To the “main stream” media, and to Sarah Palin, it is damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.
For much of the “main stream” media, the “mean stream” media is very liberal, and abusive to all conservatives in the political process. “Many” in the liberal print, radio, and/or TV media refuses to even allow conservatives to view their ideas to others, for an open evaluation of the masses in the unrestricted segment of our society. Yet, these same Liberals call it a free press.
Sarah Palin is the comparable political Ronald Reagan of the GOP. Sarah Palin is equivalent to the political Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party. Sarah Palin is the director for the leadership of preserving our forefathers practicing social and fiscal Judeo-Christian values. Her social values are built and based on That Solid Rock.
It is for these reasons, Liberal Democrats, and members of the left-wing media, dislike and/or even hate Sarah Palin. However, Sarah Palin communicates with most Americans who share these same values.
As Governor of Alaska, every time Gov. Palin flies from Alaska, south to the lower forty eight (48) states, there is an outrage within the “mean stream” media who suggests that Sarah Palin has abandoned her folks back home. If you listen to the “mean stream” media, you may fail to even know of cell telephones, or any other means of instant communications. Wasn’t it the likes of CNN, NBC, and ABC who sent group members of their news media investigators to Alaska, in an attempt to dig up any information on Sarah Palin; in an effort to then destroy Sarah Palin politically? Here again, CNN, NBC, and ABC failed. Why? Why? Why? Why are so many so determined to destroy good Judeo-Christian and Conservative members of the political process?
Now, after Sarah Palin leaves her office as Governor of Alaska, the “mean stream” media will be denied their ability to attack Sarah Palin for coming to the lower 48, addressing the fiscal and social issues to all Americans. You can “betcha” the “mean stream” will continue to attack Sarah Palin on any other issues of the day.
Sarah Palin is well alive politically, and otherwise. Sarah Palin will be back. Sarah Palin is wanted and needed, by the Conservatives and others, all across America.
Thank you, Sarah Palin, for sharing your fiscal and social values of greatest importance to America and the entire free world.
Oscar Y. Harward
Monday, July 6, 2009
ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report - 20090706
Motivational-Inspirational-Historical-Educational-Political-Enjoyable
"Daily Motivations"
Taking time for yourself should never be seen as a burden. Not on you, and not on anyone else. -- Elizabeth Franklin
"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)
"Let everyone in the world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of Him." (Psalm 33:8)
If we could just grasp even a part of the magnificent holiness of God, then the whole earth would shake with people falling to the ground in worship and adoration of Him. Such a view would precipitate a healthy fear of God, which is the necessary starting point.
True knowledge of God's holiness always elicits a worshipful response from us. Moses fell to his face before the burning bush. Isaiah said, "Woe is me!" (Isaiah 6:5). We cannot stand in the presence of God without acknowledging His holiness and seeing our own sin.
Whenever I meditate on the holiness of God, I am impressed with how worthy He is of our worship. I want to become absorbed with His holiness, rather than with His might, His wisdom, or His other magnificent attributes.
As we meditate on God's supreme holiness, we cannot help but be overcome with a sense of awe. Music can help us express our awe for our Lord. Many of the Christian hymns capture the spirit of worship. I encourage you to select one of them, such as Holy, Holy, Holy,or Agnus Dei and begin to worship God right now.
When we concentrate on God's holiness---His moral perfection and absolute purity---the only appropriate response is humble adoration, which is the basis for all worship.
"The Patriot Post"
"The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. ... How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?" -- John Adams
"'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,' Solomon tells us. Clearly, the future is in the care of our parents. Such is the responsibility, promise and hope of fatherhood. Such is the gift that our fathers give us. Our fathers bear an awesome responsibility -- one that they shoulder willingly and fulfill with a love that asks no recompense. By turns both gentle and firm, our fathers guide us along the path from infancy to adulthood. We embody their joy, pain and sacrifice, and inherit memories more cherished than any possession. On Father's Day each year, we express formally a love and gratitude whose roots go deeper than conscious memory can recite. It is only fitting that we have this special day to pay tribute to those men -- our natural fathers, adoptive fathers and foster fathers -- who deserve our deepest respect and devotion. It is equally fitting, as we recall the ancient and loving command to honor our fathers, that we resolve to do so by becoming ourselves parents and citizens who are worthy of honor." -- Ronald Reagan
"[F]or years, mainstream liberalism and other outposts of paranoid Bush hatred have portrayed neoconservatives -- usually code for conservative Jews and other supporters of Israel -- as an alien, pernicious cabal. 'They have penetrated the culture at nearly every level from the halls of academia to the halls of the Pentagon,' observed the New York Times.. '...They've accumulated the wherewithal financially (and) professionally to broadcast what they think over the airwaves to the masses or over cocktails to those at the highest levels of government.' NBC's Chris Matthews routinely used the word 'neocon' as if it was code for 'traitor.' He asked one guest whether White House neocons are 'loyal to the Kristol neoconservative movement, or to the president?' [Holocaust Museum shooter James] Von Brunn may have wondered the same thing, which is why he reportedly had the offices of Bill Kristol's 'Weekly Standard' on his hit list. Unhinged Bush-hater Andrew Sullivan insists that, 'The closer you examine it, the clearer it is that neoconservatism, in large part, is simply about enabling the most irredentist elements in Israel and sustaining a permanent war against anyone or any country who disagrees with the Israeli right.' Leading liberal intellectual Michael Lind warned about the alarming fact that 'the foreign policy of the world's only global power is being made by a small clique' of neoconservative plotters. Even with Bush out of the picture, some see the problem emerging again. Just this week, Jeremiah Wright, the president's longtime mentor and pastor, whined that, 'Them Jews aren't going to let him talk to me.' Maniacs like von Brunn connect dots that aren't there because that's what paranoid anti-Semites do. What's the left's excuse?" -- National Review editor Jonah Goldberg
"Liberty Counsel"
Online version easier to read? Go to www.LC.org
Christian Educators in Santa Rosa County Fight Back Against the ACLU
Liberty Counsel filed a motion to intervene on behalf of Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) in a lawsuit filed earlier this year by the ACLU against the Santa Rosa County School District. The ACLU filed suit, claiming some of the teachers and administration endorsed religion.
The School District attempted to settle the suit by joining with the ACLU and presenting the court with a Consent Order, which essentially bans all employees from engaging in prayer or religious activities, whether before, during, or after school hours.
Without any legal argument or briefing, the judge signed the order, but the order is so broad that it unconstitutionally infringes on the rights of teachers and administrators. The order also forces CEAI members to infringe upon the rights of students and other third parties.
Liberty Counsel is seeking to intervene on behalf of CEAI and will argue that the Consent Order is too broad and thus unconstitutional.
Read our News Release for more details.
Read our Legal Memorandum and Motion to Intervene.
Freedom Federation Press Conference
The Freedom Federation is an alliance of some of the largest faith-based organizations in the country that gathered in the Nation’s capital to plan, strategize, and work together on common interests within the Judeo-Christian tradition to mobilize their grassroots constituencies and to communicate faith and values to the religious, social, cultural, and policymaking institutions.
The Freedom Federation is committed to core values expressed in the Declaration of American Values, a document that sets forth foundational values. The constituents of these organizations are concerned about the spiritual, moral, cultural, and economic condition of the Nation.
To find out more watch our Freedom Federation Press Conference here.
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.
Mathew D. Staver - Founder and Chairman
Anita L. Staver - President
Liberty Counsel - 1-800-671-1776
PO Box 540774 - Orlando, FL 32854
"Insight"
Cap and Trade Will Destroy American Economy
By Deanna Phillips
Seriously folks---we are in a world of hurt! Did you hear about the provision in the cap and tax bill about house inspections? Apparently, if you sell a house, not only do you have your regular inspections, but you also have a "green" inspector sent by the government. You can't sell your house until you meet all of the "green" requirements. Such as, replacing all light bulbs, replacing toilets with low flow toilets, replacing windows if needed, adding low flow shower heads with timed shut off switches, adding to insulation, etc. etc.!! People won't be able to afford to sell a house, they'll have to incorporate those costs into the sale price, the costs of houses will sky rocket, pushing more and more folks into government housing projects because they wont be able to afford a home. Frankly, I believe this ENTIRE green movement and cap and trade bill is some sort of evil conspiracy to cripple the US and push us into one world globalization. It is most certainly a power grab! The only way Democrats can maintain their power is to create more and more dependant folks. What about that is sooo hard for some people to see!!!???
Remember how Al Gore was in bed with the Chinese back during the Clinton/Gore campaigns? It was even joked about on late night talk shows. But he never peeped a word about this global warming crap until a couple of years after he lost the 2000 election. Now he has a company selling carbon offsets for Christ's sake! All I know is that I smell a rat and if we can't get the rest of our fellow Americans to wake up and fight, we're all going down!!
I've been reading the cap and trade bill from the link you sent http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h2454eh.txt.pdf.
FRIGHTENING! INFURIATING! Thinking I've read about as much of it as most folks in congress. This is truly the end of the US as we know it! Talk about living under extreme government control!!! America will no longer be the land of the free! I'll be celebrating the 4th with a heavy heart.
"The Web"
We Now Have A Total Gangster Government
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thR-lVuztIY
Global Temperatures - U.N. Models vs. Reality (Actual Temperatures) - Suppressed Report
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKgsdernsPE&feature=player_embedded
Gibbs Grilled Over Planted Questions
http://video.newsmax.com/Manage/Videos/VideoGallery/Gibbs-Grilled-Over-Planted-Questions.aspx
Documents: Sotomayor Led Charge Against Bork
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/sotomayor_bork/2009/07/01/231206.html?s=al&promo_code=82A8-1
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Puerto Rican civil rights organization advised by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor campaigned against seating conservative Robert Bork on the high court in the late 1980s, according to new documents that shed light on the group that's become a key focus of Republicans questioning Sotomayor's fitness to be a justice.
The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund officially opposed Bork, whose nomination by President Ronald Reagan was rejected by the Senate in 1987, "because of the threat he poses to the civil rights of the Latino community," its president reported in one of several documents from the group that the Senate Judiciary Committee released Wednesday.
The 350-plus pages of material offer little evidence about Sotomayor's role in the cases and causes the organization, now known as LatinoJustice PRLDEF, took up while she served on its board from 1980 until 1992.
But Republicans quickly seized on them as full of "red flags" on Sotomayor, whose hearings are scheduled to begin July 13. A top aide to Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Judiciary panel, accused Sotomayor's allies of purposely withholding the documents in a bid to rush through Sotomayor's confirmation.
"This has all the hallmarks of a deliberate delay and an attempt to frustrate a thorough review of this important information," Stephen Boyd, Sessions' spokesman, said in a statement. "If these dilatory tactics continue, it will be increasingly more difficult for the hearing to go forward on July 13."
It's not atypical for records from a Supreme Court nominee's past to be released shortly before the start of confirmation hearings. The Judiciary panel got thousands of pages of material on Chief Justice John Roberts, for example, just before the opening of his hearings.
About six months later, in declining a request from Democrats for documents relating to Justice Samuel Alito's service at the Justice Department, the Bush administration argued that his decisions over 15 years on the federal bench "represent the best evidence of his judicial philosophy."
The new disclosures by PRLDEF catalog a wide range of discrimination lawsuits the group handled on behalf of Puerto Rican and other Hispanic minorities, including in the areas of voting, employment, housing and education. But the documents, which include minutes from board meetings Sotomayor attended while serving on the board and chairing its litigation committee, reveal no direct role by the federal appeals court judge in any of the cases or policy positions the PRLDEF took during her service there.
Republicans have criticized Sotomayor's participation in the group, which they say has taken radical positions and sought to gain racial preferences for Hispanics. They argue that her ties to the group, taken together with Sotomayor's statements about how her heritage shapes her views as a judge, raise doubts about whether she can be an impartial, colorblind justice.
Democrats counter that the group is a mainstream civil rights organization whose advocacy on behalf of the ethnic minority it represents is entirely appropriate.
They argue that the focus on PRLDEF's activities shows desperation on the part of the GOP, which has struggled to find its voice on Sotomayor, who would be the first Hispanic justice.
Her "critics must be getting desperate if they're grasping at straws like this," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., adding that senators should focus on Sotomayor's 17-year record as a judge rather than "fishing expeditions."
Sotomayor's allies also say she had no direct role in the cases the fund handled while she was on its board — even while chairing the board's litigation committee in the late 1980s. The documents reveal virtually nothing about her role on that panel.
Minutes from an October 1987 meeting quote Sotomayor as saying the committee was looking at past and present litigation efforts and "potential areas of emphasis" for the future, but the documents don't list any specific cases or issues she personally worked on.
GOP attorneys on the Judiciary Committee are scrutinizing the documents for any hint of bias they might reveal about Sotomayor. The attorneys point to the organization's opposition to Bork and its ties with the community organizing group ACORN — embroiled in voter registration complaints — as evidence that the group had a political agenda.
A summary of the group's 1987 activities reflects that it worked with ACORN to represent low-income Puerto Rican families in East New York who were banding together to ensure affordable housing in their area.
Democrats, meanwhile, were working to paint Sotomayor as a mainstream judge whose record runs counter to GOP charges that she's a liberal activist. Senate leaders circulated quotes from legal analysts saying that she follows precedent and shows restraint in her rulings.
“Cap-And-Trade” Tax Bill Narrowly Passes House"
Written by Thomas R. Eddlem
http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/component/content/article/1-latest/1306
“Cap-And-Trade” global-warming legislation that would — by President Barack Obama's own admission — “skyrocket” electricity rates as well as raise taxes on consumers narrowly passed the House of Representatives June 26 by a vote of 219-212. The legislation would levy new taxes and dramatic new regulations in order to cap carbon and other “greenhouse gas” emissions. Congressional Quarterly reported that eight Republicans who voted for the bill tipped the balance in favor of the legislation.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would raise an additional “$845.6 billion over the 2010–2019 period” in higher taxes, which represents an average of more than $4,000 per household in America. However, neither proponents nor opponents of the bill claim to know the precise new cost of the legislation’s extensive regulatory burden. The regulatory costs are likely to dwarf the cost of new taxes.
Proponents of the bill claim that the groundbreaking new federal energy mandates about carbon emissions would create new jobs. “This is a jobs bill,” Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) told Congressional Quarterly. “It will create millions of new clean energy jobs in whole new industries with incentives to drive competition in the energy marketplace.” President Barack Obama said in a statement on House passage that “it will make possible the creation of millions of new jobs. Now, make no mistake — this is a jobs bill.”
