Wednesday
The American News Commentary
Pro-Christian, Pro-American, Pro-Conservative
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~Vol. 18, No. 25 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ June 27, 2012 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ © 2012 ~
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A word on prayer from a great Christian philanthropist:
"I attribute a large part of my own formula for success
to the power of prayer in my daily life.
In fact, I begin all my share-holders' and
directors' meetings with prayer."
John Marks Templeton
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PRAYER HAS LONG BEEN A BASIC BELIEF AND A POSITION
OF LAST RESORT FOR INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIANS AND
FOR OUR NATION'S GOVERNMENTAL LEADERS
In our frequent -- every issue, in fact -- quotes from our nation's Founding Fathers
on their religious convictions, it has become evident that virtually every president
was at least a nominal Christian, and many were truly believers. Our first two
presidents, George Washington and John Adams, were open and definite in their
Christian beliefs and their reliance on prayer.
George Washington, in his inaugural message, the first in our nation's history, gave
this testimony as to the need for prayer: "It would be peculiarly improper to omit,
in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who
rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations and whose
providential aide can supply every human defect, that His benediction may
consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States."
And John Adams, after moving into the White House as the first resident of the
building, wrote this often quoted message: "I pray to heaven to bestow the best
of blessings on this house and all that hereafter inhabit it...May none but the
honest and wise men ever rule under this roof."
And through all the years, and all the presidents since Colonial times, up to
the current holder of that office, most of them have spoken of their own reliance on
prayer, and the need for God's blessing on our nation. Consider these examples:
Abraham Lincoln, in 1862: "I have been driven many times to my knees by the
overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go."
John F. Kennedy, in 1963: "Let us earnestly and humbly pray that He will
continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving
peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending
misery and suffering wherever they exist."
Ronald Reagan, in 1986: "To preserve our blessed land we must look to God...
The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the
healing of America... Our country is in need of a spiritual renewal."
George H. W. Bush, in 1989: "My first act as President is a prayer...The Lord
our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or
forsake us; so that He may incline our hearts to Him ... that all peoples of
the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other."
But if we look back to the formative days of our nation, there was a slightly
more aggressive voice raised. Lutheran Pastor Peter Muhlenberg, in a sermon at
Woodstock, VA, in 1776 said, "There is a time for all things, a time to preach
and a time to pray, but those times have passed away. There is a time to fight,
and that time has now come."
In Colonial times, the nation's churches, through their pastors, promulgated the
opinions and beliefs of the people into action by the leaders who became our
Founding Fathers. In this instance Pastor Muhlenberg's message contemplated the
obvious need for the war for independence which soon followed. In applying his
message to today's needs, we could alter his words slightly to produce this call:
"There is a time for action, and that time has now come."
That does not mean that the time for prayer and preaching has ended ... it means
that our prayers and the sermons from the nation's pulpits, should focus on the need
for the Church to become as active as Jesus said it would be. In His announcement
He said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it" (Matt. 16:18). He foresaw an active Church, an aggressive Church that would
be so powerful that all the barricades the demons of hell could erect against its
onward march would fall.
And that is the militant Church that we need to see in action in this election year, as
we attack the moral decline which has been forced upon our nation by our present
leaders. Moral values -- which our Founding Fathers called "virtues" -- have been
passed over in the effort to demonstrate "progress" and "political correctness." As
in those Colonial times, the Church must once again take the lead, and speak out
on moral and spiritual issues. And yes -- that means Christians must become active
in political issues.
Catholic Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, DC, said this week, "There is
a time to be on your knees ... there is also a time to stand up ... this is a time
to stand up for religious liberty."
Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, expressed this critical need
as follows: "We are routinely witnessing events in this country that were once
considered unimaginable! Make no mistake: Our constitutional republic faces
a 'clear and present danger' ... In less than 5 months, Americans will be given
one more opportunity to turn the direction of this nation around... But we
must be engaged and mobilized. We must take back ground that we have lost
to liberal 'progressives' ... We must 'Take Back America in 2012'”!
ANC's "Prayer Countdown" continues, plus other emphases on prayer.
As of today there are 132 days until Nov. 6 -- Election Day, 2012. And as our
long running countdown continues of days to pray concerning what is probably the
most important election in our nation's history, we are joined by other planned and
organized prayer efforts. On this next Sunday, July 1, hundreds of thousands of
Christians in churches across America will share in special prayer services under
the Internet site: call2fall.com. And the U.S. Catholic bishop's campaign of prayer
for religious liberty, begun on June 21, will continue through Independence Day,
July 4.
Beyond our shores there is a continuing and urgent need for prayer which we must
not ignore. The international organization, Voice of the Martyrs, has this week
circulated urgent requests for prayer for persecuted churches, persecuted
pastors, and persecuted Christians in Muslim dominated countries throughout the
world.
As the problems of life today become more complex, it becomes more
important to keep informed as to "What Others Are Saying" . . .
