American News

OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK BACK!

2012-02-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 of our 10th year of publication

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Some thoughts as we move ever forward into the new year:

"Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right."

Oprah Winfrey

"Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go,

for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go."

Brooks Atkinson

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AS WE ASSIGN TO HISTORY THE FIRST MONTH OF THIS NEW

YEAR, WE STILL HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK BACK, AND

TO LOOK AHEAD, AND TO SEE JUST WHERE WE ARE

But, first - here is a personal message we have just received; you will

quickly understand why we are not giving the sender's name. Please read it

carefully: "Due to change in financial situation I am about to unsubscribe.

Will no longer have internet or home phone. Have enjoyed your viewpoint,

and most of all, the historical info and quotes. Wish I could help; but, at

this point I can't even help me. Thanks for your time and dedication to

reminding everyone about the roots this nation came from and the need

to get back to those roots. We have strayed so far. Too far."

Naturally, we are sorry to lose a perceptive reader like this one. Aside from this

expression of a personal problem -- one which more and more of us are

beginning to share -- he made two important points about ANC. [1] He said

that most of all he enjoyed "the historical quotes and info." and [2] He was

grateful for us reminding our readers "about the roots this nation came from,

and the need to get back to those roots." That has been ... is ... and will

continue to be ... the purpose of ANC -- a pro-Christian, pro-American,, pro-

Conservative voice on the Internet.

And now on this first day, of the second month, of the new year, where

are we? Not speaking as a fan of either Ms. Winfrey or Mr. Atkinson, it may

be said that both of them expressed a valid thought at this point in time: [1] Up

to now we haven't got it right . . . and [2] the past was imperfect, and we should

let it go. So we repeat: where are we?

Consider this attempt at a brief, concise evaluation: For three full years we

have been knee deep in misery: soaring national debt and deficits ... matched by

depths of unemployment ... volumes of job-killing regulations ... economic turmoil

in Europe... unstable international allies ... failure after failure in our efforts in world-

wide diplomacy ... natural disasters occurring everywhere ... terrorist attacks at

home and around the world ... traditional family values and moral values vanishing

... and that is just a brief summary! But that is where we are.

This year -- 2012 -- has been called the most important year in the history of our

nation. And there is reason to believe that is an accurate description. The high point

of this most important year will be Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012. Months ago we

began a prayer count-down leading to that election. As of today, there are 279

days until Nov. 6 -- 279 days to pray for our nation, and for wisdom to be given

to our leaders, and for guidance as we go to the polls and vote to restore America

to the nation our Founding Fathers intended it to be.

And let us never -- as Christians -- neglect to pray for our fellow believers all

over the world, who are suffering persecution, and often death, for their faith.

There is much concern over a "war" with Iran, for example -- but Islamic terrorists

are already at war with Christians in Nigeria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan . . .

and the list goes on and on. And never forget God's word: "Pray for the peace

of Jerusalem" (Ps. 122:6), as the Obama administration strays ever further from

our support of Israel.

A challenge to American Christians: Joel Rosenberg is the author of the best-

selling volume, The Last Jihad. He is a communications strategist based in

Washington, DC, and has been called "A modern Nostradamus." Writing about

the situation as we have outlined it above, he expressed it this way: "Are you

praying (even fasting) today for America, for Israel and for the nations of

the epicenter? Are you praying for the Lord to raise up leaders who will get

America back on the right track economically, spiritually and morally? Are

you praying for a massive spiritual revival -- a Third Great Awakening --

that will turn hearts of millions back to the Lord Jesus Christ and once

again make America the 'shining city on a hill' it was for so long? We are

in deep trouble...We certainly need strong, principled leaders who will return

us to Biblical principles and the Constitution. But we need so much more --

we need the Lord to rescue us, before it's too late."

President Obama discovers a new "Constitutional Right." Commemorating

the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Mr. Obama said, “I remain committed to

protecting a woman’s right to choose this fundamental constitutional right."

Thus he enshrines abortion among the constitutionally guaranteed rights of all

Americans. This position, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, runs absolutely

counter to the Declaration of Independence, which attested that we are all

endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life -- but in

those 39 years since Roe v. Wade, some 54 million babies have been denied the

right of life, while Mr. Obama remains committed to abortion as a woman's right.

There is a serious moral conflict in that reasoning.

Remember those words in the First Amendment? The ones about not

interfering with the freedom of the press? One of the unheralded facts which

has emerged at the conclusion of three full years of the Obama administration

-- this wasn't mentioned in his State of the Union Address -- is that the Paris-

based, non-governmental agency, "Reporters Without Borders,' in an annual

report about press freedom throughout the world, reveals that in 2011 the United

States fell 27 points to 47th among all nations -- just behind Comoros and

Taiwan, and in a group with Argentina and Romania.

Speaking to the overall problems of the news media in America, Jack Marshall,

writing in Ethics Alarms, commented: "The profession of journalism has now

sunk to a point of incompetence and untrustworthiness that constitutes a

serious threat, not only to itself, but also to the United States, which must

have honest and reliable news sources to function and thrive."

It is because of the prevailing problems with what is referred to as the

"Main Stream Media,' that we bring you "What Others Are Saying"

The Heritage Foundation: "The United States is at a crossroads. Over the

course of the next 10 months, Americans will watch as the future of our

country is debated -- state by state, county by county, and town by town. In

the 2012 presidential election, voters will make a fundamental decision that

will have vast implications for future generations and the very survival of

the American dream."

Thomas Sowell (in A Voice of Sanity): "The Republican candidates' circular

firing squad now seems to be using machine guns. Whoever the eventual

'last man standing' turns out to be, he may not be standing very tall or very

steadily on his feet - and he may be a pushover for Barack Obama in the

general election, thanks to fellow Republicans."

P.J. O'Rourke (Fellow, Cato Institute): "A hundred years ago when foreign

aid was unthought-of (except as tribute or a bribe) we were a respected and

admired country. After a century of philanthropy, everyone hates our guts."

John Bolton (former U.S. Ambassador to the UN): "President Barack

Obama has one remarkable ability that few presidents ever have emulated;

the ability to say something with a straight face when he really thinks

exactly the opposite..."

Michael Farris, (chairman of Home School Legal Defense Ass'n.): on

Obama's proposal that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn

18 -- "There appears to be no limit to the president's desire for power. Car

companies, banks, doctors, and now schools and the family. He's gone way

too far this time."

Louis Baseness (Chrm. SaveCongressfromitself.org): "Obama will go down

as the worst President in U.S. history, having put the country on a path to

bankruptcy. (He's spending far more than we can ever hope to repay.)"

And this one is good for a smile . . . Jeff Dunetz (in The Lid): "President

Obama's impromptu rendition Al Green's soul classic 'Let's Stay Together'

caused such a stir that now the Nobel Committee wants to award the

former peace prize winner a Nobel prize in Music. Of course it matters not

that Barack Obama is not a musician (he didn't deserve the peace prize

either). The real controversy is that the prize committee has never before

awarded a Music prize."

For some reason, our research found a lot of "One Liners" this week:

Mike Evans, Jerusalem Prayer Team: "We are living in prophetic days…and

God wants us to be more than just spectators."

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic

Bishops: "The administration is on the wrong side of the Constitution again.”

Barack Hussein Obama: "What’s at stake are not Democratic values or

Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them." [He

should know; he's the one who abandoned them.]

Nate Jackson, in Patriot Post: "Obama thinks the only problem with

America is that we don't realize how awesome he is."

Patriot Action Network: "Forget about 'Conan, The Barbarian' ... we have

'Obama, the Destroyer.'"

Rep. Joe Barton (R, TX): "Well, we fought and won World War II in less

time than it's taken so far to evaluate this project (Keystone XL pipeline)."

Patriot Update: "Obama's Day: Write Iran, Block Jobs, Golf."

And this one was too good to miss: Barack Hussein Obama with Diane Sawyer

on ABC News: "I make a mistake, you know, every hour, every day."

And, of course, we never miss adding a few "Afterthoughts" . . .

Do polls and statistics bore you? Here are just three statistics we noted in this

week's research. [1] A recent Gallup poll disclosed that at the close of his 3rd full

year in office, Mr. Obama received an approval rating of 44% for his performance

as president. At the end of the 2nd year it was 47%, and at the end of the 1st year

it was 57%. At least the trend is consistent.

And [2] The IRS reports that 36 of Obama's executive office staff owe some

$833,970 in back taxes, and thousands of federal employees owe back taxes

totaling $3.4 billion. Obama declared in his State of the Union speech, "We need

to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of members

of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes." It isn't clear whether that "change"

would affect ordinary federal employees.

And [3], from overseas, the United Kingdom's Prison Service reports that the

number of young Muslims in British prisons has skyrocketed over the past two

decades. There are now almost 11,000 Muslim males, mostly in their teens or

twenties, in British prisons. This figure is almost six times what it was 20 years ago

and represents 12.6% of the total prison population in England and Wales -- a

huge over-representation considering that Muslims comprise around 5% of the

British population. By comparison, in 1991 there were 1,957 Muslim inmates in

British prisons. It's something we have to look forward to here in America.

Commenting on this headline: Pakistan: Taliban deploying deadlier

explosives, including chemical weapons, Kal El, writing in Infidels are Cool,

made this observation: "It was only a matter of time, as each attack against

the free people, by Islamists, has been bigger and deadlier than the last."

Strong views from a black Florida Congressman. Rep. Alan West (R, FL)

called out President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and the Chairperson

of the Democrat National Committee, and said, "Take your message of

equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency,

take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the

American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take

it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the

hell out of the United States of America.” Strong language, but apparently

well received. Here, for example are two of the scores of enthusiastic comments

on the Internet, "Hopefully, the black people with listen to Rep. West instead

of the illegal Kenyan liar that is sleeping in the White House and trying to

impersonate a US president." And this one, "Obama and his minions will

have a hard time dealing with Allan West, since they can’t silence him by

calling him a racist!"

In their wisdom, our nation's Founding Fathers addressed the problems

of our day in the language of their day . . .

"History by apprising citizens of the past will enable them to judge of the

future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations;

it will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men; it will enable

them to know ambition under every disguise it may assume; and knowing it,

to defeat its views." --Thomas Jefferson, 1781

"The prosperity of commerce is now perceived and acknowledged by all

enlightened statesmen to be the most useful as well as the most productive

source of national wealth, and has accordingly become a primary object of

their political cares.” -- Alexander Hamilton, 1787

"It is the reason alone, of the public, that ought to control and regulate the

government." --James Madison, 1788

And with those words, this issue of ANC comes to a close . . . offering the

pro-Christian, pro-American, pro-Conservative commentary on current events.

This is our 10th year . . . whether or not we can continue through this year, or

even through this month, is entirely up to you, our readers. Please click HERE

to learn how you can contribute toward keeping ANC coming to your in-box

every week. We have no wealthy supporters . . . we offer nothing for sale. We

will be able to continue only as you make it possible.

MOST IMPORTANT YEAR IN U.S. HISTORY!

2012-01-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 20, 2012, of our 10th year of publication

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Some thoughts about our government by the men who created it:

"If there is a form of government, then, whose principle and foundation

is virtue, will not every sober man acknowledge it better calculated

to promote the general happiness than any other form?"

John Adams, 1776

"If we can but prevent the government from wasting the labours

of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them,

they must become happy."

