Thursday, September 13, 2007

Views of Presidential Candidates

I found a graph helpful in regard to major policies and the views of potential Presidential candidates. If you have not seen it, here is the LINK

Monday, August 20, 2007

Quote of the Century.

"The American Indians found out what happens

when you don't control immigration."

Monday, July 23, 2007

Politics and Religion

I was surprised yesterday by a phonecall from an old friend. She and her husband were in town and wanted to stop by for a visit. I was delighted to hear from her and encouraged them to come. We had a delightful visit. When some remark was made, my friend said something I have heard since I was a little girl, that it is best to not talk religion or politics. My response was that perhaps this was the problem with America--we have avoided talking about the most important aspects of our lives. Maybe, if we talked more about our personal faith and about the consequences we anticipate from pending political views, our nation would not be in this sorry devisive state. Sharing my faith was not something I frequently did because of the seemingly universal belief that talking religion or politics would alter the relationship between friends. Funny thing is that basic religious beliefs among my friends turn out to be very similar despite membership in different churches. Maybe if I had spoken more freely during my youth and throughout my life I could have strengthened not only my faith but that of others. Perhaps if I had invested more time in thinking about the ramifications of politics and discussing things with my friends and associates I would have made better choices when voting. Possibly my friends would have become stimulated in their own thinking and be able to discern potential negative outcomes in time to take a stand against some of the changes that have been made to the manner in which we are governed.

Would discussion of religion and politics teach us to hone our debating skills based on thinking about specific issues? Would we have learned to argue our points of view without resorting to vulgar and vile commentary since we value our friends? I wonder.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION - COMMENTS ON THE SENATE BILL

Washington, May 22 -


ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION - COMMENTS ON THE SENATE BILL

May 22, 2007
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker’s announced policy of January 18, 2007, the gentleman from California (Mr. ROHRABACHER) is recognized for 60 minutes.
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Madam Speaker, a tsunami of illegal aliens is sweeping into our country, crowding our classrooms, closing our hospital emergency rooms, unleashing violent crime, and driving down wages. This is not theory. It is a harsh, threatening reality borne out not by numerous academic studies, but by the life experiences of the American families from California to Georgia and from Iowa to New Jersey. Our middle class is being destroyed. Our communities are not safe. Our social service infrastructure is collapsing. And, yes, it has everything to do with illegal immigration, illegal immigration which is out of control. And year after year, while our schools deteriorate and our jails fill and our hospital emergency rooms shut down, the elite in this country turns a blind eye to the disaster that is befalling the rest of us, their fellow Americans. The elites obscure the issue and maneuver to keep in place policies that reward illegal immigrants with jobs and benefits, and now, of course, being rewarded with citizenship.

This country, the upper class says, can’t function without cheap labor. Well, cheap to the captains of industry and the political elite, but painfully expensive to America’s middle class. It’s our kids whose education is being diminished, our families who are paying thousands more in health insurance to make up for the hospital costs of giving free service to illegals. It’s our neighborhoods who suffer from crime perpetuated by criminals transported here from other countries. And, yes, our livelihoods are being dragged down as wages are depressed and anchored down by a constant influx of immigrants, mostly illegal, some with H1B visas, willing to work at a pittance. Big business, with its hold on the GOP, in an unholy alliance with the liberal left coalition that controls the Democratic Party, have been responsible for this invasion of our country, this attack on the well-being of our people. This coalition gives the jobs and passes out the benefits that lured tens of millions of illegals to our country. It’s no accident. This predicament was predictable. It’s been over 20 years of bad policy in the making. If you give jobs and benefits, the masses of people over there will do anything to get over here. And that’s what we’ve been doing. Give it and they will come. Surprise, surprise. Now the out-of-touch elite has introduced yet another piece of legislation, this so-called comprehensive reform bill that they claim will fix our illegal immigration crisis once and for all. Of course, this is a crisis they created. They are trumpeting the supposedly new enforcement measures and security measures that will be initiated in this bill, the border fence, new agents, new employer sanctions, if only we will swallow hard and give amnesty to those law-breakers who are already here.

