God is Not Dead, Nor Does He Sleep

American Minute from William J. Federer

Phillips Brooks was born DECEMBER 13, 1835. The bishop of the Episcopal Church in Massachusetts, Brooks is probably best remembered for a song he wrote two years after the Civil War, which goes: "O little town of Bethlehem! How still we see thee lie; Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, The silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark streets shineth, The everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years, Are met in thee tonight."

At Harvard, Phillips Brooks was taught by Oliver Wendell Holmes and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

President Jimmy Carter, seeking U.N. sanctions against Iran, December 21, 1979, stated: "Henry Longfellow wrote a Christmas carol in a time of crisis, the War Between the States, in 1864. Two verses of that carol particularly express my thoughts and prayers and, I'm sure, those of our Nation in this time of challenge...I would like to quote from that poem 'And in despair I bowed my head. There is no peace on earth, I said. For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men. Then pealed the bells, more loud and deep, God is not dead, nor does he sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.'"

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.

Republicans need to get back to business

BY STAR PARKER
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT
COALITION ON URBAN RENEWAL & EDUCATION

There are now nine capable candidates vying for the chairman's job at the Republican National Committee. The day of reckoning will be Jan. 29, when 168 committee men and women from around the country will vote their preference.

The stakes are high this time around. It's different when you are looking for a caretaker – someone to keep a good thing going – as opposed to a turnaround specialist – someone to transform a loser into a winner.

Clearly, after two consecutive electoral shellackings, Democratic takeovers in both houses of Congress and the White House, and significant drop-off in the number of self-identified Republican voters nationwide, it is the latter type of executive that the RNC needs.

What kind of leadership talent should the RNC seek?

Republicans think of themselves as the party sympathetic to free enterprise. But the party has gotten off track, not applying sound business principles to its own operation.

The three most important management questions, according to famed management guru Peter Drucker, are: What is our business? Who is the customer? What does the customer consider value?

What is the business of the RNC? Some might say it is to get Republicans elected. I'd say that's inadequate. Clever marketing techniques can move product in the short run. But if customers are not happy, they don't come back.

If the party does not have a clear agenda, and is not making a positive sale based on that agenda, it's a sign of weakness. Republican national campaigns of recent years that have been defined by Willie Horton and Swift boats may have defeated the other side, but they brought candidates into office with no clear mandate and eroded party definition and discipline.

The RNC business model must be based on positive marketing of its platform of traditional values, limited government, free enterprise and strong national defense. Candidates must be groomed who genuinely believe that it's this agenda – all of it – that keeps out country great, and candidates who don't shouldn't be nominated.

Who is the customer? The RNC must genuinely view the full spectrum of the American electorate as its target market. What business can possibly grow by only focusing on customers who have already bought its product? Only going after low hanging fruit is not a business plan that any venture capitalist would finance.

Republicans must get their message to the many diverse communities that make up our great country that they have ignored. Yes, I am certainly talking about black and Latino communities.

Consider the remarkable election that just occurred in New Orleans, where a young Vietnamese American political novice, Anh Cao, unseated William Jefferson, a Democratic Congressional Black Caucus member for almost 20 years. The RNC showed little interest in a race that conventional wisdom suggested had little prospect for a Republican victory. Cao won a surprise victory on a shoestring budget.

I've seen similar opportunities in the last two years, where seats opened up in California and Ohio as result of deaths of two Black Caucus members. There were clear opportunities to run conservatives that the RNC ignored because of conventional thinking.

What does the customer consider value? Customers buy products they believe will make them better off. Although some voters are motivated by ideology, most are seeking a secure, comfortable and safe life.

Voters from every walk of American life must hear from Republicans, practically, how more freedom and less government will deliver better education, health care, jobs and security – and why the preservation of the integrity of traditional family life provides a critical foundation for our country.

Some suggest that reaching out to new communities means changing the party's agenda. What successful company builds market share by destroying its product? No, they maintain product integrity and use more aggressive and imaginative targeted marketing.

The Republican Party clearly needs change. The RNC needs a chairman that can lead it into a new era. Someone that understands that the new beginning must start with sound business principles.

Star Parker is president of the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education and author of the new book White Ghetto: How Middle Class America Reflects Inner City Decay.

Prior to her involvement in social activism, Star Parker was a single welfare mother in Los Angeles, California. After receiving Christ, Star returned to college, received a BS degree in marketing and launched an urban Christian magazine. The 1992 Los Angeles riots destroyed her business, yet served as a springboard for her focus on faith and market-based alternatives to empower the lives of the poor.

Obama Popularity May Tank When Americans See His Liberal Policies

Polls show most people like the way President-elect Barack Obama is handling the transition, but that popularity could go away when Americans start seeing just how liberal Obama really is.

He plans to push the Freedom of Choice Act which would reverse practically every abortion restriction in the country--including the ban on the barbaric partial birth abortion procedure.

Obama also wants to get rid of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that protects the states from having the concept of homosexual "marriage" imposed on them by other states via the activist court system.

Did voters pay more attention to style than substance? Bet on it.

A poll shows most Americans are conservative on issues such as abortion and the courts, but will the new administration's policies mirror those sentiments?

Appeals Court to Decide on Gideon Bible Distribution in Public Schools

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Lawrence Jones
Christian Post Reporter
Fri, Dec. 12 2008 09:07 AM EST

A federal appeals court in St. Louis heard arguments Thursday in a case involving the distribution of Gideon Bibles to children in public schools.

The South Iron R-1 School District formerly had a policy that allowed outside religious groups to distribute Bibles to fifth graders during the school day.

The policy prompted a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued the district in September 2006, demanding a stop to the distribution.

Catherine D. Perry, a lower federal court judge, ordered a halt to the Bible distribution, calling it "an instrument of religion."

Following the order, the district then adopted a written equal access policy that treats the distribution of secular and religious literature outside of class on an equal basis. Under the new policy, outside groups could apply to distribute literature from stationary tables in two designated locations but were prohibited from distributing material inside classrooms.

Mathew D. Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, who represents the school district in the case, asked the appeals court Thursday to reverse the ruling.

"The Bible cannot be singled out for special penalties like contraband. How ironic that in America, until recent times, the Bible formed the basis of education, and now its mere presence is radioactive in the opinion of some judges," said Staver in a statement.

"The Founders never envisioned such open hostility toward the Christian religion as we see today in some venues. To single out the Bible alone for discriminatory treatment harkens back to the Dark Ages. America deserves better. Our Constitution should be respected, not disregarded."

At issue during the hearing was whether the permanent injunction entered by Perry was based on the revised policy or the former policy.

Staver argued before the court that the permanent injunction did not take the new policy into appropriate consideration.

"It would be inappropriate for this previous injunction based upon a specific incident to literally gut the public forum and single out one single piece of literature...namely the Bible," stated Staver.

The court is expected to issue a decision in a few months.

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Pro-Homosexual Ad Counters Another Ad Condemning Prop. 8 Violence

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Katherine T. Phan
Christian Post Reporter
Fri, Dec. 12 2008 08:29 AM EST

A pro-gay rights group published a full-page ad in The Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday to respond to an earlier ad by a religious liberty group that condemned the mob "violence and intimidation" directed against the Mormon church and other Proposition 8 supporters.

Truth Wins Out, based in Brooklyn, N.Y., ran a counter ad, entitled "Lies in the name of the Lord," stating: "Noting could be further from the truth. Those demonstrations across the country were remarkably peaceful and were a vivid example of Americans exercising their free speech rights, and we think it's inexcusable for anyone to misrepresent these protests for political gain."