Frmr. Sen. Rick Santorum: “Today, President Obama blatantly ignored our
Constitution, the role of Congress in making laws, and the separation of
powers. He showed us all that he believes he is above the Constitution
and the law on health care, marriage, religious freedom and now
immigration. President Obama’s ideology, his inability to lead and build
consensus, and his political self-interest guide his policies rather than the
public interest. The contribution of immigrants to our country is central to
our success, but so is the Constitution and the rule of law.”
David L. Goetsch (writing in Patriot Update: "Although they reject the
principles of our Founders, scoff at traditional American values, and
constantly criticize our country, liberals like to claim they don’t hate
America. Rather, they are just trying to re-mold it to fit their 'enlightened'
progressive agenda."
Stephen Stone (Pres. Renew America): "Jesus' first recorded words of
preaching were 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel' (Mark 1:15). There is no
more important message for America today as our nation moves inexorably --
by all appearances -- toward calamity and God's judgments, as a result of
our reliance on ourselves, rather than on Him. ... As we watch our nation's
moral and political strength dissipate and our options for turning things
around become fewer and fewer, we should ask ourselves: what can I
personally do that would make the most difference for the good of America?"
Barack Hussein Obama (POTUS on CNN): “There’s been a tendency on
the part of this [the George W. Bush] administration to try to hide behind
executive privilege, every time that there’s something a little shaky that’s
taking place, and the Administration would be best served by coming clean
on this, there doesn’t seem to be any national security issues involved...The
American people deserve to know what was going on there.”
Ann Coulter: "For as long as I can remember, liberals have been running
around in a state of indignation, shouting that the government is being taken
over by a dangerous band of religious fanatics who want to abolish the First
Amendment, establish a national religion, force their bizarre sexual morality
on children in public schools, rewrite the nation's laws to enforce their
personal moral preferences, and punish anyone who dissents from their views.
Unfortunately it's all true. That's precisely what liberals are trying to do."
The "One Liners" that we come across are always interesting . . .
Justice Antonin Scalia, longest serving Justice in the current U.S. Supreme Court:
"To say, as the Court does, that Arizona contradicts federal law by enforcing
immigration law that the president declines to enforce, boggles the mind."
Amil Imani, Iranian born, pro-democracy activist: "Islam is a brutal, tribal
warrior cult that glorifies jihad and martyrdom. The Quran is replete
with acts of murder, terrorism, and genocide."
Jody Miller, on Newsbusters: "Laughing at liberals is good for the soul."
The Heritage Foundation: "Today's presidency lacks the regal air of George
III. But imperialism is back, in a big way."
The Daily Caller: "Lunacy, thy name is Pelosi."
Judge Tim Garcia, New Mexico Appeals Court: “Homosexuals are a
protected class.”
Juan Williams, Liberal commentator; his callous comment on the murder of U.S.
Border Agent, Brian Terry: "Hey, people die."
Michelle Malkin: "'Forward!' may be the official Obama campaign slogan;
'Back Away!' is quickly becoming the dissenting Democrats' rallying cry."
Jessica Rudnicki, in Conservative Outpost: "All Venezuela’s dictator Hugo
Chávez ever wanted for America was a dictator just like him running the
show. And now we have one."
And, as always, there are a few "Afterthoughts" . . .
"Fast and Furious" will continue as a major news topic for at least a few
more days or probably weeks. Out of all the rhetoric, pro and con, Jack Marshall,
writing in Ethics Alarms, summarized it all in a very objective manner: "Fast and
Furious is a true scandal, not a trumped-up distraction, just as Watergate
wasn’t a 'third-rate burglary.' When the U.S. government intentionally allows
laws to be broken, secretly seeds violent crime in a neighboring country and
gets both foreigners and Americans killed as a result, that’s a scandal any
way you cut it. The U.S. Congress has an oversight role to play after such a
fiasco, and getting to the bottom of what went sour is its duty."
There will most certainly be much to comment on concerning Egypt, and
the newly elected president there . . . but for the moment there is this observation
from the Washington, DC Daily Caller: "Egypt’s newly elected President
Mohammed Morsi announced plans to restore diplomatic relations with
Tehran in an effort to 'create a strategic balance in the region,' according to
an interview published by Iran’s Far News Agency ... 'We must restore normal
relations with Iran based on shared interests, and expand areas of political
coordination and economic cooperation because this will create a balance of
pressure in the region,' Morsi said in the interview." [Which prompted this logical
comment: "Hmm, this doesn't exactly sound like something we should be
spending billions of dollars a year to support."]
Obama's fork wielding "Hispanophobia" ... An item from Breitbart News
the Main Stream Media seemed to miss: "Judging from Obama's actions a
this year's National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO)
luncheon, Obama's newest fear is Latinos with forks. Obama had the Secret
Service confiscate all dinner forks from the participants at the June 22 event
held in Orlando, Florida." Some participants reported that even butter knives
were banned outright, and the forks were confiscated as soon as the diners finished
eating and before the president entered the room to speak.
