Thursday, September 30, 2010

Today's Posts

Fetal Pain Bill Article

I've removed this post this afternoon due to an agreement with the Omaha World-Herald.

I submitted a version of that post to the World-Herald for their "Another Point of View" feature. And Geitner Simmons, the editorial page editor of the W-H, graciously approved it and agreed to publish.

Because the W-H is rightly concerned about copyright issues and intellectual property matters, I volunteered to remove the article from the blog. Mr. Simmons was appreciative and, along with his thanks he reminded me that I could post it again here after the article runs in the World-Herald. No need, of course; I'll just send you over there.

Mr. Simmons and the World-Herald deserve my thanks for publishing the piece (sometime in the next week) and for their professionalism.

The Nitpicking Nitwits of the U.S. Senate

As the Matt Drudge headlines point out, the Democrat-dominated U.S. Senate adjourned way, way early for campaign season without even passing a budget!

But the salubrious solons did make time for passing a law requiring TV commercials to stay at the same volume as the regular programming.

Now, I suppose that loud commercials are a bit of a nuisance but with America at war, our country enduring an economic meltdown, tyrannical thugs threatening the world's security, a crumbling infrastructure, and our nations' morality melting into yet more violent crime, gangster killings, and abortions -- as well as that bit of unfinished business like getting a budget in place -- do we need the federal government worrying about the volume levels in TV ads?

Adult Stem Cell Triumphs Becoming Common News

This wonderful story from the Telegraph is about adult stem cells being used to save a woman's leg. It's really terrific.

It was already on my "To Blog" list this morning after having been alerted to it by Julie Schmit-Albin of Nebraska Right to Life over on Facebook. But I then came across Wesley J. Smith's wry comments about the story at his blog, Secondhand Smoke.

Smith's headline was "Oh Hum, Another Adult Stem Cell Success" and his lead into the story was "These adult stem cell successes are getting pretty oh, hum -- unless you are the lucky patients benefiting from breakthroughs."

Amen.

Smith's concluding sentece is also worth hanging on to: "Like I always say, good ethics leads to good science. Onward."

The President's "Pastors for ObamaCare"

President Barack Obama may not go to church himself anymore and he may feel outright disdain for evangelical and Catholic clergy, but that doesn't mean he dislikes all preachers.

Especially not the ones who will roll over and do his bidding.

Here, from James Towey's article over at the Wall Street Journal, is a pretty disgusting picture of Obama's manipulation of liberal clergy and the White House office for "faith-based initiatives."

Like most liberals, Obama twists the Constitution's doctrine of separation of church and state into his own key chain. When the pulpits urge adherence to a God that's higher than the government, leftists want them shut down. But when those pulpits provide cover and assistance for the Nanny State, they're just dandy.

But don't take it from me. Here's Mr. Towey.

I was George W. Bush’s director of faith-based initiatives. Imagine what would have happened had I proposed that he use that office to urge thousands of religious leaders to become “validators” of the Iraq War?

I can tell you two things that would have happened immediately. First, President Bush would have fired me—and rightly so—for trying to politicize his faith-based office. Second, the American media would have chased me into the foxhole Saddam Hussein had vacated.


Yet on Tuesday President Obama and his director of faith-based initiatives convened exactly such a meeting to try to control political damage from the unpopular health-care law. “Get out there and spread the word,” Politico.com reported the president as saying on a conference call with leaders of faith-based and community groups. “I think all of you can be really important validators and trusted resources for friends and neighbors, to help explain what’s now available to them.”


Since then, there’s been nary a peep from the press.


According to the White House website, the faith-based office exists “to more effectively serve Americans in need.” I guess that now means Americans in need of Democratic talking points on health care. Do we really want taxpayer-funded bureaucrats mobilizing ministers to go out to all the neighborhoods and spread the good news of universal coverage?...

About Abortion and Breast Cancer

Barb Malek, friend, pro-life colleague and author, has just posted two splendidly provocative articles on her blog about abortion and breast cancer. Very good and very important articles. Check them out 1) Is Abortion a Risk Factor in Breast Cancer? And 2) Are We Being Lied To? Why Women Should Be Angry!

DeMint Wants to Stop Democrats' "Hot-Lining" Tricks

...It's irresponsible when Congress produces complicated proposals, often running into hundreds or thousands of pages, behind closed doors and then jams the bills into law a few hours after printing the final version. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, epitomized the arrogance and irresponsibility of this practice in March when she said about Obamacare, "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy."

