Wednesday
LOOK TO THE PAST IN DEALING WITH THE PRESENT!
November 16, 2011 of our 9th consecutive year of publication
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An important thought for today, for this week, and for weeks to come:
"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting;
it has been found difficult and left untried."
Gilbert Keith Chesterton,
prolific British author and philosopher
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OFTEN IT IS BEST TO LOOK TO THE PAST IN DEALING WITH
THE PRESENT; WE CAN'T GET MUCH HELP FROM THE
FUTURE IN DECIDING ON A COURSE OF ACTION
But first, an editorial comment: From time to time we receive questions from
our readers which ask about our "anti-Obama" viewpoint. That assumption is
incorrect. Our editorial position has always been: pro-Christian, pro-American
and pro-Conservative. To the extent, and in any instance, that Barack Obama is
anti-Christian, anti-American and anti-Conservative, we are clearly anti-Obama.
And, of course, the same applies to any national political figure, regardless of
which party label they may wear. At the moment, Obama is the only presidential
candidate for the 2012 election.
In closing every issue of ANC, we cite the wisdom of our Founding Fathers.
These are the men who conceived, and created the Declaration of Independence,
and the Constitution, and thus established the United States of America. In a
slight deviation from our usual format, let's look at some quotes from our Founding
Fathers right upfront, instead of at the close of this issue.
Our first President, George Washington, in 1788 wrote his evaluation of the new
Constitution which was just being finalized, "It appears to me, then, little short
of a miracle, that the Delegates from so many different States ... should unite
in forming a system of national Government, so little liable to well founded
objections."
And the men who had labored to produce that Constitution made these comments
about the government of the nation they were founding, "If men of wisdom and
knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and
perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal
for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth;
if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats
of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and
permanent foundation.” -- Samuel Adams, 1780
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is
wholly inadequate to the government of any other." -- John Adams, 1782
And they even offered words of warning, and words of advice for future leaders:
"In the first place, it is to be remembered, that the general government is
not to be charged with the whole power of making and administering laws:
its jurisdiction is limited to certain enumerated objects, which concern all
the members of the republic, but which are not to be attained by the
separate provisions of any." -- James Madison, 1787
"The State governments possess inherent advantages, which will ever give
them an influence and ascendancy over the National Government, and will
for ever preclude the possibility of federal encroachments. That their liberties,
indeed, can be subverted by the federal head, is repugnant to every rule of
political calculation." -- Alexander Hamilton, 1788
And looking to the future they even left us some words with a touch of humor:
"Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we
should soon want bread." -- Thomas Jefferson, 1821
For more than two centuries, the constitution those men developed and adopted
has enabled this nation to become the most successful, the most powerful nation
on earth, and establish a standard of living the entire world envies. And it has all
been based on the Judeo-Christian principles which were the solid foundation
upon which our Founding Fathers built this nation.
It was Jefferson, more than any other of the Founding Fathers, who
expressed concern over the possibility of national indebtedness, as the result of
uncontrolled and unrestrained failures on the part of the nation's leaders. His
many warnings in this regard were best summarized in this brief admonition in
1816: "We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt."
It doesn't take much imagination to understand how Thomas Jefferson would
react to our present national debt problem. Early in October President Obama
had run up a greater national debt in his less than 3 years in office, than had all
the presidents from George Washington through the end of the term of George
H.W. bush in 1993. When Bush left office, and turned the government over to
Bill Clinton, the total national debt was $4.1672 trillion. On Oct. 3, 2011, after
2 1/2 years in office, Obama had increased the national debt by $4.212
trillion -- more than all presidents in more than 200 years -- combined. That is
a record of accomplishment not easily surpassed.
And at the risk of making this an "all Obama" commentary, there is this
to be said: President Obama's religious beliefs are difficult to understand. Of
course, we start with not knowing for sure where he was born and educated,
because he has chosen to keep so many biographical details secret. In a 2007
interview with Nicholas Kristof of the NY Times, he recited in a perfect Arabic
accent the Muslim call to prayer, concluding with these words, Allah is most great;
Allah is most great; There is none worthy of being worshipped except Allah,"
and he said that call to prayer is "one of the prettiest sounds on earth at sunset."
In a later TV interview he used the phrase, "my Muslim faith," and was corrected
by the interviewer to "my Christian faith."
More recently he has said, "I am a Christian. I am a devout Christian." Yet he
has ignored national days of prayer in any White House observance, but has
sponsored gala White House observances of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
This year he ignored any proclamation of the Christian observance of Good Friday
or Easter (but did issue a proclamation for "Earth Day" which happened to fall
on the same date as Good Friday). Then, just a few days ago. he issued a special
proclamation for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim "festival of sacrifice," and in an official
White House statement, joined with Mrs. Obama in congratulating Muslims who
were involved in the Hajj “pilgrimage.”
