Wednesday
OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK BACK!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 of our 10th year of publication
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Some thoughts as we move ever forward into the new year:
"Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right."
Oprah Winfrey
"Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go,
for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go."
Brooks Atkinson
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
AS WE ASSIGN TO HISTORY THE FIRST MONTH OF THIS NEW
YEAR, WE STILL HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK BACK, AND
TO LOOK AHEAD, AND TO SEE JUST WHERE WE ARE
But, first - here is a personal message we have just received; you will
quickly understand why we are not giving the sender's name. Please read it
carefully: "Due to change in financial situation I am about to unsubscribe.
Will no longer have internet or home phone. Have enjoyed your viewpoint,
and most of all, the historical info and quotes. Wish I could help; but, at
this point I can't even help me. Thanks for your time and dedication to
reminding everyone about the roots this nation came from and the need
to get back to those roots. We have strayed so far. Too far."
Naturally, we are sorry to lose a perceptive reader like this one. Aside from this
expression of a personal problem -- one which more and more of us are
beginning to share -- he made two important points about ANC. [1] He said
that most of all he enjoyed "the historical quotes and info." and [2] He was
grateful for us reminding our readers "about the roots this nation came from,
and the need to get back to those roots." That has been ... is ... and will
continue to be ... the purpose of ANC -- a pro-Christian, pro-American,, pro-
Conservative voice on the Internet.
And now on this first day, of the second month, of the new year, where
are we? Not speaking as a fan of either Ms. Winfrey or Mr. Atkinson, it may
be said that both of them expressed a valid thought at this point in time: [1] Up
to now we haven't got it right . . . and [2] the past was imperfect, and we should
let it go. So we repeat: where are we?
Consider this attempt at a brief, concise evaluation: For three full years we
have been knee deep in misery: soaring national debt and deficits ... matched by
depths of unemployment ... volumes of job-killing regulations ... economic turmoil
in Europe... unstable international allies ... failure after failure in our efforts in world-
wide diplomacy ... natural disasters occurring everywhere ... terrorist attacks at
home and around the world ... traditional family values and moral values vanishing
... and that is just a brief summary! But that is where we are.
This year -- 2012 -- has been called the most important year in the history of our
nation. And there is reason to believe that is an accurate description. The high point
of this most important year will be Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012. Months ago we
began a prayer count-down leading to that election. As of today, there are 279
days until Nov. 6 -- 279 days to pray for our nation, and for wisdom to be given
to our leaders, and for guidance as we go to the polls and vote to restore America
to the nation our Founding Fathers intended it to be.
And let us never -- as Christians -- neglect to pray for our fellow believers all
over the world, who are suffering persecution, and often death, for their faith.
There is much concern over a "war" with Iran, for example -- but Islamic terrorists
are already at war with Christians in Nigeria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan . . .
and the list goes on and on. And never forget God's word: "Pray for the peace
of Jerusalem" (Ps. 122:6), as the Obama administration strays ever further from
our support of Israel.
A challenge to American Christians: Joel Rosenberg is the author of the best-
selling volume, The Last Jihad. He is a communications strategist based in
Washington, DC, and has been called "A modern Nostradamus." Writing about
the situation as we have outlined it above, he expressed it this way: "Are you
praying (even fasting) today for America, for Israel and for the nations of
the epicenter? Are you praying for the Lord to raise up leaders who will get
America back on the right track economically, spiritually and morally? Are
you praying for a massive spiritual revival -- a Third Great Awakening --
that will turn hearts of millions back to the Lord Jesus Christ and once
again make America the 'shining city on a hill' it was for so long? We are
in deep trouble...We certainly need strong, principled leaders who will return
us to Biblical principles and the Constitution. But we need so much more --
we need the Lord to rescue us, before it's too late."
President Obama discovers a new "Constitutional Right." Commemorating
the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Mr. Obama said, “I remain committed to
protecting a woman’s right to choose this fundamental constitutional right."
Thus he enshrines abortion among the constitutionally guaranteed rights of all
Americans. This position, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, runs absolutely
counter to the Declaration of Independence, which attested that we are all
endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life -- but in
those 39 years since Roe v. Wade, some 54 million babies have been denied the
right of life, while Mr. Obama remains committed to abortion as a woman's right.
There is a serious moral conflict in that reasoning.
Remember those words in the First Amendment? The ones about not
interfering with the freedom of the press? One of the unheralded facts which
has emerged at the conclusion of three full years of the Obama administration
-- this wasn't mentioned in his State of the Union Address -- is that the Paris-
based, non-governmental agency, "Reporters Without Borders,' in an annual
report about press freedom throughout the world, reveals that in 2011 the United
States fell 27 points to 47th among all nations -- just behind Comoros and
Taiwan, and in a group with Argentina and Romania.
Speaking to the overall problems of the news media in America, Jack Marshall,
writing in Ethics Alarms, commented: "The profession of journalism has now
sunk to a point of incompetence and untrustworthiness that constitutes a
serious threat, not only to itself, but also to the United States, which must
have honest and reliable news sources to function and thrive."
It is because of the prevailing problems with what is referred to as the
"Main Stream Media,' that we bring you "What Others Are Saying"
The Heritage Foundation: "The United States is at a crossroads. Over the
course of the next 10 months, Americans will watch as the future of our
country is debated -- state by state, county by county, and town by town. In
the 2012 presidential election, voters will make a fundamental decision that
will have vast implications for future generations and the very survival of
the American dream."
