On the heels of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), otherwise known as the “Indefinite Detention Act,” comes another draconian bill designed to give the federal government the power to turn American citizens into enemies of the state for virtually any reason it deems necessary. Stephen D. Foster, Jr. has the story.
“Congress is considering HR 3166 and S. 1698 also known as the Enemy Expatriation Act, sponsored by Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Charles Dent (R-PA). This bill would give the US government the power to strip Americans of their citizenship without being convicted of being ‘hostile’ against the United States. In other words, you can be stripped of your nationality for ‘engaging in, or purposefully and materially supporting, hostilities against the United States.’ Legally, the term ‘hostilities’ means any conflict subject to the laws of war but considering the fact that the War on Terror is a little ambiguous and encompassing, any action could be labeled as supporting terrorism.”
Foster goes on to say, “I hope I’m wrong, but it sounds to me like this is a loophole for indefinitely detaining Americans. Once again, you just have to be accused of supporting hostilities which could be defined any way the government sees fit. Then the government can strip your citizenship and apply the indefinite detention section of the NDAA without the benefit of a trial.”
Many years ago, our forefathers agreed that all men were created equal. This was a giant step forward as the world they lived in was dominated by a stratified society composed of the ruling class and peasants… and there was no movement between, or association with, members of the opposite class. The founders understood that the One who Created each of us did not play favorites and everyone stood before Him on equal footing.
Today, we are governed by another ruling class who, at best, gives lip service to the Creator and, at worst, wants Him banned from public discourse, lest their humanistic lies be exposed. They are the ones who determine who is favored and who is shunned. They decide who deserves the good will of the state and who requires observation.
Here is where we run into the idea of the “protected class” of citizens. These are people who don’t always have an easy time of life. It could be that they have some physical situation, or some lifestyle choice situation that is different than most. However, the common denominator is that the Democrat Party has managed to create a dependency on government in these citizens and, pretty well, takes them for granted at the polling place… sometimes multiple times in a cycle. Foolishly, the other party bought into the compassionate sounding names they gave the laws and embraced them as well.
As Barack Hussein Obama kicked off his presidential campaign with a State of the Union message. The Prevaricator in Chief tried to sound much more mainstream than his actions have shown him to be. We shall look at any proposals that may actually have both merit and potential for execution at a later date, however for now, let’s look at what American patriot, Thomas Paine might tell him.
Newt Gingrich’s convincing win in South Carolina has certainly opened up the GOP Presidential race considerably. Just a few days before, the formerly mainstream media, including many supposed conservative commentators were sure that Mitt Romney, after victories in Iowa and New Hampshire was on his way to a quick and decisive nomination as the Republican standard bearer.
However, as John Adams told us, “Facts are stubborn things”. The facts in this case, include the Iowa caucus results being reversed to give Rick Santorum the victory. Romney was no longer 2 – 0 in the prior contests. Another fact was that CBS News, in an obvious attempt to swing the election results, made a clumsy effort to damage the former Speaker with a hatchet job interview with his former wife.
As with many ill-conceived efforts to strong arm the public, an aggressive, confident response can turn the entire situation around. John King’s attempt to put Gingrich on the spot with an embarrassing question turned sour quickly as it was met with a surprisingly determined response that called out the network and the questioner for what they were. The crowd cheered. Instead of turning on the former Speaker, they understood this was just an attempt to dredge up old news and remove the effect of any repentance and change of heart the man may have had.
Looking past the press reports of Mitt Romney’s decisive victory in the Granite State primary, there are a few things that need to be considered. Using New Hampshire as a bell weather of anyone’s electability or even desirability is about as reliable as extrapolating Barack Obama’s popularity from results in the District of Columbia.
This small northeastern state, which by virtue of an accident of electoral timing, has found itself in a position of disproportional influence in the national debate. When we look at the political landscape, we find that it is as friendly to conservatives as MSNBC or CNN. How could we expect results different from those reported. We could, perhaps, expect a little deeper analysis in the reporting.
