Ever since God called Abram out of Ur, God’s people have always possessed a “Pilgrim Spirit.” Think of it: Abram was called by God to leave the only country and home he had ever known, his family and friends, and his culture and way of life. To make matters worse, he did not even know where he was going. And, of course, Abraham is known as the “Father of the Faithful.” Virtually all of God’s children since Abraham have possessed an innate pilgrim spirit.
Abraham’s descendants, both physical (Old Testament Jews) and spiritual (New Testament Christians), have all, like their spiritual father, followed the call of God to discover or defend the freedom to walk, work, and worship in the spirit of liberty and truth. In fact, the spirit of liberty and the pilgrim spirit go hand in hand. Think of it: virtually every great freedom movement has been, in large part, born, bred, and brought about by an intrinsic and indefatigable pilgrim spirit.
The pilgrim spirit brought Moses and the children of Israel out of Egypt. The pilgrim spirit brought Joshua and God’s children into the Promised Land. The pilgrim spirit moved upon Samson and Gideon to free the Hebrews from their oppressors. The pilgrim spirit empowered young David to face off against the Philistines’ mightiest warrior. The pilgrim spirit motivated the early church to plant themselves throughout Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the Middle East. The pilgrim spirit took God’s people to Europe. That same spirit moved them from country to country, from one end of the European continent to the other. And that same spirit brought America’s Pilgrim forebears to the shores of Virginia and Massachusetts. Read more of this article »
In his book, A Christian Manifesto, Francis Schaeffer wrote, “If there is no final place for civil disobedience, then the government has been made autonomous, and as such, it has been put in the place of the Living God.” This man was not a wild eyed revolutionary, but a highly respected theologian and scholar who wrote, at length, about the relationship of the Christian to the society around him. The great body of his work showed a greater concern for pleasing his creator than pleasing the people with whom he lived.
He wrote about what should be for each Christian, a decision point where he or she must make up their mind whether to submit to unjust government edicts or stand up for what is right. In the past, many believed the admonition to be a good citizen and do everything they were told to do by existing authorities was an absolute command. However, in looking at why governments are ordained by God, we see that they exist to be God’s “ministers” or “servants”.
When they demand actions that are contrary to His word, they move out from this umbrella of divine approval and the Christian must evaluate his response. Even Albert Einstein understood this when he advised, “Never do anything against conscience even if the State demands it.” However we do not build our lives on the musings of a physicist, no matter how gifted he was. Read more of this article »
When I was young, my mother used to say to me, “Do as I say, not as I do.” For as wise as she was sweet, this clever quip never worked for me. The example set in what she actually did had the greater impact on my own choices and behavior. I have otherwise heard it aptly put, “Your actions speak so loud, I cannot hear what you are saying.” In the current political climate heading into the 2010 mid-term elections, the usual siege of campaign rhetoric, promises and smears are no different; these mere, empty, last minute words cannot undo 20 months of choices and behavior, and therefore, no longer have enough depth to hold air let alone our trust.
The polarizing issues of the 2008 Presidential Elections began disturbing the slumber of the politically apathetic. Unfortunately, as often goes with apathy, the awakening comes a day late and a dollar short, now racing from the disadvantage of the back of the field. It’s like “The Frog in the Kettle” analogy: toss a frog into boiling water, it will immediately jump out, but, put the frog in tepid water and slowly turn up the heat, it will boil alive because it won’t even feel it.
While the cost of our apathy eventually gave us an Obama Presidency, fortunately, we the people did feel the heat (called the TARP Bill) soon enough to begin our subsequent uphill fight, furiously calling and writing our respective Congressional Representatives to not support the Bill, all to no avail. Against the will of “we the people,” especially those of us in the Republican Party, even John McCain, the 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate, voted in favor of it, speaking huge disappointing volumes. Read more of this article »
“What’s Wrong With Sharia Law?” I have been asked. Isn’t it just some sort of quaint religious observance? It has religious practices that some countries have used to go to extremes, such as stoning a woman caught in adultery, cutting off body parts and throwing homosexuals off high buildings? No, these punishments are part of the Medina verses of the Koran. These punishments are the result of the type of theocracy many on the left fear from Christians and many Christians are blinded to as the influence of Islam continues to build in the United States.
Those who just see a foreign religious system may be surprised to learn that in New Jersey, a man had charges dismissed for beating his wife because a judge accepted it as part of his religious belief system. Some Imams go so far as to give “sermons” on the proper way to do this to control women who are looked on as less intelligent and inferior.