Like Lucy holding out the football for Charlie Brown to kick, the bill is yet another effort to trick us. It’s an illusion, a scam that will make things worse, not better. The Senate legislation now being touted by Senator KENNEDY and a few Republican Senators immediately legalizes the status of 15 to 20 million illegals, while offering more border control, yes, fences and Border Patrol agents and such, as sweeteners aimed at getting us to accept this deal. But we’ve already passed legislation addressing border security. It’s already into law. It’s already against the law, for example, to hire illegals. We’ve already mandated a stronger fence and more Border Patrol agents. So, in reality, this legislation isn’t about those other things which they’re trying to get us to support the legislation about; this is only about legalizing the status of 15 to 20 million illegals and then finding new ways to get more immigrants into our country. It has nothing to do with controlling the flow of illegals and controlling the flow of immigrants into our country, as much as it is expanding the number of immigrants, legal and illegal, coming into our country.

In such situations as we find ourselves in today with this legislation, it’s fashionable on Capitol Hill to say ‘‘the devil is in the details’’. And this bill has enough demons to open up a whole new level of hell. Let’s start, first and foremost, with the most obvious lie, the claim that this bill does not give amnesty to illegal aliens. President Bush has done great damage to his credibility by playing such word games. My friends, the first thing this bill does is legalize 15 to 20 million people who now illegally reside in our country. I don’t care what the President calls it, it immediately legalizes the status of millions who are here illegally. Under the proposed legislation, this amnesty, and that’s exactly what it is, is now called a probationary Z visa. Upon passage of this bill, every illegal alien who can claim they were here in the United States by January 1 of 2007 can apply for a probationary Z visa that grants them immediate legal status to be in the United States.

Listen carefully. Immediately upon this bill’s passage, there is no waiting for triggers or clarification or bureaucratic benchmarks, their status is immediately legalized. It is very straightforward. These probationary visas are available immediately upon the passage of this bill, 15 or 20 million illegals immediately legalized in their status here. What message does this send to the 100 million or so people who are waiting overseas? The 15 to 20 million newly legalized immigrants will be quickly followed by 50 to 100 million more illegals flooding our system beyond the point of return. If we let that happen, this will be a catastrophic event of historic proportions. More importantly, for the American people, it will be a calamity for their communities and for their families. According to this so-called immigration reform bill, how does an illegal become legal? Well, first of all, he temporarily, right off the bat, becomes legal once this bill passes. Very simple, if he wants to make himself legal, then beyond that, he or she walks in and applies. Or he or she just, they don’t have to pay back taxes; they don’t have to do anything else. If this bill passes, he or she doesn’t have to go through health checks. They don’t have to have any other process. They will be granted, immediately after the passage of this bill, legal status to be here, legal status that is supposedly temporary. Supposedly. The illegal pays a fine of $1,000 for this probationary visa, not the $5,000 that we’ve all heard about. It’s $1,000. And for $1,000, one can obtain the legal right to work in this country, to participate in our Social Security system, to be protected by our laws, and given benefits from our government, a plenty good bargain for them.

But for the taxpayers it’s worse than a raw deal. Yes, out of the shadows will come 15 to 20 million people who will now be demanding equal rights to live here freely, to get jobs, to consume resources that they are not now entitled to consume because they are now here illegally. There is another detail that makes this process dangerous and unworkable. The government, according to this legislation, has only 1 business day to act once an application has been submitted, and that is just 1 day to look over that application and to approve it. After 1 business day, that’s 24 hours, the government must issue the amnesty to that applicant. Is there anyone who doesn’t understand that this means huge numbers of criminals and, yes, terrorists, who will obtain the legal right to live and work here in the United States under this rule because of this legislation? One day to oversee this applicant? One needs to ask, who is writing such obvious insanity into Federal legislation? Obviously, whoever is insisting on a 1-day review, that must be followed by an approval if one doesn’t object; 1-day review, obviously, the person who’s advocating this doesn’t care about us at all. He’s looking to make sure that we treat those people who are in this country illegally better. This person obviously doesn’t care, who’s written this into our Federal law, or is trying to, doesn’t care if Americans are victimized by criminals who should never have been permitted to come here, but will come here because we’re only requiring 1 day to determine if they can be approved or not. Now, you think that criminals throughout the world and even terrorists don’t see this as a vulnerability? Who’s trying to foist this off on us?

