ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report - 20090630

Motivational-Inspirational-Historical-Educational-Political-Enjoyable



"Daily Motivations"

If you put fences around people, you get sheep. -- William McKnight



"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)

"So the men did as Joshua told them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the LORD had commanded Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there." (Joshua 4:8)

Have you ever had something so good happen to you that you had to tell everyone you met? When you understand just how good God is to you, you will naturally share your experience of God's goodness with others.

After the Israelites crossed the Jordan River on dry ground, Joshua, the leader of Israel, asked a man from each tribe to retrieve a stone for a memorial (Joshua 4:1-8). Later, when their children asked what the stones meant, the Israelites could tell of God's miraculous work in bringing them to the Promised Land.

King David also beckoned others to share their stories: "Let the whole world know what He has done. . . Tell everyone about His wonderful deeds." (Psalm 105:1-2)

Jesus gave similar orders to a demon-possessed man who walked among tombs, screaming and hitting himself with stones (Mark 5:5). Jesus cast out the demons, restoring the man to his right mind. When the healed man wanted to accompany the Lord, Jesus told him, "No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful He has been." (Mark 5:19)

Bragging about God is a simple way to serve Him and encourage others. And when you really understand how good He is, it will be the easiest thing you've ever done.

YOUR VIEW OF GOD REALLY MATTERS...
Brag a little today. Yes, that's right ... brag a little today about something God has done in your life.



"The Patriot Post"

"In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself." -- James Madison, Federalist No. 51



This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award

"I have studied the Constitution as a student; I have taught it as a teacher; I have been bound by it as a lawyer and legislator. I took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution as commander in chief, and as a citizen, I know that we must never -- ever -- turn our back on its enduring principles for expedience sake." -- Barack Obama

Obama must be taking his cues from a famous tyrant: "All this was inspired by the principle -- which is quite true in itself -- that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods." -- Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf," vol. I, ch. X



GOP Blocks Census Nominee

With preparations well underway and time winding down before the new national census commences early next year, Senate Republicans are blocking confirmation of President Obama's choice to conduct the count, Dr. Robert Groves. Without Republican strategists officially saying so, the most likely reason for the delay is Dr. Groves' expertise in the practice of sampling, or the inexact "science" of making up a count based on the number someone believes would be populating an area had everyone been willing to stand up and be counted. In other words, counting votes ACORN style.

Despite the insistence by Dr. Groves that sampling would not be used to conduct the count, GOP leaders see that too much is at stake in future elections and federal appropriations to take the chance, and, accordingly, have held up the nomination. Given the Democrats' propensity to count every vote as many times as needed, a bit of skepticism is certainly warranted.



From the Left Field Bleachers

Asked recently if he had spoken to the president, Barack Obama's former pastor and "spiritual mentor" Jeremiah Wright said: "Them Jews aren't going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office. ... They will not let him to talk to somebody who calls a spade what it is." Not surprisingly, Obama's pastor of 20 years wasn't finished. "I said from the beginning: He's a politician; I'm a pastor. He's got to do what politicians do."

Wright also said Obama should have sent a U.S. delegation to the World Conference on Racism held recently in Geneva, Switzerland, but that the president did not do so for fear of offending Jews and Israel. "Ethnic cleansing is going on in Gaza. Ethnic cleansing [by] the Zionist is a sin and a crime against humanity, and they don't want Barack talking like that because that's anti-Israel." Sounds like Iran really does have an ambassador in the U.S.



Warfront With Jihadistan: Miranda Rights for Terrorists

The Weekly Standard reports, "[T]he Obama Justice Department has quietly ordered FBI agents to read Miranda rights to high value detainees captured and held at U.S. detention facilities in Afghanistan, according [to] a senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee." So apparently, at the time of capture, Afghani combatants have to be told in Pashto, Arabic, Dari, Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi or Pashai, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense."

If they "lawyer up," captured enemy combatants can demand attorneys paid for by the U.S. government, not to mention that they have been given the right to withhold information that could save American lives. Under current practice, any trial would be in the U.S. but it is not clear which law would be applied. Has U.S. security been increased? Will the world think better of the U.S.? The answer to both is a resounding, "No." Blogger Richard Fernandez gets it right: "This is the logical conclusion to [the] Obama administration's approach to combating terrorism. Actually scratch that. America is no longer fighting terrorists, just investigating alleged crimes."

In other news, Sky News reports, "Two passengers with names linked to Islamic terrorism were on the Air France flight which crashed with the loss of 228 lives." The report continues, "Flight AF 447 crashed in the mid-Atlantic en route to Paris during a violent storm. While it is certain there were computer malfunctions, terrorism has not been ruled out."



"Human Events"

URGENT NEW "HATE CRIMES" PETITION! Please click, sign, and WE WILL FAX your personalized petition automatically to all 99 Senators, (saving you hours of labor)!
We've already faxed 125,000 petitions to the full Senate...can you help reach 500,000?

JUDICIARY HEARING CONFIRMS "PUNISH PASTORS, PROTECT PEDOPHILES." WITNESSES BIASED: 4 FOR "HATE CRIMES," 2 CONSERVATIVES ALLOWED.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings Thursday from 10 am on the "Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act," (which is better known to conservatives as the "Pedophile Protection Act,"), but did not vote on S.909 as a stand-alone bill, and did not yet forward to the full Senate, giving us a few more days to act. The bill broadly defines many "sexual orientations" requiring protection by federal prosecutors, endangering free speech.