Thomas Jefferson, 1802

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IN THIS "MOST IMPORTANT YEAR IN U.S. HISTORY," GOOD

GOVERNMENT IS ONCE AGAIN A SUBJECT TO WHICH

WE SHOULD GIVE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION

But first, there are two topics which are dominating our news recently, and

we should probably take a moment to comment briefly on them. First, there is

the video of American Marines urinating on the bodies of some slain Taliban

fighters in Afghanistan. No civilized persons in anywhere near their right mind

would condone such behavior. Our Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and our

Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, used terms like "total dismay" ... "outraged"

... and "utterly deplorable," and promised that "those who participated would

be held accountable and punished." NATO spokespersons joined in expressing

disapproval of the act, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai (whose rapport with

President Obama is almost non-existent) spoke of it as "completely inhumane

and condemnable in the strongest possible terms.” [That is much stronger

language than he uses in speaking of Taliban atrocities in his country.]

But isn't it strange -- one of those "imponderable questions" -- why none of them

have voiced any outrage over the elimination of all Christian churches in

Afghanistan, nor have they spoken any words of condemnation when Islamists have

beheaded Infidels (people who do not profess the Islamic faith), and have murdered

Christian pastors, raped Christian women and destroyed Christian churches in country

after country throughout the Muslim dominated world. Why do those acts not cause

the same reactions that this urinating incident has produced?

The other prominent item in our news is the ongoing series of primaries to

select a Republican candidate to oppose Mr. Obama in the November presidential

election. ANC has not made, and will not make, any endorsement of any candidate,

but we do have some thoughts on this seemingly never-ending schedule of "debates"

and primary elections. As the jockeying for top position continues, the verbiage gets

nastier, and one can easily conceive of the Obama campaign staff members making

careful note of all the attacks on one another from within the four or five GOP

candidates. Mark Alexander, publisher of Patriot Post, pointed out: "Sadly, the

Republican presidential contenders are still running plays out of an antiquated

and self-destructive political attack playbook. They do so at great cost, both

financially and to the ultimate objective of defeating Barack Hussein Obama."

And it should be noted that Iowa and New Hampshire, where the first two primary

battles have been decided, the unemployment rates are 5.7% and 5.2% respectively,

both well beneath the national average. But the next three primary elections will be

in South Carolina (Jan. 21) with a 9.9% rate; in Florida (Jan. 31) with a 10% rate,

and in Nevada, Feb. 4) with a 13% unemployment rate. The interests and concerns

of the voters in those three states will be greatly different from those in the first two

states. So, boring as it may seem, there is still much to be learned from this process.

And now concerning our announced topic: Good Government. In any research

on the history of the government of the United States, it is absolutely necessary to

go back to the positions held by leaders of this nation, and such research very clearly

discloses that the character of the nation's leader has always had a profound influence

on the government itself. Our first president, George Washington, said this in 1778

about the character of his fellow Americans who made up this new nation: "While we

are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly

ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished

character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished

character of Christian." A few years later, in 1789, President Washington said,

"The foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable

principles of private morality." In similar vein, John Adams, our second president,

said in 1798, "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.

It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Building upon the foundation of the testimony of our Founding Fathers on the relation

of moral and Christian character to good government, now reprinted for the first time

since 1890, a new edition of Edward Giddings's American Christian Rulers, offers

biographies of nearly 200 American statesmen, and serves as a call to action, in this

election year, to restore America's integrity in this corruption burdened 21st century.

Since Giddings compiled his record of our national leadership, in 1892 the U.S.

Supreme Court issued this conclusion in a case, "This is a Christian Nation." In

1911, President Woodrow Wilson stated, “America was born a Christian nation.”

And in 1947, writing to the Pope, President Harry Truman said of America, “This

is a Christian nation.”

By contrast to our heritage of national leaders, Barack Hussein Obama is the first

and only president to assert again and again his opinion that America is not a

Christian nation. For him to deny our Christian heritage is either the height of

ignorance, the height of foolishness, or an arrogant attempt to paint the U.S. as

something he would prefer it to be. Whatever his reason, he denies both history and

all relevant facts.

Some court problems we face today were foreseen by our Founding Fathers.

Consider this statement, posted earlier this week by Giacomo, writing in

Godfather Politics: "Unless we get real Christians in positions of leadership

in our nation and they appoint judges who will rule on the constitution and

not their own personal agendas, it won’t be long before Christians have no

rights and we’ll be the outlawed religion here in what once was a Christian

nation." And then consider this statement from Thomas Jefferson in 1820: "You

seem to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional

questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us

under the despotism of an oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men,

and not more so...Their power is the more dangerous as they are in office for

life, and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control.

The Constitution has erected no such single tribunal... It has more wisely made

all the departments co-equal and co-sovereign within themselves."

And some years later, another wise president, Abraham Lincoln, wrote, in 1861: "If

the policy of the government upon vital questions, affecting the whole people, is

to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the Supreme Court, the instant they are

made, in ordinary litigation between parties, in personal actions, the people will

have ceased to be their own rulers, having to that extent practically resigned

their government into the hands of that eminent tribunal." It is obviously time to

put into positions of leadership individuals who will return to governing within the

intended bounds of our constitution. [Remember: Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012]

A word of appreciation is due to Jack Marshall, who wrote in Ethics Alarms

a criticism of George Stephanopoulos and in doing so, expressed a reason why

ANC is so important for pro-Christian, pro-American, pro-Conservative readers:

"Such is the arrogance of our news media and its 'stars.' Our needs and

interests are subordinate to their whims."

So that you don't have to be misled by the liberal, left-wing biased Main

Stream Media, we do research to bring you "What Others Are Saying"

Robert Knight (writing in Perspectives, in One News Now): "The Obama

administration's lawlessness is becoming so obvious that nearly everyone

outside the so-called mainstream media has caught on... hard-core leftists

are delighted. They regard the Constitution as a sham document...and they

do think it's great fun to misquote the Constitution's religious freedom

guarantee while going about scrubbing the public square clean of America's

Christian heritage."

John Myers (writing in Liberty Alert): "Brace yourself for at least another

year of President Barack Obama selling out America's interests to Islam,

regardless of the economic or social consequences. We are more and more at

the mercy of Islam...in case you haven't noticed, Islam is not big on mercy."

Wes Pruden (writing in Conservative Outpost): "Conservatives are fractured,

split and mad at each other, brawling like Democrats. There’s only one man

who can unify the movement. Fortunately for the Grumpy Old Party, Barack

Obama is available, ready and eager".

Michael Boldin (writing in Tenth Amendment Center): "While the

Constitution is clear that the federal government is one of limited, delegated

powers – in practice, without popular resistance, the federal government

people do whatever they please."

Chuck Colson (writing in Breakpoint): "This month marks the 39^th

anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s hideous decision to legalize

abortion on demand in the United States. Since then, some 50 million unborn

children have lost their lives. The constant killing, with the blessing of both

the government and the media, has coarsened our national life, and deadened

the consciences of many...Adding insult to injury, the Obama administration is

seeking to increase access to abortion through...ObamaCare."

To brighten the day's news, here are some thought provoking "One Liners"

"America is experiencing heart failure. Unless the hearts of men are changed

by exposure to the truth, the heart of a nation cannot awaken."

-- Matt Barber, writing in One News Now

"Obamacare, the most sweeping government usurpation of private industry

and individual liberty in American history."

-- Andrew C. McCarthy, writing in New Media Journal

"We all have to die, so why not die the Islamic way?" -- Sami Osmakac,

immigrant who plotted a suicide terror attack in Florida:

"Our single focus must be to defeat Obama, and frankly, I would fully endorse

a turnip in order to achieve that objective."

-- Mark Alexander, writing in Patriot Post

"It’s possible that the president and his team will suddenly turn out to possess

keen political skills they have been hiding somewhere for the past three years."

--Yuval Levin, writing in National Review Online

"Relying on diplomacy, threats and sanctions alone is simply not good enough.

We must maintain all our military options." -- J. F. Kelly, Jr., writing in the San

Diego Union Tribune

Occasionally our Founding Fathers used ironic humor: “The multiplication

of public offices, increase of expense beyond income, growth and entailment

of a public debt, are indications soliciting the employment of the pruning knife.”

-- Thomas Jefferson, 1821

And there are, as always, a few "Afterthoughts" . . .

We have often cited ads for new publications, and we found -- and liked -- this

comment about The Harbinger, the new book by Jonathan Cahn: "We are at a

crossroads. Either the church will act like the church in the New Testament

or it will collapse and the U.S. will become a Third World country and we

will not fulfill our destiny."

Just a passing item in the news: Those peace loving Islamists (as so described

by President Obama) are at it again in Iraq. Fifty-three people were killed in a

suicide bombing at a security checkpoint in Iraq on last Saturday. The victims were

Shia Muslims on their way to a mosque west of Basra. The bombing occurred at

the end of Arbain, a major religious observance in the Shia calendar. And on last

Monday a car bomb exploded inside a Shiite residential complex in Mosul, killing

at least nine people and wounding five more. These outbursts have renewed fears

of wider sectarian violence -- even an outright civil war -- in the country where the

Obama administration considered their job done, and walked away from their failed

efforts toward establishing some sort of democracy in the local government.

Our Founding Fathers spoke often about the government they had created:

"Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety,

prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private

interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone

have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute

government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their

protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it." -- John Adams, 1776

And so, there it is, delayed by circumstances beyond our control . . . but after

having read this issue, please click HERE and give careful and prayerful thought to

what you can do about helping ANC to continue. We can't overly emphasize this

point: Our ability to continue publication is totally up to you.

THE GOAL OF GOOD GOVERNMENT!

2012-01-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 11, 2012, in our 10th year of publication

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Some important thoughts for this week, and for the weeks just ahead of us:

"The people have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine

right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge –

I mean of the character and conduct of their rulers."

John Adams, 2nd U.S. president

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or

that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong,

is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally

treasonable to the American public.”

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th American president

"Character is the only secure foundation of the state."

Calvin Coolidge, 30th American president

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THE GOAL OF GOOD GOVERNMENT, AND THE CHARACTER

OF OUR NATION'S LEADERS, WERE OFTEN STRESSED BY

OUR FOUNDING FATHERS AND LATER PRESIDENTS

These two two lines in an ad for Rick Boyer's new book, Take Back the Land,

caught our attention this week: "God is calling you to greatness. No excuses. Be

ready to answer the call...If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, your calling is to

change the world."

Note that closing thought "If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, your calling is to

change the world." Think back to how the Scriptures describe the ministry of Paul

and Silas in the first century, when they visited Thessalonica. It was said of them,

"These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also."

(Acts 17:6) Their calling was, as ours is today, to change the world.

The promise of "change" was a fundamental element in the election campaign which

put Barack Obama in the White House. On October 30, 2008, almost on the eve

of the election, in one of his final campaign speeches he said, "We are five days

from fundamentally transforming the United States of America."

And change it he did! In just his first 3 years as president he has given us an

unemployment rate of right around 9% ... has accrued by far the largest national

debt in history ...has forced through Congress a plan to destroy the world's best

health care system, and which is now before the Supreme Court ... has encouraged

the homosexuals and is trying to repeal the federal law which prohibits same-sex

"marriage" ... has aided and abetted the Muslim take-over of countries throughout

the Middle East ... has given up on wars supposedly to establish democracy ... has

advocated the weakening of our military defense, making us vulnerable to the

growing threat of aggression by our enemies around the world ... and at the very

outset of his reign as president he declared America is no longer a Christian nation,

and has since done everything possible to honor Islam, while ignoring Christian

observances and turning our back on our long time ally, Israel Yes, Obama has

brought about change in our world.

Chris Carmouche, writing in Grasstops.USA.com, used these words to describe

Mr. Obama's ignoring of the Constitution in accomplishing his goals: "Barack

Obama declared himself de-facto dictator of the United States of America on

Wednesday, possibly signaling the end of the United States as we know it."

The United States of America has gone through difficult and dangerous times

before and has always succeeded in overcoming those threats to our freedom.

