ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report - 20081222

The First Christmas Gift - Click on the "link" below.

http://www.andiesisle.com:80/thefirstchristmasgift.hs.html



"Daily Motivations"

You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. -- Ziggy



Leadership Lessons - straight from the desk of Santa Claus.

Dear Santa:

I really do understand how important it is to recognize and reward the good perform-ance of the people I lead. But I’m hampered by a significant obstacle: no money! There’s very little in my budget when it comes to gifts, so I feel like there’s very little I can do for my team. Can you help? I’m open to any and all suggestions … as long as you don’t charge me for them.
“Dollarless” in Dallas

Dear Dollarless:
I have both praise and good news for you. First the praise – I applaud your desire to recognize and reward the members of your team. Yes, it is important … yes, they do deserve it … and yes, it is your job to make it happen. Now the good news – you don’t need a lot of money in order to demonstrate a lot of appreciation. With a little creative thinking, the low-cost recognition options available to you can be limitless. To get you started, I pulled a few tips from one of my most valuable leadership resources: 180 Ways to Walk the Recognition Talk:

“Cyberize.” Does the person you want to recognize have internet access at work? If so, SEND AN E-CARD! There are plenty of websites offering this free service. And if the person is “on the net” at home, consider sending the e-card there. Either way, they’ll be in for a nice surprise when they see that familiar phrase: You’ve Got Mail!

“Allow Me to Introduce Yourself!” Seize every opportunity to introduce people in your work group to customers, vendors, “big wigs,” etc. The message to your team members is, “You’re important … I want people to meet you.” Pound for pound, introductions may be the most effective no-cost recognition you can give.

Lend an Ear! Looking for a really low-cost way to recognize others? Try listening to them! Listening is one of the most underutilized recognition activities in the world. (And one of the most underdeveloped skills!) But it can have a big impact. Whether a person is a peer, a direct report, a boss, a customer, or even someone in a non- work setting (e.g., at home), listening to them sends the message that you care …and that they are important!

Name Something in Their Honor. Officially dedicating “The Karen Jones Printer” or “The Bill Lee Forklift” – by affixing an inexpensive brass plaque – can be a fun yet powerful form of recognition. And its impact will extend well beyond the presentation ceremony.

Walk The Talk. Here are a few things you can “give” people to recognize their importance and contributions: respect, responsibility, honesty, feedback, trust, and cooperation. Sound familiar? Chances are, these (or similar) attributes can be found in your organizational values. So, let your values be your guide. Sometimes, the most meaningful recognition comes from just “walking the talk.”



"The Patriot Post"

"National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman." -- John Adams



http://www.patriotpost.us/opinion/peggy-noonan/2008/12/05/at-least-bush-kept-us-safe.html

"In the seven years since 9/11, there were no further attacks on American soil. This is an argument that's been around for a while but is newly re-emerging as the final argument for [President] Bush: the one big thing he had to do after 9/11, the single thing he absolutely had to do, was keep it from happening again. And so far he has. It is unknown, and perhaps can't be known, whether this was fully due to the government's efforts, or the luck of the draw, or a combination of luck and effort. And it not only can't be fully known by the public, it can hardly be fully known by the players at all levels of government. They can't know, for instance, of a potential terrorist cell that didn't come together because of their efforts. But the meme will likely linger. There's a rough justice with the American people. If a president presides over prosperity, whether he had anything to do with it or not, he gets the credit. If he has a recession, he gets the blame. The same with war, and terrorist attacks. We have not been attacked since 9/11. Someone -- someones -- did something right." --columnist Peggy Noonan



"Simple Truths"

My doctor is wonderful. Once, when I couldn't afford an operation, he touched up the x-rays.
-Joey Bishop

Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.
-Ronald Reagan

I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.
-Zsa Zsa Gabor




"The Web"

"We had strayed a great distance from our Founding Fathers’ vision of America. They regarded the central government’s responsibility as that of providing national security, protecting our democratic freedoms, and limiting the government’s intrusion in our lives — in sum, the protection of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." -- Ronald Reagan

"Search others for their virtues, thy self for thy vices." -- Benjamin Franklin



Voltaire, French infidel, died 1778

- said that within 100 years of his time, Christianity would be swept away from existence and pass into the obscurity of history.

-Yet 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society used his house and printing press to produce stacks of Bibles.



Robert Dick Wilson, fluent in more than 45 languages and dialects

Concluded after a lifetime study of the Old Testament:

“I may add that the result of my 45 years of study of the Bible has led me all the time to a firmer faith that in the Old Testament, we have a true historical account of the history of the Israelite people.”