The pro-homosexual, anti-faith bill, is sponsored by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and 43 Democrats (and 2 Liberal Republicans from Maine), and is pushed hard by President Obama's Administration, but it faced such strong resistance by conservatives (including threat of filibuster or faith-protecting amendments by pro-faith Senator Jim DeMint, R-SC), so instead Democrats had announced they would try to hide the bill as an amendment to another "must-move" bill, denying committee hearings, and completely side-stepping the Republicans right to debate and amend. But now thanks to your participation in fax campaigns like this one, our public pressure forced a minimal 2-hour public debate, which exposed more anti-Christian bias, but Democrats so far have not permitted amendments.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN, AND WE'LL AUTOMATICALLY FAX YOUR PERSONALIZED PETITION TO ALL 99 SENATORS, TO OPPOSE AND FILIBUSTER THE HATE CRIMES S. 909 AMENDMENT (SAVING YOU HOURS OF LABOR!)

Only 2 conservative testimonies were permitted at the hearings, versus 4 pro-gay liberals.

* Attorney General Eric Holder linked the bill to illegal immigrant rights, but "national origin" is already protected by 1994 law, and 75% of Hispanics oppose gay marriage. Holder also admitted Christian pastors would not be protected if assaulted by violent homosexuals.
* Janet Langhart Cohen, wife of former SECDEF Wm Cohen, supported the pro-hate bill.
* Dr. Mark Achtemeier, a liberal theology professor made homosexual-friendly statements.
* Gail Heriot, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 6 of 8 leaders members oppose hate bill.
* Brian W. Walsh, The Heritage Foundation, a good legal voice opposing the hate bill.
* Michael Lieberman, counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, originator of the hate bill.
* Senator Leahy tried to link the bill to a shooting at the Holocaust museum, but "religion" is already protected by the 1994 hate-crimes bill, and shouldn't be tied to homosexual rights.
* Senator Feinstein hailed Matthew Shepard's case, but ABC News 20/20 quotes the lead investigator: "sexual orientation certainly wasn't the motive in [Shepard's] homicide."

547 SEXUAL DEVIANCES TO BE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL MARSHALS

Even if mark-up amendments are permitted (which can be easily deleted in conference), the forthcoming S.909 will mirror a House bill H.R. 1913, already passed 249-175 along strict party lines, which makes "sexual orientation," "gender," and "gender identity" into federally-protected classes under the law, and codifies federal protection of up to 547 types of sexually deviant behaviors, including:

* Incest - sex with one's offspring (a crime, of course)
* Necrophilia - sexual relations with a corpse, also a crime
* Pedophilia - sex with an underage child, another crime
* Zoophilia - a crime in numerous states
* Voyeurism - a criminal offense in most states
* Fronteurism - a man rubbing against an unknown woman's buttocks
* Coprophilia - sexual arousal from feces
* Urophilia - sexual arousal from urine

Attempts by House Republicans to add amendments stating "pedophilia is not protected as a sexual orientation" were specifically blocked and defeated by House Democrats. Lesbian Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) expressed opposition to excluding pedophiles from the bill, and Democrats voted with her to strike any child-protection amendment. She claimed that pedophiles would not be defined within "sexual orientation," but wouldn't put that in writing, and refused to define that phrase "sexual orientation," which Congressman Steve King (R-IA) said will include all 547 sexual deviances listed in the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-III manual of clinical psychoses, including pedophilia, so now thanks to most Democrats, child molesters will be protected by federal law. In response on the House floor, Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL) not only admitted it would, but defended that all 547 psychoses SHOULD be defended by this new law, saying, "This bill addresses our resolve to end violence based on prejudice and to guarantee that all Americans regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability or all of these 'Philias' and fetishes and 'isms' that were put forward need not live in fear because of who they are. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this rule."

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN, AND WE'LL AUTOMATICALLY FAX YOUR PERSONALIZED PETITION TO ALL 99 SENATORS, TO OPPOSE AND FILIBUSTER THE HATE CRIMES S. 909 AMENDMENT (SAVING YOU HOURS OF LABOR!)

QUOTING THE BIBLE IN CHURCH WILL BE PUNISHED

Not only will sexually deviant behaviors gain legal protection, this legislation also lays the legal foundation to investigate, prosecute and persecute pastors, youth pastors, Bible teachers, and anyone else whose speech and thought is based upon and reflects the truths found in the Bible. How will this legislation over-rule the First Amendment?


PASTORS NOT PROTECTED BY FIRST AMENDMENT

S. 909 broadly defines "intimidation," thus a pastor's sermon could be considered "hate speech" if heard by an individual who then acts aggressively against persons based on any "sexual orientation." The pastor could be prosecuted for "conspiracy to commit a hate crime" or for "inciting violence against gays" simply by quoting the Bible in church. And the First Amendment won't automatically protect pastors, since speech accused of "inciting violence" is not protected, and is punishable, under precedent of Supreme Court rulings. In 1993 Wisconsin v. Mitchell, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a "hate speech" law providing enhanced punishments for violent crimes based on racial motives as revealed by speech of the accused, (which would now apply broadly to punish any "anti-gay motives" in the speech of accused pastor "co-conspirators.") But pastor, if a crazy person in your audience commits a crime against a heterosexual, don't worry, you'll get a comparative discount in your prison time.