In Michigan police refused to protect Christians who attempted to hand out literature at an Islamic festival, because it is against their law to even acknowledge such literature. The law of Islam trumped the free speech guaranteed by our constitution, and that is the law the police recognized. Read more of this article »
I should not be, but I am continually amazed at the audacity of Palestinian leaders as they attempt to manipulate world opinion into giving them a state of their own and pay it’s bills as they pretend to be worthy of such influence. After expecting Israel to enter negotiations with no preconditions, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had the gall to say that there will be no peace unless the Israelis stop building settlements on the land the Palestinian Authority (PA) has it’s eyes on.
This man cannot even get his own allies, in the form of Hamas, who controls Gaza just to the south of Israel, to come to an agreement to recognize Israel. He even has tenuous control over his own Fatah party. His leadership has not produced any kind of prosperity for his people, although he has not too badly for himself. All he can do is rattle such swords as he has and issue threats and complaints to get so-called world leaders to give him control over something that was created through the industrious nature of the Jewish people.
In addressing the UN, Abbas said, “Our demands for the cessation of settlement activities, the lifting of the siege (of Gaza) and an end to all other illegal Israel policies and practices do not constitute arbitrary preconditions in the peace process.” In his quest to take over the land of the Israelis, he complained of their “mentality of expansion and domination”. He concluded by saying that he would be forced to walk away from the peace process if Israel did not comply with his demands that construction be halted completely. Read more of this article »
There is an interesting discussion taking place in the Commonwealth of Virginia as a result of Governor Bob McDonnell’s proposal to privatize the ABC stores currently run by the state. No, it has nothing to do with education, it is the state run enterprise of the Alcoholic Beverage Control stores. The governor claims that moving forward would raise around 500 million dollars that is sorely needed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
Almost everyone agrees the VDOT needs the money as roads and bridges have seriously deteriorated as a result of years neglected maintenance and new construction delays. Money alone will not cure all the chaos that reigned in the department for several previous administrations, but they can’t move forward without it.
McDonnell is taking heat from both sides for his plan. As expected, Democrat leaders are fearful that the taxes on the privately owned stores would not replace the revenue from the state run stores. Revenue is their life blood, where ever it comes from. Some sincere religious conservative leaders are concerned privately owned stores will make the acquisition of hard liquor easier with the potential for increased abuse. While this is a valid concern, both objections miss the real question.
The thing no one is asking is, “Why is the government operating these post-prohibition era retail stores in the first place?” Is this really a proper function of government? While alcoholism is a problem in our society, we need to look into why the government should be the pusher of this product that has been detrimental to some. I find that question even more troubling. Read more of this article »
Only the most willingly ignorant people (most of whom are educated beyond their intelligence, as my dad used to say) would argue with the fact that the generation who founded this great country believed that God had providentially established and protected what became known as the United States of America. The public sentiments in this regard are irrefutable.
In his first inaugural address, President George Washington said, “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States.”
In Washington’s Thanksgiving Day Address (1789), he said, “That we then may all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war.” Read more of this article »
George W. Bush enthusiastically promoted the idea of nation building in Iraq and Afghanistan with the idea of exporting American style “democracy” to these troubled countries. Most of us, including myself, were thrilled by election turnouts that exceeded those in our homeland. Who could not share the joy of the oppressed minorities as they displayed their ink stained fingers having braved threats of violence, and even death, to obtain them? Yet, the question is not whether Bush’s plan could get the job done, but whether any such plan is possible at all?
In some ways, even the effort, as noble as it was, shows a lack of understanding of the factors that made our country great and a denial of the concept of American exceptionalism in an almost Obamesque fashion. To consider this, let’s look at what some leaders from our history said about their enterprise in freedom, then compare their world with the one our soldiers are fighting make free.
Patrick Henry told us, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.” This is the thinking that led to the concept that all of us are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This is not an expectation of universal salvation, but a respect for all people, not because of position or accomplishment, but because of who created them. Read more of this article »
The elections of 2008 (and the early elections of 2010) produced two significant phenomena: the “Ron Paul Revolution,” and the “Tea Party Movement.” And, mark it down: both of them will have profound effects upon the upcoming November elections–and upon the 2012 elections as well. Call them what you want, however, America doesn’t need another movement; it needs a genuine revolution.
