned to
NBC?'" But the MLM (Main Line Media) can pretty much do as it chooses.
This gaffe sounds more like Joe Biden! A few days ago Mr. Obama
demonstrated his grasp of some aspects of our economic problem in these
words, "There are some structural issues with our economy where a lot
of businesses have learned to become much more efficient with a lot
fewer workers. You see it when you go to a bank and you use an ATM,
you don't go to a bank teller, or you go to the airport and you're using a
kiosk instead of going to the gate." In other words, the reason companies
are not hiring workers is not due to his policies -- it's because the economy is
so automated. Apparently, in his way of thinking, we didn't have ATMs or
airport check-in kiosks until sometime after Jan. 20, 2009.
Our Founding Fathers' "politically incorrect" quotes are important,
and remind us of the kind of a nation America was intended to be.
"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old
parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in
the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself,
and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power."
-- Alexander Hamilton, 1775
"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence
were the general principles of Christianity." -- John Adams, 1813
"The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes
in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion
of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth." -- John Quincy Adams, 1825
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