Bernanke’s press conference announcement again booted the stock and bond markets, but did nothing to boost employment.

At his January 25, 2012, press conference, Federal Reserve Bank chairman Ben Bernanke stated that he expects the Fed to continue imposing near-zero interest rates well into 2014 on short-term Treasury securities. In response, the stock market surged, despite expectations of generally lower corporate earnings and reduced consumer spending. Loose credit and low interest rates usually facilitate stock market speculation.

However gratifying this may to individual investors and pension fund managers, it does little if anything to restore production of goods and services or to raise employment. It also continues to penalize increased savings, which alone provides a stable, long-term platform for economic growth. People living on fixed incomes have had their rates of income on saving chopped around 75% since the Fed first cut interest rates.

As Austrian school economists long have observed, central bank manipulation of interest rates and government deficit spending have an uneven impact on sectors of the economy. When unemployment is high and people are yet freighted with excessive personal debt, consumer spending will be among the last sectors to increase.

Instead, deficit spending and loose money lead businessmen to over-invest in long term capital goods, because low interest cost for borrowed money makes even marginal investment projects appear profitable. When business finally revives and costs, including interest rates, increase, those marginal projects collapse and push the economy into recession.

Such was the genesis and progress of the housing bubble and subprime mortgage securities.

Contrary to the aggregate computer models of Keynesian economics, the economy as a whole never has been controllable via government stimulus spending. In fact, as reported recently, the 31% increase in business long-term investment over recent months has been largely concentrated in labor-saving equipment, which ironically adds to unemployment or postpones new hiring.

This article was originally posted in The View Form 1776 blog.

http://www.thomasbrewton.com/index.php/weblog/fed_feeds_distortion/

Local Activists Call for Air Jordan Changes: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

A group of pastors and community activists from the Houston area have taken to the airwaves to complain about the irresponsibility of Nike and Michael Jordan. What have they done that is so terrible? It seems that they created a product that people want to buy. While I am not sure why people would go to such extremes to get overpriced footwear, these shoes are, indeed, valued by many people who will do most anything to get them.

It is an American success story of a man who worked at perfecting his craft to the point where he was one of the best to ever walk onto a basketball court. It is also a story about a company who produced a quality product in association with this athlete that people want to buy. As one of the critics, Malik Ingram, commented, “These shoes have always had a place of value in Black life.”

In some ways, the shoes may be the symbolic contact with someone who achieved excellence to those who see little in their own lives and the world around them. They have come to represent status to those who are willing to settle for the symbol rather than the substance of excellence.

The mobs that descended on the retailers believed that by acquiring these shoes, they would somehow elevate themselves in their circle of friends and become happier people. It is easy to look down on the foolishness of this thinking when the object is just a pair of shoes. Yet, we have no problem with the things many of us do for a bigger home, a nicer car, a fur coat or any other material possession. The actions our circle of friends take may not be as blatantly obnoxious or violent, but they can be even more insidious and harmful to the people, including ourselves, who are impacted.

The solution proposed by the critics is for the company to increase production and reduce the price to the point where it would be easier for more young people to afford them. What they do not realize is that the actions they propose would destroy the product and the mystique in the market place. They would no longer be unique and no one would care who had them and who didn’t.

It is sad that those who hold themselves out to be spiritual leaders have so little understanding of the nature of the flock they are attempting to serve. The fact is that these shoes elicit such strong response from those who covet their ownership. They covet them to the point where they will actual attack and steal them from someone who is fortunate enough to already have them.

Ben Mendez, a Latino business leader noted this when he said, “The people that can least afford these shoes are buying them, and what happens as a result of that? Well there’s more crime” He is correct. However the same could be said about lottery tickets, and even street drugs… only in the case of the Air Jordans, they are at least getting a quality product that can be beneficial to them. And in the case of street drugs, standing against the dealers could result in a hollow point in the head.

Bishop James Dixon showed a complete grasp of the liberal progressive position on this and most every other issue when he added, “We’re not trying to make it logical. We’re simply saying it’s going to take all of us collectively to take responsibility for making a change.” Considering the success of other problems solved by this approach, perhaps the good Bishop should be looking in another direction.