However, those claims by Obama, Markey, and others are based upon the dubious notion that huge consumer and corporate energy bills will create niche markets for energy-efficiency companies in the long run. In the short run, higher energy costs would drive up costs of goods produced by American companies across the market, and could sweep American-made products (along with American jobs) from the market when they face foreign competitors producing with lower energy costs.
"Today's razor-thin vote in the House spells doom in the Senate," Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) told the Associated Press. Americans who want to avoid both higher taxes and what President Barack Obama admits will be “skyrocketing” utility bills should more than hope so.
Obama's EPA Hides Global Cooling Data
From: ConservativeActionAlerts.
A special message from AmeriPAC:
Obama's EPA Hides Global Cooling Data White House Global Warming Report Refuses to Include New Research on Global Cooling Still Blaming Carbon.
In an Obama administration June 16th report that contains no new research Obama intentionally scared the public with the grimmest, most urgent language on climate change ever to come out of any White House. Rising sea levels, sweltering temperatures, deeper droughts, and heavier downpours - blaming carbon for global warming's alleged serious effects and lying to the country to collect the Obama "Energy Tax" passed by the House before going on vacation.
But was the report complete? Did it have all the relevant data? NO!!!
Senate Million Fax Campaign - The Obama-Pelosi-Reid Bill Strategy (Obama PR-BS) is dumping unfinished bills without notice or time to read the details on the House and Senate floor for votes. We must STOP Obama PR-BS and get ready for the Senate Fight. To do this we want to have 1 Million Faxes ready to go and everyone ready to call their Senators.
OBAMA'S promise "I pledge. No family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase." Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, NOT ANY OF YOUR TAXES."
Select Below STOP THE OBAMA "Energy Tax" Bill NOW!
FAX All Senators Tell Them To STOP Obama's "Energy Tax"!
https://secure.conservativedonations.com/ameripac_greentax_dc/?a=2664
Now Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla has ordered an investigation into the Environmental Protection Agency's alleged suppression of a 98-page report, co-authored by EPA analyst Alan Carlin that
questioned the science behind global warming.
The report details how regulating gases like carbon dioxide WILLNOT reduce global warming. Carlin's report states that the information the EPA is using is out of date, and that even as
atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased, global temperatures have declined.
Inhofe said "He (Carlin) came out with the truth. They don't want the truth at the EPA," he's ordered an investigation. "We're going to expose it."
Carbon Dioxide DOES NOT Cause Global Warming
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) Data The Truth For seven and a half years, is that global temperatures have been falling rapidly. The UN IPCC's predicted warming path (pink region) bears no relation to the global cooling data that the IPCC has observed in the 21st century to date. Source: SPPI global temperature index.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Is Food For Plants not "Air Pollutant"
CO2 is not an "air pollutant," but rather food for plants and marine life. And its atmospheric levels are controlled by temperature and other biological/chemical variables -- not the other way around (Just as: Lung Cancer does not cause smoking). But most of all, a magical CO2 knob for controlling weather and climate simply does not exist.
The possible effect that forcing down CO2 levels may have on plants by reducing the food supply are catastrophic.
WHY BLAME CARBON DIOXIDE?
The Answer:
Democrats Are Using The Carbon Lie To Raise Taxes
Hiring Joe Legal versus Hiring Jose Illegal!!!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2276816/posts
Here is an example of why hiring illegal aliens is not economically productive for the State of California ....You have 2 families..."Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal". Both families have 2 parents, 2 children and live in California .. "Joe Legal" works in construction, has a Social Security Number, and makes $25.00 per hour with payroll taxes deducted.... "Jose Illegal" also works in construction, has "NO" Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".
Joe Legal...$25.00 per hour x 40 hours $1000.00 per week, $52,000 per year Now take 30% away for state federal tax. Joe Legal now has $31,231.00.
Jose Illegal...$15.00 per hour x 40 hours $600.00 per week, $31,200.00 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes... Jose Illegal now has $31,200.00
Joe Legal pays Medical and Dental Insurance with limited coverage $1000.00 per month [$12,000.00 per year]. Joe Legal now has $19,231.00.
Jose Illegal has full Medical and Dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal makes too much money is not eligible for Food Stamps or welfare. Joe Legal pays for food. $1,000.00 per month [$12,000.00 per year]. Joe Legal now has $ 7,231.00
Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for Food Stamps and Welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays rent. $1,000.00 per month [$12,000.00 per year]. Joe Legal is now in the hole minus (-) $4,769.00.
Jose Illegal receives a $500 per month Federal rent subsidy. Jose Illegal pays rent. $500.00 per month (section 8 housing). $6,000.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $25,200.00.
Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work.
Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family (and eat out!).
Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get a government sponsored breakfast & lunch, and they also qualify to be "bused to school" at tax payer expense.
Jose Illegal's children have an after school ESL program. Joe Legal's children have to find a way to get to school and go home after school as, "latch-key kids" with no adult supervision.
Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same Police and Fire Services, but Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.
Jose Illegal can send most of his money back home to build a new home for retirement, and have money to buy a new truck (and still have Medi-Cal benefits while living in a foreign country; until someone turns him in to authorities....if they ever find out!!)
Joe will be lucky if he has any money for retirement, a new vehicle, medical/dental benefits, or a place to live.
I have done the math, all you have to do is to look at it yourself. Don't hire illegal aliens.....Don't vote for any politician that supports illegal aliens.....And most important of all, write your politicians and let them know how you feel
PS: You forgot, Jose illegal's wife claims "single, no head of Household" and collects additional benefits that Joe legal's wife cannot claim.
No wonder our country is in trouble!! Think about it!
http://www.geocities.com/ryet28/goodmorning.html
Good Morning My Friend,
I wake up in the morning,
And can hardly wait to see
If I've received a mailing,
addressed from you to me.
I get my puter running
And much to my delight,
Your poems, jokes and other things
Come quickly into sight.
Please keep those e-mails coming,
They are so enjoyable you see
Funny things, informative, friendly things
Those things you mail to me.
But most of all the fun of it,
Is knowing that they came.
From you my friend,
The one I need
Author not known.
"The e-mail Bag"
Lord, They Are Finally Together
Three husbands, 25 children . . ...
Judy got married and had 13 children. Ted, her first husband, died of cancer.
She remarried, and she and Bob had seven more children. After 12 years of marriage, Bob was killed in a car accident.
Judy married yet again, and she had five more children with John.
Judy finally died, leaving behind 25 children.
Standing before her coffin, the preacher prayed for her. He thanked God for this very loving woman and said, "Lord, they are finally together."
Ethel leaned over and quietly asked her best friend, Margaret: "Do you think he means her first, second, or third husband?"
Margaret replied, "I think he means her legs, Ethel.”
Can you solve this puzzle?
You are riding on a beautiful white horse.
On your left side is a drop off.
On your right side are several ostriches being chased by a lion.
In front of you are four la rge gazelles that won't get out of your way
and you can't seem to overtake them.
Behind you is a stampede of horses.
What must you do to get out of this highly dangerous situation?
For the answer click and drag your mouse from star to star.
* Get your drunk ass off the merry-go-round. *
"Daily Motivations"
Taking time for yourself should never be seen as a burden. Not on you, and not on anyone else. -- Elizabeth Franklin
"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)
"Let everyone in the world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of Him." (Psalm 33:8)
If we could just grasp even a part of the magnificent holiness of God, then the whole earth would shake with people falling to the ground in worship and adoration of Him. Such a view would precipitate a healthy fear of God, which is the necessary starting point.
True knowledge of God's holiness always elicits a worshipful response from us. Moses fell to his face before the burning bush. Isaiah said, "Woe is me!" (Isaiah 6:5). We cannot stand in the presence of God without acknowledging His holiness and seeing our own sin.
Whenever I meditate on the holiness of God, I am impressed with how worthy He is of our worship. I want to become absorbed with His holiness, rather than with His might, His wisdom, or His other magnificent attributes.
As we meditate on God's supreme holiness, we cannot help but be overcome with a sense of awe. Music can help us express our awe for our Lord. Many of the Christian hymns capture the spirit of worship. I encourage you to select one of them, such as Holy, Holy, Holy,or Agnus Dei and begin to worship God right now.
When we concentrate on God's holiness---His moral perfection and absolute purity---the only appropriate response is humble adoration, which is the basis for all worship.
"The Patriot Post"
"The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. ... How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?" -- John Adams
"'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,' Solomon tells us. Clearly, the future is in the care of our parents. Such is the responsibility, promise and hope of fatherhood. Such is the gift that our fathers give us. Our fathers bear an awesome responsibility -- one that they shoulder willingly and fulfill with a love that asks no recompense. By turns both gentle and firm, our fathers guide us along the path from infancy to adulthood. We embody their joy, pain and sacrifice, and inherit memories more cherished than any possession. On Father's Day each year, we express formally a love and gratitude whose roots go deeper than conscious memory can recite. It is only fitting that we have this special day to pay tribute to those men -- our natural fathers, adoptive fathers and foster fathers -- who deserve our deepest respect and devotion. It is equally fitting, as we recall the ancient and loving command to honor our fathers, that we resolve to do so by becoming ourselves parents and citizens who are worthy of honor." -- Ronald Reagan
"[F]or years, mainstream liberalism and other outposts of paranoid Bush hatred have portrayed neoconservatives -- usually code for conservative Jews and other supporters of Israel -- as an alien, pernicious cabal. 'They have penetrated the culture at nearly every level from the halls of academia to the halls of the Pentagon,' observed the New York Times.. '...They've accumulated the wherewithal financially (and) professionally to broadcast what they think over the airwaves to the masses or over cocktails to those at the highest levels of government.' NBC's Chris Matthews routinely used the word 'neocon' as if it was code for 'traitor.' He asked one guest whether White House neocons are 'loyal to the Kristol neoconservative movement, or to the president?' [Holocaust Museum shooter James] Von Brunn may have wondered the same thing, which is why he reportedly had the offices of Bill Kristol's 'Weekly Standard' on his hit list. Unhinged Bush-hater Andrew Sullivan insists that, 'The closer you examine it, the clearer it is that neoconservatism, in large part, is simply about enabling the most irredentist elements in Israel and sustaining a permanent war against anyone or any country who disagrees with the Israeli right.' Leading liberal intellectual Michael Lind warned about the alarming fact that 'the foreign policy of the world's only global power is being made by a small clique' of neoconservative plotters. Even with Bush out of the picture, some see the problem emerging again. Just this week, Jeremiah Wright, the president's longtime mentor and pastor, whined that, 'Them Jews aren't going to let him talk to me.' Maniacs like von Brunn connect dots that aren't there because that's what paranoid anti-Semites do. What's the left's excuse?" -- National Review editor Jonah Goldberg
"Liberty Counsel"
Online version easier to read? Go to www.LC.org
Christian Educators in Santa Rosa County Fight Back Against the ACLU
Liberty Counsel filed a motion to intervene on behalf of Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) in a lawsuit filed earlier this year by the ACLU against the Santa Rosa County School District. The ACLU filed suit, claiming some of the teachers and administration endorsed religion.
The School District attempted to settle the suit by joining with the ACLU and presenting the court with a Consent Order, which essentially bans all employees from engaging in prayer or religious activities, whether before, during, or after school hours.
Without any legal argument or briefing, the judge signed the order, but the order is so broad that it unconstitutionally infringes on the rights of teachers and administrators. The order also forces CEAI members to infringe upon the rights of students and other third parties.
Liberty Counsel is seeking to intervene on behalf of CEAI and will argue that the Consent Order is too broad and thus unconstitutional.
Read our News Release for more details.
Read our Legal Memorandum and Motion to Intervene.
Freedom Federation Press Conference
The Freedom Federation is an alliance of some of the largest faith-based organizations in the country that gathered in the Nation’s capital to plan, strategize, and work together on common interests within the Judeo-Christian tradition to mobilize their grassroots constituencies and to communicate faith and values to the religious, social, cultural, and policymaking institutions.
The Freedom Federation is committed to core values expressed in the Declaration of American Values, a document that sets forth foundational values. The constituents of these organizations are concerned about the spiritual, moral, cultural, and economic condition of the Nation.
To find out more watch our Freedom Federation Press Conference here.
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.
Mathew D. Staver - Founder and Chairman
Anita L. Staver - President
Liberty Counsel - 1-800-671-1776
PO Box 540774 - Orlando, FL 32854
"Insight"
Cap and Trade Will Destroy American Economy
By Deanna Phillips
Seriously folks---we are in a world of hurt! Did you hear about the provision in the cap and tax bill about house inspections? Apparently, if you sell a house, not only do you have your regular inspections, but you also have a "green" inspector sent by the government. You can't sell your house until you meet all of the "green" requirements. Such as, replacing all light bulbs, replacing toilets with low flow toilets, replacing windows if needed, adding low flow shower heads with timed shut off switches, adding to insulation, etc. etc.!! People won't be able to afford to sell a house, they'll have to incorporate those costs into the sale price, the costs of houses will sky rocket, pushing more and more folks into government housing projects because they wont be able to afford a home. Frankly, I believe this ENTIRE green movement and cap and trade bill is some sort of evil conspiracy to cripple the US and push us into one world globalization. It is most certainly a power grab! The only way Democrats can maintain their power is to create more and more dependant folks. What about that is sooo hard for some people to see!!!???
Remember how Al Gore was in bed with the Chinese back during the Clinton/Gore campaigns? It was even joked about on late night talk shows. But he never peeped a word about this global warming crap until a couple of years after he lost the 2000 election. Now he has a company selling carbon offsets for Christ's sake! All I know is that I smell a rat and if we can't get the rest of our fellow Americans to wake up and fight, we're all going down!!
I've been reading the cap and trade bill from the link you sent http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h2454eh.txt.pdf.
FRIGHTENING! INFURIATING! Thinking I've read about as much of it as most folks in congress. This is truly the end of the US as we know it! Talk about living under extreme government control!!! America will no longer be the land of the free! I'll be celebrating the 4th with a heavy heart.
"The Web"
We Now Have A Total Gangster Government
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thR-lVuztIY
Global Temperatures - U.N. Models vs. Reality (Actual Temperatures) - Suppressed Report
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKgsdernsPE&feature=player_embedded
Gibbs Grilled Over Planted Questions
http://video.newsmax.com/Manage/Videos/VideoGallery/Gibbs-Grilled-Over-Planted-Questions.aspx
Documents: Sotomayor Led Charge Against Bork
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/sotomayor_bork/2009/07/01/231206.html?s=al&promo_code=82A8-1
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Puerto Rican civil rights organization advised by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor campaigned against seating conservative Robert Bork on the high court in the late 1980s, according to new documents that shed light on the group that's become a key focus of Republicans questioning Sotomayor's fitness to be a justice.
