They are wringing their hands in despair as if the retirement of a supposedly “moderate” senator held the key to the retention of power by a corrupt and unresponsive administration.

As for Senator Nelson, it appears that he has the wisdom to recognize how precarious his position really is with a disenchanted electorate. There is an old tradition among the political class when faced with certain defeat… it’s called “take the money and run”.

With millions of Americans angered at the encroaching government from our nation’s capitol and the Democrats having to defend 23 seats as opposed to the Republicans 10, it would seem to be an exercise of feckless hubris to think this farm state legislator would be one of only five (the minimum number for a Republican takeover) to be sent packing… or at least off to the wonderful and profitable world of the lobbyist. Members of the “club” never seem to loose. It is only the taxpaying citizens who get the short end of the proverbial stick.

This may just be talk to keep the troops from deserting in despair or perhaps they have developed newer and better techniques to bypass the electoral will of the people. Possibly the word could also be spread to diminish the hopes of the opposition, both Tea Party and Republican. The Democrats are masters at psychological warfare and disinformation. The only thing certain is that we are looking and interesting eleven months.

We can take heart in the fact that one more of the scoundrels who have been wreaking havoc on our land will be gone from their position of power. Now, it is up to us to see that Nelson and those like him are replaced by true patriots looking out for the welfare of the people rather than their own wealth and power.

Matt Kibbe from FreedomWorks was correct when he noted that we have two jobs. We have to defeat the Republicans before we can defeat the Democrats. Our country faces tremendous dangers, and a tremendous opportunities. We cannot permit the status quo merchants to convince us that the same people who created the mess we are dealing with can solve it.

Some of these slick lipped politicians actually meant well. Good intentions just don’t get the job done. C.S. Lewis wrote, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” Others had different agendas. Whatever the reason for this intrusion into our lives, the fact remains that the path they have set before us is the path of destruction. Unless the situations changes greatly, there is a very good chance that the Republicans will take control of the Senate and, most likely, the Presidency. That doesn’t mean the people win as well. We win when the goals and approaches of our leaders are the goals and approaches of the American people.

This video of Professor Abdullah Al-Nafisi reveals several problems we are currently facing. He is talking about the ease of using biological weapons against any populated area. It gives us a chilling reminder of how ineffective our defenses are along the border where such weapons would likely be smuggled in. The diminutive size of the weapon means in would fit in an automobile glove box or a business man’s briefcase.

It also means that it would not be difficult to smuggle into the United States in the backpack of a Mexican or Iranian slipping across the Rio Grande or in a fishing boat across one of the Great Lakes. Unfortunately the regime in Washington is more interested in keeping tabs on tea party members than keeping out potential Democrat voters.

Even with the threat of mass devastation, our government is more concerned with the devastation of their re-election prospects. Then we have the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that would rather pursue the supposed health hazards of civilian possession of guns than the prevention of death on such a massive scale.

Unfortunately, the operations of so many parts of our government have become so politicized that they couldn’t fulfill their intended functions if our lives depended on it… and they may well.

Just recently the CDC recommended an expansion of their intrusion into our lives and further destruction of parental rights to raise their children as they see fit, by recommending that boys receive Gardasil in addition to the girls who have already been forced to submit to the state while Merck & Company laughs all the way to the bank.

Usually, required drugs guard against diseases that are spread by casual contact. Gardasil works to prevent the human papillomavirus (HPV) that is most often spread through sexual contact. Again, our government is taking a broad brush approach to avoid dealing with the real issue.

A few years ago, it was found that 95% of HIV infected homosexual men in a San Francisco study had anal HPV infection as well. Half of these had precancerous HPV caused lesions. To protect the feelings of these people who have taken another path to satisfaction, and to obscure the real problem, once again we are all expected to put our children at risk. We are just to accept the decision of our betters that the drug that, as of the beginning of 2011, has caused the deaths of at least 103 young women. Beyond this, it has a history of producing seizures, strokes and a whole host of other ailments, with no know cure.

In either case, political correctness in our government prevents it from dealing with the real issues threatening our land. Our leaders are chasing one red herring after another, never willing to pursue the real danger. They are always more concerned with the danger to their political power.

Whether they are doing this purposely, or through ignorance of the real danger, the people running the show are a clear and present danger to every last one of us. We permit them to remain in power at our own risk. It’s fine to support your favorite candidate. Let’s just not do it to the point that splinters the opposition that will drive these liberal progressive academic theorists far from the levers of power.