The fact that Jon Huntsman finished third says more about the character of the electorate than the quality of the candidate. When we look at the people running and representing the state, Romney and Huntsman fit right in – Gingrich, Santorum and Perry do not. Does this mean that because New Hampshire elects squishy Republicans and progressive Democrats, the rest of the country should make the same bad decisions?
[With all the chaos on the world and national stage, it may be a good time to look at the wisdom of our third president. Much of what he said would be scandalously politically incorrect today... yet, it's truth would remain. And the truth shall set us free, but only if we take heed.]
Responsibility & Effectiveness of Government
The care of human life and happiness, not their destruction, is the legitimate responsibility of a good government.
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned – this is the sum of good government.
That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.
While most Americans were celebrating the holidays, President Barack Obama quietly signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), otherwise known as the “Indefinite Detention Act,” into law. Obama had initially said he would veto the bill which contains the draconian language authorizing the US military to seize and incarcerate US citizens without warrant, due process, trial, etc. Of course, Obama quickly changed his mind after the bill passed both houses of Congress.
When signing the NDAA into law, Obama issued a signing statement that in essence said, “I have the power to detain Americans… but I won’t.” See this report.
Americans should realize that, coupled with the Patriot Act, the NDAA, for all intents and purposes, completely nullifies a good portion of the Bill of Rights, turns the United States into a war zone, and places US citizens under military rule. And what is even more astonishing is the manner in which the national press corps, and even the so-called “conservative” talking heads, have either completely ignored it, or have actually defended it. The likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, et al., should be ashamed of themselves!
“Why can’t we all just get along?” pleaded Rodney King after being beaten by Los Angeles police officers in March of 1991. Later actions showed the man to be not quite the innocent that the press painted him to be at the time. This, however, does not change the value of his question… why can’t we get along?
There are many reasons the academic elites offer for our inability to live peacefully with each other. It doesn’t seem to matter if the conflict is with people at work, in our neighborhood, or even in our church. We see the same conflicts in our government and among nations. It seems that each of us judges ourselves by our own good intentions… and we judge others by their actions.
We see the president self-righteously declaring his concern for downtrodden. What person with a concern for his fellow man cannot help but feel for those less fortunate. Assuming the purity of his motivation, one can almost understand his recent speech where he declared that if congress would not bend to his will, he would move toward the realization of his ideal society with out them. It doesn’t seem to matter that there are other opinions, other approaches and even other directions that the country could be moving in. More importantly, it doesn’t seem to matter that the Constitution does not grant him that power.
Yesterday afternoon I visited the building in Richmond, Virginia, they call the Confederate White House. It was the home of the South’s only president, Jefferson Davis. It wasn’t my first visit, and each time I learn more about the people who attempted to free themselves from the general government and the union that had been formed less than a hundred years before. It caused me to look a little deeper into the man and those around him.
Davis was not some radical psycho as many think of him today. He was a graduate of West Point. He was a United States Senator. He believed in the constitution, but, based on his observation, he had little confidence in the willingness of the industrialized, more internationalist northern states would respect it if it came in conflict with their plans and interests. In his own words:
“My devotion to the Union of our fathers had been so often and so publicly declared; I had on the floor of the Senate so defiantly challenged any question of my fidelity to it; my services, civil and military, had now extended through so long a period and were so generally known, that I felt quite assured that no whisperings of envy or ill-will could lead the people of Mississippi to believe that I had dishonored their trust by using the power they had conferred on me to destroy the government to which I was accredited. Then, as afterward, I regarded the separation of the States as a great, though not the greater evil.”
One must start with a deformed theory of human nature to comprehend the rationale for the welfare state.
The cornerstone of Western civilization, beginning with the Old Testament prophets and classical Greek philosophers, was the belief that human nature is constant, unchanging over the ages. Liberal-progressive-socialist theory, inaugurated by French intellectuals before and after the bloody French Revolution of 1789, propounded the theory that human behavior can be controlled and changed by restructuring society.
In pre-French Revolutionary society, constancy of human nature meant that a good and just society depended upon every individual’s aligning himself with God-given natural law, intuited through religion and philosophy. No matter whether the ruler was good or bad, every individual needed to do the right thing, to deal fairly with others, to aid widows, orphans, and others in need. Every individual ultimately would be judged by his Maker.
