What The Apostle Paul Would Say About Common Core

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In this day of anti-Obamacare, anti-Common Core, and anti-political party posts galore, I am glad that I really can stay above the fray. Oh, I have my political views, and I still love the country that I served, and still make an occasional political post or share a funny picture caricaturizing the other side’s views. I still care that our country represents the ideals of freedom and justice. But I have no qualm with the way of the world either. I have a dual citizenship, and I care more about the heavenly kingdom and its King, than I do the USA and her presidents, past, current, or future. I will most likely vote for the Republican candidate, whomever that ends up being, because they usually line up with my views on social justice and conservatism. But here is what I will not do:

I will not deny the political process its due. For over two-hundred years approximately half of the country has been disappointed on the second Wednesday in November. Unless Barack Obama calls out the Marines to keep from being ejected from the White House, I will peaceably claim the next victor as my president, whichever party wins the office.

I will not call an educational system “evil.” For goodness sake, people, it’s a curriculum. It is not Satan incarnate as educational programing, nor is the Devil possessing teachers because common core is implemented.  As a system, I see many things wrong. But mostly I see examples of the extreme fringe posted, not what the system represents as a whole. Like everything else man invents, it has good and bad points. But to call Common Core "evil" is to make a mockery of true evil. True evil like women forced into a slave trade; children being abused; or the use of chemical agents by a goverment on its citizenry. True evil like satanic oppression of missionaries, evil like the abuses in the Word of Faith movement that tells people dying of cancer that they don't have enough faith, or God would cure them. It's called perspective. Look it up!

I will not allow a devoted Mormon to tell me what is or is not godly. All you devotees of Glenn Beck should wake up and see that the Satan rests, not in common core, but in cultic practices and pseudo-religionists like Beck. He’s a comedian…and he is funny. But his alarmist tactics and quasi-religiosity are all a ruse, designed by the Devil to make this cult look “normal.” Be like Joseph and FLEE, from that nut-case. (Genesis 39)

I will not be straddled with anyone’s political agenda. My ONLY agenda is the proliferation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  “But Steve,” you ask, “wouldn’t the proliferation of the Gospel be easier in a free, democratic, Christian society?” Nope. Never has, never will. Two things: #1 The Gospel thrives in persecution. The church grows stronger and deeper in conviction the more oppression she faces. The church grows in false doctrine and/or complacency in the ease of contentment and safety.  #2 The USA may be a free, democratic society. But she is certainly not Christian. Hello?! If we were a Christian nation, we would not have homosexual marriage, high abortion rates, and high crime rates.

When Paul wrote “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same." (Romans 13:1-3 KJV. I put this in the King Jimmy just for you KJV Only folks) he was writing about the most oppressive, anti-Christian, ruthless government that had ever existed, the Roman Empire. 

Listen to this in the NCV: “All of you must yield to the government rulers. No one rules unless God has given him the power to rule, and no one rules now without that power from God. 2 So those who are against the government are really against what God has commanded. And they will bring punishment on themselves. 3 Those who do right do not have to fear the rulers; only those who do wrong fear them. Do you want to be unafraid of the rulers? Then do what is right, and they will praise you.” 

Paul said all of this, to all of us who claim the name of Jesus, about a tyrannical government that had him arrested for his faith, and sentenced many of his companions to death for the name of Christ. Paul wrote that statement while sitting in a Roman dungeon. and so I am content with where I am. I’m not happy about homosexual marriage, high abortion rates, and a different medical system than I’m used to. But I know one thing and know it well, Jesus is my King, and He has the final say over everything that happens…to me…to you…to Obama…and He never makes a mistake. 

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

The Parable Of Practical Atheism

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The first parable in the Bible was not told by Jesus. It was told by Jotham, the son of Gideon and brother of Abimelech. It is found in Judges 9 and concern’s the treachery of Abimelech and the men of Shechem.