In passing: This story headline in Huff Post, Comedy, caught our attention:
"Roseanne Barr To Be Roasted This August." [Now there's a thought it's best
not to follow through on.]
Concerning the ongoing immigration problems, after the Supreme Court's odd
5-3 vote on the Arizona law, President Obama's unilateral and dictatorial action in
granting new rights to nearly a million illegal immigrants brought into this country by
their parents, the matter remains a topic for intense discussion. Here are two of the
many comments which focus on some of the broader issues involved in his action.
From National Review: "On the subject of Obama's decision to unilaterally
enact sweeping changes to U.S. immigration policy on nothing but his own
say-so, we would like to introduce Barack Obama to Barack Obama, who
during a Univision interview just last year affirmed: 'America is a nation of
laws, which means I, as the president, am obligated to enforce the law. ...
There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms
of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply
through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not
conform with my appropriate role as president.'" [Obviously, one of those
"I wish I had never said that" moments.]
And from Newt Gingrich, "If last Friday's dictatorial action by President
Obama is allowed to stand, historians may someday look back on June 15,
2012 as the day the Constitution died. The rule of law has been replaced
by Obamarule."
It always makes sense to remember our Founding Fathers' opinions.
"The whole of that Bill of Rights is a declaration of the right of the people at
large or considered as individuals... It establishes some rights of the individual
as unalienable and which consequently, no majority has a right to deprive them
of." -- Albert Gallatin, 1789
who have...a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to
that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge, I mean the character and
conduct of their rulers." -- John Adams, 1816
And that is the end of this week's issue of ANC. It is currently planned that
there will be a July 4 -- Independence Day -- issue next Wednesday, but beyond
that date the plans are somewhat vague. Like many other plans and programs,
ANC may fall a victim to the economic crisis America is facing. If you would like
for ANC to continue, please click HERE and send your contribution by check
or credit card to help keep ANC coming your way. Thank you.
The American News Commentary
Pro-Christian, Pro-American, Pro-Conservative
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~Vol. 18, No. 24 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ June 20, 2012 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ © 2012 ~
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A challenging reminder of the patriotism at our nation's founding:
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and
the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service
of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves
the love and thanks of man and woman."
From The American Crisis by Thomas Paine, 1776
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LOOKING BACK IN HISTORY, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN OUR
NATION'S LEADERS WERE CHRISTIAN PATRIOTS, AND THE
CHURCH SPOKE OUT BOLDLY ON OUR GOVERNMENT
Here in America our annual calendar is liberally sprinkled with holidays -- in this
year 2012 there are about 45, and as we have pointed out previously, that is
a bit more than 12% of the 365 days in each year. Some are essentially religious,
and Christian, like Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc. Others are patriotic, like
Independence Day, Memorial Day, Presidents Day, Veterans Day, D-Day, Flag
Day, etc. Others are more family oriented, like Mothers Day, Fathers Day,
Childrens Day, etc. Some are work oriented, like Secretaries Day, Labor Day,
etc. Some are for recognition, like Martin Luther King Day, etc. And one is a
general, all purpose holiday for everyone: New Year's Day. And out of the 45
existing holidays, we have mentioned only 16!
We have just observed two of the patriotic holidays, D-Day and Flag Day.
Neither one actually takes the form of a real "holiday," with time off from work,
suspension of mail service, etc, but each expresses important elements in our
nation's history -- the landings on the Normandy beaches to open the drive to
victory in World War II, with 2,500 American lives lost . . . and the design
and recognition of our national emblem, the American flag. Our current
president, Barack Obama, ignored D-Day this year, as he has done in two
previous years, and embarked on one of his re-election campaign fund-raising
trips. For Flag Day he signed a proclamation, as all presidents have done
since 1949, and went to New York for two high level fund raising events, one
a $40,000 per person admission event.
Historically, however, patriotism, Christian patriotism, has been very
clearly evidenced by our presidents, starting with our first, George Washington,
of whom Abraham Lincoln wrote: "Washington is the mightiest name of
earth —long since mightiest in the cause of civil liberty, still mightiest in
moral reformation. On that name no eulogy is expected. It cannot be. To
add brightness to the sun or glory to the name of Washington is alike
impossible. Let none attempt it."
In the early days, our Founding Fathers, who planned and instituted this new
nation, were colonists on these shores, thousands of miles away from the
British government which had become so oppressive. They were bound together
by a desire for freedom and liberty, probably best expressed by Patrick Henry's
speech on March 23, 1775: "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be
purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I
know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or
give me death!" They were already patriots in a nation yet to be born, and they
were mostly Christians who shared a reverence and respect for the Judeo-
Christian truths of the Bible.
