Wednesday
OUR PROBLEMS: CAUSE AND SOLUTION!
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Vol. 18, No. 16 April 25, 2012 © 2012
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A principle to guide us as we approach the election in November:
"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers,
and it is the duty of as well as the privilege and interest
of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for its rulers."
John Jay, first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1816
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MAYBE IT'S TIME TO PUT LESS EMPHASIS ON CURRENT DAY
PROBLEMS, AND FOCUS ON THEIR CAUSE AND SOLUTION.
ELECTION DAY, NOV. 6, IS LESS THAN 200 DAYS AWAY
And maybe it's time for ANC to focus more sharply on the religious (i.e. the
Christian) aspects of the problem and its solution. Shifting, therefore, from any
undue emphasis on political issues, and focusing on the religious issues, we start
with the Bible's basic statement on politics and religion: "Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord." (Psalm 32:12) Or to express that promise in present
day language as it applies to the problems we face, the nation that honors and
reverences God will experience His blessings of protection, provision and peace.
Former Chief Justice John Jay, quoted above, stated one of the underlying
principles upon which this new nation was established -- that as a Christian
nation, our rulers (i.e. presidents) should be Christians. And our first president,
George Washington, who selected him to be the first Chief Justice, also held
that conviction, as he said in those formative days of the United States: "To
the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to
add the more distinguished character of Christian." (1778)
And Washington was not alone, among our presidents, in stating his Christian
convictions. John Quincy Adams, our 6th president: "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." Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president: "It is the duty
of nations as well as men to recognize the truth announced in Holy
Scripture and proven by all of history that those nations only are blessed
whose God is the Lord." Woodrow Wilson, our 28th president: "When you
have read the Bible, you will know it is the word of God, because you have
found in it the key to your own heart, your own happiness and your own duty."
John F. Kennedy, our 35th president: “The rights of man come not from the
generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” Ronald Reagan, our 40th
president: "Without God democracy will not and cannot long endure...If we
ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation
gone under."
In addition to those comments from a random selection of U.S. presidents (and
there are many others in similar vein), the U.S. Supreme Court has often expressed
the same view as the first Chief Justice, as cited above. Consider these decisions;
in 1811, "Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends to destroy civil
government." And in 1892, "Our laws and institutions must necessarily be
based on and must include the teachings of the Redeemer of Mankind."
It is obvious that through the years there has been a spiritual deterioration in the
adherence to the Judeo-Christian principles upon which this nation was founded.
The greatest deviation from the "Faith of our Founding Fathers" has
occurred in the past three and a half years, or during this administration.
Never before, in the two and a third centuries of the American nation, has any
one of the 43 presidents who preceded Barack Obama denied that America is
a Christian nation. Yet his first trip abroad, as president, was to Islam dominated
countries where he repeatedly assured the adherents to the religion in which he
was raised, that America is no longer a Christian nation. He even went so far as
to boast that the Muslim population in the U.S. of perhaps 1%, makes us one
of the largest Muslim nations in the world.
In this election year Mr. Obama continues to insist that he is a Christian, and
there are those who say that we should take him at his word. But that is not
how Jesus taught us -- he said that many would call on His name, but His
rule for us to observe was simply: "By their fruits ye shall know them."
(Matt. 7:17-21). That is a different teaching than Obama's citing of Jesus as
endorsing same-sex marriage and higher taxes on the rich. And Obama's
"fruits" -- support of the homosexual movement, and of same-sex marriage,
though the ignoring of the law of the land in the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA), and the killing of babies through abortion, and the violation of
the religious rights of individuals and churches through Obamacare -- just
to name a few.
ANC's "Prayer Countdown" has less than 200 days till Election Day
As of today, there are 195 days until Election Day, Nov. 6. We have 195 days to
pray for our nation . . . for our leaders to have wisdom to begin making some right
decisions . . . and for guidance as we decide for whom we should vote, not only for
President, but for Senators, Representatives, Governors, and local office holders.
ANC does not have a partisan-political position. We have said that again and again.
We are pro-Christian, pro-American and pro-Conservative -- but when someone
is "anti" any of those beliefs, we are "anti" that person, regardless of his or her party
affiliation.
But our prayer concerns must go beyond our own shores. This week we have read
that the purge of centuries-old Christian communities in the Middle East and in
North Africa continues. The persecution of Christians in Nigeria and Egypt, for
example, is becoming more intense. And this fact struck us in our research this week:
nearly 70% of the world's 6.8 billion people live in countries with little or no freedom
of religion. Yet we take that right for granted -- even though there are movements
under way in America which deny some aspects of that freedom which our Founding
Fathers included in the Constitution.
And in Christian Newswire this week we noted this brief comment: "Nearly 400
years ago ruling shoguns martyred thousands of Christians and banned the
faith from the island nation. As a result, today Japan is vaguely religious, yet
outwardly secular and materialistic, with a Christian population of less than
1 percent and most churches composed of only a few dozen members."
There is much to occupy us as we use these 195 days of prayer.
For example: some American military, inadvertently destroyed some used copies
of the Quran in Afghanistan -- and it became an international incident, resulting in
apologies from the highest levels of the Obama administration. Yet almost daily --
certainly weekly -- we read of Christian churches destroyed by Islamists in
Nigeria, Egypt, Iraq, and other Muslim dominated nations, and no one in those
countries apologizes . . . and no one in the White House or State Department
expresses any concern.
