Merry Christmas

http://www.123greetings.com/events/christmas/spirit_of_christmas/customs/customs6.html

Sen. Nelson Bargains Away Personal Trustworthiness

With political polls approaching 2 to 1 in opposition on this current HealthCare plan, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) has bargained away his precious trustworthiness in support of President Obama, Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), and the majority Democrat Party. Sen. Nelson has repeatedly said he would not vote for any HealthCare system which paid abortions with taxpayers’ money. Unfortunately, he did exactly the opposite as he went back on his word, while all of America looked on. http://www.lc.org/index.cfm?PID=14102&AlertID=1078

In return for his valued sixtieth (60th.) vote on the HealthCare plan, Sen. Nelson accepted a secret amendment from Sen. Reid which would require all other 49 states’ taxpayers to pay Nebraskans for all Medicaid cost forever.

With this political move, Sen. Nelson and Sen. Reid have created a “Divided” States of America. Nebraskans do not expect, or even want, any special “goodies” up and above every other American.

Additionally, you need worry as to whether Obama will sign ObamaCare. President Obama will sign one of the most corrupt legislations of all time, as it covers maybe one of the most corrupt organizations (ACORN) of all times, as you will see on Page 241 of the Amendment. http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/12/exclusive_acorn_qualifies_for_1.asp

ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report - 20091223

Motivational-Inspirational-Historical-Educational-Political-Enjoyable

Promoting "God's Holy Values and American Freedoms"!



"My Comments"

http://www.123greetings.com/events/christmas/merry_christmas/edec_c_newjingle_pcard6.html



"Daily Motivations"

“We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything” -- Pope Benedict XVI

Proactive people take the initiative and responsibility to make things happen. They cause action rather than being victims of circumstance. -- Chris MacAllister

"Many of the things you can count, don't count. Many of the things you can't count, really count." -- Albert Einstein



"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)

Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. (Luke 6:27-28)

An attorney came to me with that familiar problem: a business partner he could not tolerate. The two men actually hated each other, criticizing and demeaning one another at every opportunity. Rather than speaking of God's desires for that relationship, each man focused only on the unlovable traits of the other.

I reminded my friend, a new believer, that God's Word commands us to love our enemies. I further suggested that he go to that other man, tell him he loved him, and ask his forgiveness for the way he had treated him. The attorney's eyes grew wide. "I could never love him," he said.

But in the end, he went in faith, confessed his lack of love for his partner, and asked for forgiveness. The partner was astounded. Nobody had ever come to him with such an attitude. He wanted to know how he could experience the kind of life my attorney friend had.

My friend led him to Christ, and they both came to share with me the miracle that God had performed in their lives. As a result, God created a deep and satisfying friendship between the two men. They began to experience God's supernatural love individually and as a true partnership.

We are saved through faith, by God's grace. We live by faith. We serve by faith. And we love by faith. You will be surprised and delighted to see what God will do in you when you choose to love people by an act of faith.

Your View of God Really Matters …

This very moment, think of that person who seems so difficult to love. Ask God to help you see that person as He sees him or her. Then step out in faith and take action, based on the right relationship you have claimed in the name and the truth of God.



"The Patriot Post"

"Let the American youth never forget, that they possess a noble inheritance, bought by the toils, and sufferings, and blood of their ancestors; and capacity, if wisely improved, and faithfully guarded, of transmitting to their latest posterity all the substantial blessings of life, the peaceful enjoyment of liberty, property, religion, and independence." -- Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." -- Thomas Jefferson



Sen. Ben Nelson -- the lonely 60th vote

Government

"[Barack] Obama paid off Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb) the way he and Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev) had paid off Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La) last month. Put enough money on the table and just about any Democratic U.S. Senator will think, gulp, blink, and drag the pot with the rationalization that 'this is all for the greater good.' Pelican Pellets. This is no different than putting a horse's head into Jack Woltz' bed to force him into giving Johnny Fontaine a part in his movie in The Godfather. It was a deal Nelson couldn't refuse. There is no Socialized Option in the bill. Abortions will not be covered. It is unclear who will have to pay how much or when for what coverage. All in all it is health care reform that has nothing to do with health care and contains little, if any, reform. Other than this: If Democrats continue to control all the levers of power at the Federal level, this will change and change and change over the next two or three Congresses until health care in America is pronounced equal for everyone and mediocre for all." -- political analyst Rich Galen



Insight

"A Fatal Tendency of Mankind. Self-preservation and self-development are common aspirations among all people. And if everyone enjoyed the unrestricted use of his faculties and the free disposition of the fruits of his labor, social progress would be ceaseless, uninterrupted, and unfailing. But there is also another tendency that is common among people. When they can, they wish to live and prosper at the expense of others. ... This fatal desire has its origin in the very nature of man -- in that primitive, universal, and insuppressible instinct that impels him to satisfy his desires with the least possible pain." -- French economist and author Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)



Liberty

"As we near the eve of another Christmas, I wonder: What would have happened if Mother Mary had been covered by Obamacare? What if that young, poor and uninsured teenage woman had been provided the federal funds (via Obamacare) and facilities (via Planned Parenthood, etc.) to avoid the ridicule, ostracizing, persecution and possible stoning because of her out-of-wedlock pregnancy? Imagine all the great souls who could have been erased from history and the influence of mankind if their parents had been as progressive as Washington's wise men and women! Will Obamacare morph into Herodcare for the unborn? America doesn't need to turn the page on culture wars, such as the one on abortion. It needs to reopen the pages of its history to our Founders' elevated views of and rights for all human beings (including those in the womb), as documented in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. We need to revive and re-instill their value of humanity back into society, our children and our children's children. And most of all, Washington needs to run our government as Thomas Jefferson outlined in an 1809 letter: 'The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.'" -- columnist Chuck Norris



