The hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations.
George Washington [Feb. 22, 1732 – Dec. 14, 1799]
What were the odds of a bunch of rag-tag colonists winning their freedom from the most powerful empire of the 18th century? Underwhelming to say the least. The men who signed the Declaration of Independence, pledging their “lives, fortunes and sacred honor” clearly understood the very real possibility of losing all three.
Just how was a loose confederation of thirteen colonies, whose “army” consisted of a bunch of untrained, undersupplied – and frequently unshod – farmers and craftsmen, able to prevail against British might?
For George Washington, the answer was clear; the “Author of Liberty,” was on the side of the colonies. How else to explain that after every disaster and near-disaster; Breed’s Hill in Boston, New York, Morristown, Valley Forge – Providence, the Hand of God appeared, just when all seemed lost, pointing the way to a brighter dawn.
It was Washington’s faith in the Almighty, and his belief in the cause of liberty, that sustained him – and by extension the troops under his command – and ultimately triumphed over tyranny.
On his birthday, let’s not forget that is was the strength of his visible faith in God that truly made George Washington The Indispensible Man.
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“Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
~ George Washington from his Farewell Address, 1796 ~
Happy Birthday George!
Good vs. Evil: A Long Overdue Debate
Over the last few days we’ve witnessed quite a hubbub in cyberspace and on the network news over the speech that Rick Santorum delivered at Ave Maria (a Catholic) University on August 29, 2008.
The secular Left is just appalled that a political figure would dare to be so public about their faith. And they’re shocked to hear that a presidential candidate actually believes in a heaven and hell. How extreme. How divisive. How intolerant.
Here’s how one Leftie put it:
(Santorum’s) a man of deep religious faith who seems to truly live by his beliefs… Indeed, it is this which makes him so grounded and consistent. [So what’s the problem?]… In this case, however, extremism is a vice that makes him unfit to govern a free nation.
Oh – kind of like this guy I guess… ➡ 
What do you think?
The Daily Caller posted several excerpts from the Ave Maria speech:
“This is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war at all. This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies, Satan, would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country, the United States of America.”
“Once the colleges fell, and those who were being educated in our institutions, the next was the church. Now you’d say, ‘Well, wait, the Catholic Church?’ No.”
“We all know that this country was founded on a Judeo-Christian ethic, but the Judeo-Christian ethic was a Protestant Judeo-Christian ethic. Sure, the Catholics had some influence, but this was a Protestant country and the Protestant ethic. Mainstream, mainline Protestantism.
“And of course we look at the shape of mainline Protestantism in this country and it is a shambles. It is gone from the world of Christianity as I see it. So they attacked mainline Protestantism, they attacked the Church, and what better way to go after smart people who also believe they’re pious — to use both vanity and pride to go after the Church.”
(Santorum also insisted that Satan has cheapened American pop culture.)
“The corruption of culture, the corruption of manners, the corruption of decency is now on display, whether it’s the NBA or whether it’s a rock concert or whether it’s on a movie set.”
“That great acidic quality of time corrodes away even the strongest foundations. And (here’s the part the Left really hates) Satan has done so by attacking the great institutions of America.”
As a Lutheran, I believe he went a bit far in writing off all Protestant denominations, but agree that most have gotten far too liberal over the last few decades. Not a few Catholic priests however are right behind them (the “sanctuary churches” for illegals, the “health-care-is-a-right” homilies, the occasional crazy like Father Pfleger in Chicago, and I won’t even mention the pedophile priests…). Moral relativism has sucked far too many Christians into the swamp of egalitarianism.
Seems to me that now, only months away from a presidential election, is a great time to be having this debate with the Left. It forces them to show whose side they’re on, if you catch my meaning. And it’s an opportunity for “squishy” Christians to re-read the Book… and re-think their blurry worldview. There’s a clear choice to be made here, with everything at stake.
In his great little book, “When the Crosses are Gone,” Michael Yousseff explains that there’s no middle ground in this conflict:
The cross is a message of love to humankind – but to those who would rather perish than accept God’s love, it is an offensive message. They want no part of it.
The cross cannot be neutral. It will either bring you peace or make you angry. It will either save you eternally or judge you eternally. The cross will either reconcile you to God or bear witness against you in the Day of Judgement…
The cross disturbs the psyche. It troubles the soul. It forces you to make a decision: Will you say yes to Jesus Christ – or no. Are you with Him or against Him? The cross leaves no room for neutrality, and that is why so many people want to remove the cross from our world.
Progressives – the far Left – are clearly offended by the message of the cross. Each of us should be asking ourselves if we are also… or not.
