ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report - 20090428

Motivational-Inspirational-Historical-Educational-Political-Enjoyable



"Daily Motivations"

Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things. -- Denis Diderot



"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)

What to Leave Children The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him (Prov. 20:7). How many men may trace their success to the example of their parents!

"O Sovereign LORD! You have made the heavens and earth by Your great power. Nothing is too hard for You! " (Jeremiah 32:17)



"The Patriot Post"

"[T]he hour is fast approaching, on which the Honor and Success of this army, and the safety of our bleeding Country depend. Remember officers and Soldiers, that you are Freemen, fighting for the blessings of Liberty - that slavery will be your portion, and that of your posterity, if you do not acquit yourselves like men." -- George Washington, General Orders, 23 August 1776



Letter to my bank

Dear Sirs,

One of my checks was returned marked "insufficient funds". In view of current developments in the banking industry, does that refer to me or to you?

Credit where credit is due



"Sen. Jim DeMint"

Dear Fellow Concerned American:

"I owe these unions." President Barack Obama couldn't have stated it any more clearly.

Well, today, after spending a cool BILLION dollars to put their political cronies in positions of power in Washington, D.C., the union bosses agree.

And they want PAYBACK.

After all, Barack Obama and the rest of Big Labor's allies have already promised, "What Big Labor wants, Big Labor GETS!"

That's why it's vital you sign our petition urging the Congressional leadership to OPPOSE the union bosses' Card Check Forced Unionism Bill -- and the rest of Big Labor's agenda -- IMMEDIATELY.

You see, there's not much time.

At the very top of the Congress' agenda is the union bosses' Card Check Forced Unionism Bill.

And the Organized Labor czars wouldn't have it any other way.

You see, passage of the so-called "Card Check" Bill is all that stands between the union bosses and total control over hundreds of thousands of America's small businesses . .. ..

. . . not to mention the hundreds of millions of forced-dues dollars that will immediately be seized from American workers' paychecks.

If the union-label Congress succeeds in passing "Card Check," workers would no longer be able to vote for or against union boss representation in a secret ballot election.

Instead, the union bosses would be able to intimidate workers one on one into signing so-called "union authorization cards."

So what would the result be?

BINGO! -- hundreds of thousands of additional small businesses and millions of additional workers would be FORCED under Big Labor control!

You see, the union bosses know that without a secret ballot election, their henchmen would be able to browbeat workers into signing the "union authorization cards."

Independent-minded workers who oppose the forced unionization of themselves, their coworkers and the companies they work for would stick out like sore thumbs.

Any workers who refuse to sign the so-called "union authorization cards" would find themselves victims of lies, intimidation, threats, harassment -- and worse -- from union militants.

With well over 90,000 recorded instances of union violence just since 1975, you and I both know union officials will stop at nothing to get a signature . . .

. . . and that means stamping their union label on innocent workers with the heel of a Big Labor militant's boot.

In short, if the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill passes, this outrageous power grab would:

*** Force millions of additional working Americans to pay union dues under the threat of losing their jobs, filling Big Labor coffers with hundreds of millions of forced-dues dollars;

*** Dramatically increase the wasteful work rules, hate-the-boss propaganda, slowdowns and bitter strikes that shut down businesses and destroy jobs, ensuring that even more plants are closed and more jobs are shipped overseas or lost forever;

*** Enable Big Labor to pump even more campaign cash into the coffers of its radical, tax and spend politicians like Barack Obama and Ted Kennedy who in turn will look for even greater ways to increase the union bosses' forced-dues empire.
That's why it's vital you act TODAY and sign the petition to the Congressional leadership!

With the union bosses working feverishly with the Obama administration to pass their agenda, you and I have precious little time to mobilize public opinion against the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill.

You see, the union bosses and their puppets in Congress are well aware that the vast majority of the American people oppose this so-called "Card Check" scheme -- not to mention the rest of the union bosses' forced-dues agenda.

So Big Labor will do everything it can to ram the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill through Congress before the American people have had a chance to have their say.

To put it bluntly, the union bosses believe they can ram their wish list into law before the American people realize what's happening.

We MUST prove them wrong. You and I must act NOW!

The truth of the matter is, if we don't, passage of the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill will just be the tip of the iceberg.

If Big Labor succeeds, President Obama, House Speaker Pelosi, Labor Committee Chairman Ted Kennedy and the rest of the union bosses' puppets in Washington will go on a rampage!

They'll immediately move to federally impose forced unionization on all police and firefighters nationwide, before moving in on teachers, and then all state and local public employees.