Or American Sergeant Robert Bales, twice decorated during service in Iraq, and
sent to Afghanistan despite serious wounds of war. When he killed some Afghan
civilians, he was condemned for his actions, has been given the harshest
treatment, and leaders in the Obama administration from the president on down
have apologized, and he faces possible execution. Meantime, more than two years
have passed since Major Nidal Hasan, an American Army Muslim, went on a
killing spree at Fort Hood, shouting "Allahu akbar" (Allah is the greatest),
killing 13 and wounding 32 others. His trial -- if it ever occurs -- is now set
for October, almost 3 years after the attack. But this Muslim has been given the
most lenient treatment. [Where, Mr. Obama, is the fairness or equality?]
An interesting -- and revealing -- survey from Investors Business Daily
discloses the percentage of members of past presidents' cabinets who had
experience working in the private business sector before being appointed to
serve in the cabinet. Consider these five recent administrations:
Carter............................32%
Reagan.......................... 86%
GH Bush........................51%
Clinton ......................... 39%
GW Bush.......................55%
And then we come to our current president, and we find this percentage:
Obama .........................08%
Reagan.......................... 86%
GH Bush........................51%
Clinton ......................... 39%
GW Bush.......................55%
And then we come to our current president, and we find this percentage:
Obama .........................08%
Those facts help explain the incompetence of this administration in dealing with
corporate business. We are forced to ask how can the president of the nation
with the most successful economic system in world history talk about business
management when he has never worked in or for one? And when 92% of his
closest advisors have had no business or management experience, how can they
know what is best for the auto industry, banking, real estate, insurance and health
care -- when they have had no experience aside from spending years in academia,
government, non-profit organizations or even (as our president) as "community
organizers?"
president we've ever had, unable to admit to any mistakes of any kind...
And Hamlet made more decisions in Act I than Obama's made in four years.
He stalls like an old Fiat and lies like a Nigerian scammer. But he remains
the media's hero. And our media will pull out every stop and employ every
trick to insure his re-election..."
Heritage Foundation: "High gas prices are not a president's friend,
especially in an election year, so it's not surprising that President Barack
Obama is trying his darndest to shift the blame for record-high fuel prices
onto something other than his failed energy policies...the president
announced a proposal to spend $52 million to fund increased government
oversight of oil futures market trading in addition to harsher civil and
criminal penalties for manipulation in energy markets."
Daniel Greenfield (in New Media Journal): "Obama's speeches were
robotic, not just because they were delivered via teleprompter, but
because they had been assembled together artificially out of bits and
pieces of old presidential speeches into generic templates that were
meant to awe audiences through their presentation...His speeches
called up spirituality devoid of religion, Americana devoid of patriotism
and ideals devoid of ideas. He appropriated them all and used them as
props in his show."
"Chris" (writing as The Steady Conservative): "Suddenly speaking out
for traditional marriage is “controversial” if you read the Huffington Post.
Christians’ views are described as backwards, judgmental, inciting hate
speech, a threat to our civil rights or perhaps ignorant. Just for standing
up for Biblical truths. But that is the world we live in. It is just one more
way that those on the left are chipping away at our heritage."
And from Commentator Thomas Sowell, the "Quote of the Week:"
"We seem to be moving steadily in the direction of a society where no
one is responsible for what he himself did but we are all responsible for
what somebody else did, either in the present or in the past."
Here are a few "One Liners" that our research discovered this week:
Rep. Jim Jordan (R, OH): "Make no mistake, we are in a fight for the very
idea of America, and it is a fight we must be fully committed to win."
Rep. Barney Frank (D, MA): Thinks President Obama made a "mistake" in
pushing for is signature health law, and told New York Magazine, "I think we
paid a terrible price for health care."
And here, as usual, are just a few "Afterthoughts" for this week . . .
The theme for the 2012 presidential campaign was formed 4 years ago
in Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the 2008 Democrat national convention:
"If you don’t have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters.
If you don’t have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as
someone people should run from." [Well, it worked once . . .]
A perplexing problem with the Main Stream Media. Saudi Arabia's highest
Islamic authority recently called for the destruction of all churches on the Arabian
Peninsula, but there hasn't been any global outcry over it. Cliff May, president of
the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, wrote in a recent Townhall.com
column: "Imagine if Pat Robertson called for the demolition of all the mosques
in America. It would be front-page news. It would be on every network and
cable news program. There would be a demand for Christians to denounce
him ...but the major media do not see this as even worth reporting." May
added that he believed U.S. leaders and others had kept quiet on the issue to
avoid promoting the notion of "Islamophobia."
We should not close without a word on the home-going of Chuck Colson
There is little we could add to the outpouring of words of appreciation and
gratitude for his remarkable ministry. He was a personal friend of your editor
for many years. There is much we could say . . . but much has already been said.
When a leader like Chuck leaves us, we always wonder who will take his place.
Whoever it will be will find he has huge shoes to fill. It cannot often be said, but
it is true in Chuck's case: he was one of a kind; there will not be another like him.