Whether Rick Santorum ends up being the eventual Republican candidate, he’s courageously articulated the clear choice we’re faced with: good vs. evil. There’s no room for neutrality. Are we a nation “under God” – or not?
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Related:
Full audio of Senator Santorum’s 8-29-08 speech, “Faith in Public Life: A Personal Journey,” is available at Ave Maria University’s site – HERE.
New Chevy Volt Commercial!
“What better way to celebrate the massive success of the Chevy Volt than by having this beautiful piece of machinery as President Obama’s running mate in 2012? They deserve each other!”
American Taxpayer’s Loss on GM Stock Investment [Approaching 13 billion 😯 ]
Resisting the Food Police
Speaking of the food enforcement brigade… I just ran across a relatively new site called “My Food. My Choice!” Fighting food fascism! Great idea!
It’s an organized effort to help preserve what’s left of consumer freedoms. According to a Jan. 11th, Fox New article, the group was started by chefs, restaurant owners, and consumers who are fed up with politicians who think they can dictate what eateries can serve, and what people can eat.
Center for Enforcement of Pseudo Science – Big Brother Food Police
From the organization’s mission statement:
My Food. My Choice! recognizes that the growing campaign by local governments and now nationally, through the White House and various federal agencies, to ban certain foods or tax them off the market is a dire threat to individual liberty. If the state can control what we eat, there is nothing the state can’t control. My Food. My Choice! is the citizen-led counterweight to local and national government bullies who’ve decided that the path to unlimited power is through our stomachs.
The state is free to make diet recommendations to the public, but any attempt to limit food choice is tyranny of conscience, an unacceptable breach of individual liberty. The American people should retain the freedom to choose what we eat, where we will eat, when we will eat and how much we will eat.
Absolutely!
The site has myth-busting facts, updates on various government regulations and counter-efforts, and a petition to sign. Join the resistance!
Check it out HERE.
“For me to NOT trust God is crazy.”
Unless you’ve been incommunicado for the last week or two, you’ve surely heard the name “Jeremy Lin” by now. The sports world has even coined a new term to describe the excitement surrounding the NBA phenomenon: “Linsanity.” Amazingly, Jeremy has gone from a bench-warming point-guard on the New York Knicks team, to one of their MVPs – almost overnight.
As the LA Times reports:
(Lin) is the ultimate breakthrough story, unconstrained by borders or boundaries. The New York Knicks sensation has shredded stereotypes associated with being undrafted . . . and Asian American . . . and hailing from Harvard, which before Lin had last produced an NBA player in 1954.
He is the insurance policy who turned into a winning lottery ticket, rising from fourth-string point guard to the starting lineup to the cover of Sports Illustrated in less than two weeks amid a series of he-just-topped-himself-again performances.
But there’s a certain “something else” about Lin that makes him a standout. In a league where players are just as likely to be known for their off-court “bad-boy” behavior as they are for their basketball achievements, Jeremy is that rare thing; a Christian. From World Magazine:
…Lin’s story of perseverance on the basketball court cannot be separated from his testimony of dedication to God, a faith that sustained him through rejection, humiliation, and now, unexpected fame. Through each setback Lin encountered on his way to becoming a household name, the devout basketball player trusted God and used his trials to encourage others.
Lin’s basketball career began in California at Palo Alto High School where he led his team to a 32:1 record and a state title. The next stop was Harvard (2006-10) where he was named to the All-Ivy League. After college he signed with his hometown Golden State Warriors, his favorite team growing up. But life in the NBA spotlight seemed overwhelming, and his performance on the court suffered as a result.
Lin grew up in the church, but the pressures he was facing eventually brought him to the point “where I really lost my joy, my passion, and my purpose in basketball.”
The World article continues ~
He realized that basketball had become an idol in his life, so he decided to return to trusting God for his future.
“For me to not trust God is crazy,” Lin said, listing all of the ways God had paved his way to the NBA, including his dad’s love for basketball, his coaches, and his spiritual growth at Harvard.
Comparisons with Denver Bronco’s quarterback Tim Tebow have been inevitable;
While Lin might not share Tebow’s flair for attention Adrian Tam, who served as Lin’s spiritual mentor at Harvard, says both men have a commitment to sharing their faith and backing it up with their actions: “They both want to give all the credit to God.”
Planned Parenthood – Sanger’s “Culture of Death”
Contrary to what Planned Parenthood would like us to believe, their organization was not founded out of an altruistic concern for women’s health. Rather, it sprang from an unholy blend of toxic self-indulgence, militant atheism, and an enthusiastic embrace of Darwin’s theory of evolution, all wrapped up in one poisonous malcontent named Margaret Sanger.