The fact that members of his flock have such lack of restraint and respect for those around them shows that there is a great deal of work to be done on individual values and responsibility. Sure there are things a community can do, and there are things a retailer can do, like posting armed guards in their stores, but ultimately it is the individual who makes the decisions that govern their behavior.

The book of James describes the process:

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15 NIV)

While some things could be done differently, it is still comes down individual decisions to respect our fellow man as another creation of a loving God. This is where we have to look to turn the tide from senseless cravings and violence to living a life of contentment, and is where these supposed leaders should look to save their people and their world. Whining about corporate irresponsibility may make these so-called community leaders feel good that they are deflecting blame from the true source which allows them to ignore the individual responsibility that would really resolve this issue and most of the others we are facing.

Join Mat Staver and Natalie Johnson on America’s News HQ: Fox News Channel on Sunday Dec. 11, between noon and 1:00 p.m. to discuss Macy’s policy that allows men to use women’s fitting rooms.

On learning that Macy’s allows men to use women’s fitting rooms, people are outraged. They are cutting up their Macy’s credit cards and refusing to shop there until the policy changes. This bizarre policy came to light during the Christmas shopping season, when Natalie Johnson saw a man entering a women’s fitting room, which was in her department area, at Macy’s in San Antonio, TX. After he came out, Natalie politely approached the young man and told him that he could not use the women’s fitting rooms because they were for women only. Although this young man was wearing lipstick, he still clearly looked like a man. He became upset and used expletives, and the attorney who accompanied him said that Macy’s was LGBT friendly. Natalie politely responded that men cannot use the women’s fitting rooms, to which they demanded to speak with her manager. She was later summoned by her manager, Mary Ellen, and told that “transgender” people can use any fitting room they desire. When Natalie questioned how men could use women’s fitting rooms and asked for a religious accommodation because she could not lie by allowing men to use women’s fitting rooms, she was terminated.

There has been a huge outpouring of support for Natalie. Yet, this policy still stands at Macy’s and its affiliate, Bloomingdale’s. Right now, any kind of sexual predator could put on lipstick and have full access to any of the women’s fitting rooms and the girls of all ages who may be present! This must not continue!

Please sign this petition to Macy’s right now: http://www.libertyaction.org/344/petition.asp

Post on their Facebook page, asking them to please protect the privacy of their female shoppers.

Spread the word on Twitter, and include the hash tag “#macys”.

Email macys_execs@macys.com.

Call their corporate office 800-264-0069 or 513-398-5221.

Fax them at 513-573-2049.

Or write to Terry Lundren, President and CEO, Macy’s Inc, P.O. Box 8220, Mason, OH 45040.

Finally, we urge you to please pass this message along to educate shoppers that their privacy is jeopardized while shopping at Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s department stores.

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.

4. Once he looks out the window, he turns and jumps off the couch, still barking and growling and then runs into the kitchen, away from the danger.

5. After Grover is securely in the kitchen, he hides behind the doors in the kitchen and continues to bark.

6. By this time the horror of my mail arriving has subsided and then Grover comes back out of the kitchen and goes back to sleep.

Most Christians are the same way. They are snoozing and don’t really think much of the moral decay in our culture or the church. Then someone brings an issue of concern to their attention and they “yap and bark and growl” about it for a minute. But as the issue becomes larger and larger, they go and run and hide behind the door and may bark a few more times but then they do nothing. All the while thinking that the issue has gone away, when in reality all it has done is gone down the street.

And then the Christian falls back asleep and snoozes again, until the next time an issue of concern is brought to their attention. Sound familiar?

Here’s the deal though, I know that Grover isn’t protecting me from the mail man. I also know that by and large the majority of Christians who say that they care about stopping the moral rot in our culture and the church, really aren’t. Because if they were, it would be finished. The truth is they aren’t, because they go back to sleep until the person sounding the alarm wakes them up again.

If you think the bell that goes off in a fire house isn’t that important or the person who has the job of ringing that bell isn’t vital, you’d be wrong. And I realize that God didn’t call everyone to be a watchman on the wall, but he did me.  So, here I am again, sounding the alarm and reminding you all, to wake up from your snoozing and make a difference for what is right.

Go with God!

For more by Stacy Lynn Harp check out Active Christian Media.