On the State of the U.S. Economy:

“The United States of America is bankrupt. Don’t believe it? Consider this: Federal obligations now exceed the collective net worth of all Americans, according to the New York-based Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Washington politicians and bureaucrats have essentially mortgaged everything We the People own so they can keep spending our tax dollars like there’s no tomorrow.”



"Michelle Malkin"

Money pit: The UAW’s gold-plated golf course
By Michelle Malkin • December 16, 2008 06:58 PM


President Bush and the Democrats are happily hammering out the final details of the UAW bailout. The union fatcats are laughing all the way to the…golf course. Their gold-plated golf course. Oh, wait, President Bush forgot to mention it.

And while everyone’s blabbering about “concessions,” here’s a question: If the auto CEOs have to give up their jets, what about the UAW brass and their posh resort?

Here:

Black Lake Golf Course

“Owned and operated by the United Auto Workers union, Black Lake is a public course that provides UAW members and retirees substantial discounts from the regular greens fees. But even at regular rates of up to $95 per round, Black Lake is worth the price. Tee time reservations are accepted up to 14 days in advance for UAW members, and three days in advance for public play.”

More:

Black Lake Golf Club is the newest addition to the UAW’s Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center, situated on 1,000 heavily forested acres along the southeast side of Black Lake, one of Michigan’s largest inland lakes near Onaway, Michigan.

Black Lake Golf Club complements the Center’s recreational facilities, which now include a beautiful gym with two full-sized basketball courts, an Olympic-size indoor pool, and exercise and weight room, table-tennis and pool tables, a sauna, beaches, walking and bike trails, softball and soccer fields and a boat launch ramp.

The UAW selected one of golf’s most acclaimed course architects, Rees Jones, to design an environmentally responsible, championship caliber course. It was a challenge eagerly embraced by Jones, Golf World Magazine’s “Architect of the Year” in 1995.

Like everything else we’re subsidizing, it’s a money pit:

Down a lonely country road far from the interstate hangs a banner at the UAW’s golf course: “Public welcome.” But a review of the golf course and adjacent education center’s financial statements indicate that not enough people have been visiting.

The UAW International’s golf course and education center operations on 1,000 acres near Onaway have together lost $23 million over the past five years, independent audits obtained by the Free Press show. Both are run as for-profit corporations, according to paperwork filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, and the UAW has been propping them up with loans.

“There’s a lot of debate over what to do,” said Arthur Wheaton, a union expert from Cornell University. “They’ve been having trouble there trying to get enough people to go through there to justify the expense,” he added.

…While the UAW International has a huge reserve of money, the union filed financial records with the federal government stating that it spent about $2.7 million more than it took in during 2007 — the third time over the past five years that the union spending exceeded receipts, records show.

“All you have to do is look at the membership trends and realize that there was a golden age when they could easily support the education center,” said Hal Stack, director of the Labor Studies Center at Wayne State University.

“It could be that either things turn around or they sell it,” he added.

From a peak of 1.5 million members in the 1970s, the UAW ranks have dropped to just 465,000 regular members, according to its most recent federal filings.

In 2007 the UAW had receipts — union dues, fees and other income — of $327.6 million and it spent $330.3 million. While losing members, the UAW International, since at least 2000, has been able to hold fairly steady in the amount of money it brings in and spends, according to federal records. It has $1.2 billion in net assets.

Gregg Shotwell, a UAW activist, is not troubled to learn that the education center is losing money. “When you are educating and training union members, that’s the business of the union. That’s never a loss,” Shotwell said.

But the golf course is a different story to Shotwell. “We should be running a union — not a country club,” he said.



"The Heritage Foundation"

THE MORNING BELL

FRIDAY, DEC. 19, 2008 Protecting Religious Liberty
President-elect Barack Obama angered gay groups this week by choosing "Purpose Driven Life" author Rick Warren to give the invocation at Obama's inauguration ceremony. Despite the fact that Obama and Warren have the exact same position on same-sex marriage, gay leaders like Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese object to "the symbolism " of inviting an "anti-gay theologian" to deliver his inaugural invocation.

But while gay groups have the luxury of worrying about the "symbolism" of Obama choices that have no actual effect on real-world policy, social conservatives are not so lucky.. Yesterday, the Bush administration issued a regulation clarifying a 1970s anti-discrimination law that prohibits recipients of federal money from discriminating against doctors, nurses and health care aides who refuse to take part in procedures because of their religious convictions .. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has already sponsored legislation to overturn the regulation and Obama has previously stated that he is committed to undoing the law. This is very unfortunate.