The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund officially opposed Bork, whose nomination by President Ronald Reagan was rejected by the Senate in 1987, "because of the threat he poses to the civil rights of the Latino community," its president reported in one of several documents from the group that the Senate Judiciary Committee released Wednesday.
The 350-plus pages of material offer little evidence about Sotomayor's role in the cases and causes the organization, now known as LatinoJustice PRLDEF, took up while she served on its board from 1980 until 1992.
But Republicans quickly seized on them as full of "red flags" on Sotomayor, whose hearings are scheduled to begin July 13. A top aide to Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Judiciary panel, accused Sotomayor's allies of purposely withholding the documents in a bid to rush through Sotomayor's confirmation.
"This has all the hallmarks of a deliberate delay and an attempt to frustrate a thorough review of this important information," Stephen Boyd, Sessions' spokesman, said in a statement. "If these dilatory tactics continue, it will be increasingly more difficult for the hearing to go forward on July 13."
It's not atypical for records from a Supreme Court nominee's past to be released shortly before the start of confirmation hearings. The Judiciary panel got thousands of pages of material on Chief Justice John Roberts, for example, just before the opening of his hearings.
About six months later, in declining a request from Democrats for documents relating to Justice Samuel Alito's service at the Justice Department, the Bush administration argued that his decisions over 15 years on the federal bench "represent the best evidence of his judicial philosophy."
The new disclosures by PRLDEF catalog a wide range of discrimination lawsuits the group handled on behalf of Puerto Rican and other Hispanic minorities, including in the areas of voting, employment, housing and education. But the documents, which include minutes from board meetings Sotomayor attended while serving on the board and chairing its litigation committee, reveal no direct role by the federal appeals court judge in any of the cases or policy positions the PRLDEF took during her service there.
Republicans have criticized Sotomayor's participation in the group, which they say has taken radical positions and sought to gain racial preferences for Hispanics. They argue that her ties to the group, taken together with Sotomayor's statements about how her heritage shapes her views as a judge, raise doubts about whether she can be an impartial, colorblind justice.
Democrats counter that the group is a mainstream civil rights organization whose advocacy on behalf of the ethnic minority it represents is entirely appropriate.
They argue that the focus on PRLDEF's activities shows desperation on the part of the GOP, which has struggled to find its voice on Sotomayor, who would be the first Hispanic justice.
Her "critics must be getting desperate if they're grasping at straws like this," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., adding that senators should focus on Sotomayor's 17-year record as a judge rather than "fishing expeditions."
Sotomayor's allies also say she had no direct role in the cases the fund handled while she was on its board — even while chairing the board's litigation committee in the late 1980s. The documents reveal virtually nothing about her role on that panel.
Minutes from an October 1987 meeting quote Sotomayor as saying the committee was looking at past and present litigation efforts and "potential areas of emphasis" for the future, but the documents don't list any specific cases or issues she personally worked on.
GOP attorneys on the Judiciary Committee are scrutinizing the documents for any hint of bias they might reveal about Sotomayor. The attorneys point to the organization's opposition to Bork and its ties with the community organizing group ACORN — embroiled in voter registration complaints — as evidence that the group had a political agenda.
A summary of the group's 1987 activities reflects that it worked with ACORN to represent low-income Puerto Rican families in East New York who were banding together to ensure affordable housing in their area.
Democrats, meanwhile, were working to paint Sotomayor as a mainstream judge whose record runs counter to GOP charges that she's a liberal activist. Senate leaders circulated quotes from legal analysts saying that she follows precedent and shows restraint in her rulings.
“Cap-And-Trade” Tax Bill Narrowly Passes House"
Written by Thomas R. Eddlem
http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/component/content/article/1-latest/1306
“Cap-And-Trade” global-warming legislation that would — by President Barack Obama's own admission — “skyrocket” electricity rates as well as raise taxes on consumers narrowly passed the House of Representatives June 26 by a vote of 219-212. The legislation would levy new taxes and dramatic new regulations in order to cap carbon and other “greenhouse gas” emissions. Congressional Quarterly reported that eight Republicans who voted for the bill tipped the balance in favor of the legislation.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would raise an additional “$845.6 billion over the 2010–2019 period” in higher taxes, which represents an average of more than $4,000 per household in America. However, neither proponents nor opponents of the bill claim to know the precise new cost of the legislation’s extensive regulatory burden. The regulatory costs are likely to dwarf the cost of new taxes.
Proponents of the bill claim that the groundbreaking new federal energy mandates about carbon emissions would create new jobs. “This is a jobs bill,” Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) told Congressional Quarterly. “It will create millions of new clean energy jobs in whole new industries with incentives to drive competition in the energy marketplace.” President Barack Obama said in a statement on House passage that “it will make possible the creation of millions of new jobs. Now, make no mistake — this is a jobs bill.”
However, those claims by Obama, Markey, and others are based upon the dubious notion that huge consumer and corporate energy bills will create niche markets for energy-efficiency companies in the long run. In the short run, higher energy costs would drive up costs of goods produced by American companies across the market, and could sweep American-made products (along with American jobs) from the market when they face foreign competitors producing with lower energy costs.
"Today's razor-thin vote in the House spells doom in the Senate," Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) told the Associated Press. Americans who want to avoid both higher taxes and what President Barack Obama admits will be “skyrocketing” utility bills should more than hope so.
Obama's EPA Hides Global Cooling Data
From: ConservativeActionAlerts.
A special message from AmeriPAC:
Obama's EPA Hides Global Cooling Data White House Global Warming Report Refuses to Include New Research on Global Cooling Still Blaming Carbon.
In an Obama administration June 16th report that contains no new research Obama intentionally scared the public with the grimmest, most urgent language on climate change ever to come out of any White House. Rising sea levels, sweltering temperatures, deeper droughts, and heavier downpours - blaming carbon for global warming's alleged serious effects and lying to the country to collect the Obama "Energy Tax" passed by the House before going on vacation.
But was the report complete? Did it have all the relevant data? NO!!!
Senate Million Fax Campaign - The Obama-Pelosi-Reid Bill Strategy (Obama PR-BS) is dumping unfinished bills without notice or time to read the details on the House and Senate floor for votes. We must STOP Obama PR-BS and get ready for the Senate Fight. To do this we want to have 1 Million Faxes ready to go and everyone ready to call their Senators.
OBAMA'S promise "I pledge. No family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase." Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, NOT ANY OF YOUR TAXES."
Select Below STOP THE OBAMA "Energy Tax" Bill NOW!
FAX All Senators Tell Them To STOP Obama's "Energy Tax"!
https://secure.conservativedonations.com/ameripac_greentax_dc/?a=2664
Now Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla has ordered an investigation into the Environmental Protection Agency's alleged suppression of a 98-page report, co-authored by EPA analyst Alan Carlin that
questioned the science behind global warming.
The report details how regulating gases like carbon dioxide WILLNOT reduce global warming. Carlin's report states that the information the EPA is using is out of date, and that even as
atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased, global temperatures have declined.
Inhofe said "He (Carlin) came out with the truth. They don't want the truth at the EPA," he's ordered an investigation. "We're going to expose it."
Carbon Dioxide DOES NOT Cause Global Warming
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) Data The Truth For seven and a half years, is that global temperatures have been falling rapidly. The UN IPCC's predicted warming path (pink region) bears no relation to the global cooling data that the IPCC has observed in the 21st century to date. Source: SPPI global temperature index.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Is Food For Plants not "Air Pollutant"
CO2 is not an "air pollutant," but rather food for plants and marine life. And its atmospheric levels are controlled by temperature and other biological/chemical variables -- not the other way around (Just as: Lung Cancer does not cause smoking). But most of all, a magical CO2 knob for controlling weather and climate simply does not exist.
The possible effect that forcing down CO2 levels may have on plants by reducing the food supply are catastrophic.
WHY BLAME CARBON DIOXIDE?
The Answer:
Democrats Are Using The Carbon Lie To Raise Taxes
Hiring Joe Legal versus Hiring Jose Illegal!!!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2276816/posts
Here is an example of why hiring illegal aliens is not economically productive for the State of California ....You have 2 families..."Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal". Both families have 2 parents, 2 children and live in California .. "Joe Legal" works in construction, has a Social Security Number, and makes $25.00 per hour with payroll taxes deducted.... "Jose Illegal" also works in construction, has "NO" Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".
Joe Legal...$25.00 per hour x 40 hours $1000.00 per week, $52,000 per year Now take 30% away for state federal tax. Joe Legal now has $31,231.00.
Jose Illegal...$15.00 per hour x 40 hours $600.00 per week, $31,200.00 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes... Jose Illegal now has $31,200.00
Joe Legal pays Medical and Dental Insurance with limited coverage $1000.00 per month [$12,000.00 per year]. Joe Legal now has $19,231.00.
Jose Illegal has full Medical and Dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal makes too much money is not eligible for Food Stamps or welfare. Joe Legal pays for food. $1,000.00 per month [$12,000.00 per year]. Joe Legal now has $ 7,231.00
Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for Food Stamps and Welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays rent. $1,000.00 per month [$12,000.00 per year]. Joe Legal is now in the hole minus (-) $4,769.00.
Jose Illegal receives a $500 per month Federal rent subsidy. Jose Illegal pays rent. $500.00 per month (section 8 housing). $6,000.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $25,200.00.
Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work.
Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family (and eat out!).
Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get a government sponsored breakfast & lunch, and they also qualify to be "bused to school" at tax payer expense.
Jose Illegal's children have an after school ESL program. Joe Legal's children have to find a way to get to school and go home after school as, "latch-key kids" with no adult supervision.
Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same Police and Fire Services, but Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.
Jose Illegal can send most of his money back home to build a new home for retirement, and have money to buy a new truck (and still have Medi-Cal benefits while living in a foreign country; until someone turns him in to authorities....if they ever find out!!)
Joe will be lucky if he has any money for retirement, a new vehicle, medical/dental benefits, or a place to live.
I have done the math, all you have to do is to look at it yourself. Don't hire illegal aliens.....Don't vote for any politician that supports illegal aliens.....And most important of all, write your politicians and let them know how you feel
PS: You forgot, Jose illegal's wife claims "single, no head of Household" and collects additional benefits that Joe legal's wife cannot claim.
No wonder our country is in trouble!! Think about it!
http://www.geocities.com/ryet28/goodmorning.html
Good Morning My Friend,
I wake up in the morning,
And can hardly wait to see
If I've received a mailing,
addressed from you to me.
I get my puter running
And much to my delight,
Your poems, jokes and other things
Come quickly into sight.
Please keep those e-mails coming,
They are so enjoyable you see
Funny things, informative, friendly things
Those things you mail to me.
But most of all the fun of it,
Is knowing that they came.
From you my friend,
The one I need
Author not known.
"The e-mail Bag"
Lord, They Are Finally Together
Three husbands, 25 children . . ...
Judy got married and had 13 children. Ted, her first husband, died of cancer.
She remarried, and she and Bob had seven more children. After 12 years of marriage, Bob was killed in a car accident.
Judy married yet again, and she had five more children with John.
Judy finally died, leaving behind 25 children.
Standing before her coffin, the preacher prayed for her. He thanked God for this very loving woman and said, "Lord, they are finally together."
Ethel leaned over and quietly asked her best friend, Margaret: "Do you think he means her first, second, or third husband?"
Margaret replied, "I think he means her legs, Ethel.”
Can you solve this puzzle?
You are riding on a beautiful white horse.
On your left side is a drop off.
On your right side are several ostriches being chased by a lion.
In front of you are four la rge gazelles that won't get out of your way
and you can't seem to overtake them.
Behind you is a stampede of horses.
What must you do to get out of this highly dangerous situation?
For the answer click and drag your mouse from star to star.
* Get your drunk ass off the merry-go-round. *
Thursday, July 2, 2009
ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report -20090702
Motivational-Inspirational-Historical-Educational-Political-Enjoyable
"My Comments" - Fourth of July is a most special day for me, as daily I take a minute to thank God for the historical wisdom of our founders of the Declaration of Independence, the great men and women whom continue to keep our Constitution pure, and the many members of our US Military, some more than 600,000 Americans whom have given their lives on the battleground, and many others whom have served, and continue to serve so well, protecting our US flag and the freedoms which are represented within the Constitution.
July 4, 2002 is also a day of remembrance as that was the day when I had a stroke. Upon awaking, I had a totally blank mind of any and all words. I did not even know my own son.
My speech therapy gave me required work on a weekly basis. At the time, it was tough for me to add 3 + 3 and come up with an answer of 6; add 4 + 5 and come up with an answer of 9; or to read and understand how simple words were pronounced, and/or what they meant. Oh boy, how blessed I am to recover, be able to read and write for some four (4) to ten (10) hours daily. I may not have totally recovered, but I am getting there. Thanks to God and for all whom have helped me along the way. Fourth of July is America's Birthday! - oyh
We will be taking Friday, July 3, as a ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report "All American" holiday.
God Bless you all!
Oscar Y. Harward
Lee Greenwood - God Bless The USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RssIN3ustUw
4th. of July
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acyfaAd1LV8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Fvideosearch%3Fq%3D4th%2E%2Bof%2BJuly%26rlz%3D1I7ACEW%5FenUS331US331%26oe%3DUTF%2D8%26sourceid%3Die7%26um%3D1%26ie%3DUTF%2D8%26ei%3D48pDSqDRNJ6qt&feature=player_embedded
"Daily Motivations"
Time, indeed, is a sacred gift, and each day is a little life. -- John Lubbock
"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)
"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." (Romans 16:20
God is more powerful than all the rulers on earth. Do the nuclear capabilities, chemical weapons, and military strength of other countries frighten you? We do not need to fear. The prophet Isaiah writes, "All the nations of the world are nothing in comparison with Him. They are but a drop in the bucket, dust on the scales." (Isaiah 40:15)
We need not fear that any one person or nation will put God to the test. He is so far above our earthly governments that they can do nothing outside His power. No ruler or army can change any plan that God has made.
God is also infinitely more powerful than Satan and his evil legions. God is not intimidated by the devil's rebellious hatred. God is the Creator; Satan is a created being who can operate only within the prescribed limits God places on him.