The Tea Party movement, while still a force with which to be contended, has already been diluted and compromised. The primary elections plainly reveal the reality of this fact. The high spots so far are the defeats of Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania and Bob Bennett in Utah. The low spots so far are the reelection of John McCain in Arizona and the election of Dan Coats in Indiana.
John McCain’s election, in particular, demonstrates how many conservatives and “revolutionaries” still don’t get it. If any State in the union should have an up-close-and-personal look at what we are up against, it would be the people of Arizona. After all, they are on the front lines in the fight of one of the most important battles currently being waged in our country: illegal immigration. And John McCain is one of the worst offenders in terms of facilitating and encouraging this illegal invasion. Yet the people of Arizona reelected McCain to the US Senate. (It would interesting to know how many illegal aliens voted for McCain, would it not?) Read more of this article »
The war for the soul of the Republican Party is heating up. Or, more appropriately, the war to give the Republican Party a soul has skipped a few steps to a new level recently. The actions of a formerly Republican senator and governor made it obvious that the retention of position and power was higher on their agenda than following and actually representing the people.
Perhaps I should not have enjoyed the spectacle of Arlen Specters’ political demise as much as I did, yet the whole sordid drama of a man leaving a party that had been so good to him over the years and still meeting the defeat he had hoped to avoid, renewed my hope that there is still some justice in the world. Now seeing the same drama taking place in Florida gives me even more hope and confidence that the founders “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence” was not faith misplaced.
However, as much as they relied on Divine Providence, they still had to pick up arms and drive the British army from our shores. They did, however, understand that this Divine Providence would ensure their victory, even in their darkest hours. As imperfect humans, they did their best to be sure they were on the side of their creator which gave them the rights they were defending for themselves and their fellow countrymen. Read more of this article »
Sunset today marks Yom Kippur, which means Day of Atonement. This is the holiest day of the Hebrew calendar marked by soul searching prayer, repentance and fasting.
Whether you are a Jew or a Christian the concept of atonement is one that is really awesome to consider. Just as it says, AT-0NE-MENT; atonement is about being at peace with G-d, or being in agreement with G-d, …being on one accord.
This was a spiritual place that we lost from the time of the Garden of Eden as Romans 5:12 tells us that: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
This is the biblical doctrine referred to as the “doctrine of federal head-ship.” Which teaches us that when Adam was in the garden of Eden and was given the “covenant of the law of sin and death” that he represented not just himself in that covenant, but stood as the covenant representative of all mankind.
Eden represents the place of G-d’s pleasure with regards to the relationship that He had with man which was one of AT-ONE-MENT. It is a horrible experience to be cut off from being at peace with our Heavenly Father. Read more of this article »
I received this video and had to pass it on because it makes some tremendous points. The respect and appreciation we owe to our veterans and active duty military is obvious to those of us who have been around for a while, but the public educational system today seems to be intent on denying the honorability of this profession and the value of what these men and women have accomplished with their sacrifices.
Like the grandfather, we need to take it upon ourselves to let the younger generation know about what it cost to give us the freedoms we still have. We don’t want to lay a guilt trip on them, but we need to let them know what they have been given and inspire them to build upon it. We need to give them an understanding of, not only the words of our founders and all the patriots that came after them, but the fact that they were normal people, just like the grandfather… or their parents… or their brothers… or themselves. Read more of this article »
When Karl Rove was finishing his disastrous interview with Sean Hannity following Christine O’Donnell’s surprising, to him, victory, he illustrated the primary problem with our political system. After doing his best to trash the party standard bearer, he said he was a Republican, and he wanted Republicans to win. He just didn’t think she could get the job done… but he was doing nothing to help.
At first glance, such party loyalty is admirable, but in the current environment where increasing numbers of voters are seeing themselves as conservatives or libertarians rather than identifying with either party, one has to question the wisdom of such a view. If it were simply about having numbers, one would think that helping the primary winner would be at the top of his agenda.
It is reported that Rove made numerous visits to various tea party leaders, and to O’Donnell herself, asking them to back off this contest. In his not so humble and quite possibly not quite accurate opinion, the man who voted consistently with the other party, against his own, was a better choice than the one who actually stood for the smaller, less intrusive government principles the the Republican Party says it stands for. Read more of this article »
As I write this, Christine O’Donnell has just soundly defeated the Delaware manifestation of the progressive darling of the party insiders. Even Karl Rove could not wait to break Reagan’s 11th commandment… a commandment, by the way, that is only dusted off when one of their number is in line for some richly deserved comeuppance. The manipulators exist to pick winners and losers and control party direction. They tell us their wisdom is the path to be best victory we can expect… and some may actually believe it.