Sure we need to deal with the Federal Reserve, EPA overreach, ObamaCare… but the first thing we have to do is pry the deranged Marxists from the city on the Potomac. That has got to be our first priority. We stop the hemorrhaging of our freedoms before the repairs can begin.

It’s easy for those trained in theological pursuits to draw up lines of distinctions between various groups and philosophies. For myself, who you may call a Bapticostal, I must treat everyone who will proclaim “Jesus Christ is Lord” and shows the fruit of the Spirit in his or her daily life, as a brother. It is God’s heaven and He is the one who decides admission criteria.

This is not to mean that I don’t see differences, and that I don’t evaluate those differences. Not being a member of his church, it is obvious that I am not in agreement with all of it’s teachings. I have the same to say about my Catholic friends. Yet, I am not going to take it upon myself to comment on their ultimate destination, as I heard many do during my youth. Such calls are far above my pay grade and my Bible tells me I should not judge another man’s servant. I have found myself standing side by side the my Catholic and Mormon brothers and sisters in opposing such abominations on our land as the killing of innocent babies or the destruction of marriages. I will look at the fruit they produce and God will judge the heart.

Even within the traditional Christianity, we can tie ourselves up with disputes between Calvinists and Armenians or between purveyors replacement theology and those supporting the Jewish people and their homeland. The Christian church is a fragmented, yet still functioning, body that, fortunately worships the one and only God. He is the unifying factor that gives direction and power to our imperfect efforts. Our country is based on the principles of religious freedom and tolerance. We need to hang together on the things we can agree on, respect our differences and pray for those we believe are going astray.

If we are to reject Mitt Romney because the name of his church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and accept the idea, as some do, that Barack Hussein Obama is a Christian, because that is what his America hating pastor calls his form of religion, we have some major blind spots and need for wisdom. Now, most of us, in looking at the fruit produced by the President’s life and administration, will see major conflicts between his actions and fruit of the Spirit as defined in Galatians 5, and we cannot be content with a leader simply because he has the right “religion”.

As I said at the beginning, there are many reasons to reject the candidate with really nice hair, but his Mormon religion is not one of them. His faith leads him to be a good family oriented man with a fine concept of morality. It does not, however, give him a political philosophy that will lead our country out of the financial and moral abyss we find ourselves engulfed in.

Atlanta, GA – Today the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 opinion that the individual mandate in Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ObamaCare”) exceeds the authority of Congress and is unconstitutional. The court also ruled that the remainder of the law could continue in effect. The Court ruled that Congress cannot “mandate that individuals enter into contracts with private insurance companies for the purchase of an expensive product from the time they are born until the time they die.” The Eleventh Circuit case involved 26 states. Liberty Counsel’s case, Liberty University v. Geithner, was argued on May 10, 2011, at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. A ruling on that case has not yet been issued.

There are three interwoven provisions of ObamaCare – the guaranteed issue which requires that all pre-existing conditions be covered, the removal of community rating which prevents insurance companies from balancing coverage risks, and the mandate for individuals and employers. The former two cannot work without the mandate. Without the mandate, the other two requirements of ObamaCare will collapse the insurance industry. Seven states have attempted the guaranteed issue and removal of community rating without the mandate and the attempts in all seven states failed because the insurance industry collapses under such a system. With the mandate gone and the rest of the law intact, ObamaCare will cause health insurance to collapse, thus necessitating a repeal of the law or a total government takeover of the health insurance market, which would be a Medicare or Medicaid on steroids.

Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, said, “Today’s ruling striking down the individual mandate is welcome news. The federal government does not have the authority to force individuals to purchase health insurance. ObamaCare represents the biggest government intrusion into the private lives of every American. The Court of Appeals should have thrown out ObamaCare in its entirety. Without the individual mandate, the law will cause the insurance industry to implode. With or without the mandate, ObamaCare has been a catastrophe.”

As I write this, the vote on the Plan B effort has been delayed – an obvious sign of dissension in the ranks that would deny the Speaker the 216 votes needed to pass this compromise with the non-functioning opposition. Even if he can twist arms, call in favors, blackmail or whatever enough of his own team to gain this legislative victory, it will most likely be of little consequence.

