We were on the coast in Malindi at Turtle Bay last week; no TV's, no internet, completely disconnected from the rest of the world for a relaxing six days. Consequently we missed the opening of Congress and the reading of the Constitution, and we didn't hear about the Tucson, Arizona shooting until Monday.
Sadly, the mainstream media's reaction to the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the murder of six others was not only typical, but predictable. While they immediately warned the country not to rush to judgment when Nidal Hassan murdered 13 soldiers while shouting, "allah akbar," this time they rushed to judgment blaming the Tea Party movement, talk radio hosts, Sarah Palin, and guns. One deranged Congressman from South Carolina even suggested that the reading of the Constitution at the Capitol caused the atmosphere for the shooting to take place.
For four days the media shamelessly spewed their vitriol until the President made his speech about not using this for political expediency. Nice, except it was about four days too late. And it hasn't apparently helped. We just watched Jonathan Mann's weekend review on CNN Overseas. His expert analyst reported it was a bad week for news journalists because of all the false accusations that went flying over the airwaves. While making the analysis pictures of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter were splashed on the screen. Let me see, those weren't the journalists spreading the lies and hate, they were the ones being slandered by people who were spreading the lies and hate. Shameless isn't even a strong enough word for the MSM.
Now it turns out the shooter is an extremely liberal registered Independent, looney-tune pothead, who was in favor of illegal alien amnesty. A far more rational rush to judgment would have been to say that he shot Giffords, who is a conservative Democrat in favor of closing the border and against amnesty, because he was influenced by liberal alien amnesty supporters. But the MSM hasn't given us that side of the story.
"The pen is mightier than the sword," but the pen can be used to tear down or to build up. In this case it is the pen of hate filled left-wing socialist slugs who don't give a rip about America. They don't care about the Constitution either, which is why the left wing agenda so often rejects the very basic tenets of our founding document.
The Constitution was written "in Order to form a more perfect Union." In other words, the Constitution was designed to unite, not divide. Anybody who will take an objective look at America today (which leaves out the MSM) will see that the vitriol, the hate speech, the perpetuation of racial divisions, and the perversion of the Constitution comes not from conservatives, but from the far left. Liberals are usually guilty of the very things they accuse conservatives of, and they are the ones doing the dividing, not the other way around.
One purpose of our more perfect Union is to "establish Justice." Justice is not served, however, when the Constitution becomes a living document that constantly changes to fit self-serving liberal interpretations of it. Neither is justice served when our national boundaries are left unprotected and foreign drug cartels run freely across American soil murdering Americans eighty miles inland from the border, and US Border Patrol agents are sent to jail for trying to stop them.
Another purpose is to "insure domestic Tranquility." That means to keep the peace, which is to be kept by the rule of law, which is the Constitution. Unfortunately, the current administration has thumbed its nose at the Constitution, showing its absolute disregard for America's traditions and the rule of law.
The Union is to provide for the "common defense" which includes closing and protecting our borders from all enemies, which illegal alien drug running cartels from Mexico are.
Finally, the Union is to "promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." A socialist state will not promote the blessings of liberty. It will restrict them until it enslaves the people, and a 14 trillion dollar untamed debt will deny those blessings to our children for generations to come.
The answer for America is to go back to our beginnings, re-establish our Constitution, and govern by the principles and character of our Christian Founding Fathers. We could no more govern America effectively without the Constitution than a Christian Church could carry out its business without a Bible. Enough of the progressive movement trying to rewrite our history and our beliefs. We have the greatest governing document ever written in the history of man. Reading it in Congress was a good idea. Now, We the People need to demand the government not only defend the Constitution of the United States, but govern strictly by the Constitution of the United States.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Time
Fast away the old year passes, and it’s only 357 days until next Christmas. Where does the time go? Or better yet, what are we going to do with the time before it gets away? We’re at the beginning of a new year with all the promises of a new beginning before us. What are we going to do with it?
John Quincy Adams once wrote, “There is no people on earth so ambitious as the people of America. The reason is because the lowest can aspire as freely as the highest.”
That’s why the son of a dirt poor farmer in the wilderness of Kentucky and Indiana, who learned to read by firelight and never finished school, much less went to college, could rise to become president of the United States. In his book, The Inspirational Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln, Philip Ostergard writes, “While others slept, Abe read all the books he could find; while others fiddled, he gained skill in mathematics; while others wasted time, he attended court in the County Court House, some fifteen miles distant from his home.”
Lincoln never let his poor, uneducated upbringing hold him back. He worked hard at everything and never wasted a moment. He grew strong and sinewy. No one could keep pace with him with an axe, but he was more than just a rail-splitter. Every experience for him was an opportunity to learn, and learn he did. Ostergard concluded that, “He embodied the best traits and spirit that characterize an American.”
Lincoln lived and fulfilled the American Dream. That dream of freedom to rise above your surroundings and the equal playing field to achieve a better life if you are willing to strive for it, as opposed to being stuck in a caste system, or an enslaving dictatorship, or an economy so poor there is no hope, is the desire of the world. For most of the world a desire is all it is, but Americans own the dream. That’s why everybody wants to come to America. It is a land of opportunity.
Unfortunately, there are sinister forces that want to take that opportunity away and replace it with a socialist “Nanny State,” that will make everybody equally poor and control every move everybody makes. They promise a big, benevolent government that will take care of you from the cradle to the grave. You don’t have to do anything. Sadly, and sickly, I might add, a large part of America’s non-thinking citizenry has bought into this nonsense. That’s why we have had the Obama/Reid/Pelosi reign of terror for the last two years.
Our hope now, however, is that when the new Congress is sworn in this week it will not forget the mandate it was given in the last election to overturn this socialist takeover of our country. Politicians being what politicians are, however, the new Republican majority in the House is just as likely to be stalled and buffaloed into business as usual, and go down the road of compromise to more mediocrity and a failure to follow through on the conservative principles that got them elected.
On January 27, 1838, in an address to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln compared the United States with the Church, which “the gates of hell shall not prevail against.” America is invincible, he said, as long as it remains true to the principles it was founded upon.
In his first Fourth of July address as president in 1861, Lincoln seemed to question whether or not America was being true to its founding principles. “Our popular government has often been called an experiment. Two points in it, our people have already settled – the successful establishing, and the successful administering of it. One still remains – its successful maintenance against a formidable attempt to overthrow it. . . . ”
In his Gettysburg Address he posed the same question: “testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.”
We may well ask ourselves that question today. Is America going to long endure, or are we going to succumb to the godless, socialist threat from the liberal left, and from a president who may not even be eligible for the office?
“Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom,” and if the next year is going to be different than the last, we must not waste our time resting upon the laurels of the recent elections. We must use our time wisely to continue to be eternally vigilant.
John Quincy Adams once wrote, “There is no people on earth so ambitious as the people of America. The reason is because the lowest can aspire as freely as the highest.”
That’s why the son of a dirt poor farmer in the wilderness of Kentucky and Indiana, who learned to read by firelight and never finished school, much less went to college, could rise to become president of the United States. In his book, The Inspirational Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln, Philip Ostergard writes, “While others slept, Abe read all the books he could find; while others fiddled, he gained skill in mathematics; while others wasted time, he attended court in the County Court House, some fifteen miles distant from his home.”
Lincoln never let his poor, uneducated upbringing hold him back. He worked hard at everything and never wasted a moment. He grew strong and sinewy. No one could keep pace with him with an axe, but he was more than just a rail-splitter. Every experience for him was an opportunity to learn, and learn he did. Ostergard concluded that, “He embodied the best traits and spirit that characterize an American.”
Lincoln lived and fulfilled the American Dream. That dream of freedom to rise above your surroundings and the equal playing field to achieve a better life if you are willing to strive for it, as opposed to being stuck in a caste system, or an enslaving dictatorship, or an economy so poor there is no hope, is the desire of the world. For most of the world a desire is all it is, but Americans own the dream. That’s why everybody wants to come to America. It is a land of opportunity.
Unfortunately, there are sinister forces that want to take that opportunity away and replace it with a socialist “Nanny State,” that will make everybody equally poor and control every move everybody makes. They promise a big, benevolent government that will take care of you from the cradle to the grave. You don’t have to do anything. Sadly, and sickly, I might add, a large part of America’s non-thinking citizenry has bought into this nonsense. That’s why we have had the Obama/Reid/Pelosi reign of terror for the last two years.
Our hope now, however, is that when the new Congress is sworn in this week it will not forget the mandate it was given in the last election to overturn this socialist takeover of our country. Politicians being what politicians are, however, the new Republican majority in the House is just as likely to be stalled and buffaloed into business as usual, and go down the road of compromise to more mediocrity and a failure to follow through on the conservative principles that got them elected.
On January 27, 1838, in an address to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln compared the United States with the Church, which “the gates of hell shall not prevail against.” America is invincible, he said, as long as it remains true to the principles it was founded upon.
In his first Fourth of July address as president in 1861, Lincoln seemed to question whether or not America was being true to its founding principles. “Our popular government has often been called an experiment. Two points in it, our people have already settled – the successful establishing, and the successful administering of it. One still remains – its successful maintenance against a formidable attempt to overthrow it. . . . ”
In his Gettysburg Address he posed the same question: “testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.”
We may well ask ourselves that question today. Is America going to long endure, or are we going to succumb to the godless, socialist threat from the liberal left, and from a president who may not even be eligible for the office?
“Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom,” and if the next year is going to be different than the last, we must not waste our time resting upon the laurels of the recent elections. We must use our time wisely to continue to be eternally vigilant.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Remembering Where We Were When
The last week of the year for many people is usually a time for reflection. Many will take stock of their accomplishments, or lack of, and news media will remind us of the significant events of the past twelve months.
Some events are so critically important that people never forget where they were when they first heard. You know, the "Where were you when" events. I'm too young to remember Pearl Harbor, but I have living relatives and friends who remember it well.
The first significant event I remember was November 22, 1963. It was lunch time at Asbury Elementary School in Denver and all the kids were on the playground when one of my classmates, Scott Haskins, who had gone home for lunch, walked up with a great big grin on his face and said, "The president has been shot." Nobody believed him, but when the recess was over and we got back to class, we all noticed the somber look on the face of our English exchange teacher, Miss Mundy. She explained it to us with a compassion that, as I look back, I would never have expected from a foreigner. School was dismissed and we all filed out in silence.