Faith & Family

"The New York Times recently revealed that, before abandoning the idea, Barack and Michelle Obama had considered eliminating The White House's traditional nativity scene as part of an effort to celebrate a 'non-religious' Christmas. In light of that story, it wasn't entirely surprising to learn that this year, for the first time, the President's Christmas card contains neither any mention of Christmas itself nor a quote from the New Testament. Obviously, the Obamas aren't fans of overt displays of Christian religiosity. The White House has told Fox News Radio that the card represents nothing but an attempt to recognize that Americans are celebrating other holidays at this time of year -- not just Christmas. No doubt that approach is imbued with politically-correct, multicultural sensitivity, but it also, perhaps, reflects a world view that's out-of-step with most regular Americans -- and even America's heritage. For starters, the use of the term 'Christmas' doesn't seem to be as offensive as the politically correct would have us believe. A recent Rasmussen Report found that fully 72% of Americans preferred 'Merry Christmas,' compared to 22% who favored a more generic greeting, like 'Happy Holidays.' And a December 2008 USA Today/Gallup poll found that 93% of Americans celebrate Christmas. How offended could Americans be by a reference to a holiday that they themselves are celebrating? ... So permit me to say what the Obamas' card does not: Merry Christmas." -- columnist Carol Platt Liebau



Culture

"The most important question any society must answer is: How will we make good people? That is the question Judeo-Christian values have grappled with. There are many and profound theological and practical differences between Judaism and Christianity. But in the American incarnation of Judeo-Christian values -- and America is really the one civilization that developed an amalgamation of Jewish and Christian values -- the emphasis has been on individual character. One cannot make a good society if one does not begin with the arduous task of making good individuals. Both Judaism and Christianity begin with the premise that man is not basically good and therefore regard man's nature as the root of cause of evil. ... When society blames evil on forces outside the individual rather than on the individuals who perpetrate evil, society will work to change those forces rather than work to improve the character of individuals. That is a key to understanding why the left constantly attempts to radically change society -- how else make a better world? .... There is no federal budget, no Senate or House bill, no social policy, no health care fix that can do as much good as a society that is filled with decent people." -- columnist Dennis Prager



"The Web"

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1cp6epTH7Q



A Christmas Miracle!

http://www.123greetings.com/aff-bin/card/1380/113722



Happy Birthday Jesus song syncronized to Christmas lights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQyXWllz5Ao



Harry Reid slips in a bombshell for Obamacare foes

Rick Moran

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/12/harry_reid_slips_in_a_bombshel.html

What did we ever do to deserve Harry Reid?

When the "manager's amendment" was passed in the dead of night, I pointed out that the wonks had yet to give it a good going over to discern what other surprises might lurk in the convoluted language used to obscure so much in the bill.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that the wonks have not disappointed us.

Buried in the amendment is a bombshell; there will be no way to amend parts of Obamacare. Apparently, Reid wants to make this bill something like a royal decree where no one can change what has already been wrought.

The Weekly Standard blog has the story:

Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) pointed out some rather astounding language in the Senate health care bill during floor remarks tonight. First, he noted that there are a number of changes to Senate rules in the bill--and it's supposed to take a 2/3 vote to change the rules. And then he pointed out that the Reid bill declares on page 1020 that the Independent Medicare Advisory Board cannot be repealed by future Congresses:

there's one provision that i found particularly troubling and it's under section c, titled "limitations on changes to this subsection."

and i quote -- "it shall not be in order in the senate or the house of representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection."

this is not legislation. it's not law. this is a rule change. it's a pretty big deal. we will be passing a new law and at the same time creating a senate rule that makes it out of order to amend or even repeal the law.

i'm not even sure that it's constitutional, but if it is, it most certainly is a senate rule. i don't see why the majority party wouldn't put this in every bill. if you like your law, you most certainly would want it to have force for future senates.

i mean, we want to bind future congresses. this goes to the fundamental purpose of senate rules: to prevent a tyrannical majority from trampling the rights of the minority or of future co congresses.

Get that? No repeal, no amendments, no nothing. That part of Obamacare is as set in stone as the idea that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It is unalterable - which, of course, means the entire bill is off limits.

The goal is to guard against the possibility that the GOP may win back the House and Senate some day and may wish to repeal or drastically alter Obamacare. In the dead of night, Harry Reid has turned the United States from a constitutional republic into a banana republic monarchy.



Exclusive: ACORN Qualifies for Funding in Senate Health Care Bill

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/12/exclusive_acorn_qualifies_for_1.asp

Senator Roland Burris is claiming credit for a provision in Harry Reid's "manager's amendment," unveiled Saturday morning, that could funnel money to ACORN through the health care bill.

On December 9, Burris, an Illinois Democrat, pledged that he would filibuster a health care bill without a public option. "If we have to get 60 and it comes back and it does not have a public option in it, I will not vote for it," he said. Then early last week he said he could vote for the bill if there were changes made to achieve the goals of the public option: "until this bill addresses cost, competition, and accountability in a meaningful way—it will not win [my vote]."

Asked last night before the Senate voted why he was planning to support a bill without a public option, Burris said: "We have a great bill--the best we could get. And it also covers most of our concerns: competition, cost, and accountability." But had anything specifically changed in the text of the bill that helped him change his mind? Burris told THE WEEKLY STANDARD: "It was the disparity provision that was put in, which we had something to do with, in terms of making sure that diabetes and the other diseases that are affecting minorities are really studied by HHS in all of these pilot programs."

The provision he cites, found on pages 240 through 248 of the manager's amendment, requires that six different agencies each establish an “Office of Minority Health.” The agencies are the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.”

According to page 241 of the amendment:

In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary, acting through the Deputy Assistant Secretary, shall award grants, contracts, enter into memoranda of understanding, cooperative, interagency, intra-agency and other agreements with public and nonprofit private entities, agencies, as well as Departmental and Cabinet agencies and organizations, and with organizations that are indigenous human resource providers in communities of color to assure improved health status of racial and ethnic minorities, and shall develop measures to evaluate the effectiveness of activities aimed at reducing health disparities and supporting the local community. Such measures shall evaluate community outreach activities, language services, workforce cultural competence, and other areas as determined by the Secretary.’’

According to a Senate legislative aide, the scandal-plagued Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now could qualify for grants under this provision. ACORN would also qualify for funding on page 150 of the underlying Reid bill, which says that "community and consumer-focused nonprofit groups" may receive grants to "conduct public education activities to raise awareness of the availability of qualified health plans."

Earlier this year, Congress passed and the president signed into law a ban on federal funding for ACORN, but a judge ruled that that law was unconstitutional. If a higher court reverses that ruling, ACORN may be prohibited from receiving funds through the Office of Minority Health earmark. But according to the Senate legislative aide, ACORN would still "absolutely" qualify for federal funding through the provision in the underlying Reid bill because the anti-ACORN appropriations amendment would not apply to funds provided through the health care exchanges.