From the viewpoint of Legal History…

The time may be ripe being that Chief Justice Roberts clerked for Chief Justice Rehnquist, and this Rehnquist DISSENT in Bigelow v. Virginia case (heard 18 December a.d. 1974, decision 15 June a.d. 1975) involves the state protecting its Citizens from adverse health “services” available in another state. Rehnquist wrote:

The result is the fashioning of a doctrine which appears designed to obtain reversal of this judgment,

Remember that in the movie “Amazing Grace” after years of failure at the “direct approach” of outlawing Slavery in the British Empire, as suggested by a young man NOT involved in the years of unsuccessful legislative efforts, Wilberforce obtained an inroad against Slave Traders by a “flanking attack”, passing a law that Slave Ships had to meed certain health and safety requirements.

After a warning or two, the British Navy could seize the slave ship, which the Navy did, and that put a huge hole in the profitability of the Slave Trade. That then led to the banning of Slavery, after the Slave Traders income was reduced by legislative attack.

The Bigelow decision addresses tangentially the “profitability” and the commercial aspects of Aborticide services. There may be a connection with the issue of “Federally Mandated Health Care” (Obama’Scare, a scary program as contrasted with the more main stream media label of “Obama Care”), originating in another state, or directed from DC, and indeed, even the very premise of the 14th Amendment extension of Roe and Doe to overrule State laws outlawing Aborticide services. Read Rehnquist’s short DISSENT (below) to understand there was a VERY slim legal logic or legal history for the majority opinion in Bigelow v. Virginia.

Given the “evolving standards” of banning advertisement in the Tobacco Settlements of the 1990s, provided now are additional reasons for this issue being “ripe” for plucking by a well designed action plan and well crafted legal argument.

Reading the opinion and the dissent, but NOT the transcripts of the Virginia Attorney Generals assistant before the U.S. supreme Court, there are sad indicators of a weak and poorly crafted argument.

There seemed to be “confusion” as what position that Virginia would assert because of the Roe and Doe decisions that the U.S. supreme Court had recently issued.

The Transcripts of the Oral Arguments would affirm or refute that “reading between the line” discernment.

Now is the time to plan a careful strategy, and craft a well-reasoned and thorough legal argument by the Virginia Attorney General, with others, to “reverse Bigelow v. Virginia” as Rehnquist suggested was possible in his Dissent of 36 years ago.

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their countrymen, even those still in the womb… Heroic in American History are the “Abolitionists” for “Abolishing Slavery”, so to the Abolishing of the Mental Slavery of Killing a Child in the womb.

Yes, while the Children of Israel were 40 years in the wilderness, after 38 years (2011-1973) in the “Wilderness of Roe and Doe and Bigelow”, now is the time for a Rallying Cry of “Abolish Abortion” – For Equal Justice for All (born and unborn).

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.

We are also seeing demonstration in cities that are becoming increasingly violent. We are faced with crime in these same cities and it is finding it’s way into the country among normal citizens. Beyond this, we are faced with more persecution of Christians. In some cities, the government says we can’t even hold Bible studies in our own homes. Other countries with Christian minorities are seeing their friends and families slaughtered with disturbing regularity. Pictures of Christians in Egypt, who died at the hands of their Islamic neighbors are coming out revealing amazing brutality. Jesus himself told us we should not be surprised when he said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” The gospel is an offense to those who refuse to accept its truth. We need not to fearful… just prepared.

With the Divider in Chief living in the White House, and with many people have been encouraged to expect more and more from their government, I, and many others are concerned about violent reactions should the Obamic savior not retain his office… or even if he does stay in office and cannot deliver everything his followers have been led to think of as their right. We are, indeed, living in interesting and dangerous times.

Do I think everyone should carry a weapon? No. It is an individual decision, but one that should be made after some thought and prayer. Obviously residents of some states have had this choice made for them by the various governments for various reasons. Often it comes down to the old saying, “ An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.” The powers that be in the various states have made their choice which one they want. To make matters worse, these are often the same states with the highest crime rates where some sort of protection would be even more beneficial. Remaining in an area governed by such thinking is also a personal choice, one to be made consciously and with regard to where our Creator has indicated is the place for you.