The pro-gay ad was in response to a full-page ad by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty that ran in The New York Times last Friday. The ad, entitled "No Mob Violence," deplored the violent protests that have ensued following the passage of a California ban on same-sex marriage.

It was signed by over a dozen over religious leaders, lawyers and theologians, who decried "the violence and intimidation being directed against the LDS (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) or 'Mormon' church, and other religious organizations - and even against individual believers - simply because they supported Proposition 8."

In the concluding paragraph of the Becket Fund ad, the group acknowledged although there were "fundamental disagreements" among them, they were willing to unite across faith lines to commit "to exposing and publicly shaming anyone who resorts to the rhetoric of anti-religious bigotry - against any faith, on any side of any cause, for any reason."

Signers of the letter included Kevin J. “Seamus” Hasson of the Becket Fund of Religious Liberty, Richard Cizik of National Association of Evangelicals, Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship and William Donohue of The Catholic League.

The Washington, D.C.-based Becket Fund concurrently launched NoMobVeto.org, a website where readers could endorse the ad and take a stand for the right of religious people to participate in the electoral process without fear and intimidation from anti-religious bigotry.

In weeks following the passage of Proposition 8, opponents of the measure held numerous protests targeting supporters of the ban. While many of the protests were peaceful, some evidenced hate and intimidation.

Over 2,000 Proposition 8 opponents protested outside the Mormon temple in Los Angeles, chanting "Mormon scum." Another group picketed at megachurch Saddleback Church, holding signs reading "Purpose-Driven Hate," a play on Pastor Rick Warren’s book, Purpose Driven Life. Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills was spray painted and the members' cars were vandalized.

"There was not just one instance of vandalism," Brian Brown, executive director of National Organization for Marriage, told the Salt Lake Tribune.

"I was there in Westwood, [Calif. at the LDS temple protest]. I saw signs saying, 'Mormon scum,' and others encouraging the sort of hatred and violence we condemned. There have been fairly widespread attempts at intimidation, like calling Proposition 8 supporters at 2 a.m. and screaming into the phone."

The Mormon church has been a target by gay rights protesters because its members have donated tens of millions of dollars toward the Yes on 8 campaign.

The Becket Fund has maintained that their ad doesn't denounce "peaceful" demonstrations.

"Some folks claim we’ve attacked legitimate protests. Not true," the group said Thursday on the NoMobVeto.org blog site. "Our ad is about violence and intimidation, which is what mobs commit. It explicitly condemns violence against 'believers, gay people, or anyone else.'"

Gay rights advocates have been charged with running an intimidation campaign against individuals who donated toward the measure's passage.

Scott Eckern, artistic director of the California Musical Theater in Sacramento, was blacklisted by the gay community in Hollywood after his $1,000 donation to the Yes on 8 campaign was disclosed.

"Hairspray" composer Marc Shaiman pledged to never allow anything he wrote to play at the theater again. Protest from Shaiman, who recently created a Web video satire entitled "Prop 8: The Musical" that mocks Christians as hatemongers and Jesus as a Bible critic, and other gay rights activists pressed Eckern to resign in November.

Los Angeles Film Festival Director Richard Raddon, a Mormon, was also pressed to resign after his $1,500 donation to the Yes on 8 campaign was disclosed.

The latest "blacklist" example was noted on Thursday by Greg Gutfeld of Fox News' "Red Eye" program. Margie Christoffersen, who fills pitchers at El Coyote restaurant in Los Angeles, was forced to resign after gay rights advocates picketed outside her workplace, Gutfeld reported. Although a supporter of gay marriage, Gutfeld chided the protesters for their treatment of Proposition 8 supporters.

Pacific Justice Institute, a Sacramento based Christian law firm, has offered to defend those threatened because of their support behind the California marriage amendment.

"Californians have been shocked by the aggressiveness of radical homosexual activists who have ousted several individuals from their jobs and livelihoods based solely on their support for traditional marriage," PJI president Brad Dacus stated this week. "These tactics of fear and intimidation in retaliation for supporting a lawful ballot measure are completely unacceptable."

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Evagelical Leader Resigns after Controversial Remarks on Abortion, Homosexuality

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Fri, Dec. 12 2008 08:12 AM EST

Long-time evangelical lobbyist Richard Cizik has resigned as the vice president of governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, the group announced Thursday.

After nearly three decades at the helm of the NAE’s political arm, Cizik has decided to leave the organization after a storm of controversy enshrouded him following remarks he made about abortion and gay marriage in a recent interview.

NAE President Leith Anderson explained, in a letter to the group’s board of directors, that Cizik in the interview had “responded to questions and made statements that did not appropriately represent the values and convictions of NAE and our constituents.”

Although Cizik later expressed regret, apologized, and affirmed the NAE’s values, there was “a loss of trust in his credibility as a spokesperson among leaders and constituents,” Anderson wrote.

“[B]ecause Richard traveled to a previously scheduled international conference in Europe shortly after the airing of the broadcast it was not possible to meet with him until his return,” the NAE president explained. “He and I have recently met together and mutually concluded that his resignation is a difficult but appropriate decision.”

In a National Public Radio (NPR) interview last week, Cizik said that a pro-life Christian could still find reason to support an abortion rights candidate, and admitted he voted for now President-elect Barack Obama in the Virginia primary.

He also conceded to believe in homosexual civil unions, which the overwhelming majority of NAE constituencies do not support. Regarding gay marriage, Cizik said he currently does not support redefining marriage, but is “shifting” on the issue.

His comments sparked a firestorm of protest and criticism by pro-life, pro-traditional marriage Christians – including NAE members and constituencies - and forced the NAE president to release a letter last week reassuring the group’s board of directors that Cizik has confirmed his support of NAE values and positions.

But apparently the letter was not enough to cool down the heat directed at Cizik and subsequently the NAE. Cizik resigned Wednesday night.

The former NAE VP is perhaps best known for his advocacy on climate change – a cause that has inflamed the anger of prominent conservative Christian leaders who declared that he does not speak for them and many evangelicals when he states global warming is real and mainly human-caused.

Arguing that Cizik misrepresented evangelicals, the group of prominent evangelical leaders – which included Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family - attempted to get Cizik fired, but failed in 2007.

Time magazine, however, applauded Cizik for his climate change advocacy and rewarded him by naming him as one of its top 100 most influential people in the world for 2008.

But aside from the divisive issue of climate change, Cizik has been a tireless advocate on behalf of a long and diverse list of issues during his 28-year tenure at NAE. Those issues include anti-persecution legislation, laws against human trafficking, pro-family bills, protection of children, justice and compassion for the poor and vulnerable, sanctity of human life, opposition to abortion on demand, and more recently the campaign against the genocide in Darfur.

Prominent evangelical figure Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship, in response to Cizik’s resignation, said:

“He was gradually, over a period of time, separating himself from the mainstream of evangelical belief and conviction. So I'm not surprised,” Colson said, according to Christianity Today magazine. “I'm sorry for him, but I'm not disappointed for the evangelical movement.”

Meanwhile, Mark Tooley of the conservative Washington-based Institute on Religion and Democracy commented:

“Both Rev. Cizik and the NAE leadership made a wise decision in his departure. Cizik had lost credibility for advocating positions that were not those of the NAE or most Evangelicals,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of IRD, Tooley hopes the NAE can “now focus on theological and ethical convictions that evangelicals hold strongly in common.”