Although the concept of requiring at least 72 hours between a bill's introduction and the vote on final passage is popular, the Democrat-run Congress runs roughshod over requests for reasonable time to study legislation. Before congressional recesses, Senate leaders increasingly have relied on a procedure called "hot-lining" to pass bills without even a vote. While most senators are hot-tailing their way out of town, it's announced that bills are passed by unanimous consent unless a senator objects in person on the Senate floor. It's hard to object when you're already on a plane...


Enter Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican. On Monday, he announced he will place objections to all unanimous-consent requests unless he and his staff have time to study and approve the bills. DeMint spokesman Wesley Denton explains, "If big spenders in Washington are going to try to ram through last-minute deficit spending, or new taxes, or new regulations, or major changes in current law, or expanding government programs, Sen. DeMint has put them on warning that he is going to object unless there is ample time to review these bills and address concerns."


Democratic leaders will complain that such principled politicking is obstructionism. Most Americans will call it good government...


Read the entirety of this excellent Washington Times editorial here.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Today's Posts

The Sewage in Our Schools

Everyone agrees that if boys don't read well, it's because they don't read enough. But why don't they read? A considerable number of teachers and librarians believe that boys are simply bored by the "stuffy" literature they encounter in school. According to a revealing Associated Press story in July these experts insist that we must "meet them where they are"—that is, pander to boys' untutored tastes.

For elementary- and middle-school boys, that means "books that exploit [their] love of bodily functions and gross-out humor." AP reported that one school librarian treats her pupils to "grossology" parties. "Just get 'em reading," she counsels cheerily. "Worry about what they're reading later."...


This Thomas Spence article in the Wall Street Journal describes how once noble publishing houses are going down a rotten road indeed in their efforts to get kids reading. Let me warn you -- just reading the titles of the books these folks are producing for America's children will likely gross you out. But much more to the point is your careful consideration of how corrupt, profane and counter-productive America's "educators" have become.

My wife Claire used to deal with the problem this article presents (the lack of desire among high school kids to read) in a much different, much healthier way. For even in her classes of "special needs" kids, underachieving students who had records with bad behavior, low performance and so on, Claire was very successful in interesting them in genuine literature. Entry level, perhaps; but healthy literature in its own right which also developed their interest in and proficiency with reading other things.

Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories were a great help in this endeavor. So were Mark Twain's heroes of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allan Poe and other writers of classic short stories were a part of the regimen as was -- gasp! -- dramatic readings of poetry!

And the kids dug it.

Claire opened a few doors for them but soon, many of her students learned to open the doors for themselves. Kids who had been relegated to the junk pile (the course work assigned to them before Claire took over the job included comic books, movies and telephone etiquette) now were developing the curiosity, the confidence and the reading skills to take them into their own adventures. That's education.

How much more elevated and enriching (for individuals and the general culture) is Claire's example, one that is typical of how education used to be conducted by parents and teachers in America, compared to the schlock and sewage that Spence describes in this WSJ article.

It is another tragic case of the intellectual suicide of the West.

Goodnight, Gracie.

The "Schizophrenia" of Legal Abortion

''When they see her now people don't believe me when I tell them how premature she was.''

That's Lexi's Mom talking about her daughter, born 14 weeks premature at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and weighing in at 14 ounces.

But that was almost three months ago. Lexi is now tipping the scales at 5 and a half pounds and is doing quite well, thank you.

Sandra Day O'Connor once admitted that legalized abortion was on a "collision course" with medical technology. She was, of course, correct. For the science of fetology has made the immorality of abortion crystal clear to the whole world.

Abortion doesn't merely terminate "pregnancies." It kills human children.

Furthermore, the advances in medical care (increasing success with premature births, developments in fetal surgery, etc.) stress the same brutal reality; namely, that abortion is an unjust and unnecessary act of violence against developing boys and girls.

The schizophrenia in our culture that sees doctors heroically working to save preborn children in one wing of a hospital while abortionists dismember, smother, poison and in other barbaric ways, murder preborn children in another wing also puts us on that same "collision course."

But how many boys and girls...how many Lexis must die before that day comes?

(Thanks to Abraham Serafino for alerting me to this story.)

Muslims Taking the Streets of Paris

You've got to check out this amazing piece of video showing the brazen illegalities of hundreds of Muslim men blocking certain streets in Paris for their public prayers.

Sincere religious prayers? Or is there another motivation?

At any rate, such action is quite illegal. But the French police do nothing whatsoever. The politicians are stone silent. And the press turns its head around so as not to notice this bizarre takeover.

There is an accompanying story here written by Dale Hurd from CBN News. His text is also featured as narration for the video clip. It is quite incredible stuff -- with momentous relevance for all the Western world.