Who’s trying to write this into Federal law? They’re not watching out for the interests of the American people. This Z visa gives illegal aliens exactly what they want, the legal right to work in the United States, and the Z visa is renewable every 4 years, without limits. The way this bill is written, you can live in the United States until you die by renewing your Z visa every 4 years. Fellow Americans, who love this country, word games aside, this is amnesty of the worst possible sort. Millions of illegals who broke the law will be granted legal status and can stay in this country as long as they please. In fact, I predict millions of people who are currently holding valid student and tourist visas will immediately apply for the Z visa. and why not? Student and tourist visas expire. The Z visa won’t expire; every 4 years you can just renew it. Only if the alien wishes to become a citizen do the increased fines, that $5,000 we’ve heard about, only if they want to become a citizen do these fines and other requirements come into play. No serious person in the immigration reform movement has ever said that it is citizenship that defines amnesty. Amnesty is not being held to account for breaking the law. This Z visa goes beyond not punishing law breakers. It actually rewards law breakers. Wake up, America. Someone is giving away our country. Someone is betraying the interests of the American people.

The perpetrators of this crime want low wages for the benefit of business and they want political pawns for the benefit of the liberal left. This legislation will make a bad situation that we all know exists in this country, it’ll make it dramatically worse. Is this what the American people are calling for when they want comprehensive immigration reform? They want something that will make it worse than we have it today? I don’t understand how we can stand and let this happen to our country. It is up to us to make sure that it doesn’t. This legislation is a declaration of war on the American middle class. And not only will this legislation increase illegal immigration, a clause in the bill will create a rush to the border. Section 601H5 states that anyone arrested trying to cross into our country, who then claims to have formerly lived in the United States will be allowed to apply for a Z visa; which means they can be approved in 1 day. This is a mind-boggling incentive for fraud. Who wouldn’t want to come across the border on the chance that they could bluff their way into getting amnesty and becoming eligible for all our government programs and eligible for the jobs that should be going to Americans?

Expect to hear ballyhoo about the tough enforcement mechanisms and the ‘‘triggers’’ built into this bill. But don’t believe it; it’s just so much more fraud, more flim-flam. The triggers and other schemes in this bill are a farce. There is no reason these safeguards against illegal immigration have not already been implemented. They are now simply being used as a ruse to disguise the one goal of the elite, and that is to legalize the status of those millions who are already here illegally and leading tens of millions more to come here.

The bill calls for 18,000 Border Patrol agents. That’s one of the claims of why we have to support the bill. We’re going to get 18,000 Border Patrol agents. But we already have 15,000 Border Patrol agents. And in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, it’s required that there be 2,000 new Border Patrol agents each year through 2010. So this is simply smoke and mirrors. What this new legislation does is simply reiterate hiring mandates that are already in the system, already mandated by law. This bill simply takes credit for the hard work that’s already been done. Of course, they’re doing that because, again, it’s a cover for their attempt to legalize the status of 15 to 20 million illegals and, yes, to unleash a flood of millions more to come into our country. On another level, how does anyone expect to actually meet the goal of increasing the ranks of the Border Patrol when this administration throws Border Patrol agents into prison and gives immunity to alien drug smugglers? This administration has lost the confidence of the Border Patrol. And I submit at this time a statement by the Border Patrol Agents Council opposing this legislation. I would like to put this into the RECORD at this point, Mr. Speaker.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Charlie Speaks

I don't know how everybody else feels about it, but to me I think Hispanic people in this country, legally or illegally, made a huge public relations mistake with their recent demonstrations.

I don't blame anybody in the world for wanting to come to the United States of America, as it is a truly wonderful place.

But when the first thing you do when you set foot on American soil is illegal it is flat out wrong and I don't care how many lala land left heads come out of the woodwork and start trying to give me sensitivity lessons.

I don't need sensitivity lessons, in fact I don't have any-thing against Mexicans! I just have something against criminals and anybody who comes into this country illegally is a criminal and if you don't believe it try coming into America from a foreign country without a passport and see how far you get. What disturbs me about the demonstrations is that it's tantamount to saying, "I am going to come into your country even if it means breaking your laws and there's nothing you can do about it."