And then, they'll go for the brass ring -- Big Labor's ultimate goal -- repeal of Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act, wiping out EVERY state Right to Work law in the country!

The National Right to Work Committee has developed a massive plan to stop the union bosses' radical agenda dead in its tracks.

But there's not much time to put it into action!

The good news is, we can stop them, but this fight will not be easy -- or cheap.

Unless you and I pull out all stops -- the union bosses WILL get their way.

That's why, in addition to your signed petitions, I hope you'll agree to make a generous contribution to help stop the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill.

Your generous contribution will help pay for the Committee's massive mail, phone and email program designed to generate petitions from up to twelve million Americans.

That way, you and I can ensure the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate really begin to feel the heat.

Your contribution will also help the Committee launch a full-scale, public-relations campaign nationwide.

The Committee has already prepared hard-hitting television, radio, and newspaper ads calling on targeted Congressmen and Senators to oppose Big Labor's radical agenda.

Not only that, but Committee staff are already scheduling news conferences in key districts and states to draw public attention to the Big Labor nightmare-come-true scheme the union bosses and their allies are plotting in Washington, D.C.

But the Committee needs an immediate and massive influx of dollars to put this plan into action.

If the Committee has the resources to put the full plan into action, we can send a strong message to my colleagues in Washington that the American people will not stand for passage of the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill.

If we can send that message loud and clear, I can tell you the last thing many of my colleagues in Washington, D.C. will want to do is put their reelection hopes at risk!

That's why it's vital you act TODAY! Click here to sign the petition to the Congressional leadership right away.

We're staring head-on at one of the most far-reaching legislative and economic disasters our country has seen in decades -- all brought to us by the AFL-CIO and their puppets in Washington.

Big Labor is banking on you and me to simply leave the political playing field -- just long enough for them to ram through the so-called "Card Check" Bill and every item on their forced-dues wish list.

I'm counting on you to prove them wrong.

Please sign the petition to the Congressional leadership IMMEDIATELY.

And when you do, please consider a generous contribution of $500, $250, $100 or $35 to the Committee.

If you can afford more, by all means, please contribute what you can -- and as much as you can -- to this battle.

Every dollar -- every red cent -- the Committee can put into to defeating the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill will be critical to winning this fight.

Some folks have already given as much as $10,000 to this effort.

But without your help, and the help of hundreds of thousands of opponents of forced unionism all across the country, we simply won't have the funds -- or the numbers -- to make the kind of impact on my colleagues in Washington that will be required to turn the tide on Capitol Hill.

So, please, your generous contribution of $500, $250, $100 or $35 -- or whatever you can afford -- is needed TODAY!

Your signed petition and your generous contribution could help make the difference between winning and losing this battle.

And this is not a battle you and I can afford to lose.

I'm convinced that with the Committee's plan to mobilize Americans against the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill, you and I can stop this bill -- and the rest of Big Labor's agenda -- dead in its tracks.

But we don't have much time.

Please, your signed petition and contribution of $500, $250, $100 or $35 -- or whatever you can -- are needed immediately.

It's vital you act TODAY!

Sincerely,

The Hon. Jim DeMint
U.S. Senator

P.S. Big Labor's Card Check Forced Unionism Bill is at the top of the union-label Congress' to-do list now that Barack Obama and the rest of Big Labor's hand-picked federal government are in power.

That's why there's not a moment to waste!

Please sign the petition demanding the Congressional leadership OPPOSE Big Labor's Card Check Forced Unionism Bill before it's too late.

Please also consider contributing $500, $250, $100, $35, or whatever you can afford, to the National Right to Work Committee -- IMMEDIATELY!

The National Right to Work Committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose citizens' organization dedicated to combating compulsory unionism through an aggressive program designed to mobilize public opposition to compulsory unionism and, at the same time, enlist public support for Right to Work legislation. The Committee's mailing address is 8001 Braddock Road, Springfield, Virginia 22160. The Committee can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-325-7892. Its web address is http://nrtwc.org/

Not produced or e-mailed at taxpayer expense.



"Human Events"

URGENT HOT PETITION! Please click, sign, and WE WILL FAX your petition automatically to ALL 100 U.S. SENATORS right away (saving you hours of labor)!

Breaking News Update:

Heroic Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) just vowed to filibuster federal Judge David Hamilton, the bad judge who issued controversial rulings (banning public prayers offered "in Jesus name," and hastening the abortion of unborn children). Sen. Inhofe agrees we should stop Hamilton's nomination to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals,the same court that reversed his liberal, activist, aggressive decisions for many years.