Harry Reid, the Majority Leader of the same Senate that has been unable to pass a budget for several years, arrogantly announced that this new proposal would be “dead on arrival” in his wing of the capitol. He, like most Democrats, is good at blocking and destroying the good our government can do for the people, instead of controlling too many aspects of their existence. Already, before Plan B is even passed, Dingy Harry has arranged for all 53 Senate Democrats to agree to scuttle the bill. It’s sort of the reverse of Nancy Plosive telling House members that they have to pass ObamaCare so they can see what is in it. This time though, they are rejection legislation before it is fully formed, let alone passed.

The fact that Reid has not been able to pass his own version and he is blocking a bill that moves toward the less intrusive government the people want is indicative of the total disregard the Nevada Senator has for the will and wisdom of the populace. As a dedicated progressive elitist, Reid is a political soul mate to the presidential pretender.

Before Barack Hussein Obama rose to power, we didn’t hear too much of Harry Reid. After listening to him speak for just a few minutes one understands why he never won the title of Mr. Charisma. This means he has ways, other than a dazzling personality, of enforcing party discipline. With some, I am sure, the true believers in the movement, he has no difficulty at all. With others… I’d rather not think about his methods.

This man, like his president, stands against the will of the people to stop the spending, just as he stood against the desires of the citizens as he shepherded the dreaded ObamaCare through the Senate. Obama, Pelosi and Reid, along with their legislative cohorts, have continuously thumbed their noses at the American people, yet not to the extent they have since in the past few years. It may be they just lacked the opportunity to exhibit these qualities. It may be that there was a time when they were really nice, reasonable people, but something happened to them. Or… it may be that Obama’s excessively confident and arrogant narcissism has infected much of the congress and federal bureaucracies, and oozed down to parts of the general population.

It seems that the atmosphere has changed, not only in Washington, but throughout the nation. It hits us on two fronts. Those who follow the Obamessiah have been energized and their attitude has poisoned many relationships. Then there are those of us who see the error of his ways. We have to put up with this obnoxious behavior of the people around us and those who govern us. Some of our relationships have been destroyed. Some of our relationships have been retained, but deformed in some way.

Most of us are pretty nice people and we usually tolerate many insults and inconveniences. Most of us would rather put up with annoying people or minor intrusions than create a scene or stand up against something we know to be wrong… especially if there is some kind of cost or effort required on our part. However, the arrogance and injury we have experienced at the hands of these beltway bandits have awakened many of us.

Proverbs 19:11tells us “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” (NIV) This is very true, yet when the damage is done to others – our duty to look out for our brothers and be there keeper kicks in. This is why we have to stand up for right and oppose what is wrong. For those who believe Christians need to stay clear of the dirty sport of politics, I would suggest remembering IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU! And, it’s not about me.

It’s about being the salt and light in a dark and depraved world. It’s about exhibiting the values and behavior we know make life work it a world where nothing seems to work anymore. We cannot allow ourselves the luxury of the self absorbed egocentricity. Those of us who are Christians see the world around us and need to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”.

One of the heroes of the faith, Deitrich Bonhoeffer summed it up when he said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” We are faced with an increasingly detached, brutal and uncaring government. We can tolerate some of this ourselves, but we cannot forget about those around us, and who should come after us, who are suffering.

Those over educated imbeciles, appointed by the president have taken there research, and, primarily, their opinions to be the gospel of human survival and are preaching it to all who will listen, and imposing it on those who won’t. It is to those who won’t bow down at the altar of governmental desire that they feel the government’s power is needed to persuade them of the error their ways in the area of dietary righteousness.

Rules are being formulated that will compel companies like Kelloggs, Mars, and even the good old Girl Scouts to fall into line with the edicts from above, or loose the ability to advertise the offending products or promote them in any way. As with much activity from the current regime, they are doing this outside the legislative will of the people, or even congress.

The product of congressional action is intrusive enough, dictating the kind of bulbs we light our homes with and the kind of toilets we use to flush away our waste, but these new insertions into our daily lives are the result of plots and schemes originating with people who are totally unaccountable to anyone, except their boss in the White House.

All this is done in the name of the common good with the high sounding goal of reducing childhood obesity and the President’s wife is spearheading the effort. Considering the success this first family has had in solving any of our national problems, it would seem that the best thing they could do to cut down on chubby children would be keep their hands off the food consumption entirely. If they want us to have any confidence in their ability, they may want to begin by having Mrs. Obama approach the appearance of Twiggy or demonstrate that she at least has some sort of concept of slenderizing in her head.

The idea that unelected regulators can tell the makers of perfectly legal products that they need to reformulate their products in order to promote them or let them die on the shelves, is not an American way. Tea has been thrown into Boston harbor over lesser offenses. There is no problem with listing ingredients so consumers can make their own decisions. But these manipulators have decided that the American public is too stupid to make such a nutritional decisions… they must be helped by their betters who are “smarter than the average bear” as Yogi would say.