With all the enthusiasm for the various personalities running for the Republican nomination, it’s easy to loose sight of the issues that drive the need to replace the current White House resident. As the passions rise, so does the level of rhetoric and the hostility toward other candidates and their supporters. Passion is great, hostility toward others who should be on the same team is not. It makes it too easy to fragment ourselves in a way that makes it difficult to achieve our goal.
What are these issues? Here are some that are critical to our survival as a nation. I make no claim to omniscience, so there are probably others. However, we shall start with these for your consideration:
One of the most pressing problems our country is facing is the economic doldrums where the Federal Reserve and members of the banking community seem to be profiting nicely while the rest of the country is struggling for survival. They are continuously throwing new money in to the system as production plummets. Anyone with an understanding of non-Keynesian economics knows this will never work. The banks, even foreign banks and governments, are bailed out and the American citizen sees his dollars devalued as inflation depletes their purchasing power, and loans are still difficult to get.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 (NIV)
In our present day society, the politically correct keepers of proper thought are on constant guard lest the truth get out and expose the lies of the ruling class. We saw the impact of this at the last Republican debate where so many participants, even good conservatives, were scandalized that Newt Gingrich had the audacity to tell the world that the Palestinians were an “invented” people group. It was a people group invented to lay claim to land possessed by a legitimate people group, the Israelis.
Many said, in essence, this is right, but we shouldn’t talk about it because it will make the people perpetuating the lie, and their fellow travelers, angry. Apparently some would rather be a slave to deception than stand on the solid ground of truth.
Others have told the truth. For years, Ron Paul has been telling us of the damage done to our country and our economy by the Federal Reserve System. For those who may have doubts, consider how ineffective the monetary manipulation and ridiculous below market interest rates have been in correcting out economic malaise.
When President Ronald Reagan called up the Soviet Premier to tear down the wall the divided free Berlin from enslaved Berlin, he spoke with the moral authority of one who understood the difference between right and wrong. He spoke as one who understood the difference between liberty an oppression. He also understood that one was better than the other in each case.
It could have been just the fanciful ranting of a semi senile old man… but, it wasn’t. He persisted in pursuing the evil empire until it became obvious that the central planning and control of the oppressive regime was no match for the creativity and industry of our free people. He knew that there was no substitute for victory. He knew that making nice with those who want to defeat you and wipe you from the history books only gives them time to regroup and plan for more dastardly attacks. He knew so much this current administration hasn’t even considered.
“Photo ID laws are very similar to a poll tax,” whines Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Later she adds, “there really aren’t many instances of voter fraud.” Such is the fantasy world the wild haired legislator lives in. She thinks it is terrible that people have to identify themselves when the cast a vote that helps determine whether our country lives or dies.
In her world, there is no guile in the Democrat voter base that continuously votes itself more and more benefits from the public treasury. She complains that her constituency has a higher proportion of members with no government supplied ID. She says it is difficult for them to get such an ID. This is interesting as so many have found a way to fill out the forms necessary to receive benefits at major expense to the taxpayers.
The point is that if is important enough to sign up for benefits, shouldn’t voting be at least equally important? It seems to be one more case of the progressives looking to do things for the people that really should be doing for themselves. By doing this, they are really diminishing the people they are attempting to help.
The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. (Genesis 11:6 NIV)
When our country was founded well over two hundred years ago, the citizens were neither perfect or marching in lock step, yet there was a form of Christian consensus. There was a general agreement on what constituted right and wrong. There was an agreement on the rights and duties of citizenship in this great land. Because of this the people were happy and productive – creating the most prosperous nation on earth.
Sure there were conflicts. There were those who desired to take advantage of the good people… both inside and outside the government. In spite of this the sense of common values and common destiny held us together even through our darkest hours. This sense of common values kept us from fragmenting ourselves into ineffective and hostile tribes that could only succeed at the expense of others.