“The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I cease giving my oil, with which they honor God and men, and go to sway over trees?’ “Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us!’ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to sway over trees?’ “Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us!’ But the vine said to them, ‘Should I cease my new wine, which cheers both God and men, and go to sway over trees?’ “Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us!’ And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you anoint me as king over you, then come and take shelter in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon!’ Judges 9:8-15 (NKJV)

Here's the story in a nutshell:

Abimelech was Gideon's son through a concubine that lived in Shechem. His name means son of the king and I have a feeling that he took his name to heart! After Gideon died, Abimelech killed 69 of Gideon's 71 sons (leaving, of course, himself and one other; Jotham who had escaped) and set himself up as king. All of this was done with the help of the men of Shechem. When Jotham heard about his half-brother's treachery, he called on the men of Shechem and told them the above parable. Basically he said to them, "Why would you bunch of "trees" submit to a thorn bush (bramble)? You're bigger, better, more powerful, and more spiritual than this guy. You know that God is our only King." He then predicted that the men of Shechem and Abimelech would burn each other up, which they did. 

The problem really started with the practical atheism of the men of Shechem. What do I mean by practical atheism? Simple. That means that even though a person gives lip service to the fact that God exists, they live their lives as if He doesn't. They will say, “We believe in God.” Then they won’t go to church, acknowledge His Sovereignty in their lives, curse His name, and refuse to give Him glory. They claim to be Believers, but they live practically like they were atheists.

The men of Shechem claimed that they believed in God, but they dishonored Him by making Abimelech king. They said that Jehovah was their God, but they built a temple to Baal. They said what was politically expedient, but they lived whichever way made life easy.

Hmmmm. How many of us fall into the same trap?
We claim a devotion to God, but do we live as practical atheists?
Do we care more about our trips to the Lake on Sunday?
Do we tithe as though we believe that Malachi 3:8 is in the Bible, or do we just say we believe it and keep our first fruits?
Here’s one for you…Do we believe in the sanctity if human life, or do we just give lip service and vote pro-choice candidates into office because, after all; “It’s the economy, stupid preacher?"

It’s not the economy. Hey, my stocks have taken the same hit as yours. The question is, do we send Mr. Brambles to Washington, or will we send those who take a stand for what is right, no matter the cost? Will we live openly for God? Or will we just live like practical atheists?

Presidential

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OK boys and girls, our word for today is Presidential.




Presidential [prez-i-den-shuhl]: of or pertaining to a president or presidency; or of the nature of a president or to seem president like. via Old French from Late Latin praesidens





Hmmm. Which one of these guys should be under that definition??????????

C'mon, Mr. President, man!
That's a girls bike! What'er you?! Steve Urkel!? All that's missing are streamers from the handle bars and a "ring, ring" bell.

Look at Perry. Red power tie. Hand in pocket. Leg propped. A man's man. Kinda like the Dos Equis guy.

The POTUS Is My Shepherd

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The POTUS is my Shepherd,

I am in want.

He maketh me lie down on park benches,

He leadeth me beside still factories,

He disturbeth my soul.

Yea, though I walk through I walk through the valley of recession,

I anticipate no recovery;

For he is with me,

His tax and health plan, they discomfort me.

He prepareth a reduction in my salary in the presence of my enemies

He anointeth my small dividends with great losses.

My expenses runneth over.

Surely unemployment and poverty shall be his legacy

All the days of his term.

And we shall dwell in a land mortgaged to China, forever.

The Declaration Of Independence

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I believe it is safe to say that the Declaration Of Independence may be the most cited, yet least read document in US history. Have YOU read it lately?



Here it is, verbatim, including capitalization and spelling, by Thomas Jefferson and cohorts. God Bless the USA!





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.

No He Can’t

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So I just read No He Can’t: How Barak Obama Is Dismantling Hope And Change. It should come as no surprise to those who read my blog, even sparingly, let alone regularly, that I am no fan of the current administration. Unfortunately for Mr. McCullough, I received his book not long after the killing of UBL. The POTUS is running high right now, even in my book.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t make him infallible, either. Mr. Obama is running on a narrow path, dangling in no-man’s-land, upsetting his base on the far left by not moving fast enough to close Gitmo, end the very unpopular war in Iraq, and move much harder on social imperatives from his campaign promises. Meanwhile, he is also losing the so-called moderate vote by pushing too hard on left leaning policies, such as high taxation to fund social programs, “Obamacare” and the like. And while he has his moment of basking in Conservative glory over the Osama killing, he is fumbling the football faster and more often than a freshman QB in a rainstorm.