Tooley added that he wishes Cizik well and expressed gratitude for his “long history of service to evangelicals” that has “laid the groundwork for many opportunities.”

The National Association of Evangelicals is composed of over 50 denominations and 45,000 churches, representing about 30 million constituents. The NAE vice president’s resignation is the latest leadership controversy for the organization, which was just settling down after its former president, Ted Haggard, resigned due to a drug and sex allegation scandal in 2006.

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Emanuel May Be On Tape With Blagojevich

Rahm Emanuel may have had discussions with Gov. Blagojevich and the FBI may have the tape according to Chicago news sources. This, despite denials by Emanuel and president-elect Obama. Emanuel has been dodging reporters and has not made any statement about the report as of this post.



More from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Blagojevich Corruption in Center Field

The corruption charges against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich just keep growing.

Now the governor is accused of threatening to block the sale of Wrigley Field to the state unless the Tribune backed off it's critcism of him. Reportedly he tried to shake down the Chicago Tribune using the Cubs and Wrigley field as leverage.

Of the editorial board, Blag reportedly said, "Fire all those bleeping people." His wife Patty is reported to have had more "colorful" words about the paper, also.

WBBM-TV: Blagojevich portrays himself as a Cubs fan. Now, as CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports, charges against the governor include allegations he threatened to block the sale of Wrigley Field unless the Chicago Tribune backed off its criticism of him. He even tried to get the editorial board fired.

Newsbusted Conservative Comedy 12/12/2008

Topics in today's show:

--David Gregory takes over Meet the Press

--Chris Matthews mocks Joe the Plumber

--Twilight movie a big hit

--Joey Fatone dedicates a public toilet

Starring: Jodi Miller
Director: Bruce Roundtower
Executive Producer: Matthew Sheffield

NewsBusted is a comedy webcast about the news of the day, uploaded every Tuesday and every Friday.

The Second State

American Minute from William J. Federer

Pennsylvania - The Continental Congress met there, the Declaration of Independence was signed there, the Liberty Bell was rung there, and the Continental Army spent the freezing winter of 1777 at Valley Forge there.

The Constitution was written there, and for awhile the United States Capitol was there.

It became the 2nd State to join the Union on DECEMBER 12, 1787. The first Colonial Legislative Act, called the Great Law of Pennsylvania, December 7, 1682, stated: "That no person...who shall confess and acknowledge one Almighty God to be the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the World...shall in any case be molested or prejudiced for his, or her Conscientious persuasion or practice."

Benjamin Franklin helped write Pennsylvania's 1776 Constitution, which stated in Frame of Government, Chapter 2, Section 10: "Each member of the legislature, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration: 'I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governour of the Universe, the Rewarder of the good and Punisher of the wicked, and I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration.'"

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.

Chuck Colson Honored With Presidential Citizens Medal

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Katherine T. Phan
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, Dec. 11 2008 05:01 PM EST

President George W. Bush presented the Presidential Citizens Medal to Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson on Wednesday, honoring over 35 years of dedication in proclaiming the transformative message of Jesus Christ to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families.

The former top aide to President Richard Nixon was among the 23 individuals and one posthumously who were recognized with the second highest honor for a citizen during a private ceremony in the Oval Office.

Colson was the first member of the Nixon administration to go to prison for Watergate-related offenses. He was convicted of obstruction of justice in relation to the Watergate scandal that engulfed the Nixon administration.

After serving his sentence, Colson founded Prison Fellowship in 1976, which conducts Christian-based outreach to prisoners, ex-convicts, crime victims and their families.

"Through his strong faith and leadership, he has helped courageous men and women from around the world make successful transitions back into society," the White House said in the recipient citations. "The United States honors Chuck Colson for his good heart and his compassionate efforts to renew a spirit of purpose in the lives of countless individuals."

The award was created by President Richard Nixon in 1969 to recognize U.S. citizens “who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.” It is one of the highest honors the President can confer upon a civilian, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Colson, who became a born-again Christian during Watergate, credited the honor to God's grace.

"Whatever good I may have done is because God saw fit to reach into the depths of Watergate and convert a broken sinner," said Colson in a statement. "Everything that has been accomplished these past 35 years has been by God’s grace and sovereign design."

He thanked everyone involved with Prison Fellowship Ministries.

"I do not treat this medal as mine," he said. "It is, like in the military, a unit citation. The staff of Prison Fellowship, the thousands of volunteers and the hundreds of thousands of donors have made this possible. So while I am overwhelmed in gratitude to God, I am grateful to all those associated in this movement called Prison Fellowship."

Another recipient on Wednesday was John P. Foley, S.J., who serves as president of the Cristo Rey Network, an association of Catholic high schools that serve urban young people through an innovative work-study model.

"Father John Foley has successfully reached some of our Nation’s most vulnerable youth and instilled in them a love of learning. Through his spiritual leadership of a faith-based education system that partners with the community, he has provided opportunities for young people to achieve their dreams," according to the White House citation.

Approximately 100 people have been awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal, including Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Archibald Cox, Senator Bob Dole, Elizabeth Taylor and Jeana Yeager.

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The Two Faces of Patty

Michelle Malkin had this today about the wife of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. On wiretap tapes the First Lady is heard pronouncing some very un-classy expletives.

Above left is the photo of the First Lady found on he website and in many MSM articles. It seems to have been chosen to portray a certain image of a demure young mother who can best be pictured serving chocolate chip cookies to the kids when they burst through the door after school.

In other news photos she is still an attractive woman but has a look of business and determination. Here, on the right, she can easily be imagined taking on the “good ol’ boys” in the boardroom and driving home that big real estate deal for a six-figure commission. You can decide which of the two is likely heard on the tapes screaming obscenities.

Yesterday, I noted Illinois First Lady Patty Blagojevich’s rather unladylike mouth, as detailed in the criminal complaint against her crooked hubby.
Chicago reader and columnist Meg Kreikemeier e-mails:

Welcome to the Chicago Way. This is what America voted for in 2008 — albeit with a lot of perfume applied to it by the media to hide the stink.

The lovely Patty Blagojevich is the daughter of Chicago alderman Richard Mell. I’m sure that’s where she learned her flowery language and shake-down techniques.
You want an expose, look into the links between the banks owned by Amrish Mahajan (Mutual Bank) and the Giannoulias family (Broadway Bank) and all the state business and real estate deals (including Obama’s) and that ran through those banks. Alexi Giannoulias is the Illinois State Treasurer, who, you might recall, came out of nowhere when he was endorsed by Obama.

Conveniently, Patty Blagojevich is a realtor who has made thousands of dollars in commissions from Hot Rod’s cronies. The Chicago Tribune has detailed the commissions-as-politcal-donations policy of the Blagojevich’s many times.

Basically, the only way to make it big in Chicago politics is to pay to play, and this is an environment in which Obama not only existed but thrived.

To say that corruption in Chicago and Cook County is pervasive would be an understatement. Unfortunately America will now have to live with the decision of chosing a Chicago politician as president and what that means for the nation as favors are repaid over the next four years (and how Chicago will be saddled with debt when it’s inevitably chosen as host for the 2016 Olympics now that America is back in favor with the world).

And let me tell you, Blagojevich isn’t an outlier. Chicago also has the corrupting influences of the Daleys, Jacksons, Strogers, Mells and, of course, Tony Rezko. And they’re just the tip of this nasty, growing iceberg — a city and county that sucks its residents dry via its high property taxes, gas taxes, 10% sales tax, nannyism and myriad of incompetent political hires. I’m feeling all hope and changey.