The Book of Matthew records Jesus' encounter with two men who were demon-possessed. The demons immediately recognized the Son of God's power by saying, "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" They requested that He let them go into a nearby herd of pigs. He said one powerful word---"Go!" And they did. In response, the pigs ran over a cliff to their deaths. (Matthew 8:28-32, NIV).
As Christians, sometimes we feel that the forces of evil have the upper hand. But our almighty God fights for us. How encouraging it is to know that God is all-powerful!
"The Patriot Post"
I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of light and glory; I can see that the end is more than worth all the means, and that posterity will triumph. -- John Adams, letter to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776
There! His Majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head! -- John Hancock (attributed), upon signing the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. -- Benjamin Franklin (attributed), at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
The flames kindled on the 4th of July 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them. -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, September 12, 1821
"The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. ... How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?" -- John Adams
"The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. ... How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?" -- John Adams
THE GIPPER
"'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,' Solomon tells us. Clearly, the future is in the care of our parents. Such is the responsibility, promise and hope of fatherhood. Such is the gift that our fathers give us. Our fathers bear an awesome responsibility -- one that they shoulder willingly and fulfill with a love that asks no recompense. By turns both gentle and firm, our fathers guide us along the path from infancy to adulthood. We embody their joy, pain and sacrifice, and inherit memories more cherished than any possession. On Father's Day each year, we express formally a love and gratitude whose roots go deeper than conscious memory can recite. It is only fitting that we have this special day to pay tribute to those men -- our natural fathers, adoptive fathers and foster fathers -- who deserve our deepest respect and devotion. It is equally fitting, as we recall the ancient and loving command to honor our fathers, that we resolve to do so by becoming ourselves parents and citizens who are worthy of honor." -- Ronald Reagan
OPINION IN BRIEF
"The Senate is considering a so-called 'Cash for Clunkers' program. The idea behind the legislation ... is that if you trade in your older car or SUV, the government will provide you with a voucher up to $4,500 to purchase a new car or SUV that is more fuel efficient. Supposedly this would boost new car sales and help the beleaguered auto industry while also reducing global warming. In reality, it's a big government idea with many startling, unintended consequences. Meanwhile, even the intended consequences are bad for taxpayers, because this legislation is estimated to cost between $3 and $4 billion. One unintended consequence of this bill is that it would further hurt the poor. That may seem counterintuitive. Yet the best way for a family to qualify for the program is for it to purchase an overpriced hybrid vehicle. If a family is struggling to put food on the table, even a $4,500 voucher doesn't make such a car affordable. The only way for a low-income family to participate is to incur more debt. If you own a 'clunker,' you would be harmed by this legislation, because it would remove old cars, and old car parts, from the market, making older cars even more expensive to buy and to fix. Because the government plans to destroy the 'clunkers' traded in -- even if they are perfectly good vehicles -- the supply of used cars will dwindle and both used -- and new-car prices will increase. Environmentalists don't see this as a problem, nor do automakers, because they want to use the power of the state to drive new car sales. But conservatives should be wary. As we have seen repeatedly over the past year, when special interests win, the ordinary American loses." -- Heritage Foundation director of U.S. Senate Relations Brian Darling
GOVERNMENT
"Big government depends, in large part, in going around the country stirring up apathy -- creating the sense that problems are so big, so complex, so intractable that even attempting to think about them for yourself gives you such a splitting headache it's easier to shrug and accept as given the proposition that only government can deal with them. ... I get a lot of mail each week arguing that, when folks see the price tag attached to Obama's plans, they'll get angry. Maybe. But, if Europe's a guide, at least as many people will retreat into apathy. Once big government's in place, it's very hard to go back." -- columnist Mark Steyn
"The Web"
96 Hours AFTER the cap-and-trade vote, final bill released
When the Democrat majority in the US House voted on the so-called "Stimulus" (H.R. 1 (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) on February 13, 2009, no member in the House of Representatives could raise their hand to confirm they had read that legislation. Republican Party members wanted to read and understand the Democrat Party so-called "Stimulus" legislation, as the Democrat Party leaders had denied almost all Republican Party members amendments. The Democrat Party leaders pressed on saying that legislation had to be passed that day, and the legislation could not wait until over the weekend, as time was of the essence. Then President Obama did not sign immediately and waited until a ceremonial signing on February 17, 2009 in Denver, CO.
Now the Democrat Party majority has done it again. Earlier in the afternoon/evening, Republican Party leaders asked for the opportunity to wait until Monday, June 29, 2009 to vote on this measure, as a three hundred one (301) pages of amendments had been presented and at 3:09 AM on Friday morning, and the Republican members wanted to read and understand what these Democrat Party amendments would alter the previously presented legislation. Prior to, and upon voting and passing the "Cap and Trade" (H.R. 2454) legislation on Friday evening June 26, 2009, again, no member in the House of Representatives could raise their hand to confirm they had read the amendments and/or the entire legislation.
Is this the legislative activity which "change" America voted for; for elected members on Capitol Hill to blindly vote for unknown legislation? I hope not!
Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio said, "This is the biggest job-killing bill that has ever been on the floor of the House of Representatives. Right here. This bill," - oyh
To read the entire 1428 pages, just click the link below!
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h2454eh.txt.pdf
From Brian M Johnson
http://www.atr.org/hours-cap-trade-vote-final-bill-a3460
I'm no Congressional Parliamentarian, but shouldn't the full bill be released before the vote and not after?
Oh wait...I forgot, Obama didn't really want transparency, he just said he did to get elected. Kind of like that "I won't tax people who make less than $250k" line. I guess people who make less than $250k don't do silly things like turn on the lights or drive to the store - because those are the actions that this bill, supported by the President, will tax.
Click here for the full text of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, commonly referred to as the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade or cap-and-tax bill.
Troubled Seas Ahead
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280542/posts
I'll try to stay off my soapbox, but two points are worth mentioning. First, as noted by McNeal, is that the primary function of the federal government is to provide for the common defense -- not health care, green initiatives (readers: please don't try to combine global warming projections into security, as some are wont to do. It's lame) and corporate bailouts.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, is the fact that our powerful military exists to prevent a war as much as it exists to win a war. Si vis pacem, para bellum, if you will. One can argue that our strategic nuclear deterrent accomplishes this well enough, but I'm not convinced. I'd rather spend 5%-6% of our GDP on ensuring we never have to suffer through another WWI or WWII. One can argue Vietnam, Iraq, et al... but neither of those conflicts came close to the cost of the major theater level wars -- both in lives and treasure lost.
Judge Puts Boies and Olson’s Prop. 8 Challenge on Fast Track to Trial
To me, it is unbelievable that Attorney Ted Olson would work for the California left-wingers who are making an effort to overthrow the November, 2008 election of Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriages. Attorney Ted Olson is fighting for the left-winges and against Liberty Counsel. It bothers me as only a very short years ago, I recommended to President Bush that he consider Ted Olson as a nominee to the US Supreme Court. How wrong I was! - oyh
By Ashby Jones
In late May, shortly after the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, two same-sex couples filed suit in San Francisco federal court, challenging Prop. 8 on grounds that it violated the U.S. Constitution. The lawyers in the case: heavyweights David Boies and Ted Olson.
At the time, as we blogged, the mere filing of the complaint stirred up some controversy, even among other Prop. 8 opponents, who fear that setting a case on the path to the U.S. Supreme Court may not be the best strategic move.
Well, on Tuesday, the case took a baby step closer to the Supreme Court when the judge assigned to the case, San Francisco federal judge Vaughn Walker, said that while he was inclined not to issue an injunction halting the application of the law, he was eager to set the case on a fast track to trial. Click here for the SF Chronicle article.
Trial? Trial, you say? We had the same question — figuring if there was ever a case that could be disposed of by motions, it was this one. But, according to this article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Walker said the case raises numerous issues that may need to be considered at a trial, including the history of discrimination against gays and lesbians and the intent and effects of the state constitutional amendment.
Attorney Brian Raum of the Alliance Defense Fund, representing sponsors of Prop. 8, said he sees no need for a trial. “We think this is an issue of law” that does not depend on disputed evidence, Raum said. For example, he said, questions of past persecution of gays and lesbians are irrelevant because Prop. 8 allows them to marry, as long as they wed someone of the opposite sex.
Olson and Boies argue that Prop. 8 violates the U.S. Constitution by violating both the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process right as well as the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Guarantee.
Olson said he was pleased with Walker’s approach, even though the ballot measure will remain in effect.
“He’s taking the case very seriously,” Olson said. “We’re prepared, willing and able to move as fast as the judge is willing to go.”
The Declaration of Independence
Military.com
http://www.military.com/independence-day/the-declaration-independence.html?ESRC=vr.nl
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country. We invite you to read a transcription of the complete text of the Declaration.
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Soldiers in Iraq Mark Fourth of July
2009 Fourth of July Concert
Reminder to Celebrate Responsibly
Fun Facts About the Fourth
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province,
establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton
* Independence Day July 4th *
On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from Britain and Democracy was born. Every day thousands leave their homeland to come to the "land of the free and the home of the brave" so they can begin their American Dream.
The United States is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic people. Each year on July 4, Americans celebrate that freedom and independence with barbecues, picnics, and family gatherings. Through the Internet we are learning about and communicating with people of different nations, with different languages and different races throughout the world. Bringing the world closer with understanding and knowledge can only benefit all nations.
We invite all nations to celebrate with Americans online this Fourth of July.
Happy Birthday, America!
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Full text of the Star Spangled Banner
http://usacitylink.com/usa/?file=/citylink/usa/ssb.html
"The Star Spangled Banner"
The Defense of Fort McHenry by Francis Scott Key
20 September 1814
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
The History of Fourth of July
Military.com
http://www.military.com/independence-day/history-of-independence-day.html?ESRC=army.nl
On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, also known as Independence Day, Americans celebrate this historic event.
Conflict between the colonies and England was already a year old when the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. In a June 7 session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."
Lee's words were the impetus for the drafting of a formal Declaration of Independence, although the resolution was not followed up on immediately. On June 11, consideration of the resolution was postponed by a vote of seven colonies to five, with New York abstaining. However, a Committee of Five was appointed to draft a statement presenting to the world the colonies' case for independence. Members of the Committee included John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. The task of drafting the actual document fell on Jefferson.
On July 1, 1776, the Continental Congress reconvened, and on the following day, the Lee Resolution for independence was adopted by 12 of the 13 colonies, New York not voting. Discussions of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence resulted in some minor changes, but the spirit of the document was unchanged. The process of revision continued through all of July 3 and into the late afternoon of July 4, when the Declaration was officially adopted. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration, two -- Pennsylvania and South Carolina -- voted No, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained. John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock's signed his name "with a great flourish" so England's "King George can read that without spectacles!"
Today, the original copy of the Declaration is housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and July 4 has been designated a national holiday to commemorate the day the United States laid down its claim to be a free and independent nation.
"Once upon a time there was honor among men."
Look carefully at the B-17 and note how shot up it is - one engine dead, tail, horizontal stabilizer and nose shot up.. It was ready to fall out of the sky. Then realize that there is a German ME-109 fighter flying next to it. Now read the story below. I think you'll be surprised......
Charlie Brown was a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton , England .. His B-17 was called 'Ye Old Pub' and was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and fighters. The compass was damaged and they were flying deeper over enemy territory instead of heading home to Kimbolton.
After flying over an enemy airfield, a German pilot named Franz Steigler was ordered to take off and shoot down the B-17. When he got near the B-17, he could not believe his eyes. In his words, he 'had never seen a plane in such a bad state'. The tail and rear section was severely damaged, and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was all over the top of the fuselage. The nose was smashed and there were holes everywhere.
Despite having ammunition, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked at Charlie Brown, the pilot. Brown was scared and struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane.
Aware that they had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180degrees. Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane to, and slightly over, the North Sea towards England. He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe.
When Franz landed he told the CO that the plane had been shot down over the sea, and never told the truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and the remains of his crew told all at their briefing, but were ordered never to talk about it.
More than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to find the Luftwaffe pilot who saved the crew. After years of research, Franz was found. He had never talked about the incident, not even at post-war reunions.
They met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 people who are alive now - all because Franz never fired his guns that day.
Research shows that Charlie Brown lived in Seattle and Franz Steigler had moved to Vancouver , BC after the war. When they finally met, they discovered they had lived less than 200 miles apart for the past 50 years!
http://www.snopes.com/military/charliebrown.asp
"The e-mail Bag"
MARRIAGE SEMINAR
While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with communication, Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor, "It is essential that husbands and wives know each other's likes and dislikes."
He addressed the man, "Can you name your wife's favorite flower?"
Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "It's Pillsbury, isn't it?
CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS
A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up & down the aisles. The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him.
He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife.
She directs him down the correct aisle.
A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter.
She says, confused, "Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife?
He answers, "You see, it's like this, yesterday, I sent my wife to the store to get me a carton of cigarettes, and she came back with a tin of tobacco and some rolling papers; cause it's sooo-ooo--oo-ooo much cheaper.
So, I figure if I have to roll my own ........... so does she.
"My Comments" - Fourth of July is a most special day for me, as daily I take a minute to thank God for the historical wisdom of our founders of the Declaration of Independence, the great men and women whom continue to keep our Constitution pure, and the many members of our US Military, some more than 600,000 Americans whom have given their lives on the battleground, and many others whom have served, and continue to serve so well, protecting our US flag and the freedoms which are represented within the Constitution.
July 4, 2002 is also a day of remembrance as that was the day when I had a stroke. Upon awaking, I had a totally blank mind of any and all words. I did not even know my own son.
My speech therapy gave me required work on a weekly basis. At the time, it was tough for me to add 3 + 3 and come up with an answer of 6; add 4 + 5 and come up with an answer of 9; or to read and understand how simple words were pronounced, and/or what they meant. Oh boy, how blessed I am to recover, be able to read and write for some four (4) to ten (10) hours daily. I may not have totally recovered, but I am getting there. Thanks to God and for all whom have helped me along the way. Fourth of July is America's Birthday! - oyh
We will be taking Friday, July 3, as a ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report "All American" holiday.
God Bless you all!