A spokesman for Sen. Harkin, chairman of the HELP committee, wrote in an email that he "will look into" which organizations qualify for funding under these provisions. Spokesmen for Senators Reid and Dodd did not immediately reply to emails.



Socialist Intervention in the Private Sector is Not True Health Care Reform

Written by The American TFP

http://www.tfp.org/frontpage-news/frontpage-news/socialist-intervention-in-the-private-sector-is-not-true-health-care-reform.html

The State is assuming the functions of the private sphere.

Is there a right to health care and must the State provide it?

The great controversy over health care reform is centered on concerns of countless Americans that proposed legislative changes will move the country yet one more step down the road toward State intervention and socialism.

This concern is well founded. For decades, the State at all levels and branches has increasingly absorbed the functions of the private sphere. It has weakened the social fabric of the nation by usurping many rights and privileges of individuals, families and businesses with excessive regulation and bureaucratic red tape.

It has imposed similar burdens on those private associations which are the natural intermediate bodies between the individual and the State, such as institutions of the Catholic Church1 and other religious bodies; health and educational institutions; trade and labor associations; and countless charitable groups.

Many Americans are now concerned that direct State intervention in health care will go yet farther and lead to the socialization of our economy.

Respecting the Principles of a Christian Social Order
There is no doubt that the State can act within the principle of authority which affirms the need for a moral force in society capable of efficaciously directing and encouraging the actions of all towards the common good of the social body.

However, there are two other pillars of a Christian social order that must be considered. First, the principle of solidarity, derived from the common nature of men, which leads them to show mutual concern and support for others. There is also the principle of subsidiarity— whereby what can be done by an individual or smaller group is not assigned to a larger group. This principle stems from the fact that man is not only a social being but also a rational, essentially free and responsible being. Thus, he is guaranteed the right to resolve his problems either by himself, through his family or other intermediate social bodies without being obliged to wait for solutions from public authority.

When the State intervenes unnecessarily in the life of its citizens, it invokes the principle of authority to suppress the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity. However, while the principle of authority is fundamental for the promotion of the common good, its role is to support and complement the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity, not to destroy them. Without balance and harmony among these three fundamental principles, society falls into disarray and easily slides towards totalitarianism, a regime that respects neither individual rights nor freedom.2

Undue State intervention in the private sphere (that is, individuals, families, businesses, religious and other associations) inexorably leads to socialism.



Obama Funder Jodie Evans on Her New ‘Tali’ Pals: Taliban Bring Peace and Justice,

U.S. Created ‘Hell on Earth’ in Afghanistan

by Kristinn Taylor and Andrea Shea King

[Note: This is the latest segment in an ongoing series about Code Pink and its co-founder Jodie Evans. Click here to read earlier articles.]

Photo Credit RAWA

In a wide-ranging interview released this week by MIPtalk, Obama funder, terrorist sympathizer and Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans spoke about her meetings with the Taliban and President Barack Obama. She lauded the Taliban for bringing peace and justice to Afghanistan while saying that the U.S. has failed to deliver either.

In a separate interview with Lauren Steiner, Jodie Evans went further in her criticism of the United States saying that we had created “hell on earth” in Afghanistan.

Jodie Evans also spoke about being called on by Obama’s Deputy Chief of Staff for a morning-after briefing following her hand delivery of a propaganda package to Obama about Afghanistan.

Jodie Evans admits in the interview she does “a lot to not support the troops.”

It has also been revealed by another source that despite their history of working to get our soldiers killed abroad and waging psychological war against the troops on the homefront, Jodie Evans and Code Pink were allowed to visit an Indiana National Guard unit at a base in Afghanistan.

Jodie Evans was a founding member of Obama’s campaign finance team, recruited in February 2007 to co-host Obama’s breakthrough Hollywood fundraiser with the Dreamworks trio of Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Later in 2007 she was appointed a fundraising bundler by Obama’s presidential campaign. She also donated tens of thousands of dollars to various Obama campaign vehicles in 2007 and 2008.

Obama’s last known in-person meeting with Jodie Evans was at a high dollar San Francisco fundraiser where he allowed himself to be filmed accepting a propaganda package opposing America’s victory in the Af-Pak front in the war on terror.

The Obama administration recently worked with Jodie Evans and Code Pink through the White House Office of Public Engagement to undermine public support for Obama’s surge in Afghanistan in the days after his speech at West Point announcing the new strategy.

The MIPtalk interview with Jodie Evans was conducted October 23rd by Brad Rowe at Code Pink’s Venice, California headquarters. It was posted online December 15th by Rowe who made sure to post a Twitter message to Big Government about its release before he Tweeted Code Pink. If Rowe thought Jodie Evans would come off as the humanitarian superhero Rowe (and she) portrays her to be, he is mistaken.

MIPtalk bills itself as “Conversations with the world’s Most Interesting People.” While Evans has a compelling life story (don’t we all?), her work with state sponsors of terrorism and terrorist groups like the Taliban and Hamas paint her in an unsympathetic, treasonous light to patriotic Americans.

Jodie Evans’ meetings with the Taliban were not mentioned in her and other Code Pink leaders’ reports about their trip to Afghanistan. However, Jodie Evans’ friend and idol Jane Fonda mentioned the meetings in comments that were reported by Big Government.

The interview with MIPtalk is the only known interview of Jodie Evans herself speaking about meeting the Taliban.

Jodie Evans seems to have gotten quite pally with the Taliban, affectionately calling them by the nickname “The Tali” during the interview. She compares the Taliban’s treatment of women favorably to how the Afghan warlords treat women, glossing over the world-renowned atrocities committed against women by the Taliban.

When I was trying to keep us from invading Afghanistan eight years ago, you know, people were arguing, ‘But what about the women?’ And I was saying the warlords are worse than the Taliban, if there could be such a thing.

Because the Taliban at least creates a structure, and they don’t the rape the women. They just kinda keep them in their rooms, quiet. And you know, if you follow the rules, you’re okay. If you don’t, you’re in a lot of trouble.

But that’s true with the warlords. But the warlords are just, there are no rules. They go in and if they see somebody they like, just go in at night and rape them. They rape, you know, go in and rape your children. I mean, they’re still doing that and so the problem is as we go there, the warlords are horrific. We put them in as the governors of provinces that now the Taliban have taken back, and then the warlords are the ministers. They are raping, you know, people in their villages. You know, women are trying to get justice. They can’t get justice and they’re out in the streets. So we — the U.S. — are supporting these horrific war criminals as what we think should be leadership.