To support Sen. Inhofe, and stop Hamilton, we first need solidarity among any good conservatives or moderates seated on the 19-member Senate Judiciary Comittee, especially Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA). Then we need 40 strong Senate votes (including Sen. Ben Nelson, D-NE, both Arkansas Senators Pryor and Lincoln, D-AR, both Maine Senators Collins and Snowe, R-ME, and all Senators in either party from southern states), to inhibit the majority cloture vote, and help Sen. Inhofe prevent Hamilton from getting a final floor vote.

We're now the leading national voice against Hamilton, and we're getting results. But the mainstream media is ignoring Hamilton's anti-Christian bias, so would you please help me, by forwarding this email to any TV, radio, print, or blog reporters you know, and asking them to contact me for an interview, through my web-site?

To oppose Hamilton, we've already put in 240,000+ fax petitions to the U.S. Senate, and now we're getting traction, to the horror of many liberal groups (including the National Abortion Rights Action League who is actively campaigning FOR Hamilton). Can you please help us reach our goal of 1,000,000 faxes against Hamilton?

PLEASE SELECT HERE TO SIGN AND WE'LL AUTOMATICALLY FAX YOUR PERSONALIZED PETITION TO ALL 100 U.S. SENATORS, OPPOSING THE ANTI-LIFE, ANTI-CHRISTIAN JUDGE DAVID HAMILTON.

Judge Hamilton is the worst of Obama's 15 new liberal appeals court appointees. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals covers Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois. Since most cases never reach the Supreme Court, the federal appellate circuits often provide the last word on cases affecting life and liberty.

READ THE FACTS:

The Judicial Confirmation Network quickly opposed Hamilton's nomination, stating that "President Obama's first nominee to the federal appeals courts -- specifically the appeals court based in Chicago -- is an ultra-liberal named David Hamilton who is a former fundraiser for ACORN and former leader of the Indiana chapter of the ACLU. He was nominated to the district court bench by President Clinton even though he had no judicial experience and was rated as ‘not qualified' by the American Bar Association ."

Hamilton ruled in 2005 to ban the practice of opening the chamber's business with prayers mentioning Jesus Christ or using terms such as "Savior." He said that amounted to state endorsement of a religion. (But he ruled prayers to "Allah" were perfectly lawful.)

ANTI-JESUS, BUT PRO-ALLAH?

Judge Hamilton wrote: "The injunction orders the Speaker...that the prayers should not use Christ's name or title or any other denominational appeal...If those offering prayers in the Indiana House of Representatives choose to use the Arabic 'Allah'...the court sees little risk that the choice of language would advance a particular religion or disparage others.

In other words, Judge Hamilton ruled the words "Jesus" or "Christ" are illegal words, prohibited for public speech, banned by the First Amendment, which somehow prohibits freedom of religious expression, and makes Christian prayers ILLEGAL in a public forum. (What crazy version of the First Amendment is he reading?)

Thank God, we took action in 2007 and provided legal arguments to the Indiana Attorney General who appealed to the 7th Circuit Court and WE WON a 2-1 decision overruling Hamilton, restoring the right to pray "in Jesus name" in Indiana.

PLEASE SELECT HERE TO SIGN AND WE'LL AUTOMATICALLY FAX YOUR PERSONALIZED PETITION TO ALL 100 U.S. SENATORS, OPPOSING THE ANTI-LIFE, ANTI-CHRISTIAN JUDGE DAVID HAMILTON.

ANTI-LIFE BUT PRO-ABORTION?

In 2003, Judge Hamilton struck down part of an Indiana law on abortion. The reasonable law had required abortion clinics to simply give women information about alternatives to abortion in the presence of a physician or nurse, 18 hours before the procedure, until Hamilton ruled to hasten abortions . But thank God, the 7th Circuit Court also reversed Hamilton's bad decision in that case.

If confirmed now Hamilton will sit on that 7th Circuit Court (the same court that frequently overruled him) with terrible power to rule the heartland with his anti-life, anti-liberty, anti-Christian agenda.

WE CAN WIN THIS BATTLE!

We've already sent thousands of faxes to the full Senate, and we're getting results! On April 1st, Senator Orrin Hatch led all Republicans to walk out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in protest against the Democrat "rush job" to confirm Judge Hamilton. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, said he was troubled by Hamilton's ruling against a sectarian prayer to open the Indiana House of Representatives. Even Senator Arlen Specter expressed concern. But will they vote unanimously against Hamilton?