In 1775, as the fledgling nation faced its first great challenge, Thomas Jefferson left

for us these words: "With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we

most solemnly, before God and the world, declare, that, exerting the utmost

energy of those powers, which our beneficent Creator hath graciously

bestowed upon us, the arms we have compelled by our enemies to assume,

we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverance

employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to

die as freemen rather than to live as slaves."

In today's language, Mark Alexander, publisher of The Patriot Post, wrote: "Like

many American Patriots, I get up early every morning prepared to do battle

to sustain Liberty for this and future generations. On occasion, however, I

experience battle fatigue, which can diminish my morale and stamina.

Inevitably in those moments, something occurs that restores both my drive

and my determination."

And looking back about 70 years, to 1941, Winston Churchill said, in perhaps

Britain's darkest hour, "This is the lesson: Never give in. Never give in. Never,

never, never, never -- in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in."

And that is exactly the attitude we must demonstrate in this time of conflict here in

our own country. We must pray for our nation and for wisdom to be given to our

leaders, and on Nov. 6 -- Election Day -- now just 300 days away, we must pray

for God's direction as we vote to put into office leaders who will fulfill the provisions

of the Constitution, and who will bring America back to being the nation past

generations have preserved it as being - in Ronald Reagan's words, "A shining city

upon a hill," or in Jesus' words, "Ye are the light of the world, a city that is set

on a hill cannot be hid."

We are called by Jesus to be both light and salt in our world. No matter how

difficult our task may seem, and no matter how strongly entrenched the opposition

may appear to be, we must always accept Winston Churchill's word as our rule:

"Never give in."

Interesting: two columnists with opposite political views sound remarkably

alike as they look back at 2011 and ahead to 2012. From the Conservative side,

Ann Coulter: "America will begin its ineluctable descent into becoming a

worthless Western European country, with rotten health care, no money for

defense and ever-increasing federal taxes to support the nanny state." And

from the Liberal side, Arianna Huffington: "Again and again in 2011, as the

country sat mired in crises and the long-term effects of joblessness, declining

wages, and downward mobility, the response by the governing class could not

have been more disproportionate to the problems."

Do you remember this statistic from last week's issue? In brief, we

pointed out that in the first 19 centuries of Christian history, an estimated 25

million believers died for their faith. In the 20th century alone, 45 million were

killed for professing their faith. Amid all the other problems facing us in today's

world, surely this must be a prime subject for our concern.

The Open Doors 2012 Watch List, released this past week, reports that

North Korea is at the top of the list of countries where Christians face the

most severe persecution. Muslim dominated countries hold 9 of the top 10

spots, and 38 out of the 50 worst countries in the annual report. But perhaps

there have been some signs of improvement in Muslim treatment of those of

other faiths. The traditional punishment for "infidels" (non-Islamic believers)

has been beheading, but in Indonesia Muslims decapitated a statue of the Virgin

Mary. And in Uganda Muslims threw acid on the face and head of a Christian

pastor on Christmas Eve. (Those are slightly more refined punishments.) The point

is that the Christian church is under severe attack throughout the world. As we pray

for our own country, and all its ills, we must never forget to pray for our fellow

believers who are daily facing persecution and death for their faith.

Former Middle East peace negotiator, Aaron Miller, writing in the Jerusalem

Post, described the deteriorating relationship between the heads of Israel and the

U.S. in stark terms. He expects tensions to continue to rise as President Obama

focuses on his re-election campaign and Prime Minister Netanyahu focuses on the

existential threat from Iran. Regarding the President’s attitude toward the Prime

Minister, Miller writes: “Obama doesn't like him, doesn’t trust him, and views

him as a con man.” Mike Evans, of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, adds: "It is a

tragedy for the United States of America, so long Israel’s best friend and ally

in all the world, to be turning against the Jewish state. It would be a disaster

at any time, but now as Israel stands almost alone, it is especially dangerous.

Israel is on the brink of suffering a catastrophic attack. The U.S. is on the

brink of suffering God’s curse and judgment for turning against His Chosen

People." God's Word can be ignored only at great risk.

We frequently find interesting statements in ads for new releases. Here are

two more that we noticed this week. First, in an ad for Donald Trump's new book,

Time To Get Tough, this comment: "President Obama has been a disaster for

America. In four short years, he's wrecked our economy, saddled our children

with an obscene amount of debt, and gone around the world apologizing for

our country. Now, America looks like a broken country -- stripped of jobs,

wealth, and respect. This can't go on." And the other, from an ad for a new

video, The Biblical Principles of the United States Constitution, narrated by

John Eidsmoe: "Now over 220 years old, the U.S. Constitution of 1787 is still

the highest law in the land, and has outlived the constitutions of all other

countries ... The Founders forged into the America's legal documents and

civil institutions biblical principles that have stood the test of time even to

this day."

And we have often cited excerpts from James Delingpole's book, 365 Ways to

Drive a Liberal Crazy. His advice: "Give your small children toy guns, and

tell your liberal friend, Yeah, I think this is the best way to break them in so

they can handle the real thing when they're six or seven." (That should do it!)

So that you can read beyond the opinions of the Liberal, Left-wing media,

we do hours of research to bring you "What Others Are Saying" . . .

Erick Erickson (in Conservative Outpost): "It’s the year most of the country

has been waiting for. Ever since it realized it had elected a monster president...

It’s highly probable that 2012 will be one of those ‘pivotal’ years that

historians glory over… The world is an increasingly dangerous place and,

under President Barack Hussein Obama, even more so for America. This is a

man who identifies more with the stated enemies of this Republic than with

American citizens."

Jim Emerson (writing in The Daily Coach): "At the Pentagon this week the

liberals’ biggest fantasy has now become reality. Barack Obama is cutting

the military budget and using the 'savings' to fund social programs."

Michael Milton (in ChristianNewsWire): "The most important question of

the coming year is not 'who will be the next occupant of the White House?'

The single most important matter before us all is a monumental question of

value...'Will the Western world embrace the very thing that holds it together.

Or will it continue the denial of the obvious and seal its inevitable decline?'”

Matt Barber (V.P Liberty Counsel): "As the political season heats up it

occurs to me that, as important as elections are, unless the hearts of men are

changed, the heart of a nation cannot awaken. Our nation is experiencing

heart failure. It needs an awakening – a spiritual awakening. Desperately."

Troy Senik (writing in Center for Individual Freedom): "2011 was Barack

Obama’s year of living dangerously... the president’s standard operating

procedure was to wait until the eleventh hour, then hope that the resultant

chaos in Congress would be sufficient to get the legislative branch to bend

to his will. If a contempt for Congress was the hallmark of Obama’s

lawmaking strategy in 2011, however, the president looks to be taking it

one step further in 2012: ignoring the legislative branch outright."

Chris Carmouche (writing in Conservative News Alerts): "In what can

only be described as a blatant, totalitarian and authoritarian abuse of

power, Barack Obama, decreed that Richard Cordray would be the head

of his so-called Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and he made his

declaration without the advice and consent of the Senate, and, by doing so,

he clearly violated Article 2, Section 2 of the United States Constitution."

For some reason, this week we found more "One Liners" than usual . . .

Jonah Goldberg, in The New Media Journal: "The term 'RINO' (Republican

In Name Only) has become an epithet of ideological enforcement, spit out in

much the same way Mao cursed 'running dog capitalists.'"

From The American Dream: "Both Romney and Gingrich are absolutely

horrible candidates and nobody should ever vote for either of them. Both of

them are virtual clones of Barack Obama."

Ann Coulter: "It's been a mixed week for Mitt Romney's campaign. On one

hand, Romney won Iowa, but on the other, he was endorsed by John McCain."

Jim Treacher, (in the Daily Call): "Out with the Constitution, in with the

Obamastitution."

Michelle Malkin, in One News Now: "Our demander-in-chief continues to

issue daily edicts from on high, echoing this administration's operating motto:

'So let it be written, so let it be done!'"

Ben Crystal, in Personal Liberty Digest: "It’s the Constitution. Mr. Obama!"

And, as always, there are a few "Afterthoughts" . . .

About that "encouraging" employment report, Liberal columnist, Arianna

Huffington, reminded us that there were 1.9 million out of work for 99 weeks or

longer (as of this December report), a 500,000 increase from the 1.4 million of a

year ago, and warned the Obama administration's enthusiasts to stay away from

the "Unemployment Rate Truthers," who claim to have the REAL unemployment

rate. And concerning the manipulation of the report's figures, she suggested that by

"extending this lunacy, America will officially have no unemployed, when

the Labor Force Participation rate hits 58.5%, which should be just before

the presidential election."

And amid all the discussion about the current unemployment rate. whatever it may

be, one element of America's working population is not often mentioned: the

nation's pastors. According to figures available from the National Council of

Churches, there are some 608,000 ordained clergy in America, and only about

372,000 are actively serving parishes. That does not mean that the remaining

236,000 are all unemployed, because many serve in other related occupations.

But there are thousands out of work -- while at the same time there are vacancies

in many small churches and in rural areas where adequate salaries are just not

available, in many instances due in part to the present economic recession. This

is an unemployment factor we tend to overlook, but one which has serious

implications for America's moral and spiritual standards.

Not that there's anything particularly wrong about being wealthy, but

according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, the members of

the House Tea Party Caucus are especially wealthy. The median average net

worth of a member of the House Tea Party Caucus was $1.8 million in 2010.

That's significantly higher than the comparable number for the median House

member at $755,000. It's also more than 130% above the $774,280 average

net worth of the median, non-Tea Party Caucus House Republican.

Another one of those "imponderable questions" -- If we are in recovery,

why have American’s incomes dropped more during the recovery than they did

during the recession? According to a report from Sentier Research, based on

statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, these are the facts: Personal incomes fell

during the recent recession by 3.2%. However, during the "recovery" (since July,

2009) those incomes have fallen an additional 6.7%. The explanation has doubtless

already been entered into Mr. Obama's teleprompter, and will be read to the

American voters at a timed deemed strategically appropriate.

Our Founding Fathers, who established this nation, had strong views as

to what constituted "good government." We should never forget them.

"The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain

for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to

pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the

most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue

to hold their public trust." -- James Madison, 1788

"A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring
one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own
pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth
of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government."
-- Thomas Jefferson, 1801

"A good government implies two things; first, fidelity to the objects of the

government; secondly, a knowledge of the means, by which those objects

can be best attained." -- Joseph Story, 1833

And at the end of another weekly issue of ANC -- now in our 10th year of

publication as the Internet's pro-Christian, pro-American, pro-Conservative voice,

we don't know how to say this any clearer: our resources which permitted us to

start ANC, and keep it going with no subscription fee, are exhausted. We can

continue only as our readers contribute to make this publication possible. Please

click HERE and do your part to help keep ANC going. Thank you!

AS WE ENTER INTO A NEW YEAR!

2012-01-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 4, 2012 -- the first issue of our 10th year of publication

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A thought as we begin this new year - and for the new years yet to come:

"If this is to be a Happy New Year, a year of usefulness, a year in

which we shall live to make this earth better, it is because

God will direct our pathway. How important then,

to feel our dependence upon Him!"
Matthew Simpson

19th Century American Episcopal Bishop

Close, personal and trusted friend of President Lincoln

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AS WE ENTER INTO A NEW YEAR, SOME THOUGHTS ON WHAT

IT MEANS FOR US, AS CHRISTIANS AND AS AMERICANS,

AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR OUR WORLD

To begin talking about or commenting on a new year, one has to pause and look

back on the old year . . . and on Dec. 31, the opening line on the front page of the

San Diego Union Tribune, our local newspaper, summarized 2011 in these words:

"It was a year of triumph and continued malaise. A year of disaster,

misconduct and celebration." Brief and to the point; we couldn't say it better.