I was at my grandparent's house watching with interest on July 11, 1969 when Neil Armstrong took "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
On March 30, 1981, I was working at Wendy's when somebody pulled up to the drive through window and said, "Have you heard that the president was shot?" I remember my heart sinking; Reagan assassinated? All our hopes gone? We had no radio in the restaurant and we were asking every driver that came by all afternoon for updates. I could hardly wait to get home to see the news.
Another significant day was December 25, 1991. We were in the Philippines when we heard on the news that night that the Soviet Union had just voted itself out of existence. The Cold War was over. I had to let it sink in for a moment, but then I said to my wife, "We won!" It was rather surreal because the evil empire went out with such a whimper that almost nobody even noticed. When I went to work the next day there was no celebration, not even any discussion about it, but until 9/11 it had to be the single most significant event of my lifetime.
Of course I'll never forget 9/11. We were here in Kenya and I was a little ways north at a place called New Wood helping another missionary put up a new church building. Around 5:30 pm we got a call on the cell phone and heard about the World Trade Center attack.
As a historian (When I graduated with a BA in history my guidance counsellor told me that now I was a historian.) I often read about events that I wish I could have witnessed. I think the desire may have been planted when I was about ten or twelve years old by a collection of books called the "We Were There" series. The books were written for a young teenage audience and I think would have made good required reading in public schools.
One year at Christmas I received We Were There at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. It told the story of Rob, a teenager who wound up riding with Paul Revere to call out the militia, and then got his baptism of fire in the fight the next day. I loved the story and relived it over and over as I read the book probably a dozen times. I would like to have been there myself in those delicate days when the fate of our nation stood in the balance.
So, with these thoughts in mind, here is a list of events that if I were given the chance I would like to have personally witnessed:
- The look on the worried faces of the mariners on the Pinta, the Nina, and the Santa Maria, whose superstitious fears of falling off the edge of the world had nearly led them to mutiny, when someone cried out "Land ho!" What celebration must have taken place, and how stately the proud Christopher Columbus must have looked knowing that their discovery would change the world.
- George Washington on the march to Ft. Duquesne on July 9, 1755, when the British regulars were ambushed by a force of French and Indians. While the red coats panicked and fled, Washington, at all times exposed to enemy fire, rallied the militia to hold their ground and saved what was left of the army. Washington's coat was riddled by musket balls and several horses were shot out from under him, but he was miraculously unhurt.
- The stirring oration in St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia on March 23, 1775 when Patrick Henry declared, "Give me liberty, or give me death."
- The Constitutional Convention in 1787, when argument had become so vehement that nothing was being accomplished. Benjamin Franklin took the floor and said, "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?" I would like to have witnessed and then joined the delegates as they all got on their knees and began to pray for God's guidance.
- When the early morning fog and smoke from the cannons cleared on September 14, 1814, and revealed to Francis Scott Key the Star Spangled Banner flying over Ft. McHenry.
- The halls of Congress when on January 26, 1830 Daniel Webster trounced the nullification argument and finished one of the greatest patriotic speeches in history with the bold declaration, "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"
- The Alamo in 1836 to see if Travis really did draw a line in the sand.
- The dedication of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg when on November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln gave his famous address.
- The immaculately dressed and dignified Robert E. Lee offering his sword to the shabbily dressed, yet humble and gracious Ulysses S. Grant at Appomatox Courthouse on April 9, 1865.
- Custer's attack on the Indian village on the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876, to find out exactly how events of the battle transpired.
- The light in Thomas Edison's eyes when his incandescent lightbulb shone successfully for the first time in 1879.
It becomes a little harder to select events from the twentieth century because with news reels and modern media so much of it is available to be seen, but there are many events I would like to have seen first hand:
- The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk in 1903.
- Babe Ruth's called shot in the 1932 World Series or Mickey Mantle's monster homerun in 1956 that came within inches of being the only ball ever hit out of Yankee Stadium.
- Lou Gehrig in 1939 saying, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
- Kate Smith introducing and singing a new song by Irving Berlin in 1941, God Bless America.
- The flag raising on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima, February 23, 1945.
- Aboard the Enola Gay to see the reaction of the aircrew when they saw the mushroom cloud rising over Hiroshima, August 6, 1945.
- Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders in Apollo 8 orbiting the moon on Christmas Eve, 1968, and reading the first nine verses of Genesis Chapter One to the entire world before saying, "Good night."
- Ronald Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate in 1987 saying, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."
- This past year I would like to have been able to attend the Restoring Honor rally held at the Lincoln Memorial by Glenn Beck on August 28.
I could go on ad infinitum but this is enough for now. You get the picture, and surely you can think of many events you would like to have seen yourself.
Suffice it to say that it is necessary that we remember particular events, not only in our lifetime, but in our entire history as a nation. In 1945 General Dwight Eisenhower ordered pictures and video to be taken of the Nazi death camps as they were liberated to create an indisputable record for the future because, he said, some day somebody will deny it ever happened. That is happening today frequently in spite of all the evidence.
The same can be said for America's Christian heritage. The ACLU, and many other leftist, socialist, and even muslim organizations, with the help of the current presidential administration, are trying to deny the Christian foundation of our country, and deny First Amendment rights to Christians. It is vitally necessary that we remember who we are and where we came from. We began as a Christian nation; the testimonies of the Founders, their writings and documents all attest to it. Those who say different either haven't read the Founders, or they are deliberately trying to deny the truth. When the French historian Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States he reported that America was great because America was good, and that her goodness was found in her churches which were found in every corner of the land. It's the Christian religion, that is, faith in Jesus Christ, that made America great, nothing else.
As Ronald Reagan once said, "If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
Some events are so critically important that people never forget where they were when they first heard. You know, the "Where were you when" events. I'm too young to remember Pearl Harbor, but I have living relatives and friends who remember it well.
The first significant event I remember was November 22, 1963. It was lunch time at Asbury Elementary School in Denver and all the kids were on the playground when one of my classmates, Scott Haskins, who had gone home for lunch, walked up with a great big grin on his face and said, "The president has been shot." Nobody believed him, but when the recess was over and we got back to class, we all noticed the somber look on the face of our English exchange teacher, Miss Mundy. She explained it to us with a compassion that, as I look back, I would never have expected from a foreigner. School was dismissed and we all filed out in silence.
I was at my grandparent's house watching with interest on July 11, 1969 when Neil Armstrong took "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
On March 30, 1981, I was working at Wendy's when somebody pulled up to the drive through window and said, "Have you heard that the president was shot?" I remember my heart sinking; Reagan assassinated? All our hopes gone? We had no radio in the restaurant and we were asking every driver that came by all afternoon for updates. I could hardly wait to get home to see the news.
Another significant day was December 25, 1991. We were in the Philippines when we heard on the news that night that the Soviet Union had just voted itself out of existence. The Cold War was over. I had to let it sink in for a moment, but then I said to my wife, "We won!" It was rather surreal because the evil empire went out with such a whimper that almost nobody even noticed. When I went to work the next day there was no celebration, not even any discussion about it, but until 9/11 it had to be the single most significant event of my lifetime.
Of course I'll never forget 9/11. We were here in Kenya and I was a little ways north at a place called New Wood helping another missionary put up a new church building. Around 5:30 pm we got a call on the cell phone and heard about the World Trade Center attack.
As a historian (When I graduated with a BA in history my guidance counsellor told me that now I was a historian.) I often read about events that I wish I could have witnessed. I think the desire may have been planted when I was about ten or twelve years old by a collection of books called the "We Were There" series. The books were written for a young teenage audience and I think would have made good required reading in public schools.
One year at Christmas I received We Were There at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. It told the story of Rob, a teenager who wound up riding with Paul Revere to call out the militia, and then got his baptism of fire in the fight the next day. I loved the story and relived it over and over as I read the book probably a dozen times. I would like to have been there myself in those delicate days when the fate of our nation stood in the balance.
So, with these thoughts in mind, here is a list of events that if I were given the chance I would like to have personally witnessed:
- The look on the worried faces of the mariners on the Pinta, the Nina, and the Santa Maria, whose superstitious fears of falling off the edge of the world had nearly led them to mutiny, when someone cried out "Land ho!" What celebration must have taken place, and how stately the proud Christopher Columbus must have looked knowing that their discovery would change the world.
- George Washington on the march to Ft. Duquesne on July 9, 1755, when the British regulars were ambushed by a force of French and Indians. While the red coats panicked and fled, Washington, at all times exposed to enemy fire, rallied the militia to hold their ground and saved what was left of the army. Washington's coat was riddled by musket balls and several horses were shot out from under him, but he was miraculously unhurt.
- The stirring oration in St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia on March 23, 1775 when Patrick Henry declared, "Give me liberty, or give me death."
- The Constitutional Convention in 1787, when argument had become so vehement that nothing was being accomplished. Benjamin Franklin took the floor and said, "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?" I would like to have witnessed and then joined the delegates as they all got on their knees and began to pray for God's guidance.
- When the early morning fog and smoke from the cannons cleared on September 14, 1814, and revealed to Francis Scott Key the Star Spangled Banner flying over Ft. McHenry.
- The halls of Congress when on January 26, 1830 Daniel Webster trounced the nullification argument and finished one of the greatest patriotic speeches in history with the bold declaration, "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"
- The Alamo in 1836 to see if Travis really did draw a line in the sand.
- The dedication of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg when on November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln gave his famous address.
- The immaculately dressed and dignified Robert E. Lee offering his sword to the shabbily dressed, yet humble and gracious Ulysses S. Grant at Appomatox Courthouse on April 9, 1865.
- Custer's attack on the Indian village on the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876, to find out exactly how events of the battle transpired.
- The light in Thomas Edison's eyes when his incandescent lightbulb shone successfully for the first time in 1879.
It becomes a little harder to select events from the twentieth century because with news reels and modern media so much of it is available to be seen, but there are many events I would like to have seen first hand:
- The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk in 1903.
- Babe Ruth's called shot in the 1932 World Series or Mickey Mantle's monster homerun in 1956 that came within inches of being the only ball ever hit out of Yankee Stadium.