It was the pastors of those colonial churches who became the spokespersons
for the God-given rights of freedom and liberty, and soon the message of their
sermons became embodied in the Declaration of Independence, with this
governing statement: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
happiness."
Those basic principles are at stake in this year's national elections. Family,
marriage, the right to life, freedom of religion -- all are currently under attack. Once
again we are living in "times that try men's souls." There is evidence of veiled
threats that churches may lose their tax-exempt status if pastors present Bible truths
on moral and spiritual issues, on the grounds that they are "political" in nature. Due
to misinformation, largely through the Main Stream Media, pastors may be hesitant
to speak the truth, but this is not a valid fear.
Our friend, Mat Staver, head of Liberty Counsel, expresses the facts so well in these
words: "Pastors are God's instruments to impact the culture ... Silence is not an
option! Pastors and leaders of Christian ministries have a high calling to preach
the truth from the Word of God. Speaking the truth is essential all of the time,
but it is especially important to do so when a culture has the opportunity to
elect leaders who will make law and policies that affect our faith, our families,
and our freedom. Right now -- perhaps more than ever before in our nation's
history -- there is an intense struggle for the soul of America ... a very large
number of Americans look to pastors and Christian ministry leaders for
guidance on important moral and social issues."
In this election year, just as the churches did when this nation was being born, so
now when our nation faces the need to be re-born, the churches and the Christians
who make up those churches must take a stand for the historic, Christian patriotic
principles upon which this nation was founded, and speak out on the moral and
social issues which confront us.
We're not alone in our Christian concern over moral issues. Consider this
from Archbishop Peter Jensen, of the Anglican diocese in Sydney, Australia: "It is
likely that sometime in the near future our parliamentary representatives will
be asked to vote on a proposal to change the legal definition of marriage in
order to allow for same-sex unions to be dignified by this name ... Christians
are led by the Word of God itself to bear witness to our strong commitment to
marriage understood as the public joining of two persons of the opposite sex
from different birth families... The Lord Jesus quoted and affirmed the teaching
of Genesis 2, asking, ‘Have you not read that He who created them from the
beginning made them male and female?' and said 'Therefore a man shall leave
his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh'
(Matt 19:4,5). I am writing to you to urge you to oppose this move as out of
keeping with the word of God and also of the best interests of our community."
And did you notice, as reported in American Vision, that: "This month the U.S.
federal government has officially endorsed America’s fourth 'Gay Pride
Month' in the last dozen years. President Bill Clinton originally declared June
'Gay Pride Month' in June of 2000, and President Barack Obama has
continued that tradition ever since June, 2009." In keeping with Mr. Obama's
declaration, the Pentagon will, for the first time ever, participate in "Gay Pride"
events this month.
Winston Churchill, in his inimitable way, expressed his disdain for communism, by
comparing its evils to homosexuality. In writing to Prime Minister David Lloyd
George in 1919 he said: "You might as well legalize sodomy as recognize the
Bolsheviks." In brief, it is one thing to encourage one another not to act unkindly,
but rather to show Christian love toward fellow sinners in need of repentance and
salvation. It is quite another to encourage people living in sin to be unashamed --
even "proud" -- of committing an act God calls “an abomination” (Lev.18:22).
In our continuing count-down for prayer for election day, there are now
just 139 days until Nov. 6 -- 139 days to pray for our nation, bearing in mind the
needs just discussed above. And as we look beyond our shores, the need for God's
healing power in so many other lands is painfully obvious. The much heralded
"Arab Spring" has degenerated into actual or threatened civil conflicts . . . Syria
remains a scene of atrocities and massacres beyond our comprehension . . .the
unfounded hopes for "democracy" in Egypt show every sign of a victory for the
radical Muslim Brotherhood . . . trouble spots like Libya . . . Yemen . . . . Tunisia
. . . and of course, Iran, remain . . . and in the very heart of it all, as a target for
attack by the Muslim world of nations, is Israel, and God's beloved city, Jerusalem.
Now, in addition to your prayer count-down, in less than two weeks, on Sunday,
July 1, it is planned that more than a million people in thousands of churches in all
50 states will be joined in special services, praying for our nation. (To learn about
With the "Main Stream Media" increasingly a voice for the Liberal Left,
it is important that we read and understand "What Others Are Saying."
Michael Evans, Jerusalem Prayer Team (good summary of Syria problem):
"Even as Russian President Vladimir Putin is in talks with Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Russia is flexing its muscles in the Middle East.
Bringing back echoes of the 1960s and 1970s, Russia is sending a wave of
attack helicopters to Syria to try to help prop up their client regime and keep
their influence in the region. At least 13,000 people have been killed in the
bloody revolt against the Assad dictatorship."
Larry Kudlow (economist, host of CNBC's Kudlow Report): "Is it possible
that we are already in a global recession but just don't know it yet? And is
the U.S. itself -- still the epicenter of the world economy -- standing on the
front edge of another recession? I sincerely hope I'm wrong. But warning
signs are everywhere."