Texas AG Acts. We're Still Waiting for Nebraska AG To Do Likewise.

LifeNews. com has a story here about the Attorney General of Texas moving against certain practices of the abortion industry to insure the health and safety of that industry's clients. Specifically, the AG's actions are 1) to prohibit "telemed abortions" altogether and 2) require places that distribute the dangerous RU-486 abortion drug to obtain an abortion facility license.

This Attorney General's willingness to intervene in the abortionist's business and to take charge regarding the insurance that certain health and safety measures are in place makes me wonder yet again at the claims of Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning that his office has nothing to do with such things. That is all, as we're told by his letters and conversations with his staff, the business of the state health department.

But isn't the AG responsible for oversight and enforcement of all state law? That means investigation and follow through and, if warranted, prosecution -- not a hands off policy.

When Nebraska pro-life activists first inquired of the AG about those horrendous charges made against late-term abortionist Leroy Carhart (charges made by former employees), we were told that the investigation was ongoing and details couldn't be shared. Then, when weeks went by with nary another word, many of those same pro-lifers asked the AG again about what was being done. The answer was quite different then -- we were told that such charges were the business of the health department. The state AG had nothing to do with it!

Granted, it's been a long time since my junior high civics class, but I'm pretty sure I remember the role of a state's Attorney General. And I'm becoming more and more concerned that Jon Bruning isn't playing the game.

For more on this matter (and for contact information for Mr. Bruning), check out these previous Vital Signs posts: Legal Abortion Is Not Safe Abortion; Open Letter to Nebr. AG Jon Bruning: Regulating Abortion Clinics; Questions for Nebraska Attorney General Go Unanswered: "Sorry, This Can't Leave This Office;" and Former Employee Claims Abortionist Leroy Carhart Told Her to Commit Illegal Acts, Was "Chemically Impaired on Duty."

Monday, September 27, 2010

Today's Posts

Zipping Through Monday

Monday's are always just too busy for us all. And, at least in our case, they seem filled with the most eclectic of duties. Today, for instance, we've already been out sidewalk counseling. Then we dropped by Rosenblatt Stadium to buy a group of tickets to a couple of Omaha Nighthawks games. Then it was a bit of shopping (Claire) and blogging (me).

And then lunch. (Claire made hamburgers.)

Next it was dealing with the nursing home director because of yet a new "situation" concerning my Mom. Then calls to friends scheduled for tonight's book discussion and a consensus decision to postpone it. (Hayek's The Road to Serfdom is no simple read and it turns out that most of the others were as unready for the discussion as we were. Whew.)

Next up, we have another presentation of "When Swing Was King" to do at a local nursing home. They are combining our regular audience with the assisted living residents too so we should have quite a crowd. Neat.

Left on the schedule after that? A visit to Mom's, mowing the lawn, figuring out how to upload our Power Point presentations onto YouTube, doing so and, hopefully, getting a bit further into Hayek.

By late tonight, it will finally be time to brew up a cup of tea and watch (via Netflix instant download) the next installment of "Monarchy" that we've been enjoying. If you are interested in British history and have a Netflix account, we would recommend this series for you too. It's really been good.

And then comes Tuesday.

Is the Web Making Us Dumber?

If you're reading this article in print, chances are you'll only get through half of what I've written. And if you're reading this online, you might not even finish a fifth. At least, those are the two verdicts from a pair of recent research projects – respectively, the Poynter Institute's Eyetrack survey, and analysis by Jakob Nielsen – which both suggest that many of us no longer have the concentration to read articles through to their conclusion.

The problem doesn't just stop there: academics report that we are becoming less attentive book-readers, too. Bath Spa University lecturer Greg Garrard recently revealed that he has had to shorten his students' reading list, while Keith Thomas, an Oxford historian, has written that he is bemused by junior colleagues who analyse sources with a search engine, instead of reading them in their entirety.


So are we getting stupider? Is that what this is about? Sort of...


Now do you feel like you HAVE to read the rest of this article? That's fine -- because it really is worth reading and worth carefully thinking about.

Thanks to Melissa Hindman for alerting me to the piece.

Table Talk: Ahmadinejad, Farrakhan & the Black Panthers

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a posh New York City hotel last week and sharing a secret meal with Louis Farrakhan and members of the New Black Panther Party?

Bizarre is not a strong enough word for this story.

The Moral Lawlessness of the Left

You've no doubt heard about the large scale voter fraud that endangers our nation's democracy (the latest case in point here) even as you've heard about the Democrats' decision to pursue a campaign of dirty tricks, nasty ads and character assassination in this fall's election.