- Lou Gehrig in 1939 saying, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
- Kate Smith introducing and singing a new song by Irving Berlin in 1941, God Bless America.
- The flag raising on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima, February 23, 1945.
- Aboard the Enola Gay to see the reaction of the aircrew when they saw the mushroom cloud rising over Hiroshima, August 6, 1945.
- Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders in Apollo 8 orbiting the moon on Christmas Eve, 1968, and reading the first nine verses of Genesis Chapter One to the entire world before saying, "Good night."
- Ronald Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate in 1987 saying, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."
- This past year I would like to have been able to attend the Restoring Honor rally held at the Lincoln Memorial by Glenn Beck on August 28.
I could go on ad infinitum but this is enough for now. You get the picture, and surely you can think of many events you would like to have seen yourself.
Suffice it to say that it is necessary that we remember particular events, not only in our lifetime, but in our entire history as a nation. In 1945 General Dwight Eisenhower ordered pictures and video to be taken of the Nazi death camps as they were liberated to create an indisputable record for the future because, he said, some day somebody will deny it ever happened. That is happening today frequently in spite of all the evidence.
The same can be said for America's Christian heritage. The ACLU, and many other leftist, socialist, and even muslim organizations, with the help of the current presidential administration, are trying to deny the Christian foundation of our country, and deny First Amendment rights to Christians. It is vitally necessary that we remember who we are and where we came from. We began as a Christian nation; the testimonies of the Founders, their writings and documents all attest to it. Those who say different either haven't read the Founders, or they are deliberately trying to deny the truth. When the French historian Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States he reported that America was great because America was good, and that her goodness was found in her churches which were found in every corner of the land. It's the Christian religion, that is, faith in Jesus Christ, that made America great, nothing else.
As Ronald Reagan once said, "If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
Monday, December 20, 2010
December and the Real Meaning of Christmas
December is a month stock full of significant historical events for Americans. There is Pearl Harbor day on the 7th, the "day that will live in infamy," when, in 1941, the Japanese surprise attack on Hawaii killed over 2400 US servicemen and brought the United States into World War II.
The 8th is another infamous day for those who are fans of John Lennon, who was gunned down outside his apartment in New York City thirty years ago. Lennon was a cultural icon for the sexual revolution and the hippie movement of the 60's and 70's. Often called a brilliant musician, he is said to have influenced a generation. Indeed he did, but his legacy was one of moral impurity, drug abuse and atheism; hardly a role model any decent parent would want for his children.
On December 11 and 12, 1862, Union General Ambrose Burnside wrecked an entire corps of the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Fredericksburg. He ordered his men to charge across a half mile wide open field to dislodge Confederate troops under Robert E. Lee, who were well entrenched behind a stone wall. Thousands were cut down and many of the wounded left on the field died in the freezing temperatures of the night. When the sun rose Burnside wanted to try the same folly again but finally gave it up. The battle left a bitter pall over the nation that Christmas, and a growing fear that the Civil War could not be won by the North.
The 14th of 1799 was a tragically sad day as well. The Father of our Country, George Washington, at age 67 was in excellent health and condition. A few days before he had been out riding his horse, even jumping fences, when a winter storm blew in and he got caught in the weather. He came down with a severe cold that lingered until a medical doctor decided to bleed the bad blood from his body. In so doing he bled the life right out of Washington. Modern critics of the Bible often say it is unscientific, but 3,500 years ago Moses, under the inspiration of God, penned the first five books of the Old Testament and declared in Genesis 9:4 and Leviticus 17:11 that the life is in the blood. George Washington could probably have lived a much longer life if the medical profession had examined and followed the "unscientific" Word of God.
Twenty-six years earlier on the 16th of 1773, the Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, boarded three British merchant ships in Boston Harbor and dumped their entire cargoes of tea into the bay. The event became known as the Boston Tea Party. It was a reaction to the Stamp Acts which had levied a number of taxes against the colonists. Protests were so severe that most of the taxes were repealed, but the tea tax was left intact. The result of the Tea Party was the Intolerable Acts, passed by Parliament to close Boston Harbor to all shipping in 1774. This led to the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord a year later and brought on the American Revolution.
Ironically, four score and seven years later on December 20, 1860, South Carolina voted to secede from the Union setting in motion the events which led to the Civil War. The South stood on the 10th Amendment to the Constitution as the right to nullify Federal laws and secede from the Union, but the war ultimately decided there was no right of secession given to the States. Unfortunately the Republican led Union victory also opened the door to big government which in our day has become so enormous, that now Republicans are appealing to the 10th Amendment and talking about nullifying Federal laws. The State of Missouri even voted on and passed a law declaring parts of the Obama Healthcare law void in the state.
Christmas Day is an extremely important day in our history for more than the real meaning of Christmas. The year 1776 had been a bad one for George Washington and the Continental Army. They had been driven from Long Island, then Manhattan, then all the way across New Jersey in a series of delaying actions which kept the British at bay until the army escaped across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania and both armies went into winter quarters. A force of 1400 Hessians, German mercenaries hired by the British to fight the colonists, held the town of Trenton, New Jersey, and had settled down for Christmas dinner and ale. No one expected an attack, night patrols were not sent out, and most of the Hessian soldiers, including their commander were fast asleep on the morning of the 26th.
Washington, who was not only the commanding general of the Continental Armies, but the one man, the only man, who could possibly have kept the colonies united in the struggle for freedom, wisely decided a daring stroke was needed to finish the year and encourage Americans to keep on. At 11pm on the night of Christmas, his army of 2400 men crossed the freezing waters of the Delaware in a snow storm. The storm prevented another 1200 men from crossing, but by 3am all that were coming were across. At 8am the colonists attacked, taking the Hessians completely by surprise and in ninety minutes the battle was over. It was a severe blow to the British cause but a catalyst for the Americans, convincing colonial leaders to continue the fight for independence.
The birth of Christ, of course, is the true reason for the season. We are living in a day when hatred for Christianity is so severe that the un-American un-Civil non-Libertarian dis-Union (ACLU) spends all of its efforts at this time of the year trying to remove nativity scenes from public places. Many businesses no longer allow their employees to say, "Merry Christmas." Just this week the Federal Reserve told a bank in Oklahoma that they had to remove all Christmas decorations they had put up in their lobby. It's an atheist attack upon the founding principles of our country and nothing else. It has nothing to do with "separation of church and state" or the Constitution. It is simply a small minority (1.8% of Americans claim to be atheist) of the population trying to bully everybody else into bowing to their ungodly will.
We won't do it. America was founded as "One nation under God," and as Ronald Reagan once enjoined us, "if we forget that ... we will be a nation gone under." It is high time we remember the Christ of Christmas, not only when we shop and tell the clerk "Merry Christmas," but at all times. Jesus is the reason for Christmas. Born in a lowly manger some 2,000 years ago, Jesus left the glory of heaven to become man so that He might redeem fallen mankind to Himself. Without that promise there is no hope for eternity. Do you know Christ as your Savior? Are you sure you are on your way to heaven? If you cannot assuredly answer these questions in the affirmative, may I encourage you to read the third page on my blog, entitled, A Free Gift.
To all of you who have faithfully read these postings over the last several months and to the many who have commented, mostly by e-mail but some here on the blog, my sincere thanks and I hope that you all have
A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.
The 8th is another infamous day for those who are fans of John Lennon, who was gunned down outside his apartment in New York City thirty years ago. Lennon was a cultural icon for the sexual revolution and the hippie movement of the 60's and 70's. Often called a brilliant musician, he is said to have influenced a generation. Indeed he did, but his legacy was one of moral impurity, drug abuse and atheism; hardly a role model any decent parent would want for his children.
On December 11 and 12, 1862, Union General Ambrose Burnside wrecked an entire corps of the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Fredericksburg. He ordered his men to charge across a half mile wide open field to dislodge Confederate troops under Robert E. Lee, who were well entrenched behind a stone wall. Thousands were cut down and many of the wounded left on the field died in the freezing temperatures of the night. When the sun rose Burnside wanted to try the same folly again but finally gave it up. The battle left a bitter pall over the nation that Christmas, and a growing fear that the Civil War could not be won by the North.
The 14th of 1799 was a tragically sad day as well. The Father of our Country, George Washington, at age 67 was in excellent health and condition. A few days before he had been out riding his horse, even jumping fences, when a winter storm blew in and he got caught in the weather. He came down with a severe cold that lingered until a medical doctor decided to bleed the bad blood from his body. In so doing he bled the life right out of Washington. Modern critics of the Bible often say it is unscientific, but 3,500 years ago Moses, under the inspiration of God, penned the first five books of the Old Testament and declared in Genesis 9:4 and Leviticus 17:11 that the life is in the blood. George Washington could probably have lived a much longer life if the medical profession had examined and followed the "unscientific" Word of God.
Twenty-six years earlier on the 16th of 1773, the Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, boarded three British merchant ships in Boston Harbor and dumped their entire cargoes of tea into the bay. The event became known as the Boston Tea Party. It was a reaction to the Stamp Acts which had levied a number of taxes against the colonists. Protests were so severe that most of the taxes were repealed, but the tea tax was left intact. The result of the Tea Party was the Intolerable Acts, passed by Parliament to close Boston Harbor to all shipping in 1774. This led to the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord a year later and brought on the American Revolution.
Ironically, four score and seven years later on December 20, 1860, South Carolina voted to secede from the Union setting in motion the events which led to the Civil War. The South stood on the 10th Amendment to the Constitution as the right to nullify Federal laws and secede from the Union, but the war ultimately decided there was no right of secession given to the States. Unfortunately the Republican led Union victory also opened the door to big government which in our day has become so enormous, that now Republicans are appealing to the 10th Amendment and talking about nullifying Federal laws. The State of Missouri even voted on and passed a law declaring parts of the Obama Healthcare law void in the state.
Christmas Day is an extremely important day in our history for more than the real meaning of Christmas. The year 1776 had been a bad one for George Washington and the Continental Army. They had been driven from Long Island, then Manhattan, then all the way across New Jersey in a series of delaying actions which kept the British at bay until the army escaped across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania and both armies went into winter quarters. A force of 1400 Hessians, German mercenaries hired by the British to fight the colonists, held the town of Trenton, New Jersey, and had settled down for Christmas dinner and ale. No one expected an attack, night patrols were not sent out, and most of the Hessian soldiers, including their commander were fast asleep on the morning of the 26th.