James Carville, a leading Democrat strategist: “I’m worried that when
the White House or the campaign talks about the progress that’s being made,
people take that as a signal that they think that things are fine, and people
don’t feel they ought to believe that.”
Jerry Newcombe, (host, TV's Truth that Transforms): "The problem with
Barack Obama isn't so much the unfulfilled promises as it is the ones he did
fulfill that have done so much to hurt the economy."
Congressman Allen West (R-FL, on Obamaa's immigration ruling): "This
is yet another example of executive branch overreach. We have a legislative
process that ensures representative governance by the consent of the
American people... It is apparent that the goal of the Obama administration
is not to govern, but rule by edict. This again is a reflection of the
desperation of President Obama and his liberal progressive disciples as
November draws nearer."
Here are a few "One Liners" we found in our research this week:
Fred Thompson, actor and former Senator: "The national security leaks
apparently coming out of the White House are very serious and must be
addressed. But after having no problem railroading Scooter Libby, the
Left suddenly has a conscience about Special Counsels."
Newt Gingrich, former House Speaker: "Is President Obama completely out
of touch with reality? His comments...on the economy...raise a serious
question about his understanding of the real world. It seems as though he's
living in an alternative reality."
Tom Minnery, of Focus on the Family, on the immigration problem: "In this
important election year there is promise of new leadership in Washington to
solve many problems including this one."
President Barack Hussein Obama: "They are Americans in their heart, in their
minds, in every single way but one -- on paper." [Sorry, Mr. President -- it's a
bit more than "on paper." They were not born in America, to American parents.
They were brought to America from a foreign country where they were born, by
parents who violated American laws, and came here as illegal immigrants.]
And V.P. Joe Biden remains as the nation's "gaffe king:" at a high school
commencement ceremony in Virginia last week, he called the Arab Spring a
“democratic movement.” (It was the same day that the Egyptian high court
nullified the Islamist majority parliament and the Egyptian military assumed
control of the legislature.)
And there are a few "Afterthoughts" which should be mentioned:
It's difficult to understand the significance of this "victory." The Military
Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) has declared a victory in its war against
religion, when Lifeway Publishers, the Southern Baptist publishing arm, was told
it could no longer sell Bibles which had the service emblems for the various
branches of our military imprinted on the cover. The U.S. Department of Defense
had granted permission to use the appropriate emblem on Bibles used by members
of he Army, Navy, Marines or Air Force. However, that permission was revoked
last year when MRFF threatened to sue our government on the grounds that the
emblem on the Bibles was an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. The Defense
Department has announced that all such Bibles must be removed from stores on all
military bases throughout the world. One can expect the next step to be removing
all Bibles from sale in military stores. No word has been heard as pertaining to the
sale of copies of the Quran.
In case you remember the Solyndra "stimulus" debacle, costing taxpayers
$535 million in a loan just before the company went bankrupt and closed its doors
forever . . . there are some "corrected" figures. It wasn't 1,100 fulltime and temporary
employees who lost their jobs -- it was 1,861. And the firm increased production in
2011, although solar panels produced the previous year were still unsold -- in fact,
the unsold inventory was adequate to power some 23,000 homes. But after visiting
the plant, Mr. Obama described it as "a testament to American ingenuity and
dynamism." Maybe he's not the best one to decide where to "invest" stimulus funds.
9/11 defense attorney demands all women in court wear Sharia law garb.
Proving "it can happen here," attorney Cheryl Borman representing 9/11 Muslim
defendant, Walid bin Attash, has demanded that all women in the court room dress
according to Shariah law to show respect for her client's religious beliefs.
Overseas military operations that start small have a way of growing large.
[Or put another way: Obama is too young to remember Viet Nam.] It has been
discovered that the U.S. military is expanding its secret intelligence operations
across Africa, establishing a network of small air bases to spy on terrorist hiding
places. At the heart of the surveillance operations are small, unarmed turbo-prop
planes disguised as private planes. And when the first one is shot down . . . . .
The "Arab Spring" seems to be developing into a "Muslim Harvest." In
the ongoing Islamic attacks in Nigeria, at least 50 Christians were killed on Sunday,
with more than 125 wounded. The Muslim group Boko Haram continues its vicious
attacks on Christians and churches in Northern Nigeria, with this two-fold goal:
"The Nigerian state and Christians are our enemies, and we will be
launching attacks on the Nigerian state and its security apparatus as well as
churches until we achieve our goal of establishing an Islamic state in place
of the secular state," said Abul Qaqa, the Boko Haram spokesman.