But now here we are, already half a week into 2012. It is the one time in each year

when we look back at the year just past, and reflect on our failures and successes,

but more importantly, look forward to the opportunities and challenges which the

new year will offer. This two-directional look doubtless comes from the concept of

the ancient Roman god, Janus, who is portrayed as two-faced, looking both to the

past and to the future. More and more we have become accustomed to dismissing

the past as dead and buried, and directing our attention to the future.

From a Christian standpoint, the Bible has little to say about facing a new year.

Probably one of the best and most applicable portions of Scripture is Psalm 31:15,

"Thou art my God; my times are in thy hand."

The image of a "clean slate" upon which to write the happenings of the new year has

become almost a rule. Wayne Dyer, a self-help advocate put it this way: "A New

Year brings with it a clean, unwritten slate, ready to be written on." Or Debra

Bruce, a legal profession development coach, says, "It's a clean slate, unwritten

upon. Don't drag your old baggage into the new year." But probably the most

quoted is the English born poet, Edith Lovejoy Pierce: "We will open the book. Its

pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is

called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."

And along with all those prospects come the traditional "New Year's Resolutions" --

quit smoking ... quit drinking ... lose weight .. learn to control my temper ... read a

new book every month ... read through the Bible this year ... etc.

But for 2012, more important resolutions are needed. In last week's issue we

spoke of 2012 as "The most important year in American history." The quote

from our local paper, as cited above, summarizes our present national condition;

morally, economically, politically, diplomatically or by any other standard, we are

in a colossal mess. Never before in our nation's history of more than two centuries

have we begun a new year in worse shape than we find ourselves today. It has

become a widely accepted conclusion that in the upcoming election, Nov. 6, if we

are going to restore America to the nation our Founding Fathers intended it to be,

we are going to have to replace Barack Hussein Obama as president. Here at

ANC we are solidly pro-Christian, pro-American and pro-Conservative. Given

his record of 3 years as president, we have to conclude that Mr. Obama fails to

meet any of those standards. We have not -- nor will we -- endorse a particular

candidate to oppose the president, but we have, and will continue to stress the

importance of prayer for God's guidance on Election Day, 2012. That is what we

see as the most important responsibility before us as American Christians.

And that brings us to our "Prayer Count-down" to Election Day, 2012.

As of today, there are 307 days till Election Day ... 307 days to pray for our

nation, for wisdom to be given to our leaders, and for Go's direction as we go

to the polling places and vote to restore our country to being the nation our

Founding Fathers intended it to be. And let us not fail to pray for our fellow

believers all over the world as they face persecution because of their faith ...

and we must never forget Israel, and the new threat of the Muslim Brotherhood

which is gradually taking control of Egypt. This week their Deputy Leader, Rashaf

Bayoumi said: "Whatever the circumstances, we do not recognize Israel at all.

It's [Israel] an occupying criminal enemy.”

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has recently released a report

on the size and distribution of the world's Christian population. The report provides

some interesting, and perhaps surprising, facts about Christianity, worldwide. In

1910, 66.3% of the world's Christians lived in Europe. In 2010, that number had

dropped to 25.9%. But the surprising fact is that in Sub-Saharan Africa and the

Asia-Pacific regions, the 5.9% of the world's Christians in 1910 has grown to

36.7% in 2010. For example, 5 of the 10 largest churches in the world are in

South Korea. It is estimated that worldwide, 76,000 persons become Christians

every day, but only 6,000 of them are in Europe and North America, combined.

By contrast, Brazil has twice as many Roman Catholics as Italy, while Nigeria has

twice as many Protestants as Germany. But despite the geographic shifts in the

world's Christian population, Christianity remains the dominant world religion,

with 2.2 billion followers. Islam is the world's second largest religion, with 1.6

billion followers. And that is where we begin a new year of fulfilling the charge of

Jesus Christ that we are to be both light and salt in this world.

For President Barack Obama, 2011 began with a bang, and with a bold

pronouncement that his green dream for America would bring forth an explosion

in jobs, and a new economy fueled by alternative energy.... Unfortunately, what

the President predicted is much different than what the rest of the country has

experienced in the ensuing year. The jobs that the President promised didn't

materialize, and his green energy investments are careening into the ground...

That news was affirmed in the Washington Post during the holidays by a story

in which The Post reported that politics, has been largely behind the president's

green jobs program: "Meant to create jobs and cut reliance on foreign oil,

Obama's green-technology program was infused with politics at every level...

Political considerations were raised repeatedly by company investors,

Energy Department bureaucrats and White House officials."

And how has this development -- with others -- figured in the public's perception

of Mr. Obama's performance? The Rasmussen Report's "Daily Presidential

Approval Index" provides a day-to-day updating on that perception. On Jan. 22,

2009 -- the day after his inauguration, Mr. Obama's approval index score was

+30. Within weeks it began to decline, and in June, 2009 it dropped into negative

range and has never since achieved a positive rating. Since Feb., 2011 that rating

has never moved out of a double digit negative range, and closed the year 2011

at -17. On an overall basis, at year end, Dec. 31, the public's approval of his

performance stood at 46%, with 52% registering disapproval. And that is where

he starts 2012 -- the year in which he will be campaigning for re-election.

In our usual selection of "What Others Are Saying" we found thoughtful

views on current events which you will not find in the Main Stream Media

Ben Crystal (writing in Personal Living Digest ): "What a gaffe machine

Biden has turned out to be... Biden appears incapable of leaving his office

without tripping over his own tongue... However, none of his previous

rhetorical missteps could have prepared us for last week’s gallop to

goofy-town. Speaking to the liberal glossy Newsweek, Biden blurted out this

blooper: 'Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy. That’s critical…There

is not a single statement that the president has ever made in any of our

policy assertions that the Taliban is our enemy.'"

Robert Ringer: "Many argue that having the lives of thousands of young

adults destroyed - or lost - is the price of preserving our freedom... But in

today's corrupt, semi-socialist America, the biggest threat to our freedom

comes not from abroad, but from the criminal class in Washington - and,

unfortunately, no one is talking about invading the nation's capital."

Jack Marshall (writing in Ethics Alarms): "How can journalists decry

the influence of Super-PACs and big money in elections when the news

media, the most powerful communications factor of all (because it has--still

--the remains of a reputation for being objective, fair and accurate) is

consistently biased? Not only is that a bigger problem, it is one journalists

themselves have the power to fix...if they wanted to, if they cared."

Barry Rubin (writing in The Lid): "It has often been remarked that Obama

is a narcissist, but what we see here is even worse, a man so closed and

arrogant that he cannot take criticism into account. Any democratic

leader needs to heed criticism and adjust policies based on experience,

the weaknesses pointed out by others, and changing conditions. Obama

is incapable of doing so."

Jim Denison (writing in The Denison Forum): "As a result of the Arab

Spring, Islamic political parties are gaining strength across the region. The

Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party led all groups in Egypt's

elections... The future of democracy in Egypt is uncertain. Meanwhile, no

one seems to know who's running Libya, or on whose behalf. And in Iraq,

with U.S. troops gone, the nation could descend into a Sunni-Shia civil war,

as recent attacks demonstrate... How will Christians fare in this new era?...

In the first 19 centuries of Christian history, 25 million believers died for

their faith. In the 20th century, 45 million Christians were killed for

following Jesus. Some 300 million Christians around the world are either

threatened with violence or legally discriminated against because of their

faith. Radical Muslims are convinced that the Qur'an requires such attacks

on believers."

Rep. Paul Ryan (R, WI): "The election is a referendum on the American

idea, not on Barack Obama and his handling of the economy. It is, 'Do you

want to reclaim the founding principles that made us exceptional and

great? Or do you want the cradle-to-grave welfare state?... It's really a

choice of two futures...This is the most important election in our lifetime,

no matter what generation you come from."

Mat Staver (Liberty Counsel): "All across our nation there have been

waves of intolerance directed at Christians because of their faith...Is this

really America? This is a world unimaginable to our Founders. The very

words they wrote to protect us from religious persecution are being twisted

into condemnation against our religious expression."

John Ransom (finance editor, Townhall Finance): "Do you feel much

safer now that the US doesn’t have 250,000 troops stationed in Iraq, just

a few hours from the Iranian and Syrian border? You shouldn’t. And if you

thought war was expensive, wait until you’re asked to foot the bill for the

peace."

Brian Darling (at The Heritage Foundation): on Obama's request for an extra

$1.2 trillion spending allowance --"Washington can't control spending. When we

have $15.1 trillion in national debt that we've racked up over the years, it's

pretty clear that the president's intending on spending us into the poor house."

Ryan Mauro (National Security Analyst): "The year ahead seems to have

greater risks than others in the past few years, and certain areas are so

volatile they could erupt and eclipse all worries about the economy...Voters

must remember that national security can claim the top spot in one instant."

And, not unexpectedly, we came across a few interesting "One Liners" . . .

"Barack Obama brings added definition to the word disaster, as his presidency

has overseen more people trapped below the poverty line than ever in modern

history." -- Jason Mattera, in Daily Events

"I'm amazed at the stubborn persistence of the chroniclers of Barack Obama's

presidency, who blindly state: "See no scandal, hear no scandal, speak no

scandal." -- Michelle Malkin, in One News Now

"Obama is politically desperate and historically illiterate." -- Ben Johnson,

writing in The White House Watch

And for a touch of humor; from John Ransom's predictions for 2012: "Obama

and the GOP nominee for president will hold an historic first-ever summit to

craft a compromise on healthcare reform. It will be the first time a sitting

African American, Left-Handed president and a standing Right-Handed

Mormon GOP presidential nominee will meet face-to-face at halftime in the

bathroom of an NCAA basketball tournament game ... both candidates will

agree to refer to healthcare reform as Obamneycare- or alternately, at their

option, Robamneycare- from now on."

And to wrap up this New Year Commentary, just a few "Afterthoughts."

First: be prepared for some new laws. David Martosko, Executive Editor of

The Daily Call, reminds us that as we begin 2012, there are some 40,000 new

laws taking effect this year . . . which works out to one new law every 13 minutes.

And he quotes Tacitus, a first century Roman historian and Senator, as writing:

“Corruptisima republica plurimae leges.” (The more corrupt the state, the

more plentiful its laws.) Amazing foresight, 2,000 years into the future!

A few "Imponderables" from our research this week: First, from Rasmussen

Reports: "Most voters don't believe government spending will go down if

Republicans control both the White House and Congress, and they're sure

spending will go up if Democrats are in charge of both branches of

government." And there is always this oft repeated one: "All Muslims may not

be terrorists, but every terrorist attack on America has been by Muslims."

And a puzzling one: whatever happened to the "Governator," Arnold Swarzenegger.

One moment he is constantly in the news . . . then it is disclosed he fathered a child

with their housekeeper . . . he and his wife, Maria Shriver, divorced, and since then:

nothing. And there is one more "Whatever happened to ..." with respect to the

Obamas and the $4 million vacation in Hawaii we gave them. We never heard

from them. Seems like they could have at least sent the traditional vacation post

card message: "Having a great time ... wish you were here."

Be ready for some more "End of the world" predictions. Remember last

year, when Harold Camping went all out in support of his perceived day for

Christ's return, May 21, 2011? Well, now Tom Horn, supposedly a Bible

believing Christian, has authored a book in which he goes back to an ancient

Mayan calendar, and brings in also prognostications from Jewish mystics, as well

as the ancient Hindus, Cherokee Indians, Aztecs and even the Chinese book of

I-Ching -- all of which find the world ceasing to exist as of Dec. 21, 2012 -- but

not just ending, rather stopping and starting over. We shall doubtless learn more

about that December date -- 4 or 5 other recent books hold similar viewpoints.