What Jodie Evans accuses the Afghan warlords of doing is precisely what the government of Saddam Hussein did to Iraqi women.

That was perfectly acceptable to Jodie Evans in 2003 when she went to Baghdad with Code Pink as a guest of Saddam’s government to lobby the world to keep the genocidal state sponsor of terrorism in power.

Jodie Evans has professed her wish that Saddam were back in power in Iraq even after Saddam’s killing fields and rape rooms were revealed to the world.

Jodie Evans also favorably compares the Taliban to the U.S.

Why is the Taliban in power in Afghanistan again? Because they deliver peace and justice and we, the United States, do not deliver that. We deliver chaos and corruption.

Evans goes on to accuse the U.S. of “creating terrorism”:

What causes terrorism is disrespect, a lack of justice and poverty.

We are creating that in Afghanistan. We are creating terrorism. Our presence creates terrorists. Not for us, because the Taliban is a nationalist organization, but for Afghanistan.

If we continue to create a world where there is poverty and disrespect, there will continue to be terrorism. I mean whether it’s al Qaeda, I mean we’ve made these boogie men.

The Taliban actually wanted to negotiate with the U.S. government. We talked to some of “the Tali” that said this, that they tried to negotiate with the U.S. government under Bush to turn in Osama, or to let him go to Yemen or something else, so that we wouldn’t attack Afghanistan. And U.S. wouldn’t make that deal.

It makes you curious about why we are really in Afghanistan, which is the question for the Afghans.

And I can promise you Obama and his administration have no idea why we’re there. They keep giving us another reason. It changes as much as Bush changed why we were in Iraq. Because if it’s really about al Qaeda, al Qaeda hasn’t been there for four years at least. Maybe there’s a few remnants, but it’s not Osama. There are more al Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia and Pakistan.

(Rowe: “Pennsylvania.”)

..and in Pennsylvania, exactly!

Were (sic) those people that, you know, brought down the towers all lived in the United States? And then none of them were from Iraq or Afghanistan.

(Rowe: “They were well educated people from Saudi Arabia and Egypt and Syria.”)

…Which is the difference between “the Tali” and al Qaeda, you know. They were very well educated and they’re from other countries. “The Tali” are uneducated warlords.

Jodie Evans trashes everything the U.S. does in Afghanistan, especially its humanitarian endeavors.

Everything we even spend money on is a disaster.

It should be pointed out however, that Jodie Evans’ anti-American propaganda talking points were not believed by some of the non-Code Pink members who accompanied her on the trip to Afghanistan.

Writing at Women on the Web, author Sara Davidson tells of two incidents where she and her traveling compatriot came close to flat out calling their hosts Jodie Evans and her fellow Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin liars.

The first was a conference of about sixty women from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India; the second was at Camp Eggers in Kabul.

“During tea breaks, we talk with the women, and when we leave, Rabia Roberts says, ‘No one wanted the American military to be gone.’ Code Pink co-founders Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin and former Army Colonel Ann (Wright) say that’s not what they heard. They’d drawn up a petition urging President Obama not to send more soldiers and to work for a political solution that leads to withdrawing all troops. They asked women at the Trialogue to sign it; some refused, but a dozen signed.

Rabia says, “I feel like we’ve been at two different conferences.”

The same thing happens when we visit Camp Eggers, an army base in the center of Kabul. Rabia and I speak with a dozen soliders (sic) from the Indiana National Guard who are perched on a tank, playing Texas Hold ‘Em and drinking Cokes. ‘We’re here to help people and make a difference,’ one says. ‘It’s not about money — we could make twice as much working for private security, but I’d rather wear the uniform.’

We also meet female soldiers, including an African American who says she hasn’t encountered any hostility from Afghan men. ‘They love me. They can’t do enough to help me. I guess they think I’m exotic.’ For these women soldiers, it is about money. They say they enlisted because, as one puts it, ‘I get free health care for my family, my kids get a free education, I can retire at 38 and get a pension the rest of my life.’

When I repeat this to Medea later, she says, ‘Sounds like socialism to me.’

Medea and Jodie say the soldiers they talked with want out of Afghanistan fast. They told us, ‘We hate them and they hate us.’

Rabia frowns. ‘I didn’t hear anyone speak like that.’

‘Must be the way we ask questions,’ Medea says.

‘Must be,’ Rabia replies.

Just as Jodie Evans and Code Pink did not write about meeting “the Tali” in their reports, they did not disclose their visit to Camp Eggers either.

Photo credit Kristin Fritz

Rabia Roberts, left, and Sara Davidson with Indiana National Guard soldiers at Camp Eggers, Kabul.

Jodie Evans spoke about her meeting with Obama after her trip to Afghanistan, but she did not say anything new. She did not go into much detail in the interview about her conversation with Obama’s Deputy Chief of Staff. She does complain about being told that Obama’s overall domestic and foreign policy strategy was dependent on how many votes the administration can get in Congress.

After I gave Obama those signatures, the next morning I got to be briefed by his Deputy Chief of Staff. It was horrific to hear, because on everything — on health care we’re making the wrong decisions. On energy policy we’re making the wrong decisions. And they’re compromising.

…When I asked ‘what’s the decision making points for this?’ (the Deputy Chief of Staff said) ‘It’s about how many votes people can get.’

And I said, ‘It doesn’t matter to me how many votes you get if you can’t do the right thing when it comes up. What does it matter, what do I care?’

Jodie Evans does not describe what she told Obama’s Deputy Chief of Staff about her meetings with “the Tali.”

When asked by Rowe about supporting the troops, Jodie Evans laughs.

I’m not so sure I could totally say I support the troops. I do a lot to not support the troops!…I guess how I support the troops is telling the truth. That’s how I support the troops.

Jodie Evans and Code Pink have accused the troops of being terrorists, murderers and assassins who wantonly murder women and children.

In the interview, Jodie Evans implies that she cares about our wounded soldiers, yet she and Code Pink delivered over $600,000 in cash and humanitarian aid to what Code Pink called “the other side” in Fallujah in late 2004 as the Marines were fighting house to house clearing al Qaeda in Mesopotamia from that Iraqi city.

Shortly after that Code Pink started taunting wounded soldiers and their families at the main gate to Walter Reed Army Medical Center as having been “Maimed for a lie.”