I have had friends with pacifist tendencies explain that they would not lift a finger if their wife or child were attacked. They have convinced themselves and their families that taking part in violence is unacceptable in every situation. My friend believed his wife would understand his inaction in such a case… and respect it. If he was sincere, that certainly was his choice, to me it seems like an abdication of the husband’s responsibility to love and protect his family.

For those of us who don’t accept this non-involvement approach to life, there is the choice to be prepared should the unexpected come upon any of us. Many of us, living in this greatest country on earth, have the opportunity to provide protection for ourselves and our families that citizens or subjects in most other nations don’t have. It’s an opportunity for protection that dictators strip from their people as one of the first steps in consolidating power.

As an American patriot, if it is not against your sincere convictions, getting a CHP is something you may find beneficial in the coming months and years. It may save your life or someone elses. I know there are some super libertarians that want to say that the second amendment is their permit. If you have the opportunity, it is best to stay legal as long as it is possible. There are legitimate issues to challenge the power of the state, this is not one of them as there are people who are able and anxious to make you life as miserable as possible for the crime of wanting to protect yourself.

Along the same lines, when you carry, keep it concealed. Many states do not require a permit to open carry, yet other than the ego stroking value of having a big, bad Dirty Harry style weapon strapped to your hip, it will generally not make your life more pleasant. In the case of a Luby’s cafeteria shooter, or any other case of a psycho deciding to make a name for himself by destroying the lives of other human beings, seeing someone who could be a challenge to him, would make the open carrier the first to eliminate. Then where would you be with a bullet in your head before you even knew what was happening. If that is not enough, there is the inconvenience of being asked to leave restaurants, ejected from banks and on the receiving end of all sorts of horrified stares, not to mention the harassment of some in the law enforcement community who do not share our desire for freedom and protection.

If you have been thinking about joining those who have chosen not to be victimized and get yourself a firearm, or perhaps one you can easily carry, now is the time to do it before the opportunity is lost to a government afraid of it’s own people. However, don’t just go out and buy yourself a gun and run around with it stuck in your belt. Get some instruction. Learn the laws. Learn how to handle it safely. These are dangerous mechanisms that can take a life. However, they can be handled safely if you learn how to use them.

If you haven’t considered it in the past, now may be the time.

As he said, there is nothing we can teach the citizens of this beleaguered country about the virtue of courage, but there is a lot we can learn about the subject from them. It has been said, correctly, that courage is the one virtue that insures all others.

Courage is does not mean being oblivious to the dangers around us and the consequences of our actions. There is a quote from John Wayne that sums up what this virtue means – “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway!”

Looking at the world around us, we understand the problems will not be solved by the wall flowers or the faint of heart. They must be tackled by those willing to look beyond their own selfish interests and stand for something greater than themselves. To encourage us to be the people that will “saddle up” and get on with the task, Glenn has prepared a Declaration of Rights & Responsibilities. It is reproduced below. Read it, take it to heart and be the person you were created to be.

Declaration of Rights & Responsibilities

As the American Declaration of Independence clearly states…when in the course of human events it becomes necessary for people to band together and collectively declare their rights and responsibilities to which the laws of nature and nature’s God entitle and bind them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should disclose the causes which impel them to such.

Therefore let us declare that we still hold these truths to be self-evident…that all men are created equal and are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But with those rights come responsibilities.

In order to continually experience life, liberty and happiness as promised, nature’s God demands obedience to His law to protect those rights. This is where we have fallen short and therefore, in order not to lose the blessings of freedom, the people of the world must turn from the sole focus on rights, and recognize the inherent and required responsibilities that we have.

Among the responsibilities to which we must adhere to maintain our God given rights are honor, courage and vigilance.

Over time, we believe that these basic human responsibilities have been trampled, and replaced with degradation, fear and apathy.

But when a long train of abuses of the people and conscience by the media and by other segments of society, pursuing the same path of reducing them to ridicule, scorn and even sub-human status, it is their right, it is their DUTY, to peacefully, but vehemently take a stand.

Men want to be kings…and the more we concentrate on our rights and the more we are told not to worry about our responsibilities, the more we lose our rights.