And in Afghanistan, where we have invested so much, in money, materiel and

lives of our military, the Afghan government has signed its first oil deal -- but with

China. Just last week the China National Petroleum Corp. won the first oil deal in

Afghanistan earlier this week, signing a contract with the Afghan government to

develop an oil field in the northern part of the country. Maybe he shouldn't have

gone on that golfing vacation in Hawaii.

And finally, in Gallup's "Most Admired" survey, when asked which man

living in the world today they admire most, 32 % of Americans surveyed this month

could not name anyone, thus falling into a category that Gallup describes as "None/

No opinion." President Obama came in second to "None/No opinion" with 17 %

of respondents saying he was their choice for their most admired man. Similarly,

29 % of Americans did not name anyone when asked their choice for their most

admired woman. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came in second to "None/No

opinion" with 17 % saying she was their most admired woman.

We can always learn something from the words of our Founding Fathers,

and it is well worth the time it takes to read them; here are a few . . .

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin, 1759

"The pyramid of government-and a republican government may well receive

that beautiful and solid form-should be raised to a dignified altitude: but its

foundations must, of consequence, be broad, and strong, and deep. The

authority, the interests, and the affections of the people at large are the only

foundation, on which a superstructure proposed to be at once durable and

magnificent, can be rationally erected." --James Wilson, 1804

"The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first

and only legitimate object of good government." --Thomas Jefferson, 1809

And that is the first issue of our 10th year of publication. As we indicated

last week, we hoped and planned to complete this issue. And as we also indicated

last week, our future publication is up to you. We need your help if we are to

continue. Please click HERE to open the "Support" page, and send your donation,

by credit card or by mailing a check. We haven't asked for large gifts, but have

suggested a modest amount of $12. Thanks, in advance, for what you are going to do.

THIS YEAR WILL END!

2011-12-28T16:42:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 28, 2011-- the completion of our 9th year of publication

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A thought from the past as we move forward into a new year:

"Resolution One: I will live for God.

Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will."

Jonathan Edwards

Early American preacher and theologian,

known for the "Great Awakening" of 1733-1735

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IN JUST 3 DAYS, THIS YEAR WILL END; IN 4 DAYS A NEW YEAR

WILL BEGIN. IT CAN BE SAID THAT 2012 IS THE MOST

IMPORTANT YEAR IN AMERICAN HISTORY

And so we begin this final issue of our 9th year of publication by extending to all our

readers the old familiar greeting: HAPPY NEW YEAR -- even though the Obama

administration has forbidden members of Congress to send it to their constituents.

Given Mr. Obama's religious background, we can understand him banning "Merry

Christmas," even not mentioning Christmas in his White House card -- but what

Christian message does he find to be objectionable in "Happy New Year?" That is

one of those imponderable questions.

The most important year in American history? Unquestionably true. On the

311th day of the new year -- Nov. 6, 2012 -- we will be making very probably

the most important decision we will ever make in an election. Shall we vote to

return America to the course our Founding Fathers charted for us when they

established this new nation -- that we are given by God certain unalienable rights,

and that those rights are guaranteed by our Constitution, and that our government

should be administered by men whom they described as moral and virtuous. . . or

shall we continue on the course plotted by Mr. Obama, leading to moral decay,

economic disaster, massive unemployment, personal poverty and international

disdain? That is the issue upon which we will be voting in November. Never before

have our national election issues been more clear or more important.

Jennifer Marshall, writing in The Foundry of The Heritage Foundation, offered

this very relevant comment, with which we heartily agree: "We prize the heritage

passed down to us through the generations. We look beyond ourselves to the

wisdom of the ages to shape our outlook and to the enduring principles of

America’s founding to ground our decisions today."

We have not entered into the selection process for a Republican nominee-- nor

will we. Through ANC we will not be favoring, endorsing or recommending any

candidate in the 2012 election. We have been questioned about our position

as apparently being almost always "anti-Obama." That is not our political

viewpoint, per se. We are, and always have been, pro-Christian, pro-American

and pro-Conservative. In any action or decision where Mr. Obama is anti-

Christian, anti-American or anti-Conservative (i.e., Liberal), we will be, and have

been, "anti-Obama" in that regard.

Two thoughts (out of the many we found) on the upcoming election: “Under the

Obama second term, we will enter into to a European austerity phase where

we will essentially be managing our decline. We will have a weaker national

defense. We will have stagnant economic growth or not much economic

growth at all." ” (Paul Ryan, R, WI, voted as "Conservative of the Year); and

"Some observers think that President Obama’s awful record should make it

easy for any of the GOP candidates to beat him. That’s a dangerous delusion.

No incumbent should ever be underestimated, especially one the media loves.

Also, each of the Republican candidates has proven highly adept at

techniques for losing the 2012 election." (John Hayward in Daily Events)

Looking forward to the 2012 election reminds us of our prayer count-down;

as of today there are 314 days till Nov. 6, 2012, 314 days to pray for our nation,

for wisdom for our leaders, and for God's guidance as we vote. And we must never

forget our fellow Christian believers, who are daily suffering persecution, and death,

because of expressing their faith. And let us never forget God's Word to us in Psalm

122:6, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

As usual, due to the heavy Liberal bias of the Main Stream Media, to try

to provide a fair and balanced view, we offer "What Others Are Saying"

Gary Shilling (financial analyst and commentator): "I am sorry to report

that the global economic outlook is getting darker by the day...Most recently,

the European debt crisis is causing international financial markets to tumble.

Investors are now questioning the global banking system. Here at home,

unemployment remains high and economic growth continues to be weak.

Consumer confidence is still low. Housing remains in the dumps. Meanwhile,

stocks have plunged about 10% since April."

Barack Hussein Obama (President of the United States): “You know it’s

interesting, there is a deep down, underneath all the work I do, I think there’s

a laziness in me." [Editor: not enough ... he's still too active.]

Elena Kagan (U.S. Supreme Court Justice): Justice Kagan attributes Obama's

supernatural qualities to the "rock star qualities he has: the eloquence, the

magnetism, the great looks, the brilliance..." [Enough, already; we get it.]

James Hutchens (Pres. The Jerusalem Connection, Intl.): "As we come to

the end of 2011 we do so with a deep sense of thanksgiving and gratitude to

God through his Son and our Savior, Messiah Jesus. When we’re in God’s

plan and hands, it is always a good year. Indeed it has been a full year with

some exhilarating highs and some unforeseen lows."

Mark Alexander (in the Patriot Post ): On the anniversary of the ratification

of our Constitution's Bill of Rights, the common name for its first 10 amendments:

"The purpose of these amendments was and remains the enumeration of

limitations on the federal government in order to protect key natural rights

(those endowed by our Creator) to liberty and property...As we approach

the end of 2011, the prospect for restoring the Liberty enshrined in our

Constitution continues to improve. The reason for this progress is that the

number of Americans joining the debate about the proper role of

government authorized by our Constitution is growing."

Pamela Geller (writing in Atlas Shrugs): Following the announcement that

the U.N. had observed a moment of silence out of respect for Kim Jong Il, the

deceased tyrant dictator of North Korea (an action which the U.S., the European

Union and Japan, among others, boycotted): "The UN is rotten to the core.

The US should long ago have pulled out of that sinkhole of moral

equivalence and corruption, and kicked those enablers of Islamic

supremacism and lovers of dictators out of New York."

And there is an occasional "One Liner" . . .

Erick Erickson: "There is good news. Congress is going home for

Christmas. Our liberties are safe for a few weeks."

The American Dream: "The number of Americans that fell into poverty

set a new all-time record last year and extreme poverty is at the highest

level ever measured in the United States."

Which seems a good time to mention that we guessed right. Last week we

expressed the guess that after making a partisan political issue out of the payroll

tax reduction, Mr. Obama would go to Hawaii -- even though he missed a few

days out of his planned 17 days -- and enjoy the $4 million vacation we are

providing for him and his family. One wonders why, if they aren't satisfied with the

beauty and luxury of the White House, they didn't plan to spend Christmas in the

winter wonderland of Camp David in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains. It would

cost only a small fraction of what we will pay for their Hawaiian holiday. But of

course, the winter weather might prohibit daily golf outings there. When you are

the president, you have to take all such factors into account. [Oh yes -- and after

arriving in Hawaii Friday night, Mr. Obama spent Saturday, Christmas eve, on the

golf course.]

We'll probably never know what he received, but Human Events suggested

as a Christmas gift for President Obama -- A new teleprompter; the reason: "His

old teleprompter must be broken as the President keeps repeating the same

tired class-warfare speech over and over again, seeking to soak the rich

with taxes while attacking bad bankers and mean insurance companies."

Here are a few "Afterthoughts" for this final issue of 2011 . . .

We might have expected it! Former President Jimmy Carter expressed his

condolences following the death of North Korea's brutal dictator, Kim Jong Il,

in a message to his successor, Kim Jong Un. In addition to extending his

condolences, he said he was looking forward to another visit to North Korea

in the near future. One commentator offered this thought: "There’s nothing

like a Jimmy Carter story to get you to appreciate Obama a little more

by comparison."

Some U.S. efforts at "Democracy" fail with respect to Christianity. Despite

long-term U.S. military occupations aimed at establishing so-called "democratic"

governments in Iraq and Afghanistan, Christianity now faces the real threat of

eradication in those countries because of severe and persistent persecution of

Christians there, according to Leonard Leo, Chairman of the U.S. Commission on

International Religious Freedom. Similarly, despite the “Arab Spring” rebellion in

Egypt earlier this year, the survival of Christianity is also threatened there. Anti-

Christian violence and discrimination may dictate a mass migration of Egypt's

Coptic Christian population, thus achieving a goal long sought by Muslims.

In Libya, where Mr. Obama's "non war" war ended with the assassination of

Muammar Gaddafi, the future of the Christian church is very questionable, as the

nation's new leaders move toward enforcing Islamic Shariah Law as the rule of the

land. And this says nothing of Syria, where, until recently, the dictator/president,

Bashaar al-Assad, was considered by Hillary Clinton and John Kerry as a

"reformer." Almost daily, reports of killings of protestors against Assad are making

headlines. As a result of all this turmoil, Ms. Clinton has had to shift her primary

focus on the duties of Secretary of State to being the main person to try to rectify

Obama's debacles developed in his "Arab Spring" venture into international affairs.

And Secretary Clinton's task doesn't get any easier. In Afghanistan, the nation's

High Peace Council has announced it will accept a Taliban liaison office in

Qatar to start peace talks, but no foreign power can get involved without the

Peace Council's consent. The conditions for conducting the peace process as laid

down by the Council include having the support of Pakistan -- and U.S. relations

with Pakistan aren't exactly warm and friendly after a series of diplomatic and

military blunders by the Obama administration. And how will she explain to the

people of Yemen, whose protest rallies have sought relief from their despised and

reviled president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, why the Obama administration should grant

him permission to come to New York for medical treatment? Such a decision

would be so contrary to the support given for the overthrow of Mubarak in Egypt

and Gaddafi in Libya. While this would not be an easy task for Hillary, it probably

will not for a moment interrupt the golfing in Hawaii.

There is an old saying, "Time changes all things," by Ferdinand de Saussure,

a 19th century Swiss linguist. It is still true today. A few years ago, in 2006, before

he began campaigning to be elected president, when he would need an American

place of birth, Senator Barack Obama and his wife visited his family and his

birthplace in Kogelo, Kenya. The Kenyan government had recognized Obama's

birthplace, and designated it an official national landmark. Obama’s grandmother,

Sarah Hussein Obama, lives in a family compound in the village with other family

members. Her home is surrounded by government security forces to prevent any

possible terrorist action against Obama’s family and his birthplace. The people of

Kogelo dedicated their small 4 room school to the distinguished U.S. Senator, and

named it the "Senator Obama Kogelo Secondary School." The school was built on

land donated by Obama's grandfather. On the occasion of that visit, the Senator is

said to have promised the school's principal, Yuanita Obiero, that he would provide

assistance in improving the condition of the school, but in the five years following

that visit, there is no indication that the school has received any assistance from its

honored namesake. But all this was before he decided on Hawaii as his birthplace.