Thomas Sowell (in A Voice of Sanity): "The Republican candidates' circular
firing squad now seems to be using machine guns. Whoever the eventual
'last man standing' turns out to be, he may not be standing very tall or very
steadily on his feet - and he may be a pushover for Barack Obama in the
general election, thanks to fellow Republicans."
P.J. O'Rourke (Fellow, Cato Institute): "A hundred years ago when foreign
aid was unthought-of (except as tribute or a bribe) we were a respected and
admired country. After a century of philanthropy, everyone hates our guts."
John Bolton (former U.S. Ambassador to the UN): "President Barack
Obama has one remarkable ability that few presidents ever have emulated;
the ability to say something with a straight face when he really thinks
exactly the opposite..."
Michael Farris, (chairman of Home School Legal Defense Ass'n.): on
Obama's proposal that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn
18 -- "There appears to be no limit to the president's desire for power. Car
companies, banks, doctors, and now schools and the family. He's gone way
too far this time."
Louis Baseness (Chrm. SaveCongressfromitself.org): "Obama will go down
as the worst President in U.S. history, having put the country on a path to
bankruptcy. (He's spending far more than we can ever hope to repay.)"
And this one is good for a smile . . . Jeff Dunetz (in The Lid): "President
Obama's impromptu rendition Al Green's soul classic 'Let's Stay Together'
caused such a stir that now the Nobel Committee wants to award the
former peace prize winner a Nobel prize in Music. Of course it matters not
that Barack Obama is not a musician (he didn't deserve the peace prize
either). The real controversy is that the prize committee has never before
awarded a Music prize."
For some reason, our research found a lot of "One Liners" this week:
Mike Evans, Jerusalem Prayer Team: "We are living in prophetic days…and
God wants us to be more than just spectators."
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops: "The administration is on the wrong side of the Constitution again.”
Barack Hussein Obama: "What’s at stake are not Democratic values or
Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them." [He
should know; he's the one who abandoned them.]
Nate Jackson, in Patriot Post: "Obama thinks the only problem with
America is that we don't realize how awesome he is."
Patriot Action Network: "Forget about 'Conan, The Barbarian' ... we have
'Obama, the Destroyer.'"
Rep. Joe Barton (R, TX): "Well, we fought and won World War II in less
time than it's taken so far to evaluate this project (Keystone XL pipeline)."
Patriot Update: "Obama's Day: Write Iran, Block Jobs, Golf."
And this one was too good to miss: Barack Hussein Obama with Diane Sawyer
on ABC News: "I make a mistake, you know, every hour, every day."
And, of course, we never miss adding a few "Afterthoughts" . . .
Do polls and statistics bore you? Here are just three statistics we noted in this
week's research. [1] A recent Gallup poll disclosed that at the close of his 3rd full
year in office, Mr. Obama received an approval rating of 44% for his performance
as president. At the end of the 2nd year it was 47%, and at the end of the 1st year
it was 57%. At least the trend is consistent.
And [2] The IRS reports that 36 of Obama's executive office staff owe some
$833,970 in back taxes, and thousands of federal employees owe back taxes
totaling $3.4 billion. Obama declared in his State of the Union speech, "We need
to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of members
of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes." It isn't clear whether that "change"
would affect ordinary federal employees.
And [3], from overseas, the United Kingdom's Prison Service reports that the
number of young Muslims in British prisons has skyrocketed over the past two
decades. There are now almost 11,000 Muslim males, mostly in their teens or
twenties, in British prisons. This figure is almost six times what it was 20 years ago
and represents 12.6% of the total prison population in England and Wales -- a
huge over-representation considering that Muslims comprise around 5% of the
British population. By comparison, in 1991 there were 1,957 Muslim inmates in
British prisons. It's something we have to look forward to here in America.
Commenting on this headline: Pakistan: Taliban deploying deadlier
explosives, including chemical weapons, Kal El, writing in Infidels are Cool,
made this observation: "It was only a matter of time, as each attack against
the free people, by Islamists, has been bigger and deadlier than the last."
Strong views from a black Florida Congressman. Rep. Alan West (R, FL)
called out President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and the Chairperson
of the Democrat National Committee, and said, "Take your message of
equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency,
take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the
American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take
it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the
hell out of the United States of America.” Strong language, but apparently
well received. Here, for example are two of the scores of enthusiastic comments
on the Internet, "Hopefully, the black people with listen to Rep. West instead
of the illegal Kenyan liar that is sleeping in the White House and trying to
impersonate a US president." And this one, "Obama and his minions will
have a hard time dealing with Allan West, since they can’t silence him by
calling him a racist!"
In their wisdom, our nation's Founding Fathers addressed the problems
of our day in the language of their day . . .
"History by apprising citizens of the past will enable them to judge of the
future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations;
it will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men; it will enable
them to know ambition under every disguise it may assume; and knowing it,
to defeat its views." --Thomas Jefferson, 1781
"The prosperity of commerce is now perceived and acknowledged by all
enlightened statesmen to be the most useful as well as the most productive
source of national wealth, and has accordingly become a primary object of
their political cares.” -- Alexander Hamilton, 1787
"It is the reason alone, of the public, that ought to control and regulate the
government." --James Madison, 1788
And with those words, this issue of ANC comes to a close . . . offering the
pro-Christian, pro-American, pro-Conservative commentary on current events.
This is our 10th year . . . whether or not we can continue through this year, or
even through this month, is entirely up to you, our readers. Please click HERE
to learn how you can contribute toward keeping ANC coming to your in-box
every week. We have no wealthy supporters . . . we offer nothing for sale. We
will be able to continue only as you make it possible.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