It's an "in your face" action and speaking just for me, I don't like it one little bit and if there were a half dozen pairs of gonads in Washington bigger than English peas it wouldn't be happening.

Where are you, you bunch of lily livered, pantywaist, forked tongued, sorry excuses for defenders of The Constitution? Have you been drinking the water out of the Potomac again? And even if you pass a bill on immigration it will probably be so pork laden and watered down that it won't mean anything anyway. Besides, what good is another law going to do when you won't enforce the ones on the books now?

And whatever happened to the polls, guys? I thought you folks were the quintessential finger wetters. Well you sure ain't paying any attention to the polls this time because somewhere around eighty percent of Americans want some thing done about this mess, and mess it is and getting bigger everyday.

This is no longer a problem, it is a dilemma and headed for being a tragedy. Do you honestly think that what happened in France with the Muslims can't happen here when the businesses who hire these people finally run out of jobs and a few million disillusioned Hispanics take to the streets?

If you, Mr. President, Congressmen, and Senators, knuckle under on this and refuse to do something meaningful, it means that you care nothing for the kind of country your children and grandchildren will inherit. But I guess that doesn't matter as long as you get re-elected. Shame on you.

One of the big problems in America today is that if you have the nerve to say anything derogatory about any group of people (except Christians) you are going to be screamed at by the media and called a racist, a bigot, and anything else they can think of to call you.

Well I've been pounded by the media before and I'm still rockin' and rollin' and when it comes to speaking the truth I fear not. And the truth is that the gutless, gonadless, milksop politicians are just about to sell out the United States of America because they don't have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to face reality.

And reality is that we would never allow any other group of people to have 12 million illegals in this country and turn around and say, "Oh it's ok, ya'll can stay here if you'll just allow us to slap your wrist."

And I know that some of you who read this column are saying, "Well what's wrong with that?" I'll tell you what's wrong with it. These people could be from Mars as far as we know. We don't know who they are, where they are or what they're up to and the way the Congress is going we're not going to.

Does this make sense? Labor force you say? We already subsidize corporate agriculture as it is, must we subsidize their labor as well?
If these people were from Haitiwould we be so fas t to turn a blind eye to them or if they were from Somaliaor Afghanistan? I think not!

All the media shows us are pictures of hard working Hispanics who have crossed the border just to try to better their life. They don't show you pictures of the Feds rounding up members of MS 13, the violent gang who came across the same way the decent folks did. They don't tell you about the living conditions of the Mexican illegals some fat cat hired to pick his crop.

I want to make two predictions:


No. 1: This situation is going to grow and fester until it erupts in violence on our streets while the wimps in Washington drag their toes in the dirt and try to figure how many tons of political hay they can make to the acre.

No 2: Somebody is going to cross that border with some kind of weapon of mass destruction and set it off in a major American city after which there will be a backlash such as this country has never experienced and the Capitol building in Washington will probably tilt as Congressmen and Senators rush to the other side of the issue.

I don't know about you but I would love to see just one major politician stand up and say, "I don't care who I make mad and I don't care how many votes I lose, this is a desperate situation and I'm going to lead the fight to get it straightened out."


I don't blame anybody for wanting to come to America, but if you don't respect our immigration laws why should you respect any others?

And by the way, this is America and our flag has stars and stripes. Please get that other one out of my face.

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Prayer Request from VT Student