Oscar Y. Harward
Lee Greenwood - God Bless The USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RssIN3ustUw
4th. of July
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acyfaAd1LV8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Fvideosearch%3Fq%3D4th%2E%2Bof%2BJuly%26rlz%3D1I7ACEW%5FenUS331US331%26oe%3DUTF%2D8%26sourceid%3Die7%26um%3D1%26ie%3DUTF%2D8%26ei%3D48pDSqDRNJ6qt&feature=player_embedded
"Daily Motivations"
Time, indeed, is a sacred gift, and each day is a little life. -- John Lubbock
"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)
"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." (Romans 16:20
God is more powerful than all the rulers on earth. Do the nuclear capabilities, chemical weapons, and military strength of other countries frighten you? We do not need to fear. The prophet Isaiah writes, "All the nations of the world are nothing in comparison with Him. They are but a drop in the bucket, dust on the scales." (Isaiah 40:15)
We need not fear that any one person or nation will put God to the test. He is so far above our earthly governments that they can do nothing outside His power. No ruler or army can change any plan that God has made.
God is also infinitely more powerful than Satan and his evil legions. God is not intimidated by the devil's rebellious hatred. God is the Creator; Satan is a created being who can operate only within the prescribed limits God places on him.
The Book of Matthew records Jesus' encounter with two men who were demon-possessed. The demons immediately recognized the Son of God's power by saying, "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" They requested that He let them go into a nearby herd of pigs. He said one powerful word---"Go!" And they did. In response, the pigs ran over a cliff to their deaths. (Matthew 8:28-32, NIV).
As Christians, sometimes we feel that the forces of evil have the upper hand. But our almighty God fights for us. How encouraging it is to know that God is all-powerful!
"The Patriot Post"
I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of light and glory; I can see that the end is more than worth all the means, and that posterity will triumph. -- John Adams, letter to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776
There! His Majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head! -- John Hancock (attributed), upon signing the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. -- Benjamin Franklin (attributed), at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
The flames kindled on the 4th of July 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them. -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, September 12, 1821
"The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. ... How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?" -- John Adams
"The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. ... How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?" -- John Adams
THE GIPPER
"'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,' Solomon tells us. Clearly, the future is in the care of our parents. Such is the responsibility, promise and hope of fatherhood. Such is the gift that our fathers give us. Our fathers bear an awesome responsibility -- one that they shoulder willingly and fulfill with a love that asks no recompense. By turns both gentle and firm, our fathers guide us along the path from infancy to adulthood. We embody their joy, pain and sacrifice, and inherit memories more cherished than any possession. On Father's Day each year, we express formally a love and gratitude whose roots go deeper than conscious memory can recite. It is only fitting that we have this special day to pay tribute to those men -- our natural fathers, adoptive fathers and foster fathers -- who deserve our deepest respect and devotion. It is equally fitting, as we recall the ancient and loving command to honor our fathers, that we resolve to do so by becoming ourselves parents and citizens who are worthy of honor." -- Ronald Reagan
OPINION IN BRIEF
"The Senate is considering a so-called 'Cash for Clunkers' program. The idea behind the legislation ... is that if you trade in your older car or SUV, the government will provide you with a voucher up to $4,500 to purchase a new car or SUV that is more fuel efficient. Supposedly this would boost new car sales and help the beleaguered auto industry while also reducing global warming. In reality, it's a big government idea with many startling, unintended consequences. Meanwhile, even the intended consequences are bad for taxpayers, because this legislation is estimated to cost between $3 and $4 billion. One unintended consequence of this bill is that it would further hurt the poor. That may seem counterintuitive. Yet the best way for a family to qualify for the program is for it to purchase an overpriced hybrid vehicle. If a family is struggling to put food on the table, even a $4,500 voucher doesn't make such a car affordable. The only way for a low-income family to participate is to incur more debt. If you own a 'clunker,' you would be harmed by this legislation, because it would remove old cars, and old car parts, from the market, making older cars even more expensive to buy and to fix. Because the government plans to destroy the 'clunkers' traded in -- even if they are perfectly good vehicles -- the supply of used cars will dwindle and both used -- and new-car prices will increase. Environmentalists don't see this as a problem, nor do automakers, because they want to use the power of the state to drive new car sales. But conservatives should be wary. As we have seen repeatedly over the past year, when special interests win, the ordinary American loses." -- Heritage Foundation director of U.S. Senate Relations Brian Darling
GOVERNMENT
"Big government depends, in large part, in going around the country stirring up apathy -- creating the sense that problems are so big, so complex, so intractable that even attempting to think about them for yourself gives you such a splitting headache it's easier to shrug and accept as given the proposition that only government can deal with them. ... I get a lot of mail each week arguing that, when folks see the price tag attached to Obama's plans, they'll get angry. Maybe. But, if Europe's a guide, at least as many people will retreat into apathy. Once big government's in place, it's very hard to go back." -- columnist Mark Steyn
"The Web"
96 Hours AFTER the cap-and-trade vote, final bill released
When the Democrat majority in the US House voted on the so-called "Stimulus" (H.R. 1 (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) on February 13, 2009, no member in the House of Representatives could raise their hand to confirm they had read that legislation. Republican Party members wanted to read and understand the Democrat Party so-called "Stimulus" legislation, as the Democrat Party leaders had denied almost all Republican Party members amendments. The Democrat Party leaders pressed on saying that legislation had to be passed that day, and the legislation could not wait until over the weekend, as time was of the essence. Then President Obama did not sign immediately and waited until a ceremonial signing on February 17, 2009 in Denver, CO.
Now the Democrat Party majority has done it again. Earlier in the afternoon/evening, Republican Party leaders asked for the opportunity to wait until Monday, June 29, 2009 to vote on this measure, as a three hundred one (301) pages of amendments had been presented and at 3:09 AM on Friday morning, and the Republican members wanted to read and understand what these Democrat Party amendments would alter the previously presented legislation. Prior to, and upon voting and passing the "Cap and Trade" (H.R. 2454) legislation on Friday evening June 26, 2009, again, no member in the House of Representatives could raise their hand to confirm they had read the amendments and/or the entire legislation.
Is this the legislative activity which "change" America voted for; for elected members on Capitol Hill to blindly vote for unknown legislation? I hope not!
Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio said, "This is the biggest job-killing bill that has ever been on the floor of the House of Representatives. Right here. This bill," - oyh
To read the entire 1428 pages, just click the link below!
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h2454eh.txt.pdf
From Brian M Johnson
http://www.atr.org/hours-cap-trade-vote-final-bill-a3460
I'm no Congressional Parliamentarian, but shouldn't the full bill be released before the vote and not after?
Oh wait...I forgot, Obama didn't really want transparency, he just said he did to get elected. Kind of like that "I won't tax people who make less than $250k" line. I guess people who make less than $250k don't do silly things like turn on the lights or drive to the store - because those are the actions that this bill, supported by the President, will tax.
Click here for the full text of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, commonly referred to as the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade or cap-and-tax bill.
Troubled Seas Ahead
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280542/posts
I'll try to stay off my soapbox, but two points are worth mentioning. First, as noted by McNeal, is that the primary function of the federal government is to provide for the common defense -- not health care, green initiatives (readers: please don't try to combine global warming projections into security, as some are wont to do. It's lame) and corporate bailouts.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, is the fact that our powerful military exists to prevent a war as much as it exists to win a war. Si vis pacem, para bellum, if you will. One can argue that our strategic nuclear deterrent accomplishes this well enough, but I'm not convinced. I'd rather spend 5%-6% of our GDP on ensuring we never have to suffer through another WWI or WWII. One can argue Vietnam, Iraq, et al... but neither of those conflicts came close to the cost of the major theater level wars -- both in lives and treasure lost.
Judge Puts Boies and Olson’s Prop. 8 Challenge on Fast Track to Trial
To me, it is unbelievable that Attorney Ted Olson would work for the California left-wingers who are making an effort to overthrow the November, 2008 election of Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriages. Attorney Ted Olson is fighting for the left-winges and against Liberty Counsel. It bothers me as only a very short years ago, I recommended to President Bush that he consider Ted Olson as a nominee to the US Supreme Court. How wrong I was! - oyh
By Ashby Jones
In late May, shortly after the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, two same-sex couples filed suit in San Francisco federal court, challenging Prop. 8 on grounds that it violated the U.S. Constitution. The lawyers in the case: heavyweights David Boies and Ted Olson.
At the time, as we blogged, the mere filing of the complaint stirred up some controversy, even among other Prop. 8 opponents, who fear that setting a case on the path to the U.S. Supreme Court may not be the best strategic move.
Well, on Tuesday, the case took a baby step closer to the Supreme Court when the judge assigned to the case, San Francisco federal judge Vaughn Walker, said that while he was inclined not to issue an injunction halting the application of the law, he was eager to set the case on a fast track to trial. Click here for the SF Chronicle article.
Trial? Trial, you say? We had the same question — figuring if there was ever a case that could be disposed of by motions, it was this one. But, according to this article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Walker said the case raises numerous issues that may need to be considered at a trial, including the history of discrimination against gays and lesbians and the intent and effects of the state constitutional amendment.
Attorney Brian Raum of the Alliance Defense Fund, representing sponsors of Prop. 8, said he sees no need for a trial. “We think this is an issue of law” that does not depend on disputed evidence, Raum said. For example, he said, questions of past persecution of gays and lesbians are irrelevant because Prop. 8 allows them to marry, as long as they wed someone of the opposite sex.
Olson and Boies argue that Prop. 8 violates the U.S. Constitution by violating both the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process right as well as the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Guarantee.
Olson said he was pleased with Walker’s approach, even though the ballot measure will remain in effect.
“He’s taking the case very seriously,” Olson said. “We’re prepared, willing and able to move as fast as the judge is willing to go.”
The Declaration of Independence
Military.com
http://www.military.com/independence-day/the-declaration-independence.html?ESRC=vr.nl
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country. We invite you to read a transcription of the complete text of the Declaration.
More Fourth of July Articles
The History of Fourth of July
2009 Fourth of July Celebrations
Soldiers in Iraq Mark Fourth of July
2009 Fourth of July Concert
Reminder to Celebrate Responsibly
Fun Facts About the Fourth
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province,
establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton
* Independence Day July 4th *
On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from Britain and Democracy was born. Every day thousands leave their homeland to come to the "land of the free and the home of the brave" so they can begin their American Dream.
The United States is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic people. Each year on July 4, Americans celebrate that freedom and independence with barbecues, picnics, and family gatherings. Through the Internet we are learning about and communicating with people of different nations, with different languages and different races throughout the world. Bringing the world closer with understanding and knowledge can only benefit all nations.
We invite all nations to celebrate with Americans online this Fourth of July.
Happy Birthday, America!
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Full text of the Star Spangled Banner
http://usacitylink.com/usa/?file=/citylink/usa/ssb.html
"The Star Spangled Banner"
The Defense of Fort McHenry by Francis Scott Key
20 September 1814
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
The History of Fourth of July
Military.com
http://www.military.com/independence-day/history-of-independence-day.html?ESRC=army.nl
On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, also known as Independence Day, Americans celebrate this historic event.
Conflict between the colonies and England was already a year old when the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. In a June 7 session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."
Lee's words were the impetus for the drafting of a formal Declaration of Independence, although the resolution was not followed up on immediately. On June 11, consideration of the resolution was postponed by a vote of seven colonies to five, with New York abstaining. However, a Committee of Five was appointed to draft a statement presenting to the world the colonies' case for independence. Members of the Committee included John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. The task of drafting the actual document fell on Jefferson.
On July 1, 1776, the Continental Congress reconvened, and on the following day, the Lee Resolution for independence was adopted by 12 of the 13 colonies, New York not voting. Discussions of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence resulted in some minor changes, but the spirit of the document was unchanged. The process of revision continued through all of July 3 and into the late afternoon of July 4, when the Declaration was officially adopted. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration, two -- Pennsylvania and South Carolina -- voted No, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained. John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock's signed his name "with a great flourish" so England's "King George can read that without spectacles!"
Today, the original copy of the Declaration is housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and July 4 has been designated a national holiday to commemorate the day the United States laid down its claim to be a free and independent nation.
"Once upon a time there was honor among men."
Look carefully at the B-17 and note how shot up it is - one engine dead, tail, horizontal stabilizer and nose shot up.. It was ready to fall out of the sky. Then realize that there is a German ME-109 fighter flying next to it. Now read the story below. I think you'll be surprised......
Charlie Brown was a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton , England .. His B-17 was called 'Ye Old Pub' and was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and fighters. The compass was damaged and they were flying deeper over enemy territory instead of heading home to Kimbolton.
After flying over an enemy airfield, a German pilot named Franz Steigler was ordered to take off and shoot down the B-17. When he got near the B-17, he could not believe his eyes. In his words, he 'had never seen a plane in such a bad state'. The tail and rear section was severely damaged, and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was all over the top of the fuselage. The nose was smashed and there were holes everywhere.
Despite having ammunition, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked at Charlie Brown, the pilot. Brown was scared and struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane.
Aware that they had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180degrees. Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane to, and slightly over, the North Sea towards England. He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe.
When Franz landed he told the CO that the plane had been shot down over the sea, and never told the truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and the remains of his crew told all at their briefing, but were ordered never to talk about it.
More than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to find the Luftwaffe pilot who saved the crew. After years of research, Franz was found. He had never talked about the incident, not even at post-war reunions.
They met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 people who are alive now - all because Franz never fired his guns that day.
Research shows that Charlie Brown lived in Seattle and Franz Steigler had moved to Vancouver , BC after the war. When they finally met, they discovered they had lived less than 200 miles apart for the past 50 years!
http://www.snopes.com/military/charliebrown.asp
"The e-mail Bag"
MARRIAGE SEMINAR
While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with communication, Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor, "It is essential that husbands and wives know each other's likes and dislikes."
He addressed the man, "Can you name your wife's favorite flower?"
Tom leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "It's Pillsbury, isn't it?
CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS
A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up & down the aisles. The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him.
He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife.
She directs him down the correct aisle.
A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter.
She says, confused, "Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife?
He answers, "You see, it's like this, yesterday, I sent my wife to the store to get me a carton of cigarettes, and she came back with a tin of tobacco and some rolling papers; cause it's sooo-ooo--oo-ooo much cheaper.
So, I figure if I have to roll my own ........... so does she.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report - 20090701
Motivational-Inspirational-Historical-Educational-Political-Enjoyable
"Daily Motivations"
Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the handcuffs of hate. -- William Ward
"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)
"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved." (John 10:9)
A Hindu man heard about Jesus, but he could not comprehend how the great Creator God of the universe could stoop to become a human being. He wondered why God would want to humble Himself to that extent. Because of his religious background, this man had a profound reverence for life. One day as he was walking in a field, he came upon an anthill. He stopped in wonder to observe the activity of these amazing creatures.