Thoughts on taxes from the 3rd and 30th U.S. presidents:
"Would it not be better to simplify the system of taxation rather than to
spread it over such a variety of subjects and pass through so many new
hands." --Thomas Jefferson, 1784
"No matter what anyone may say about making the rich and the
corporations pay taxes, in the end they come out of the people who toil."
-- Calvin Coolidge, 1926
-- Calvin Coolidge, 1926
We can always learn something from the words of our Founding Fathers
"The fabric of American empire ought to rest on the solid basis of THE
CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE. The streams of national power ought to flow
from that pure, original fountain of all legitimate authority."
-- Alexander Hamilton, 1787
"We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the
danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the
purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections."
-- John Adams, 1797
"If, then, the control of the people over the organs of their government
be the measure of its republicanism, and I confess I know no other measure,
it must be agreed that our governments have much less of republicanism
than ought to have been expected; in other words, that the people have
less regular control over their agents, than their rights and their interests
require." --Thomas Jefferson, 1816
And finally, these familiar words: "Another week . . . another issue."
Each week we try to keep the overall length a little shorter, but each week
there seems to be so much on which to comment . . . and each week -- as is the
case this week -- there is still so much that has been left untouched without any
comment whatsoever. The issues facing us are big and complicated and serious,
and need our careful consideration, as Christian citizens. ANC fills a specific
purpose and meets a specific need. We hope that you will feel inclined to help us
continue, through your donations. Please click HERE to learn how to send your
gift by check or credit card. Thank you!
WE'RE STILL NOT DOING WELL!
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Vol. 18, No. 15 April 18, 2012 © 2012
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This week's thought for the week ... and for the weeks to come:
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in His law doth he meditate day and night."
The Holy Bible, Psalm 1: 1-2
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THE THEME OF LAST WEEK'S ANC WAS: "POLITICALLY,
ECONOMICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY, WE'RE
NOT DOING WELL." AS WE REVIEW THE NEWS,
NOTHING HAS CHANGED MUCH THIS WEEK
And last week's issue began with the words that this was not our sole opinion, but
was shared by others . . . and we provided a quote from Mat Staver, Founder and
Chairman of Liberty Counsel, as an illustration. In line with the premise that there
hasn't been any dramatic change, this week also we offer this quote from
Mat Staver which addresses the basis of our problems: "I've never felt so
compelled to unreservedly work against a president’s overreaching policies,
unconstitutional mandates, unvetted czars, and tyrannical power grabs as I
do now. Then again, there has never been a president like Barack Obama
whose clearly stated goal is to 'fundamentally transform' our nation into a
socialist state (as we now know.)"
To avoid being accused of quoting only Conservative Opinion makers, here is a
comment on the financial aspect of our nation, as concerning the Obama agenda
of unrestrained spending under his "Stimulus Plan." Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben
Bernanke, told the Budget Committee on April 9 that Official Congressional budget
estimates understate the peril of rising debt. "Sustained high rates of government
borrowing would both drain funds away from private investment and increase
our debt to foreigners, with adverse long-run effects on U.S. output, incomes,
and standards of living. Moreover, diminishing investor confidence that
deficits will be brought under control would ultimately lead to sharply rising
interest rates on government debt and, potentially, to broader financial
turmoil ..." In short, the official estimates that members of Congress hear from their
budget office are under-estimating our dire economic predicament. If fiscal policy is
not brought under control, things will be much worse, according to Mr. Bernanke.
Even the very Liberal commentator, Arianna Huffington, writing in Huff Post, on
the international front, "You'd think a ten-and-a-half year war would be a major
issue in a presidential campaign -- especially a war going as badly as the one
in Afghanistan... But right now we are doing a lot of harm, losing hearts and
minds every day and making our country ultimately less safe as a result. 'War
is destructive of the human spirit,' military scholar Andrew Bacevich said
recently; 'War compromises our humanity.' This one is now compromising our
humanity, our national security, our standing in the world, and our claim to
the moral high ground."
We have often mentioned Mr. Obama's "credibility" problem, but have
never actually called the president a liar, as so many commentators have done.
This past week a new book (or perhaps "booklet" -- but it's 122 pages in length)
was announced, titled 69 Obama Lies. ANC doesn't have the time, space or
inclination to discuss all 69 of them, but Steve Elliott, writing in Grassfire Nation,
the publisher, listed #23 as his favorite Obama Lie; he calls it the "Create Or
Save Jobs Lie." He recalls it as one of the first lies that came out of Obama's
mouth after Inauguration Day -- "in one voice Obama and every member of
his messaging team began talking about the 3.5 million jobs their plan
would save... Of course, never before in the lexicon of employment statistics
had any president talked about 'saved' jobs. It was a mirage. A myth. A lie.
The first of many lies that Obama used to transform our nation."
Mr. Elliott may have a point. Our research this week turned up many examples
of the Obama "Stimulus Plan" failures . . . here are just two of them: (1) Reno,
NV, received a $2.1 million federal energy grant as part of the Obama stimulus
plan approved by the Democrat controlled Congress in February, 2009. The
Reno Gazette-Journal recently reported on the "success" of the grant: "The
city's seven windmills have so far saved Reno $2,785 in energy costs after
generating 25,319 kilowat hours of electricity. The windmills were installed
between April and October, 2010, and cost about $1 million out of a $2.1
million federal grant given to the city as part of the stimulus package." [At
that rate it will take 718 years to equal the $1 million cost of the windmills.]