It is well documented that many of America’s Founding Fathers had a very real and deep-seated distrust of standing armies–and for good reason. They had just fought a costly and bloody war for independence, which had been largely predicated upon the propensities for the abuse and misuse of individual liberties by a pervasive and powerful standing army (belonging to Great Britain) amongst them. Listen to Thomas Jefferson: “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.” Note that Jefferson identified both banking institutions and standing armies as being “dangerous to our liberties.” James Madison said, “A standing army is one of the greatest mischief that can possibly happen.” Elbridge Gerry (Vice President under James Madison) called standing armies “the bane of liberty.”
For the most part, the sentiments of our founders ring hollow to modern Americans who, ever since World War II, have glorified, idolized, and practically even worshipped the standing US military. But of course, with only isolated instances (which were almost always completely covered up by the mainstream news media) of the abuse of military power being committed against US citizens, the American people, as a whole, have no point of reference directing them to the sagacity of America’s founders on the subject. Indeed, who could even imagine that US military forces would ever be used against the US citizenry? After all, the media did a masterful job of covering up the most flagrant example of US military forces being used against US citizens when US military forces assisted federal law enforcement agencies in slaughtering the Branch Davidians outside Waco, Texas, on April 19, 1993. So, most Americans simply shut their eyes against that “painful truth” and chose to ignore the fact that it even happened.
Yes, there have been isolated instances of military personnel abusing their authority against American citizens (i.e., Waco in 1993, Kent State University in 1970), but overall the founders’ deep-seated distrust of standing armies has been replaced with deep-seated trust. But were our founders right to be distrusting of standing armies? And are we wrong to be so trusting of standing armies? Consider the following report by Dr. Andrew Bosworth.
I love my puppy Grover. He’s a one year old purebred bishon frise who was given to me as a gift from a friend earlier this year. Some of you may have heard him on our show, as he tends to bark, when we’re on air. But here’s the thing, I observe this dog and his protection maneuvers. Not only is Grover extremely cute and brilliant as a dog can be, but he’s a wonderful example of how most Christians jump to protect our religious liberty and values. Here’s the steps I’ve observed that Grover takes to protect me and my home.
1. Grover sleeps next to me on the couch during the day. All is calm and all is quiet.
2. A sudden noise jars him from his snooze. Something like my mail man delivering the mail and shutting the lid on the mail box.
3. Grover hears the sound, jumps to his feet, barks and growls while looking out the window while his tail remains stiff.
That first Thanksgiving in the fall of 1621 saw about 50 Mayflower Pilgrims and 100 native Indians come together for a celebration feast consisting of a variety of homegrown vegetables–including corn, squash, beans, barley, and peas–along with wild turkey and venison. The precise date is not known, but it is believed to have taken place in late October or early November. Historians record that the Massachusetts weather was crisp, but not cold–and the fall foliage dazzled America’s newcomers with a cornucopia of color.
These Pilgrims were mostly “Separatists,” who had left Europe to seek a land of liberty, where men could be free to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience–not according to the demands of a State church or an oppressive government. They made their intentions and motivations clear when they signed America’s first covenant, a document called The Mayflower Compact:
“We whose names are under-written . . . Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith . . .”
This undertaking had prompted them to leave their homes, livelihoods, families, friends, and way of life, and make a dangerous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Many became ill and some did not survive to see the New World. But they all believed that they were doing God’s will and that He would honor their faith. And He certainly did.
The fact that Michelle Obama’s appearance at the final NASCAR race of the season did not send a Chris Matthewsesque tingle up the legs of the assembled throng should come as no surprise to anyone who understands the American sport of big time stock car racing. The fans love their country. They are proud of their country. They are a self reliant breed. Most are firm defenders of the second amendment – the one that insures all the others. They also cling to their God, not the government when times get rough.
The reactions to this antipathy are more interesting. Both the first lady and her husband have made clear their disdain for patriotic, independent, Christian citizens like the ones who enjoy the sights and sounds of NASCAR. Mrs. Obama and Joe Biden’s wife had the audacity to show up at this event that decided the season championship. They surrounded a noble veteran who works to ease the transition of other returning veterans. Yet the race fans who paid $50, $100 or more to be there and watch their heroes battle each other on the one and a half mile Homestead Miami oval, did not take kindly to the intrusion of these two women that represent everything our country is not… at least did not used to be.