Suddenly, he heard the noise of a tractor plowing the fields. He looked up and saw that the plow would soon destroy that anthill. The ants' home would be gone and thousands would be killed. He was frantic. He wanted to save them. He thought, I could write a warning in the dirt, but they would not know how to read it. I could shout to them, but they would not know what I was saying. The only possible way I could communicate with them would be to become an ant myself!
In that moment he saw why God, the Creator of the universe, had made such an incredible sacrifice to become one of us. The God-Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, died on the cross to save us from being plowed under by sin.
Jesus is the object of our faith. He is truly worthy of our trust. By placing our faith in Christ, we received not only the blessings He has planned for us, but His very life. Paul tells us, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." (Galatians 3:11)
"The Patriot Post"
With respect to our rights, and the acts of the British government contravening those rights, there was but one opinion on this side of the water. All American whigs thought alike on these subjects. When forced, therefore, to resort to arms for redress, an appeal to the tribunal of the world was deemed proper for our justification. This was the object of the Declaration of Independence. Not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take. Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion. All its authority rests then on the harmonizing sentiments of the day, whether expressed in conversation, in letters, printed essays, or in the elementary books of public right, as Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney, &c. -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Henry Lee, May 8, 1825
Independence Forever. -- John Adams, toast for the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1826
I have said that the Declaration of Independence is the ring-bolt to the chain of your nation's destiny; so, indeed, I regard it. The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost. -- Frederick Douglass, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" July 5, 1852
The assertion that "all men are created equal" was of no practical use in effecting our separation from Great Britain; and it was placed in the Declaration, not for that, but for future use. Its authors meant it to be, thank God, it is now proving itself, a stumbling block to those who in after times might seek to turn a free people back into the hateful paths of despotism. They knew the proneness of prosperity to breed tyrants, and they meant when such should re-appear in this fair land and commence their vocation they should find left for them at least one hard nut to crack. -- Abraham Lincoln, speech on the Dred Scott Decision, June 26, 1857
"To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." -- Thomas Jefferson
THE DEMO-GOGUES
"These are not the droids you're looking for": "I do not want the government to run things. I've got enough to do." -- President Barack Obama, who between running the banks and the automakers is finding time to talk about running health care
Getting it backwards: "If we do not fix our health care system, America may go the way of GM: paying more, getting less, and going broke." -- Barack Obama, proposing to spend more to save more
The only thing to fear...: "[T]here are those who will try and scuttle this opportunity no matter what, who will use the same scare tactics and fear-mongering that's worked in the past, that will give warnings about socialized medicine and government takeovers, long lines and rationed care, decisions made by bureaucrats and not doctors. We have heard this all before. And because these fear tactics have worked, things have kept getting worse. ... Let me also say that -- let me also address an illegitimate concern that's being put forward by those who are claiming that a public option is somehow a Trojan horse for a single-payer system. I'll be honest; there are countries where a single-payer system works pretty well. But I believe .... that it's important for our reform efforts to build on our traditions here in the United States. So when you hear the naysayers claim that I'm trying to bring about government-run health care, know this: They're not telling the truth." --Barack Obama
The BIG Lie:
"I think the irony ... is that I actually would like to see a relatively light touch when it comes to the government." -- Barack Obama
A Tender Warrior
http://www.atenderwarrior.com/
"The Web"
Take Me Back To The Sixties
http://moreoldfortyfives.com/TakeMeBackToTheSixties.htm
The Emerging Left
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8xHZJDn_HQ&feature=sdig&et=1246442968.9
The Audacity of Unawareness
http://www.texasrainmaker.com/2009/04/15/the-audacity-of-unawareness/
Barack Obama, through his spokesman, claimed today that he was unaware of the tax day tea parties. Granted, the MSM has done a good job in suppressing any sort of coverage ahead of time (and the little coverage they did provide was derisive at best)… but how out of touch is the Community Organizer in Chief, really?
This much.
- He was unaware that he was attending a church (for 20 years) with a racist pastor who hates America.
- He was unaware that he was family friends with, and started his political career in the living room of, a domestic terrorist.
- He was unaware that he had invested in two speculative companies backed by some of his top donors right after taking office in 2005.
- He was unaware that his own aunt was living in the US illegally.
- He was unaware that his own brother lives on pennies a day in a hut in Kenya.
- He was unaware of the AIG bonuses that he and his administration approved and signed into a bill.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of COmmerce was under investigation in a bribery scandal.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of the Treasury was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be the U.S. Trade Representative was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the woman he nominated to be his Chief Performance Officer was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be #2 at the Environmental Protection Agency was under investigation for mismanaging $25 million in EPA grants.
For the love of God, there are people in comas that are more aware of world affairs than this guy.
POTUS to LGBT: "Welcome to Your White House"
ABC News' Yunji de Nies reports: ABBA's "Dancing Queen" filled the East Room, as more than 200 prominent gays and lesbians gathered for the first ever celebration of Pride month at the White House. The President and First Lady entered to thunderous applause. President Obama told the group he is committed to equality for their community.
"This struggle continues today, for even as we face extraordinary challenges as a nation, we cannot and will not put aside issues of basic equality," he said, "We seek an America in which no one feels the pain of discrimination based on who you are or who you love."
Many gay and lesbians believe the President has been slow to act on major issues like the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, and the Defense of Marriage Act. The President asked the group to focus on what has been accomplished so far.
"I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that," he said, "But I say this: We have made progress. And we will make more."
The President spoke about his recently signed memorandum, guaranteeing benefits to same sex partners of federal workers. While those include benefits like relocation and emergency evacuation - health care, retirement and survivor benefits are left out.
"There are unjust laws to overturn and unfair practices to stop," Mr. Obama said. Among those, the President said, the Defense of Marriage Act. Mr. Obama also said he has called on Congress to a domestic partners law, which would guarantee a range of benefits, most notably healthcare, to same sex couples. The President also vowed to pass a hate crimes bill that would include protections for gays and lesbians, and said the bill will be named for Matthew Shepard. The gay University of Wyoming student, whose parents were in the audience today, was tortured and killed near Laramie in 1998. His attackers were not charged with a hate crime. The President also said he is committed to ending the ban on entry to the U.S. based on HIV status.
As to Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the President said he believes the policy works against America's national security.
"My administration is already working with the Pentagon and members of the House and the Senate on how we'll go about ending this policy, which will require an act of Congress," he said. "I've asked the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to develop a plan for how to thoroughly implement a repeal."
Still, the President said government can only do so much. "Even as we take these steps, we must recognize that real progress depends not only on the laws we change, but, as I said before, on the hearts we open," he said.
He ended his speech with a promise to champion their cause in the days to come.
"I want you to know that, in this task, I will not only be your friend; I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you," he said.
Rep. Conyers' Probe of ACORN Blocked by 'Powers That Be'
By: S.A. Miller, The Washington Times
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/conyers_acorn_probe_nix/2009/06/26/229239.html?s=al&promo_code=8250-1
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. has backed off his plan to investigate purported wrongdoing by the liberal activist group ACORN, saying "powers that be" put the kibosh on the idea.
Mr. Conyers, Michigan Democrat, earlier bucked his party leaders by calling for hearings on accusations the Association of Community Organization for Reform Now (ACORN) has committed crimes ranging from voter fraud to a mob-style "protection" racket.
"The powers that be decided against it," Mr. Conyers told The Washington Times as he left the House chambers Wednesday.
The chairman declined to elaborate, shrugging off questions about who told him how to run his committee and give the Democrat-allied group a pass.
Conyers spokesman Jonathan Godfrey said late Thursday, several hours after the first request for comment, that the chairman had been referring to himself as "the powers that be."
Pittsburgh lawyer Heather Heidelbaugh, whose testimony about ACORN at a March 19 hearing on voting issues prompted Mr. Conyers to call for a probe, said she was perplexed by Mr. Conyers' explanation for his change of heart.
"If the chair of the Judiciary Committee cannot hold a hearing if he wants to, [then] who are the powers that he is beholden to?" she said. "Is it the leadership, is it the White House, is it contributors? Who is 'the power'?"
The comment spurred similar questions by House Republicans, who asked whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was involved in blocking the probe.
"Chairman Conyers has a responsibility to explain who is blocking this investigation, and why. Is it Speaker Pelosi? Others in the Democratic leadership? Who in Congress is covering up ACORN's corruption?" said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican.
Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. of Wisconsin, ranking Republican on the Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, civil rights and civil liberties, said the chairman should be calling the shots.
Mr. Conyers, who heard the allegations against ACORN, was sufficiently impressed to realize a future hearing was needed to thoroughly investigate the matter," he said. "It's unfortunate that people who didn't hear the testimony are making the decisions. The Democratic leadership should step up to disclose who instructed Mr. Conyers to drop his plan."
The office of Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, did not respond to questions about Mr. Conyers' comments.
Capitol Hill had bristled at the prospect of hearings because it threatened to rekindle criticism of the financial ties and close cooperation between President Obama's campaign and ACORN and its sister organizations Citizens Services Inc. and Project Vote.
The groups came under fire during the campaign after probes into suspected voter fraud in a series of presidential battleground states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Mexico and Nevada.
ACORN and its affiliates are currently the target of at least 14 lawsuits related to voter fraud in the 2008 election and a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act complaint filed by former ACORN members.
The group's leaders have consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously said they welcomed a congressional probe.
The group did not respond to questions about Mr. Conyers being convinced to drop those plans.
Ms. Heidelbaugh, who spearheaded an unsuccessful lawsuit last year to stop ACORN's Pennsylvania voter-registration drive, testified in March that the nonprofit group was violating tax, campaign-finance and other laws by, among other things, sharing with the Barack Obama campaign a list of the Democrat's maxed-out campaign donors so ACORN could use it to solicit them for a get-out-the-vote drive.
ACORN also provided liberal causes with protest-for-hire services and coerced donations from targets of demonstrations through a shakedown it called the "muscle for the money" program, said Ms. Heidelbaugh, a member of the executive board of the Republican National Lawyers Association.
Mr. Conyers, a fierce partisan known for his drive to continue investigating President George W. Bush's administration, had been an unlikely champion for opponents of ACORN.
Before calling for the probe, he frequently defended ACORN. In October, he condemned an FBI voter-fraud investigation targeting the group, questioning whether it was politically motivated to hamper a voter-registration likely to turn out supporters for Mr. Obama's candidacy.
But in March, Mr. Conyers dismissed the argument made by fellow Democrats that accusations of voter fraud and other crimes should be explored by prosecutors and decided in court, not by lawmakers in Congress.
"That's our jurisdiction, the Department of Justice," Mr. Conyers said in March. "That's what we handle voter fraud. Unless that's been taken out of my jurisdiction and I didn't know it."
ACES Up Her Sleeve
By Jeremy Lott & William Yeatman
http://spectator.org/archives/2009/06/29/aces-up-her-sleeve?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_content=476890067&utm_campaign=Newsletter+_+kltttk&utm_term=Read+more+...
Well before Barack Obama brought hope to the White House, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi was adamant that something new and different and wonderful had arrived. In 2006, the incoming Speaker pledged that hers would be the "most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history."
At the time, we were skeptical -- to say the least. Our refusal to accept her rhetoric was roundly vindicated last week. That was when Madam-Speaker used every dirty trick at her disposal to coldly ram a 1,500 page global warming bill through the House of Representatives.
The Speaker chose to stifle the usual observances of deliberative democracy because open, honest debate would have attracted unwelcome scrutiny to her massive new energy tax.
Pelosi's legislation, the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act, would raise the price of hydrocarbon energy sources like coal and oil thought to cause global warming, but which power 85 percent -- 85 percent! -- of the economic production in America.
A large energy tax during a deep recession is a political cyanide pill that 44 of Pelosi's Democratic colleagues refused to swallow. That almost doomed the bill and in fact would have killed it outright Friday night if eight Republicans hadn't voted with the majority of Democrats. (The final vote was 219 to 212.)
Likely there would have been many more Democratic "no" votes if Madame-Speaker and Energy & Commerce chairman Henry Waxman didn't find creative ways to shorten or skip every step of that "How a Bill Becomes a Law" song.
When fighting between the Energy & Commerce and Agriculture committees over the bill grew too intense, the farm lobby was bought off as were a lot of other Democrats. In exchange for votes, Pelosi and Waxman wrote countless paybacks, favors, and concessions into the legislation -- all without serious debate.
Indeed, House leadership crafted much of the ACES Act in secret behind closed doors. In the week before the final vote, it grew by a whopping 600 pages. Even that figure doesn't stress the urgent, secretive nature of the process. At 3:09 Friday morning, Waxman et al. introduced a 309-page "manager's amendment" to the legislation that was set for a vote later in the day.
Representatives would have had all of nine hours to study the text, assuming they went without sleep. The manager's amendment made even that impossible, because you had roughly 1,200 pages of text -- containing, at last count, 397 new government regulations and 1,090 new economic mandates -- followed by over 300 pages of text with no index that amended the previous legislation on paragraph by paragraph basis.
It would take a team of lawyers several days to sort out a mess like that.
We have to hand it to Oregon Republican Greg Waldren for his superb sense of understatement when he said he couldn't "imagine that anyone on this floor has read every word" of the ACES Act. That was the whole point of introducing the legislation under an extremely limited rule and only allowing three hours for debate on something that may take a good bite out of every American's pocketbook.
Pelosi and company had complained, rightly, that Republicans rushed some legislation through Congress. But her approach has been even less open to any kind of dissent than former Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
The "open" Congress that Pelosi promised back in 2006 would have allowed members of the House to voice their ideas about how to improve legislation. Fat chance. House leadership discarded all but one -- that's right, one -- of the 220 amendments submitted by House Republicans on the ACES Act, and allowed next to no time for debate. Georgia's Phil Gingrey complained on the House floor, "The Speaker and the Rules Committee have silenced the opposition."
They certainly tried to. If there's any silver lining to this, it's that congressional Republicans were incensed and unlikely to forget, or shut up about it. John Boehner used his privilege as Minority Leader to insist, over the befuddled objection of Waxman, on going past normal debate time limits and reading large chunks of the 11th hour amendment on the House floor.
And afterward, when Waxman requested unanimous consent to say a few celebratory words about his historic bill's passage, some Republican uttered those two magical words: "I object."
France Considers Ban on Wearing Burqas in Public
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,527561,00.html
AP
File: Muslim woman wearing a niqab.