Over the past months, the party establishment has done it’s best to poison the waters for this lower class woman who just wasn’t qualified to join their club. She is in favor of such “fringe issues” as abstinence, a social issue that beltway denizens see as a distraction and she holds such odd ideas as fiscal responsibility and keeping the government out of our lives.. They have told all sorts of tales about this lady. Not having been privy to her personal life, now or in past years, I cannot verify the accuracy of the mud that has been slung at her, but it certainly has little to do with the problems facing our country. Read more of this article »
One of the tragedies of the current misled, uninformed, and otherwise preoccupied American citizenry is the seeming apathy regarding the importance and necessity of electing constitutionalist sheriffs. In many ways, State governors and county sheriffs just might be the most important elected offices in America. It is no hyperbole to say that State governors and county sheriffs form the last line of defense against tyranny and oppression. If our governors and sheriffs do not understand the principles of freedom and federalism, there is virtually zero protection against the abuses of liberty–save the right of the people to personally and individually defend liberty via the principles of God-given Natural Law.
Hence, a freedom-minded sheriff is invaluable to liberty’s defense. And perhaps at no time in America’s history has it been more necessary that we elect freedom-loving sheriffs than it is today, what with the ever-growing propensity of the federal government to trample and usurp State and constitutional protections of freedom.
For example, in an almost totally non-reported incident, an armed conflict between federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) agents and a Nevada Sheriff’s SWAT team was averted only by virtue of the fact that, at the last minute, BLM backed down from the impending confrontation. Read more of this article »
A few days ago, a Facebook friend of mine made the comment that she was just so frustrated with the war in Afghanistan and thought we should just nuke the whole mountainous area. Someone else commented that here solution was not “socially acceptable”. Now I’m not going to get into the virtue of using nuclear weapons to get OBL, but I do want to look at the reason for rejecting the idea. We all want to be accepted socially… which is another way of saying that we have developed an, often overwhelming, response to peer pressure.
However, when we see that killing unborn babies is socially acceptable and prayer is not… when we see that it is acceptable to our country’s elites for people to sneak into our country and take jobs from out of work Americans, while those trying to protect our country and culture are condemned… one wonders why anyone with any principles would concern themselves with being “socially acceptable”, or “politically correct” as it is known in some circles.
This striving for social acceptance has even infected many churches as they attempt to appeal to those in the outside world. My own church has taken some heat for a television ad where the pastor makes the proclamation that we won’t blend with society and quietly fit into place. Romans 12:2 tells us “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (NIV). Read more of this article »
Hadassah’s wisdom secured the welfare of Zion when her arms embraced the Persian King and won his heart. Today, Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem is another fore runner in bringing peace between Jews, Muslims and Christians, as it ignores the rhetoric of hatred and reaches out to bring healing to ALL those that are in need of it.
After the Six Day War, also known as the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, when Hadassah reopened its hospital it made a commitment to serve the entire population of Israel, both Arab and Jew. Today, the hospital enjoys a large presence of Arabs in both the staff and among patients, and the policy symbolizes a commitment to healing over race or religion.
Hadassah is the Hebrew name of Queen Esther, the heroine of the Book of Esther, she was the Jewish Queen of the Persian King Ahasuerus. To this day a building known as The Mausoleum of Esther and Mordecai is located in Hamedan, Iran. Read more of this article »
For years, too many to count, those of us who are hard core conservatives, some that may be called the religious right, have been used and abused by the political establishment. They have been happy to have us walk the neighborhoods, pass out literature, stand in the rain at the polling places and the like, but actually help select candidates or help define policies… heaven forbid. Insiders and consultants tell us they really appreciate our involvement, but that not enough of the public can accept our ideas, since we are a little out of the main stream.
Perhaps this is why we find ourselves in our current predicament. Really conservative candidates have been discouraged and faced outright opposition by the Republican Party, and their existence is not even acknowledged by the Democrats. Those finding themselves in positions of power are loathe to actually follow through on the campaign promises to cut back on the size and reach of our ever more overbearing government.