IS PRAYER IN JESUS' NAME A "HATE CRIME?"

Any public prayer against the sin of homosexuality could be construed as "inciting violence" by easily offended listeners, especially if those prayers are offered "in Jesus name." When I served our country as a former Navy Chaplain, for example, I was told in writing by Chief of Chaplains Rear-Admiral Louis Iasiello, that "any chaplain's continued insistence on ending public prayers 'in Jesus' name'...could reasonably tend to denigrate those with different forms of faith." His policy prohibiting prayers "in Jesus name" was enforced against me at court-martial, before it was later rescinded by Congress in 2006. But this year I've already been falsely accused of "inciting violence" because I quoted verbatim from Psalm 109 in my public prayers, (for which secular activist Mikey Weinstein literally requested an FBI investigation against me!) Just imagine more anti-Christian aggression by law enforcement officials AFTER this hate-crimes bill becomes law.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN, AND WE'LL AUTOMATICALLY FAX YOUR PERSONALIZED PETITION TO ALL 99 SENATORS, TO OPPOSE AND FILIBUSTER THE HATE CRIMES S. 909 AMENDMENT (SAVING YOU HOURS OF LABOR!)

IS PREACHING AGAINST SIN A HATE CRIME?

As a former Navy Chaplain who was punished (in writing, three times) for quoting the Bible in chapel during optionally-attended worship, I know exactly how they'll come after us. The enemies of religious liberty will simply declare certain gospel phrases "hateful" and "offensive" like my commanding officer who punished me for quoting John 3:36 in chapel, and was supported by government lawyers for "protecting" easily offended listeners from the "offensive" gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) agrees with me, saying pastors, rabbis, or imams could be charged with encouraging or inducing a "hate crime" if they preach against homosexuality. "Every preacher of the gospel, unless you cut out parts of it; every imam who mentions anything with regard to sexual immorality - they could be pursued, and in other countries they have been," says Gohmert. (Congressmen Gohmert is my personal advocate, with whom I preached last year at a pro-faith rally in Texas...and we both agree the gospel of freedom from sin really is "love speech" not "hate speech.")

FREE SPEECH SUPPRESSED IN NORWAY

Hate crimes laws protecting homosexuals from criticism are already silencing pastors in Norway, where these dangerous laws specifically empower law enforcement officials to prosecute "intimidation" of homosexuals. For example, Congressman Gohmert warned "I was talking to a guy from Norway who was telling me that people are even afraid to say Mary was a virgin, because just bringing up sexuality at all can raise problems with law enforcement."

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN, AND WE'LL AUTOMATICALLY FAX YOUR PERSONALIZED PETITION TO ALL 99 SENATORS, TO OPPOSE AND FILIBUSTER THE HATE CRIMES S. 909 AMENDMENT (SAVING YOU HOURS OF LABOR!)

FREE SPEECH CRIMINALIZED IN SWEDEN

In Sweden, Pastor Ake Green received a one-month jail sentence last year under a Swedish "hate crimes" law that forbids criticism of those who participate in homosexual behavior. The Goeta Appeals Court later overturned the decision. The government demanded the pastor be punished by appealing the case to the Swedish Supreme Court, which ruled the law unconstitutional. Yet here in America, the Reid-Kennedy-Obama trio is pushing to pass and enforce this same type of "anti-free speech" law, despite their acknowledgment that any such enforcement would be unconstitutional in America too. (They why pass the bill in the first place?)

FREE SPEECH CRIMINALIZED IN CANADA

In Canada, where "hate crimes" laws already passed, the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal actively forbid evangelical pastor Stephen Boisson from expressing his moral opposition to homosexuality. The tribunal also ordered Boisson to pay $5,000 "damages for pain and suffering" and apologize to the "human rights" activist who filed the complaint. His crime? In 2002, the pastor wrote a letter to the editor of his local newspaper in which he denounced the homosexual agenda as "wicked" and stated that: "Children as young as five and six years of age are being subjected to psychologically and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in the public school system; all under the fraudulent guise of equal rights." The Canadian government tribunal ordered the Christian pastor to "cease publishing in newspapers, by email, on the radio, in public speeches, or on the internet, in future, disparaging remarks about gays and homosexuals." (This "re-education commission" reminds me of Big Brother from Orwell's 1984.)


PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN, AND WE'LL AUTOMATICALLY FAX YOUR PERSONALIZED PETITION TO ALL 99 SENATORS, TO OPPOSE AND FILIBUSTER THE HATE CRIMES S. 909 AMENDMENT (SAVING YOU HOURS OF LABOR!)

FREE SPEECH CRIMINALIZED IN PENNSYLVANIA

Can't happen in America? It already has. In 2004 my friend Michael Marcavage was arrested along with ten other Christians (including two elderly grandmothers), and charged with violating Pennsylvania's "hate crimes" laws, because they carried signs conveying God's love at a Gay Pride rally. One member of "The Philadelphia Eleven," Arlene Elshinnawy, 75 year-old grandmother of three, was holding a sign: "Truth is hate to those who hate the truth," before she was hauled off to jail by police officers. They were literally threatened with 50 years in jail for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ on a public sidewalk, because it offended gays. That hate crimes law was so outrageous it was later found unconstitutional by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but now Ted Kennedy and Barack Obama want to pass essentially that same discredited law nationwide.