Given this oil and water mixture, the reaction could be predicted… and has been predicted. I, myself, called NASCAR, suggesting it was a mistake to have these beltway intruders take part in Sunday’s proceedings. The organization decided to honor the dishonorable and serve as a platform for the President’s re-election campaign. A campaign to destroy everything these fans hold dear.
A recent major investigative report by the Los Angeles Times sheds light on what all this “war on terror” is actually costing—and actually accomplishing. According to the report, “A decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, federal and state governments are spending about $75 billion a year on domestic security, setting up sophisticated radio networks, upgrading emergency medical response equipment, installing surveillance cameras and bombproof walls, and outfitting airport screeners to detect an ever-evolving list of mobile explosives.
“But how effective has that 10-year spending spree been?
“‘The number of people worldwide who are killed by Muslim-type terrorists, Al Qaeda wannabes, is maybe a few hundred outside of war zones. It’s basically the same number of people who die drowning in the bathtub each year,’ said John Mueller, an Ohio State University professor who has written extensively about the balance between threat and expenditures in fighting terrorism.”
Herman Cain has committed an unforgivable sin. He is a successful conservative black American who has risen to the point where he is a serious contender for the position of President of the United States… and he has done this without the help of the Democrat Party. He has not relied upon minority set asides or government programs that treated him as less qualified or less capable than the progressive masters whose task, they believe, is to bring all of us into their vision of equality and submission.
If one listens to their rhetoric, one never hears the words freedom or happiness. They are revealing their kinship with French revolutionaries whose motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” led them to take bloody revenge on anyone they saw as their oppressor. This is in distinct contrast to the American founders desire for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. These two approaches revealed volumes about the mind sets and motivations of the two uprisings that took place at the end of the eighteenth century. The French wanted to make their masters pay. The Americans just wanted them to go away.
Because of this desire for revenge, public beheadings were a popular pastime for a while. It was as if the pitiful peasants lot was made more bearable by seeing a perceived enemy come to a swift and violent end from a falling blade. While it may have made some of the poor feel better for a short while, it did nothing to improve his basic way of life. It was in this anger that a certain righteousness was felt that gave license to perform all sorts of atrocities.
In 1836, former frontiersman and congressman Davy Crockett led a band of volunteers all the way from their home State of Tennessee to San Antonio, Texas, in order to join up with William Travis and his small company of soldiers, and help defend the Alamo–and Texas independence–from Mexican General Santa Anna and his army of over 5,000 seasoned troops. To men such as Crockett, Travis, Jim Bowie, and the rest, State independence and freedom was worth fighting and dying for. To a man, they each proved that. Therefore, it is fitting to wonder what Davy Crockett would think about his home State of Tennessee joining with federal agencies in establishing random checkpoints throughout the Volunteer State.
According to a local Tennessee news source, “You’re probably used to seeing TSA’s signature blue uniforms at the airport, but now agents are hitting the interstates to fight terrorism with Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR).
“‘Where is a terrorist more apt to be found? Not these days on an airplane more likely on the interstate,’ said Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons.
“Tuesday Tennessee was first to deploy VIPR simultaneously at five weigh stations and two bus stations across the state.”
[As he left public life, George Washington had serious concerns for the country he helped bring into being. He had surprising insights into the situations this new nation would face and (often ignored) advice on avoiding pitfalls that have destroyed other nations in the past. The language is difficult to comprehend at times, but we can learn from his wisdom or we can continue to ignore it at our peril.]
It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.
There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in governments of a monarchical cast, patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.
[As he left public life, George Washington had serious concerns for the country he helped bring into being. He had surprising insights into the situations this new nation would face and (often ignored) advice on avoiding pitfalls that have destroyed other nations in the past. The language is difficult to comprehend at times, but we can learn from his wisdom or we can continue to ignore it at our peril.]
Friends and Citizens:
The period for a new election of a citizen to administer the executive government of the United States being not far distant, and the time actually arrived when your thoughts must be employed in designating the person who is to be clothed with that important trust, it appears to me proper, especially as it may conduce to a more distinct expression of the public voice, that I should now apprise you of the resolution I have formed, to decline being considered among the number of those out of whom a choice is to be made.