Unfortunately retiring RINO Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) endorsed Hamilton, endangering his own state of Indiana and ruining his own legacy. Lugar's five phone numbers are: Indianapolis (317) 226-5555, Evansville (812) 465-6313, Fort Wayne (260) 422-1505, Valparaiso (219) 548-8035, DC Office (202) 224-4814. Everybody please call all five numbers today, and especially ask your Indiana friends to call Sen. Lugar. You might even call both U.S. Senators from your own state, at 202-225-3121.

But remember, 100 emails = 10 phone calls = 1 fax in political capital, since the Senate staffers must handle each paper and usually write a reply. So please join our automated fax-petition campaign first. Then please forward this email to your Indiana-Illinois-Wisconsin friends, and to all pastors in all 50 states, and select here to download a church flyer that pastors can copy and distribute.

But first, take action right now! I pray you will not hesitate, but sign the petition and WE WILL FAX your petition right away, automatically to all 100 U.S. Senators.

PLEASE SELECT HERE TO SIGN AND WE'LL AUTOMATICALLY FAX YOUR PERSONALIZED PETITION TO ALL 100 U.S. SENATORS, OPPOSING THE ANTI-LIFE, ANTI-CHRISTIAN JUDGE DAVID HAMILTON.

God Bless you, in Jesus' name,

Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt

P.S. Time is urgent! The Senate could vote on Hamilton as early as this coming week. If you click and sign today, we will forward your name immediately. Please don't wait another minute. Life, Liberty, and Jesus are too important to be banned by one extremist judge.



"The Web"

Prayer

To say my prayer is not to pray,
Unless I mean the words I say,
Unless I think to whom I speak,
And with my heart his favour seek.
Then let me, when I come to pray,
Not only mean the words I say,
But let me strive with earnest care,
To have my heart go with my prayer.



A must read for all Americans! Well worth your time!

Six Boys And Thirteen Hands...

Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.

On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II.

Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, 'Where are you guys from?'

I told him that we were from Wisconsin. 'Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story.'

(James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who had passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, DC, but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.)

When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.)

'My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called 'Flags of Our Fathers' which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me.

'Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called 'War.' But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even would talk to their families about it.

(He pointed to the statue) 'You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph... a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. It was just boys who won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men.

'The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the 'old man' because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'

'The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona ... Ira Hayes was one who walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?'

So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and eventually died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 (ten years after this picture was taken).


'The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night.' Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. Those neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.

'The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press.

'You see, like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed, without any medication or help with the pain.

'When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.'

'So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time.'

Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.

We need to remember that God created this vast and glorious world for us to live in, freely, but also at great sacrifice

Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom.

Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also pray for those still in murderous unrest around the world.

STOP and thank God for being alive and being free at someone else's sacrifice.

God Bless You and God Bless America.

REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great day.

Great story - worth your time - worth every American's time

A Tale of Two NSA WireTaps of Congressmen: NSA Goes After Israel's (& U.S.) Allies in Congress, But not Islamic Terrorism's
By Debbie Schlussel

http://www.debbieschlussel.com/

Much has been made by anti-Semites, Israel haters, and, sadly, some conservatives, about the story that broke this week, alleging that Congresswoman Jane Harman was overheard in an NSA wiretap promising a quid pro quo involving helping two pro-Israel lobbyists under indictment.

But it's interesting how they quickly took the bait of the Harman story without questioning why it's coming out now at the time the trumped up charges against the two men are about to be dropped after being exposed as baseless and tenuous for two years.

I also find it incredibly interesting, since as I reported to you last week, the NSA planned to wiretap a Congressman who had contacts with an Islamic terrorists in the Mid-East. None of the conservatives concerned about Harman--Michelle Malkin, the squishy and confused Ed Morrissey (friend of Pan-Islamist Grover Norquist), and others--cared (or wrote) a lick about that story.

Congresswoman Jane Harman
And they didn't seem to care about the double standard. While the NSA wanted to wiretap the Congressman who had contacts with a terrorist while in the Middle East, they nixed it because they thought it wouldn't go over to wiretap a U.S. Congressman. How very interesting, then, that they had no such reservations when the Congressman was talking to suspected agents of Israel (rumored to be producer and billionaire Haim Saban--who is actually very left-wing on Israel, so hard to see how he's an "Israeli agent"), our ally, instead of an Islamic terrorist bent on our destruction.

[I]n one previously undisclosed episode, the N.S.A. tried to wiretap a member of Congress without a warrant, an intelligence official with direct knowledge of the matter said.
The agency believed that the congressman, whose identity could not be determined, was in contact - as part of a Congressional delegation to the Middle East in 2005 or 2006 - with an extremist who had possible terrorist ties and was already under surveillance, the official said. The agency then sought to eavesdrop on the congressman's conversations, the official said.