WE CAN STILL DE-RAIL THIS TRAIN

But together, we can still stop them. We've identified 16 Democrats below, who are NOT YET committed as co-sponsors of S. 909, so please call them today, asking to OPPOSE AND FILIBUSTER any amendment to any bill that resembles S. 909. Sadly two Republicans (Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, R-ME) have joined 43 Democrats by co-sponsoring this pro-homosexual bill, so call them too, and ask them to switch.

x Blanche Lincoln D- AR 202-224-4843
x Byron L. Dorgan D- ND 202-224-2551
x Herb Kohl D-WI 202-224-5653
x James Webb D- VA 202-224-4024
x Jon Tester D- MT 202-224-2644
x Kay Hagan D- NC 202-224-6342
x Kent Conrad D- ND 202-224-2043
x Mark Pryor D- AR 202-224-2353
x Mark Warner D- VA 202-224-2023
x Max Baucus D- MT 202-224-2651
x = undecided Democrat.

x Michael Bennet D- CO 202-224-5852
x Robert C. Byrd D- WV 202-224-3954
x Russ Feingold D-WI 202-224-5323
x Ted Kaufman D-DE 202-224-5042
x Thomas Carper D- DE 202-224-2441

x Tom Udall D- NM 202-224-6621

y Olympia Snowe R-ME 202-224-5344
y Susan Collins R-ME 202-224-2523

y = co-sponsoring Republican.

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, and WE WILL ESPECIALLY FAX THE 18 KEY UNDECIDED SENATORS LISTED ABOVE with your personalized petition.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN, AND WE'LL AUTOMATICALLY FAX YOUR PERSONALIZED PETITION TO ALL 99 SENATORS, TO OPPOSE AND FILIBUSTER THE HATE CRIMES S. 909 AMENDMENT (SAVING YOU HOURS OF LABOR!)
Thank you for reading our lengthy analysis. If you've read this far, we must agree, so now please forward this content widely to other pro-faith friends, and to pastors in all 50 states.

God Bless you, in Jesus' name,

Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt

For media interviews, or to invite "Chaps" to
speak to your church or crowd, click here.

P.S. Time is urgent! The Judiciary Committee and full Senate could vote any day to pass S. 909. Select 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 Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, and Barack Obama.

Disclaimer: The views of Chaplain Klingenschmitt, who was honorably but involuntarily discharged from the Navy in 2007 after facing court-martial for praying "in Jesus name" in uniform, (but was later vindicated by Congress), are his own personal views, not the views of any political party, government, or organization.



"Liberty Counsel"

Online version easier to read? Go to www.LC.org

Liberty Counsel Files Intervention Motion to Defend California’s Marriage Amendment

Today Liberty Counsel is filing a motion to intervene in the recent lawsuit against California’s Marriage Amendment (Prop 8). Attorney David Boies and former Solicitor General Ted Olson filed a federal lawsuit against California’s marriage amendment, claiming that it violates the U.S. Constitution. Liberty Counsel is representing the Campaign for California Families (Campaign).

Since Attorney General Jerry Brown is not likely to vigorously defend California’s marriage laws, Liberty Counsel has requested to once again intervene on behalf of the Campaign to defend the marriage amendment.

Read our News Release for more details.

Does Your Belief in Traditional Marriage Make You a Right Wing Extremist?

If you believe in the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, traditional family values, supporting our veterans, the right to bear arms or a limited federal government, you might be considered a right-wing extremist by the Department of Homeland Security.

If you hold traditional American values like the ones above, George Washington would call you a Patriot!

If you are proud to stand for liberty, the original intent of the Constitution of the United States of America and the Declaration of Independence, you can order your Right-Wing Extremist ID Card for a donation of any amount. If you want to be the proud owner of this popular card, click here to donate and remember to note "ID Card" in the Comment section.

Thank you for standing firm for liberty by keeping informed. You can help by forwarding this Liberty Alert to your entire e-mail list of family and friends, and encourage them to subscribe.

Liberty Counsel does not charge clients for representation, so we depend on individuals, groups and churches who care about advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family. Liberty Counsel is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that accepts tax-deductible donations. Donate or order resources from the Liberty Counsel online store.

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"The Web"

Obama's SCOTUS Nominee Sotomayor Decision Reversed By SCOTUS

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=6392058&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/



Michele Bachmann Slams ACORN, Warns Of Link Between Census, Japanese Internment (Video)
http://conservativexpress.blogspot.com/2009/06/michele-bachmann-slams-acorn-warns-of.html



PASSPORT FOR OBAMA QUESTION
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=68499

While I've little interest in getting in the middle of the Obama birth issue, Paul Hollrah over at FSM did so yesterday and believes the issue can be resolved by Obama answering one simple question:

What passport did he use when he was shuttling between New York, Jakarta , and Karachi ?