I beg you, at the same time, to do me the justice to be assured that this resolution has not been taken without a strict regard to all the considerations appertaining to the relation which binds a dutiful citizen to his country; and that in withdrawing the tender of service, which silence in my situation might imply, I am influenced by no diminution of zeal for your future interest, no deficiency of grateful respect for your past kindness, but am supported by a full conviction that the step is compatible with both.
[Revisionist historians would have us believe that our founders were irreligious or, at best deists, who did not believe in a personal God involved in every area of our lives. Instead taking the word of ivory tower academics, let's look at the words of one our most courageous founders.]
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
By His EXCELLENCY
John Hancock, Esq.
GOVERNOR of the COMMONWEALTH
of Massachusetts.
A PROCLAMATION,
For a Day of Public Thanksgiving.
In consideration of the many undeserved Blessings conferred upon us by GOD, the Father of all Mercies; it becomes us no only in our private and usual devotion, to express our obligations to Him, as well as our dependence upon Him; but also specially to set a part a Day to be employed for this great and important Purpose:
I HAVE therefore thought fit to appoint, and by the advice and consent of the Council, do hereby accordingly appoint, THURSDAY, the seventeenth of November next, to be observed as a Day of Public THANKSGIVING and PRAISE, throughout this Commonwealth:—Hereby calling upon Ministers and People of every denomination, to assemble on the said Day—and in the name of the Great Mediator, devoutly and sincerely offer to Almighty God, the gratitude of our Hearts, for all his goodness towards us; more especially in that HE has been pleased to continue to us so a great a measure of Health—to cause the Earth plentifully to yield her increase, so that we are supplied with the Necessaries, and the Comforts of Life—to prosper our Merchandise and Fishery—And above all, not only to continue to us the enjoyment of our civil Rights and Liberties; but the great and most important Blessing, the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
In the past few years the number of concealed hand gun permits have exploded all across the nation, except in states that believe the protection they provide is all the protection their citizens deserve. Of course it sounds like a cliché, but it is true that, if you are in imminent danger, a gun in the hand is better than a policeman on the phone.
We Christians trust God for our safety and many believe we should not have to depend on man’s weapons. There is no argument with this thinking. However, we live in a world with other people around us. We Christians should be even more aware that whatever we are doing or what is going on… it’s not just about us.
On October 16, 1991, George Hennard drove his pickup truck into a Luby’s cafeteria in Kileen, Texas and proceeded to kill 23 patrons and wound 20 others. Adding to the tragedy was the fact that at least one of the victims had a pistol locked in the glove compartment of his truck. Had he had it with him, lives could well have been saved. We are seeing more of this sort of thing as time goes by. Just this past week we saw a vicious attack on a west coast salon.
For a racing fan, Sunday was a difficult day. The Indy Car circuit lost one of its’ shining stars. Two time Indianapolis 500 winner, Dan Wheldon, lost his life in a fifteen car pile up during the season finale. Anyone who has been around motor sports where drivers strap themselves into their brutally fast machines and tempt the grim reaper on a regular basis knows this sort of thing can happen.
Fortunately, over recent years, the sport has become safer with each passing season and the introduction of all sorts of innovations and rules. It is commonplace to see cars flipping and gyrating across the track, leaving a trail of flying debris and finally smashing into a “soft” SAFER barrier, only to have the driver pull himself from the wreckage and wave to the crowd. We have been lulled into false belief that the engineers have solved the safety problem and that the drivers are indestructible.
Today was a dose of reality as Wheldon’s car was launched into the air and the cockpit slammed into the catch fence intended to keep the spectators from danger. Immediately after this tragic event, there was talk about changes in these necessary fences to make them safer. How they do that, I’ll leave to the engineers who have done amazing work in making the tracks safer for all concerned. I applaud their efforts, as every death like this is a tragedy. The thing I believe we need to remember, is that the human body was not constructed to crash into relative solid objects at over 200 mph.