And in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood declared that its candidate, Mohammed
Morsi, won Egypt's presidential election, which would be the first victory of an
Islamist as head of state in the wave of protests that swept the Middle East during
the past year. But the Egyptian military has control of the major share of power
over the new president, with the threat of a serious confrontation over rule of the
country, once America's -- and Israel's -- strongest ally in the region. Prominent
Islamic cleric Safwat Hagazy said: "Our capital shall not be Cairo, Mecca or
Medina. It shall be Jerusalem... Our chants shall be: ‘millions of martyrs will
march towards Jerusalem’... The United States of the Arabs will be restored
on the hands of that man [Mursi] and his supporters. The capital of the
Muslim Caliphate will be Jerusalem with Allah’s will... We will either pray in
Jerusalem or we will be martyred there."
Our Founding Fathers left us wise thoughts on so many different subjects:
"Wisdom and knowledge, as well as virtue, diffused generally among the
body of the people, being necessary for the preservation of their rights and
liberties, and as these depend on spreading the opportunities and advantages
of education in the various parts of the country, and among the different
orders of people, it shall be the duty of legislators and magistrates ... to
cherish the interest of literature and the sciences..." -- John Adams, 1776
"I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many
parasites living on the labor of the industrious." --Thomas Jefferson, 1824
And here is the closing thought in this week's issue of ANC: After today's
issue, there is just one more in what we have designated "Vol. 18." If we are to
go ahead with "Vol. 19, No. 1" that issue will be under date of July 4 -- America's
Independence Day. But, very frankly, it may not be possible to publish that issue.
If you want ANC to continue, your contributions will make that possible. Please
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The American News Commentary
"Pro-Christian, Pro-American, Pro-Conservative"
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~Vol. 18, No. 23 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ June 13, 2012 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ © 2012~
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From a British Christian scholar and philosopher; formerly an atheist:
"The Christian is in a different position from other people
who are trying to be good ... He does not think God
will love us because we are good, but that God
will make us good because He loves us."
C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity
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AT LEAST TWICE IN PAST ISSUES WE HAVE USED THE OLD
LATIN PHRASE: QUO VADIS? IT SEEMS TO BE TIME TO
ASK AGAIN: WHERE ARE YOU GOING, AMERICA?
But first, this brief note: last week in ANC we made extended mention of D-Day,
and expressed our view that on each anniversary of this very important event of
World War II we should honor those members of our military who gave their
lives on those Normandy beaches. But you might have noticed that our president
ignored D-Day, and instead of making a speech or issuing one of his written
proclamations to mark the 68th anniversary of that heroic assault, he flew to
California for a series of re-election campaign fund-raisers. Nothing new about
that, really -- he didn't do so last year or the year before . . . although in 2009 he
actually did make a speech on D-Day.
From the "So what else is new" department: This front page major headline
in a major American daily newspaper: "U.N. Frustration Grows; Syria Peace
Plan in Ruins." And to the extent that news of what is happening in Syria gets
to the rest of the world, it is obvious that the slaughter of Syrian people opposed
to President Assad continues. Even U.N. observers, there to survey and report on
the fighting with the seemingly impossible goal of a establishing a cease-fire, have
been fired upon.
And the Obama administration's response: a call for Assad (whom they formerly
considered to be a "reformer") to step down, and proposing further "sanctions."
What a difference from the situation under President Mubarak in Egypt, where
no large numbers of his opponents had been killed, but where Obama turned his
back on our long time friend in the Muslim world, and Israel's only friend in that
world, and encouraged his ouster. Now the radical Islamic "Muslim Brotherhood"
seems poised to take control in run-off elections later this week. Or what a
difference from Libya, where Qadaffi had killed perhaps 1,500 opponents, and
Obama threw his influence with NATO into the conflict to overcome and kill
Qadaffi. The result: an unsettled government still in strife. But in Syria, where the
number of individuals killed is in the 12,000 - 15,000 range, the Obama
administration merely asks Assad to step down, and proposes more "sanctions."
But aside from fumbling and useless involvement in international affairs, here at
home we seem to be moving further and further from the Judeo-Christian principles
upon which our nation was founded. The Obama administration seems determined
to do away with traditional Bible based Christian views of marriage and family.
He deemed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) -- passed with a strong
majority vote in Congress and signed into law by President Clinton -- to be both
unconstitutional and indefensible and instructed Attorney General Holder to refuse
to defend DOMA in any law suit against it. Then he "managed" the repeal of the
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military. A just a short time ago he announced
that his "evolving" opinion had solidified, and he is now a supporter of same-sex
"marriage." And he has never weakened in his support of abortion, with well over
53 million babies killed since we were handed Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court.
And in perhaps the most overt attack on the Christian faith, his signature legislation,
"Obamacare," is now facing legal action instituted by at least 43 groups of the
Catholic church on the legislation's effect on our constitutional right of freedom of
religion. And we have not even touched upon the current explosive leaking to the
media of secret information concerning our military and defense procedures. It is,
by any standard, an ever growing mountain of governmental errors and failures.
And so we ask once again: "Quo Vadis?" -- Where are you going, America?