(I received this as an Email and thought I would post it to get wider distribution than my personal Email list.)
>>
>> Dear Body of Christ,
>>
>>
>>
>> I am a student at Virginia Tech, and also am
>> very involved with Campus Crusade for Christ here,
>> and I know that many people have asked us for prayer
>> requests. I thought I would type up a list to send
>> to you because we desperately need prayer, but I
>> know sometimes it is hard to know what to pray for
>> in the midst of such horrible tragedy. Please know
>> that we are so thankful and appreciative of all the
>> prayers and concerns of people from around the
>> world. It blesses us so much. Please continue to
>> pray though our world will move on.these next weeks
>> will be so difficult for all of us. Through all this
>> pain, I am thankful for God's promises, and I will
>> find my rest in the fact that God is faithful, and
>> constant, and a loving God. I will trust in God's
>> promises that he brings prosperity and creates
>> disaster (Isaiah 45:7), but that in all these
>> things, He works for the good of His people (Romans
>> 8:28), and that His plans will always prevail
>> (Proverbs 19:21). It says in Jeremiah 31:4-5, "I
>> will build you up again, and you will be
>> rebuilt.again you will take up your tambourines and
>> go out to dance with the joyful." I truly believe
>> that is what God will do, and is already doing, for
>> this campus. Here are some very specific prayer
>> requests:
>>
>>
>>
>> - That people would not question their
>> faith in God and His character, but be strengthened
>> and spurred towards a (deeper) relationship with Him
>>
>>
>> - That God would provide us emotional
>> and physical rest and comfort
>>
>> - That God would have His healing touch
>> on the families, friends, and all affected by this
>> tragedy
>>
>> - That the media would be respectful of
>> the period of mourning and sadness and pain that we
>> must go through
>>
>> - That classes would work themselves
>> out, and that students would not collapse under the
>> pressure of having to mentally take on too much too
>> soon
>>
>> - That the unity among Christian
>> movements on campus would continue to grow and
>> flourish
>>
>> - That living situations would be
>> worked out for those living on the fourth floor of
>> West Ambler Johnston, who now feel too much pain to
>> live there
>>
>> - That numbness would subside, and that
>> the grieving process would begin or continue
>>
>> - That we would be sensitive and love
>> each other as Christ loved us when we are at
>> different stages in the healing process
>>
>> - For the administration of our campus,
>> that they would have time to grieve and to process
>> in the midst of all their demands
>>
>> - For the police officers, who have
>> been on duty for days; most are having to travel a
>> long way to get home at night
>>
>> - For the EMTs who responded on Monday;
>> the majority were students, who now have to deal
>> with these images, memories, and losses
>>
>> - For the family of Cho, that they
>> would feel the love of Christ as they search for
>> answers and live through guilt or shame
>>
>> - That the Holy Spirit would intervene
>> and shield us from horrifying images from the media
>> or from memories
>>
>> - For traveling students as they make
>> their way home, and back to school for class on
>> Monday
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank you for going to our wonderful and
>> almighty God with these requests. We are thankful
>> for you and your devotion to the Lord.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Jessamyn Pauley

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Great News

With the news focused on the carnage at Virginia Tech good news is overshadowed.

The United States Supreme Court has upheld the 2003 ban on partial-birth abortions!

This is indeed good news. The horrific murder of babies as they emerge from the womb

will end.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Sunday, March 11, 2007

*DARRELL SCOTT TESTIMONY*

I do not know how long this has been traveling around the internet but feel it is
still a very valid message to all of us.


Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? On Thursday,
Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine
High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was invited to
address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said
to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was
painfully truthful.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well.

It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician,
every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert!
These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful,
penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent
this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:*

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in thehearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain.

Their blood cries out for answers.

The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association.

The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. Iam not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves.

I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. This was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today:


Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,*
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!*

Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit.
When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc.
Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more
restrictive laws Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain.

Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation
that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you
who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge.
Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!
My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this
country will not allow that to happen!"

Friday, March 09, 2007

Manner Of Speaking

As I get older, I rue the changes I see in the way people speak. Perfectly good words such as 'articulate' are offensive to some and therfore not politically correct. Other words that belong in the gutter are widely accepted as somehow conveying the speaker is "edgy' or whatever the latest term being used to describe a person who speaks in the most shocking of terms. Intelligent persons of varied political and religious persuasions use words to shock that diminishes their speech.

Peggy Noonan writes of this in todays Opinion Journal. LINK She recalls that Grandma used to simply tell us "that is not nice" and we learned to regulate our own use of words. In my case, it was my Dad who would tell me that the use of bad language displays ignorance of more appropriate words. I learned to speak well at home. As Noonan noted we did not rely on public censorship to police what we said, but spoke nicely because of internal control.