As always, there is much to be learned from our Founding Fathers:

"As our president bears no resemblance to a king so we shall see the Senate

has no similitude to nobles. First, not being hereditary, their collective

knowledge, wisdom, and virtue are not precarious. For by these qualities

alone are they to obtain their offices, and they will have none of the peculiar

qualities and vices of those men who possess power merely because their

father held it before them." --Tench Coxe, 1787, a less known Founding Father

"Stability in government is essential to national character and to the

advantages annexed to it, as well as to that repose and confidence in the

minds of the people, which are among the chief blessings of civil society."

--James Madison, 1788

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions,

that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong,

but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and

then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere." --Thomas Jefferson, 1787

And so our 9th year of publication of ANC has been completed. We would

like very much to complete -- or at least begin -- a 10th year. At the moment, it

appears that we will be able to publish an issue next week, but the long-term

prospects depend entirely on the willingness of our readers to help. Unlike other

Christian ministries, we have not asked for large contributions. In fact, the only size

gift ever suggested is $12. Please click HERE and use the "Support" information.

Thank you! We're depending on you . . .

HERE WE ARE!

2011-12-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 21, 2011, in our 9th year of consecutive publication

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A thought from the past for this week and Christmases to come:

"The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it

always is young, the heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair, and its

soul full of music breaks the air, when the song of angels is sung."

Phillips Brooks, 19th century clergyman
Author of the carol, "O Little Town Of Bethlehem"

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HERE WE ARE, 3 DAYS TILL THE END OF ADVENT SEASON,

AND THEN CHRISTMAS DAY, WHEN WE TRY TO SET

ASIDE GIFTS AND FEASTING TO REJOICE IN THE

BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR, CHRIST THE LORD

One aspect of Christmas that never changes and never loses its appeal is the

singing of Christmas carols. The old English song "Here We Come a Caroling"

says it well, "Love and joy come to you, and to you good Christmas too,

and God bless you and send you a happy new year."

We're not going to conduct a poll, and try to determine the favorite Christmas

carol of ANC readers . . . several much loved carols come to mind and we'll be

hearing them throughout this Christmas season . . . "Silent Night" ... "O Little

Town of Bethlehem" ... "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" ... "We Three Kings ...

"Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" ... "Joy to the World" ... and others.

We offer the choice of a "favorite" carol which includes great meaning in its

words; from the 19th century, "O Holy Night" ... "O holy night! The stars

are brightly shining, it is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the

world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth."

The beloved Christmas carols that we have known for years become a means

of expressing our faith, and keeping this a Christ centered observance.

That's not easy to do; the grinches are still trying to steal Christmas. As

Tony Perkins at Family Research Council (FRC) commented, "If you think the

malls are busy this time of year, you should see the attorneys! In December,

there seems to be a lawyer on every corner, policing the rights of citizens to

put their faith on display. From mangers to Christmas trees, complaints from

the politically correct crowd continue to pour in."

For example, in Athens, TX, the "Freedom From Religion Foundation" demanded

that the city remove the nativity scene from the public square. Last weekend a

crowd of some 5,000 Athens residents rallied in the square in support of the

nativity scene. And the "Military Religious Freedom Foundation" demanded that

Travis Air Force Base in California remove its manger scene, and the menorah

from the traditional display, declaring that such display "is a clear endorsement

of religion in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment."

It is difficult to understand how they find such violation in the First Amendment --

which reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of

religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..." But there is an old saying,

"To each his own."

That had not always been the viewpoint of the President of the United States, the

Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces. In 1944, following the D-Day invasion

of Normandy, in the midst of WW II, Franklin D. Roosevelt broadcast that year's

Christmas message to the nation: "The Christmas spirit lives tonight in the bitter

cold of the front lines in Europe and in the heat of the jungles and swamps of

Burma and the Pacific islands...Here, at home, we will celebrate this Christmas

Day in our traditional American way--because of its deep spiritual meaning to

us; because the teachings of Christ are fundamental in our lives; and because

we want our youngest generation to grow up knowing the significance of this

tradition and the story of the coming of the immortal Prince of Peace and

Good Will." Of course, that was before Mr. Obama had declared that America

was no longer a Christian nation.

The anti-Christmas feeling runs deep in the Obama administration. House

of Representatives members who submit official mailings for review by the

congressional franking commission that reviews all congressional mail to determine

if it can be “franked,” or paid for with tax dollars, are being told that no holiday

greetings, including “Merry Christmas,” can be sent in official mail. "I called the

commission to ask for clarification and was told no ‘Merry Christmas.’ Also

told cannot say ‘Happy New Year’ but can say ‘have a happy new year’ –

referencing the time period of a new year, but not the holiday,” said a Hill

staffer who requested anonymity. Let's see -- it's our taxpayer money, and this

was always a Christian nation, until Mr. Obama came along, but apparently his

viewpoint takes precedence over ours.

And speaking of Christmas -- we confess: Last week we made a mistake.

We believed President Obama when he said he was foregoing his planned 17 day

Christmas vacation in Hawaii, and was going to stay in Washington and do the

work of the president. As we finalize this issue, we have not learned when or if

he will go to Hawaii -- but our guess is he will. It's too good a deal to pass up.

However, Mrs. Obama and the children decided to go ahead with their plans for

another luxury vacation in the sun, so Michelle commandeered an Air Force jet,

and flew to Hawaii over the weekend -- their separate flight from the president's

later flight added something over $100,000 to the cost of the vacation, putting

the total cost to taxpayers (like us) at about $4 million. Even the British Telegraph

headlined it in these words: "Barack Obama's big government vacation: the

president adds nearly $4 million to the national debt with his lavish

Hawaiian holiday." And added this comment in the accompanying story: "This

is an astonishing amount of public money to be spending in an age of austerity –

when the president is supposed to be leading efforts to cut the US budget deficit,

the largest since World War Two, and a towering $15 trillion national debt."

That is just one example of how the rest of the world views the Obama presidency.

Last week, the Hawaii Reporter estimated the entire cost of the vacation for both

Obamas – should he ever arrive – at more than $4 million. This $4 million figure is

nearly 100 times the average annual salary of an American worker, which currently

stands at $41,673. The story has of course been ignored by the liberal-dominated

mainstream media, which inevitably turns a blind eye to abuses of power by the

Obama administration. For President Obama, even his vacations have become a

vulgar symbol of big government excess and over-spending. While tens of millions

of Americans struggle this Christmas to pay the mortgage and put food on the table

for their families, the "leader of the free world" will be enjoying a luxury vacation at

their expense. It is all just one more demonstration of the actions of an out-of-touch

president. And he wants us to re-elect him next year so he and Michelle can go on

enjoying this lavish life-style at our expense?

On the other side of the world; it isn't often that you hear the Prime Minister of

Israel speak favorably of the Christian faith, but this past week Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu broadcast a Christmas message which is more religious, more

Christian, than much that we will hear from our White House and the spokespersons

of the "religious left," -- "I want to wish the Christian citizens of Israel, as well

as Christians around the world, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Israel is proud of its strong and growing Christian community, and we are

proud of the deep and passionate support of so many Christian friends of

Israel around the world."

We offer this for this year's self-illusory, super-arrogant award: Everyone

seems to be amazed (or amused) that in last week's interview with Steve Croft on

CBS 60 Minutes, President Obama stated his belief that he is the 4th best

president in American history. (Apparently he ignored the four presidents on Mt.

Rushmore -- Lincoln, Roosevelt, Washington and Jefferson -- which would make

him the 5th best.) If you didn’t see that claim on 60 Minutes, it is because CBS

edited it out of the actual broadcast. But here is his boast: "As you said yourself,

Steve, you know, I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments

in our first two years against any president — with the possible exceptions of

Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln — just in terms of what we’ve gotten done in

modern history." (You can see it in online 60 Minutes Overtime which has a video

of the entire interview.)

This is no time to set aside the urgency of our count down for prayer. As of

today there are 321 days till election day, Nov. 6, 2012. As we continue to pray

about that important election, we must not forget the men and women of our

Armed Forces -- from Valley Forge to Afghanistan American troops have faced

the difficult task of celebrating Christmas amid the cataclysm of war. This year is

no exception, and once again it is important to remember our military in our

prayers. And in addition to the problems facing our own country, we must never

fail to pray for our fellow Christian believers, who are constantly in danger from

persecution -- and death -- in so many areas of the world.

As usual, because of the left wing bias of the Main Line Media, it is very

helpful to note "What Others Are Saying" . . .

Edward Feulner (Pres., Heritage Foundation): "Today, America's future is

on the line. The nation our Founders built and for which generations have

sacrificed is quickly becoming a country that none of them would recognize.

As our government and elected officials pull further away from our founding

principles, America slips closer to European-style socialism and faces a rapid

decline in our international standing."

Dr. Muehleisen Arnold (from his new book, A Natural History of Islamism

and its Relationship to Christianity): "Had it not been for the recent

outbursts of Moslem fanaticism, it would almost have been forgotten, that

Islamism maintains an unequivocally hostile relation to Christianity."

James Delingpole (from 365 Ways to Drive a Liberal Crazy): "Say grace

before meals. Bringing God into the picture always puts liberals ill at ease,

because it reminds them you think there's a power more important than

government."

Richard Engel (Chief NBC foreign correspondent): On the departure of US

troops from Iraq: "For a big war, it was a remarkably small closing ceremony.

A few hundred troops, a five-piece band on a base by the airport on the edge

of Baghdad...Did America prevail? Iraq's future remains uncertain....What

was conspicuously absent today... there were no parades among Iraqis, no

victory celebrations, no thank yous."

Not too many "One Liners" turned up this week . . .

Joe Biden: "Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy." (In an interview with

Newsweek.)

Erick Erickson: "It is always hard to beat an incumbent. But Barack

Obama is making it easier than it has been since Carter was President."

And here, as usual, are a few "Afterthoughts" . . .

In case you were wondering: The first White House Christmas card was sent

by President Eisenhower in 1953. The first White House Christmas card which

had a religious motif was sent by President Kennedy in 1963. (It was a nativity

scene.) The first White House Christmas card with a Scripture reference was

There has been so much in the news about Christopher Hitchens, perhaps

the current time's most prominent atheist. It is not questioned that he was a

scholarly and prolific writer. He used thoughtful words to express his atheistic

views, like "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed

without evidence.” And he was firm in his criticism of religious faith as being

nothing more than a fatuous belief in magic, fables and nonsense, and calling it,

"violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry,

invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women

and coercive toward children.” His supporters have predicted that his acerbic

writings will endure. And perhaps they will. But Gilbert Keith Chesterton's "If

there were no God, there would be no atheists," has already endured for over

75 years (Chesterton died in 1936), and another relevant word on this subject,

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God," (Psalm 14:1) has already

endured for thousands of years.

It is difficult not to comment on the termination of the war in Iraq. Pat

Buchanan, looking back to President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" photo-op

in 2003, asks now, eight years later, "Was the mission accomplished?" An

editorial last week in the Washington Post, makes us wonder if anyone can really

answer "Yes" -- "Al-Qaida continues to carry out terrorist attacks. Iranian-

sponsored militias still operate, and a power struggle between Kurdish-ruled

northern Iraq and Mr. Maliki's government goes on. More Iraqis worry that,

after the U.S. troops depart this month, the sectarian bloodletting that

ravaged the country between 2002 and 2007 will resume." And in spite of

all the administration's rhetoric, not all Americans there are really coming home.