Just because President Obama does not publicly embrace Jodie Evans’ demands on the war and just because Jodie Evans publicly criticizes Obama’s policies doesn’t mean they’re not politically aligned, that they don’t share the same radical anti-American agenda.

Taliban sympathizer Jodie Evans and President Barack Obama, Oct. 15, 2009

That Obama and his administration work closely with Jodie Evans and Code Pink is a grave breach of national security and a betrayal of our troops and their families.



"The e-mail Bag"

A Policedman Testifies In Court

Q: "Officer -- did you see my client fleeing the scene?"

A: "No sir. But I subsequently observed a person matching the
description of the offender, running several blocks away."

Q: "Officer -- who provided this description?"

A: "The officer who responded to the scene."

Q: "A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called offender.
Do you trust your fellow officers?"

A: "Yes, sir. With my life."

Q: "With your life? Let me ask you this then officer. Do you have a
room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily
duties?"

A: "Yes sir, we do!"

Q: "And do you have a locker in the room?"

A: "Yes sir, I do."

Q: "And do you have a lock on your locker?"

A: "Yes sir."

Q: "Now why is it, officer, if you trust your fellow officers with your
life, you find it necessary to lock your locker in a room you share with
these same officers?"

A: "You see, sir -- we share the building with the court complex, and
sometimes lawyers have been known to walk through that room."

The courtroom erupted in laughter, and a prompt recess was called.
The officer on the stand has been nominated for this year's "Best
Comeback" Line -- I think he'll win.

ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report - 20091222

ConservativeChristianRepublican-Report - 20091222
Motivational-Inspirational-Historical-Educational-Political-Enjoyable

Promoting "God's Holy Values and American Freedoms"!



"Daily Motivations"

To survive and prosper, you and your organization must be able to achieve "big things" throughout each year … You can't get those big things done -- Santa Claus

"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." -- Mark Twain



"Daily Devotions" (KJV and/or NLT)

Your choices are never free from this conflict. (Galatians 5:17)

Many people believe that the end justifies the means. They say it is acceptable to compromise God's standards to get ahead. But the fact is we always lose when we violate God's standards of righteousness. However, it is not always easy to do what is right.

I remember when we moved our headquarters from California to Florida. We had been unable to sell or lease some of our property in California. The buildings remained empty, yet every month we still had to make our mortgage payments.

Some successful Christian businessmen counseled me to default and allow the bank to repossess the property. Many businesses do this, and financially we would be far better off. But that would be wrong since we had signed a contract with the bank. We purposed to trust God to help us pay the bills and sell the property in a way that would honor Him.

Five years passed before we finally sold the property. Although making those payments was a financial hardship, God greatly blessed the ministry. Contributions dramatically increased year after year. I believe God blessed us because we ran the ministry His way.

If we had defaulted on our agreement we could have saved a lot of money, but we would have violated our word and our contract. It is never right to do wrong in order to get a chance to do right. Being righteous as God is righteous means making sacrifices and often saying "no" to the easy way out.

Your View of God Really Matters …

Have you ever chosen the easy way out instead of Godly righteousness? How do you think a perfectly righteous God views such a choice? What do you think such a choice says about your view of God? In order to make righteous choices, focus on who God is rather than on your circumstances. Allow His Spirit to guide and empower you today.



"The Patriot Post"

"There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily." -- George Washington



Honduras Elections a Success

The struggle for Honduran Rule of Law closed yet another victorious chapter on Monday when the people elected their new president, conservative businessman Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo. On Wednesday, the Honduran Congress voted to deny reinstatement to Manuel Zelaya, whose term was set to end in January.

Former president Manuel Zelaya was removed from office in June after he attempted to call a popular referendum to cancel the elections and extend his term, which is a violation of the Honduran constitution. Upon a search of Zelaya's residence after the ouster, law enforcement discovered computers preloaded with votes in favor of Zelaya. In addition, Zelaya had refused to transfer funds to the electoral council necessary for its preparation ahead of the election -- another violation of Honduran law.

Clearly, Zelaya had expected his power grab to be successful. According to one Honduran official, Zelaya had invited the leaders of the Bolivarian Alternatives for the Americas (ALBA) to visit his country the night of the attempted referendum. ALBA is the socialist brainchild of Hugo Chavez, whose membership also includes Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua. Under Zelaya, whose close ties to Chavez are well known, Honduras had joined the organization. The official also revealed that Zelaya had ordered food for 10,000 -- fitting for a celebration of the hijacking of his country, which others in the region, including Chavez, have already done.

Not surprisingly, the Obama administration originally favored the corrupt and constitution-trampling Zelaya and spent months exerting intense economic and diplomatic pressure on Honduras. In fact, the State Department issued a blanket denial of U.S.. visas to Hondurans and threatened not to recognize the presidential election. After the elections, however, the State Department issued a statement praising Hondurans for "peacefully exercising their democratic right to select their leaders." The statement should have gone on to say "in the face of despicable bullying from nations around the world, including ours."



This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award

Rep.. David Obey (D-WI), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, called again for a surtax for the war against Jihadistan, saying, "I'm generally in favor of paying for what we do."



Department of Military Correctness: SEALs Face Courts Martial

As if there weren't already enough evidence that Obama's war "leadership" is insane.... On Sept. 3 in Iraq, three of our elite SEALs captured Ahmed Hashim Abed, a high value target whom the military had code-named "Objective Amber.." Abed was responsible for murdering four Blackwater employees in March 2004 and hanging their charred bodies from a bridge over the Euphrates River near Fallujah for the entire world to see. Clearly, Abed was someone the U.S. wanted, and our SEALs expertly and professionally captured him this past September. Time for saluting our heroes and giving them commendations, right?

Fat chance, because somehow Abed got a fat lip, or possibly a punch in the stomach, by one of our SEALs -- or so he says. Standard jihadi operating procedure, after all, is to claim abuse at the first opportunity. And in today's upside-down, PC military, such "extensive abuse" of a prisoner means that our three SEAL heroes will, unbelievably, be facing courts martial for possibly injuring a wanted terrorist while capturing him.

The three heroes, Petty Officers Matthew McCabe, Jonathan Keefe and Julio Huertas, could have chosen an administrative hearing, leaving them with no possibility of jail time or dishonorable discharges, but tarnishing their reputations forever. Instead, like the men they are and knowing they are in the right, they chose a court martial, which could (and should) exonerate them completely, though, if convicted, it could also land them behind bars and end their military careers.