Just as the states are being left with no choice but to disregard mandates and stand against the federal government for the good of their own citizens – for the good of the country we can no longer be compliant lackeys happily accepting our place on a stool at foot of our more “reasonable” leaders. We have been let down by those who, most likely, really believe they are doing the best they can under the circumstances. The fact is, their best has not gotten the job done. Read more of this article »
The decision by Congress to socialize medicine in the US ranks among the most draconian, most egregious, most horrific actions ever taken by the central government in Washington, D.C. This bill rocks the principles of liberty and constitutional government to the core. It changes fundamental foundations; it repudiates historical principle. Oh! The same flag may fly on our flagpoles, the same monuments may grace our landscape, and the same National Anthem may be sung during our public ceremonies, but it is not the same America. The Congress of the United States has now officially turned America into a socialist state.
On March 21, 2010, Congress passed, and on March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the dreaded national health care bill into law, and as such, these dates join a list of dates that have each inflicted unconstitutional, socialistic, and sometimes even tyrannical action against the States united and have, therefore, contributed to the destruction of a free America.
April 9, 1865
This is the date when General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to U.S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Regardless of where one comes down on the subject of the Civil War, one fact is undeniable: Abraham Lincoln seriously dismantled the Jeffersonian model of federalism in America. Ever since, virtually every battle that free men have fought for the principles of limited government, State sovereignty, etc., has stemmed directly from Lincoln’s usurpation of power, which resulted in the subjugation and forced union of what used to be “Free and Independent States” (the Declaration of Independence). In fact, the philosophical battles being waged today regarding the recent health care debacle (and every other encroachment upon liberty and State power by the central government) have their roots in Lincoln’s tyranny. Read more of this article »
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. (First Amendment of the Constitution for the United States.)
At a recent dinner celebrating Ramadan, the President made it abundantly clear to us that our nation’s religious freedoms grants any group the right to build on private land. Clarifying the next day, he didn’t mean to imply that he thought it is “right” or “wise” to build a community center containing a mosque close to Ground Zero in NYC. (If “walking back comments” becomes an Olympic event, Mr. Obama may be eligible for the American team!)
Most Americans are well aware of the religious freedom provisions in the First Amendment. Though, admittedly, some get confused about freedom of religious vs. freedom from religion. This is a religious nation, a pluralistic society in which we all try to live in religious harmony. It’s disappointing that there are people and groups that single out certain religious faiths (Christians and Jews come to mind) as less deserving of “tolerance.” And of course, there’s the famous July 2010 story of the students banished from praying on the Supreme Court steps. We truly are living in strange times. But I digress.
The NY Mosque case highlights the current administration’s mixed messaging over the past 20 months about the freedoms protected by the First Amendment. The rights are not granted BY the government, they are protected FROM government infringement because they are natural rights, inalienable rights accorded to all of God’s creatures. Read more of this article »
Yesterday’s post told a story of working in a unionized shop in the garment industry in the late sixties and early seventies. It may be instructive to look at where some of the actors ended in later years.
The International Ladies Garment Workers Union, from a peak of about 450,000 members in 1969 started loosing members as manufacturing left the United States for foreign shores. It seems that all the members’ money they threw at politicians was used to pursue other agendas and not keep jobs at home. Their influence dropped as membership continued to decline until, in 1995, they merged with rival Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union when their combined membership was only 250,000.
The new union was called the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) which, in 2004 merged with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) to form UNITE HERE. These mergers took place as union membership continued to fall. In fact as one looks at the union publicity, it appears that UNITE HERE seems to be a competitor to SEIU. This is not to say that they are the good guys deserving of our support, but that they, like most non-governmental unions, suffered from the loss of manufacturing jobs in our country and the realization of the American people the they neither needed nor wanted union goons fighting their battles. Read more of this article »
Since this is Labor Day, I thought it would be a good time to look at the roll of labor unions, not from the theoretical perspective which any honest evaluation would reveal that they function to benefit their members, when convenient, to the detriment of the rest of society, but from personal experience that, somehow, shows exactly the same thing.
As a young man I went to work in a family owned clothing manufacturing business for my new wife’s grandfather in the village of Richlandtown, PA. We made nice quality ladies blouses, a product our open trade policy has since all but destroyed our domestic production. My job included various record keeping and payroll functions along with some production supervision. Included were my periodic sessions with the union business agent as we would review the employment rolls to be certain of dues payment compliance. The business agent was a union thug, more suited for banging heads than using his. He was an amiable enough thug though and we got along reasonably well… about as well can with someone running a form of the protection racket.
