Wednesday
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE AMERICAN DREAM?
September 28, 2011 of our 9th year of publication.
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A thought for today, for this week and for the future:
"Whereas the American Dream was once equated with certain principles of
freedom, it is now equated with things. The American Dream has
undergone a metamorphosis from principles to materialism.
John E. Nestler, Haverford College, 1973
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WHEN, OR WHERE, DID WE DEPART FROM THE DECLARATION
OF INDEPENDENCE -- THAT ALL MEN ARE ENDOWED BY
THEIR CREATOR WITH THE UNALIENABLE RIGHTS OF
LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS?
In later years the world would use words like "The American Dream" to describe
what our nation's Founding Fathers, (the men who pledged their lives, their fortunes
and their sacred honor), spoke of as self-evident truths, that all people are created
equal and are endowed with -- not as entitlements, but as the free gift of their
Creator-- certain unalienable rights. "Unalienable" means a possession which cannot
be sold or transferred; and to secure those possessions, a government was being
established, and it was planned to operate with the consent of the governed.
Those rights as described in 1776 formed the foundation upon which the
"American Dream" would be built, and it would become the life-style most desired
to be experienced by people throughout the entire world.
But how the intent of the Founding Fathers has changed! For example, the first
right referred to as unalienable and secured, was the gift of life. Yet after nearly
200 years of respect for life as the gift of God, in 1973, by a 7-2 vote of 9 men in
the U.S. Supreme Court, the legalization of abortion was made part of American
law, and in the ensuing years some 50,000,000 babies have lost their lives because
of the vote of just those 7 men.
Similarly, the priceless gift of liberty has been, and is being diluted and eroded, as
the government that was intended to operate with the consent of the governed has
become so domineering as to resemble the oppression from which those pilgrims
fled to this new land. And the pursuit of happiness is clearly taught in the Scriptures
-- "happiness" is not a Bible word, but every time "happy" is used it relates directly
to man's relationship with God, and compliance with His rules. For example, "he
that keepeth the law, happy is he." (Prov. 29:18) Yet as a nation, we have
departed from God' laws, from His clearly stated rules for life, and this Creator-
endowed, unalienable right is being discarded by our government, and is being
denied to the American people.
For example, in the very beginning of life and this planet, we have the Biblical
account, "So God created man in his own image ... male and female created
he them ... and God blessed them and God said unto them, Be fruitful and
multiply ..." (Gen. 1:27-28) But we have allowed God's plan to be ignored, and
a small minority of people, who have chosen a life-style which God has condemned,
has influenced the nation's decision makers to establish a new concept of same-sex
"marriage," and are influencing a whole new generation of our young people to turn
aside from God's plan for marriage and the family.
So the "American Dream," based on the self-evident truths of the Declaration of
Independence, is being swept aside in a tragic down-hill departure from the
teaching of the God of our Founding Fathers.
Aside from America, the world situation is equally troubling. Just as an
example, from the 50 or 60 news sources we review every day as part of our
research, we chose this heading: "Religion Today Weekly," and in one such
report we noted these 7 headings for news stories: Is Religious Freedom
Attainable for Algeria's Christians? ... Hope Amid Chaos in Nigeria ...
Court in India Questions State's Anti-Conversion Law ... Chinese
Believers Arrested for Attending Outdoor Service ... Religious Liberty
Concerns in Middle East ... Mexican Government Called Upon to
Protect Protestant Minorities ... Praying in Streets Outlawed in Paris
and Western Australia. That single example summarizes the world-wide
scope of the persecution Christian believers are experiencing. As a Christian
nation -- or at least formerly one until Barack Obama declared otherwise -- we
have an obligation, a responsibility to pray for our fellow believers in other lands.
Looking back in American history, in 1833 U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice
John Marshall wrote: "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."
This leads us into consideration of the ongoing problem in the mid-East.
Last week, in the United Nations, which has been described as the "Theater of
the Absurd," despite the urging of many leaders and diplomats, Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas delivered his demand for full statehood recognition
with the "1967 borders," insisting as he did so, that “we shall not recognize the
Jewish state.” Speaking to this impasse, Dr. Mike Evans of the Jerusalem
Prayer Team, said: "President Obama’s threat to veto the Security Council
recognition of a Palestinian state does NOT mean that the danger is over.
Behind the scenes, the President is placing enormous pressure on my dear
friend Prime Minister Netanyahu to make the concessions being demanded
by the Palestinians. Mr. Obama is not backing down in any way from his
support of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."
And even former president Bill Clinton got involved, issuing a prediction which
almost meets the farcical standards established by Pat Robertson: "The two
great tragedies in modern Middle Eastern politics, which make you wonder
if God wants Middle East peace or not, were former Prime Minister Yitzhak
Rabin's assassination and former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke."
Mr. Clinton has had practical experience in bringing peace between Jews and
Muslims; he performed the marriage ceremony between Muslim Huma Abedin,
a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Jewish former Congressman,
Anthony Weiner.
For months we have reminded our readers about our "Countdown" to
Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012 . . . there are as of today 405 days remaining --
405 days to pray for our nation, for our leaders, and for our fellow believers all
over the world. We so often recall the words of Benjamin Franklin in 1787:
"The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: 'that God
governs in the affairs of men.' And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground
without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?"
You may not have noticed, because the Obama controlled main line media
pretty much ignored it, but the Islamic mosque serving as a permanent memorial
to the Muslim attack on America on 9/11 opened last week, with hundreds of
Muslim men kneeling in prayer. The Christian Science Monitor was one of the
few media outlets which carried the story -- and even published pictures of the
Islamists praying in the mosque. Looking back some 60 years, we should be
grateful that no Japanese shrine was opened at Pearl Harbor on the 10th
anniversary of Dec. 7, 1941. But Harry Truman was president, and would never
have permitted such a memorial, let alone encourage it as Barack Obama did in
this present affront to America.