And here is No. 2: CNS News reported this past week: "The government spent
at least $205,075 in 2010 to 'translocate' a single bush in San Francisco
that stood in the path of a $1.045 billion highway-renovation project that
was partially funded by the economic stimulus legislation President Barack
Obama signed in 2009... 'In October 2009, an ecologist identified a plant
growing in a concrete-bound median strip along Doyle Drive in the Presidio
as Arctostaphylos franciscana,' the U.S. Department of Interior reported in
the Aug. 10, 2010 edition of the Federal Register...'The translocation of the
Arctostaphylos franciscana plant to an active native plant management
area of the Presidio was accomplished, apparently successfully and
according to plan, on January 23, 2010,' the Interior Department reported."
[Footnote: The bush -- a Franciscan manzanita -- was a specimen of a
commercially cultivated species of shrub that can be purchased from nurseries
for as little as $15.98 per plant.]
On the use of lies to influence public opinion, here is the motto of a true master of
the practice, Adolph Hitler: "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it,
and eventually they will believe it." And in Mein Kampf, he said of the great
masses of the people, "in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more
readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves
often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to
large-scale falsehoods." (Vol. 1, Ch. 10)
Months ago ANC began a "Countdown of Prayer" for the next election.
As of today, Apr. 18, there are 202 days until Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012.
202 days to pray for our nation, and for God's leading as we cast our votes on
Nov. 6 to transform our government into the kind of a nation it was founded to
be. And beyond our shores there are fellow Christians who are daily facing
persecution because of their faith . . . and there are rogue nations like Iran, Syria,
North Korea, to name a few, who pose real threats to any semblance of peace
throughout our troubled world. As Christians, we should be faithful in prayer.
It is interesting that "those on the other side" are also calling for prayer. Previously
we have noted that supporters of "Obamacare" were calling for prayer for the
Supreme Court to rule in favor of the controversial law -- even as Christians
were praying for its defeat. Now we have learned of another such prayer effort.
A local Planned Parenthood abortion business in Humbolt County, California is
copying the "40 Days for Life" campaign, which recently resulted in saving the
lives of more than 700 unborn children from abortion. The abortion business has
set up its own 40 Days of Prayer for the local abortion center. Their theme: "We
believe in your right to choose to be a parent or not.”
In ANC we continue to try to counter the left-wing viewpoints of the
Main Stream Media by bringing our readers "What Others are Saying"
David Axelrod, Chief Strategist for President Barack Obama, told Chris
Wallace on FOX News this weekend: “The choice in this election is between
an economy that produces a growing middle class and that gives people a
chance to get ahead and their kids a chance to get ahead, and an economy
that continues down the road we’re on.” [We couldn't have said it better!]
Human Events: "One of the first things Stalin, Hitler, Mao and other
totalitarians did during their reign was rewrite the histories of their nations,
remaking the past to foster their control of the present. The American Left
has done the same thing in our country: most American history books are
riddled with PC nonsense that makes the Founding Fathers over into racist
slaveholders, the settlers of the West into genocidal land-stealers, and the
welfare state into the harbinger of the ultimate triumph of liberalism."
Erick Stakelbeck (in Charisma News): "The so-called Arab Spring has
given a big boost to radical Islamists like the Muslim Brotherhood. For
Christians, it’s been a much different story. Believers in Jesus are suffering
major persecution throughout the Middle East and North Africa. But there
is one place left in the region where they don’t have to fear: Israel."
Victor Davis Hanson ( Hoover Institution, Stanford University): "In 2008,
a mostly unknown Barack Obama ran for president on an inclusive agenda
of 'hope and change.' ... Four years later, none of those promises will be
themes of his 2012 re-election campaign. Gas has more than doubled in
price. Billions of dollars have been wasted in insider and subsidized wind
and solar projects that have produced little green energy. Unemployment
rates above 8 percent appear the new norm... From the Middle East to the
Korean peninsula, the world seems on the brink. Modern racial relations
are at a new low"
Leslie H. Gelb (Pres. Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations): "President
Obama is being pushed and pulled into three conflicts–Iran, Syria, and North
Korea ... Events are being driven mainly by three bad guys. Iran's Ayatollah
Khamenei, intolerably, is trying to keep open the option to build nuclear
weapons. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, intolerably, is killing rebels to
keep power. North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jung Un, unacceptably, is
trying to have his nuclear cake and eat American food too. Slowly but
inexorably, all three situations are becoming testier and riskier with little
sign of being saved by warnings or compromise."
Peter Martino (Gatestone Institute): Under the heading, "Diversity -- they
drive us out, we invite them in," wrote: "Islamic countries have become
more Islamic because of a deliberate policy that drives non-Muslims out;
non-Islamic countries have become more Islamic because of a deliberate
policy that invites Muslims in, and ensures that they feel in no way
hindered or upset."