Just as physics show…for every action…there’s an equal and opposite reaction.  The time has come to declare that at least for the western world…human rights are generally accepted and moving in the right direction…however a new movement is required…a movement of human responsibility.

The media, politicians and large institutions…both academic and political…have been lying to us, and we must demand the truth be told. With that demand, comes the responsibility that we tell the truth first, in ourselves. Too many of us delegate our responsibility to the media…and too many believe there is no personal responsibility at all.

Political correctness has polluted our language and clouds our every discussion.

What was once accepted as good and right, is now considered bad and evil, and that which was bad and evil is now presented to the world as good and decent.

Opposing thoughts or opinions are referred to as crazy, insane, non-factual and utterly without merit. Furthermore, we are told, they should not even be heard.

Now, the time has come to take a stand…by exhibiting the traits…honor, courage and vigilance.

What is honor? It is being honest in all of our dealings. It is showing loyalty and fairness, and being a beacon of integrity in all our beliefs and actions. It is showing respect for others.

Ruth honored Naomi when she told her that she would not leave her. That she would go wherever Naomi went, that she would live where Naomi lived and die where Naomi died. Her God would be Naomi’s God.

Courage is the ability to face danger, criticism or scorn…not without fear, but while overcoming fear to deal with that which comes our way. When no one else in the Kingdom wanted to face the mighty giant, Goliath, young David was willing. David must have felt fear at the sight of his foe, but overcame it, and courageously vanquished his enemy.

Vigilance is being watchful for all forms of treachery and tyranny, lies and deceit. The person in the watchtower, waiting all night, suddenly sounding the alarm that the enemy is coming…the careful observer of the markets and economies who proclaims to the world, all is not well, there is trouble ahead…and the outspoken critic of the powerful, going against societies’ grain, warning that all is not as we’re being told…these are the vigilant.

We implore all people to stand with these characteristics…honor, courage and vigilance.

To that end, we must restore honor in our own lives. Seek after the truth. Declare right now, that no longer will we simply accept what is told us by the media or anyone else.

The media has the responsibility to tell the truth…we have the responsibility to learn it.

Stand with courage…even if it means the end of our jobs, the end of our positions in life…or even the end of our very lives.

We must have the courage to be peaceful, while recognizing the courage to defend and respond to threats and/or attacks when necessary. Turn the other cheek when possible.

We must be vigilant. We must think the unthinkable…the holocaust occurred because no one could imagine it…but evil never sleeps…and neither must we.

As Edmund Burke said, “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” We must DO something. Stand watch. Speak up. Become involved.

Thus, we the people do hereby declare not only our rights, but do now establish this bill of responsibilities.

1. Because I have the right to choose, I recognize that I am accountable to God…and have the responsibility to keep the 10 commandments in my own life.

2. Because I have the right to worship as I choose, I have the responsibility to honor the right of others to worship as they see fit.

3. Because I have freedom of speech, I have the responsibility to defend the speech of others, even if I strongly disagree with what they’re saying.

4. Because I have the right to pursue happiness, I have the responsibility to show humility and express gratitude for all the blessings I enjoy and the rights I’ve been given.

5. Because I have the right to honest and good government…I will seek out honest and just representatives when possible. If I cannot find one then I accept the responsibility to take that place.

6. Because I have the God given right to liberty…

I have the personal responsibility to have the courage to defend others to be secure in their persons, lives and property.

7. Because I have the right to equal justice…I will stand for those who are wrongly accused or unjustly blamed.

8. Because I have the right to knowledge…I will be accountable for myself and my children’s education…to live our lives in such a way that insures the continuation of truth.

9. Because I have the right to pursue my dreams and keep the fruits of my labor…I have the responsibility to feed, protect and shelter my family, the less fortunate, the fatherless, the old and infirm.

10. Because I have a right to the truth…I will not bear false witness nor will not stand idly by as others do.

Unconditionally, while maintaining my responsibility to compassionately yet fiercely stand against those things that decay the natural rights of all men.

And for the support of this declaration, and with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence we mutually pledge to each other our lives, fortunes and sacred honor.

[You can learn more at www.glennbeck.com]

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.