The official said the plan was ultimately blocked because of concerns from some intelligence officials about using the N.S.A., without court oversight, to spy on a member of Congress.

Yes, the NSA had court approval to wiretap Harman . . . because the NSA sought it. Why didn't the NSA seek court approval on the pan-Islamist Member of Congress? Why the double standard?

And the targets of the Harman transcript release are interesting, too. The target isn't just Harman. Keith Weissman and Steve Rosen--the two men under indictment, former employees of pro-Israel lobby AIPAC--were entrapped at the direction of David W. Szady, head of counterintelligence for the FBI from 2001 to 2006. Szady, well known as an Islamo-sympathizing, anti-Semitic FBI agent, was intent on exposing Israel in a negative light. He dreamed up the whole scheme, using Weissman and Rosen, to show "balance" to his Islamic world buddies--to show that America was not just going after them (as if America has gone after much of them at all). The FBI honcho also had a vendetta to settle because he was upset that Israel was cooperating with the NYPD in counterterrorism investigations that led to NYPD arrests of terrorist in New York--arrests that showed up the incompetent FBI and its floundering counterterrorism efforts.

But you won't read anything about that in the writings of the conservative bloggers and others who gush over this story as a "gotcha Israel spies" item.

In fact, the trumped up "espionage" charges against Weissman and Rosen began to fall apart from almost the moment they started. The men showed Israeli contacts documents they and a pro-Israel counter-jihadist employee of the Pentagon were given about Iranian nuclear capabilities. The men were never told that they could not show them to third parties, and frankly, the documents contained information the U.S. government was required to show Israel, under mutual agreements between the two countries. The Pentagon employee, Lawrence Franklin, was also entrapped because he was one of the few in the Pentagon who actually got it on jihad and the Iranian threat, one of the few who was known to be pro-Israel. This was a "kill three birds with one stone" operation. A brilliant man with several graduate degrees and expertise on the Middle East, Franklin has been reduced to serving as a car parking valet at night.

And though the alleged transcript--which reports claim shows Harman promising to ask the Justice department for leniency for Rosen and Weissman--has yet to surface, reporters and bloggers are slobbering over the allegations, repeating them as fact.

In fact, Rosen and Weissman didn't need Harman's calls for "leniency." They never committed espionage and even the federal judge on the case sees it as a frame-up job. The judge has asked the Justice Department why the case should continue, and there is every indication the Department will soon drop this witch-hunt. The release of this transcript from two years ago was done deliberately to hurt Rosen and Weissman and their chance at a chance at real justice after two years of persecution. There is no evidence that Harman ever followed through on helping their case or ever contacted the Justice Department on their behalf. But the release of the transcript was designed to put them (and Israel) forever under suspicion that the charges in their case were not dropped because they are baseless but because of bribery of a U.S. Congresswoman.

That's not to mention the fact that Jane Harman was far more hawkish than most Democrats, a reason Nancy Pelosi didn't pick her for Intelligence Committee Chairman. Harman supported the NSA wiretaps. She was hawkish against Islamofascism. And she strongly supported Israel. But why should conservative bloggers who claim to support these things care, when they can easily savage this Democrat and Israel a spying, bribing enemy in one fell swoop?

Is it too much to ask for a little critical thinking in this matter? Apparently it is. Because those who deign themselves to be reasonable, critical thinkers and spokespeople for the right did absolutely no critical thinking--in fact, no thought at all--as they jumped on the Harman allegations and trumpeted them around.

AHA! Gotcha, Israel. Gotcha, Democrat Jane Harman. No biggie that Harman was one of the biggest national security hawks on the Democrat side of the aisle. Some--too many--on the right refuse to look at even the boldest nuance as they wish to paint the broad brush against every single Democrat, no matter how trumped up and baiting the story is.



Old Age, I decided, is a gift

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don’t agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I’ve aged, I’ve become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I’ve become my own friend.

I don’t chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn’t need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70’s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love .. I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody’s beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don’t question myself anymore. I’ve even earned the right to be wrong.

I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

Anonymous



"The e-mail Bag"

GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night.

He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed...'

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?

Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.

He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.

His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.

He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple.

He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.

He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others His heart is pure.

He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.

It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap . I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!

When you read this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do. This is powerful.

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards.



What REALLY happened......from Obama!

Wait a minute now, I didn't authorize ATTACKS on the Pirates,

I authorized A TAX on the pirates!