The Obama Mad-Lib

From our friends at Americans for Limited Government.

Newsbusted Conservative Comedy 12/10/2008

Topics in today's show:

--Big Three beg for bailout

--OJ's conviction

--Computer virus strikes Facebook users

--Carlos Mencia promises to go after Barack Obama

Starring: Jodi Miller
Director: Bruce Roundtower
Executive Producer: Matthew Sheffield

NewsBusted is a comedy webcast about the news of the day, uploaded every Tuesday and every Friday.

Auctioning a U.S. Senate Seat on EBay

Sibby points to a funny piece in the Rapid City Journal on the alleged attempt by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to sell President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat.

CHICAGO — For sale: One Senate seat. Goes to the highest BLEEP-ing bidder. Seller's positive feedback rating: since Tuesday, just about zero.

Seems folks outraged at Blagojevich's wheeling and dealing of the seat of representation of the people have been posting the seat on eBay.

Bids are apparently coming in...

Missile Defense System Faces Hostile Threat...From the President-Elect

Back in the days of the Soviet Union, as the Free World and the Communist World stared down nuclear barrels at each other, the relative peace was kept through the embrace of a doctrine called "Mutually Assured Destruction" or MAD.

The doctrine was indeed mad because, according to the doctrine, the only thing keeping the Soviets from launching a nuclear strike against the free world they had sworn to bury was the realization that we had enough nuclear might to destroy them in turn.

This doctrine did the job, but it kept the world on edge and on hair-trigger alert for some forty years. I was in the United States Air Force during the final years of the Cold War, and occasionally guarded those alert nuclear forces. I was also there, in the winter of 1991-1992, guarding B-1 bombers as nuclear warheads were taken off the alert bombers the afternoon President George H.W. Bush took our nuclear forces off alert for the first time in decades.

But some ten years or more before the end of the Cold War and the Soviet Union, a visionary saw the possibility for something better. This visionary saw an end to the threat of nuclear annihilation under which the peoples of earth had lived for too long. This wise man believed the United States could build a defense system which could stop incoming missiles without the threat of nuclear annihilation against an enemy.

That visionary was President Ronald Reagan, and his vision was the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), or "Star Wars" as his detractors often called it.

The plan looked at a number of possible defense options including land-based missile interceptors, space-based or aircraft-mounted lasers, kinetic weapons and many others. The idea was to knock out an incoming enemy nuclear missile strike before those missiles could take out our cities, killing millions of Americans.

While liberals in the United States may have been laughing at Reagan's "Star Wars," the Soviets most assuredly were not laughing. They took SDI very seriously.

In fact, when the Americans and Soviets met in Reykjavík, Icleand for nuclear disarmament talks, the Soviets were adamant that Reagan must give up SDI in order for negotiations on European intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

Reagan refused to budge, and negotiations eventually broke down. However, after the Soviets saw Reagan's resolve, a treaty was eventually worked out (with the important verification necessary to ensure compliance, and large numbers of intermediate-range missiles on both sides were decommissioned. I was also fortunate enough to have a front-row seat for part of this history, working at a Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) base in England when the Soviets visited for inspections.

Many experts credit Reagan's commitment to SDI not only for a vital contribution to...

READ MORE...

They Are Trying to Weaken You

American Minute from William J. Federer

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was born in Russia, DECEMBER 11, 1918.

He was arrested for writing a letter criticizing Joseph Stalin and spent eleven years in prisons and labor camps. He began writing and eventually received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Solzhenitsyn wrote: "At the height of Stalin's terror in 1937-38...more than 40,000 persons were shot per month...Over there people are groaning and dying and in psychiatric hospitals. Doctors are making their evening rounds, injecting people with drugs which destroy their brain cells."

Solzhenitsyn continued: "You know the words from the Bible: 'Build not on sand, but on rock'.... Lenin's teachings are that anyone is considered to be a fool who doesn't take what's lying in front of him. If you can take it, take it. If you can attack, attack. But if there's a wall, then go back. And the Communist leaders respect only firmness and have contempt and laugh at persons who continually give in to them."

Solzhenitsyn concluded: "America...they are trying to weaken you; they are trying to disarm your strong and magnificent country...I call upon you: ordinary working men of America...do not let yourselves become weak."

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.

References to Christian Heritage to be Added to U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Katherine T. Phan
Christian Post Reporter
Wed, Dec. 10 2008 03:30 PM EST

Congressional committees have agreed to include references to "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance to the newly opened Capitol Visitor Center thanks in part to efforts from the Congressional Prayer Caucus and Virginian Senator J. Randy Forbes.

Before the $621 million attraction opened last Tuesday, the Architect of the Capitol came under fire from Forbes and other conservative lawmakers like Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who protested factual inaccuracies and the omission of historical religious content in the Center.

During an initial tour of the 580,000 square feet Center in September, DeMint had noticed that the phrase "E. Pluribus Unum" — Latin for "from many, one" — was erroneously described as the national motto rather than "In God We Trust."

Forbes, who founded the Congressional Prayer Caucus, along with 108 U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to the Architect of the Capitol in early Fall, expressing their concerns with inaccurate and incomplete historical religious content in the Capitol Visitor Center.

The letter correctly noted that the current national motto is "In God We Trust," and said there were "factual inaccuracies regarding Capitol church services," and references to "religion, morality, and knowledge" in the Northwest Ordinance have been excluded.

"In addition, the Capitol Visitor Center includes photos from Earth Day, an AIDS rally, various casino grounds, and factories, but it does not include photos from monumental religious events such as the National Day of Prayer or the March for Life event, attended by thousands annually, among other things," the letter said.

Following the letter, the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Rules and Administration Committee have agreed to remove "Our Nation's Motto" from the plaque describing the engraving of "E Pluribus Unum," and engrave both the "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance in stone in prominent locations within the CVC, Forbes announced on Friday.

"Historical buildings like the Capitol Visitor Center are there to tell the story of our nation. When religious history is removed from these displays, the American public is not able to observe an accurate depiction of our nation’s story," said Forbes.

Forbes was pleased with the changes, saying they will enable the thousands of visitors to the CVC each day "to experience an accurate depiction of our nation’s heritage."

DeMint, however, said "more needs to be done" to accurately tell the story of the history of America and of the Capitol.

“The current CVC displays are left-leaning and in some cases distort our true history. Exhibits portray the federal government as the fulfillment of human ambition and the answer to all of society’s problems," the South Carolinian senator stated on the opening day of the CVC.

"This is a clear departure from acknowledging that Americans’ rights ‘are endowed by their Creator’ and stem from ‘a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence,'" added DeMint.

He and other conservative lawmakers still take issue with the large engraving stating, "We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution," a quote from the 1800s American lawyer Rufus Choate that greets visitors to the CVC.

"This is an intentional misrepresentation of our nation’s real history, and an offensive refusal to honor America's God-given blessings," remarked DeMint.

Matthew Spalding of the Heritage Foundation described the CVC's portrayal of American history as "Congress' temple to liberals' 'living Constitution,'" in an opinion piece published by McClatchy last week.

"The fundamental principles of the freedom we enjoy in this country stem from our Founding Fathers’ beliefs in a higher power, beliefs put forth in the Declaration of Independence and manifest throughout our Constitution," stated DeMint.