Washington, DC – An estimated 12 million students recited the Pledge of Allegiance in school for the first time 119 years ago on October 12, 1892. Following the Pledge, students, teachers, school administrators, and public officials either said a prayer or read scripture from the Bible. Each principal at schools in Boston, Massachusetts, recited Psalm 145.
The first celebration of Columbus Day in 1892 was an original effort to keep American exceptionalism alive and to prevent America from losing its freedom and liberties in becoming a socialist nation. James Upham began uniting Americans in 1891 during a very divisive time, by inspiring patriotism through a campaign to hang an American Flag at every school in the nation. The following year on the first Columbus Day, Upham’s idea of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance underneath the flag became a national tradition. Columbus Day is a day to celebrate the discovery of America – a day of patriotism, unity, and freedom. The celebration of Columbus Day allowed all Americans to boldly declare their love of our nation and their fortitude to keep America free.
Many times I hear the ostriches among us exclaim, “What freedoms have we lost? America is the freest country on earth.” We have all heard that, right? Of course, part of the problem is that, thanks to our education system, media, and churches, many Americans do not even know how to define liberty and freedom. The truth is, America’s Founding Fathers were willing to pledge their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” and fight a bloody revolutionary war for far fewer abridgments of liberty than we Americans endure every day of our lives today. FAR FEWER!
To answer the second part of the ostrich argument first: no, America is not the freest nation on earth. According to the Index of Economic Freedom, which is produced by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, the United States just barely makes it in the top ten, ranked at number nine in the world.
According to Deroy Murdock, “Among the 179 countries examined in the Index, Hong Kong is ranked first, followed by Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Canada, Ireland, and Denmark. These nations all outscored the U.S. across ten categories, including taxes, free trade, regulation, monetary policy, and corruption.
The death of Anwar al-Awlaki has caused quite a stir in this country. He became an al Qaeda leader, helping plan attacks on Americans and encouraging those who carried them out. He became a key figure in an organization dedicated to destroying, not only our government, but our whole way of life.
Some, primarily libertarians, are scandalized that there was an operation carried out purposely targeting an American citizen. They said that because of this citizenship, al Awlaki should have been afforded the due process of our criminal justice system.
If the Muslim cleric had been shot by someone stepping out of the shadows as he entered his New York City apartment, or if he were gunned down as he enjoyed a night at the theater in our nation’s capitol, then it would really be a problem with our government just exterminating someone they determine to be an enemy of the state. It’s not that this sort of thing, assisted “suicides” and the like, have never taken place – justified or not. This case, on the other hand, is just very visibly public.
If you like the copyrighted content of Political Christian and would like to repost, republish or email the material, permission is granted for any article attributed to Larry Miller provided 1) there is a link back to this site and 2) there is no subscription fee and no paid advertising.
For other circumstances and other contributors, please contact larry@politicachristian.org or follow links that may be provided.
Be the First to Comment 
By Thomas Brewton
With all the enthusiasm for the various personalities running for the Republican nomination, it’s easy to loose sight of the issues that drive the need to replace the current White House resident. As the passions rise, so does the level of rhetoric and the hostility toward other candidates and their supporters. Passion is great, hostility toward others who should be on the same team is not. It makes it too easy to fragment ourselves in a way that makes it difficult to achieve our goal.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 (NIV)
“Photo ID laws are very similar to a poll tax,” whines Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Later she adds, “there really aren’t many instances of voter fraud.” Such is the fantasy world the wild haired legislator lives in. She thinks it is terrible that people have to identify themselves when the cast a vote that helps determine whether our country lives or dies.
The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. (Genesis 11:6 NIV)
It is well documented that many of America’s Founding Fathers had a very real and deep-seated distrust of standing armies–and for good reason. They had just fought a costly and bloody war for independence, which had been largely predicated upon the propensities for the abuse and misuse of individual liberties by a pervasive and powerful standing army (belonging to Great Britain) amongst them. Listen to Thomas Jefferson: “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.” Note that Jefferson identified both banking institutions and standing armies as being “dangerous to our liberties.” James Madison said, “A standing army is one of the greatest mischief that can possibly happen.” Elbridge Gerry (Vice President under James Madison) called standing armies “the bane of liberty.”
by Stacy Lynn Harp
That first Thanksgiving in the fall of 1621 saw about 50 Mayflower Pilgrims and 100 native Indians come together for a celebration feast consisting of a variety of homegrown vegetables–including corn, squash, beans, barley, and peas–along with wild turkey and venison. The precise date is not known, but it is believed to have taken place in late October or early November. Historians record that the Massachusetts weather was crisp, but not cold–and the fall foliage dazzled America’s newcomers with a cornucopia of color.