Washington, who was not only the commanding general of the Continental Armies, but the one man, the only man, who could possibly have kept the colonies united in the struggle for freedom, wisely decided a daring stroke was needed to finish the year and encourage Americans to keep on. At 11pm on the night of Christmas, his army of 2400 men crossed the freezing waters of the Delaware in a snow storm. The storm prevented another 1200 men from crossing, but by 3am all that were coming were across. At 8am the colonists attacked, taking the Hessians completely by surprise and in ninety minutes the battle was over. It was a severe blow to the British cause but a catalyst for the Americans, convincing colonial leaders to continue the fight for independence.
The birth of Christ, of course, is the true reason for the season. We are living in a day when hatred for Christianity is so severe that the un-American un-Civil non-Libertarian dis-Union (ACLU) spends all of its efforts at this time of the year trying to remove nativity scenes from public places. Many businesses no longer allow their employees to say, "Merry Christmas." Just this week the Federal Reserve told a bank in Oklahoma that they had to remove all Christmas decorations they had put up in their lobby. It's an atheist attack upon the founding principles of our country and nothing else. It has nothing to do with "separation of church and state" or the Constitution. It is simply a small minority (1.8% of Americans claim to be atheist) of the population trying to bully everybody else into bowing to their ungodly will.
We won't do it. America was founded as "One nation under God," and as Ronald Reagan once enjoined us, "if we forget that ... we will be a nation gone under." It is high time we remember the Christ of Christmas, not only when we shop and tell the clerk "Merry Christmas," but at all times. Jesus is the reason for Christmas. Born in a lowly manger some 2,000 years ago, Jesus left the glory of heaven to become man so that He might redeem fallen mankind to Himself. Without that promise there is no hope for eternity. Do you know Christ as your Savior? Are you sure you are on your way to heaven? If you cannot assuredly answer these questions in the affirmative, may I encourage you to read the third page on my blog, entitled, A Free Gift.
To all of you who have faithfully read these postings over the last several months and to the many who have commented, mostly by e-mail but some here on the blog, my sincere thanks and I hope that you all have
A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thanksgiving
Since the politically correct and historically unintelligent textbooks recommended by the National Education Association for our public schools have rewritten our history to say the Pilgrims declared the first Thanksgiving Day to thank the Indians for their help, a review of what actually happened nearly four hundred years ago to set the record straight is in order.
In 1609 a group of religious dissenters led by John Robinson, left England for Holland looking for religious freedom. There in the town of Leyden they established what would become the first modern Baptist church. After a decade away from home, however, they saw their children speaking Dutch over English and beginning to follow some of the more promiscuous practices of their hosts. The congregation removed back to England with a plan to continue their search for religious freedom in the New World.
Their venture was financed by a group calling themselves the Merchant Adventurers. They agreed to provide supplies and passage in exchange for seven years of labor. On September 6, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, with 110 people on board, 102 passengers and eight crew, which included 44 Pilgrims, who called themselves the "Saints," and 66 others whom the Pilgrims called the "Strangers." The voyage lasted 65 days across the cold and damp North Atlantic. One of the ships crew, a particularly vulgar man who taunted the Saints for their faith, was taken ill suddenly and died, the only casualty of the trip.
Originally bound for the Hudson River, they sighted Cape Cod on November 10, and it being late in the year they decided to take safe harbor in Massachusetts Bay at a location they called Plymouth. The following day they composed and signed the Mayflower Compact, the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. Both the Saints and the Strangers agreed to the document and 41 men signed it. The Compact read in part:
Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid. . . .
Their first winter in the New World was very harsh and over half of their number died. Then, on March 16, 1621, an Abnaki Indian named Samoset walked into the settlement and greeted them in English, "Welcome." Samoset introduced them to another Indian named Squanto, who had been to England and Spain as a captive of earlier explorers and spoke clear English. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to tap maple trees for sap, plant Indian corn and other crops, and which plants were poisonous or medicinal. Of Squanto, Governor William Bradford said that he was "a special instrument sent of God for good."
In the autumn of 1621 the Pilgrims had a successful harvest. They had forged their home in the wilderness, were prepared for the winter, and they were at peace with the Indians. A treaty had been signed with Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag tribe, which was never broken. Edward Winslow, who would later become the governor, declared, "by the goodness of God, we are far from want." In December 1621, Governor Bradford proclaimed a three-day thanksgiving celebration to thank God, and invited Massasoit and his tribe to join in. Massasoit and 90 "relatives" came to the feast.
In 1623 a lengthy drought threatened the entire harvest. Bradford called for a day of prayer and fasting on June 29. They had hardly finished praying when, to the amazement of all, Indians included, clouds began to form and a gentle rain fell and revived the crops. The colony was saved, but it also brought "no small comfort and rejoicing" to the Indians according to Bradford. Another Thanksgiving feast was declared to which Bradford made an official proclamation:
Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord {1623] and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.
Godly people are gracious people and no doubt the Pilgrims were beholding to Squanto for all he taught them, but since their purpose in coming to the New World was to advance the Christian faith, it is not hard to figure out Who they meant to thank when they went to church on Thanksgiving Day. It is also easy to see that God had used the circumstances to introduce the Christian faith to the Indians.
After his election as the first president of the United States, George Washington, in response to a request by both Houses of Congress, declared November 26, 1789, to be a day of thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Other national Thanksgiving proclamations were made occasionally (Washington again in 1795, Adams in 1799, Madison in 1814 and 1815), but most observances were at the State level. It wasn't until 1863, that Abraham Lincoln, after the Battle of Gettysburg, issued a proclamation establishing a national Thanksgiving Day to be observed on the last Thursday of November.
The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.... No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, Who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.... I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.
Thanksgiving has been celebrated every year since as a day to thank God for His bountiful blessings upon our great land. At a time when we have a thankless president who only dwells on what he considers the faults of America, let us remember that no nation at any time in history has been so blessed, or done so much good for the world in general as the United States of America has done. And let us never forget that it is the Christian God of the Pilgrims and our Founding Fathers, and no other god, that has made us who we are. It seems particularly poignant this year as Thanksgiving approaches again, that we remember not only the God that made us a great nation, but the simple fact that America is the greatest nation on earth.
In 1609 a group of religious dissenters led by John Robinson, left England for Holland looking for religious freedom. There in the town of Leyden they established what would become the first modern Baptist church. After a decade away from home, however, they saw their children speaking Dutch over English and beginning to follow some of the more promiscuous practices of their hosts. The congregation removed back to England with a plan to continue their search for religious freedom in the New World.
Their venture was financed by a group calling themselves the Merchant Adventurers. They agreed to provide supplies and passage in exchange for seven years of labor. On September 6, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, with 110 people on board, 102 passengers and eight crew, which included 44 Pilgrims, who called themselves the "Saints," and 66 others whom the Pilgrims called the "Strangers." The voyage lasted 65 days across the cold and damp North Atlantic. One of the ships crew, a particularly vulgar man who taunted the Saints for their faith, was taken ill suddenly and died, the only casualty of the trip.
Originally bound for the Hudson River, they sighted Cape Cod on November 10, and it being late in the year they decided to take safe harbor in Massachusetts Bay at a location they called Plymouth. The following day they composed and signed the Mayflower Compact, the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. Both the Saints and the Strangers agreed to the document and 41 men signed it. The Compact read in part:
Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid. . . .
Their first winter in the New World was very harsh and over half of their number died. Then, on March 16, 1621, an Abnaki Indian named Samoset walked into the settlement and greeted them in English, "Welcome." Samoset introduced them to another Indian named Squanto, who had been to England and Spain as a captive of earlier explorers and spoke clear English. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to tap maple trees for sap, plant Indian corn and other crops, and which plants were poisonous or medicinal. Of Squanto, Governor William Bradford said that he was "a special instrument sent of God for good."
In the autumn of 1621 the Pilgrims had a successful harvest. They had forged their home in the wilderness, were prepared for the winter, and they were at peace with the Indians. A treaty had been signed with Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag tribe, which was never broken. Edward Winslow, who would later become the governor, declared, "by the goodness of God, we are far from want." In December 1621, Governor Bradford proclaimed a three-day thanksgiving celebration to thank God, and invited Massasoit and his tribe to join in. Massasoit and 90 "relatives" came to the feast.
In 1623 a lengthy drought threatened the entire harvest. Bradford called for a day of prayer and fasting on June 29. They had hardly finished praying when, to the amazement of all, Indians included, clouds began to form and a gentle rain fell and revived the crops. The colony was saved, but it also brought "no small comfort and rejoicing" to the Indians according to Bradford. Another Thanksgiving feast was declared to which Bradford made an official proclamation:
Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord {1623] and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.
Godly people are gracious people and no doubt the Pilgrims were beholding to Squanto for all he taught them, but since their purpose in coming to the New World was to advance the Christian faith, it is not hard to figure out Who they meant to thank when they went to church on Thanksgiving Day. It is also easy to see that God had used the circumstances to introduce the Christian faith to the Indians.
After his election as the first president of the United States, George Washington, in response to a request by both Houses of Congress, declared November 26, 1789, to be a day of thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
Other national Thanksgiving proclamations were made occasionally (Washington again in 1795, Adams in 1799, Madison in 1814 and 1815), but most observances were at the State level. It wasn't until 1863, that Abraham Lincoln, after the Battle of Gettysburg, issued a proclamation establishing a national Thanksgiving Day to be observed on the last Thursday of November.
The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.... No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, Who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.... I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.
Thanksgiving has been celebrated every year since as a day to thank God for His bountiful blessings upon our great land. At a time when we have a thankless president who only dwells on what he considers the faults of America, let us remember that no nation at any time in history has been so blessed, or done so much good for the world in general as the United States of America has done. And let us never forget that it is the Christian God of the Pilgrims and our Founding Fathers, and no other god, that has made us who we are. It seems particularly poignant this year as Thanksgiving approaches again, that we remember not only the God that made us a great nation, but the simple fact that America is the greatest nation on earth.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Semper Fi
Eight years ago when I was still at the young age of 48, the Marine detachment at the US Embassy here in Nairobi started a search for the oldest Marine living here in Kenya. They were going to have him speak at their annual birthday ball. I gave them my name and even went so far as to prepare a speech, but then they found a guy who was 54 living over here, and not only did I not get to give my speech, they didn't even invite me to the ball.