"If we cease to acknowledge this fact, we may cease to enjoy some of the freedoms we take for granted. We must not censor historical references to God for the sake of political correctness. And we must truthfully represent the limited form of government the Constitution lays out so that our ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.’ So help us God.”

DeMint has suggested that future displays to the CVC include the Aitken Bible of 1782, the only Bible ever printed by an act of Congress, and the text of President Lincoln's second Inaugural and his Bible to go with the Inaugural table, which is already displayed at the CVC.

Nearly 12,000 people have signed a petition circulated by former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich that urges Congress to ensure the CVC "historically correct and accurately reflects the centrality of 'our Creator' in the founding of America and in its historic development."

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Man Doesn't Blame Pilot for F-18 Crash That Killed Family

The story of the F-18 that crashed in San Diego was remarkable enough on the face of it. After all, military aircraft don't crash every day, and they certainly don't often crash in residential areas.

This one unfortunately killed two adult women and two children who were in the home where the plane struck.

Remarkably, Dong Yun Yoon, the 37-year-old Korean immigrant who lost his family in the home, is not angry with the pilot at all.

While I'm sure the pilot did everything he could to avoid such a tragedy, many people might find themselves silent on the issue of blame while they sort out their feelings. Many, in our day and age of "blame someone, blame ANYONE," would have lashed out against the military and this pilot.

But Dong Yun Yoon says the pilot is a hero and bears him no ill will.

Our prayers go out to Dong Yun Yoon. He needs them no matter what. But this poor man also deserves to be commended for his remarkably mature attitude in the midst of this terrible personal tragedy.

May God bless and comfort him, and the F-18 pilot.

British Cardinal Says Religion Viewed as 'Private Eccentricity'

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Jennifer Riley
Christian Post Reporter
Wed, Dec. 10 2008 05:20 PM EST

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales expressed frustration this week that religion is seen as a “private eccentricity” in Britain, where it is increasingly treated with hostility.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, criticized what he sees as growing intolerance towards those with religious beliefs, especially people who maintain pro-life and pro-family values.

“The progressive secularization of the cultural environment and the accompanying decline in religious practice means that religious belief of any kind tends now to be treated more as a private eccentricity than as the central and formative element in British society that it is,” Murphy-O’Connor wrote in an editorial this week in U.K.’s The Independent newspaper.

He went on to write that atheists have become “more vocal and aggressive” against people of faith, while an “unfriendly climate” exists for people of all religions in Britain.

However, there is one positive result from secularization, the Cardinal offered - more tolerance for Catholics.

“Over the past 40 years, social prejudice against Catholics has largely disappeared, and Catholics have been fully assimilated into the mainstream of British life,” he said.

But this acceptance is only in the religious realm, and does not extend to intellectual and cultural acceptance.

With the culture, Catholicism and other religion have a conflict because modern British society has a “dislike of absolutes,” which he suggested stems from a “revulsion for totalitarianism.”

The conflict is most apparent for Catholics and other faiths when it comes to issues like “the absolute value of every human life” and “the central importance of the family and the institution of marriage” to a “rightly ordered society.”

“Catholics are not alone in watching with dismay as the liberal society shows signs of degenerating into the libertine society,” the Cardinal said, noting Catholic positions are shared by other Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

The Catholic Church welcomes diversity and pluralism just like secular society, the Archbishop said, but when they undermine the institutions of marriage and family then they will be harmful to society.

“The vocal minority who argue that religion has no role in modern British society portray Catholic teaching on the family as prejudiced and intolerant to those pursuing alternatives,” he wrote in his editorial. “Catholic teaching is clear that all unjust discrimination is wrong, but this teaching cannot accept the relativistic acceptance that all approaches are equivalent. British society champions tolerance and freedom, but that freedom is dependent on responsibility.”

“A simplistic belief that right or wrong is an individualistic construct denies our responsibilities to neighbor and wider society,” Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor added.

The Cardinal concluded by calling for an “open, tolerant and vibrant public square” where individuals of different opinions and beliefs can have their voices heard. He urged people of all faiths to not sit out of the debate, but to engage in them and to live exemplary lives to correct the parts of British society they believe is wrong.

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Infuriating Left-Lane Lethargy

Do they not teach people to get out of the way in the left lane in Driver's Ed anymore?

I seriously doubt they still do, given the countless times I've been stuck behind two slow-poking drivers glued side-by-side in both lanes of a four-lane highway.

Frankly I don't care that you'll be turning left about 15 miles ahead...get out of the way! Some of us have a life we'd like to get on with living! If you want to take 80 years to get where you're going, that's your prerogative, but please, don't hold up the rest of us.

Apparently I'm not alone in my desire to get on with life, since MSN Money features a lengthy article on this issue.

This article says some law enforcement agencies are starting to crack down on slow-driving in the left lane, otherwise known as "impeding the flow of traffic."

Apparently not all states are equal on his issue. Some outlaw extended left-lane driving outright, while others are more, uh, tolerant:

- A few states -- for instance, Kentucky, Maine Massachusetts and New Jersey -- permit use of the left lane only for passing or turning left.

- Georgia, Colorado and Louisiana follow the Uniform Vehicle Code, requiring drivers to keep right if they're going slower than the speed of traffic.

- Wyoming prohibits blocking the far left lane of a highway "for a prolonged period," though it adds that the traffic should be "at a lawful rate of speed."

- In Arkansas and South Dakota, vehicles don't have to stay right.

- In Alaska, Maryland, North Carolina and Ohio, vehicles can drive in the left lane so long as they're moving at the speed limit.

- Florida is trying to join in: Lawmakers reintroduced a Road Rage Reduction Act this year, requiring motorists to stay out of the left lane on interstate highways except when passing. It passed the Legislature in 2005 but was vetoed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush, who questioned whether it was based on sound research.

Some enterprising citizens have come up with imaginative ways to fight this problem, such as the "REVO EVOM" windshield decal which, when seen in a rear view mirror, reads "MOVE OVER." Or the sticker which says "Slower Traffic" with an arrow pointing toward the right lane.

I think I see a sticker purchase in my near future...

Joe the Plumber Was Appalled by McCain

You might recall Joe the Plumber aka Joe Wurzelbacher, the outstanding American who brought Barack Obama's Marxist leanings out into the opens with the "spread your wealth" comment he incited from Obama.

You might also recall that Joe didn't engage on the McCain bandwagon for a long time, and when he did, it seemed rather limited. Joe did speak up admirably on his own but he always seemed a little stand-offish toward the McCain campaign.

Now we know why. Joe said he felt "dirty" after hitting the campaign trail with McCain and was "appalled" by some of McCain's positions, especially on the $700 billion bailout.

From Fox News:

"When I was on the bus with him, I asked him a lot of questions about the bailout because most Americans did not want that to happen," Wurzelbacher told Beck. "I asked him some pretty direct questions. Some of the answers you guys are gonna receive they appalled me, absolutely. I was angry. In fact, I wanted to get off the bus after I talked to him."

According to the Fox News piece, the only reason Joe rode the trail with McCain was that the idea of Obama as president scared him even more.

See folks, smarmy, mealy-mouthed, middle-of-the-road, finger-in-the-wind, "moderate" Republicanism just doesn't impress average Americans.

Joe did have good words for someone in the McCain campaign, however:

"Sarah Palin is absolutely the real deal," he said.

Looks like Joe was the real deal, himself. Not impressed by smarmy politicians (and I say "politicians" in the worst sense of the word) on either side of the aisle. More concerned about Americanism and what's good for the country than feathering his own nest or building smarmy alliances.