Donald De Marco and Benjamin Wiker profiled Sanger as one of the “Architects of the Culture of Death,” in their 2004 book by the same name. She’s in distinguished company, alongside other such egoists as Marx, Nietzsche, Kinsey and Kevorkian, all of whom rejected a belief in human personhood, and the sanctity of human life.
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One of eleven children born to a Catholic mother, and an overbearing socialist father with an animosity toward organized religion, Sanger came to equate large families with unhappiness and poverty, and thus undesirable. Married to William Sanger in 1902, she soon had three children of her own. By all reports Margaret was an inattentive, distracted mother, frequently leaving the children with anyone she could find while she and William ran off to meetings and parties.
Fascinated by the radical ideas of her husband, a social anarchist, and their like-minded friends, Margaret soon became enamored with the concept of free love and the joys of sexual liberty. Now William may have been a radical, but he wasn’t too keen on the idea of open marriage. After his wife had several affairs he divorced her in 1914.
Sanger’s other passion was birth control; why deal with the consequences of your own deficit of self-control? (Obama concurs: “Wouldn’t want to be ‘punished’ with a baby!”) Her contempt for social convention and authority of any kind was evident in the slogan she chose for “The Woman Rebel,” a newspaper she began publishing in 1914: “No Gods! No Masters!”
According to De Marco and Wiker, for Sanger, sex was “the evolutionary force that creates genius:”
…the removal of physiological and psychological inhibitions and restraints (make) possible the release and channeling of the primordial inner energies of man into full and divine expression.
She deliberately set out to destroy the teachings of the “so-called Christian communities” regarding chastity and sexual fidelity, and to create a “sexual Utopia” here on earth;
We must teach men the overwhelming power of this radiant force… Through sex, mankind may attain the great spiritual illumination which will transform the world, which will light up as the only path to an earthly paradise.
Rejecting Christianity and its tenets of sympathy, piety and compassion, Sanger preached a new religion of sexual liberation.
Although Planned Parenthood would like to claim collective amnesia, their founder was also a big proponent of eugenics. Adapting Darwin’s theory of evolution to suit her purposes Sanger promoted birth control “to create a race of thoroughbreds.”
…the most urgent problem today is how to limit and discourage the over-fertility of the mentally and physically defective.
Sterilization was Sanger’s preferred method of treating “the ever-increasing problem of feeble-mindedness.” To promote her radical ideas, she founded the National Birth Control League in the 1920’s which, after several name changes became, in 1942, Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Sanger died in 1966 at the age of 86 – drunk, depressed and alone. So much for her twisted vision of an “earthly paradise.”
Margaret Sanger’s morbid legacy, her dream of a “sexual Utopia,” has helped create a sub-“Culture of Death” in western societies. Today, as De Marco and Wiker report;
True to Sanger’s credo that women should have “The Right to Destroy,” Planned Parenthood is now the world’s largest provider of abortions.
Almost a century after “The Women Rebel” began her crusade for promiscuity, Planned Parenthood collects $300 million in taxpayer funds annually. How much longer must we continue to fund an organization aimed at destroying the very society that provides those funds?
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And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things
which are not fitting, being filled with all unrighteousness,
sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness…
~ Romans 1:28-29 ~
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Related:
StopPlannedParenthood is part of American Life League, and dedicated to defunding Planned Parenthood. Lots of shocking facts and figures (over 54,000,000 deaths since Roe v Wade!) as well as pro-active ways to join in the fight.
Darwinism the root of the culture of death ~ What do Margaret Sanger, “father of the sexual revolution” Alfred Kinsey, Lenin, and Hitler have in common? All these pioneers of what some call the “culture of death” rooted their beliefs and actions in Darwinism – a little-known fact that one conservative leader says shouldn’t be ignored.
‘To Stop the Multiplication of the Unfit’ ~ Michelle Malkin’s recent article elaborates on Sanger’s eugenics policy, targeted especially at the black community.
Whistleblower Says Planned Parenthood Defrauded Government ~ Just the latest in an ever-growing list of scandals surrounding PP.
Good news! Alabama Supreme Court Issues Landmark Wrongful Death Opinion for Pre-Viable Infant ~ Rove v. Wade’s days numbered?
Saturday Shorts – 2-18-12
Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:
Caterpillar: Goodbye Illinois, Hello Indiana’s Right To Work ~ Lesson learned: If you want to create jobs, pass
Right to Work.