Barry Rubin (Dir. Global Research in International Affairs): Concerning
the announcement that President Obama would be wearing a Cuban style
'guayabera' shirt made for him by a Colombian designer at the Americas summit
in Cartagena, Colombia, this week, Mr. Rubin commented: "This guy just
doesn’t seem to get it. He’s supposed to be America’s leader, not an ersatz
South American, friend of the Franks, roommate of the Russians, soul-mate
of the Muslims, etc."
It has been reported that the president's visit to Colombia got off to a bad start --
at least 11 members of the Secret Service team sent there in advance of his visit,
were relieved of duty after what were described as wild drinking parties and
arguments with some prostitutes they had employed for a night at the hotel where
the American staff were staying. They were promptly replaced, presumably by
agents somewhat more restrained in their leisure time activities. And, from other
reports, several members of the U.S. military stationed there, were also involved
in the developing scandal.
The Obama administration moved quickly to deal with the problem, but the
scandal made the United States the laughingstock of the important summit, as
diplomats were talking more about the hooker escapade rather than focusing on
Obama’s goals in the region. “I had a breakfast meeting to discuss trade
and drugs, but the only thing the other delegates wanted to talk about was
the story of the agents and the hookers,” commented one Latin American
diplomat. Former Secret Service agent, Ronald Kessler, author of In the
President's Secret Service, said: “It's the biggest scandal in the history of
the Secret Service and the most basic breach of security.”
And to wind up the scandal-plagued American presence at the Summit of the
Americas, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton slugged back a beer
and kicked up her heels at a Cuban-themed nightclub in Cartagena. Photos
snapped by surprised onlookers show the former first lady swilling a
Colombian-brewed Aguila (“Eagle’’) cerveza, straight from the bottle and
hitting the dance floor. Witnesses said Clinton played maracas and danced the
rumba to numbers played by the club’s Cuba-centric house band. [Does she
have the right to relax? Certainly . . . but she should never forget that she is
the Secretary of State of the United States of America.]
The Washington Post summed up the Summit quite succinctly: "The sixth
Summit of the Americas ended without an official declaration -- a negotiated
statement of shared principles from the hemisphere’s heads of state -- and
left open the question of whether there would be a seventh such meeting. The
ambiguous conclusion underscored the fact that Obama, while pledging a new
relationship with the United States’ leery southern neighbors, has had little
success in bridging significant policy differences that have divided the region
for decades. With the scandal involving a number of secret Service agents
and prostitution coloring the weekend meeting, Obama departed here with
the U.S. image mildly blemished and the enduring political differences
between the hemisphere’s wealthy north and rising south firmly intact."
Reuters reported in similar vein, saying that the U.S. emerged from the Summit
"increasingly isolated," and added that the show of unity among the other
nations highlighted the "steady decline of Washington's influence in a region
that has become less dependent on U.S. trade and investment thanks
economic growth rates that are the envy of the developed world and new
opportunities with China." Reuters summarized Obama's efforts in two words,
"He failed."
And from our research, a few "One Liners," some longer than others:
President Barack Obama, on his proposed "Buffet Rule" (which failed to pass
in the Senate on Monday): "There are others who are saying: 'Well, this is
just a gimmick. Just taxing millionaires and billionaires, just imposing the
Buffett Rule, won’t do enough to close the deficit’ Well, I agree."
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, on the current high gasoline prices: "The
economy is in a much better position to deal with those pressures."
Kim Jong-Un, the new Supreme Leader of North Korea: "Yesterday, we
were a weak and small country trampled upon by big powers. Today, our
geopolitical location remains the same, but we are transformed into a
proud political and military power and an independent people that no one
can dare provoke."
Gerard Barzan, humorist: "You don't have to fool all the people all of the
time; you just have to fool enough to get elected."
Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel: “Intimidated by the American Civil Liberties
Union or Freedom From Religion Foundation, the public square is
becoming a haven for religious bigotry. As a nation, we are long overdue
in demanding that our fundamental liberties be fully honored and protected.”
Here are a few "Afterthoughts" from our review of the week's news . . .
In case you were wondering about all those first family vacations ... on
a panel with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Brazilian President
Dilma Rousseff, and moderated by MSNBC's Chris Matthews, during the
Summit of the Americas in Colombia last week, Mr. Obama said, "When I
take these summit trips, part of my job is to scout out where I may want
to bring Michelle back later for a vacation. So we'll make sure to come
back some time in the near future."
Last Sunday was a meaningful date in American history: On April 15, 1865,
President Lincoln died. He was shot the night before in Ford's Theater. On April
15, 1912, the Titanic sank. It struck an iceberg the night before. On April 15, 1947,
Jackie Robinson ran out to his position at first base as a member of the Brooklyn
Dodgers, and became the first African-American to play baseball in the Major
Leagues since the earliest years of the game. And April 15, 1954 became the
deadline for Income Tax returns.