Leaving aside the question of how, or even whether, Abed was hurt, does a sane country prosecute its own soldiers for fighting and capturing the enemy? Why are these young heroes standing trial for bringing an enemy suspect in alive? Where is the outrage?



Income Redistribution: Unemployment Benefits

Congress thrives on the praise and adoration of the chattering class, which is always so "concerned" about the plight of the average consumer. So Congress is proposing to help struggling unemployed consumers with an expansion of unemployment benefits to the tune of $100 billion (that's $100,000,000,000).

With unemployment benefits averaging $315 per week and approximately eight million individuals expecting to have their benefits expire in 2010, what this means is an additional four weeks of benefits for those currently on the rolls.. But as Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) explained, this benefit will, unlike the stimulus plan, place funds directly into the hands of those who need the money. "It's given to people who are simply out of money," McDermott said. "They're spending it. They're not socking it away in a mattress somewhere." Ah, it seems like only yesterday that Democrats were railing about the dismal savings habits of the American consumer. Perhaps someone might explain to the congressman that money socked away is called capital formation, the first component of an economic expansion that creates jobs.

Of course, this proposal dovetails nicely with New York Times columnist Paul Krugman's suggestion that the Obama administration fund a jobs creation bill. The former Enron adviser conceded that while his critics would call this as a make-work bill, the Works Progress Administration under Franklin Roosevelt created a tangible legacy, that of public projects still in use. Krugman did not acknowledge that the Depression of the 1930s was finally ended only when excess labor in the market was put to work to win WWII.

Both of these extending unemployment benefits and a modern WPA fail the sustainability test. While the element of compassion is an effective marketing tool to promote these ideas, their lack of sustainability insures that the ill effects to follow will vastly exceed the short-term benefits derived from the programs. Again, looking back to the 1930s, Europe was experiencing an economic expansion by 1935-36 while the U.S. continued to flounder for another four years due to Roosevelt's New Deal programs.

Compassion is a wonderful sentiment and should motivate each of us during the Christmas season to do all we can to help those who have fallen on hard times. But beware "compassion" from the likes of McDermott and Krugman, lest it become the shackles of involuntary servitude.



Faith and Family: San Francisco Persecution

The Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is facing quite a real estate tax bill this year -- $14.4 million to be exact. Why such an outlandish figure? Although the city doesn't dare admit it, the tax is likely retaliation for the church's support of California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage statewide.

The Archdiocese was previously owned by two corporations but in 2007 restructured its property holdings into a single entity. The reorganization was technical because there was no sale or transfer of land to a different party. Real estate taxes normally don't apply in such situations, but San Francisco Assessor Phil Tung had different ideas. The resulting $14.4 million tax bill would be the second largest in the city's history. However, the church has taken the matter to court. Spokeswoman Maura Healy said, "We are glad that having exhausted the required administrative process, we can finally proceed to a formal, neutral civil court forum. We trust that the civil court will carefully consider the applicable law, devoid of the sensationalism and politics that the archdiocese thus far has faced." We pray that they have success.



To Keep and Bear Arms

Lynn Bond was expecting a guest when he soon heard the arrival of someone at his house. As he stepped into his garage to greet his visitor, however, it was not exactly the person he expected. Instead of a friendly greeting, Bond found a man dressed in only boxers searching through his garage. After asking who the intruder was, Bond told him to leave. The intruder refused. To get his point across, Bond went to get his .45-cal. handgun giving the suspect reason enough to leave. Michigan police caught the intruder and also found that he was in possession of drugs. The suspect also left a ..22-cal rifle at the scene.

In other news, the Supreme Court has scheduled hearings in a landmark case to determine whether the Second Amendment prohibits states and local governments from restricting gun rights. Oral arguments in McDonald v. City of Chicago, which challenges the Windy City's total handgun ban, will be held on March 2, 2010. A decision is expected by the end of June.



"Liberty Counsel"

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

Abortion Healthcare Bill is Unacceptable and Unconstitutional

Liberty Counsel opposes the current Senate healthcare bill because it still funds abortion and does not permit those who oppose abortion to opt-out from the federally subsidized plan.

On Saturday, Senate President Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a 383-page so-called “Manager’s Amendment” to his 2,074-page pending bill (H.R. 3590) that requires the federal government to violate the principles of the Hyde Amendment by funding abortion.

Unfortunately, it appears Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) compromised his opposition to abortion funding after negotiating a Medicaid deal for his home state of Nebraska at the expense of the other 49 states that will have to split the costs of Medicaid with the federal government. Many states are already struggling in this economy, with hiring freezes and job cuts, and cannot afford mandates in their own states, much less their share of the Medicaid mandates of Nebraska. These costs will be passed along to struggling taxpayers while their legislators wonder what new creative tax increases they will have to invent to come up with a possible additional $2 billion per year to throw into Reid’s federal healthcare mix.

On Sunday the Congressional Budget Office Director admitted that the prior cost figures on the bill were inaccurate, stating to Sen. Reid: “The imprecision of these calculations reflects the even greater degree of uncertainty ....”

No one had time to read Sen. Reid’s bill because he pushed it forward in the middle of the night and the Senate may be forced to work up to the evening hours on Christmas Eve. While the world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, Senator Reid is holding every Senator hostage in order to pressure them into submission so that every American will be forced to fund abortion.

If the bill becomes law, Liberty Counsel is prepared to challenge the constitutionality of the bill since Congress has no authority to require every person to obtain insurance coverage and has no authority to fine employers who do not provide the coverage standards that are required in the bill. In addition, the bill still requires citizens to pay a fine if they don't maintain insurance for themselves and their families

The spirit of the Roman Emperor Herod who killed every baby boy two years old and under in order to preserve his political dynasty still lives in the halls of Congress.

This shameful farce is not about healthcare. It is about politics. It is not about the well-being of the American people. It is about scoring a political victory.

Read our News Release for more details.

Here is what you can do

Former President Reagan warned about the difficulty of opposing socialistic healthcare ideas. He stated: "One of the traditional methods of imposing statism, or socialism, on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. Most people are a little reluctant to oppose anything that suggests medical care for people who possibly can’t afford it."

The socialists have mustered all of their strength to push this monstrous government takeover of healthcare. We cannot let them destroy America.

Pray, pray, and pray that God will intervene in the individual hearts of every single Congressional legislator so that their votes will line up with God’s Word.