A Spiritual Reflection on the Life of Whitney Houston ~ A tragic but cautionary tale ~ Whitney Houston lost most of $100 million fortune after years of drug abuse, high living
U.S. Supreme Court justice: ‘Constitution is a static being’ ~ Justice Scalia gets it: the Supreme Courts’ role is to interpret the Constitution, not re-write it.
Gay by Choice? ~ Chuck Colson ponders the radical homosexual movement’s rejection of “choice.”
States Show Tax Hikes and the “Buffet Rule” Don’t Work ~ Red states vs. Blue states. Guess which have the healthier economies?
The Poached Egg ~ This is your brain on apologetics. A new-to-me site started by a former agnostic. The “Egg” serves up a good variety of resources in support of the Christian Worldview.
American Catholicism’s Pact With the Devil ~ Excellent article by Paul A. Rahe @ Richochet, portions of which Rush read on Monday’s show. When you start to compromise on the Truth, it never ends well.
Maxine’s Devilish Rhetoric
There she goes again. The always eloquent Rep. Maxine Waters(D-CA) was speaking to delegates at the California Democratic State Convention last weekend talking about Democrats Republicans:
These are legislators who are destroying this country rather than bringing us together, creating jobs, making sure we have a good tax policy, bringing our jobs from back offshore, incentivizing those who keep the jobs here. They are bringing down this country, destroying this country because again they’d rather do whatever they can to destroy this president rather than for the good of this country. [Really Maxine? Really?]
I saw pictures of Boehner and Cantor on our screens. Don’t ever let me see again in life those Republicans in our hall, on our screens, talking about anything. These are demons! 😈
Let’s suppose for a moment that either Representative Boehner or Cantor had made the same unhinged remarks about Rep. Waters… The MSM would be screaming for their resignations – or heads on a platter – 24/7. But Maxine gets a pass. “Tolerance” has become a very subjective term these days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Actually, one of Waters’ comments did have a depressing ring of truth to it:
(Obama) is promoting the government we deserve.
If we won’t stand up to the deceit of these Leftist autocrats, and fight for the liberty bequeathed to us by the founders – and defended with the blood and treasure of subsequent generations – we really do deserve to lose our freedom.
Related: Roiling Waters ~ Her Tea Party Tirade last August
Stay classy Maxie!
RELATED: From Michelle Malkin today ~ What’s happening with the Maxine Waters ethics case?! Answer: Not much. Everyone on the House Ethics committee is unethical.
Founding Wisdom [Flouted by the Foolish]
Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.
~ Thomas Jefferson ~
Facing Up to the Folly of Windmills
Michigan has a mandate in place (courtesy of our former Democratic governor – thanks Jen!) that says by 2015, 10% of our state’s electricity needs must come from renewable sources. Beyond the authoritarian tone of such a dictate, harnessing the wind as a source of alternative energy is turning out to be a progressive pipedream. Which is exactly what I’m telling my state senator and representative…
Has Michigan slipped into the Twilight Zone? That certainly seems to be the case with Lansing’s current position on renewal energy. At a time when the rest of the country – and the rest of world – is waking up to the unreliability of wind power, Mark Clevey of the Michigan Energy Office, and Dan Bishop (Consumers Energy public information director) are still seeing visions of the future through green-colored glasses [Source: Great Lakes Echo]:
Clevey: “I see the renewable energy boom in Michigan as a combination of the relieved tax burden on companies and the popularity of green energy around the state.”
Bishop: “What we’ll certainly see is more wind farm projects being constructed. There is a high demand for turbines, and with a lessened tax burden, manufacturers will be able to produce more of the required parts at lowered costs.”
Bishop also said: “I truly believe we are witnessing a wind revolution across the state.”
Let’s hope not!
Michigan’s economy is in bad enough shape without lobbyists scooping up more goodies from the taxpayers. And we don’t need a propaganda campaign by the Energy Innovation Business Council, who apparently feels that a reluctant public needs to be nudged along “through ‘mild interventions’ such as education campaigns.”
Let’s stick to the facts shall we? If wind power is so wonderfully advantageous, why are tax credits and subsidies needed at all?
The reality is that wind, as source of alternate energy, is turning out to be an inefficient, unreliable and extremely expensive – not to mention noisy and just plain ugly. Minnesota, Texas and North Carolina are all having serious reservations about the viability of wind power, as are Britain and Germany. Heck, even the Dutch are getting fed up with windmills.
Before Michigan continues skipping down the green path of hopes and dreams, why don’t we find out whether wind power has actually been a success anywhere? Because so far, the prospects aren’t very rosy. For instance:
• Wind farms must be heavily subsidized with public funds. When the money runs out, the blades stop churning; 14,000(!) wind turbines have been abandoned across the U.S..