This is the Obama of No He Can’t, a slick talker with a penchant for over promising and under delivering. While McCullough points to the absolute pragmatism of Obama’s philosophy, he does hit a home run in speaking about the erosion of all other absolutes in Obama’s worldview, absolute rights, absolute values, and above all, absolute truth.


One thing is for sure; the book is absolutely partisan. If you are a fan of the president or simply wanting an unbiased view, skip this book. If you are a died-in-the-wool Tea-Partier, (what am I saying? Then you’ve most likely already read it!) So, if you are a Conservative looking for some red meat, highly recommended.


Over all, the book was just OK.

President Obama's Birth Certificate

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I am sooooooooooooo glad that the POTUS released his birth certificate.

Maybe, just maybe, it'll stop the dribble that is taking our collective eye off of the important stuff that people have put aside. Like $4 gasoline and what that will do to our fragile economy. I know it is absolutely hurting MY fragile economy! Of course, it probably won't take the fruit-loops from assuming he's not a natural born citizen. It will just convince them that he's not a natural born citizen that will use the full resources of the US Government to forge a birth certificate. So, I'm expecting a flury of new allegations. Such as...hmmm,






Why is the background and border so seamless, if this was taken from one of those bound books? As the curl would suggest!? Hmmm?!




It sure does look in good shape for a fifty year old document! Mine's only 43 years old and it's got a lot more wear.


In the “This Birth” box there are two mysterious X's above “Twin” and “Triplet.” Is it possible that the POTUS is actually twins or even triplets. No doubt his duplicitous nature makes me wonder. Perhaps it is like in The Prestige movie--twins who live one life, hiding the fact from even their wives. That could explain his "I hate war," vs. "We must send more troops;" "I am a Christian" vs. bowing and scraping in front of the Dali Lama and his fascination with all things Islam; and his ability to take multiple vacations in a single month!


What is the significance of the mysterious penciled in numbers outside of some boxes?


Why, in box 21, does the “Signature of Local Registrar” read Ukelee? Is that a NSA agent's feeble attempt at "Proving" he was born in Hawaii? Hmmmmm???? I ask you! Hmmmm? (Note to the CIA, FBI, and NSA: It is spelled “Ukulele." I'm just saying! Is all.)

And the coup de' grace: If you copy the cert, found here, into MS Paint, why does all the pertinent information appear as a washed out white spaces. HMMMMMM!



Of course, I DO BELIEVE that the man was born in Hawaii. I do believe that he is a Christian. (I DO NOT believe; however, that he is a Believer; a true, regenerate, Christ follower. But most of the population that claims "Christianity" fits in the same category)
But I ask you, what is the point of following the conspiracy theory? Seriously! He is ALREADY the POTUS. So drop the crap and start worrying about important things, like:

Why he is telling us to buy a new car, instead of authorizing more drilling.
Why we are bombing Libya instead of recalling our troops from Iraq.
Why we are spending more money than it is possible for our grandchildren to pay back.
And why we are we so divided as a nation. (Last week I was called a racist by an old friend because I disagree with his policies. This is about ideology, not race. I didn't like Bill Clinton, John Kerry, or Howard Dean and I was just right wing. Now I still don't like the same policies, and I'm a Nazi!?)



So to the right I say: Fight the real battle. The battle of ideas and ideals, and jump off the Trump Band-wagon: it's headed for a cliff.

To the left I say, wake up a smell the coffee. We cannot spend ourselves out of this mess, and it's not racist to say so!

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Mr. Obama Goes To War

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Some bullet points of things that puzzle me and tick-me-off about the Libyan War.

1) Why is Kaddafi still a colonel? Shouldn’t he be High and Exalted Potentate by now? Or at least General Kaddafi? Who’s on the promotion board in Tripoli?