So how did a young man who arrived in New York in early June 1981, Without the price of a hotel room in his pocket, suddenly come up with the price of a round-the-world trip just a month later? And once he was on a plane, shuttling between New York , Jakarta , and Karachi, what passport was he offering when he passed through Customs and Immigration?

The American people not only deserve to have answers to these questions, they must have answers. It makes the debate over Obama's
citizenship a rather short and simple one.

Q: Did he travel to Pakistan in 1981, at age 20?
A: Yes, by his own admission.

Q: What passport did he travel under?
A: There are only three possibilities:

1. He traveled with a U.S. passport.
2. He traveled with a British passport.
3. He traveled with an Indonesia passport.

Q: Is it possible that Obama traveled with a U.S. passport in 1981?
A: No. It is not possible. Pakistan was on the U.S. State Department's "no travel" list in 1981.

Conclusion: When Obama went to Pakistan in 1981 he was traveling either with a British passport or an Indonesian passport.

If he was traveling with a British passport that would provide proof that he was born in Kenya on August 4, 1961, not in Hawaii as he claims. And if he was traveling with an Indonesian passport that would tend to prove that he relinquished whatever previous citizenship he held, British or American, prior to being adopted by his Indonesian step-father in 1967.

Whatever the truth of the matter, the American people need to know how he managed to become a "natural born" American citizen between 1981 and 2008.

Given the destructive nature of his plans for America, as illustrated by his speech before Congress and the disastrous spending plan he has presented to Congress, the sooner we learn the truth of all this, the better.

Count me in as one of those inquiring minds who'd at least like to know the answers to these easily answered (by Obama) questions.



Why the Church Is Dying

by Ken Ham, President/CEO, AiG–U.S.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/06/24/already-gone

Editor’s notes: On Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time) inside the Creation Museum, Answers in Genesis will be conducting its first-ever video webcast. We will discuss the state of the nation (i.e., the United States), especially the health of the American (and British) church. Ken Ham, AiG president, will share the results of the research behind his new book Already Gone. Joining Ken will be co-author Britt Beemer, head of the renowned America’s Research Group. They will discuss why the church has not recognized the real reason behind the spiritual slide of this once-great Christian nation.

The following is a commentary by Ken that was recently sent to media outlets in the U.S. about the findings contained in Already Gone, which is selling briskly (it’s now going to its third printing in only three weeks).

Earlier this year I attended Sunday services at an impressive 19th-century church in London. In a building with seating for 3,000 in ornate pews, a handful of elderly people sat inside . . . in chairs set up in the foyer.

The service, held in a vibrant city full of millions of people, reminded me of a funeral—not the funeral of a person, the funeral of a once-great institution. In the past 40 years, 1600 churches in England, with hundreds of years of ministry behind them, have shut their doors, according to an architectural preservation group called the Victorian Society.

Today, few Americans are aware of the spiritual epidemic that wiped out the land of our Christian forefathers. Even fewer are aware that the same epidemic has reached our own shores, spreading like a virus.

American Christianity could become extinct in less than two generations—if Christians in this country don’t act quickly and decisively. Respected pollster George Barna was one of the first to put numbers to this epidemic, finding that six out of ten 20-somethings who were involved in a church during their teen years are already gone. Since that research was published in 2000, survey after survey has confirmed the same basic trend.

The problem, in both the United Kingdom and America, began when the Church basically disconnected the Bible from the real world. Churches in America are not places where people typically talk about dinosaurs, fossils, or the age of the earth—that is left up to the secular schools and colleges. Effectively, the Church concentrates on the spiritual and moral aspects of Christianity.

But the Bible is not some “pie in the sky” theoretical book. It’s a real book connected to the real world. It has everything to do with history, geology, biology, anthropology, and sociology. It provides the true history of the world, as opposed to evolution over millions of years.

The “disconnect” between faith and fact is an illusion created by an overwhelming misinterpretation of the facts. Observational science confirms the Bible’s history and, thus, also the Christian doctrines (like the gospel) that are based in that history.

As I travel around the world teaching how to defend biblical principles and history, I find that whether my audience is secular or Christian, they ask the same questions, such as:

How do you know the Bible is true?
Hasn’t science disproved the Bible?
Isn’t the world millions of years old?
How did Noah get all the animals on the Ark?
But don’t we observe evolution because we see animals change—bacteria become resistant to antibiotics?
God’s Word is confirmed by observational science: for example, a study of geology confirms that most rock layers and canyon systems are best explained by catastrophic process (such as those associated with Noah’s Flood a few thousand years ago), rather than gradual processes over millions of years.

The Word of God has never changed, but the Church’s perception of the Word of God changed when it failed to engage the evolutionist scientific community on matters of evidence as well as faith. Typical churches use resources that are more geared for what could be called the “Jew in Jerusalem” who has developed a religious background and lives in a religiously friendly society.

We are now in the era of the “Greeks”—like the secular philosophers the Apostle Paul encountered on Mars Hill—yet our churches and Sunday schools are still teaching us like Jews.

See the problem?

Our society is immersed in secularism. It’s essential that we learn how to defend the Bible and the Christian faith for our sake and our children’s. If we don’t, the empty and obsolete churches in England will foreshadow the future in America.

