Wednesday
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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