2) So VP Biden said, back in ’07 while running for the Presidency, that he would impeach the POTUS if “he” ever took us to war without authorization from the congress. Hmmm. Now that it’s BHO in the Oval Office and not GWB, does that still apply Joe?



3) Oh wait? Mr. President! DOES THAT still apply?



“The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation. As Commander-in-Chief, the President does have a duty to protect and defend the United States. In instances of self-defense, the President would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent. History has shown us time and again, however, that military action is most successful when it is authorized and supported by the Legislative branch. It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action.” ~ Senator Barak Obama, December 20, 2007


4) Why are we stopping, once again, Muslim on Muslim violence? Yes, I do feel sorry for the rebels. But I feel sorrier for the elderly couple in East LA who can’t go to the drug store after dark for fear of gang violence. I feel sorrier for the rancher in South Texas who has illegal immigrants trudging through his pastures and farm land. And I am outraged that my wife is working full-time and receiving a part time salary because of educational budgetary restrictions, and we are spending an estimated $100-300 million this week bombing Libya. That would hire a lot of teachers! For a lot of years! (And don’t even get me started on the cost of our continued presence in Iraq!) Let’s prioritize our spending, Mr. President.



5) An article in Der Spegiel and The Daily Mail said that Germany was pulling an AWAC and two frigates from the NATO Alliance. When in Hades did Germany get an Air Force and a Navy? Did the Twentieth Century teach us nothing!? The next thing you know, we’ll let Japan have a Defense Force. What’s that? ….. Oh. Well then. Moving on.


6) And why is our fearless leader on yet another vacation? Didn’t the press vilify GW for going to Texas and raking leafs and burning brush? BHO takes his kids on a tour of Rio and he’s applauded for building fences with South America. Here’s something to cheer about…When he builds a fence around South America—as in from Florida to California!

All Animals Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than Others

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So according to the Obama Administration, bullying is not acceptable in our public school systems. Amen. Bully for you, Mr. President!          errrr...Yeah, for. you. Mr. President.?.




Anyway, so President Obama has the DoJ on the hunt to root out bullying from our schools. According to their website



       The Civil Rights Division and the entire Justice Department are committed to ending bullying and harassment in schools, and the video highlights the Department’s authority to enforce federal laws that protect students from discrimination and harassment at school because of their race, national origin, disability, religion, and sex, including harassment based on nonconformity with gender stereotypes.

It goes onto say,

The enforcement of the Equal Protection Clause, Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 in school districts is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information is available at the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section website at www.justice.gov/crt/edo/.

and

As stated in the website below, we are statutorily authorized to initiate suits under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, and under Title III of the American with Disabilities Act. More information on the Civil Rights Act, Equal Educational Opportunities Act, and the ADA can be found here: http://www.justice.gov/crt/edo/faq.php#3


In other words, you are only protected from bullying in the eyes of the DoJ if you are of color, female, handicapped, or homosexual. If you're like me; fat, white, male, and conservative, you're out of luck.


It would seem that the Justice Department is going by George Orwell’s famous Animal Farm ending: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

Audacity And Hope; But No Change Back

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As if things couldn't get worse for BHO, a new survey showing gas prices during his first 26 months in office is out. Any takers?????








No? Well, surprisingly...it's up. I know. I know. I wouldn't have thought that a Dem President of the people with an eye toward the Middle Class would ever let such things happen, but they are up a whopping 67%!?!?!?!


Come on, man!

 You know, when he took office in January 2009, gas was just under $2 a gallon. It's $3.42/gallon here today. A $20 bill?  You can have the Audacity To Hope, but you still won't get any Change back!


I know that there is trouble in the Mid East. But that is only part of this administration's failures on gas price stabilization. 

Not only does Barak WANT $4/gallon gas, but he also hired a Secretary of the Interior that infamously said he didn't mind if gas hit $10 a gallon. What the heck is wrong with these people!?




AND it was BHO who scolded us, oh so professorially I might add, that, "We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.”



 Barak, baby, let me let you in on a little secret...



Oh, Yes.  Yes We Can!

Oh, Yes He Did!

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Today's post is brought to you by the number $223,000,000,000.00.