I went to a Marine Corps birthday ball once in Pensacola, Florida. It was a formal dress blue occasion and there was going to be an orchestra and a dance. There were two Marines that had been coming to church with me, Mark Sites and Arlen Slagter, and we all had dates, but only Mark knew how to waltz. He tried to give us a crash course in ballroom dancing so we wouldn’t look silly on the dance floor. Then after the dinner and the traditional cutting of the cake with a sword a rock band started to play and those who went up on the dance floor in their blues and gowns started bouncing around like jumping beans and they looked so silly that we decided we weren't interested and left early.
To this day I still don’t know how to dance, and it’s probably just as well, but on this most auspicious occasion of the 235th birthday of the greatest fighting force the world has ever known, American Flyer is honoring the United States Marine Corps. I love the Marine Corps, and I love Marines.
I was an aviator. I was one of those bold enough and reckless enough to have taken a fast moving airplane, land it on a slow moving boat, come to a complete stop in a hundred yards, and then say, "That was fun, let's do it again." No one was any more proud than I was the day I pinned on those aviator wings of gold, but the achievement I am most proud of took place on 16 April 1982, when I completed Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia, pinned on the gold second lieutenant bars, and became a Marine.
The Marines are, as some have said, a breed apart. The élan, the can-do attitude, the "esprit de corps" of the U.S. Marine is unparalleled anywhere in the world. It is a brotherhood that one who has never put on the uniform can never fully know or understand.
There are three basic characteristics that I think make the Marine Corps what it is. The first is honor. From the first commandant, Major Burrows, to the "Old Man of the Corps," Archibald Henderson, to the genius of General John A. Lejeune, to such colorful figures as Howlin' Mad Smith and the Marine Corps' own legend, Chesty Puller, to General Robert Barrows, who was commandant when I became a Marine, to P.X. Kelly, whom I had the privilege on one occasion of meeting and shaking his hand, to the current commandant, the legacy of the Marine Corps is honor.
It has been our honor to be the "first to fight for right and freedom." It has been our honor through hail of bullets and artillery shells to plant the American flag on foreign soil. It has been our honor to drive out tyrants and put a stop to aggression. It has been our honor to account for our fallen comrades and bring their bodies home. It has been our honor never to have known defeat. It has been our honor never to have had a My Lai massacre or any other stain on our record. Our honor is clean.
The second is devotion to duty. No matter what he is called upon to do, a Marine always does his duty. From the early Marines in the rigging of the ships, to Presley O'Bannon and the five Marines that captured Tripoli, to those Marines who marched into the Halls of Montezuma and captured Mexico City, to John Mackey, the Marine Corps' first medal of honor winner, to Sergeant Major Dan Dailey who won the medal of honor twice and lived to tell about it, to the devil dogs of Belleau Wood, the leathernecks who fought in the jungles and on the coral beaches of Pacific islands, who landed at Inchon and fought their way out of the frozen Chosin, to those who stood at Khe Sahn and Hue City, who went to Grenada, Beirut, Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq, Marines have always done their duty.
They've done it no matter what the odds or circumstances. They've done it when they were alone as at Guadalcanal. They've done it when they were deserted by others as at the Chosin reservoir. Marines have always been there when called upon, and have always crossed the FEBA (Forward Edge of the Battle Area) on time. Americans rest easy when the Marines are on duty because they know that when the Marines have landed, all is secure.
The third characteristic is the camaraderie and brotherhood of the Marine Corps. A few years ago I read a book that I recommend to all of you entitled, "Flags of Our Fathers." It is the story of the six men who raised the flag on Mt. Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima, 23 February 1945. They were led by Sergeant Mike Strank, who on the eve of the invasion, turned down a promotion because he had promised his squad he would take them through the battle. When he was killed his men gathered around him and wept. One cradled his lifeless body in his arms and cried, "I wish it could have been me." Mike Strank received the greatest compliment a Marine could ever receive when it was said of him, "He was a Marine's Marine."
It is men like Mike Strank, men of honor, men of character, men with resolve, men with love of country and comrades, men with courage, men who have earned the right to be called one of "the few and the proud;" it is men like family and friends of mine that have served; men like Al Goosman, Bob Epperson, and John Mitchell; it is men like the Marines I have known who have made the ultimate sacrifice, men like Frank Young, Don Flatley, Jim Hoban, Robin Helton, Jamie Richards, Tom Kolb, Mike Watters, Mark Gelagan, and Bryce Gearhart; and it is the Marines who are serving today that have made the Marine Corps what it is, the greatest fighting force in the history of the world.
It is a history, camaraderie, and a brotherhood that I am proud to be able to say that I have been a part of. To all Marines everywhere, Thank you, Happy Birthday, and SEMPER FI.
I went to a Marine Corps birthday ball once in Pensacola, Florida. It was a formal dress blue occasion and there was going to be an orchestra and a dance. There were two Marines that had been coming to church with me, Mark Sites and Arlen Slagter, and we all had dates, but only Mark knew how to waltz. He tried to give us a crash course in ballroom dancing so we wouldn’t look silly on the dance floor. Then after the dinner and the traditional cutting of the cake with a sword a rock band started to play and those who went up on the dance floor in their blues and gowns started bouncing around like jumping beans and they looked so silly that we decided we weren't interested and left early.
To this day I still don’t know how to dance, and it’s probably just as well, but on this most auspicious occasion of the 235th birthday of the greatest fighting force the world has ever known, American Flyer is honoring the United States Marine Corps. I love the Marine Corps, and I love Marines.
I was an aviator. I was one of those bold enough and reckless enough to have taken a fast moving airplane, land it on a slow moving boat, come to a complete stop in a hundred yards, and then say, "That was fun, let's do it again." No one was any more proud than I was the day I pinned on those aviator wings of gold, but the achievement I am most proud of took place on 16 April 1982, when I completed Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia, pinned on the gold second lieutenant bars, and became a Marine.
The Marines are, as some have said, a breed apart. The élan, the can-do attitude, the "esprit de corps" of the U.S. Marine is unparalleled anywhere in the world. It is a brotherhood that one who has never put on the uniform can never fully know or understand.
There are three basic characteristics that I think make the Marine Corps what it is. The first is honor. From the first commandant, Major Burrows, to the "Old Man of the Corps," Archibald Henderson, to the genius of General John A. Lejeune, to such colorful figures as Howlin' Mad Smith and the Marine Corps' own legend, Chesty Puller, to General Robert Barrows, who was commandant when I became a Marine, to P.X. Kelly, whom I had the privilege on one occasion of meeting and shaking his hand, to the current commandant, the legacy of the Marine Corps is honor.
It has been our honor to be the "first to fight for right and freedom." It has been our honor through hail of bullets and artillery shells to plant the American flag on foreign soil. It has been our honor to drive out tyrants and put a stop to aggression. It has been our honor to account for our fallen comrades and bring their bodies home. It has been our honor never to have known defeat. It has been our honor never to have had a My Lai massacre or any other stain on our record. Our honor is clean.
The second is devotion to duty. No matter what he is called upon to do, a Marine always does his duty. From the early Marines in the rigging of the ships, to Presley O'Bannon and the five Marines that captured Tripoli, to those Marines who marched into the Halls of Montezuma and captured Mexico City, to John Mackey, the Marine Corps' first medal of honor winner, to Sergeant Major Dan Dailey who won the medal of honor twice and lived to tell about it, to the devil dogs of Belleau Wood, the leathernecks who fought in the jungles and on the coral beaches of Pacific islands, who landed at Inchon and fought their way out of the frozen Chosin, to those who stood at Khe Sahn and Hue City, who went to Grenada, Beirut, Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq, Marines have always done their duty.
They've done it no matter what the odds or circumstances. They've done it when they were alone as at Guadalcanal. They've done it when they were deserted by others as at the Chosin reservoir. Marines have always been there when called upon, and have always crossed the FEBA (Forward Edge of the Battle Area) on time. Americans rest easy when the Marines are on duty because they know that when the Marines have landed, all is secure.
The third characteristic is the camaraderie and brotherhood of the Marine Corps. A few years ago I read a book that I recommend to all of you entitled, "Flags of Our Fathers." It is the story of the six men who raised the flag on Mt. Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima, 23 February 1945. They were led by Sergeant Mike Strank, who on the eve of the invasion, turned down a promotion because he had promised his squad he would take them through the battle. When he was killed his men gathered around him and wept. One cradled his lifeless body in his arms and cried, "I wish it could have been me." Mike Strank received the greatest compliment a Marine could ever receive when it was said of him, "He was a Marine's Marine."
It is men like Mike Strank, men of honor, men of character, men with resolve, men with love of country and comrades, men with courage, men who have earned the right to be called one of "the few and the proud;" it is men like family and friends of mine that have served; men like Al Goosman, Bob Epperson, and John Mitchell; it is men like the Marines I have known who have made the ultimate sacrifice, men like Frank Young, Don Flatley, Jim Hoban, Robin Helton, Jamie Richards, Tom Kolb, Mike Watters, Mark Gelagan, and Bryce Gearhart; and it is the Marines who are serving today that have made the Marine Corps what it is, the greatest fighting force in the history of the world.
It is a history, camaraderie, and a brotherhood that I am proud to be able to say that I have been a part of. To all Marines everywhere, Thank you, Happy Birthday, and SEMPER FI.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Deficit? What Deficit?
For nearly two years Candidate Obama, along with Hilary Clinton and all the other Democrat candidates, lambasted President Bush for his out of control spending. When his 2008 deficit reached 458 billion they complained that the country couldn't survive that kind of irresponsible spending. Right. The fact is, conservatives were saying the same thing! The difference was conservatives were serious about it.
Then Obama became president. In one year he not only surpassed Bush's highest deficit, he exceeded it fourfold, somewhere around 1.85 trillion dollars. This year an irresponsible Democrat led Congress failed to even pass a budget, but the continued spending is expected to reach 1.3 trillion, numbers that are so high nobody really has a clue as to exactly how much is being spent or where it's going. But not to worry. When the Democrats are in control the amount of the deficit doesn't matter. Or at least that's what they thought.