Christian Bioethics Group Loses Challenge to Human-Animal Hybrid Embryos

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Jennifer Gold
Christian Today Reporter
Wed, Dec. 10 2008 08:24 AM EST

Christian campaigners have lost their High Court bid to overturn licenses allowing two universities to create animal-human embryos for research purposes.

The Christian Legal Center and Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Core) were seeking a judicial review into whether the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority had acted illegally in granting licenses to scientists at King’s College London and Newcastle University in January, before Parliament had voted on whether research using animal-human hybrid embryos should be allowed.

Supporters of the research argue that it could help scientists find cures for serious diseases like Parkinson’s or HIV/AIDS, while opponents say it is unnecessary because of the progress being made with ethical alternatives such as adult stem cell research.

Judge Justice Dobb ruled on Tuesday that the campaigners’ challenge was unarguable because the HFEA had acted within its authority and proper consideration had been given to the issues surrounding the granting of the licenses.

The campaigners expressed their disappointment at the ruling and anger at the judge for ordering them to pay large legal costs.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, barrister and founder of CLC said: “Today we have been penalized for our attempt to seek access to justice on behalf of the embryo and have been hit by substantial costs.

“It is a travesty of justice that public interest bodies cannot bring these cases without running up enormous costs.”

She warned that the boundaries of science and ethics would be pushed even further.

“Following this ruling the danger is now that we will see further attempts by the HFEA and scientists to push the boundaries beyond even the creation of animal human hybrid embryos without fearing legal challenge,” she said.

“We are indeed living in a brave and dangerous new world which appears to know no ethical boundaries.”

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Court Ruling Makes Montana Third State to Legalize Assisted Suicide

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Lawrence Jones
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Dec. 09 2008 05:55 PM EST

Montana has become the third state to allow physician-assisted suicide.

A state judge ruled last Friday that a mentally competent person who is terminally ill has a right to die by assisted suicide.

In her ruling, Judge Dorothy McCarter stated that the “Montana constitutional rights of individual privacy and human dignity, taken together, encompass the right of a competent terminally (ill) patient to die with dignity.”

The court's ruling allows physicians to provide life-ending medication to such patients without facing criminal prosecution.

The decision makes Montana the third state to legalize assisted suicide. Washington voters approved the practice on the November ballot and Oregon began the practice in 1997.

Robert Baxter, 75, who brought the case, died late Friday without learning of the ruling. He suffered from a deadly form of leukemia and was sleeping when his family received the phone call Friday from Baxter's lawyer, Mark Connell, with the judge's ruling, Montana's News Station reported. He never woke up and died later that day.

His family told Montana's News Station on Monday that even though their family couldn't benefit from the assisted suicide ruling, they hope other families will.

Other plaintiffs in the case, including Compassion & Choices, an organization which supports "dying and end-of-life choices," welcomed the ruling.

But pro-life groups have denounced the ruling as opening the gates for "suicide-on-demand" in Montana.

"Anyone who survives on medication will be entitled to assisted suicide, and there are no safeguards ensuring that persons requesting suicide are not suffering from a treatable mental illness.," commented Denise Burke, vice president of legal affairs for Americans United for Life.

Assisted suicide is voluntary but other forms of euthanasia may not be.

"This ruling begins the descent toward euthanasia and even a duty to die in Montana," said AUL president and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest.

"We have already seen cases in Oregon where patients are denied state insurance coverage for life-saving treatments and are told instead the state will pay for their suicides. Assisting someone in committing suicide is never a compassionate choice."

State Attorney General Mike McGrath said he expects the state to appeal the ruling. During Baxter's hearing, his office said a decision about assisted suicide should be decided by the state legislature, not the court system.

According to Montana's News Station, McGrath says it's a complicated constitutional issue and the Supreme Court should rule on it.

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Blagojevich and "Change to Win"

The Smoking Gun has the criminal complaint filed against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

On page 68, paragraph 107, reproduced here, it is reported that an advisor to the governor, “Advisor B,” told the Governor that the “president-elect” would prefer the “Change to Win” option because there would be “fewer fingerprints on it” to which Obama might later be linked. Advisor B is reported to be a “Washington, DC-based consultant” who had had discussions with a representative from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Change to Win is a coalition of American labor unions originally formed in 2005 as an alternative to the AFL-CIO. Of several union affiliates, the SEIU and the Teamsters are the most prominent.

It seems that Gov. Blagojevich, his chief-of-staff John Harris, Advisor B and a high-ranking SEIU representative all considered the appointment of Blagojevich to head Change to Win a conceivable pay-back from Obama for appointing the president-elect’s first choice to his vacated senate seat.

This arrangement was seen as a win-win for all. Blago gets a cushy union job, Obama gets support from Change to Win for his political initiatives as well as a Senator that he hand-picks for the job. And, there would be little if any paper trail to implicate the new president in the deal.

My question, is how did these very powerful, politically astute people get so far in this scheme and make the assumptions about Obama that they did without some communication with either Obama directly or, at least, someone very close to him? The discussions in the FBI tapes give one the impression that this has all been hashed out at the highest levels and all that remains is to seal the deal.

Rahm Emanuel, a long-time Illinois politico and former Blago campaign strategist, was identified as the likely tipster that informed the feds about Blago's attempts to profit from the senate appointment. If true, that could help negate any suggestion that Obama was directly involved, but alas, a source close to Emanuel refutes the story.

John Fund on Chicago Corruption and the Daley Machine

John Fund at the Wall Street Journal discusses corruption in Chicago politics and the Daley Machine which has ruled Chicago politics for decades (see video below).

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested yesterday for attempting to sell Barack Obama's senate seat.

Some have joked that with the number of Illinois governors getting in trouble with the law, they'll have to open a "Governor's Wing" at the state penitentiary.

And now we have a president-elect with roots in the machine.

I noticed yesterday that while Obama-advisor David Axelrod said "I know he's talked to the governor," Obama told us he had not talked to the governor. Who to believe...

Will our whole nation become a Chicago "machine?"

Slavery in Cuba

American Minute from William J. Federer

After slavery ended in the U.S., President Grant spoke to Congress, December 1, 1873, of "several thousand persons illegally held as slaves in Cuba...by the slaveholders of Havana, who are vainly striving to stay the march of ideas which has terminated slavery in Christendom, Cuba only excepted."

In February 1898, the U.S.S. Maine blew up in Havana's Harbor, killing 266 sailors.

In April, Congress wrote: "The abhorrent conditions which have existed for more than three years in the Island of Cuba, so near our own borders, have shocked the moral sense of the people of the United States, have been a disgrace to Christian civilization...Resolved...the people of the Island of Cuba are, and of right ought to be, free."

In May, Commodore Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay. In July, Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders captured Santiago, Cuba.

On July 6, 1898, President William McKinley stated: "With the nation's thanks let there be mingled the nation's prayers that our gallant sons may be shielded from harm alike on the battlefield and in the clash of fleets...while they are striving to uphold their country's honor."

The Treaty ending the Spanish-American War was signed DECEMBER 10, 1898.

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.

Media Publishes Factual Errors, Misconceptions About Homosexuality

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Dec. 09 2008 03:35 PM EST

In the aftermath of the passage of California's Proposition 8, Newsweek and Hollywood are the latest players to launch their attacks on traditional marriage supporters and the biblical case against homosexuality.

And Christians are taking issue with the misconceptions, factual errors and holes in the arguments being presented in popular public spheres.