That was our national deficit for the month of February. That was more than the entire year of 2007!



Still miss President Bush? You bet.

So when BHO said, "Yes We Can!" What he really meant was "YES! WE CAN...spend like a drunken sailor on a three day liberty." (Except I never spent more than a few hundred on a three day liberty.)

Lincoln Was A Racist

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So apparently, now Lincoln was a racist. As we get ready to celebrate our greatest president's 150 anniversary (of his inauguration) people want to look back with revisionist historical eyes and criticize.









But I know the truth.













The liberals just now figured out he was a Republican. Can you imagine that? A Republican ended slavery, won the civil war, instituted civil rights, and was in the process of reuniting the nation when he was assassinated...

wait for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




WAIT....FOR...IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






Assassinated by a Democrat!


 
Go figure.

Palin Mocked For Saying Jesus Was A Christian

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I am no fan of Sarah Palin. Let me say that at the outset. I do not believe that she can win the presidency, but I also do not believe she could do any worse than the current holder of that office, either.



But I am greatly troubled by the constant barrage of criticism leveled at her by the main stream media. The double standard is appalling, and their oversight of VP Biden's flubs, while gawking with amazement at her slightest misstep shows the ever widening gap in their "unbiased" journalism. It is downright yellow.



But the latest just takes the cake. Liberal journalist Richard Wolfe of Newsweek has mocked Palin for saying that Jesus was Christian. Well...OK...so it was ALMOST that bad. What he actually mocked her for was saying that she took "divine inspiration" from The Chronicles of Narnia, the allegorical series of children's books written by the most prominent Christian apologist of the Twentieth Century. Said Wolfe, "How could she get divine inspiration from a series of kids books?"



Ahhh...the irony. Such a learned Englishman, such a naive little American girl. Tsk. Tsk. Sarah. Aren't you aware that C.S. Lewis and religion have no ties? How could you take children's literature and so ignorantly cast aspersions of religiosity on to its greatest bard? You ignorant, saucy little thing. I suppose you believe J. R. R. Tolkien to be a faith based writer as well. Ah, you dim witted Colonists' and your lack of understanding of proper English writing.



What a jack-wagon! Wolfe was quickly shut down by Host Chris Matthews. Here is a transcript:



WOLFFE: Look, divine inspiration from a series of kids books? I don`t think C.S. Lewis would really want Newsmax in --


MATTHEWS: But I wouldn`t put down C.S. Lewis.



WOLFFE: No, I`m not putting him down.



MATTHEWS: Right.



WOLFFE: But divine inspiration? There are things she could have said for divine inspiration. Choosing C.S. Lewis is an interesting one.


What a moron! But of course, try and find that tid bit of info in the main stream. It'll never happen.

Bibles Burned In Afghanistan At Request Of US State Department

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A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.


So a soldier had some copies of the Bible, written in Pashto, that had been sent to him by his church. They were shown in a Bible study being held by some US Soldiers on Al Jazeera TV. A few Muslim clerics who saw the clip had a fit, and so, to appease these men, MS Clinton's State Department had them BURNED.


Like I said, Amazing.


So...while Hillary says burning the Koran is "shameful," she has no qualms about burning Bibles?


While POTUS says we must be "tolerant of other people's views," and condemns those who would desecrate Islam's codex, our Soldiers are ordered to burn their Bible?


And General Petreaus condemed burning the Koran, but one of his commanders, a Lt. Col. Wright, said of the Bible burning, "soldiers are required to burn their trash." (emphasis mine)


I have too. I just have to say it again! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I honestly never thought I would live to see a day where the level of hypocrisy reached this high.

(Thanks to Wade Burelson for bringing this to my attention. Citation links for this are below)

U.S. military destroys soldier's Bibles

Bibles Burned To Satisfy Muslim Clerics

Wade's Post

Too Burn Or Not To Burn: The POTUS, Koran, And Mr. Magoo

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I can't help but wonder; if a small mosque of Muslims in New Hampshire were about to burn a Bible, would the POTUS intervene, send the FBI, or otherwise interfere? The answer is no. The reason for that is that Christians would not kill Islamists for that act. However, it is interesting to me that we are cowering against threats to our service men and fellow Believers on foreign soil, from these so-called peace loving Muslims. I have heard little from the moderate Muslims on this guy's (loon or not) right to burn a book.