"We should forbid less and demand more. We should exert less pressure from without and encourage more discipline from within. We should ask people to be dignified, hope they'll be generous, expect them to be fair. When they're not, we should correct them. But we shouldn't beat them to a pulp. Because that's not nice."

Sunday, February 18, 2007

A Prayer Worth Reading

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the
Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but
this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness
and to seek your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that
is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual
equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building
self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called
it freedom of speech and expression.
We have ridiculed the time honored values of our forefathers and
called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from
every sin and set us free. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out
during the prayer in protest.

In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church where Rev. Wright is
pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those
calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving
international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa
and Korea .

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program,
"The Rest of the Story," and received as large a response to this
program as he has to any other one he has ever aired.

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and
wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called
"one nation under God." If possible, please pass this prayer on to
your friends. "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for
anything."

Friday, February 16, 2007

Stop The War IN CONGRESS

True the Democrat party achieved a slight majority in the Senate and slightly larger percentage in the House. This does not mean that they alone have the right to determine all things. The Republicans and Independents have a right and a responsibility to be heard in debate of all issues coming before Congress. When one party controls the agenda be it in the house, senate or in committee, all elected representatives and senators must be allowed to be heard and their ideas voted upon. This is what citizens expect and deserve. I for one am tired of the smugness of Reid, Pelosi and their minions. Has this happened when another party was in the majority. Yes! Is it right? NO!!!!

We in America face many problems. The elected leadership are supposed to consider them in all facets with the wellbeing of the nation uppermost in their minds. When will we find more than a few who really care about our nation first and their personal power as the second or last motivating factor.

The Democrats have criticized whatever the President and Secretary of Defense have done or are doing. They offered no clear alternate plans and claimed it was not their responsibility. They do not want to assist the nation if that means the opposition power holders might be successful. General Petraeus was unanimously confirmed and now great efforts and many, many hours and days are being used to cut the very number of military he says he needs. I cannot see this is in the best interests of the country or the military. It is pandering to the "will of the citizens" who lack the ability often times to even identify who our leaders are, who the enemy is and the geographic location of areas of conflict. They campaign on their understanding of American government and the world situation and yet instead of leading the masses to understand the significance of the outcome of the conflicts in Iraq, they choose to follow the desires of those who are not doing the fighting and dying. This undercuts the opposition leadership and that is what they want to do. They dare someone to question their patriotism when they pursue what they feel makes them electable or re-electable instead of what is in our nation's interest. They posture, they orate about how great, wise and powerful they are while complaining loudly how dumb, stupid and wrong headed members of the opposite party are.

Stop this war in Congress. Do the job you were elected and are being paid to do. Remember your oath to support and defend the Constitution. Stop trying to run the executive branch until you learn how to effectively run the legislative branch. Allow free exchange of ideas, allow votes on issues, judges etc. that you do not personally support. You will then be identified as being able to lead, you will have merit which should be prerequisite to be elected or re-elected. You will have a chance to prove to the nation that you not only have principles, wisdom and patriotism but that you will stand for them when criticized.

“These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
-- Thomas Paine

If I Die Before You Wake

If I Die Before You Wake


Listen to the song written by an American soldier in Iraq. Just "click" and listen.
Click Here

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Why Are Citizens Unable to Communicate With Representatives?

Perhaps the House of Representatives will be unable to pass their hoped for legislation penalizing grassroots organizations who encourage citizens to contact their senators and representatives, They do however block comments from citizens who do not live in their district. It appears that only potential voters are worthy of expressing their opinion.

Some websites indicate a preference for electronic mail as a security measure to avoid potential anthrax or ricin in regular mail. I have written to a number of Senators to express my opinion or to thank them for a particular stand. This seems acceptable even though I do not reside in the state they represent and several have responded thanking me for contacting them.

I attempted to write Speaker Pelosi. Her website will not accept out of district comments and directed me to use an email address from which my mail was returned as site unavailable. My attempt to write a NC representative from an eastern district, to thank him for comments he had made, was blocked as out of district.