It’s not just one agency coming against the American dietary freedom, but a cabal composed of the Federal Trade Commission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture is proposing this dictatorial decree. They are ganging up on, not just cereals that get kids to eat breakfast, such staples as Thin Mints and M&Ms.

What kind of dark, depraved, soulless creature would be against the Girl Scouts and Thin Mints. All of their cookies are wonderful, but it is the Thin Mints that make the visit from the girls in green worthwhile. And M&Ms – the little candy that melts in mouth and not in your hands – next thing, they’ll be going after the peanuts and chocolate in Snickers bars. These broccoli saturated bureaucrats seem determined to remove the enjoyment of eating and replace it with the simple absorption of sustanence so we can work to meet the needs of the state.

This is part of the non-dollar price we will be paying for government run health insurance. They already feel they have the right to tell us what we can do so we will make less use of their system.

For those of you who enjoy broccoli, asparagus and fennel, eat and enjoy it. But please, please don’t do it just because Big Brother tells you to. For freedom lovers everywhere, let your representatives know you are not happy with attempts by our government to make you live long enough to get to the point where they won’t give you medical care any more because you are too old. Strike a blow for freedom – next time you are in the grocery store, annoy a liberal, pick up a pack of M&Ms and a box of Frosted Flakes. They’re Grrrrreat! Let Tony know we are standing with him.

See what Glenn Beck had to say…

This past Sunday, Former Speaker Newt Gingrich admitted to regime flunky David Gregory that he was in favor of the same type individual mandate that Virginia, Florida and many other states afflicted with common sense went to court to fight. In a brilliantly seductive manner the former congressman promoted a progressive ideal using conservative language.

Yes, Newt is a highly intelligent man. It is quite likely he knows exactly what he is doing and saying. Many say there is little difference between the two parties. As much as we who passionately work for the victory of our favorite Republicans would like to believe otherwise, thinking like this make it hard to see things in any other way.

The idea that everyone should be responsible for their own medical bills has a conservative, even libertarian, ring to it. However, that’s not really what he said. The voucher plan says this is not quite so. He doesn’t like people freeloading off the government (read taxpayers), yet has no problem with them using taxpayer supplied vouchers to pay their bills.

This thinking presupposes that our health care system is locked into this inefficient third party payment plan combined with a unrestrained greed in parts of the legal community that just cries out for excessive, wasteful medical facilities and professionals. Many of these would suffer under ObamaCare, but not under GingrichCare. The inefficiencies would just continue, but with a blessing from the national government. Hope for real reform would be gone for a long, long time.

Few would argue that the health care system doesn’t need to mend it’s profligage ways, but until the factors that keep pushing costs higher and higher are faced and remedied, it will continue to be the money pit driving us into national bankruptcy we find today. Simply attempting to find ways to pay the every increasing costs will not bring the universal availability our country desires. Bringing costs down to a level people can afford is a far better way to attack the problem, but even Republicans seem to have forgotten the promises they made in this area just a few short years ago.

As with much activity in Washington, it is geared to moderating the impact of symptoms, but does little to fix the real problem… which brings us to question, do they really understand this problem… or any other?

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s Statement on Passage of Abortion Clinic Safety Bill, SB924

Today, a long, hard-fought battle for women’s health and dignity has finally been won in the State Senate.

Just this afternoon, the Democrat controlled Virginia State Senate passed a bill which will require abortion clinics to meet hospital-style safety standards. This will mean that any abortion clinic which performs more than 5 abortions in a month will need to meet safety standards comparable to any other clinic which performs out-patient procedures.

For over 25 years, Virginia abortion clinics have not been held to minimal health and safety standards. As a result, women who walk into these clinics are often not treated with the care and respect that any human being deserves.

Our abortion clinics have not been held to high safety standards in the past – even issues of basic cleanliness have been lacking. As a result, women who walk into these clinics have been done a severe disservice.

It is interesting to note that in 1984 when the health and safety regulations were removed from Virginia abortion clinics, the Virginia Society for Human Life and notoriously liberal National Organization for Women (NOW) held their one and only joint press conference ever. They jointly objected to the removal of health and safety standards, asserting that women in abortion clinics would not get the quality of treatment and the respect of people in other medical facilities. And what an understatement that turned out to be.