Now me personally, I think it is ridiculous. The whole argument. Mostly, I am ardently opposed to burning books. That is the beginning of the fall of freedom. But also, Terry Jones pastors a church of 50 people. That's half the size of mine. Why didn't the media send trucks when I threatened a Hell-Fire-&-Brimstone sermon Sunday if my Bulldogs lose to the heathen Gamecocks? Because nobody outside of my congregation cares. No one would know anything about this dude if ABC/CNN/Fox didn't give him the time of day. Now they say, "We won't cover it!" Yeah, riggggggght. And I've got some lovely ocean-front property in Tennessee you've got to see! No one would care but his 50 people had this not been sensationalized.


This is as proverbial a mole hill into mountain situation as I've ever seen. It's a book, you idol worshiping morons! If it is your word of your god Allah, then how weak he must be for his message to be so hurt by a little fire.


So a few things.

#1) Terry Jones is a grade A, certifiable loon. Just check out his rulebook for DWOC church. Please don't miss the spelling mistakes. Fife Fold Ministry? Whoa boy. And why are we going into a Holy War with this guy!?!?!?!!? (And thanks to my English Teacher wife for grammer checking my posts)

#2 Why are we (spelled: The US Government) getting our POTUS little hands dirty with another local situation? Mr. President; Sir. You cannot tell the Islamists that their rights as Americans allow them to build at Ground Zero, and tell Mr. Magoo here that he should have better judgment and be sensitive to the religious concerns of others. That's a two way street.

#3 This has ignited a firestorm, as now at least a dozen other churches plan on burning Korans Saturday. Shame on you story-mongering-yellow-belly-low-rent journalists for turning this into a potential disaster for our fighting men and women. Sometimes you just have to stop with the sensationalizing journalism, and let a non-story die its rightful death on the vine.

#4 For those of you who sympathize with Terry Jones, I've got three words for you. Westboro Baptist Church. Yep, those evil, evil, so-called Baptists from Topeka, Kansas. The American hating folks who protest Service Member's funerals? Yep. Terry Jones is affiliated with them and has rallied with them before.

Mr. Magoo, where are you? Gainesville, Florida!

The Glenn Beck Gospel

I love Glenn beck as an entertainer and his political views somewhat align with mine. But we must never confuse that with his religiosity. Glenn Beck is not a Christian, he is a Mormon. He follows the teachings of a cult. And when he talks about revival, he is not describing Evangelicalism, or bringing America "Back to God." His ideology may be conservatism, but it is not the Gospel, and we must, MUST, stop believing the lie that it is. This is no different than what Satan told Eve in the Garden, or Jesus in the wilderness. The lie never changes, it just wears new clothes.

The following link is to a post by one of my profs at Southern, Russ Moore. It is a must read on this subject. Here is a snippet...


It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not pessimistic. Jesus will build his church, and he will build it on the gospel. He doesn’t need American Christianity to do it. Vibrant, loving, orthodox Christianity will flourish, perhaps among the poor of Haiti or the persecuted of Sudan or the outlawed of China, but it will flourish.

And there will be a new generation, in America and elsewhere, who will be ready for a gospel that is more than just Fox News at prayer.


Well said Dr Moore. Read it in its entirety below. Please.



http://www.russellmoore.com/2010/08/29/god-the-gospel-and-glenn-beck/

The State Of Eucation Funding

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The State Of Eucation Funding

Dear Mr. President...

Dear Mr. President. Let's catch up on the Ground Zero debacle, shall we. Hamas announced today that it is in favor of building this mosque less than three blocks from the site of the worst massacre in U.S. History. This is the same group that led celebrations in the streets of Palestine on September 11, 2001. So, OK, no surprise there. Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam who will be the leader of this mosque has refused to call Hamas a terror organization, and previously said that America was to blame for the 9/11 attacks.