The union was the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), at one time, one of the largest unions in the country. The other union in the area was the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. There was not a whole lot of difference between the two, but Amalgamated shops paid their workers ten cents an hour more, and that differential actually cost us some workers. It may not seem like much, like the seven and a half cents from Pajama Game, but in those days, late sixties and early seventies it was almost unheard of for a woman factory worker to make a hundred dollars in a week. After all, two thousand dollars could by you a pretty nice new car, six thousand would buy you a shiny new Cadillac. Read more of this article »
When my fathers generation, the greatest generation, conquered the Axis powers, there was no question: the only goal was to defeat the enemy. There was no attempt to understand Adolph Hitler or work out an arrangement for coexistence. There was pretty much general agreement that we could and should emerge victorious.
Later, the concept of limited war took hold and our country was content to push the North Koreans back and keep them out of South Korea. We had a similar strategy in Vietnam. In this case, not only did it not work, but our country lost somewhere around fifty eight thousand precious men and women in the process.
Maybe it was guilt that came from using our technological advantage to end World War II with the atomic bomb. This is something that the left still regrets in spite of the fact that many times more Japanese would have died, not to mention American Gis, if they had to bring the war to a conclusion by invading the country. Read more of this article »
Earlier this month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the controversial drug Ella as “emergency contraception” (EC) to be used up to five days after sex to “prevent pregnancy.” What the FDA did not disclose is that Ella is much more expansive than contraception and actually acts as an abortifacient, resulting in the destruction of the smallest of human life.
Those marketing Ella have tried to closely associate Ella with Plan B (also known as the Morning After Pill) in an effort to quell some of the controversy and break into the EC market, not the abortion market. While ethically there is no difference between EC and abortion as both cause the destruction of life, legally and legislatively, there is a difference.
Classification as an abortifacient creates significant hurdles for the producers, marketers, and distributors of Ella. If Ella were to be labeled an abortifacient, it may not be eligible for federal tax subsidies and its chance of becoming over-the-counter (as Plan B is) is unlikely. It’s also possible that, if President Obama’s federal health care program stands in court, Ella, as EC, may be covered by health insurance plans. Additionally, the future distributors of Ella (such as Planned Parenthood) have financial incentive to refer to Ella as EC, not an abortion pill, as there are typically less objections to the term “contraception” as compared with “abortion” thus increasing the distributors’ client base and profitability. Read more of this article »
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Ever since God called Abram out of Ur, God’s people have always possessed a “Pilgrim Spirit.” Think of it: Abram was called by God to leave the only country and home he had ever known, his family and friends, and his culture and way of life. To make matters worse, he did not even know where he was going. And, of course, Abraham is known as the “Father of the Faithful.” Virtually all of God’s children since Abraham have possessed an innate pilgrim spirit.
In his book, A Christian Manifesto, 
by Wendi Lynn G
“What’s Wrong With Sharia Law?” I have been asked. Isn’t it just some sort of quaint religious observance? It has religious practices that some countries have used to go to extremes, such as stoning a woman caught in adultery, cutting off body parts and throwing homosexuals off high buildings? No, these punishments are part of the Medina verses of the Koran. These punishments are the result of the type of theocracy many on the left fear from Christians and many Christians are blinded to as the influence of Islam continues to build in the United States.
I should not be, but I am continually amazed at the audacity of Palestinian leaders as they attempt to manipulate world opinion into giving them a state of their own and pay it’s bills as they pretend to be worthy of such influence. After expecting Israel to enter negotiations with no preconditions, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had the gall to say that there will be no peace unless the Israelis stop building settlements on the land the Palestinian Authority (PA) has it’s eyes on.
There is an interesting discussion taking place in the Commonwealth of Virginia as a result of Governor Bob McDonnell’s proposal to privatize the ABC stores currently run by the state. No, it has nothing to do with education, it is the state run enterprise of the Alcoholic Beverage Control stores. The governor claims that moving forward would raise around 500 million dollars that is sorely needed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
Only the most willingly ignorant people (most of whom are educated beyond their intelligence, as my dad used to say) would argue with the fact that the generation who founded this great country believed that God had providentially established and protected what became known as the United States of America. The public sentiments in this regard are irrefutable.
George W. Bush enthusiastically promoted the idea of nation building in Iraq and Afghanistan with the idea of exporting American style “democracy” to these troubled countries. Most of us, including myself, were thrilled by election turnouts that exceeded those in our homeland. Who could not share the joy of the oppressed minorities as they displayed their ink stained fingers having braved threats of violence, and even death, to obtain them? Yet, the question is not whether Bush’s plan could get the job done, but whether any such plan is possible at all?