PARIS — France wants to study the small but growing trend of burqa wear, with an eye to possibly banning the Islamic garment from being worn in public, the government's spokesman said Friday.
Luc Chatel told France-2 television that the government would seek to set up a parliamentary commission that could propose legislation aimed at barring Muslim women from wearing the burqa and other fully covering gowns outside the home.
"If we find that use of the burqa was very clearly imposed (on women) ... we would draw the appropriate conclusions," Chatel said. Asked whether that could mean legislation banning the burqa in France, he responded "why not?"
In France, the terms "burqa" and "niqab" often are used interchangeably. The former refers to a full-body covering worn largely in Afghanistan with only a mesh screen over the eyes, whereas the latter is a full-body veil, often in black.
Chatel's comments have helped revive debate about whether wear of Islamic garments is appropriate in France, a country with a long and proud secular tradition.
In 2004, a law banning the Islamic headscarf and other highly visible religious symbols from French public schools sparked a heated debate on the issue. Proponents insisted such a ban was necessary to ensure France's schools remain strictly secular, while some Muslims countered the law specifically targeted them and unduly punished Muslim girls.
French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Friday that having a parliamentary commission study the issue would be a "good way" to find out how extensively burqas and niqabs are worn in France — and what response might be adequate.
She conceded that legislating on what people can and cannot wear in public was a spiny matter, and also acknowledged it would be difficult to determine whether women wore the full-body veils because they were forced to or because they wanted to, Alliot-Marie said.
"It's a relatively complex problem," she told reporters.
The head of France's opposition Socialist party dismissed the issue, saying that in the middle of the global financial crisis, the country's legislators have more pressing matters to deal with.
France, which once held colonies throughout North Africa, has Western Europe's largest Muslim population. Muslims represent an estimated 5 million of the nation's 63 million people.
Muslim Group Condemns Shooting, Or “The FBI Did It!”
Filed under: BCR, BCR Editorial, Islam, Jihad— BCR
Since the attack and shootings against an Army-Navy recruiting center in Little Rock, Arkansas which resulted in the death of one soldier and wounding of another by a Muslim extremist, I have been patiently awaiting a statement from the leading Islamic organization in America, CAIR. Right after the shooting of Dr. Tiller, Christian pro-Life organizations released statements condemning his murder and denouncing violence in the pursuit of their cause. I expected that CAIR (or any Islamic organization) would do something similar when a Muslim practiced murder in the name of Islam.
On 6/10/2009, CAIR issued the following statement….
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/10/09) – A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today condemned a shooting incident at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., during which a security guard and the alleged gunman were reportedly wounded.
I looked through their archive of press releases, but I can’t find the one related to the Little Rock shootings. I did however find this one also released Wednesday.
Local Muslim organizations disagreed Tuesday with FBI Director Robert Mueller’s assertion that relations between the groups and the agency are “very good.”
Despite continued concerns from Muslim organizations about the FBI’s use of informants and surveillance in U.S. mosques, Mueller defended the agency’s investigative tactics and described the FBI’s relationship with Muslim organizations as mostly positive.
In this release CAIR suggests that the FBI is responsible for radicalizing American Muslims. “However, the issue here involves provocateurs who are sent into peaceful places of worship to entrap law-abiding Muslims and radicalize them.”
So, lets put this in context. Not only has CAIR (nor his local mosque) not condemned the Little Rock shootings done in the name of Islam, they blame the radicalization of American Muslims on the FBI. Oh, but they did condemn the Holocaust Museum shootings done by a white supremacist nut-job.
Obama Quote
In an interview with Laura Haim on Canal Plus, a French television station:
“And one of the points I want to make is, is that if you actually took the number of Muslim Americans, we’d be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world,”
Top 10 Largest National Christian Populations
Rank
Nation
Number
Percent
1
USA
224,457,000
85%
2
Brazil
139,000,000
93%
3
Mexico
86,120,000
99%
4
Russia
80,000,000
60%
5
China
70,000,000
5.7%
6
Germany
67,000,000
83%
7
Philippines
63,470,000
93%
8
United Kingdom
51,060,000
88%
9
Italy
47,690,000
90%
10
France
44,150,000
98%
11
Nigeria
38,180,000
45%
Top 10 Largest National Muslim Populations
Country
Number of Muslims
Indonesia
170,310,000
Pakistan
136,000,000
Bangladesh
106,050,000
India
103,000,000
Turkey
62,410,000
Iran
60,790,000
Egypt
53,730,000
Nigeria
47,720,000
China
37,108,000
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ... does anybody see U.S. in this list?
Guest Blogger: Congressman Michael Turner (R-OH) on Missile Defense Budget Cuts
http://blog.heritage.org/2009/06/29/guest-blogger-congressman-michael-turner-r-oh-on-missile-defense-budget-cuts/
Missile Defense Budget Cuts Are a Dangerous Gamble
Given the battle going on in Washington over the future of a critical homeland defensive system, it’s unfortunate that much of the American public isn’t aware of what they have and what they stand to lose with the stroke of a pen.
Today, while we face increasing threats from ballistic missiles, many Americans don’t know that their government has been deploying a system to protect our country against ballistic missile attack. Unfortunately, they also have no idea that the Obama Administration is pushing significant cuts in the construction of this protective shield– cuts that place its effectiveness in jeopardy.
On May 25, the secretive North Korean regime tested a powerful nuclear bomb– the second such test in three years. This was followed by at least six test missile launches. Media reports indicate that the isolated communist nation is now preparing for the possible launch of a long-range ballistic missile. This class of ballistic missile is believed to be capable of reaching the western United States.
North Korea is not the only emerging threat. Also, last month Iran test-fired a long-range ballistic missile with a range as far as Israel and parts of Europe. Iran also appears to be following North Korea’s path of pursuing a nuclear program.
America currently has a growing network of ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California and sensors capable of detecting, tracking and shooting down ballistic missiles. It has taken years to mature the technology and build these complex facilities, and the completed system would protect our population in the event of a ballistic missile attack. However, just as real progress is being made in constructing our homeland missile defense, the Obama Administration is calling for a 35 percent cut in the planned Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, reducing its growth.
As threats to the U.S. and are our allies are increasing, it’s puzzling that the Administration would slash funding necessary to complete work on a defensive system to protect our homeland. While the Administration is increasing funding for theatre missile defense to protect our forward-deployed troops, it does so at the expense of homeland defense. Both should be fully funded.
As Ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, I offered an amendment in committee mark-up to restore funding to missile defense systems that protect our homeland. I also supported efforts to shore up missile defense funding as the House debated passage of the 2010 Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week. Although the NDAA does a lot to support our troops, unfortunately, it does not do enough to protect the integrity of our missile defense system.
Cutting key missile defense capabilities at any time is a dangerous gamble. With our current threats increasing, the timing of these funding cuts simply challenges common sense.
"The e-mail Bag"
Relatives?
A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position.
As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?"
"Yep," the wife replied, "in-laws."
WORDS
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day...
30,000 to a man's 15,000.
The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men..
The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"
Creation Between Man and Woman?
A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.
"The wife responded, "Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you !
"Daily Motivations"
Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the handcuffs of hate. -- William Ward
"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)
"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved." (John 10:9)
A Hindu man heard about Jesus, but he could not comprehend how the great Creator God of the universe could stoop to become a human being. He wondered why God would want to humble Himself to that extent. Because of his religious background, this man had a profound reverence for life. One day as he was walking in a field, he came upon an anthill. He stopped in wonder to observe the activity of these amazing creatures.
Suddenly, he heard the noise of a tractor plowing the fields. He looked up and saw that the plow would soon destroy that anthill. The ants' home would be gone and thousands would be killed. He was frantic. He wanted to save them. He thought, I could write a warning in the dirt, but they would not know how to read it. I could shout to them, but they would not know what I was saying. The only possible way I could communicate with them would be to become an ant myself!
In that moment he saw why God, the Creator of the universe, had made such an incredible sacrifice to become one of us. The God-Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, died on the cross to save us from being plowed under by sin.
Jesus is the object of our faith. He is truly worthy of our trust. By placing our faith in Christ, we received not only the blessings He has planned for us, but His very life. Paul tells us, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." (Galatians 3:11)
"The Patriot Post"
With respect to our rights, and the acts of the British government contravening those rights, there was but one opinion on this side of the water. All American whigs thought alike on these subjects. When forced, therefore, to resort to arms for redress, an appeal to the tribunal of the world was deemed proper for our justification. This was the object of the Declaration of Independence. Not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take. Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind, and to give to that expression the proper tone and spirit called for by the occasion. All its authority rests then on the harmonizing sentiments of the day, whether expressed in conversation, in letters, printed essays, or in the elementary books of public right, as Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney, &c. -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Henry Lee, May 8, 1825
Independence Forever. -- John Adams, toast for the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1826
I have said that the Declaration of Independence is the ring-bolt to the chain of your nation's destiny; so, indeed, I regard it. The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost. -- Frederick Douglass, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" July 5, 1852
The assertion that "all men are created equal" was of no practical use in effecting our separation from Great Britain; and it was placed in the Declaration, not for that, but for future use. Its authors meant it to be, thank God, it is now proving itself, a stumbling block to those who in after times might seek to turn a free people back into the hateful paths of despotism. They knew the proneness of prosperity to breed tyrants, and they meant when such should re-appear in this fair land and commence their vocation they should find left for them at least one hard nut to crack. -- Abraham Lincoln, speech on the Dred Scott Decision, June 26, 1857
"To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." -- Thomas Jefferson
THE DEMO-GOGUES
"These are not the droids you're looking for": "I do not want the government to run things. I've got enough to do." -- President Barack Obama, who between running the banks and the automakers is finding time to talk about running health care
Getting it backwards: "If we do not fix our health care system, America may go the way of GM: paying more, getting less, and going broke." -- Barack Obama, proposing to spend more to save more
The only thing to fear...: "[T]here are those who will try and scuttle this opportunity no matter what, who will use the same scare tactics and fear-mongering that's worked in the past, that will give warnings about socialized medicine and government takeovers, long lines and rationed care, decisions made by bureaucrats and not doctors. We have heard this all before. And because these fear tactics have worked, things have kept getting worse. ... Let me also say that -- let me also address an illegitimate concern that's being put forward by those who are claiming that a public option is somehow a Trojan horse for a single-payer system. I'll be honest; there are countries where a single-payer system works pretty well. But I believe .... that it's important for our reform efforts to build on our traditions here in the United States. So when you hear the naysayers claim that I'm trying to bring about government-run health care, know this: They're not telling the truth." --Barack Obama
The BIG Lie:
"I think the irony ... is that I actually would like to see a relatively light touch when it comes to the government." -- Barack Obama
A Tender Warrior
http://www.atenderwarrior.com/
"The Web"
Take Me Back To The Sixties
http://moreoldfortyfives.com/TakeMeBackToTheSixties.htm
The Emerging Left
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8xHZJDn_HQ&feature=sdig&et=1246442968.9
The Audacity of Unawareness
http://www.texasrainmaker.com/2009/04/15/the-audacity-of-unawareness/
Barack Obama, through his spokesman, claimed today that he was unaware of the tax day tea parties. Granted, the MSM has done a good job in suppressing any sort of coverage ahead of time (and the little coverage they did provide was derisive at best)… but how out of touch is the Community Organizer in Chief, really?
This much.
- He was unaware that he was attending a church (for 20 years) with a racist pastor who hates America.
- He was unaware that he was family friends with, and started his political career in the living room of, a domestic terrorist.
- He was unaware that he had invested in two speculative companies backed by some of his top donors right after taking office in 2005.
- He was unaware that his own aunt was living in the US illegally.
- He was unaware that his own brother lives on pennies a day in a hut in Kenya.
- He was unaware of the AIG bonuses that he and his administration approved and signed into a bill.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of COmmerce was under investigation in a bribery scandal.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of the Treasury was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be the U.S. Trade Representative was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the woman he nominated to be his Chief Performance Officer was a tax cheat.
- He was unaware that the man he nominated to be #2 at the Environmental Protection Agency was under investigation for mismanaging $25 million in EPA grants.
For the love of God, there are people in comas that are more aware of world affairs than this guy.
POTUS to LGBT: "Welcome to Your White House"
ABC News' Yunji de Nies reports: ABBA's "Dancing Queen" filled the East Room, as more than 200 prominent gays and lesbians gathered for the first ever celebration of Pride month at the White House. The President and First Lady entered to thunderous applause. President Obama told the group he is committed to equality for their community.
"This struggle continues today, for even as we face extraordinary challenges as a nation, we cannot and will not put aside issues of basic equality," he said, "We seek an America in which no one feels the pain of discrimination based on who you are or who you love."
Many gay and lesbians believe the President has been slow to act on major issues like the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, and the Defense of Marriage Act. The President asked the group to focus on what has been accomplished so far.
"I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that," he said, "But I say this: We have made progress. And we will make more."
The President spoke about his recently signed memorandum, guaranteeing benefits to same sex partners of federal workers. While those include benefits like relocation and emergency evacuation - health care, retirement and survivor benefits are left out.
"There are unjust laws to overturn and unfair practices to stop," Mr. Obama said. Among those, the President said, the Defense of Marriage Act. Mr. Obama also said he has called on Congress to a domestic partners law, which would guarantee a range of benefits, most notably healthcare, to same sex couples. The President also vowed to pass a hate crimes bill that would include protections for gays and lesbians, and said the bill will be named for Matthew Shepard. The gay University of Wyoming student, whose parents were in the audience today, was tortured and killed near Laramie in 1998. His attackers were not charged with a hate crime. The President also said he is committed to ending the ban on entry to the U.S. based on HIV status.
As to Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the President said he believes the policy works against America's national security.
"My administration is already working with the Pentagon and members of the House and the Senate on how we'll go about ending this policy, which will require an act of Congress," he said. "I've asked the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to develop a plan for how to thoroughly implement a repeal."
Still, the President said government can only do so much. "Even as we take these steps, we must recognize that real progress depends not only on the laws we change, but, as I said before, on the hearts we open," he said.
He ended his speech with a promise to champion their cause in the days to come.
"I want you to know that, in this task, I will not only be your friend; I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you," he said.
Rep. Conyers' Probe of ACORN Blocked by 'Powers That Be'
By: S.A. Miller, The Washington Times
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/conyers_acorn_probe_nix/2009/06/26/229239.html?s=al&promo_code=8250-1
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. has backed off his plan to investigate purported wrongdoing by the liberal activist group ACORN, saying "powers that be" put the kibosh on the idea.