Then Call and Write your Senators.

Make a personal visit to the local Congressional offices in your area.
We need to make it clear that we will not accept ANY bill that funds abortions, rations care, limits our freedom or imposes new taxes and burdens on the American people.

We know that this has been a long battle, but now is not the time to let up on the pressure. We simply cannot become "weary in well doing."

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Liberty Counsel does not charge clients for representation, so we depend on individuals, groups and churches that 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



"The Web"

Church Project - Securing Religious Freedom

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/issues/religiousfreedom/churchandstate.aspx?cid=4946



Santa Clause Is Coming To Town!

http://ak.imgag.com/imgag/product/preview/flash/pdShell.swf?ihost=http://ak.imgag.com/imgag&brandldrPath=/product/full/el/&cardNum=/product/full/ap/3173936/graphic1



Elvis Presley and Martina McBride - Blue Christmas

http://release.theplatform.com/content.select?pid=5mCzgDf_lCZ3uKBDkKLY2_dqmD4_S0yF&UserName=Unknown

Technology of today! Amazing, simply amazing how good this is.

Elvis - Born January 08, 1935. Died August 16, 1977

Martina - Born July29, 1966 -

Martina was 10 when Elvis died.



HE maketh no mistake

My Father's way may twist and turn, my heart may throb and ache, but in my soul I'm glad I know, He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray, my hopes may fade away, but still I'll trust the Lord to lead, for He doth know the way.

Tho night be dark and it may seem, that day will never break, I'll pin my faith, my all in Him, He maketh no mistake.

There's so much now I cannot see, my eyesight far too dim, But come what may, I'll simply trust and leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift, and plain it all He'll make, Through all the way, tho dark to me, He made not one mistake.

Author Unknown



Health bill money for hospital sought by Dodd

The Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/20/AR2009122002956.html

WASHINGTON -- A $100 million item for construction of a university hospital was inserted in the Senate health care bill at the request of Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who faces a difficult re-election campaign, his office said Sunday night.

The legislation leaves it up to the Health and Human Services Department to decide where the money should be spent, although spokesman Bryan DeAngelis said Dodd hopes to claim it for the University of Connecticut.

The provision is included in a 383-page series of changes to the health care bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., outlined Saturday. Scattered throughout are numerous items sought by individual lawmakers, many of them directing money explicitly to programs or projects in their home states.

The one sought by Dodd provides $100 million for "a health care facility that provides research, inpatient tertiary care, or outpatient clinical services." It must be affiliated with an academic health center at a public research university in the United States "that contains a State's sole public academic medical and dental school."

The money can cover a maximum of 40 percent of the facility's construction costs.

Based on the criteria set out on the bill, it appeared that state-affiliated hospitals in about a dozen states could compete for the funds.

Dodd has played a key role in development of the health care bill in the Senate. He wielded the gavel earlier in the year when the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee spent weeks drafting its version of the measure. The late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., was chairman at the time, but unable to preside.

Dodd, who is chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is seeking a new term in 2010, but polls so far show him in a tight race.



'Czar' Jennings must go

Chad Groening - OneNewsNow

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=821332

An Iowa congressman is again calling on President Obama to fire his controversial "safe schools czar" Kevin Jennings.

In October, Republican Steve King became the first member of Congress to call for the ouster of Jennings as head of the Education Department's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.The Iowa lawmaker, along with 52 other House Republicans, sent a letter to the president saying that Jennings was unfit to serve in the position because of his lack of appropriate qualifications and ethical standards. But King reports that they have received no response from the White House to date.

"For some reason, even when 53 members of the United States Congress send a letter to the president of the United States, he doesn't see that he has an obligation to respond to such a letter," the congressman notes. "So we've mounted a new effort to do that, and I am participating and cooperating in that."

King says Jennings' record is very narrow in its scope as "it's all about promoting homosexuality, and much of it [is done] within the schools, and a lot of it within our elementary schools. In fact, Governor [Mitt] Romney, as governor of Massachusetts, spoke out against Kevin Jennings and his tactics, and some of the material that he was distributing to kids was unfit for students of any age," he regards.

Congressman King says he has sent a follow-up letter to the White House, again calling on the president to fire Jennings. In it he tells Obama that his colleague, Congressman Michael Burgess of Texas, has introduced a House resolution calling for Jennings' dismissal.



Feds bid to shell ACORN

By CARL CAMPANILE

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/feds_bid_to_shell_acorn_qkGTdd8C5Em2DTuC0KaP8M

The feds want permission from a Brooklyn federal judge to strip ACORN of funding -- and their request comes just as officials revealed yesterday that the US General Accounting Office is probing the scandal-scarred group.

In its filings in a Brooklyn case in which Judge Nina Gershon ruled that a fund cutoff would be unconstitutional, the government cited ACORN's own internal review, which found its management practices to be lacking.

The latest flap over the controversial community organizers follows the release of videos showing some members offering people posing as pimps and prostitutes advice on how to skirt the law. The Post reported on one such video, filmed in ACORN's Brooklyn office.

Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) yesterday announced the GAO investigation and called for a separate one by the FBI.



Islamic mosque built at 9/11 Ground Zero

Muslim business leader: 'This has hand of the divine written over it'

By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=119328

Wreckage from plane that hit the twin towers fell on the same building that may serve as an Islamic cultural center.

A new Islamic mosque will open its doors just steps from Ground Zero where Muslim terrorists murdered 2,751 people in the name of Allah on Sept. 11, 2001 – and its leading imam, who conducts sensitivity training sessions for the FBI, has reportedly blamed Christians for starting mass attacks on civilians.

The five-story building at Park Place, just two blocks north of the former World Trade Center site, was the site of a Burlington Coat Factory. But a plane's landing-gear assembly crashed through the roof on the day 19 Muslim terrorists hijacked the airliners and flew them into the Twin Towers in 2001.

Now Muslim worshippers currently occupy the building, and they plan to turn it into a major Islamic cultural center.

"The men and women stand up, raise their hands on either side of their head, murmur 'Allahu akhbar,' bow and kneel again," reports Spiegel Online.

"Only in New York City is this possible," Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, or ASMA, told the magazine. Khan is the wife of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of ASMA.

They have leased the new prayer space as an overflow building for another mosque, Masjid al-Farah, at 245 West Broadway in TriBeCa, where Rauf is the spiritual leader.

Get "Why We Left Islam" now from the people who published it – WND Books.