Ummm... Oh, yeah, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid opposes it. Reid said that it was cool to build the mosque, just please build it somewhere else. Finally some sense from Harry. And on the brighter side, at least BHO is uniting the parties! Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink said families and friends of 9/11 victims are opposed to the project "and I share their view." One of his GOP opponents, Rick Scott, started running a TV ad that said: "Mr. President, ground zero is the wrong place for a mosque." Yet Mr Obama continues to strike a defiant stance.

Uhh, Mr. President. A little piece of advice...You are known by the company you keep! Perhaps it is time to start keeping company with Americans instead of celebrating Ramadan with your Muslim buddies. Then you would understand why both Republican and Democratic Americans are not in favor of the mosque being built on this site!

I Hate Beating A Dead Horse...But

I hate to beat the proverbial dead horse, but when Charles Krauthammer writes an article that so closely resembles mine, why not?

His post, and link to the article for citation's sake.
 
 
A place is made sacred by a widespread belief that it was visited by the miraculous or the transcendent (Lourdes, the Temple Mount), by the presence there once of great nobility and sacrifice (Gettysburg), or by the blood of martyrs and the indescribable suffering of the innocent (Auschwitz).
 
When we speak of Ground Zero as hallowed ground, what we mean is that it belongs to those who suffered and died there - and that such ownership obliges us, the living, to preserve the dignity and memory of the place, never allowing it to be forgotten, trivialized or misappropriated.

That's why Disney's early '90s proposal to build an American history theme park near Manassas Battlefield was defeated by a broad coalition fearing vulgarization of the Civil War (and wiser than me; at the time I obtusely saw little harm in the venture). It's why the commercial viewing tower built right on the border of Gettysburg was taken down by the Park Service. It's why while no one objects to Japanese cultural centers, the idea of putting one up at Pearl Harbor would be offensive.

And why Pope John Paul II ordered the Carmelite nuns to leave the convent they had established at Auschwitz. He was in no way devaluing their heartfelt mission to pray for the souls of the dead. He was teaching them a lesson in respect: This is not your place, it belongs to others. However pure your voice, better to let silence reign.

Even New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who denounced opponents of the proposed 15-story mosque and Islamic center near Ground Zero as tramplers on religious freedom, asked the mosque organizers "to show some special sensitivity to the situation." Yet, as columnist Rich Lowry pointedly noted, the government has no business telling churches how to conduct their business, shape their message, or show "special sensitivity" to anyone about anything. Bloomberg was thereby inadvertently conceding the claim of those he excoriates for opposing the mosque, namely, that Ground Zero is indeed unlike any other place and therefore unique criteria govern what can be done there.

Bloomberg's implication is clear: If the proposed mosque were controlled by "insensitive" Islamist radicals either excusing or celebrating 9/11, he would not support its construction.

But then, why not? By the mayor's own expansive view of religious freedom, by what right do we dictate the message of any mosque? Moreover, as a practical matter, there's no guarantee this couldn't happen in the future. Religious institutions in this country are autonomous. Who is to say that the mosque won't one day hire an Anwar al-Aulaqi - spiritual mentor to the Fort Hood shooter and the Christmas Day bomber, and one-time imam at the Virginia mosque attended by two of the 9/11 terrorists?

An Aulaqi preaching in Virginia is a security problem. An Aulaqi preaching at Ground Zero is a sacrilege.

Location matters. Especially this location. Ground Zero is the site of the greatest mass murder in American history - perpetrated by Muslims of a particular Islamist orthodoxy in whose cause they died and in whose name they killed.

Of course that strain represents only a minority of Muslims. Islam is no more intrinsically Islamist than present-day Germany is Nazi - yet despite contemporary Germany's innocence, no German of good will would even think of proposing a German cultural center at, say, Treblinka.

Which makes you wonder about the good will behind Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf's proposal. This is a man who has called U.S. policy "an accessory to the crime" of 9/11 and, when recently asked whether Hamas is a terrorist organization, replied, "I'm not a politician. ... The issue of terrorism is a very complex question.