Who can we believe? Are we happy about this? Do we believe that the administration is really trying to create private sector jobs? Do we really believe the administration is concerned about the welfare of all Americans and not just the special interests that supplied the votes to put them in power? Our eyes and ears tell us that the unions are being supported and protected… especially the public sector unions. We see the administration saying there is nowhere to cut the budget. The say we can poke around the edges of what they call “discretionary spending”, but can go no further.

Entitlements, they say, cannot be touched. Let’s think about this a moment. Beltway insiders have another term for these payouts of tax dollars. The call them “transfer payments”, meaning they are transferring money from those who worked for it and earned it to those who did not. If they actually used this term and people understood it, how many of our friends and neighbors would be cheering wildly for for them to continue… except for those on the receiving end. The separation of entitlements and discretionary spending is, in itself a lie. The truth is, IT’S ALL DISCRETIONARY! We cannot permit those in control to control the discussion by using deceptive terminology, no matter which party they say they belong to.

We are dealing with the same mentality as the old Soviet Union. They believed that the the truth was that which benefited the party and had nothing to do with its relationship to reality. When Barack Hussein Obama steps before the presidential teleprompters, he never tells us anything he doesn’t want us to believe.

The problem is, it appears that he may actually believe the stories he is telling us. He is definitely is working off a different rules and understanding than most Americans. So, in the presidents case, he may not actually be lying. This may let him off the hook on the moral front, but is the far worse on the mental health front. The inability to distinguish fantasy from reality is not a sign of good mental health.

The point is we hear so much that is not true – whether by design or ignorance. How do we make decisions if we don’t have good information to base them on? It’s an easy question with no easy answer. As Glenn Beck tells us, do your own research as much as you can. Don’t just take any one’s word for anything.

Here is where we get back to the question that came up during the Clinton administration – “Yes, character does matter.” With public figures, especially those with a carefully maintained public persona, it’s easy to be misled. Then we need to look at what they actually do. Most politicians have mastered the art of saying the right things. Unfortunately, most have not mastered the art of doing the right things. Those that have, however, deserve our support.

We hear all sorts of reasons to lower or overlook our standards. They range from the lesser of two evils argument or the party loyalty argument. We have succumbed to the tendency to to settle for second or third best, rather than demand better from those who would lead. We cannot control what we see on the news or hear from the politicians, but we can be careful who we believe and who we follow.

For those of us who talk to the Father and hear from Him, we need to ask for wisdom and discernment. After doing our best to arrive at the truth, and we are comfortable we have found it, there is only one thing to do… ask for the courage and boldness to act on it.

William Wilberforce is a hero in the eyes of most of us in the pro-life movement. He’s an inspiration to all of us.

However, his work against slavery in Britain is often cited (by incrementalists) as proof that “incrementalism works.” This claim not only mistakes the lesson we should take from his astonishing life, but also denigrates the true values that he held dear – those based upon a conviction in the God-given Rights to Life and Freedom.

The growing Personhood Wing of the pro-life movement holds that “any law which says ‘do this, and then you can kill the baby (or own the slave)’” is an evil regulation Christians should never support. Did Wilberforce support such laws during his nearly half-century of crusading? Yes. Have many sincere pro-lifers done so, even those who now support Personhood? Yes. The problem is not the person – it’s the naive, emotional position they hold for a time.

Most supporters of Personhood once supported laws such as the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, or waiting periods. Some didn’t, but they are few. The intellectual path from incrementalism to abolitionism is a long, hard one. We can’t condemn someone for not “getting the concept” right away. All we can do is ask them to consider, and to learn.

A study of William Wilberforce shows he always held that slavery was absolutely wrong. He first stated his anti-slavery goal in 1789. “I from this time determined that I would never rest till I had effected its abolition.” Every year, thereafter, for several years, he ran the same bill – an absolute end to the slave trade.

Discouraged (like many pro-lifers), he began trying incremental compromises such as registering slaves, regulating the number of slaves who could be on a slave ship, or prohibiting British slavers from trading with French colonies – laws which implicitly legitimized slave owning, even while trying to reduce its misery, or prevalence. Was this an improvement? Debatable. Did the reduced misery of slaves, lessen public interest in ending the practice entirely, among some at least? Very likely. The abolitionists had a strong argument – that the slaves were being inhumanely mistreated – yet they reduced its potency through regulation.