The Victorian Society’s magazine recently carried a headline that read, “Redundant Churches: Who Cares?” Churches in the United Kingdom have been turned into theaters, restaurants, museums—even mosques and temples. I have a whole series of photographs that I have taken of such buildings that were formerly churches.

Where England is today, America will be tomorrow—unless we act now and pray for God’s blessing. It’s time for a new Reformation in the Church—to call the Church back to the authority of the Word of God, beginning in Genesis.



No More Competition: Demerits for Valedictorians
http://blog.heritage.org/2009/06/25/no-more-competition-demerits-for-valedictorians/

Education.

The York, Pennsylvania, school district has decided to eliminate the practice of honoring the top-achieving students as “valedictorian” or “salutatorian.” According to school board officials, this practice may promote unhealthy competition. Students, however, appear to have a different view of such honorifics. Caroline Klidonas, a 17-year-old rising senior asked in an interview on Tuesday with the York Daily Record,
“How would anybody succeed at anything if there’s not competition? You get what you work for and that’s all there is to it … Why wouldn’t the school want us to have that kind of mindset?”

In an interview with Fox News, Caroline expressed her displeasure with the school board’s decision to no longer honor academic excellence in her school district.

“…[students] would definitely like for valedictorian and salutatorian to be honored… if you have awards in all the other areas just like athletics and even the performing arts…why not the top two overall?”

This practice of avoiding hurt feelings has led to serious consequences for those at the top, especially when applying to colleges. Schools that do not use class rank have made admissions and scholarships more difficult for their students. Without a comparison within schools, admission counselors have to give more weight to standardized test scores and even eliminate these students. In a 2006 interview with the New York Times, William M. Shain, dean of undergraduate admissions at Vanderbilt University explained that students from schools that calculate class rank are more frequently admitted, and students without a rank or grade information had the lowest admission rates. Shain stated:

“The less information a school gives you, the more whimsical our decisions will be. And I don’t know why a school would do that… You’re saying your grades don’t matter and that you won’t tell us what they mean. I think it’s an abdication of educational responsibility.”

Most Americans realize the significance of distinguishing the work and achievement of top students from the rest. Not recognizing good work minimizes the importance of academic achievement and fails to reward those who have excelled in school. By contrast, promoting competition serves students’ best interests and prepares them to be successful in the future.



We are a part of an Indoctri-nation

Media push for Obama-care downplays privacy dangers of electronic medical records.

By Dan Gainor

The Boone Pickens Free Market Fellow
Business & Media Institute

With apologies to Janet Jackson, America’s rhythm nation is so 1989. Now it’s an Indoctri-nation. The mainstream media don’t tell us what’s going on; they tell us what to think. Today’s example is nationalized health care. It will be the topic tomorrow, the next day and the next. But tomorrow more than most.

On June 24, a major news outlet appears to be throwing away any pretense of being neutral in the national health care debate.

Take it away ABC. Tell America what to think about health care with “Questions for the President: Prescription for America.” It’s an extravaganza of coverage as the network vows to “moderate a conversation” with the president. To give an idea of how committed ABC is, “‘Good Morning America,’ ‘World News,’ ‘Nightline,’ and ABCNews.com’s ‘Top Line’ will all feature special programming on the president’s health care agenda.” Add in a Tuesday love bomb session with Michelle Obama focusing on eating healthy and it’s a network that looks like it’s working for the White House.

That doesn’t sound exactly balanced, does it? You don’t see them doing a special on the GOP’s health care agenda. And though they now are downplaying it, Medical Editor Dr. Tim Johnson is part of the program and he has been pro-nationalized health care since Hillarycare in the 1990s.

ABC has caught enough heat about the special to cause real global warming and the network meekly responded with a letter claiming it would do a good job, just like the job it’s already done on health care.

Kerry Smith, a network senior vice president said “we've already had many critics of the President's health care proposals on the air.” But that’s far from correct (another preview of ABC’s special). Since Obama took office, the network has favored supporters of Obama’s health care plan – either the president or other experts promoting his plan – by a 3-to-1 margin over critics. So if by “many,” Smith meant one-fourth of the total, she’d have been accurate.

Still, the network may fear the infomercial approach because it’s already been so heavily criticized. Viewers might even get fair coverage – for a day.

Digging deeper on ABCnews.com reveals another problem not just for ABC, but with the Obama plan and the media’s pathetic coverage of it. One of Obama’s Big Ideas sounds more like Big Brother and has privacy advocates terrified – the switch to computerized medical records. As Obama put it, computerizing those records will fix everything but the Iranian election. (That’s already been fixed.) “We've already made investments in health IT, that's information technologies and electronic medical records that will reduce medical errors, save lives, save money, and still ensure privacy,” he said recently.

On the ABC site, those electronic medical records are hailed as being able to “save $” and even “can save your life.” That’s when those records are used properly – often not the case. Ask a parade of newsmakers, celebrities and outright superstars from George Clooney to Rush Limbaugh how it feels to have your medical records exposed to any scumbag with computer access at a hospital or doctor’s office.

Look at Farrah Fawcett. Truly a beauty who defined a generation. Women tried desperately for Farrah’s epic mane of hair while the two-dimensional Farrah in poster form adorned walls for teenage boys across America. Unfortunately, such stardom is no defense against electronic medical records. The “Charlie’s Angels” beauty had her most personal medical information leaked to tabloids as she fought a terrifying cancer.