• On average, they only operate at 33% capacity (- compared to 85% for coal and nuclear energy). That figure is much lower in hot weather when there’s usually less wind, and when energy demands tend to peak.
• They freeze in cold weather. Which is potentially catastrophic:
Modern cities are incredibly fragile organisms… During a severe blizzard, it is electricity alone that prevents a midwinter urban holocaust. We saw what adverse weather can do, when 15,000 people died in the heatwave that hit France in August 2003. But those deaths were spread over a month. Last weekend’s weather (in Europe), without energy, could have caused many tens of thousands of deaths over a couple of days.
Why does the entire green spectrum, which now incorporates most conventional parties across Europe, deny the most obvious of truths? To play lethal games with our energy systems in order to honour the whimsical god of climate change is as intelligent and scientific as the Aztec sacrifice of their young. Actually, it is far more frivolous, because at least the Aztecs knew how many people they were sacrificing: no one has the least idea of the loss of life that might result from the EU embracing “green” energy policies.
• They’re a hazard to wildlife – and possibly humans as well.
• They’re an eyesore (Is this what we want for “Pure Michigan?”):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At some point in the future wind turbines may be feasible – but certainly not the immediate future. When, if ever, they do turn out to be a viable energy alternative, we can re-evaluate the situation. Until then, let’s maintain our grasp on reality and stop wasting tax dollars on wishful thinking. I urge you to:
• Repeal the mandate for 10% renewable sources that’s set to take effect in 2015;
• Stop using tax dollars to pick winners and losers. Preferential treatment of select business sectors only invites bribes and corruption. Free the free market, and;
• If we really want to create a more business-friendly climate, let’s drop the ridiculously high corporate tax rate. (Only two other states have higher rates than Michigan’s)
Let’s be wise enough to learn from the unfortunate mistakes of others, and not duplicate them here in Michigan. We can’t afford it.
Thank-you for your attention to this important issue,
Designs on the Truth
Related:
“Big money” discovers the huge tax breaks and subsidies for wind energy while taxpayers and electric customers pick up the tab ~ An in-depth article which includes:
• Recent evidence of “big money” interest in wind energy tax breaks and subsidies
• Facts about wind energy just beginning to catch up with the false and misleading information that has led to faulty government policies, tax breaks and subsidies
• The tax breaks and subsidies that are attracting big money interests to wind energy
You might be a terrorist if…
At a press conference last week, the FBI introduced a new terrorist alert bulletin, which it sent to every federal, state and local law enforcement agency across the country. Unfortunately, as the Patriot Post reports;
…that bulletin continued a trend of “terrorist profiles” issued since Barack Hussein Obama has been in office. This particular alert identified such broad ideological characteristics that it can be construed to include the activities of tens of millions of law-abiding Americans.
The FBI counterterrorism division report concluded that those who believe that our government has exceeded its constitutional limits or are protesting for restoration of constitutional integrity might pose a threat. By that definition, anyone associated with the “Tea Party movement” is suspect, and that’s the problem with this sweeping and politically motivated “bureaucrap.”
According to the FBI and Bureau of Justice Assistance YOU might be a terrorist if you’ve been engaging in any of the following:
• Demonstrating unusual interest in remote-controlled aircraft.
• Exhibiting unusual interest or specific interest in rocket motors or igniters.
• Always pay cash or use credit card(s) in different name(s).
• Evidence of a residential based internet provider (signs on to Comcast, AOL, etc.).
• Gather information about vulnerable infrastructure or obtain photos, maps or diagrams of transportation, sporting venues, or populated locations.
• Designing a paintball field to mimic security checkpoints (such as schools, theaters, airports, malls)
• Purchasing including unusual combinations of: – Electronic timer or timing devices, 2-way radios, batteries, GPS, Police scanners, Flashlight Bulbs
Observing any of these behaviors, conscientious citizens are asked to “be part of the solution.”
• Talk to customers, ask questions, and listen to and observe their responses.
• Watch for people and actions that are out of place.
• Make note of suspicious statements, people, and/or vehicles.
• If something seems wrong, notify law enforcement authorities.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hmmm….
Last year we had Attack Watch and Republican Email address collection. And just this week, this administration announced the formation of the “Truth Team.” Never fear though, David Axelrod is sure that “when the truth and facts are under assault, this will be a helpful tool to set things straight.”
Coming up next week? “Ministry of Truth” Czar to be named…
Is it just me, or is this administration deliberately creating an atmosphere that’s ever more Orwellian?