On June 28. 2006, then-Sen. Obama said, "Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. ... To say that men and women should not inject their 'personal morality' into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition." We couldn't agree more. Already Obama is facing pressure from the left to dismiss mainstream religious views like those of Warren from the public square entirely. We hope Obama continues to resist these efforts. In particular, Obama should continue to reach out to religious Americans by giving support to the following policies:

Protect the ability of faith-based social service providers to honor their religious integrity by maintaining their right to make employment decisions based on religious convictions. Forcing faith-based organizations to abandon their religious identity and religious integrity whenever they partner with the federal government to serve the needy would be a major mistake. As Obama made clear, it would be wrong to ask religious organizations to "leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square"­ -- but for many religious organizations, forcing them to abandon their hiring rights whenever they participate in publicly backed social service efforts would do just that.
Ensure the availability of federal conscience protections that free medical professionals to serve patients without violating their religious beliefs. In addition to letting Bush's "conscience rule" stand, Obama should resist other legislation that will force pro-life believers to perform abortions. As even Slate has admitted, legislation like the Freedom of Choice Act will force Catholic hospitals to either perform abortions or shut down. It is impossible to see how forcing people to participate in procedures they consider to be morally objectionable does not require them to "leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square."
Call on all citizens to respect the ability of religious citizens to participate in public policy debates -- including debates about marriage -- without fear of intimidation and reprisal. Obama correctly stated that it would be a "practical absurdity" for Americans not to "inject their 'personal morality' into public policy debates." In the days since your election, for example, this country has witnessed acts of blatant religious hatred directed against those who supported Proposition 8, the ballot measure in California defining marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. People who donated to Proposition 8 have been pressured out of their jobs; their businesses have been targeted for reprisals; churches have been vandalized; a copy of The Book of Mormon has been set on fire on the steps of a Mormon church; and suspicious white powder has been sent to Mormon temples. Obama should condemn all efforts to intimidate religious people in the civic arena and should welcome the contributions and perspectives that stem from their "personal morality."
Obama has made a solemn commitment to allowing space for religious conviction in the public square. Accordingly, we respectfully urge him to uphold the hiring rights of faith-based social service providers, to strengthen laws protecting conscience rights in the health care arena, and to condemn acts of hostility and intimidation directed against religious individuals and institutions that choose to put their faith into action by supporting important public policies that correspond with their moral views.



"Boycott New York Times"

NY Times Engages in Camelot Worship
By Don Feder

http://boycottnyt.com/ny-times-engages-in-camelot-worship/

Who’s qualified to hold high political office? According to The New York Times, that depends on whether you’re a Kennedy or a mere mortal.
A December 16 news story, “Caroline Kennedy Is Seeking Seat Held by Clinton,” couldn’t have been more fawning if it was written by a public relations firm.

In terms of breathless wonder, The Times revealed that Ms. Kennedy, “the deeply private daughter of America’s most storied political dynasty, will seek the United States Senate seat in New York being vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton” (emphasis added). David Paterson, who became Governor of New York when his predecessor resigned in disgrace, will make a two-year appointment to fill that vacancy.

With her uncle Ted (the senior Senator from Massachusetts) suffering from terminal brain cancer, we were told that the Kennedy clan had to contemplate the daunting possibility that the Senate “could be left without a Kennedy for the first time in half a century” — which The Times counts a tragedy of unparalleled magnitude.

In a gooey, gushing story of several thousand words, the paper forgot to tell us the most important detail — that the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy has absolutely no qualifications (none, nada, zilch).

She’s never held public office, elective or appointive. She’s never run for political office, including state legislature, city council or dog-catcher. Her positions on most issues are unknown.

But for The Times, the mere fact that she’s a Kennedy — the holy family of the American left — makes her eminently qualified to hold any office in the land.

In the past campaign, The Times expressed outrage that someone with Sarah Palin’s background (ex-mayor, Alaska Governor for two years) could become the Vice President of the United States, an office with no intrinsic power. Yet it’s entirely sanguine about Ms. Kennedy becoming a member of the world’s most powerful club, based on an accident of birth.

Perhaps two or three Senate seats should be designated Kennedy seats, to be held by the Clan in perpetuity. Don’t say it too loudly, or The New York Times might begin pushing the notion in editorials and news stories.

Click here to sign the petition.