In fact, it was often the slaveholders who advocated laws to improve the conditions of slaves! A document on slavery at HTTP://Guyana/ reports, “Sugar planters in Guyana and the Caribbean and their political and financial backers in Britain were not yet ready for the final abolition of slavery. They decided that it would be better to support legislation to improve the physical, moral and religious conditions of the slaves.” These bills were called “Amelioration Laws,” yet in reality, they only continued the suffering. Likewise, Wilberforce’s nemesis Henry Dundas stymied the anti-slavery movement by stipulating “gradual abolition,” only prolonging it.

Do we want to “ameliorate” abortion? Or do we want to end it? As the craven interests of the slaveholders proves, these are not one and the same path toward abolition!

We must be discriminating when evaluating whether a measure is “compromised incrementalism” (one step forward, two steps back), or positive incrementalism. If Wilberforce’s limit on the number of slaves per ship had instead simply regulated the number of people on board, then it would have accomplished its goal without tacitly approving of slavery. Similarly, if his registration bill had specified that every laborer, paid or unpaid, must be reported.

An uncompromised law today might make it criminal to perform any surgical treatment on a minor without parental notification, accomplishing one positive goal of pro-lifers without the tragedy of authorizing murder of the innocent in law.

Was Wilberforce an incrementalist because he wanted to end the slave trade first, and slavery itself later? No. In a letter from 1797, Wilberforce urged Prime Minister William Pitt to revoke a contract requiring Britain to provide Spain with African slaves. This highlights the point that the slave trade and slave ownership were different parts of the same problem. Even had Wilberforce successfully banned slave ownership in British territories, he would have had to ban the slave trade too, to prevent massive British involvement in promoting slavery elsewhere. Therefore, he cannot be blamed for not trying to simultaneously ban both. Taking on one or the other was commendable. Furthermore, there is nothing inherently wrong with banning the slave trade as an isolated goal because, like banning taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, a law which would end such trade or funding would not necessarily affirm any rights to do evil, and therefore would not either promote the murder or ownership of people, nor undermine the argument that all men deserve life and freedom.

Did slavery, which persisted for 26 years after the end of the British slave trade, linger because abolitionists had fought the brutality of the trade, rather than focusing on teaching people that slavery is inherently wrong? Wilberforce became convinced it was so. In Eric Metaxas’ Wilberforce biography, Amazing Grace, he notes that Wilberforce became disenchanted with the incremental method, feeling it was counterproductive. He had hoped incremental improvements would lead inherently to emancipation. “But now, in 1818, it could be seen that this hope had been naïve. So once again, the course was clear: immediate emancipation by political means.”

Today, we have the benefit of this lesson, and similar lessons from the United States’ abolition movement, to show us the superiority of principle over compromise. We must not reject these lessons of history!

The ultimate proof of Wilberforce’s commitment is his stand on abolition in the United States. Near the end of his life, an incremental anti-slavery society (a “colonization” faction) was able to secure Wilberforce’s endorsement by leading him to believe they were for an absolute end to slavery in America. However, the American absolutist William Lloyd Garrison arrived in England soon after, and explained the relative positions of anti-slavery societies to Wilberforce. He was greatly angered, revoked his earlier statement, and publicized an endorsement of Garrison instead.

Lest someone argue that Wilberforce’s chosen strategy for America was due to greater prospects of success, it is a fact that slavery remained strong in the United States, and was nowhere near abolition at that time (1833). There were many U.S. anti-slavery groups whose positions were less absolute than Garrison’s. But, no matter the difficulty of the road, at the end of his life Wilberforce preferred principle over compromise.

Surely, it can be argued that Wilberforce was an incrementalist at times. Wilberforce was led by his heart, and supported measures that would regulate slavery. We all face this temptation with regard to abortion.

By the end of his life, Wilberforce had become a staunch absolute abolitionist. Arguments that he is the poster boy of the “compromised incrementalist” movement are specious and unfair. When, with all his experience, Wilberforce had a chance to do it over again, he counseled against compromise. He preferred absolute abolition in the United States, not an incremental strategy.

You can read more by Bob Kyffin at http://kyffsnotes.blogspot.com

(reprinted from the CRTL Newsletter Summer 2008)