Yesterday I attempted to write Rep. Ehlers of Michigan since he is listed as co-chair of the House Committee on Administration. This committee is charged with the oversight of the Smithsonian. I had read an article claiming that the Smithsonian, funded by taxpayers, has an exclusive contract with Showtime which disallows any other network from filming the public property held in this publicly supported institution. Again I was denied the right to ask a question and express my views.

Rep. Heath Shuler, my representative, does not respond to any communication via regular mail or electronic mail. Perhaps since I am registered as an Independent voter, my opinions do not count. I had the same experience with Senator Edwards. Is this a policy of Democrats? I did not agree with Charles Taylor on all issues but I always recieved an acknowlegement that my communication had been received. I also received periodic emails regarding recent and upcoming legislation and his vote or view on the issue. Senators Burr and Dole always acknowlege my communication.

As I watch CSPAN, see news clips on TV news or read article quoting legislators, they speak of "the majority of citizens " feeling a certain way about an issue. How do they know this when they ignore or actually block opinions of the majority.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Bold New Would Be Presidents?

In today's opinion journal, James Taranto writes, "Perhaps voters next year, chastened by Mr. Bush's dangerous boldness, will opt for someone more risk-averse. But if a crisis arises and the president proves unable to lead, they may find themselves longing for Mr. Bush's steadfastness. An excess of caution is itself a form of recklessness."

As Hillary and Edwards move further to the left, they fail to articulate any definitive actions they would take. in regard to Iran. I for one prefer someone who will make a decision and explain his rationale rather than "a--it's a--it's a" or "I think--I think the--we don't know" answers of Edwards. Hillary on the other hand says such garbled non answers such as "What do I mean by engagement or some kind of process? I'm not sure anything positive would come out of it . . . but there are a number of factors that argue for doing what I'm suggesting."

They are eager to point out that all of President Bush's policies in the war did not succeed and they feel their judgements are superior. I for one, do not.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Speaker Pelosi

Speaker Pelosi will only accept comments from her constituents and sends an address for non-constiuents to use. That address does not work. I guess that just proves she does not want to hear from anyone who is not a potential voter for her. How can she ever know what the majority of citizens think? The move in the house to limit any grassroots efforts to contact our representatives and senators is reflected in this run-around. So, I will post my Email on the internet via my blog.



Dear Madame Speaker,

As an Independent voter I welcomed your promises to clean up corruption and ethical violations. I expected you to be the model of ethical behavior. Instead I learn of your attempts to subvert taxpayers' funds which support the DOD to become the private shuttle service for you, your staff and family. Your position as Speaker undoubtedly requires some additional protection of your wellbeing in case of catastrophe that renders the President and the Vice President unable to perform the duties of their offices. If you are in Washington, DC at the time of such catastrophe I expect the Secret Service would immediately begin intensive protection. If you are in California at the time of a catastrophe, a plane could be dispatched to promptly return you to Washington, DC.


Your position as Speaker is not based on a national vote and if you are unable to carry out the duties of Speaker, another Representative can be selected by the House. Asking for military flights to be at your disposal is the height of arrogance and a misuse of taxpayers' funds. If you need private transportation, invest your own money in a small jet.

Your view of being the most powerful woman in America is true in the sense that the rare possibility of ascension to president is possible. You remain a public servant even as Speaker. Voters are watching you and I must admit I am disappointed in your self aggrandizing behavior and lack of sincerity in running the most ethical congress in history.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Who Is Bonkers?

Today's WSJ Opinion Journal carries an article by an unidentified writer titled, Bonkers at the Border.LINK


The writer complains that some political leaders and Lou Dobbbs are guilty of "pseudo-reporting designed to rile up" Americans "rather than inform them of the facts."
I think most of us know that Ramos and Compean did indeed violate rules of the Border Guard for which they should be punished and possibly lose their jobs. These two may not represent the best of the Border Guard. The writer notes they had been disciplined by the Guard in the past for violation of rules.

The pseudo reporting of the articles writer, while purporting to tell the facts totally overlooks what has outraged the American citizens, namely granting the drug smuggler IMMUNITY for the crime of bringing illegal drugs into the USA at the time of this incident and a second drug carrying foray into the USA. Our government provided, at taxpayers expense, the best medical care for the criminal smuggler who now plans to sue for more taxpayers dollars.