Indeed, Mr. Obama's religious beliefs are difficult to understand, and it was early
evident that there would be such confusion since his pastor and spiritual advisor for
some 20 years was Jeremiah Wright, who gained national recognition for telling his
congregation not to say "God bless America," but rather "God damn America." It
is easy to understand the president's often expressed conviction that "Whatever
we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation."
It's always nice when other people agree with you! Our long time readers will
remember that on Mar. 30 of this year we started our count-down of prayer for the
national Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012. At that time here were 587 days in which to
pray about the election. We considered it to be an important event, and we have
now noted at least three nationally known figures who agree with us. Ezra Klein,
writing in the Washington Post, "This is the most important election in a
generation." Newt Gingrich, recently said, “2012 is the most important
election in this country since 1860.” And Nancy Harrington, VP of NewsMax
Media, said, "The 2012 election will go down as the most pivotal moment in
America’s esteemed history." As of today there are 356 days till Nov. 6, 2012
-- 356 days to pray for our nation, our leaders, and for God's leading as we go to
the polls to vote to restore America to being the nation our Founding Fathers
intended it to be (as we have discussed earlier.)
If you rely on the media for the news, you miss "What Others Are Saying."
Family Security Matters: "World War I's fighting ceased when an armistice
between the Allied nations and Germany was signed on the eleventh hour of
the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918,
is generally regarded as the day that saw the end of The Great War, or 'the
war to end all wars.' Yet unfortunately, on this Veterans Day – 11-11-11--
we continue to be involved in wars and 'non-wars' as threats to American life
and its liberties continue to grow exponentially."
Mark McKinnon (in the Daily Beast): "When Perry said he’d cut three
government agencies—and couldn’t remember the third one, coming up
short with a sorry 'oops' —he became a dead man walking...Once they’re
laughing at you, you’re finished. Perry supporters Wednesday night were
running out in the dark and pulling out yard signs"
Vision to America: "America was once a light to the world--a place that
God blessed with liberty and prosperity. Today, Americans are taught that
the Almighty State has all the answers. As a result, our God-given liberties
are being traded for an imaginary sense of security. It is our Vision to see
Americans once again recognize that we are endowed by our Creator with
certain unalienable rights and that this Creator is the God of the Bible."
No punches are pulled in this analysis . . .
Drew McKissick (in Conservative Outpost): "In Maobama’s Amerika, it is
the middle class who are the real targets. Maobama knows, as does any
totalitarian, that in order for their misshapen, discordant philosophy to
prevail, a vibrant middle class would have to be destroyed. All are grist for
Maobama’s economic warfare against America."
The Heritage Foundation: "America's problem is not that our taxes are too
low, but that spending by the federal government is too high. Members of
Congress who call themselves conservative know that tax increases weaken
the economy. They should not waver out of fear of being demagogued by
liberals, including President Obama."
A.W.R. Hawkins (writing in Human Events): "The culture of death is not
static. Rather, it constantly permeates those who partake in it, and especially
those who promote it. Because of this, the lucid observer can see a continual
degradation of human value and a shameless promotion of death-for-hire by
abortionists who openly practice in the light what past generations would
have done only in the dark of night (if they did it at all)."
Only one "One Liner" popped up in our research this week:
The Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence, Bishop of South Carolina, describing the trend in
the Episcopal Church: "We face a multitude of false teachings which I have
called the false Gospel of Indiscriminate Inclusivity."
And here are a few "Afterthoughts" selected purely at random:
Thank the Republicans for at least one thing: no Christmas tree tax!
Heat and pressure from Republicans led the Obama administration to
suspend plans for a "Christmas tree tax." Fox News and Republican lawmakers
joined in the effort, and administration officials withdrew the proposal less than
24 hours after giving it the go-ahead. White House spokesman Matt Lehrich
said, “I can tell you unequivocally that the Obama administration is not
taxing Christmas trees.” He added that the Agriculture Department will
restudy the action.
Occasionally the UN does something right -- or more accurately, refrains
from doing additional things wrong. After the heavy push from the Palestinians
to have their country being recognized as a National Member State of the
United Nations, the Security Council has deferred indefinitely any voting on the
matter. Nine nations are required to bring any such proposal to a vote, and only
eight were ever so committed. Even if the vote had occurred, the United States
had promised to veto the action. Even with this delay, there is no indication that
the enemies of Israel will stop their efforts to destroy the State of Israel, and
annihilate the Jewish people. But for the moment the issue is closed.
Another of Obama's promises to the homosexuals is up for action. In
the Democrat controlled Senate, the Judiciary Committee has passed the
cleverly misnamed "Respect for Marriage Act." The bill is a straight-forward
attempt to kill DOMA -- the Defense of Marriage Act -- and give federal
approval to same-sex "marriages." Already, the president has announced that
his Department of Justice will not defend the federal law in the courts. If you
haven't already sent word to your Senators as to how you want them to vote,
when it comes to the floor, this is the time to do so.
We have adequately cited our Founding Fathers earlier, but this word from
Abraham Lincoln seems particularly appropriate at this moment in our history:
"Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him, who has
never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust, in the
best way, all our present difficulty." (March 4, 1861)
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