Election time rolled around November 2, and the people, tired of the self-serving idiocy of the Democrat controlled Congress, spoke loud and clear. We aren't going to take any more of it. Over sixty House seats and five or six Senate seats changed hands. Similar results happened locally all over the country as now 31 States have Republican governors as well.
So how is Obama reacting to the Democrat slaughter he just presided over? Is he penitent? No, he thinks the people still want him to carry out his agenda. In fact, he's not cutting back, he's throwing a party. He's celebrating with a trip to Mumbai, India, a ten day junket projected to cost around two billion dollars. At a time when the country is facing an economic crisis of Dust Bowl proportions, he's taking his family half way around the world to see the Festival of Lights. And guess who is footing the bill?
Remember Obama's first apology tour when he took 500 staff members along to insult the Queen of England and then tell the Middle East what bad people we are? That trip didn't even scratch the surface of the bloated, greedy waste of this safari. Three thousand people are going along! Yes, that's 3,000. They've reserved the entire Taj Mahal Hotel, all 500 and some rooms, plus another 300 rooms elsewhere. Along with his entire motorcade and military escort to include fighter jets off an aircraft carrier, Obama has ordered 34 US Navy warships into India's waters for the visit. If I was the Prime Minister of India I think I'd be worried that I was about to be invaded.
There isn't anything that shows more clearly than this how out of touch Obama is with the American people. His arrogance in spending our money is what this election was all about, but he goes around as if our money is his entitlement. Interestingly enough, while he has encouraged European nations to follow his lead, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, French Prime Minister, Sarkozi, and other European leaders, have declined.
More significantly, the Chinese were reported to be rejoicing at the results of this election. They also want Obama's spending spree to stop. They carry over a trillion dollars of our debt and they understand what Obama, Reid and Pelosi, as well as the majority of Democrats and liberal news media, haven't yet figured out. Uncontrolled tax and spend policies will lead to a depression, and an American depression will lead to a global depression. All of which goes to show that Obama, in spite of his undermining the greatness of America and bowing to world leaders, is out of touch with the rest of the world as well.
One thing the Republicans better remember when they take control of the House in January 2011 is that tackling the deficit is one of their most important priorities. Defunding Obama's agenda and holding him fiscally responsible is a must. A couple weeks ago Obama glibly asked the Republicans where they would cut spending. I have a few ideas for his and the Congress's consideration.
1. To show their sincerity, start with congressional salaries. Put a cap on them and take the power away from Congress to give themselves raises. My recommended salary cap: President - $250,000; Vice President - 225,000; Cabinet secretaries - $200,000; Senators - $175,000; Representatives - $150,000; Ambassadors - $125,000; all other government employees - entry level positions -$30,000 with time in grade pay raises to $100,000 maximum.
2. Limit per diem travel and other congressional expense accounts such as mailings to a bare minimum, like $10,000 per year, and make them pay for their own airline tickets every time they go home.
3. Fire all of Obama's unconstitutionally appointed "czars" and close their offices.
4. Defund and close the Department of Energy and the Department of Education.
5. Defund National Public Radio and the National Endowment for the Arts.
6. Privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
7. Reprivatize GM and Chrysler and get out of the auto business.
8. Reduce our support of the United Nations from the 25% of its budget that we currently pay to no more than 5% with the intent of ending it altogether if the organization continues to vote anti-US on nearly every issue.
9. End Social Security and medical services to illegal aliens.
10. Allow American oil companies to drill for oil in Alaska and close in offshore to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and ultimately lower the price of gasoline at the pumps and kick-start our economy.
11. Stop funding the International Monetary Fund.
12. End all foreign aid with the exception of Israel, and except for emergency relief to be used in such disasters as the 2006 Indian Ocean tsunami and the Haiti earthquake, etc.
13. Close down the Federal Reserve Bank and let the Free Enterprise System determine inflation on its own.
14. No more stimulus packages. That alone would cut the deficit in half.
15. Ban all earmarks from spending bills.
16. Adopt a Flat Tax or a Fair Tax system with no loopholes for anyone to make taxes fair to everyone across the board.
17. End NAFTA and the excessive taxes and regulations that force companies to outsource jobs overseas.
18. Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment.
There's where Congress can start, and if they need more help I'm sure with a little thought it wouldn't be hard to find many other areas that could be cut as well. All it takes is the will to do it, something none of the greedy, money-grubbing minds in Washington have had recently. The deficit isn't going to go away with the president out of town as often as he is so it's going to be up to Congress, and it's going to be up to us to hold their feet to the fire.
Then Obama became president. In one year he not only surpassed Bush's highest deficit, he exceeded it fourfold, somewhere around 1.85 trillion dollars. This year an irresponsible Democrat led Congress failed to even pass a budget, but the continued spending is expected to reach 1.3 trillion, numbers that are so high nobody really has a clue as to exactly how much is being spent or where it's going. But not to worry. When the Democrats are in control the amount of the deficit doesn't matter. Or at least that's what they thought.
Election time rolled around November 2, and the people, tired of the self-serving idiocy of the Democrat controlled Congress, spoke loud and clear. We aren't going to take any more of it. Over sixty House seats and five or six Senate seats changed hands. Similar results happened locally all over the country as now 31 States have Republican governors as well.
So how is Obama reacting to the Democrat slaughter he just presided over? Is he penitent? No, he thinks the people still want him to carry out his agenda. In fact, he's not cutting back, he's throwing a party. He's celebrating with a trip to Mumbai, India, a ten day junket projected to cost around two billion dollars. At a time when the country is facing an economic crisis of Dust Bowl proportions, he's taking his family half way around the world to see the Festival of Lights. And guess who is footing the bill?
Remember Obama's first apology tour when he took 500 staff members along to insult the Queen of England and then tell the Middle East what bad people we are? That trip didn't even scratch the surface of the bloated, greedy waste of this safari. Three thousand people are going along! Yes, that's 3,000. They've reserved the entire Taj Mahal Hotel, all 500 and some rooms, plus another 300 rooms elsewhere. Along with his entire motorcade and military escort to include fighter jets off an aircraft carrier, Obama has ordered 34 US Navy warships into India's waters for the visit. If I was the Prime Minister of India I think I'd be worried that I was about to be invaded.
There isn't anything that shows more clearly than this how out of touch Obama is with the American people. His arrogance in spending our money is what this election was all about, but he goes around as if our money is his entitlement. Interestingly enough, while he has encouraged European nations to follow his lead, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, French Prime Minister, Sarkozi, and other European leaders, have declined.
More significantly, the Chinese were reported to be rejoicing at the results of this election. They also want Obama's spending spree to stop. They carry over a trillion dollars of our debt and they understand what Obama, Reid and Pelosi, as well as the majority of Democrats and liberal news media, haven't yet figured out. Uncontrolled tax and spend policies will lead to a depression, and an American depression will lead to a global depression. All of which goes to show that Obama, in spite of his undermining the greatness of America and bowing to world leaders, is out of touch with the rest of the world as well.
One thing the Republicans better remember when they take control of the House in January 2011 is that tackling the deficit is one of their most important priorities. Defunding Obama's agenda and holding him fiscally responsible is a must. A couple weeks ago Obama glibly asked the Republicans where they would cut spending. I have a few ideas for his and the Congress's consideration.
1. To show their sincerity, start with congressional salaries. Put a cap on them and take the power away from Congress to give themselves raises. My recommended salary cap: President - $250,000; Vice President - 225,000; Cabinet secretaries - $200,000; Senators - $175,000; Representatives - $150,000; Ambassadors - $125,000; all other government employees - entry level positions -$30,000 with time in grade pay raises to $100,000 maximum.
2. Limit per diem travel and other congressional expense accounts such as mailings to a bare minimum, like $10,000 per year, and make them pay for their own airline tickets every time they go home.
3. Fire all of Obama's unconstitutionally appointed "czars" and close their offices.
4. Defund and close the Department of Energy and the Department of Education.
5. Defund National Public Radio and the National Endowment for the Arts.
6. Privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
7. Reprivatize GM and Chrysler and get out of the auto business.
8. Reduce our support of the United Nations from the 25% of its budget that we currently pay to no more than 5% with the intent of ending it altogether if the organization continues to vote anti-US on nearly every issue.
9. End Social Security and medical services to illegal aliens.
10. Allow American oil companies to drill for oil in Alaska and close in offshore to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and ultimately lower the price of gasoline at the pumps and kick-start our economy.
11. Stop funding the International Monetary Fund.
12. End all foreign aid with the exception of Israel, and except for emergency relief to be used in such disasters as the 2006 Indian Ocean tsunami and the Haiti earthquake, etc.
13. Close down the Federal Reserve Bank and let the Free Enterprise System determine inflation on its own.
14. No more stimulus packages. That alone would cut the deficit in half.
15. Ban all earmarks from spending bills.
16. Adopt a Flat Tax or a Fair Tax system with no loopholes for anyone to make taxes fair to everyone across the board.
17. End NAFTA and the excessive taxes and regulations that force companies to outsource jobs overseas.
18. Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment.
There's where Congress can start, and if they need more help I'm sure with a little thought it wouldn't be hard to find many other areas that could be cut as well. All it takes is the will to do it, something none of the greedy, money-grubbing minds in Washington have had recently. The deficit isn't going to go away with the president out of town as often as he is so it's going to be up to Congress, and it's going to be up to us to hold their feet to the fire.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
They Still Don't Get It
After the trouncing the Democrats took in 1994, Bill Clinton got up and said, "I hear you." He proceeded to give up his health care plan and high tax schemes and governed from the center. Then, by repackaging himself, he was able to win reelection in '96 by taking credit for the recovered economy the Republican Congress gave him.
The question going around the last few days was whether or not Obama would be able to learn the same lesson and repackage himself. No way. Not only has he not learned it, the uber-leftist, arrogant media hasn't learned it either.