Imagine that, to be in a fight for your life only to have your privacy invaded as well. ABC News reported that a former employee of UCLA Medical Center pled guilty to selling
Farrah’s medical records, along with those of Britney Spears and other celebrities to the National Enquirer. In all nearly 1,000 people had their records invaded.

It’s really nothing new. Palm Beach County, Florida officials seized Rush Limbaugh’s media records in a Big Government fashion. Other snooping incidents have impacted California First Lady Maria Shriver and even Octomom Nadya Suleman.

The problem isn’t just with medical records, it’s electronic records of all kinds. All three final presidential candidates – Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain – had data invasions through the State Department. Obama questioner Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher had someone dig through his Ohio records. And someone else broke into VP candidate Sarah Palin’s e-mail.

Feeling better about the savings from electronic medical records? Maybe until you realize your dental assistant can check your psychiatric records or until you realize government will soon know all of your personal medical information.

This is how Obama plans to “save” money, by exposing your entire life to every disgruntled minimum-wage office worker in the entire health-care monstrosity. Electronic data breaches will no longer be confined to just the location of an office. People will be able to snoop nationwide. And the media are virtually silent about this danger.

At least supporters are right about one aspect of our new Indoctri-nation. It does have the word “doc” in it, and that’s about as close as it comes to being about improving health care.

Dan Gainor is The Boone Pickens Fellow and the Media Research Center’s Vice President for Business and Culture. His column appears each week on The Fox Forum and he can be seen each Thursday on Foxnews.com’s “Strategy Room.”



UAW begs for tax relief - for their golf course

Rick Moran

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/06/uaw_begs_for_tax_relief_for_th.html

I believe the biggest change in Washington with Democrats in power has to be the way that unions are systematically being enriched at the taxpayer's expense. It has now gone beyond rewarding organized labor for their massive, unprecedented help electing Obama and the Democratic majority as much of the stim bill sought to do. Now it is simply a matter of filling union coffers with taxpayer cash. Soon, it will be changing the law to make it much easier for unions to organize non-union shops.

Then, the New Left's dream of a Government-Union coalition to run the American economy will be complete. Long ago, leftists recognized the potential of this symbiosis and it appears that after decades of patient effort, they are about to succeed.

In the meantime, about all we can do is sit back and fume as stuff like this happens:
When it comes to the GM and Chrysler bailouts, U.S. taxpayers merely suspect they're really being asked to dig into their pockets to rescue the United Auto Workers union. But taxpayers in Michigan's Waverly Township are in no doubt. The Detroit News reports the UAW has appealed to the state tax tribunal to dispute $3 million in property taxes the town assessed on the union's nearby Black Lake golf resort. Yes, golf resort. Now led by UAW chief Ron Gettelfinger, the union has long owned 1,000 acres of forested land in western Michigan for an "education center," and in 2000 used union funds to add a luxury golf course, along with amenities such as a fitness club. What's more, the property, valued at $33 million, has been losing money ever since, some $23 million just in the last five years.

A couple questions naturally come up: If the UAW can't run a golf club, how can it run Chrysler, of which it is now majority owner? Also: The club is part of $1.2 billion in union-owned assets built up from member dues mostly to support a "strike fund." Why does a much-shrunken UAW need a strike fund by now sufficient to finance a multi-week, catastrophic strike that would throw the entire U.S.-born auto industry into bankruptcy once more?

The Wall Street Journal asks why not use that "Strike Fund" to finance the health and pension fund at Chrysler? The answer is self evident - the union wants to keep that fund as a club to threaten both the government and Chrysler.

Bailing out a union golf course by giving the bosses tax relief is evidence of what a brave new world it truly is. They are not even pretending anymore. The unions and their partners in government will milk this economy, enriching themselves and their cronies in the process.

Don't know about "hope," but it certainly is a "change," isn't it?

Hat Tip: Ed Lasky



TEST!

This is NOT a pushover test.

There are 20 questions. Average score is 12.

This one will be difficult for the younger set.

Have fun, but no peeking!

When you forward this to your friends/family,

Put your score in the subject line & let them know your score.

Don't forget to forward it to me, as well.

Good luck , youngsters.


1. What builds strong bodies 12 ways?

A. Flintstones vitamins
B. The Buttmaster
C. Spaghetti
D. Wonder Bread
E. Orange Juice
F. Milk
G.. Cod Liver Oil


2. Before he was Muhammed Ali, he was...

A. Sugar Ray Robinson
B. Roy Orbison
C. Gene Autry
D. Rudolph Valentino
E. Fabian
F. Mickey Mantle
G. Cassius Clay


3. Pogo, the comic strip character said, 'We have met the enemy and...

A. It's you
B. He is us
C. It's the Grinch
D. He wasn't home
E. He's really mean
F. We quit
G. He surrendered


4. Good night David.

A. Good night Chet
B. Sleep well
C. Good night Irene
D. Good night Gracie
E. See you later alligator
F. Until tomorrow
G. Good night Steve


5. You'll wonder where the yellow went...

A. When you use Tide
B. When you lose your crayons
C. When you clean your tub
D. If you paint the room20blue
E. If you buy a soft water tank
F. When you use Lady Clairol
G.. When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent


6. Before he was the Skipper's Little Buddy, Bob Denver was Dobie's friend...

A. Stuart Whitman
B. Randolph Scott
C. Steve Reeves
D. Maynard G. Krebbs
E. Corky B. Dork
F. Dave the Whale
G.. Zippy Zoo


7.. Liar, liar....

