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, May 4, 2009

A Skunk By Any Other Name...

What's in a word? Plenty. Words influence the way we interpret the world around us. Depending on the word or words, something may be deemed familiar or strange, friendly or hostile. They can be used to define relationships; to bring people nearer or turn them into enemies.

Nowhere is this "wordsmithing" more relevant than in politics. I've come to the realization that continuing to use the"liberal" label is not working anymore. People have become so used to hearing it that it doesn't have any impact, and that means they don't care what it actually means. The term itself has been adulterated; the classical liberalism of earlier times (pre-1900) was closer to what we now refer to as libertarianism than it was to socialism. In that vein, most of the Founding Fathers were "liberals", although they would be repulsed by the liberals of today. By turning the meaning around, it served to confuse most folks as to the implications of modern liberalism, masking their agenda by disguising it as something modern and upbeat.

While many continue to think of themselves as liberals, some prefer to call themselves "progressives"; and that progressivism is directly related to both Marxist socialism and facism. For this reason, I will try to use the term "progressives" more often to describe these people and "progressivism" for their intentions, although I'll probably use the two interchangeably.

As I've pointed out before, the onslaught against America and American liberty is proceding at breakneck speed. The malAdministration is cramming as much of their agenda down our throats as possible before we get fed up and throw the bums out -- or throw them in jail for treason, as they deserve.

I have to admit, they are attacking on so many avenues that it can be dizzying at times. It's no wonder most Americans remain virtually clueless as to how their freedoms are being stolen.

For example, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) recently admitted that the Obama universal healthcare plan would not allow for private choice in healthcare, and that "the goal...is not to protect the private healthcare sector."

To confuse the issues and keep more Americans in the dark, the terminology (those words again) is used as a weapon. Various progressive think-tanks and "green" corporations among others are changing the vernacular to make their cause more palatable to the public -- especially that portion of the public which relies on the mainstream media for information. These entities use polling data to learn what turns people off and to choose new terminology to keep the momentum going and to garner more converts. Thus, the weary and increasingly unpopular phrase "global warming" is being replaced with "our deteriorating atmosphere," and "climate change", and the "cap and trade" tax is being rendered as "cap and cash back" (it isn't) and "pollution reduction refund" (it won't). They'll call it anything but what it actually is; a monumental cash cow for Al Gore, his cronies, and the progressive organizations pushing for total control of everything.

If you're one of those folks who hears the phrase "cap and trade" and still knows little or nothing about it, here's a teaser from a recent Wall Street Journal article: "Politicians love cap and trade because they can claim to be taxing 'polluters,' not workers. Hardly. Once the government creates a scarce new commodity -- in this case the right to emit carbon -- and then mandates that businesses buy it, the costs would inevitably be passed on to all consumers in the form of higher prices."

In fact, Obama's budget director Peter Orszag told Congress that, "Those price increases are essential to the success of a cap-and-trade program." According to the article, "Putting a price on carbon is regressive by definition because poor and middle-income households spend more of their paychecks on things like gas to drive to work, groceries or home heating." [emphasis added] Just another gift to the little people from the most "gifted" man in the universe, the Obamessiah. He's determined to save us from having all those choices to make and cash to spend.

Through a mirror, darkly: Unless you're a virtual cave-dweller who has absolutely no idea of what's been going on in this country over (at least) the past few decades, you may have noticed an acceleration lately toward despotism -- the same type of despotism that hundreds of thousands of Americans have given their service and many, their lives, to fight against.

In some instances, it's coming in the form of local politicians who take on the role of petty tyrants, ignoring the rules of convention and law and using law enforcement officers as henchmen to forcibly silence dissent. But it is also taking a more universal tone as the federal government becomes more intrusive and aggressive.

I have been a supporter of the Patriot Act because I believed it to be a necessary tool to combat a new form of terrorism (Yes, I can be wrong, too). However, like any tool it is subject to abuse. Take the case of a 16-year-old boy - homeschooled and never in trouble with the law before - who was taken from his home and his widowed mother and younger siblings during a midnight raid by 10 government officers with drawn weapons. The boy was charged under the Patriot Act with making numerous bomb threats. He is being held without giving any information and without the opportunity to mount a defense because of the secrecy. His mother believes someone hacked his cell phone and made the fake threats.

This case makes it obvious that there needs to be more safeguards in place, and it's a reminder that government agents will do anything to avoid admitting they made a mistake. And that, itself, may be the most egregious mistake.

Knock, knock. Don't be surprised if someone with an official government badge marked with their name, and claiming to be working on the U.S. Census comes to your door in the near future. Their job is to mark your front door with a GPS tag for a government database. Don't worry, they won't be putting some sticker on your door; DO worry that the government will now have extremely precise information as to exactly where you live. If you don't think it's a problem and a potential danger to you and your family, go back to sleep. Otherwise, think 'worst-case scenario'. Events are moving in an ominous direction. All it takes is a little perspective on history, an awareness of current events, and an ability to connect the dots. Unfortunately, it's not something they teach in school, and that's part of the problem.

Creepshow. Another groteseque piece of legislation coming at us is S. 909, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act bill that would protect behaviors such as pedophilia (sex with children), necrophilia (sex with the dead), incest, sexual sadism, touchophilia (touching the genitals of an unwilling person -- I'm not making this up!) and dozens of others. Essentially, it would make you a felon for, say, slapping someone who grabs your butt or breast, while the creep may only get nailed for a misdemeanor.

Kicking God out. President Obama has put more distance between his actions and his campaign image by choosing not to celebrate the National Day of Prayer at the White House. The further he takes this country from its Christian roots, the further we will descend into a nightmarish world of slavery, depravity and depression. We are in the age of the New Barbarians.

What's coming next? Plenty, undoubtedly. But here's the nightmare that keeps coming to my mind: Kristallnacht - The Night of Broken Glass. Study it if you want to see what's coming if we remain on our present course. As our laws become increasingly hostile toward our traditional freedoms (restrictions on free speech and the right to bear arms, and indeterminate imprisonment for US citizens without trial), we need to fear where it will lead next. It can happen here. And Christians are the new Jews, as far as these people are concerned.

On the Upside: Califoria's Orange County has decided that funds it receives from the federal lawsuit against the tobacco companies will not be used to pay for abortions. While there is some concern that Planned Parenthood may threaten a lawsuit, county officials are "confident...that (their) policy will stand up in court." The conservative Christian Alliance Defense Fund has offered to defend the county pro bono if they are challenged.