This morning on CNN Overseas their self-absorbed know-it-all political commentator, whose name I will put in here when I remember it, boldly declared that this election was not a rejection of Obama, but frustration by the people that not enough has been done. According to him nearly ten percent unemployment was not a result of Obama's policies and the people still want his agenda carried out. What planet is he living on? Some polls show 70-80% of the people think the country is heading in the wrong direction, and at least 58% of the population want Obamacare repealed.
The president doesn't get it either. In his press conference, where he had to answer questions directly without a teleprompter, he wandered all over the verbal map saying a lot of nothing to many questions. He talked about how nobody complains about his leadership style when he's out on the road, but his problem is he's in the White House where people can't see him. He said the answer is for him to get out more often. It begs the question, "What does he consider getting out?" In 22 months he's taken more overseas trips than George Bush took in eight years, and he's played at least 52 rounds of golf. I'd say he's getting out a lot, and that is part of the problem. He's not spending enough time in the White House doing his job.
He also piously accepted the blame for not doing enough and fed the press corps what must have become the party line; people didn't reject his agenda, they're frustrated that not enough has been done. In other words, just like the main stream media, he missed the whole point of this election. Liberals were thrown out in droves because people are dead set against Obamacare, higher taxes, unelected unconstitutionally appointed czars, higher gas prices because we won't drill for our own oil, trillion dollar deficits, and bigger government.
Obama, as well as all the MSM press, said the Republicans now will need to compromise with him to work together to get his agenda accomplished. He said he is willing to entertain any ideas from Republicans on how they can do that to get the job done. That's what he said two years ago too, and in all this time he has not once listened to or considered a single Republican idea on any of his agenda. What makes anyone think he will listen now?
What is most disappointing about the elections is that the Republicans did not take more seats in the Senate, but they took enough that even with RINO Republicans voting with the Democrats, they have enough votes to filibuster and put a stop to Obama's agenda. But the sweeping turn-around in the House, the largest Democrat turnover in one election cycle in history, is an absolute repudiation of Obama and his whole agenda. The one who is going to have to compromise now to try to get anything done is going to be the president. Fat chance that's going to happen. Obama still doesn't get it.
A year and a half ago when Republicans complained about being ignored Obama said, "We won, you lost. Get over it." Well, this time we won, he lost. He can take his compromise and shove it.
The question going around the last few days was whether or not Obama would be able to learn the same lesson and repackage himself. No way. Not only has he not learned it, the uber-leftist, arrogant media hasn't learned it either.
This morning on CNN Overseas their self-absorbed know-it-all political commentator, whose name I will put in here when I remember it, boldly declared that this election was not a rejection of Obama, but frustration by the people that not enough has been done. According to him nearly ten percent unemployment was not a result of Obama's policies and the people still want his agenda carried out. What planet is he living on? Some polls show 70-80% of the people think the country is heading in the wrong direction, and at least 58% of the population want Obamacare repealed.
The president doesn't get it either. In his press conference, where he had to answer questions directly without a teleprompter, he wandered all over the verbal map saying a lot of nothing to many questions. He talked about how nobody complains about his leadership style when he's out on the road, but his problem is he's in the White House where people can't see him. He said the answer is for him to get out more often. It begs the question, "What does he consider getting out?" In 22 months he's taken more overseas trips than George Bush took in eight years, and he's played at least 52 rounds of golf. I'd say he's getting out a lot, and that is part of the problem. He's not spending enough time in the White House doing his job.
He also piously accepted the blame for not doing enough and fed the press corps what must have become the party line; people didn't reject his agenda, they're frustrated that not enough has been done. In other words, just like the main stream media, he missed the whole point of this election. Liberals were thrown out in droves because people are dead set against Obamacare, higher taxes, unelected unconstitutionally appointed czars, higher gas prices because we won't drill for our own oil, trillion dollar deficits, and bigger government.
Obama, as well as all the MSM press, said the Republicans now will need to compromise with him to work together to get his agenda accomplished. He said he is willing to entertain any ideas from Republicans on how they can do that to get the job done. That's what he said two years ago too, and in all this time he has not once listened to or considered a single Republican idea on any of his agenda. What makes anyone think he will listen now?
What is most disappointing about the elections is that the Republicans did not take more seats in the Senate, but they took enough that even with RINO Republicans voting with the Democrats, they have enough votes to filibuster and put a stop to Obama's agenda. But the sweeping turn-around in the House, the largest Democrat turnover in one election cycle in history, is an absolute repudiation of Obama and his whole agenda. The one who is going to have to compromise now to try to get anything done is going to be the president. Fat chance that's going to happen. Obama still doesn't get it.
A year and a half ago when Republicans complained about being ignored Obama said, "We won, you lost. Get over it." Well, this time we won, he lost. He can take his compromise and shove it.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Righteousness Exalts a Nation
As I sat thinking about this election tomorrow and praying about the outcome Proverbs 14:34 came to my mind. "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." America is certainly not an innocent nation when it comes to the sin problem. There have always been deviant characters in our history, even in the early days of our Christian Founding Fathers.
Alexander Hamilton, aide to Washington in the Revolution and first Secretary of the Treasury, had an adulterous affair in 1791 that nearly ended his public career and made an enemy of one Aaron Burr. Burr was a rather despicable person himself, who finally ended Hamilton's life in a duel in 1804, and became so unpopular he ended his life in obscurity. The presidency has had adulterers as well including the longest serving president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Camelot President had multiple meetings in the White House with the most famous movie sex goddess of his day. His latter day follower from Arkansas was so lacking in discretion that when he was found out he had to be vindicated by forty-five Democrat Senators to whom party loyalty was more important than character or the law.
Of course, immorality is not the only sin to have ever rocked the government. Ulysses S. Grant's administration was plagued by scandal proving he had been a much better general than president. Woodrow Wilson led the country into a war he promised to stay out of and then tried to tie the United States to his socialist view of a one world in the League of Nations. Jimmy Carter was a master at speaking out of both sides of his mouth depending on where in the country he was speaking. But for sheer Machiavellian gall, the current administration and the party in power takes the cake. No lie is too big to tell, no promise too small to break, no law too important to ignore. The Constitution be damned. The will of the people means nothing because they are too dumb to make their own decisions. The bankrupting and destruction of the country is George Bush's fault.
In order to continue in this vein vote rigging and fraudulent registrations, so far all in Democrat favor, are springing up in several states across the country. In the tank liberal news media are trashing conservative candidates, even, in the case of Joe Miller in Alaska, conspiring to unload last minute fabricated stories to destroy his character and his chances of winning. These are people so lacking in integrity and so full of anti-Christian and anti-decency vitriol that they have no shame about trying to steal the election.
On August 28, Glen Beck, fed up with the two-faced deceitfulness of the current government, held a rally at the Lincoln Memorial on the mall in Washington, D.C. The rally called on Americans to restore honor in our Christian nation. It reminded us of the unbending character of George Washington and others of our Founders. As such, it was almost a religious meeting as it called on people to restore character to our government. Several hundred thousand people showed up on the mall and when the day was done, they left it as clean as when they came.
For that peaceful demonstration of decency in America and the call for all Americans to join, Democrats, liberals, and the mainstream press excoriated Beck. They called for marches of their own and on October 2, they held the One Nation March at the same site. In contrast to the hundreds of thousands at the Beck rally, tens of thousands showed up that day, pushed and threatened reporters who were not sympathetic to their cause and left the mall littered with trash. It was a spectacular flop, so comedian Jon Stewart decided to host his own rally and called it the Restoring Sanity rally.
In other words, in order to be sane you can't have character, honor, or religion. There's only one word to describe that kind of thinking: insane.
On the campaign trail in 2008 when Rick Warren held a question and answer session at his Saddleback Church with the candidates, he asked the question, "When does life begin?" Obama, thinking he was being clever, dodged the question by saying, "That's above my pay grade." Except that, it was only above his pay grade when it was expedient for it to be above.
Out campaigning for Democrat candidates, Obama declared in favor of the homosexual community when he said that some people are born gay and will always be gay. Apparently his pay grade has risen, but while his comment might please the gay community, it has absolutely no basis in fact or even reality. After a long publicized lesbian affair with Ellen Degeneres, Anne Heche, without any counseling or religious experience, left Degeneres to get married ... to a man. The gay lifestyle is obviously not genetic. It is sinful.
Obama promised that abortion would not be in his health plan, yet several cases have already come up where his plan is funding abortion. He promised there would be no tax hikes, but when the healthcare plan kicks in this coming January there will be massive tax hikes to go along with it. Obama laughed at the accusation that his ideas were socialist, yet everything he has done as president is designed to bypass our Constitution and socialize our country. And with a socialist country where the few hard working give everything to the poor to even the balance, no one needs to be left out so the Mexican border has to stay open. Obama keeps talking about tackling the debt, yet when Republicans are critical of his 1.3 trillion dollar deficit predicted for this year he asks them, "Where would you cut it?" The real question is whether or not he's going to.
If this man is allowed to continue his agenda he will eventually destroy the United States of America. That's why this election is so vitally important. America is on the brink of disaster, a disaster brought about by wicked people to whom sin is preferable to purity. Much to liberal consternation, character does matter. Righteousness does matter. It was the righteous lives of our Christian founders, men like George Washington, who taught us that "honesty is the best policy," that made America great. It is men with that belief of righteous living that will make America great again.
The only hope for that is to get the wicked gay-loving, abortion-loving, sin-loving, unrighteous liberals and Rino Republicans out of Congress. In order to do that we must do one thing.
VOTE!!! Don't sit idly by tomorrow. Go out and VOTE!!! Need I say it again? VOTE!!!
Alexander Hamilton, aide to Washington in the Revolution and first Secretary of the Treasury, had an adulterous affair in 1791 that nearly ended his public career and made an enemy of one Aaron Burr. Burr was a rather despicable person himself, who finally ended Hamilton's life in a duel in 1804, and became so unpopular he ended his life in obscurity. The presidency has had adulterers as well including the longest serving president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Camelot President had multiple meetings in the White House with the most famous movie sex goddess of his day. His latter day follower from Arkansas was so lacking in discretion that when he was found out he had to be vindicated by forty-five Democrat Senators to whom party loyalty was more important than character or the law.