Obviously I am pro-life. While I regret the occurrence of abortions, I do want women in all circumstances treated with the dignity and respect that every human being deserves. The establishment of health and safety standards for Virginia’s abortions clinics will not only help preserve the health and safety but also the dignity of women in Virginia.

As a state senator I tried for several years to pass this legislation – and it is great to see that today, members from both sides of the aisle – and the Lt. Governor – realized the importance of this legislation and were able to score this victory for life, and the dignity of women.

This is a strike that has closed public schools in the liberal bastion of Madison and several other counties around the state. The events show that these teachers have infected their students with their socialistic propaganda to the point where the young skulls full of mush have joined them on the picket line. They have apparently convinced their idealist charges that they are standing up to “the man”. The idea that tax payers who are already hard pressed by the economic downturn should be hit up once again for more money to keep these unionized government employees in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed is just plain wrong.

The taxpayers of Wisconsin are being asked to fork over more and more of their hard earned dollars so these supposed public servants don’t have to contribute their own dollars for their own retirement and health benefits. These union members have grown fat and happy living at the public trough. Now that the flow of citizen funds is slowing down, these teachers have become indignant that those filling the public trough have run out of money.

These actions should put an end to the fantasy that teachers unions are looking out for the children. We should have been paying closer attention when Al Shanker, former president of the American Federation of Teachers said, “When school children start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of school children.” If the interest of these people were really in the welfare of the children, would they be shaking down the parents that are struggling to provide food, clothing and housing for these same children?

So the goal of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to free the citizens of the Badger State from the blackmail of the teachers and public employees union is being met by the resistance of those who believe these resources are rightfully theirs to take. Using intimidation in an attempt to force the state government to bend to their will, they have the audacity to call the Governor a bully.

Unfortunately, the people of Wisconsin simply do not have the organization to present their case to the media and the world. What they do have is a governor and legislators who are actually looking out for the well being of their constituents. The sad thing is that many of us are pleasantly surprised by this as it is such a rarity in this day of professional politicians. Along this line, we cannot forget to appreciate similar efforts by John Kasich in Ohio. The problem is that these unions and others in the progressive left simply do not comprehend that “public” money is not theirs.

Those of us fortunate enough to live in states not currently under attack by these larcenous laborers need to keep our eyes on what is going on under the surface locally. Self serving public service unions are infesting our nation. They are just waiting to stand up and slap down any effort to economize in the public sector and bring the price within the scope of what the tax payers can afford and are willing to pay. We cannot allow them to succeed. It will be a rocky ride, but a necessary one if our country is to remain free and prosperous.

There are various reasons for this. The European people know their place. They have been bought and paid for with “free” benefits from the government. As a result, many Europeans have been weaned away from recognition of, and dependence on, their creator. Like Esau, they have given up their generous inheritance for a “free” bowl of stew. All this has turned our cousins across the sea into nations of sheep who are struggling to hold on to their culture and heritage from the onslaught of Islamic invaders with no intention of assimilating. And they want the US to be like Europe!

The ideas of individual responsibility, reward and achievement have proven too much for some. These ideas have also proven to be a hindrance to those who would rule rather than serve. A nation of sheep is easier to control than a country populated by free men and free women. Unlike our European cousins, there is still a remnant among us who remember America’s greatness and want to see it restored. They remember the uniqueness that made the USA the envy of the world – a position that many on the progressive left find most distasteful.

Our situation is reminiscent of the nation of Israel as the period of the judges was coming to an close. They were in a unique situation in that they were ruled by judges who were, in reality, prophets in touch with the living God. Some did not live up to the standards of integrity, so, instead of dealing with those individual problems, the people decided they wanted a king, just like everyone else.

Samuel told the people about the cost of having a king…

He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. (I Samuel 8: 11-17 NIV)

The people replied that they understood the cost… and they wanted a king anyway… just like their neighboring countries. They believed the king would take care of them and fight their battles for them – never making the connection that the king would use their sons and daughters, along with their wealth to meet their expectations.

Things are a little different today as many looking to the government to meet their needs have no intention of giving up anything of their own. They are looking for the government to use someone else’s wealth to pay for their benefits. Those seeking power find willing accomplices among those convinced of the injustice of our American system. Personal gain on the part of the ruling class and the desire to impose their version of “social justice” are driving our country to the same disastrous fall as Israel and Judah endured under the rule of the kings. The Jewish people gave up their uniqueness to be like everyone else… just like many Americans want to do today.