The elections of 2008 (and the early elections of 2010) produced two significant phenomena: the “Ron Paul Revolution,” and the “Tea Party Movement.” And, mark it down: both of them will have profound effects upon the upcoming November elections–and upon the 2012 elections as well. Call them what you want, however, America doesn’t need another movement; it needs a genuine revolution.
The war for the soul of the Republican Party is heating up. Or, more appropriately, the war to give the Republican Party a soul has skipped a few steps to a new level recently. The actions of a formerly Republican senator and governor made it obvious that the retention of position and power was higher on their agenda than following and actually representing the people.
Sunset today marks Yom Kippur, which means Day of Atonement. This is the holiest day of the Hebrew calendar marked by soul searching prayer, repentance and fasting.
When Karl Rove was finishing his disastrous interview with Sean Hannity following Christine O’Donnell’s surprising, to him, victory, he illustrated the primary problem with our political system. After doing his best to trash the party standard bearer, he said he was a Republican, and he wanted Republicans to win. He just didn’t think she could get the job done… but he was doing nothing to help.
As I write this, Christine O’Donnell has just soundly defeated the Delaware manifestation of the progressive darling of the party insiders. Even Karl Rove could not wait to break Reagan’s 11th commandment… a commandment, by the way, that is only dusted off when one of their number is in line for some richly deserved comeuppance. The manipulators exist to pick winners and losers and control party direction. They tell us their wisdom is the path to be best victory we can expect… and some may actually believe it.
One of the tragedies of the current misled, uninformed, and otherwise preoccupied American citizenry is the seeming apathy regarding the importance and necessity of electing constitutionalist sheriffs. In many ways, State governors and county sheriffs just might be the most important elected offices in America. It is no hyperbole to say that State governors and county sheriffs form the last line of defense against tyranny and oppression. If our governors and sheriffs do not understand the principles of freedom and federalism, there is virtually zero protection against the abuses of liberty–save the right of the people to personally and individually defend liberty via the principles of God-given Natural Law.
A few days ago, a Facebook friend of mine made the comment that she was just so frustrated with the war in Afghanistan and thought we should just nuke the whole mountainous area. Someone else commented that here solution was not “socially acceptable”. Now I’m not going to get into the virtue of using nuclear weapons to get OBL, but I do want to look at the reason for rejecting the idea. We all want to be accepted socially… which is another way of saying that we have developed an, often overwhelming, response to peer pressure.
Hadassah’s wisdom secured the welfare of Zion when her arms embraced the Persian King and won his heart. Today, Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem is another fore runner in bringing peace between Jews, Muslims and Christians, as it ignores the rhetoric of hatred and reaches out to bring healing to ALL those that are in need of it.
For years, too many to count, those of us who are hard core conservatives, some that may be called the religious right, have been used and abused by the political establishment. They have been happy to have us walk the neighborhoods, pass out literature, stand in the rain at the polling places and the like, but actually help select candidates or help define policies… heaven forbid. Insiders and consultants tell us they really appreciate our involvement, but that not enough of the public can accept our ideas, since we are a little out of the main stream.
The decision by Congress to socialize medicine in the US ranks among the most draconian, most egregious, most horrific actions ever taken by the central government in Washington, D.C. This bill rocks the principles of liberty and constitutional government to the core. It changes fundamental foundations; it repudiates historical principle. Oh! The same flag may fly on our flagpoles, the same monuments may grace our landscape, and the same National Anthem may be sung during our public ceremonies, but it is not the same America. The Congress of the United States has now officially turned America into a socialist state.
Yesterday’s post told a story of working in a unionized shop in the garment industry in the late sixties and early seventies. It may be instructive to look at where some of the actors ended in later years.
Since this is Labor Day, I thought it would be a good time to look at the roll of labor unions, not from the theoretical perspective which any honest evaluation would reveal that they function to benefit their members, when convenient, to the detriment of the rest of society, but from personal experience that, somehow, shows exactly the same thing.
When my fathers generation, the greatest generation, conquered the Axis powers, there was no question: the only goal was to defeat the enemy. There was no attempt to understand Adolph Hitler or work out an arrangement for coexistence. There was pretty much general agreement that we could and should emerge victorious.
by Victoria Cobb