America is a free country where you can build whatever you want - but not anywhere. That's why we have zoning laws. No liquor store near a school, no strip malls where they offend local sensibilities, and, if your house doesn't meet community architectural codes, you cannot build at all.

These restrictions are for reasons of aesthetics. Others are for more profound reasons of common decency and respect for the sacred. No commercial tower over Gettysburg, no convent at Auschwitz - and no mosque at Ground Zero.

Build it anywhere but there.

The governor of New York offered to help find land to build the mosque elsewhere. A mosque really seeking to build bridges, Rauf's ostensible hope for the structure, would accept the offer.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_15771060?source=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dp-opinion+%28Denver+Post%3A+Opinion%29


Thank you, Mr Krauthammer, for articulating so well (as you always do) my point.

Mosque To Be Built At Ground Zero

If you haven't heard, there are plans approved by New York City to allow an Islamic Center, including a Mosque, swimming pool, culinary school, and an "interfaith" gathering place to be built at Ground Zero. Whether you agree or not, the Muslims in New York have a right to build their mosque wherever the law allows. If there is no violation of building permits, codes, or other such stipulations of the law, they should be allowed to build their center. If the Muslims are denied, the law has presented a case for Jewish, Buddhist, Hindi, Satanist, Mormons, JW's, and/or Baptists from building a place of worship as well.



Of course, legalities and rights aside, there is another issue here, the issue of responsibility. I dare say that building a Mosque on or near Ground Zero is an act of considerable irresponsibility. It would amount to a Shinto Temple being built within a mile of Pearl Harbor, or a Baptist Church being raised next door to the Dome of the Rock. Although my eschatology permits me to loosely consider a rebuilt temple as something of a Baptist Church, I cannot imagine a Crusade Baptist Church being built in a Muslim country as going over too well.



Understand, this is more than a matter of poor taste. It represents a serious misunderstanding of the sentiments of most Americans toward the Muslim faith and a huge gaff in their ability to win some PR points by, having now been legally cleared, backing off. Nevertheless, this is systemic of the Islamic fundamental principle of winning at all cost.



However, whether the mosque is built or not, the most distressing part of this sad saga unfolded today (August 13 , 2010) when President Obama weighed in on the discussion. Once more, as he did by saying the Cambridge Police force acted "stupidly", and then insulting disabled Americans by claiming he should bowl for Special Olympics, he has acted utterly un-presidential. By weighing in on a subject that is best left to the local law and to local officials, he has set the agenda and embolden Muslims to forget decorum and civility, and build their mosque away from an area ripe with racial tension.



Whether these Muslims are of the radical flavor or not is completely beside the point. It was Muslim men who flew those planes into the Towers and Pentagon. It was because of Islam, correctly interpreted or not, that over 2,000 individuals died that horrible September morning. And building a center to celebrate that religion on the spot memorializing their brutal murder is an affront to Western sensibilities. Shame on these people for not recognizing this and acting according to the "peaceful" faith that they attest belongs to Islam. The law may be on their side, but according to research 69% of Americans think they shouldn't build on that site. And it's not like there isn't available real estate in Manhattan that is far enough away from Ground Zero for an Islamic Center to go unnoticed. One would think they could afford a good PR firm and some good will!

********Update************
8/14/2010 7:33 pm
The prez has backed-off Mosque comments:

Obama Extends and Revises his Remarks

So, what side is he on?
BY William Kristol

"Today in Florida President Barack Obama "backed off" (as Politico’s Carol Lee put it) his defense of the Ground Zero mosque. Obama now claims that last night he was only defending the legal rights of the organizers: "I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That's what our country is about. And I think it's very important as difficult as some of these issues are that we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are all about."

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-extends-and-revises-his-remarks


***********Update # 2**************
8/14/2010 11:41 pm
The Prez has backed-off his back-off statement of Mosque

The White House on Saturday struggled to tamp down the controversy over President Barack Obama’s statements about a mosque near Ground Zero — insisting Obama wasn’t backing off remarks Friday night where he offered support for a project that has infuriated some families whose loved ones died in the Sept. 11 attacks.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/41069.html