First, some of our military will remain in Kuwait -- in case there are flare-ups in

Iraq. Second, some 16,000 will remain in the huge fortress that houses the U.S.

embassy in Baghdad, and in our fortified consulates in Basra, Irbil and Kirkuk.

All four sites will be self-sufficient, so U.S. personnel can stay clear of what the

Wall Street Journal calls "the perilous security situation on Iraq's city streets."

We have to wonder what we really accomplished if hatred of America is so

widespread that our diplomats live in constant peril in the "democracy" that we

helped the Iraqis establish?

Our Founding Fathers, who created this nation, offered advice for us to use.

"The natural cure for an ill-administration, in a popular or representative

constitution, is a change of men." -- Alexander Hamilton, 1787

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were

to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government

would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered

by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the

government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to

control itself." -- James Madison, 1788

"The Constitution which at any time exists, 'till changed by an explicit and

authentic act of the whole People is sacredly obligatory upon all."

-- George Washington, 1796

We are just one week away from completing our 9th year of publication.

Very frankly, the continued publication of ANC is in the hands of our readers,

in communities across America and in many countries of the world. Please click

right HERE and note our suggested contribution of just $12. Your response

will help make sure that we will be able to begin our 10th year of publication of

the Internet's pro-Christian, pro-American, pro-Conservative commentary.

WE NEED TO REMEMBER THE MESSAGE!

2011-12-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 14, 2011 of our 9th year of consecutive publication

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A thought for the Advent season, this year and for the years to come:

"Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind.

To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in

mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."

President Calvin Coolidge, 1927

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NOW IN THE MIDST OF THIS YEAR'S ADVENT SEASON,

WE NEED TO REMEMBER THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST'S

FIRST COMING, AND TO ANTICIPATE HIS RETURN

AT HIS SECOND COMING, AS HE PROMISED

Well, here we are, mid-way through the month of December, some 10 days until

Christmas, and three-quarters of the way through the Advent season. By way of

a reminder, Advent is an important element of the liturgical church calendar, and

begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day (Nov. 27 this year), and ends

on Christmas Eve.

The theme of the Scripture readings during Advent (the word is from the Latin

advenio, meaning "to come to") is really three-fold in nature; first, to celebrate

the First Coming of Christ in His birth at Christmas ... second, the coming of

Christ into our lives ... and third, His Second Coming to earth as He promised.

Note these Scriptures: His first coming, "Unto you is born this day in the city

of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11) His coming into our

lives, "If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him."

(Rev. 3:20) His second coming, "If I go ... I will come again and receive you

unto myself." (John 14:3) "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your

Lord may come." (Matt. 24:42)

In these troublesome days of attacks on Christmas by atheists, anti-Christians

and the liberal left, Advent does have one advantage -- because the name "Christ"

does not appear in its title, it is not involved in the ever increasing determination to

make this event a "Christless Christmas." The battles of political correctness erupt

every year at this time, as an increasing number of public officials and organizations

strive to reduce Christmas to a secular holiday. Stories of the attacks on Christmas

are in our news, both local and national.

A couple of them have gained particular attention this year -- one in Rhode Island

where Governor Lincoln Chaffee, an Independent, has decreed that the capitol's

tree will be called a "Holiday tree." (It might be interesting to ask the Governor

what "Holiday" it is -- and he would obviously have to say the forbidden word,

"Christmas.") Meantime, Republican State Rep. Doreen Costa has erected a

"Christmas tree" in her office, and has invited anyone who believes in Christmas to

observe the holiday around her tree.

Similarly in Tulsa, OK, the city sponsored a "Holiday Parade" while Tulsa's business

community sponsored a rival "Christmas Parade." The two parades were held at

the same time last Saturday, in different sections of the city. The "Holiday" parade

had 66 units, while the "Christmas" parade had 100 -- the clear winner both in

parade size and number of spectators.

As Jeff Dunetz put it, writing in Yid with Lid: "Hey, ACLU: Give it up. America

is a Christian country. People who see December as an opportune time for

the celebration of politically correct multiculturalism have to stop!"

Bearing in mind that it was a Supreme Court decision in 1963 which banned

prayer in schools, and really launched the current-day "politically correct" attacks

on Christmas and national religious observances, Dennis Marcellino (writing in

conservativebyte.com) maintains: "When Christmas was more religious, the

social statistics were far better, and the nation was happier and more in love."

To support his position he offers this reasoning: "Had a person fallen asleep in

1960 and awaken today, this is what they’d have found strikingly different in

the United States:
• Doubled divorce rate
• Tripled teen suicide
• Quadrupled rate of reported violent crimes
• Quintupled prison population
• Sextupled percent of babies born to unmarried parents
• Sevenfold increase in cohabitations (a predictor of future divorce)
• Soaring rate of depression to ten times the pre-World War II level..."

And that 17 day Obama Christmas vacation in Hawaii? After we --and

other commentators on both sides of the public opinion divide -- had questioned

the Obama family's plans to spend Christmas on a vacation in Hawaii, Mr. Obama

has now announced that Mrs. Obama and the children (and presumably her mother)

will go to Hawaii, and he will stay in the White House and be President, as he was

hired to be. But there goes any attempt to portray the Obamas as the typical

American family . . . the wife and children observing Christmas on a beach in

Hawaii, while the husband/father spends Christmas alone in Washington.

The rash of presidential candidate debates reminds us that the national

election on Nov. 6, 2012 is now just 328 days away ... 328 days to pray for

our nation, for wisdom for our leaders, and for God's direction as we go to the

polls to vote. And we should pray for the nation Israel, under threat of being

attacked and destroyed by the Muslim nations which surround it. And for our

fellow believers throughout the world who are facing persecution and death

from the Islamic terrorists -- even though the Obama administration has made

it clear that in their opinion such does not exist.

Because of the liberal bias of the "Main Line Media," it is always helpful

to read "What Others Are Saying." Here are a few examples . . .

Investors Business Daily: "The Postal Service said it will shut almost half

its mail processing centers and largely eliminate next-day delivery for

first-class mail. That's on top of a 1-cent postage stamp hike that goes into

effect next month. It's all part of an effort to cut $20 billion in annual costs,

staunch the flood of red ink and avoid bankruptcy. Still, it's hard to see how

charging more for worse service is a credible plan for success."

The American Dream: "The control freaks that run the U.S. government are

busy imposing their values on all the rest of us, and most Americans have

absolutely no idea what is happening... they are trying to reshape America so

that it conforms to their own twisted vision of "morality". Instead of focusing

on fixing the economy and administering the government, these sick control

freaks actually want to fundamentally alter what Americans believe to be

right and wrong... At a time when this nation is drowning in debt, it seems

quite foolish to be spending so much money on radical social engineering

programs. ...But no matter how much money they spend, I am never going to

be convinced that touching the private parts of women and children at U.S.

airports is necessary for national security."

Senator Joe Lieberman (I, CT): “The American service member is

increasingly in the terrorists’ scope and not just overseas in a traditional war

setting... the military has become a direct target of violent Islamist extremism

within the United States." [Editor's note: Homegrown Islamic terrorism has

become a serious threat to American troops. Since September 11, 2001 there have

been at least 54 homegrown Islamic terrorist plots with more than 30 targeting our

military bases and troops. See comments by Senator Collins in "Afterthoughts."]

We must never forget or ignore our longtime friend and ally, Israel . . .

Dr. Mike Evans (Jerusalem Prayer Team): "Violence against the Jewish

people continues to escalate as Gaza terrorists have fired at least ten rockets

into Israel over the past two days... It is so ironic to read the news reports of

attacks on Israel from Gaza—the land Israel gave up in exchange for empty

promises of peace—side by side with reports of politicians like President

Obama urging Israel to give up even more land for peace. There will never

be peace until the Palestinians give up their dream of destroying Israel and

killing the Jews... They will never rest until their evil goal is accomplished —

or until they are stopped. The threat to Israel will not disappear because a

meaningless piece of paper is signed."

One man's view of the economy: it's all Bush's fault:

Barack Hussein Obama (Memphis TV, Dec.9, 2011):“The reason they still

support me is because they understand what an incredible mess had been

made as I was coming into office and we’ve been spending the last three

years cleaning it up."

Alex Frazier (Personal Liberty Digest): "Anyone who's anyone knows that

economics is the name of the game this voting season. Our issues of

sustained military action in the Middle East, unemployment, currency

devaluation, inflated prices, reduced production and a dozen other problems

are all directly related. If the powers that be refuse to correct our economy

with wise and educated direction, our Nation will be lost."

We found just a few "One Liners" this week -- all quite interesting.

Robert Ringer: "Watching Republicans and Democrats battle over extension

of the payroll tax cut is like watching two bald men fight over a comb."

Rod Blagojevich (former Governor of Illinois at his sentencing): "I caused

it all. I'm not blaming anyone. I was the governor, and I should have known

better." (He'll be a federal penitentiary guest for 14 years.)

Alan Sears (Pres. Alliance Defense Fund): "The Three R's Stand for

"Rescinding the Rights of the Religious"

And here's one the media won't mention: "It's good to be back in Texas,"

said President Obama proudly, before correcting himself as he addressed an

audience in Osawatomie, Kansas last week.

And there are these "Afterthoughts" from this week's research . . .

We are often reminded of the "Newspeak" in George Orwell's 1984 in the

"politically correct" terminology Mr. Obama decrees for American use. Senator

Susan Collins (R, ME) has reacted strongly against Obama's Defense Department

classifying the Fort Hood massacre by an Ismalic terrorist as "workplace violence."

The Senator suggests that "political correctness" is supplanting the security of the

nation's Armed Forces at home. Since 9/11 there have been at least 33 terror

plots targeting the U.S. military; 70% have occurred since mid-2009. The DOD

now considers America itself as the most dangerous place for members of our

armed forces, outside of foreign war zones.

Always enjoyable: James Delingpole's 365 Ways to Drive a Liberal Crazy:

"According to NASA administrator Charles Bolden, Obama now thinks it is

more appropriate for America's space program to tout the alleged scientific

contributions of Islam than it is to push the frontiers of space exploration.

Forget about exploring Mars, the purpose of NASA is to raise Muslim

self-esteem. Or, as Obama might put it: 'Ask not what NASA can do for

America's space program, ask what it can do for Islam!'"

Vice President Biden edged Obama out of top spot in the polls. For the

first time Joe Biden has earned a higher unfavorable rating than the president

as 52% regard him unfavorably. The latest Gallup poll puts Obama's approval

rating at 41%, and his disapproval rating at 51%. Those numbers represent

the widest gap in the president's approval/disapproval ratings in the Gallup

polls in recent weeks.

Homosexual activists are again boycotting the Salvation Army's red kettle

fundraising campaign, alleging discrimination. Groups supporting special rights for

homosexuals are urging people to boycott the campaign. Homosexual activists have

long had a history of taking on the Salvation Army because of its biblical view on

the homosexual life. Peter LaBarbera, who heads "Americans for Truth about

Homosexuality," commented: "The homosexual lobby is at war with religion."

In a pre-election campaign speech, Mr. Obama told a Jewish audience: "I

try not to pat myself too much on the back, but this administration has done

more for the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration."

It's difficult to decide which part of his statement is the most arrogant and most

laughable. Arrogance and ridiculousness run hand-in-hand. The reality is, as seen

in the Horowitz Freedom Center's new video, "Obama: The Anti-Israel

President," that no administration has ever done less to secure Israel from

Muslim aggression. Has he done more for Israel than recent U.S. Presidents

Truman, Nixon and Reagan? Those presidents offered deeds, while Mr. Obama

offers only words, and, as one observer commented, "usually the wrong ones."

This anti-Israel attitude of the present administration flows down from the very top –

Obama himself. From his first day in office, Obama distinguished himself by his

hostility towards the Jewish state. During the first few months of his presidency he

found time to visit two Muslim countries in the Middle East -- Egypt and Turkey.