Doug Giles, Pastor, Clash Christian Church in Florida, and an outspoken
Conservative, offers a thought on the religious aspects of the upcoming election:
"The same media that ignored information about Obama’s racist religious
roots steeped in Marxism is already queuing up with queries about Romney's
Mormonism as somehow being weird and a tad white ... The duplicitous
journalists who saw no story in the well-documented anti-honky rhetoric of
Wright’s/Obama’s 'religion' now want to paint Romney with the racist brush
... As an evangelical, I'll be the first to admit that I don’t get Mormonism,
but I do get Marxism, and we’re now seeing the political fruit coming from
Obama’s ignored and divisive theological roots. Which leads me to this
conclusion as an evangelical: ... in 2012 I will take a quasi-conservative
Mormon who has been ridiculously successful, over an uncompromised
Marxist any ol’ day. And lastly, a word of advice for the MSM (Main Stream
Media): I would leave Mitt’s Mormonism well enough alone unless, of course,
you want Obama’s religious roots to be exposed, as well. I believe Americans
will find in Mormonism more pro-traditional American sentiments than they
will in Reverend Wright’s greatest sermon collections."
In case you were wondering, but hadn't computed it: Under President
Obama prices of gasoline have more than doubled -- from a national average of
$1.85 on Inauguration Day, 2009, to $3.92 this past week. It has been estimated
that this means the average American family is paying $2,200 more per year for
gasoline today than when Obama came into office. And that's not the only increase
in living costs -- as gasoline prices increase, the cost of just about everything else
increases as well.
Historically, our Founding Fathers and other leaders of our nation have
not hesitated to give God and the Bible a prominent place in government
"There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and
religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal
property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage."
--John Witherspoon, 1776
"It is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon
the overruling power of God and to recognize the sublime truth announced
in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are
blessed whose God is the Lord." -- President Abraham Lincoln, 1863
"Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of your liberties; write its
precepts on your hearts and practice them in your lives. To the influence
of this book we are indebted for the progress made, and to this we must
look as our guide in the future.” -- President Ulysses S. Grant, 1874
And finally, the usual summary: "Another week, another ANC issue"
In the nearly 10 full years of publication, the purpose and premise of ANC
has never changed. It has been, and is: pro-Christian, pro-American and
pro-Conservative. From the many messages we receive from our readers,
we are encouraged that you appreciate this approach to current events. By
the same token, we have always taken an "anti" position against those who
are clearly "anti" our viewpoints. We have never charged any subscription
fee, but if we are going to be able to continue, we need to have the support
of our readers. Please click HERE to send your contribution by check or
credit card. We look forward to hearing from you, and hope to be able to
continue this publication.
WE'RE NOT DOING WELL!
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Vol. 18, No. 14 April 11, 2012 © 2012
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A thought for this week ... next week ... and the weeks to come:
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can."
Charles Wesley, 1771
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DESPITE TORNADOS, WE'RE IN SPRING, WITH THE PROMISE
OF SUMMER ... WE'RE LIVING IN THE REMEMBRANCE OF
EASTER ... BUT POLITICALLY, ECONOMICALLY AND
INTERNATIONALLY, WE'RE NOT DOING WELL
And that isn't a viewpoint held by ANC alone. It isn't pleasant to admit such a
situation exists, but there come times when it is necessary to face the facts.
Mat Staver, the highly respected Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel,
who is at the forefront of the legal battles in defense of the Constitution and our
nation's Christian heritage, this past week issued this alarm and call for action
with respect to the domestic front, as he wrote: "President Obama's agenda
to 'fundamentally transform' the United States of America has been fully
exposed as a systematic assault on our Constitution in order to form a
more socialized union...The more the President disrespects the Constitution
and the rule of law, the more outraged Americans are becoming...That's
why we are calling for ALL Americans citizens to rise up and 'Stop the War
on the Constitution.'"
Robert Ringer, whose column, A Voice of Sanity, we often quote, offered this
further expression of concern: "Long time readers will recall that I began
warning about Barack Obama's dictatorial ambitions before he even won
the 2008 presidential election. Now, finally, more people are beginning to
take this possibility as a serious threat. Obama's recent contention that it
would be 'unprecedented' for the Supreme Court to overrule congressional
legislation had dictatorship written all over it. It was, quite obviously, an
ignorant slip on his part. Rather than lashing out with absurd statements like
this, the Marxmeister does much better when he follows the far-left playbook
and innocently feigns indignation over anything that isn't to his liking."
Founding Father, James Madison, often referred to as "Father of the Constitution,"
foresaw such aberrations, and wrote in 1788: "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."
And just this brief reference to one of the problems we are forced to face on
the domestic front -- the national economy. These two quotes are brief, but speak
volumes concerning our economic problems. From Barack Obama: "Under my
plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket."
And from Obama's Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, “Somehow, we have to
figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.”
We have not discussed the many other problems . . . the unemployment crisis . . .
the threatened tax increases . . . the administration's increasing efforts in favor of
abortion and same-sex marriage . . . and the danger of serious racial unrest given
a boost by the Trayvon Martin case and encouraged by Barack Obama, Jesse
Jackson, Al Sharpton and Obama's long time pastor, Jeremiah Wright, and the
media. But there's always next week . . .
Those examples are domestic in nature. Internationally, we aren't at all better
off. News story headlines like this: "Washington Helpless as Islamists Play
for Keeps in Egypt" are specific to one Middle East nation, Egypt, but are
typical of the failures in Obama's attempts at diplomacy.