The fact that Michelle Obama’s appearance at the final NASCAR race of the season did not send a Chris Matthewsesque tingle up the legs of the assembled throng should come as no surprise to anyone who understands the American sport of big time stock car racing. The fans love their country. They are proud of their country. They are a self reliant breed. Most are firm defenders of the second amendment – the one that insures all the others. They also cling to their God, not the government when times get rough.
A recent major investigative report by the Los Angeles Times sheds light on what all this “war on terror” is actually costing—and actually accomplishing. According to the report, “A decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, federal and state governments are spending about $75 billion a year on domestic security, setting up sophisticated radio networks, upgrading emergency medical response equipment, installing surveillance cameras and bombproof walls, and outfitting airport screeners to detect an ever-evolving list of mobile explosives.
Herman Cain has committed an unforgivable sin. He is a successful conservative black American who has risen to the point where he is a serious contender for the position of President of the United States… and he has done this without the help of the Democrat Party. He has not relied upon minority set asides or government programs that treated him as less qualified or less capable than the progressive masters whose task, they believe, is to bring all of us into their vision of equality and submission.
In 1836, former frontiersman and congressman Davy Crockett led a band of volunteers all the way from their home State of Tennessee to San Antonio, Texas, in order to join up with William Travis and his small company of soldiers, and help defend the Alamo–and Texas independence–from Mexican General Santa Anna and his army of over 5,000 seasoned troops. To men such as Crockett, Travis, Jim Bowie, and the rest, State independence and freedom was worth fighting and dying for. To a man, they each proved that. Therefore, it is fitting to wonder what Davy Crockett would think about his home State of Tennessee joining with federal agencies in establishing random checkpoints throughout the Volunteer State.
[As he left public life, George Washington had serious concerns for the country he helped bring into being. He had surprising insights into the situations this new nation would face and (often ignored) advice on avoiding pitfalls that have destroyed other nations in the past. The language is difficult to comprehend at times, but we can learn from his wisdom or we can continue to ignore it at our peril.]
[As he left public life, George Washington had serious concerns for the country he helped bring into being. He had surprising insights into the situations this new nation would face and (often ignored) advice on avoiding pitfalls that have destroyed other nations in the past. The language is difficult to comprehend at times, but we can learn from his wisdom or we can continue to ignore it at our peril.]
In the past few years the number of concealed hand gun permits have exploded all across the nation, except in states that believe the protection they provide is all the protection their citizens deserve. Of course it sounds like a cliché, but it is true that, if you are in imminent danger, a gun in the hand is better than a policeman on the phone.
For a racing fan, Sunday was a difficult day. The Indy Car circuit lost one of its’ shining stars. Two time Indianapolis 500 winner, Dan Wheldon, lost his life in a fifteen car pile up during the season finale. Anyone who has been around motor sports where drivers strap themselves into their brutally fast machines and tempt the grim reaper on a regular basis knows this sort of thing can happen.
ounsel
Many times I hear the ostriches among us exclaim, “What freedoms have we lost? America is the freest country on earth.” We have all heard that, right? Of course, part of the problem is that, thanks to our education system, media, and churches, many Americans do not even know how to define liberty and freedom. The truth is, America’s Founding Fathers were willing to pledge their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” and fight a bloody revolutionary war for far fewer abridgments of liberty than we Americans endure every day of our lives today. FAR FEWER!
The death of Anwar al-Awlaki has caused quite a stir in this country. He became an al Qaeda leader, helping plan attacks on Americans and encouraging those who carried them out. He became a key figure in an organization dedicated to destroying, not only our government, but our whole way of life.