"It doesn’t surprise me. Newsweek has been so far in the tank on the homosexual issue, for so long, they need scuba gear and breathing apparatus," said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, according to Politico. "I don’t think it’s going to change the minds of anyone who takes biblical teachings seriously."

Land's comments were directed at Newsweek's current cover story, "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage," written by religion editor Lisa Miller. In the story, Miller says "examples of 'the traditional family' are scarcely to be found" in the Old Testament and that the Bible does not explicitly define marriage as between one man and one woman. She further argues that the modern married couple would not look to the Bible as a guide while citing polygamy in the Old Testament.

"Religious objections to gay marriage are rooted not in the Bible at all, then, but in custom and tradition," Miller writes. "The Bible was written for a world so unlike our own, it’s impossible to apply its rules, at face value, to ours."

Rejecting Miller's arguments, Land said the Bible clearly prescribes marriage as heterosexual, citing passages in Genesis, where God pairs Adam and Eve, and Ephesians (in the New Testament) when the apostle Paul compares the relationship between husband and wife to the relationship between Jesus and the Church, according to Politico.

Newsweek's story reflects the confusion that many people have regarding Scripture and homosexuality.

And the media isn't the only one to blame for it.

"Part of that [confusion] is skillful misrepresentation, and part of it is the failure of the church to faithfully and diligently promote biblical apologetics and exegesis," according to Bob Stith, who heads the Ministry to Homosexuals Task Force in the Southern Baptist Convention.

The confusion is also played out in the Funny Or Die video, "Prop 8 – The Musical," which was posted last week. In it, popular celebrities, including Neil Patrick Harris and Jack Black, weigh in on the amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. The musical accuses Christians of picking and choosing Bible verses to make their case against gay marriage and mocks them as hatemongers.

"Leviticus says shellfish is an abomination," Black, who portrays Jesus in the musical, states in the musical as he responds to the Christians' argument that the Bible says homosexuality is an abomination. "The Bible says a lot of interesting things like you can stone your wife or sell your daughter into slavery."

"Well we ignore those verses," says John C. Reilly, who plays a Christian.

"It seems to me you pick and choose. Well please choose love instead of hate," Black sings.

Randy Thomas, vice president of Exodus International, responded saying the musical showed a "sincere misunderstanding of Scripture."

Tim Wilkins, a former homosexual who heads Cross Ministry, argued that gay marriage supporters "are doing the very thing they accuse Christians of."

"They focus on Leviticus and ignore New Testament passages that forbid homosexuality. WHY? Because Leviticus provides easier arguments with its prohibitions against certain foods."

SBC's Stith also denounced Hollywood's attempt to make biblical arguments. "Anyone who cares to spend thirty minutes of serious study would see the many flaws in Black’s argument," he said.

Clearing up some of the confusion, Stith called it a "factual error" to claim that Scripture nowhere says homosexuals are an abomination.

"In the same passage in Leviticus that speaks about homosexuality the Bible also warns against incest, bestiality, and adultery," he said. Also, "while the New Testament doesn’t mention shellfish (and some would argue that Acts 10 clears that argument up) it clearly continues the biblical prohibition on homosexual acts."

Additionally, "Nowhere in the entire canon of Scripture are homosexual relationships ever spoken of approvingly," Stith continued. "The Bible is clear that God created us as sexual beings. But it is also clear that He provided us boundaries and guidelines for the use of that wonderful gift."

Addressing a more sensitive topic, Stith sees the label "hate" being used in ignorance or willful malice against those who simply disagree.

"On several occasions, sometimes with tears in my own eyes, I’ve said to people about actions in which they were involved, 'You know, this isn’t God’s best for you. He has something better if you’re willing to walk in obedience.' Does this make me a 'hater' or does it mean that I care about that person and genuinely believe that God knows what He’s talking about?" Stith posed.

But again, Christians aren't entirely blame-free in this gay marriage debate – which Newsweek's Miller believes is a full-scale war now.

"Unfortunately, we live in an age of sound bites and slogans. It should challenge us as Christians to be much more diligent not to settle for the same thing," Stith said. "We do that when we trot out the same tired arguments against homosexuality without acknowledging that we unnecessarily wound people by the way we use those arguments. We don’t acknowledge the real pain felt by many in the homosexual community. And honestly, we often slip into a trap of 'us vs. them.'"

"We must evaluate whether our arguments are based in our love for God as well as for all people. Do we speak against homosexual acts because we genuinely care; because we genuinely believe that sin – any sin – brings pleasure for a season but ultimately hinders the fullness that God wants all of us to enjoy?"

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

PC Police Quash Freedom to Pander to Homosexuals

The Politically Correct (PC) Police in Great Britain are once again trampling freedom in order to coddle and pander to homosexuals.

From LifeSiteNews:

BELFAST, December 9, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued a decree banning an advertising campaign by a Presbyterian church entitled "The Word of God against Sodomy," which communicates the Bible's condemnation of homosexual behavior.

The campaign, run by Sandown Free Presbyterian Church, featured an advertisement that denounced offensive behavior in last year's "gay pride" march in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

According to the church, marchers carried signs insulting Christ and exposed their genitals to those protesting the march that year.

The advertisement, which ran in the Belfast Newsletter newspaper earlier this year, pointed out this behavior, and said that sodomy is an "abomination" and "God's judgment upon a sin." It also opined that it is "a cause for regret that a section of the community desires to be known for a perverted form of sexuality."

The British Advertising Standards Authority ruled that it had "caused serious offence to some readers" and should not be published again in its current form.

I know that laws and freedoms are much different in Great Britain (I lived there for three years), but I never realized British citizens enjoyed a right of "freedom from offence."

Well, actually that's not right, either. Apparently it's okay to offend Christians, but not okay to offend homosexuals. Apparently Britain has a right of "freedom from offense from Christians."

Religious freedom has been under attack for some time now, both abroad and in the United States. It has gotten very bad in the Britain and Canada...and as you may know, liberals in the United States always look adoringly at decadent European nations as the model of "how America ought to be."

Here in the land of the formerly-free, Colorado passed a law earlier this year which outlaws "publishing of discriminative matter." So, according to Colorado law, homosexual men can enter a woman's restroom or locker room if they "feel like a woman," but religious organizations aren't allowed to print any books, tracts, pamphlets, or other materials that might make homosexuals feel bad.

There have been several other incidents like this where pro-homosexual political correctness has stepped on freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of association:

- Catholic Charities in Boston was forced out of the adoption ministry because they refused to put children in homes of homosexual couples.

- Boston school teachers have been threatened with termination if they fail to cast homosexuality in a positive light to students.

- The University of Toledo fired a black administrator for writing a "letter to the editor" of a local newspaper about the inconsistency of comparing homosexuality to ethnicity.

- Christians in Philadelphia were arrested for reading Bible verses and praying out loud during a homosexual festival.

- Philadelphia has also decided to stick it to the Boy Scouts (who don't allow homosexuals in leadership positions of their loyal-to-God organization), charging them $200,000 a year rent to use facilities that other charities use for free.

Freedom is on the way out the door to make room for immorality, Americans, and only you the people can stop it.

Atheist Display at Washington Capitol Sparks Protest

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Elena Garcia
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Dec. 09 2008 02:02 PM EST

Hundreds rallied outside the Washington Capitol on Sunday to protest a holiday sign erected by a group of atheists that disparages religion as a "myth" and declares there is no God.