The building – vacant since that fateful day when time stood still as millions of Americans grieved the loss of loved ones, friends, family members, co-workers and strangers – was purchased in July by real-estate company Soho Properties, a business run by Muslims. Rauf was an investor in that transaction.

Just down the street, the Museum of Jewish Heritage honors victims of the Holocaust, and St. Peter's Church, New York's oldest Catholic house of worship, is located around the corner.

Rauf has announced his plans to turn the building into a complete Islamic cultural center, with a mosque, a museum, "merchandising options," and room for seminars to reconcile religions, "to counteract the backlash against Muslims in general, " Speigel reports. The project may cost as much as $150 million.

Rauf told the New York Times purchasing the building "where a piece of the wreckage fell sends the opposite statement to what happened on 9/11."

"It was almost obvious that something like this had to arise from the ashes of 9/11," Khan told Spiegel. "In some way, this has the hand of the divine written over it. It's almost as if God wanted to be involved."

Feisal Abdul Rauf

The move is supported by the city. The mayor's director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs, Fatima Shama, told the Times, "We as New York Muslims have as much of a commitment to rebuilding New York as anybody."

The city's Department of Buildings records show the building has been the focus of complaints for illegal construction and blocked exits in the last year. Recent entries from Sept. 28 and 29, 2009, indicate inspectors have been unable to access the building. One complaint states, "Inspector unable to gain access – 1st attempt – No access to 5 sty building. Front locked. No responsible party present." The second, just a day later, states, "Inspector unable to gain access – 2nd attempt – no access to building. No activity or responsible party. Building remains inaccessible at Park Place."

Agency spokeswoman Carly Sullivan told the Times the complaints were listed as "resolved" under city procedures since the inspectors were unable to gain access.

Imam Rauf, born in Egypt, has written three books: "What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West," "Islam: A Sacred Law" and "Islam: A Search for Meaning."

WND reported in 2003 when, at least four times that year, the FBI's New York field office held all-day sensitivity training sessions, not far from Ground Zero, featuring Rauf.

Speaking for about two hours each session, "he gave an overview of Islamic culture and some of the differences between what fundamentalist terrorist groups say are the teachings of the Quran and what he believes, as a student of religion, the Quran actually says," said special agent James Margolin, spokesman for the FBI New York office.

Rauf asserted that the Quran "certainly doesn't counsel terrorism, murder or mayhem," Margolin said. And he said terrorists have misinterpreted the Quranic term "jihad" to mean violent, or armed, struggle against nonbelievers. Rauf claims it means internal struggle.

Rauf was invited to speak in Sydney, Australia, by Premier Bob Carr in 2004. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, he said the U.S. and the West must acknowledge the harm they've done to Muslims before terrorism can end.

He said the West must understand the terrorists' point of view – and he blamed Christians for starting mass attacks on civilians.

"The Islamic method of waging war is not to kill innocent civilians. But it was Christians in World War II who bombed civilians in Dresden and Hiroshima, neither of which were military targets," he said.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf (center) poses in a photo with attendees at a 2006 Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. On the far left is Sultan Muhammad, communications coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago. (photo: CAIR Chicago)

According to the report, Rauf said there would be little progress until the U.S. acknowledged backing dictators and the U.S. president gave an "America Culpa" speech to the Muslim world.

On June 4, 2009, President Obama gave a speech to the Muslim world from Cairo, in which he stated:

I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings. … So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed. That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't. And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.

Rauf praised Obama for "embracing Islam in the peacemaking process" in his speech to the Muslim world. He wrote in the Washington Post:

The historic significance of President Obama's speech to the Muslim world in Cairo cannot be overstated. Never before has an American president spoken to the global Muslim community. His speech marked a major shift in American foreign policy. … In just a few sentences he demolished the phony theory of the 'Clash of Civilizations,' which insists that Islam and the West must always be in conflict. Instead, he declared the United States is not at war with Islam and outlined a plan for how the conflict can be resolved. … He captured the attention of Muslims because, unlike most politicians, he was willing to critique both his own country and Muslims where they fell short of their ideals.

In an interview with Beliefnet on Islam and America, a reporter asked Rauf, "Some Islamic charities are being investigated for terrorist ties. Have you seen what you consider to be reputable Islamic charities being financially damaged?"

"We believe that a certain portion of every charity has been legitimate," he responded. "To say that you have connections with terrorism is a very gray area. It's like the accusation that Saddam Hussein had links to Osama bin Laden. Well, America had links to Osama bin Laden – does that mean that America is a terrorist country or has ties to terrorism?"

In 2004, Rauf participated in a 30-second advertisement, broadcast on Arabic television, in which he apologized for alleged abuses at Abu Ghraib prison.

The Times reported Rauf said he believes "Islamic terrorists do not come from another moral universe – that they arise from oppressive societies that he feels Washington had a hand in creating."

Readers of various blogs are outraged at the news of the mosque. Comments include the following:

Muslims are doing this only to see if they get away with it. It's the way Islam spreads in every country these days, like a cancer – through incremental totalitarianism. In this case, they'll quietly open the mosque, then, as they get away with it, they'll ramp up their outrages until someone finally points it out. At that time, their lawyers, backed by the ACLU and various liberal organizations, will pounce.

This is not different than allowing the Nazis to establish their headquarters and propaganda office in NYC in 1938. How come people could tell right from wrong then and not now?

What bonehead allowed this to happen?

That's disgusting. That truly is low. I feel bad for the people who lost family members.

This is outrageous. I just don't have word.

This is called "staging" for the KSM trial.

You've got to be kidding me. If this is true, our beloved country is already gone.

We no longer have the America I know and love.

Who wants to bet this place becomes a "tourist attraction" for Muslims? This mosque will become one of Islam's holiest shrines as it sits upon the site of their greatest modern military victory.

Good idea. Maybe terrorists will be less likely to bomb this area if there's a mosque there.



"The e-mail Bag"

Marriage Counseling

A husband and wife went in for counseling after 15 years of marriage. When asked what the problem was, the wife went into a passionate, painful tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 15 years they had been married.

She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of un-met needs she had endured over the course of their marriage.

Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the therapist got up, walked around the desk and, after asking the wife to stand, embraced and kissed her passionately. The woman shut up and quietly sat down as though in a daze. The therapist turned to the husband and said, "This is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you do this?"

The husband thought for a moment and replied, "Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I fish.