Of course, immorality is not the only sin to have ever rocked the government. Ulysses S. Grant's administration was plagued by scandal proving he had been a much better general than president. Woodrow Wilson led the country into a war he promised to stay out of and then tried to tie the United States to his socialist view of a one world in the League of Nations. Jimmy Carter was a master at speaking out of both sides of his mouth depending on where in the country he was speaking. But for sheer Machiavellian gall, the current administration and the party in power takes the cake. No lie is too big to tell, no promise too small to break, no law too important to ignore. The Constitution be damned. The will of the people means nothing because they are too dumb to make their own decisions. The bankrupting and destruction of the country is George Bush's fault.
In order to continue in this vein vote rigging and fraudulent registrations, so far all in Democrat favor, are springing up in several states across the country. In the tank liberal news media are trashing conservative candidates, even, in the case of Joe Miller in Alaska, conspiring to unload last minute fabricated stories to destroy his character and his chances of winning. These are people so lacking in integrity and so full of anti-Christian and anti-decency vitriol that they have no shame about trying to steal the election.
On August 28, Glen Beck, fed up with the two-faced deceitfulness of the current government, held a rally at the Lincoln Memorial on the mall in Washington, D.C. The rally called on Americans to restore honor in our Christian nation. It reminded us of the unbending character of George Washington and others of our Founders. As such, it was almost a religious meeting as it called on people to restore character to our government. Several hundred thousand people showed up on the mall and when the day was done, they left it as clean as when they came.
For that peaceful demonstration of decency in America and the call for all Americans to join, Democrats, liberals, and the mainstream press excoriated Beck. They called for marches of their own and on October 2, they held the One Nation March at the same site. In contrast to the hundreds of thousands at the Beck rally, tens of thousands showed up that day, pushed and threatened reporters who were not sympathetic to their cause and left the mall littered with trash. It was a spectacular flop, so comedian Jon Stewart decided to host his own rally and called it the Restoring Sanity rally.
In other words, in order to be sane you can't have character, honor, or religion. There's only one word to describe that kind of thinking: insane.
On the campaign trail in 2008 when Rick Warren held a question and answer session at his Saddleback Church with the candidates, he asked the question, "When does life begin?" Obama, thinking he was being clever, dodged the question by saying, "That's above my pay grade." Except that, it was only above his pay grade when it was expedient for it to be above.
Out campaigning for Democrat candidates, Obama declared in favor of the homosexual community when he said that some people are born gay and will always be gay. Apparently his pay grade has risen, but while his comment might please the gay community, it has absolutely no basis in fact or even reality. After a long publicized lesbian affair with Ellen Degeneres, Anne Heche, without any counseling or religious experience, left Degeneres to get married ... to a man. The gay lifestyle is obviously not genetic. It is sinful.
Obama promised that abortion would not be in his health plan, yet several cases have already come up where his plan is funding abortion. He promised there would be no tax hikes, but when the healthcare plan kicks in this coming January there will be massive tax hikes to go along with it. Obama laughed at the accusation that his ideas were socialist, yet everything he has done as president is designed to bypass our Constitution and socialize our country. And with a socialist country where the few hard working give everything to the poor to even the balance, no one needs to be left out so the Mexican border has to stay open. Obama keeps talking about tackling the debt, yet when Republicans are critical of his 1.3 trillion dollar deficit predicted for this year he asks them, "Where would you cut it?" The real question is whether or not he's going to.
If this man is allowed to continue his agenda he will eventually destroy the United States of America. That's why this election is so vitally important. America is on the brink of disaster, a disaster brought about by wicked people to whom sin is preferable to purity. Much to liberal consternation, character does matter. Righteousness does matter. It was the righteous lives of our Christian founders, men like George Washington, who taught us that "honesty is the best policy," that made America great. It is men with that belief of righteous living that will make America great again.
The only hope for that is to get the wicked gay-loving, abortion-loving, sin-loving, unrighteous liberals and Rino Republicans out of Congress. In order to do that we must do one thing.
VOTE!!! Don't sit idly by tomorrow. Go out and VOTE!!! Need I say it again? VOTE!!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Voter Fraud: A Democrat Way of Life
Voter fraud, shady deals and all kinds of other chicanery are probably as old as politics itself, and probably no party in America has a monopoly on the practice, but when you consider recent history it's hard not to point a finger. The Democrats are still crying that George Bush stole the election in 2000, but what happened there was so obvious that anyone except a mindless liberal knows who really was trying to steal it.
In 1948 Lyndon Johnson was in a very tight race for a Senate seat from Texas. Both sides were accused of stuffing ballot boxes and the race ended in a dead heat. Then late returns from the little town of Alice in south central Texas miraculously showed up (just like some other ballots in Wisconsin a couple years ago). Two hundred three votes appeared, 202 of them votes for Johnson. What made the ballots even more interesting was that the voters had somehow miraculously lined up in alphabetical order to cast their votes. Sheriff deputies were sent to investigate and found that nearly all of the 202 votes were cast by either dead people, or people who were out of town and hadn't actually voted. A subpoena was issued to confiscate the records, but the night before the deputies returned, the courthouse mysteriously burned down and all the records with it. Johnson won the election by 87 votes.
Fast forward to Florida's Dade County in 2000. Florida had gone for Bush by a little over 2,000 votes, low enough that an automatic recount was initiated. The recount finally centered around three south Florida counties, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach. The controversy developed around "hanging chads" in Miami-Dade where panels inspecting the ballots tried to decide if a ballot with no vote for president was actually intended to be cast for Gore. The ballots were recounted three times, each time coming up with more Gore votes than before. The Democrats then also tried to get all overseas ballots disqualified which would have disallowed military votes which went overwhelmingly for Bush. After the third recount failed to overturn the election, the Supreme Court of the United States finally ruled the election over and Bush won by 574 votes.
Then there was the famous 2008 comedy election in Wisconsin in which Al Franken, a washed up Saturday Night Live comedian, really did steal an election. Having lost by over 700 votes, uncounted ballots began mysteriously appearing in the trunks of Democrat polling officers' cars all over the state. Funny again that none of these late forgotten ballots went for the Republican candidate. Franken finally had a 200 vote lead and the Wisconsin judge, a liberal Democrat appointee, certified Franken the winner. That truly was a stolen election.
But voter fraud in 2008 didn't stop with Franken. Obama's community organizing group, ACORN, drove unregistered, homeless people to polling stations in several counties in several states to cast their votes multiple times. This was the organization from which the man who promised to be the most transparent president in history gained all of the experience that "qualified" him to be president.
And now they're at it again. This last weekend in Yuma, Arizona, the Yuma Recorder's office was checking 3,000 last minute voter registrations turned in by Mi Familia Vota, a SEIU partner organization, and found 65% of them to be fraudulent due to the registrants not being citizens, or having false addresses or signatures. At the same time a judge threw out 6,000 registrations turned in by the same organization in Colorado.
This illustrates precisely why John Adams said, "We have created a government for a religious and moral people. It will work for none else." A religious and moral people will have the self-discipline to be honest and not cheat in an election. This is what the Tea Party activists and other conservatives are wanting the country to get back to; the Godly values and honest living of our Founders. For that liberals call us extremists and every other low-down name in the book.
What a sad commentary on the Democrat way of life, a life characterized by lying, scheming, stealing and voter fraud. What a legacy to leave their children. And what a challenge for us to remain forever vigilant so that we will remain forever free.
In 1948 Lyndon Johnson was in a very tight race for a Senate seat from Texas. Both sides were accused of stuffing ballot boxes and the race ended in a dead heat. Then late returns from the little town of Alice in south central Texas miraculously showed up (just like some other ballots in Wisconsin a couple years ago). Two hundred three votes appeared, 202 of them votes for Johnson. What made the ballots even more interesting was that the voters had somehow miraculously lined up in alphabetical order to cast their votes. Sheriff deputies were sent to investigate and found that nearly all of the 202 votes were cast by either dead people, or people who were out of town and hadn't actually voted. A subpoena was issued to confiscate the records, but the night before the deputies returned, the courthouse mysteriously burned down and all the records with it. Johnson won the election by 87 votes.
Fast forward to Florida's Dade County in 2000. Florida had gone for Bush by a little over 2,000 votes, low enough that an automatic recount was initiated. The recount finally centered around three south Florida counties, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach. The controversy developed around "hanging chads" in Miami-Dade where panels inspecting the ballots tried to decide if a ballot with no vote for president was actually intended to be cast for Gore. The ballots were recounted three times, each time coming up with more Gore votes than before. The Democrats then also tried to get all overseas ballots disqualified which would have disallowed military votes which went overwhelmingly for Bush. After the third recount failed to overturn the election, the Supreme Court of the United States finally ruled the election over and Bush won by 574 votes.
Then there was the famous 2008 comedy election in Wisconsin in which Al Franken, a washed up Saturday Night Live comedian, really did steal an election. Having lost by over 700 votes, uncounted ballots began mysteriously appearing in the trunks of Democrat polling officers' cars all over the state. Funny again that none of these late forgotten ballots went for the Republican candidate. Franken finally had a 200 vote lead and the Wisconsin judge, a liberal Democrat appointee, certified Franken the winner. That truly was a stolen election.
But voter fraud in 2008 didn't stop with Franken. Obama's community organizing group, ACORN, drove unregistered, homeless people to polling stations in several counties in several states to cast their votes multiple times. This was the organization from which the man who promised to be the most transparent president in history gained all of the experience that "qualified" him to be president.
And now they're at it again. This last weekend in Yuma, Arizona, the Yuma Recorder's office was checking 3,000 last minute voter registrations turned in by Mi Familia Vota, a SEIU partner organization, and found 65% of them to be fraudulent due to the registrants not being citizens, or having false addresses or signatures. At the same time a judge threw out 6,000 registrations turned in by the same organization in Colorado.
This illustrates precisely why John Adams said, "We have created a government for a religious and moral people. It will work for none else." A religious and moral people will have the self-discipline to be honest and not cheat in an election. This is what the Tea Party activists and other conservatives are wanting the country to get back to; the Godly values and honest living of our Founders. For that liberals call us extremists and every other low-down name in the book.
What a sad commentary on the Democrat way of life, a life characterized by lying, scheming, stealing and voter fraud. What a legacy to leave their children. And what a challenge for us to remain forever vigilant so that we will remain forever free.
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