Pamela Geller, writing in Atlas Shrugs, reviewed the situation in Egypt: "Obama's
quiet and unyielding support of the Muslim Brotherhood gave rise to their
power and they succeeded in overthrowing Mubarak, once Obama made it
plain he would not stand with our ally... The Muslim Brotherhood promised
as early as May 2011 to implement Shariah and cancel the peace treaty with
Israel. Despite this, in June 2011, Obama was resuming formal contacts with
the Muslim Brotherhood... When Obama's perfidy became unavoidably obvious,
his media handlers suddenly called Obama's Muslim Brotherhood support a
'cosmic wager.'''
In attempting to explain these actions, White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney,
said of the meetings between the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Security
Agency, "The Muslim Brotherhood will be a big player, and we are engaging
because that is the appropriate and right thing to do." As a fall-out from Mr.
Obama's support of the Muslim Brotherhood, the persecution, subjugation and
slaughter of Christians in Egypt increased dramatically, but even so, Obama refused
to meet with Coptic leadership. More recently, rockets have been fired into Israel
from Egypt. Dr. Mike Evans, of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, summarized it briefly
this week: "The future of Israel is on the line right now. Surrounded by enemies
on every side and abandoned by those who once were friends, God’s Chosen
People face the gravest threat in Israel’s modern history."
Syria provides another example of the failure of diplomacy in the strife-torn Middle
East. There was hope last week when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad agreed to
a U.N. sponsored plan, which calls for all fighting to have stopped tomorrow. But
United Nations special envoy, Kofi Annan, has informed the General Assembly that
the ceasefire may not occur because Assad says he will not fulfill his part of the plan
if the rebels do not first provide written guarantees to stop fighting. The last minute
demand came as weekend violence claimed over 200 lives, most of them civilians, a
surge in bloodshed that former UN chief Annan described as "unacceptable."
And we have not discussed the increasing unrest in Afghanistan, with more suicide
bombings occurring almost daily . . . or Prime Minister al Maliki moving to seize
dictatorial power in Iraq, with the restraint of the U.S. Military eliminated . . . and
the increasing attacks on Christians in the Muslim dominated nations. . . and North
Korea's defiance of international concern as the rogue nation moves toward tests
of potential intercontinental ballistic missiles. But as was noted above . . . there's
always next week.
What better place than this, for a reminder of our "Prayer Countdown."
As of this date, Apr. 11, there are 209 days until Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012 ...
209 days to pray for our nation, for wisdom to be given to our leaders, and for
guidance as we go to the polls to vote to restore America to the kind of nation it
was intended to be. And we must not fail to pray for our fellow believers in so
many countries who are daily facing persecution and even death from Islamic
activists, and for Israel, our ally in the Middle East, which lives under the threat
of extinction by its Muslim neighbors.
From Vision to America, comes this warning about the theory of "Coexistence"
which so many Liberals, including those from the "religious-left" and even some
mega-church pastors, have embraced as truth: "The world is shifting. It is
dissatisfied, baffled and craving transformation. Religious tolerance is
prized more than truth. From clever slogans to celebrity endorsements, we
are bombarded with seemingly peaceful messages of coexistence. But
beneath the bumper stickers and T-shirts is buried this truth: Coexistence is
a myth. Instead, a war for world domination is raging--between radical Islam,
secularism and Judeo-Christianity."
And there is this word of challenge from Conservative News Alerts: "In
generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful
to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties...Will you vote the
values that will stand the test of fire? Some things are more important than
high gas prices or a faltering economy. They are life, marriage and freedom."
Just a few examples of "what Others Are Saying" this week, but each is
a bit longer than usual, and each focuses on the basic problem we face
Wes Pruden (writing in Conservative Outpost): "Presidential contempt for
the Supreme Court and inconvenient law is not new. But rarely has a
president sounded so, well, dumb, as when Barack Obama lectured the
justices on what they can and can’t do to his cherished Obamacare...The
president, who frequently describes himself (inaccurately) as a former
professor of constitutional law, sounded willfully ignorant... But Barack
Obama is neither dumb nor ignorant... So why would he say something
so foolish and dumb? ... He’s more than willing to sound dumb and
ignorant in the greater cause of his re-election."
Jonathan Tobin (writing in Commentary: "Passover is the occasion for
Jews to remember their liberation from Egypt and to embrace not only the
gift of freedom but also the ability to worship God and His laws as a people...
It is not the time to be delivering obsequious paeans to American politicians,
no matter which party they belong to... The National Jewish Democratic
Council has published a new version of the 'Four Questions' from the
Haggadah that is a paean, not to the liberation of the Jews from Egypt, but
to the wonders of Barack Obama, to whom the NJDC directs Americans to
express thanks rather than their Creator. One need only read the NJDC’s
questions to understand their desperation to make up for three years of
Israel-bashing by President Obama."
From Expose Obama: "Pushed by Barack Obama’s naked attempts to
destroy our economy, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made
up his mind: he will look west to China when he is ready to sell his nation’s
crude oil. Barack Obama has won this round to destroy America’s economy,
and we have lost."
Matt Barber (writing in the Daily Caller): "Eric Holder is a busy man.