"Find Law"

Judge Orders Madoff Confined to Manhattan Apartment
US V. MADOFF

http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/crim/bernardmadoff121708bail.html

(US Dist. Ct., S.D.N.Y., Dec. 17, 2008) - Wall Street investment manager Bernard 'Bernie' Madoff, accused of orchestrating a Ponzi scheme totalling billions of dollars, was ordered by a judge to remain confined to his Manhattan apartment with an electronic monitoring device, and to post bail by agreeing to a $7 million confession judgment. Read more...

Related Resources
• Criminal Compaint (US v. Madoff)
• What is a Ponzi Scheme?

"Find Law" - This second "Find Law" case is one which I believe this Plaintiff who is an Attorney thought he could win this radical, ridiculous lawsuit and retire. You read and decide for yourself! - oyh

Appeals Court Upholds Rejection of $54 Million Pants Suit
PEARSON V. CHUNG

http://news.findlaw.com:80/hdocs/docs/pi/dcjudgepants121808case.html

(D.C. Ct. of Appeals, Dec. 18, 2008) - An appeals court for the District of Columbia rejected a former administrative law judge's appeal of his trial court loss in a suit which sought $54 million over a pair of missing pants. In upholding the trial judge's decision, the three-judge panel concluded that Roy Pearson, Jr.'s argument that a "Same Day Service" sign was a false statement unless "Same Day Service" was always and automatically provided "frankly defies logic." Read more...

Related Resources
• Christopher Manning, The Dry Cleaners' Lawyer



"The email Bag"

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

A Marine wrote this poem.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE, ONE BEDROOM HOUSE, MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY, WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE, AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.


I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE, NO TINSEL,

NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,

ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,

A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?

CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.


THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,

I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
'SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY! COUNTRY, MY CORPS.'

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
AND THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, 'CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.'

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.'


PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. Service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE !!! GOD BLESS AMERICA

I say again, "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE !!! GOD BLESS AMERICA" - oyh



Angel at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, NC

Diane Bynum works at Presbyterian and she told me Sunday at church about this picture and how everyone at Presby is talking about it. I keep up with a little girl who has cancer on Caringbridge and her mother posted this on Ellie's site today. It was sent to her to encourage them as they fight for Ellie's life.

So many of you have heard me tell the story, but I wanted to pass it along anyway to those who didn't hear it and for those who wanted it in email.

A couple of Wednesdays ago, I got an evening phone call from the pediatric ICU at Presbyterian Hospital, where I work as a child life specialist. Usually when they call at night, it means something bad has happened. This, however, was different. My coworker told me that the most amazing thing had just happened and she just had to call to tell me.

We had a patient who has really grown up in and out of the hospital. All the staff knows her and her family. She had been in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for about a month, and had been intubated - on life support. She was not doing well. The doctors had approached mom about taking her off life support the Saturday before. Mom was okay with it, and said that she'd been through so much and if was her time to go she wanted to honor that. So they had taken her off.

It was Wednesday and she was still alive. Amazing. The doctors approached mom about taking off her oxygen mask. Mom was supportive, and began praying over her daughter. The mother of another young patient who was in the bed next to her began praying with her.

The nurse practitioner went to the nurses station to chart that she had taken off the oxygen mask. While doing so, she looked up at the security monitor that videotapes the double doors leading into the PICU. It records anyone who may be waiting outside the doors to get in since it is a secure unit. She saw a man standing there, and it looked a little funny to her, so she decided to walk down the hall to open the double doors personally. When she opened them, no one was standing there.

She walked back down to the nurses station to finish charting, assuming he had walked away, but saw him still standing there on the monitor. So she opened the doors with a button near the nurses station and leaned over to see him walk in, but no one was standing there.

She pulled over another nurse and both stood staring at this man on the monitor and opening the doors to find no one there. The nurse practitioner leaned in closely to look at the man on the monitor and said, 'Oh my gosh. That's an angel. You can see his wings!'

They said that the sun starting shining so brightly and the whole PICU was strangely filled with light. They said he was a tall man and you could see wings behind him.

They pulled over all the staff of the PICU and the two praying mothers and everyone was staring at this man on the monitor and opening the doors to find no one there. Crying, everyone pulled out their camera phones to take pictures, but no one could get it to show up on their camera. The mother of the girl pulled out her camera phone and finally got a picture of the angel who was guarding the doors to the PICU. He turned out as a man of light. I have attached the picture from her phone.

The girl was later discharged from the hospital to go home.
A Miracle.

This story makes me so grateful for the way that God reveals himself to us, and the how Great He is really is. We have much to be thankful for this holiday. :)

Katy L. Field, CCLS
Certified Child Life Specialist
Presbyterian Blume Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic
Charlotte,