As an American citizen, I am outraged at the seeming preference given to illegal aliens. Why was the testimony of a known alien drug dealer given such credence?


Illegal aliens repeatedly are granted immunity for breaking our laws by granting "sanctuary" and by the senate plan to give them a path to citizenship. Why does our government seek to severely penalize American citizens as criminals while giving IMMUNITY to an illegal smuggler? Why does our government want to give illegals a choice of which years they might be willing to pay taxes on? Why does our government want to include illegal aliens in Social Security that citizens work a minimum of 40 quarters to qualify for? Why does our government want to grant citizenship or a pathway to citizenship to persons who enter our nation illegally?

When will our government begin to strictly enforce laws against illegal entry and prosecute the illegals and the persons or businesses employing them with the vigor used in prosecuting Ramos and Compean? When will our government sentence illegal aliens as severely as they do our citizens? A few scattered raids is not enough.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Support Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Research

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, January 17, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "Together with researchers from Stanford University, stem cell researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Stem Cell Institute have succeeded in replacing the immune system and bone marrow cells in mice using adult stem cells, reports Medicalnewstoday.com. The researchers in this particular study used multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) which can be extracted from bone marrow tissue and differentiated into specific cellular groups that have the unique capability to develop into other cell types including neural, muscle and bone tissue."

"The MAPCs did not reproduce into foreign tissue or produce tumors in any of the study subjects as embryonic stem cells have been known to do in other studies."

These tests have thus far not been used in human trials, but imagine the number of patients with leukemias that this has potential to treat.

Do any of our people in Congress read anything about the current research and results of stem cell research. If they do, how can they continue to push to spend taxpayers' money to fund the one line of research (embryonic) that has yet to have one positive result?

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Mourning the Fallen Angels of Iraq...

Mohammed writes of his grief at the deaths of the children at Iraq The Model.
How these monsters can claim they are on the side of Allah is beyond me.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Sharia Law??

The Minneapolis/St. Paul airport is facing another challenge. Remember the "flying Imans"? A majority of Taxi Drivers who serve the airport happen to be Muslim. They are refusing to transport passengers who have purchased alcohol or blind passengers with Seeing Eye dogs. This offends their religious beliefs and they demand the right to refuse service to some person because they beleive that alcohol violates their faith and dogs saliva is unclean.

I am not familiar with all the licensing rules for taxis but it seems to me that unless a person is actually imbibing alcohol, puking or falling down drunk they deserve to be picked up and taken to their destination. Rules that might allow Muslim drivers to refuse service to someone carrying closed bottles of alchol would be wrong. The Muslim is not forced to consume alcohol. We have laws that force Christian pharmacists to dispense abortion meds. We have laws that force the Roman Catholic adoption agencies to place children with gay parents. For persons with deep Christian convictions to feel they are having an active role in dispensing pills to abort a fetus or place a child in what they feel is not a desirable environment is far worse than carrying a passenger in posession of alcohol. The Muslim does not have to make it, sell it or consume it. If this is a big problem for the Muslims, perhaps they need to seek other work as have pharmacists and social agencies that stop providing adoption services because they cannot in good conscience violate deeply held religious convictions.

I respect Muslims who uphold their beliefs, but they deserve no more special treatment than those of any other religion. If a job or a work situation offends your sincere beliefs, seek other employment, do not attempt to impose your convictions on people with the legal right to purchase alcohol or travel with a companion animal. Muslims opted to come to America to live. They deserve respect but have no right to insist we accomodate them by changing our laws and regulations.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Message for Nancy Pelosi

A Little Humility Please!

Your self-congratulatory parties and your verbal boasting about how powerful you are is a turn-off.
Seeing a woman rise to a top job in any field can send a positive message to young women, but it would be even more positive if you demonstrated a little reserve in your actions and speech. Talent and wisdom, if present, will reveal themselves. All of your preening and self glorification reveal your ego but nothing of your potential abilities. It is my hope, that under all of your publicity seeking behavior, there might be some recognition that Congress works for the people and the well being of our nation and not for your personal gratification and elevation to celebrity status. Try to remember you are a SERVANT of the people and not our QUEEN.