Change

Change Is Coming

We really need checks and balances in our government. It would appear, we may see change we could never have imagined.

"As Barack Obama's energy adviser has now made clear, the would-be President intends to blackmail -- or rather, greenmail -- Congress into falling in line with his climate agenda. "LINK

"Now it turns out that a President Obama would himself wield such a finding as a political bludgeon. He plans to issue an ultimatum to Congress: Either impose new taxes and limits on carbon that he finds amenable, or the EPA carbon police will be let loose to ravage the countryside."

Thought For Today

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

Thought for today

Some minds are like concrete
thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

Chicago, A Stronghold of ACORN Influence.

Chicago, A Stronghold of ACORN Influence.

The more I learn about ACORN, the more concerned I become about the negative influence this organization is having on our nation.

For more indepth coverage of the history and reach of this organization most frequently associated with investigation of and prosecution of ACORN members for active voter fraud, visit LINK

Today, the National Review has an article written by Stanley kurtz which ends with the paragraph
"Up to now, conventional wisdom on the financial meltdown has relegated ACORN and the CRA to bit parts. The real problem, we’ve been told, lay with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In fact, however, ACORN is at the base of the whole mess. ACORN used CRA and Democratic sympathizers to entangle Fannie and Freddie and the entire financial system in a disastrous disregard of the most basic financial standards. And Barack Obama cut his teeth as an organizer and politician backing up ACORN’s economic madness every step of the way."LINK

Remember?

Excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper

We rarely get a chance to see another country's editorial about the USA.
Read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper in September 2001. The a rticle was written by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title 'C'ntarea Americii, meaning 'Ode To America') in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentulzilei 'The Daily Event' or 'News of the Day';

~An Ode to America~



Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs.

Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart.

Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the Army, or the Secret Service that they are only a bunch of losers.

Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts.

Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape about.

Instead the Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand.

After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing. On every occasion, they started singing: 'God Bless America!'

I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people.

How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put into a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.

What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their history? Their economic Power? Money?

I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace, I thought things over, I reached but only one conclusion... Only freedom can work such miracles..

Cornel Nistorescu

It took a person on the outside - looking in - to see what we take for granted ! GOD BLESS AMERICA ! !

To Those Who Served

This day is one of many that I pause to think of those who serve, have served and will serve our nation.
To those who gave their all so that we the people may remain free, I pray for your everlasting peace.
May God protect those who are currently serving. My gratitude to all of you knows no bounds.

What Country Does Obama Have Allegiance To?

Assuming Obama is a member in good standing in his church, I have to believe he accepts the basic tenets of his church. He may disagree with the inflammatory rhetoric of the pastor but if he is committed to remain "true to our native land" which is Africa, he does not hold allegiance to the U. S. of A. This allegience, to another nation, is what I believe our founding fathers hoped to avoid by stating that any person seeking the presidency should be native born and have an overwhelming allegiance to this nation.

Web page of the TUCC where Obama is a member.

We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.
The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

A congregation committed to ADORATION.
A congregation preaching SALVATION.
A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.
A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.

A Statesman Spoke Today

I have watched the political debates, read the blogs, visited the webpages of the candidates and thought a great deal about the eventual wellbeing of our nation. I was particularly impressed with the ideas presented by Fred Thompson. He spoke to me like an adult and seemed to have a good grasp on what our nation needed to do. His campaign did not live up to his promise. Others voiced firm resolve to win the war started by the terrorists multiple attacks on our embassies, marine barracks, the USS Cole and culminated in 9/11. Some candidates promise a prompt end to the war without victory and will allow those who hate us to claim victory. I must reject defeat because my families blood has been shed in order to protect this nation. I cannot accept giving up on the nation so many have died to protect. Since NC does not have a primary until May, I have not voted. Ultimately, I favored Romney and was sad to see on TV that he was suspending his campaign. Then I heard him speak. He said we are a country at war and cannot continue a protracted primary season. For the wellbeing of the nation, he decided it was better to stop campaigning and let the front runner begin to clarify the issues facing us. Rather than persue an ambition that might lead to further disarray within a party, he will step aside. He spoke of the effects of culture on the wellbeing of a nation. He spoke of the traditional strengths of our nation and the negative effects of entitlement dependency. He spoke of the role of family with two parents nurturing children. I believe I have found my candidate and instead of waiting until May, it may be four more years before I can vote for Romney, but I do believe he is a statesman who will serve us well in the future.

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

Quote of the Century.

"The American Indians found out what happens

when you don't control immigration."

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.

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.

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

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

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.

To Our Military

This veteran speaks my mind.

Please Watch

*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!"

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."

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."