When President Obama’s chief law enforcement officer isn’t tied up selling
guns to Mexican drug cartels ... he’s busy conspiring with pro-abortion
extremists to bring the full weight of the federal government down upon
innocent pro-life advocates. So much tyranny, so little time. Eric Holder
is much more than just incompetent. He’s an extremist pro-abortion
activist who shares his boss’s goal of 'fundamentally transforming
America' to reflect both men’s secular-socialist self-image."
[With respect to Obama's frequent promises of "change," and his promise to
'fundamentally transform" our nation, we are reminded of the statement of
Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoi, in 1899, "Everyone thinks of changing the world,
but no one thinks of changing himself."]
but no one thinks of changing himself."]
Joseph Luppino-Esposito (writing in The Foundry): "Obama – who
often is described as a former professor of constitutional law – made
comments that demonstrated little knowledge of the concept of judicial
review...Obama stated that to find his administration-defining health
insurance legislation as unconstitutional would be an ''unprecedented,
extraordinary step' ...On Tuesday, the President attempted to revise
his statement. His comments were actually an entirely new, and equally
inaccurate, critique... this isn’t the first time...Constitutional history is
not Obama’s strong suit, to say the least."
And here are just a few "One Liners" our research found this week
Matt Barber, in The Daily Caller: "History will be no more kind to this
president than he has been to the citizens he was sworn to honorably serve."
N.Y. Times columnist Maureen Dowd is not happy with the Supreme Court's
hostility toward Obama-care: "It is run by hacks dressed up in black robes."
Massoud Jazayeri, a senior commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard: "No
place in America will be safe from our attacks.”
Michelle Malkin, in New Media Journal: "Progressives in the media and
White House continue to strike a see-no-election-fraud, hear-no-election-
fraud, speak-no-election-fraud pose."
Thomas Sowell, offering these Random Thoughts: "How long do politicians
have to keep on promising heaven and delivering hell before people catch
on, and stop getting swept away by rhetoric?"
Robert Knight, in One News Now: "Face it, folks. America elected a bully
in 2008 -- and he shows no sign of mellowing."
Here, now, are a few "Afterthoughts" to share with you this week:
Under the "Give credit where credit is due" thesis, you may have missed
this kindly token from President Obama's Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta --
Mr. Panetta paid about $17,000 to reimburse our Treasury for his frequent visits
to his home in California. Those trips cost us about $860,000. It could have been
much more costly, but he has only been in that office for one year. Over a longer
period of time it could be quite expensive.
If you wondered what to give your Muslim friends, in Canada, Hazrat
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi's new, so-called "Islamic Marriage Guide" titled
A Gift for the Muslim Couple, sold out when it first went on sale in a Toronto
Islamic book store. The 160 page handbook advises husbands on how to beat
their wives -- instructing them not beat their women too "excessively." But
scolding her, pulling her by the ears, and hitting her "by hand or stick," however,
is good for discipline.
Barack Obama continues to have problems with the Bible. Basically it is
because he isn't as familiar with the Christian Bible as he is with the Islamic
Quran. We remember how he dismissed the Christian teaching on homosexuality
as being based on "an obscure verse in Romans." And how he interpreted the
Sermon on the Mount to express Jesus' approval of same-sex marriage. And his
citing Jesus as advocating higher taxes for the wealthy. His most recent gaffe has
been in citing Genesis 4:9 as the source of the Bible's teaching on being his
"brother's keeper." One would hope that someone among his coterie of sycophants
might explain to him that the only use of that phrase in the Bible is after Cain (who
is history's first murderer) had killed his brother, Abel. When God asked about
Abel, Cain rather disdainfully replied "Am I my brother's keeper?" It isn't
exactly an inspirational quote, and such erroneous use of the Bible in this election
year is not going to win over much of the Christian vote.
But despite Obama's frequent references to the Bible and the Christian faith, a
recent Pew Research Center poll disclosed that the number of Americans who see
his administration as unfriendly toward religion has increased from 17% in 2009
to 23% in 2012. It is encouraging that among Evangelicals, 44% see the Obama
administration as unfriendly toward religion. And there are enough of us to make
a difference in November's election.
Terry Paulson, writing in TownHall.com, expresses well a conviction we have
long held about the men who established this nation: "For many of our founding
fathers, America was part of God's plan--a country based on God-given
rights, founded in liberty, and sustained by a free people using their gifts
and resolve to live out and sustain a dream ... Our founders also knew that
good government requires good, ethical people. 'We the people' were not
just any people; most were people grounded in their Christian faith."
Here are just two from so many quotes from our Founding Fathers . . .
"Whereas true religion and good morals are the only solid foundations of
public liberty and happiness . . . it is hereby earnestly recommended to the
several States to take the most effectual measures for the encouragement
thereof.” -- Ben Franklin, 1778, addressing the Continental Congress
"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were
the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and
now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal
and immutable as the existence and attributes of God."
-- John Adams, 1813
As we seem to say every week: "Another week, another issue of ANC"
But we continue to feel very strongly the need for a pro-Christian, pro-American,
pro-Conservative commentary on current events. That has been our purpose and
message for almost 10 years . . . and we will continue to express it as long as it
is possible to do so. This is a reminder that you can click HERE to learn how to
make a contribution by check or credit card toward keeping ANC coming your
way . . . and we thank you in advance for your willingness to help.
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