A. You're a liar
B. Your nose is growing
C. Pants on fire
D. Join the choir
E. Jump up higher
F. On the wire
G. I'm telling Mom


8. Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, Superman fights a never ending battle for truth, justice and...

A. Wheaties
B. Lois Lane
C. TV ratings
D. World peace
E. Red tights
F.. The American way
G. News headlines


9. Hey kids! What time is it?

A. It's time for Yogi Bear
B It's time to do your homework
C. It's Howdy Doody Time
D. It's Time for Romper Room
E. It's bedtime
F. The Mighty Mouse Hour
G. Scoopy Doo Time


10. Lions and tigers and bears...

A. Yikes
B. Oh no
C. Gee whiz
D. I'm scared
E. Oh my
F. Help! Help!
G. Let's run


11. Bob Dylan advised us never to trust anyone....

A. Over 40
B. Wearing a uniform
C. Carrying a briefcase
D. Over 30
E. You don't know
F. Who says, 'Trust me'
G. Who eats tofu


12. NFL quarterback who appeared in a television commercial wearing women's stockings...

A. Troy Aikman
B. Kenny Stabler
C. Joe Namath
D. Roger Staubach
E. Joe Montana
F. Steve Young
G. John Elway


13. Brylcream...

A. Smear it on
B. You'll smell great
C. Tame that cowlick
D. Grease ball heaven
E. It's a dream
F. We're your team
G. A little dab'll do ya


14. I found my thrill...

A. In Blueberry muffins
B. With my man, Bill
C. Down at the mill
D. Over the windowsill
E. With thyme and dill
F. Too late to enjoy
G. On Blueberry Hill


15. Before Robin Williams, Peter Pan was played by...

A. Clark Gable
B. Mary Martin
C. Doris Day
D. Errol Flynn
E.. Sally Fields
F. Jim Carey
G. Jay Leno


16. Name the Beatles...

A. John, Steve, George, Ringo
B. John, Paul, George, Roscoe
C. John, Paul, Stacey, Ringo
D. Jay, Paul, George, Ringo
E. Lewis, Peter, George, Ringo
F. Jason, Betty, Skipper, Hazel
G. John, Paul, George, Ringo


17. I wonder, wonder, who.

A. Who ate the leftovers?
B. Who did the laundry?
C. Was it you?
D. Who wrote the book of love?
E. Who I am?
F. Passed the test?
G. Knocked on the door?


18. I'm strong to the finish...

A. Cause I eats my broccoli
B. Cause I eats me spinach
C. Cause I lift weights
D.. Cause I'm the hero
E. And don't you forget it
F. Cause Olive Oyl loves me
G. To outlast Bruto


19. When it's least expected, you're elected, you're the star today

A. Smile, you're on Candid Camera
B. Smile, you're on Star Search
C. Smile, you won the lottery
D. Smile, we're watching you
E. Smile, the world sees you
F. Smile, you're a hit
G. Smile, you're on TV


20. What do M & M's do?

A. Make your tummy happy
B. Melt in your mouth, not in your pocket
C. Make you fat
D. Melt your heart
E. Make you popular
F. Melt in your mouth, not in your hand
G. Come in colors


Below are the right answers:

1. D - Wonder Bread
2. G - Cassius Clay
3. B - He Is Us
4. A - Good night, Chet
5. G - When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent
6. D - Maynard G. Krebbs
7. C - Pants On Fire
8. F - The American Way
9. C - It's Howdy Doody Time
10. E - Oh My
11. D - Over 30
12. C - Joe Namath
13. G - A little dab'll do ya
14. G - On Blueberry Hill
15. B - Mary Martin
16. G - John, Paul, George, Ringo
17. D - Who wrote the book of Love
18. B - Cause I eats me spinach
19. A - Smile, you're on Candid Camera
20. F - Melt In Your Mouth Not In Your Hand



"The e-mail Bag"

ADULT:
A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.

BEAUTY PARLOR:
A place where women curl up and dye.

CANNIBAL:
Someone who is fed up with people.

CHICKENS:
The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.

COMMITTEE:
A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.

DUST:
Mud with the juice squeezed out.

EGOTIST:
Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.

HANDKERCHIEF:
Cold Storage.

INFLATION:
Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.

MOSQUITO:
An insect that makes you like flies better.

RAISIN:
Grape with a sunburn.

SECRET:
Something you tell to one person at a time.

SKELETON:
A bunch of bones with the person scraped off.

TOOTHACHE:

The pain that drives you to extraction.

TOMORROW:
One of the greatest labor saving devices of today.

YAWN:
An honest opinion openly expressed.

WRINKLES:
Something other people have, similar to my character lines.



And In Sunday School...

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to 'Honor thy father and thy mother,' she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?' Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, 'Thou shall not kill.'



At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and she said, 'Johnny, what is the matter?' Little Johnny responded, 'I have pain in my side.. I think I'm going to have a wife.'