There is much to inform and amuse in "What Others Are Saying:
Our 30th President, Calvin Coolidge in 1928: "It seems to me perfectly
plain that the authority of law, the right to equality, liberty and property,
under American institutions, have for their foundation reverence for God.
If we could imagine that to be swept away, these institutions of our American
government could not long survive."
Robert Tracinski in TIA Daily: "The Republican primary contest has
become a referendum on Social Security, with Texas Governor Rick Perry
standing by his earlier statements denouncing the program as a Ponzi
scheme... Yes it is, in its own way, but that doesn't quite cover it. In reality,
Social Security is much worse than a Ponzi scheme...The numbers are well-
known, and Charles Krauthammer rehearses them succinctly: 'When Social
Security began making monthly distributions in 1940, there were 160
workers for every senior receiving benefits. In 1950, there were 16.5; today,
three; in 20 years, there will be but two.'" And Tracinski concludes: "The
whole system is intellectually dishonest, economically destructive, and
morally corrupting...It is a fraud and a monstrous lie, and the sooner we tear
it down, the better."
Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite (professor at Chicago Theological Seminary):
“Americans sharing more equally in the burden of pulling our country out
of massive debt, and using tax revenue to stimulate the economy and create
jobs isn’t ‘class warfare,’ it’s actually Christianity.” [Apparently there is
Chicago politics and Chicago theology.]
And there is Ms. Thistlethwaite's description of Jim Wallis of "Sojourners:"
"an evangelical Christian who works on poverty issues from a biblical
perspective."
Ben Bernanke (Chrm. Federal Reserve Board): "Economic growth remains
slow. Recent indicators point to continuing weakness in overall labor market
conditions, and the unemployment rate remains elevated.”
And we found a few great "One Liners" this week . . .
Ann Coulter (on the Union-led rioting in Wisconsin): "As the 2012 election
draws nearer, I fear sickening scenes like this will become as frequent as
Nancy Pelosi's Botox appointments."
Anonymous: "By the time you can make ends meet, they have moved
the ends."
Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson: "My next-door neighbor's
two dogs have created more shovel-ready projects than this president."
Bob Livingston: "75 percent of the total United States budget goes to
making war or paying people to do nothing."
And, as always, there are a few "Afterthoughts," selected at random . . .
Friday was a busy day last week: Summer ended and Fall began . . . that
satellite fragment fell to earth, apparently without hitting anyone... the stock
market wound up a consistently bad week, losing 6.4% of its value in just 5 days,
and after 40 years on American TV, "All My Children" finally ended its run.
You just have to give President Obama credit! Just when you think there is
no way he can further demean the office of President of the United States, he
steps up and even tops his own record. This week he visited us here in San
Diego, and it was publicized that at a gathering in a supporter's home, admission
to the affair was $5,000. per person, but if you want to have your picture taken
alongside Mr. Obama, it cost another $5,000. per person. Think back: can you
imagine Abraham Lincoln charging an American citizen to have their picture taken
with him? Or Franklin Roosevelt? Or Dwight Eisenhower? Or Harry Truman? Or
John F. Kennedy? Or Ronald Reagan?
You may remember the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstration, planned for
Saturday, Sept. 17, with 20,000 or more expected to join it in protest. Calling it
"The War of the Parasites," Bojidar Marinov described the dismally failed revolt
on Wall Street in these words: "The 'Occupy Wall Street' campaign beats all
records of collective stupidity this nation has seen in its history. A couple
hundred leftist protesters established a camp on Wall Street, protesting
against . . . well, against something, the bankers, the global warming, and
against the Solar System..." But the protesting and the rioting continues,
growing more violent every day. This is not in the mid-East; this is in America.
You already knew this -- we discussed it here at the time: Mr. Obama's
two new re-election campaign busses costing just over $1 million each, were
made in Canada. And we mentioned at its dedication that the huge Martin Luther
King memorial statue in Washington was created by a Chinese sculptor, Lei Yixi,
with the assistance of 10 Chinese stone masons, using 1,600 tons of Chinese
granite. (Mr. Lei is famous in China for his statues of Mao Tse-tung.)
But maybe you didn't know that the new World Trade Center tower -- "Freedom
Tower" -- is being built with steel from Germany, and blast resistant glass from
China surrounding the lower floors. There was a time when the United States
produced more steel and glass than any country in the world, but a new word has
entered our national vocabulary: we have become deindustrialized.
Last week we mentioned Pat Robertson's views on Alzheimer's disease;
this week we noted the comment of Dr. Russell D. Moore of Southern Baptist
Seminary: "On his television show, Christian broadcaster, Pat Robertson,
said a man would be morally justified to divorce his wife with Alzheimer's
disease in order to marry another woman ... This is more than an
embarrassment. This is more than cruelty. This is a repudiation of the gospel
of Jesus Christ. Few Christians take Robertson all that seriously anymore.
Most roll their eyes, and shake their heads when he makes another outlandish
comment."
It is amazing how perceptive of future trends our Founding Fathers were:
"It is evident from the state of the country, from the habits of the people,
from the experience we have had on the point itself, that it is impracticable
to raise any very considerable sums by direct taxation."
-- Alexander Hamilton, 1787
"Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected.
No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions."
-- James Madison, 1792
"To contract new debts is not the way to pay old ones."
-- George Washington, 1799
"The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of
funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale." -- Thomas Jefferson, 1816
Hello, Mr. Obama . . . did you ever study our nation's Founding Fathers?
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