Wish I'd said that!

In recent decades, the ACLU has used its so-called "wall" to fight tooth and nail to prevent government sponsorship of the Pledge of Allegiance, memorial crosses, Ten Commandments displays, nativity scenes, Bible displays, and virtually every other acknowdgement of America's religious heritage.

At the same time, it is worthwhile to note that there have been some instances in which the ACLU has endorsed public displays of religion. For example, When New York City Mayor Rudi Giuliani threatened to cut taxpayer funding from the Brooklyn Museum of Art for displaying a painting of the Virgin Mary with cow dung and pictures of female sexual organs pasted all over her body, the ACLU was first in line to defend the display. U.S. District Court Judge Nina Gershon ruled that New York City's elected officials were not allowed to place conditions on the museum's funding.

In another instance, the ACLU offered its support to the taxpayer-funded National Endowment for the Arts, after the agency sponsored an art show featuring "Piss Christ" - an exhibit consisting of a crucifix submerged in a jar of urine.

In the ACLU's myopic world, it appears that the only permissible publicly-funded displays of religion are those which blatantly mock or disparage the Christian faith.

-- Indefensible: 10 Ways the ACLU is Destroying America, Sam Kastensmidt, 2006

Monday, April 6, 2009

Hitting Home

President Obama is wrapping up his first overseas jaunt. Considering the damage he's been doing to American prestige, it can't end a moment too soon.

After accelerating our withdrawal from Iraq, and reassuring Muslims we aren't at war with their religion, al Qaeda appears to be opening a new terror campaign in Baghdad, just as Iraqis were beginning to feel a little safer. So much for good intentions. I'm pretty sure conservatives have been warning about this likelihood for some time if we pulled out prematurely and with a published timetable. Anyone else recall what happened when we cut and ran from Vietnam?

Obama's overtures to the Muslim world may not be as successful as he was hoping, despite his unbecoming obeisance before the king of Saudi Arabia. Unlike some, I don't think Obama is a secret Muslim infiltrator so much as I think he's severely conflicted on exactly what he is; but at heart I think he's all about his own ego, which trumps religion in his eyes and demands he set in motion a poorly-conceived for about changing America into something totally alien to our foundational principles. We are being set up for generations of regret.

Speaking of faith... The president slapped Christians in the face again; this time with the appointment of outspoken homosexual Harry Knox to the advisory committee of his version of faith-based initiatives. It is felt by some that Knox would apply a homosexual-oriented 'litmus test' to programs. This at a time when homosexual marriage is being legalized in more states, despite popular opposition. Activists are using the courts and propaganda to bypass the will of the people, inviting a very unpopular reaction at some point.

An interesting observation from Fox & Friends: President Obama - who claimed he is a Christian during the campaign, but has been trashing American Christianity during his overseas trip - hasn't been to church once in the 11 weeks since the inauguration (although he did tour a mosque).

Among the numerous campaign pledges Obama has reneged on - in this case to Armenians - was to confront the genocide conducted against Armenians by the Ottoman Turks during WW1. (The least you can say is that their racial memory is as strong as those of most black Americans today.) But the theme this trip is apparently, "when in Turkey, don't give them the bird."

From a traditional Christian, conservative perspective, we can now claim to be living in the Age of Treachery. The leaders of both parties have been selling us down the river for years, and it seems as though we woke up one morning just in time to watch the USA become the USSA. Our president is working overtime to sell out our sovereignty, remove all vestiges of conscience, drive us into poverty, and otherwise piss down our leg and tell us it's raining lemonade. [He's also trashing Easter by specifically inviting homosexual 'families' to the White House for the annual egg roll.] Now members of the Congressional Black Caucus (imagine if someone tried to form a congressional white caucus!? Proof that only blacks are allowed to be racists) have gone to Cuba and sucked up to Hispanic dictator Fidel Castro, who ended up asking how he could help Obama. When Castro praises our president, we can be sure we're in deep doo-doo. Could this be the beginning of the end of gang wars between the two races? I'll be interested to see how this plays out in the 'hoods and prisons. I guess communism is color-blind.

The deepest cut is the sword itself. Isnt' it incredible that whenever the call comes to cut government expenses, the first and major cuts always seem to come from the Defense Department, which has one of the most important functions -- and one of the very few constitutionally-designated functions? It occurs mostly under Democrat regimes, and Obama is no exception. Even as the president was schmoozing the troops in a surprise visit to Baghdad, DefSec Robert Gates announced a plan to cut $1.4 billion from defense spending. He was doing what he does best; giving platitudes and promises and breaking them at the same time. This is outrageous, and downright scary in today's world.

I find it an abominable strategy that at a time when a resurgent Russia pounds its chest, the Chinese are upgrading their military and looking at Taiwan, the North Koreans are learning to mate nuclear weapons to longe-range missiles, Iran threatens to do the same (and wipe out Israel in the process), communist dictatorships are crowding our southern hemisphere and Mexico is on the verge of violent collapse, we prepare to pare down our already straining military. Proposed cuts include the world's most advanced jet fighter, the F-22 Raptor, the Airborne Laser (ABL) antimissile system, and includes killing plans to beef up our ground-based interceptors in Alaska, considered to be one of the most vulnerable points (only 50 miles from Russia, and within range of North Korean missiles) on this continent, threatening both the US and Canada. And according to Heritage Foundation defense analyst James Carafano, "There is no future of missile defense right now. The momentum has just stopped dead in its tracks."

When all else is said and done, government's number one priority is national defense, because if you can't protect your country, you can't protect anything. With all the threats we are now facing, our President -- Barack Hussein Obama -- has decided we aren't as worthy of protection as his union cronies; not our country, not our businesses, not our families. How does that make you feel?

Fortunately, many Americans are not acting so paralyzed in the face of foreign aggression. You've probably heard by now about the American merchant seamen who fought back against Somali pirates. They displayed the sort of resolve that the passengers of Flight 93 showed on 9-11. One advantage they had (no weapons are carried) was that their company provided training in how to respond. As I write this the Navy is on the way to rescue (we hope) the sole captive of the pirates. Carry on!

Gunning for the Second Amendment. As if we didn't have enough to worry about from foreign enemies while Obama lowers our guard, Nancy Pelosi and her cabal are ramping up for more attacks on our right to self-defense.

Taxed to death. The Estate Tax, more commonly known as the Death Tax, is still on the table. If you have any sort of wealth (currently considered to start at $300,000 but it's likely to go down further as Obama puts more taxpayers in the poorhouse), you're likely to be faced with the government stealing (what else would you call it?) up to 45% of your estate when all the other taxes finally kill you.

If it's good enough for Hill... As if the country isn't in enough trouble already, liberal bloggers are pushing for another Obama presidential bid in the future; only this time it's about Michelle. Actually, there's a bright side to this, in a darkly humorous way; there may not be a country left by then. Then again, CNN responses to the question are overwhelmingly against the idea. Is this a revival of common sense, or have the majority of lefty toast-brains not yet chimed in?

The Greatest, Hands down. Anyone who gazes in wonder at the miracles of Creation can see all sorts of things that point to a grand design (which would imply a Grand Designer). Take this amazing photo taken from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Explain it any way you like; I prefer my own interpretation. It looks majorly cool, at least.

But more than any photo can do justice is the simple but unbreakable promise that one Man, one God made to all mankind, if we would just follow Him. This Sunday we celebrate Resurrection Day (more commonly but less accurately known as Easter). Whether you are a Christian in name only, in faith, or not at all, listen to the late great Dr. D. James Kennedy as he briefly explains what it means. Play the video clip and hit 'full screen'.