Mr. Conyers, Michigan Democrat, earlier bucked his party leaders by calling for hearings on accusations the Association of Community Organization for Reform Now (ACORN) has committed crimes ranging from voter fraud to a mob-style "protection" racket.
"The powers that be decided against it," Mr. Conyers told The Washington Times as he left the House chambers Wednesday.
The chairman declined to elaborate, shrugging off questions about who told him how to run his committee and give the Democrat-allied group a pass.
Conyers spokesman Jonathan Godfrey said late Thursday, several hours after the first request for comment, that the chairman had been referring to himself as "the powers that be."
Pittsburgh lawyer Heather Heidelbaugh, whose testimony about ACORN at a March 19 hearing on voting issues prompted Mr. Conyers to call for a probe, said she was perplexed by Mr. Conyers' explanation for his change of heart.
"If the chair of the Judiciary Committee cannot hold a hearing if he wants to, [then] who are the powers that he is beholden to?" she said. "Is it the leadership, is it the White House, is it contributors? Who is 'the power'?"
The comment spurred similar questions by House Republicans, who asked whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was involved in blocking the probe.
"Chairman Conyers has a responsibility to explain who is blocking this investigation, and why. Is it Speaker Pelosi? Others in the Democratic leadership? Who in Congress is covering up ACORN's corruption?" said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican.
Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. of Wisconsin, ranking Republican on the Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, civil rights and civil liberties, said the chairman should be calling the shots.
Mr. Conyers, who heard the allegations against ACORN, was sufficiently impressed to realize a future hearing was needed to thoroughly investigate the matter," he said. "It's unfortunate that people who didn't hear the testimony are making the decisions. The Democratic leadership should step up to disclose who instructed Mr. Conyers to drop his plan."
The office of Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, did not respond to questions about Mr. Conyers' comments.
Capitol Hill had bristled at the prospect of hearings because it threatened to rekindle criticism of the financial ties and close cooperation between President Obama's campaign and ACORN and its sister organizations Citizens Services Inc. and Project Vote.
The groups came under fire during the campaign after probes into suspected voter fraud in a series of presidential battleground states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Mexico and Nevada.
ACORN and its affiliates are currently the target of at least 14 lawsuits related to voter fraud in the 2008 election and a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act complaint filed by former ACORN members.
The group's leaders have consistently denied any wrongdoing and previously said they welcomed a congressional probe.
The group did not respond to questions about Mr. Conyers being convinced to drop those plans.
Ms. Heidelbaugh, who spearheaded an unsuccessful lawsuit last year to stop ACORN's Pennsylvania voter-registration drive, testified in March that the nonprofit group was violating tax, campaign-finance and other laws by, among other things, sharing with the Barack Obama campaign a list of the Democrat's maxed-out campaign donors so ACORN could use it to solicit them for a get-out-the-vote drive.
ACORN also provided liberal causes with protest-for-hire services and coerced donations from targets of demonstrations through a shakedown it called the "muscle for the money" program, said Ms. Heidelbaugh, a member of the executive board of the Republican National Lawyers Association.
Mr. Conyers, a fierce partisan known for his drive to continue investigating President George W. Bush's administration, had been an unlikely champion for opponents of ACORN.
Before calling for the probe, he frequently defended ACORN. In October, he condemned an FBI voter-fraud investigation targeting the group, questioning whether it was politically motivated to hamper a voter-registration likely to turn out supporters for Mr. Obama's candidacy.
But in March, Mr. Conyers dismissed the argument made by fellow Democrats that accusations of voter fraud and other crimes should be explored by prosecutors and decided in court, not by lawmakers in Congress.
"That's our jurisdiction, the Department of Justice," Mr. Conyers said in March. "That's what we handle voter fraud. Unless that's been taken out of my jurisdiction and I didn't know it."
ACES Up Her Sleeve
By Jeremy Lott & William Yeatman
http://spectator.org/archives/2009/06/29/aces-up-her-sleeve?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_content=476890067&utm_campaign=Newsletter+_+kltttk&utm_term=Read+more+...
Well before Barack Obama brought hope to the White House, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi was adamant that something new and different and wonderful had arrived. In 2006, the incoming Speaker pledged that hers would be the "most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history."
At the time, we were skeptical -- to say the least. Our refusal to accept her rhetoric was roundly vindicated last week. That was when Madam-Speaker used every dirty trick at her disposal to coldly ram a 1,500 page global warming bill through the House of Representatives.
The Speaker chose to stifle the usual observances of deliberative democracy because open, honest debate would have attracted unwelcome scrutiny to her massive new energy tax.
Pelosi's legislation, the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act, would raise the price of hydrocarbon energy sources like coal and oil thought to cause global warming, but which power 85 percent -- 85 percent! -- of the economic production in America.
A large energy tax during a deep recession is a political cyanide pill that 44 of Pelosi's Democratic colleagues refused to swallow. That almost doomed the bill and in fact would have killed it outright Friday night if eight Republicans hadn't voted with the majority of Democrats. (The final vote was 219 to 212.)
Likely there would have been many more Democratic "no" votes if Madame-Speaker and Energy & Commerce chairman Henry Waxman didn't find creative ways to shorten or skip every step of that "How a Bill Becomes a Law" song.
When fighting between the Energy & Commerce and Agriculture committees over the bill grew too intense, the farm lobby was bought off as were a lot of other Democrats. In exchange for votes, Pelosi and Waxman wrote countless paybacks, favors, and concessions into the legislation -- all without serious debate.
Indeed, House leadership crafted much of the ACES Act in secret behind closed doors. In the week before the final vote, it grew by a whopping 600 pages. Even that figure doesn't stress the urgent, secretive nature of the process. At 3:09 Friday morning, Waxman et al. introduced a 309-page "manager's amendment" to the legislation that was set for a vote later in the day.
Representatives would have had all of nine hours to study the text, assuming they went without sleep. The manager's amendment made even that impossible, because you had roughly 1,200 pages of text -- containing, at last count, 397 new government regulations and 1,090 new economic mandates -- followed by over 300 pages of text with no index that amended the previous legislation on paragraph by paragraph basis.
It would take a team of lawyers several days to sort out a mess like that.
We have to hand it to Oregon Republican Greg Waldren for his superb sense of understatement when he said he couldn't "imagine that anyone on this floor has read every word" of the ACES Act. That was the whole point of introducing the legislation under an extremely limited rule and only allowing three hours for debate on something that may take a good bite out of every American's pocketbook.
Pelosi and company had complained, rightly, that Republicans rushed some legislation through Congress. But her approach has been even less open to any kind of dissent than former Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
The "open" Congress that Pelosi promised back in 2006 would have allowed members of the House to voice their ideas about how to improve legislation. Fat chance. House leadership discarded all but one -- that's right, one -- of the 220 amendments submitted by House Republicans on the ACES Act, and allowed next to no time for debate. Georgia's Phil Gingrey complained on the House floor, "The Speaker and the Rules Committee have silenced the opposition."
They certainly tried to. If there's any silver lining to this, it's that congressional Republicans were incensed and unlikely to forget, or shut up about it. John Boehner used his privilege as Minority Leader to insist, over the befuddled objection of Waxman, on going past normal debate time limits and reading large chunks of the 11th hour amendment on the House floor.
And afterward, when Waxman requested unanimous consent to say a few celebratory words about his historic bill's passage, some Republican uttered those two magical words: "I object."
France Considers Ban on Wearing Burqas in Public
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,527561,00.html
AP
File: Muslim woman wearing a niqab.
PARIS — France wants to study the small but growing trend of burqa wear, with an eye to possibly banning the Islamic garment from being worn in public, the government's spokesman said Friday.
Luc Chatel told France-2 television that the government would seek to set up a parliamentary commission that could propose legislation aimed at barring Muslim women from wearing the burqa and other fully covering gowns outside the home.
"If we find that use of the burqa was very clearly imposed (on women) ... we would draw the appropriate conclusions," Chatel said. Asked whether that could mean legislation banning the burqa in France, he responded "why not?"
In France, the terms "burqa" and "niqab" often are used interchangeably. The former refers to a full-body covering worn largely in Afghanistan with only a mesh screen over the eyes, whereas the latter is a full-body veil, often in black.
Chatel's comments have helped revive debate about whether wear of Islamic garments is appropriate in France, a country with a long and proud secular tradition.
In 2004, a law banning the Islamic headscarf and other highly visible religious symbols from French public schools sparked a heated debate on the issue. Proponents insisted such a ban was necessary to ensure France's schools remain strictly secular, while some Muslims countered the law specifically targeted them and unduly punished Muslim girls.
French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Friday that having a parliamentary commission study the issue would be a "good way" to find out how extensively burqas and niqabs are worn in France — and what response might be adequate.
She conceded that legislating on what people can and cannot wear in public was a spiny matter, and also acknowledged it would be difficult to determine whether women wore the full-body veils because they were forced to or because they wanted to, Alliot-Marie said.
"It's a relatively complex problem," she told reporters.
The head of France's opposition Socialist party dismissed the issue, saying that in the middle of the global financial crisis, the country's legislators have more pressing matters to deal with.
France, which once held colonies throughout North Africa, has Western Europe's largest Muslim population. Muslims represent an estimated 5 million of the nation's 63 million people.
Muslim Group Condemns Shooting, Or “The FBI Did It!”
Filed under: BCR, BCR Editorial, Islam, Jihad— BCR
Since the attack and shootings against an Army-Navy recruiting center in Little Rock, Arkansas which resulted in the death of one soldier and wounding of another by a Muslim extremist, I have been patiently awaiting a statement from the leading Islamic organization in America, CAIR. Right after the shooting of Dr. Tiller, Christian pro-Life organizations released statements condemning his murder and denouncing violence in the pursuit of their cause. I expected that CAIR (or any Islamic organization) would do something similar when a Muslim practiced murder in the name of Islam.
On 6/10/2009, CAIR issued the following statement….
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/10/09) – A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today condemned a shooting incident at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., during which a security guard and the alleged gunman were reportedly wounded.
I looked through their archive of press releases, but I can’t find the one related to the Little Rock shootings. I did however find this one also released Wednesday.
Local Muslim organizations disagreed Tuesday with FBI Director Robert Mueller’s assertion that relations between the groups and the agency are “very good.”
Despite continued concerns from Muslim organizations about the FBI’s use of informants and surveillance in U.S. mosques, Mueller defended the agency’s investigative tactics and described the FBI’s relationship with Muslim organizations as mostly positive.
In this release CAIR suggests that the FBI is responsible for radicalizing American Muslims. “However, the issue here involves provocateurs who are sent into peaceful places of worship to entrap law-abiding Muslims and radicalize them.”
So, lets put this in context. Not only has CAIR (nor his local mosque) not condemned the Little Rock shootings done in the name of Islam, they blame the radicalization of American Muslims on the FBI. Oh, but they did condemn the Holocaust Museum shootings done by a white supremacist nut-job.
Obama Quote
In an interview with Laura Haim on Canal Plus, a French television station:
“And one of the points I want to make is, is that if you actually took the number of Muslim Americans, we’d be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world,”
Top 10 Largest National Christian Populations
Rank
Nation
Number
Percent
1
USA
224,457,000
85%
2
Brazil
139,000,000
93%
3
Mexico
86,120,000
99%
4
Russia
80,000,000
60%
5
China
70,000,000
5.7%
6
Germany
67,000,000
83%
7
Philippines
63,470,000
93%
8
United Kingdom
51,060,000
88%
9
Italy
47,690,000
90%
10
France
44,150,000
98%
11
Nigeria
38,180,000
45%
Top 10 Largest National Muslim Populations
Country
Number of Muslims
Indonesia
170,310,000
Pakistan
136,000,000
Bangladesh
106,050,000
India
103,000,000
Turkey
62,410,000
Iran
60,790,000
Egypt
53,730,000
Nigeria
47,720,000
China
37,108,000
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ... does anybody see U.S. in this list?
Guest Blogger: Congressman Michael Turner (R-OH) on Missile Defense Budget Cuts
http://blog.heritage.org/2009/06/29/guest-blogger-congressman-michael-turner-r-oh-on-missile-defense-budget-cuts/
Missile Defense Budget Cuts Are a Dangerous Gamble
Given the battle going on in Washington over the future of a critical homeland defensive system, it’s unfortunate that much of the American public isn’t aware of what they have and what they stand to lose with the stroke of a pen.
Today, while we face increasing threats from ballistic missiles, many Americans don’t know that their government has been deploying a system to protect our country against ballistic missile attack. Unfortunately, they also have no idea that the Obama Administration is pushing significant cuts in the construction of this protective shield– cuts that place its effectiveness in jeopardy.
On May 25, the secretive North Korean regime tested a powerful nuclear bomb– the second such test in three years. This was followed by at least six test missile launches. Media reports indicate that the isolated communist nation is now preparing for the possible launch of a long-range ballistic missile. This class of ballistic missile is believed to be capable of reaching the western United States.
North Korea is not the only emerging threat. Also, last month Iran test-fired a long-range ballistic missile with a range as far as Israel and parts of Europe. Iran also appears to be following North Korea’s path of pursuing a nuclear program.
America currently has a growing network of ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California and sensors capable of detecting, tracking and shooting down ballistic missiles. It has taken years to mature the technology and build these complex facilities, and the completed system would protect our population in the event of a ballistic missile attack. However, just as real progress is being made in constructing our homeland missile defense, the Obama Administration is calling for a 35 percent cut in the planned Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, reducing its growth.
As threats to the U.S. and are our allies are increasing, it’s puzzling that the Administration would slash funding necessary to complete work on a defensive system to protect our homeland. While the Administration is increasing funding for theatre missile defense to protect our forward-deployed troops, it does so at the expense of homeland defense. Both should be fully funded.
As Ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, I offered an amendment in committee mark-up to restore funding to missile defense systems that protect our homeland. I also supported efforts to shore up missile defense funding as the House debated passage of the 2010 Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week. Although the NDAA does a lot to support our troops, unfortunately, it does not do enough to protect the integrity of our missile defense system.
Cutting key missile defense capabilities at any time is a dangerous gamble. With our current threats increasing, the timing of these funding cuts simply challenges common sense.
"The e-mail Bag"
Relatives?
A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position.
As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?"
"Yep," the wife replied, "in-laws."
WORDS
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day...
30,000 to a man's 15,000.
The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men..
The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"
Creation Between Man and Woman?
A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.
"The wife responded, "Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you !
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