A crowd of 500 protesters gathered on the Capitol's steps to decry the sign which Gov. Chris Gregoire had permitted an atheist group to include as part of a Christmas-themed display inside the rotunda.

The sign states, “At this season of the Winter Solstice, may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”

Freedom from Religion Foundation, the group that installed the sign, said the display was to promote the Winter's Solstice. Dan Barker, co-president of the Wisconsin group, however has also described the display as "an attack on religion," kgw.com reported.

Protesters sang Christmas carols while area Christian pastors participating in the rally prayed. Demonstrators also held signs that bore Christmas-filled messages like "Jesus is the reason for the season" and "We say Merry Christmas." One sign portrayed Gregoire as the grinch.

Steve Wilson, who organized the rally, said he thought the message of the atheist display was offensive to people of all religions.

"When it comes to disparaging my faith on public property, that's where I draw the line," Wilson told the Associated Press.

His mother, Susan, however, emphasized that they were not protesting religions but the atheists sign.

“We’re not with the groups that brought the signs, ‘Atheists go to hell,’” she told The Olympian. “We love everyone and let’s be kind to one another. … This was a way our family decided that we had to stand up for Jesus.”

The rally on Sunday represented only a small dose of national outrage growing over anti-religion displays.

A spokesman of the governor's office has told The Seattle Times it received over 200 calls an hour following the sign's debut last week.

The controversial sign went missing on Friday and turned up a few hours later at a Seattle radio station where one of radio hosts had been discussing the sign.

Gregoire, who is Christian, has said that while she doesn't agree with the message of the display, the state must allow all viewpoints to be represented on public property if one viewpoint is permitted.

“But just because you must represent everyone in the state doesn’t mean that you put up with intolerance from the people that you represent," countered Rev. Kenneth Hutcherson, the pastor of Antioch Bible Church, which has put up a pro-religion sign to respond to the atheist one.

Antioch's sign reads: "There is one God. There is one Devil. There are angels, a heaven and hell. There is more than our natural world. Atheism is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

Both signs are now on display near a nativity scene and other religious displays. The atheist sign now also includes a posting that reads: "Thou Shalt Not Steal, Exodus 20:15."

Bishop Council Nedd, chairman of In God We Trust, a national advocacy group that supports public displays of American history, disagrees that the atheist sign should be allowed in the Capitol.

"These signs have nothing in common with a menorah, a nativity scene or a Christmas tree. They are an attempt by anti-religious bigots to equate a belief in God with enslavement and to ridicule the majority of Americans who believe in God," he said.

Nedd said he wouldn't be surprised if the atheist group demands to place a similar sign next on the National Mall in Washington D.C. That's why he's launching a national effort to stop such an attempt. The organization is mobilizing its 60,000 supporters to lobby their governors and representatives in Washington urging them stop the atheist advertising effort.

"Why do these zealots have the right to post signs on public property attacking their countrymen?" Nedd posed. "Would anyone stand for an equally hate-filled message being posted by the Klan on Martin Luther King's Birthday? Of course not. Yet that is exactly what these atheist bigots want."

"In God We Trust will oppose any effort to place these signs in any state capital or in any government location in Washington, D.C.," Nedd pledged.


Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Illinois Governor Arrested, Probe Expands to Examine Obama Replacement Process

What's the big deal? Isn't this just how business is done in Chicago politics?

It seems a little surprising that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been arrested for doing what lots of corrupt politicians--especially from Chicago--have been doing for a long time.

Maybe Blagojevich was just a little too candid about the whole thing...

"llinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges alleging that they and others are engaging in ongoing criminal activity: conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits for Blagojevich by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a United States Senator; threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical of Blagojevich; and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions – both historically and now in a push before a new state ethics law takes effect January 1, 2009."

On the Sidelines No More

VoteYesForLife.com published an email today from someone who regrets their disengaged attitude during the election:

Dear Respecter of Life,

I was one of those who were dreadfully naive about the vote last month on measure 11. I assumed it would pass and was shocked when it didn’t.

My personal reasons and excuses for not becoming aware of the battle on behalf of the unborn and not doing all I could to educate people along with Yes For Life…well, those reasons and excuses meant nothing when the measure was voted down.

I have mourned the ignorance of our state, and I’m ready to help in whatever ways I can. Would you please add me to your email list for notifications and opportunities to volunteer?

May you be blessed in this season of celebrating the most unplanned of all pregnancies - Jesus Christ.

It takes a big person to admit when they've been wrong, so I appreciate this statement from this person, regrettable as the outcome is.

I hope that many more good people will (a) recognize their own inaction, (b) the cost and the damage of that inaction, and (c) resolve not to stand on the sidelines anymore.

I believe it was Edmund Burke who said:

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Weather Vane RINOs

Do you know a Republican like this?


From our friends at Americans for Limited Government.

Christians Counter 'Why Believe in God?' Ad Campaign

Reprinted by permission of The Christian Post

By Katherine T. Phan
Christian Post Reporter
Sat, Dec. 06 2008 08:56 AM EST

Two Christian-based groups have purchased advertisements with Washington D.C. Metro buses to counter the atheist "Why Believe in a God?" bus campaign with their own pro-God Christmas ads.

The Center for Family Development, a Catholic-based non-profit in Bethesda, Md., plans to raise $14,000 to run a campaign called "I Believe Too," which consists for 10 buses with side posters, 10 buses with tail posters and 200 interior bus posters.

The pro-God ads will read: "Why Believe? Because I created you and I love you, for goodness' sake - GOD."

"Our goal is to counteract the AHA with a positive, upbeat ad of our own that identifies God as our true and loving creator," said JoEllen Murphey, a mother of four from McLean, Va., who was among those outraged over an atheist bus campaign run by the American Humanist Association.

Murphey is partnering with the Center for Family Development in the grassroots effort.

The American Humanist Association began running a $40,000 holiday ad campaign last month in an attempt to reach out to those who might be interested in humanism, which rejects a belief in God and an afterlife. The ads declaring, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake," are currently displayed on the outside and inside of 200 Metro DC buses and will run throughout the Christmas season.

The ads by the atheist group have sparked a public outcry, resulting in hundreds of complaints sent to the transit agency over the ads.

"After a friend forwarded me an article about the AHA ad campaign, I thought, 'Enough!' I am so tired of God and religion being attacked that I decided to start a counter ad campaign," said Murphey.

The "I Believe Too" campaign will begin running next week. As of Dec. 5, over 165 donors have contributed $6,700 toward the campaign, which is enough to cover the 200 interior bus posters and 10 tail bus posters. On Facebook, the campaign has the support of 740 friends.

Donations, which are tax deductible, can be made online via PayPal or sent by check to The Center for Family Development.

Another Christian group, called Pennsylvania Friends of Christ, has also planned a bus ad campaign to counter the atheist bus ads. The group will run ads reading "Believe in God. Christ is Christmas for goodness' sake" on 10 Metro buses for four weeks.

Meanwhile, AHA Executive Director Roy Speckhardt said the "godless holiday campaign" has been an overwhelming success, according to ABC 7 News.

Many Christian groups nationwide said they found the ads offensive, saying it was another attempt by those waging a war on Christmas to ban God from the public square.

The U.S. atheist bus campaign came one month after the British Humanist Association said it will run ads stating “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life" on London buses in January.

Unlike Britain, where six in ten people admit they have no religious affiliation, according to a report by the United Nations, the United States is a nation that still overwhelmingly professes a belief in God. Earlier this year, a poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 92 percent of Americans believe in God.

Copyright 2008 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.