In our long time prayer countdown to the upcoming election, there are, as
of today, 146 days until Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012. As we have so often urged,
please use those 146 days to pray for our nation, for wisdom to be given to our
leaders, and for wisdom to be given to us as citizens as we go to the polls on
leaders, and for wisdom to be given to us as citizens as we go to the polls on
Nov. 6 and vote to restore America to being the kind of a nation it was always
intended to be. And let us never fail to pray for our fellow Christians all over the
world who are suffering persecution and death from Islamic jihadists for expressing
their faith. An example is this news release from Jos, Nigeria just last Sunday: "An
Islamic extremist ran a car full of explosives at a Pentecostal church in this
Plateau state city this morning killing at least two Christians and injuring
more than 40 others, military and police officials said. In Borno state also
today, gunmen reportedly killed at least two Christians during church worship.
The Boko Haram Islamic sect reportedly took responsibility for both assaults."
Here's a news item you might have missed; it didn't get much coverage.
Michael Carl (writing in Moody News): "A new Bible translation released
by Thomas Nelson changes the nouns for God, Jesus Christ and angels to
Eternal One, the Anointed One and a messenger of God. The translation
comes at the same time that critics contend Wycliffe Bible translators are
changing the names for God and Jesus to appease a Muslim target audience."
And Moody Adams added this comment: "If this is truth, it marks the turning
of the great Wycliffe organization betraying their God, their founder and the
workers preceding them. Of course it will make the Bible attractive to Islam
and all the religions of the world that do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
and Jehovah God. It also appeals to a nation becoming more pagan by the
day. This is obviously the selling out of Almighty God for the almighty dollar."
Before getting into the next regular feature, this comment, from a source
admittedly Conservative in its viewpoint, is interesting and informative:
From The Steady Conservative: "Recently Les Moonves, CBS CEO and
Chairman, attended a LGBT fundraiser for President Obama... At the event
he stated stated that 'ultimately journalism has changed …partisanship is very
much a part of journalism now'...This is a major reason that the MSM [Main
Stream Media] is losing both its credibility and its following... Because when
you are fed lies over and over again…eventually you begin to believe them."
In view of the liberal, left-leaning opinions of the "Main Stream Media,"
it is always helpful to take a look at "What Others Are Saying."
Alan Caruba (in New Media Journal): "June 15th is Global Wind Day.
Wind is part of the Earth’s atmosphere and, depending on whether it is
blowing gently or strongly, there isn’t a darn thing anyone can do about it ...
The Earth, however, has been in a natural cooling cycle since 1998 and the
advocates of 'green energy' have been in a tailspin, a death spiral of an
inadequate capacity to deliver electricity and the inability to compete with
more reliable, affordable, and traditional energy sources. Simply put, wind
and solar energy is a fool’s dream and one that must be backed up by
traditional energy sources at all times in the event the wind isn’t blowing...
Only an idiot would want to be dependent on wind or solar to provide a
reliable source of electricity."
Donovan Slack (Americans for Prosperity): "No, it’s not your imagination:
President Barack Obama is spending a whole lot of time fundraising, perhaps
more than any incumbent president in history. Including last week’s trip to
California, he will have spent eight of 24 weekdays during the past month –
that’s a third of them - on the road and collecting cash." [He has now been
accorded an additional honorary title: "Campaigner in Chief."]
And in this regard, the liberal Huff Post made Mr. Obama's interest clear:
"Some of the most visible members of Hollywood's LGBT community are
rolling out the rainbow carpet for President Barack Obama...The President
will be appearing at two fundraising events the evening he arrives in Los
Angeles: the LGBT Leadership Council's gala, where Ellen DeGeneres will
be speaking, and a private dinner hosted by 'Glee' creator Ryan Murphy
and his fiance David Miller." [What is difficult to understand is why our president
tends to ignore the views of the nation's Christians (80% of the population) and so
actively support the views of the nation's homosexuals (3.8% of the population.)]
Giacomo (in Godfather Politics): "Homosexuals do not want equal treatment,
rather they want preferential treatment above and beyond what everyone else
gets. They want special rights, not equal rights and they are succeeding in
securing them at the cost of Christian’s rights. The only way for homosexuals to
gain their rights is to strip Christians of theirs and that is exactly what is
happening. And it’s happening because too many Christians in America have
been too complacent and have done nothing to protect our Christian rights."
Thomas Sowell (writing in Conservative Outpost): "Among the people who
are disappointed with President Obama, none has more reason to be
disappointed than those who thought he was going to be 'a uniter, rather than
a divider' and that he would 'bring us all together.' It was a noble hope, but
one with no factual foundation... President Obama's re-election campaign has
become more openly divisive than ever. He has embraced the strident "Occupy
Wall Street" movement ...Obama's Department of Justice has been spreading
the hysteria that states requiring photo identification for voting are trying to
keep minorities from voting ... the Obama campaign is now seeking to divide
the sexes by declaring that women are being paid less than men, as part of a
"war on women" conducted by villains, from whom Obama and company will
protect the women."