Yet to date, as a much traveled president, he has not found time to visit Israel, our

friend and dependable ally. Since their first meeting in May, 2009, Obama has

treated Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a series of humiliating snubs

on a scale not often seen in Washington. And just last month Obama was caught

disparaging the Prime Minister on a live microphone with French President Nicolas

Sarkozy: "You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day."

Barack Obama seems to have a different mindset than any other president in the

history of the United States, doubtless due to his background in the Muslim world.

He has never represented America as a Bible-believing nation under God, but has

repeatedly assured Muslim audiences that this is not a Christian nation..

Our Founding Fathers often spoke of our nation's Christian heritage . . .

"May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our

paths, and make us in all our several vocations useful here, and in His own

due time and way everlastingly happy." --George Washington, 1790

"That holy and happy period when the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour

Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and all people everywhere

willingly bow to the sceptre of Him who is Prince of Peace."

-- Samuel Adams, 1797

"The United States of America were no longer Colonies. They were an

independent nation of Christians." - John Quincy Adams, 1837

And that constitutes this week's issue of ANC . . . please consider helping

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THIS IS THE 70th ANNIVERSARY OF "PEARL HARBOR DAY"

2011-12-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

December 7, 2011 of our 9th year of consecutive publication

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A verse for today, for this week, and for the weeks to come:

"The LORD (God) says to my Lord (the Messiah), sit at my right hand,

until I make your adversaries your footstool. The LORD will

send forth from Zion the scepter of your strength;

rule, then, in the midst of your foes."

Psalm 110: 1-3 (Amplified Version)

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THIS IS THE 70th ANNIVERSARY OF "PEARL HARBOR DAY,"

BUT GIVEN THE WAY OBAMA IS RENAMING OUR

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS, THIS MAY BE THE LAST

TIME WE CAN REFER TO IT BY THAT NAME

In last week's issue we commented on the fact that Mr. Obama omitted any

reference to God in his Thanksgiving Day proclamation, and redefined

"Thanksgiving Day" as a celebration of community, instead of expressing

thanks to God for His blessings on our nation -- as other presidents have done

through the years. He further stated that he and his family would observe

Thanksgiving by "eating great food, watching a little football, and reflecting

on how truly lucky we are.” So Thanksgiving Day is now an observance of

"community." We no longer thank God for our blessings. We are just "lucky."

Earlier, in an attempt to disguise the "9/11" attack on America by peace loving

Muslims, he renamed "9/11" as "National Day of Service." How that title relates

to the most disastrous attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor is a bit difficult

to grasp. He may possibly allow Pearl Harbor Day to continue, since no Muslims

were involved in that attack. However, given his new assertion that America is an

active Pacific power, he may alter this title also, to remove any possible memory

of Japan's role in that attack.

We have only three national holidays which are religious in nature -- Thanksgiving,

Christmas and Easter. Thanksgiving has been altered . . . Christmas is on the way

out . . . Easter, he has already begun ignoring, whereas he celebrates lavishly the

Islamic days of observance.

Our Founding Fathers were men of strong religious faith. (See this week's

Founding Fathers' quotes at the end of this Commentary.) Previous Presidents

have recognized and exemplified the Judeo-Christian principles upon which this

nation was founded. Under this president, the title of Bob Dylan's song of a half

century ago comes to mind, "The times they are a-changin."

In case you hadn't heard, the president is going on another vacation.

The announcement from the White House Travel Office was brief and to the point:

"Trip of the President to Honolulu, Hawaii, December 17th, 2011 to January

2nd, 2012. Trip Overview: On Saturday, December 17, 2011, the President

will travel to Honolulu, Hawaii. He will return to Washington, DC on Monday,

January 2nd , 2012. No public events are scheduled during the trip."

In that official announcement, there was no mention of Mrs. Obama and their two

children and Mrs. Obama's mother accompanying the president, but one assumes

they will be sharing the vacation on the Hawaiian beach. As for Mr. Obama's

family members, it is probably not likely that his half brother, George Hussein

Onyango Obama, who still lives in Kenya, will be joining them there.

Two questions come to mind: (1) Why was all the effort, and money spent on

decorating the White House for Mrs. Obama to show to a few selected people;

and (2) As asked by Governor Christie of New Jersey: "What are we paying

you for?"

The Obamas keep saying that the White House is "The people's house." It is the

very wonderful place that we provide as a residence for our presidents. It would

seem appropriate for the president and his family to observe Christmas in the

White House, where traditional seasonal decorations are already in place. By

any standard, the White House has to be as elegant and luxurious a residence as

any in the world. And there are plenty of golf courses in the Washington area. It

seems to be almost an insult to the American people to vacation again in a spot

that few Americans, in these difficult times, can afford. (Of course, there are those

millions of unemployed who are on sort of "permanent vacations.")

Seldom has a defense authorization bill been so morally relevant, and with

both favorable and unfavorable aspects. Last week the Senate passed a $662

billion defense authorization bill -- but without the expected amendment attached

which would have passed Diane Feinstein's "Respect Marriage Act," which would

have replaced the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) and would thus have given

federal approval of same-sex "marriages." That's the good aspect. It eliminates --

at least for a while -- Obama's promise to repeal DOMA. The bad aspect is that

the bill not only repeals the military law banning sodomy, it also repeals the military

ban on sex with animals -- or bestiality. It does this by repealing Article 125 of the

Uniform Code of Military justice, which makes it illegal to engage in sodomy with

humans and to engage in sex with animals. Step by step, our traditional standards

of morality are being eroded.

Please don't forget our countdown to prayer for the 2012 election. Given

what we see taking place in our country with increasing moral decay and an

ever increasing national debt, we need to pray for wisdom to be given to our

leaders, and for God's guidance as we have opportunity to vote to return this

nation to what it was founded to be. As of today, there are just 337 days till

Nov. 6, 2012. And pray also for our fellow believers in so many parts of the

world who daily face persecution and even loss of life for their faith. And do

not forget to pray for Israel -- our friends in the midst of of a world of Muslim

enemies who threaten their right to exist. Never forget God's word in Psalm

122:6, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

The continued liberal bias of the media, favoring all things Obama, makes

it all the more important that we note "What Others Are Saying" . . .

Robert Ringer: "Even after three years of thugocratic government, there

are still many conservatives and libertarians who cannot bring themselves to

believe that Barack Obama is anything more than a 'big-spending liberal'

who is simply misguided."

David Horowitz (Conservative writer): "The United States of Anarchy.

That is the left's vision for America. And we see that vision being becoming

reality in the Occupy Wall Street movement. This dark carnival of rape,

cop-hating, dope dealing, and even murder has been endorsed by the

Democratic Party establishment and even the President himself, because it

supports their class warfare agenda."

An astute assessment by a competent observer:

Mark Alexander (in the Patriot Post): "Comparing Obama with Carter is,

frankly, an insult to Carter. Though Carter had an abysmal record, by any

measure Obama has yet to rise to even Carter's level of ineptitude. It might

be argued that Carter's intentions were good, but we all know where roads

paved with good intentions can lead. Conversely, Obama's intentions are

anything but good. Indeed, he is clearly intent on undermining Essential

Liberty and replacing free enterprise with his brand of authoritarian

democratic socialism."

Barry Rubin: "A short history of Obama Middle East policy: November 2011:

'We believe that Islamism is not a threat and that they will become more

moderate once in power. There is nothing to worry about. October 2012:

Oops! Sorry about that!'"

We weren't alone in our evaluation of the Obama Thanksgiving message:

Mark Tapson (in frontpagemag.com): "It is a commonplace that one of the

principal reasons for the much-discussed civilizational decline of the West is

the loss of religious faith, at least in Europe, where multiculturalism and

secularism have been elevated to religious status. (This is not to say that

America’s religious character also isn’t under assault in ways large and

small; witness, for example, President Obama’s absolute omission of any

reference to God in last week’s Thanksgiving address, in which the once-

and-future community organizer referred to the holiday as a mere 'celebration

of community')".

Alan Caruba (in The New Media Journal): "What President Obama calls a

'do nothing Congress' is one in which his party controlled both houses of

Congress until the 2010 elections. It will live in infamy for imposing

Obamacare on a nation that has flatly rejected it. The Supreme Court will

hear the suit brought against it by 26 state attorney generals. If permitted to

stand, it will destroy what is widely regarded as the world's best health system

along with the historic interpretation of the Constitution's commerce clause."

Consider these One Liners; almost prophetic in nature:

Charles Krauthammer (in the Washington Post): ""If Obama wins, he will

take the country to a place from which it will not be able to return."

Donald Trump (in Godfather Politics): An Obama second term in the

White House would be “devastating for the United States as we know it,”

... the country would find it “very hard to ever recover.”

And there are these few "Afterthoughts" . . .

In case you ever wondered about our president's views of homosexuality,

here is a verbatim quote of an item in the Washington Post, dated yesterday,

Dec. 6, 2011: "President Obama ordered U.S. diplomatic missions and

federal agencies working abroad to strengthen efforts to fight international

discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals,

saying he is 'deeply concerned by the violence' against them in many parts

of the world." One could wish he were as concerned over violence against

Christians in "many parts of the world," particularly in Muslim nations.

"An illegal fringe benefit for illegal immigrants" -- that's how our friends at

The Heritage Foundation describe at least 12 states allowing individuals who are

in the United States illegally to pay the same in-state tuition rates as legal residents

of the state without providing the same rates to others in the country who are here

legally. And they are doing this in direct violation of existing federal law -- Section

1623 of the "Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act," passed

by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. And the Obama

administration is doing nothing about these violations of federal law. (Hello, Attorney

General Holder . . .)

And for an update on Egypt, as current as yesterday, here is a condensation

of the assessment by George Friedman, as reported in Stratfor: "The first round

of Egyptian parliamentary elections has taken place, and the winners were

two Islamist parties... It is far from clear what will happen in Egypt now."

[An Islamist state, with the elimination of the State of Israel as its goal seems to be

increasingly likely.] "What is clear is that the faction championed by Western

governments and the media will now have to accept the Islamist agenda,

back the military or fade into irrelevance." And as another observer expressed

it: "The young people who sought democratic reform have been decimated."

Our times have often been called "The age of the polls." When those polls

are used to predict election winners a year or more in advance, they are notably

inaccurate. But when they report on present or immediate past conditions, they are

unquestionably accurate. Three years into the Obama administration, and 29 months

after the supposed end of the Great Recession, only 7% of Americans have returned

to the income they enjoyed before the recession. A new study by Rutgers University

reports that fully 69 percent of Americans have experienced devastating economic

conditions during Barack Obama’s time in office. They described themselves as

“Downsized,” “Devastated,” or “Totally Wrecked.” Many have forsaken medical

treatment, reduced their food budgets, borrowed money, or sold possessions to stay

afloat. The study is entitled "Categorizing the Unemployed by the Impact of the

Recession." Its authors surveyed nearly 4,000 Americans in August 2009, March

2010, November 2010, and August 2011. And even the ultra-liberal Huff Post has

stated: "The economy is technically in recovery, but for a vast number of

Americans, things are worse now than they were three years ago."

Our Founding Fathers often spoke of their great faith in God . . .

"It is the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated seasons, to

worship the SUPREME BEING, the great Creator and Preserver of the

universe." -- John Adams, 1776

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed

their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these

liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his

wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that

his justice cannot sleep for ever." --Thomas Jefferson, 1781

"I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing

proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a

sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an

empire can rise without his aid?" --Benjamin Franklin, 1787

And this final -- but important -- word . . . having read this issue of ANC, your

pro-Christian, pro-American, pro-Conservative commentary, you may like to help

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