Mat Staver (Chrmn. Liberty Counsel): "The indispensable social pillar of
marriage has been systematically undermined and marginalized in our
national discourse... It has surprised no one that ultraliberal forces want to
discredit natural marriage while advancing a twisted counterfeit of this
God-given institution... The battle for marriage and family is intensifying...
There can be no middle ground in this fight. We have no choice but to win...
Losing one of the most important battle of our lifetime is unthinkable!"
And here are some "One Liners" which were noted during our research
this past week ... humorous, serious and sometimes alarming.
Ann Coulter (Conservative columnist):: "President Obama wanted to go to
Wisconsin, but he just didn't have time. He's been doing so many campaign
fundraisers lately he barely has time to play golf."
Bill Press (Liberal radio commentator): "It is a major crusade of mine, and that
is, to get rid of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’... I mean it’s just stupid, I think.
I’m embarrassed — I’m embarrassed every time I hear it.”
Barack Hussein Obama (U.S. President): "The private sector is doing fine."
Minority leader Nancy Pelosi, who could be a poster girl for lapsed Catholics,
said that the 43 Catholic groups suing the Obama Administration don’t represent
the church: “Those people have a right to sue, but I don’t think they’re
speaking ex cathedra for the Catholic Church.” [Ms. Pelosi apparently doesn't
understand that the term ex cathedra means "from the chair" and is used only by
the Pope to state unequivocal doctrines of the church.]
Dan Balz, in the Washington Post: "When President Obama and former
president Clinton have to clean up their mistakes, Democrats know they’ve
had a bad few days."
And one more from President Barack Obama (speaking of Rep. Barney Frank's
retirement): "The House of Representatives will not be the same without him."
[On this point, we have to agree, Mr. Obama is correct.]
And, of course, there are always a few pertinent "Afterthoughts". . .
The Liberals' excuse for the Conservative victory in Wisconsin last week:
Ed Shultz, liberal NBC commentator explained it this way: "President Obama
brought this up years ago on the campaign trail when he said ‘folks in rural
areas cling to their guns and their religion’ ... example A, right there.”
V.P. Joe Biden used to be the Obama administration's "gaffe king," but it
seems like he is facing some stiff competition. This one, however, is one of his
finest: "Now, people look at me and say, ‘What are you talking about, Joe?
You’re telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?’
The answer is yes, that’s what I’m telling you." But Hillary Clinton does well,
too, in this one just a year ago about President Bashar al-Assad: "There’s a
different leader in Syria now. Many of the members of Congress of both
parties who have gone to Syria in recent months have said they believe he’s
a reformer." Not to be out-done, Mr. Obama has recently produced these gems:
"I’ve now been in 57 states" ... he spoke of "a Polish death camp" ... and as
a topper, last week he said: "The private sector is doing fine."
But some observers consider this to be his classic, just a few days ago: "The
notion that my White House would purposely release classified national
security information is offensive." Some have said that calling it "my White
House" is offensive. And others have commented that his massive domestic and
foreign policy failures are also offensive. So it is a tight gaffe race in Washington.
al Qaeda is difficult to understand, but always interesting (and dangerous).
For example -- there seems to be a large number of "al Qaeda #2s", or else an
abundance of successor #2s, because we read so often that another al Qaeda #2
was killed in one of Mr. Obama's targeted drone strikes. And in answer to the
$33 million bounty on its top leaders, the al Qaeda affiliate in Somalia has offered
its bounty for President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – 10 camels
for Obama and 20 chickens for Clinton.
ANC does not sell books or DVDs, but we have often found some interesting
and meaningful thoughts in advertisements for books and movies. Consider this
ad from the Internet this past week: "When we walk in the footsteps of our
fathers, we gain context for who we are as a people and hope for the next
generation. In Kirk Cameron's soul-stirring film Monumental the paradigm
and intent of our forefathers was explored in detail to reveal that the
Christian faith is found in every purpose of the founding of this great land
that we call 'America.'"
We can always learn by reflecting on the views of our Founding Fathers:
"Of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest
number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people,
commencing as demagogues and ending tyrants." --Alexander Hamilton, 1787
"In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the
particular sect or denomination of the candidate -- look to his character."
--Noah Webster, 1823
"Love your country but fear its government." -- Daniel Webster, 1834
And now, this final word for this issue of ANC: It becomes ever increasingly
difficult to scan through all the news sources available to us, and to select those
matters of concern where our position is particularly applicable: Pro-Christian,
Pro-American and Pro-Conservative. These are troubling times, and those basic
positions are more important than ever. ANC will continue to comment on major
current events from those viewpoints just as long as we are able to do so. If you
would like to help this publication continue, please click HERE to learn how to
send your contribution by check or credit card. And thank you for your help
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