Well here's yet another element of the Left's willingness to lie, cheat and malign in order to get their way. It's a particularly odious character named Mike Stark who makes a living out of creating mean-spirited and spurious rumors to hurt Republicans.

Will Omaha Protect "Sexual Orientation" and "Gender Expression" as Civil Rights?

Omaha City Councilman Ben Gray has requested the addition of "sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity" as protected categories in the City of Omaha's prohibitions of discriminatory practices and in the Equal Employment Opportunity clause required in all City contracts.

Do you believe that the "gender expression" of, say, cross dressing should be elevated to the same protection as race or religion?

Then you need to contact your City Council member and the Mayor of Omaha as soon as possible. They have set a time for public comment but there isn't much time left to express your opinions of this radical shift in law. So call soon and pass the word on to your friends, neighbors, fellow church members, etc., to do the same.

From what we've experienced thus far, both the City Council and the Mayor are taking a much too casual attitude towards this bold change. So let them clearly understand the will of the Omaha citizenry on this crucial matter.

444-5557 is the Council's office.
444-5555 is the Mayor's office.

Are Blacks Being Targeted By Abortionists?

Abortion is the leading cause of death among African Americans.

Did You Know?
is shattering the silence of this great tragedy. Written by African Americans for the African American community, Did You Know? contains powerful articles written by leaders such as Dr. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., Star Parker, founder and president of CURE, and many others.

Did You Know? is a compelling 12-page document, one that can change lives...and save lives! Get copies here at Human Life Alliance for a mere 30 cents suggested donation.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Today's Posts

An Endearing Invitation: Max Beerbohm to G.K. Chesterton

One of the most delightful notes I've ever read was one I came across while looking through the G.K. Chesterton folders in the British Museum a few years ago.

The note was in a beautifully flourished handwriting on indiscriminate sides of a card. It was directed to Chesterton from the irrepressible drama critic, radio broadcaster, artist, sometimes author, and forever bon vivant, Max Beerbohm.

The date was May 4, 1902.

Dear Mr. Chesterton,

I have seldom wished to meet anyone in particular; but you I should very much like to meet.


I need not explain who I am for the name at the end of this note is one which you have more than once admitted rather warmly into your writings.


By way of personal and private introduction, I may say that my mother was a friend of your grandmother, Mrs. Grosjean and also of your mother. As I have said, I should like to meet you. On the other hand, it is quite possible that you have no reciprocal anxiety to meet me. In this case, nothing could be easier than for you to say that you are very busy, or unwell, or going out of town and so are not able as much as you would have liked
to lunch with me either next Wednesday or next Saturday at 1:30.

I am, whether you come or not,


Yours admiringly


Max Beerbohm


P.S. I am quite different from my writings (and so, I daresay are you from yours) so that we should not necessarily fail to hit it off. I, in the flesh, am modest, full of common sense, very genial and rather dull. What you are remains to be seen – or not to be seen by me according to your decision. Any answer to this note had better be directed to 48 Upper Berkley ST W for the porter of this club is very dilatory.

Another quick note, dated somewhat later, seems to confirm that Mr. Beerbohm's invitation to lunch (and moreover to a congenial friendship) was graciously accepted by Mr. Chesterton.

Wrote Beerbohm, “I think The Flying Inn is quite one of the very best of all your things. I constantly – though melodiously – sing snatches from the songs that are there.”

Obama's Sense of Destiny

Pastor and educator, Dr. Jack Niewold, comments on the rigid ideology that drives "progressives" like Barack Obama -- and the need for Christians to be prepared, equipped and joyfully eager to counter socialistic schemes (however well-meaning) with the liberating truths of the Gospel.

Good analysis and a proper exhortation, Jack.

It is sometimes said that for liberals such as Mr. Obama, history is a proper noun. That is, they believe that there is a certain inevitability concerning their progressive program because it is predetermined. This is marxism, pure and simple, clothed in modern social democratic trappings. Islam believes the same about itself, though History is replaced by Allah.

For Mr. Obama, this historical destiny means that no sacrifice is too great in the remaking of America into—in his words—a “more perfect union.” We kid ourselves when we think that he will somehow come to his senses, or moderate his views. We have not, I believe, fully grasped the depth of his doctrinaire vision.


In his mind, he has already succeeded. Nationalized health care is but the chariot on which History is meant to speed forth, transforming not merely the delivery of health care in this country, but the very soul of the nation. For it is not a program he is after, but the conversion of our souls. No debt, no deficit, no social disruption, no sacrifice including a second term, is too great in the accomplishment of this holy crusade.


For our president, the historical inevitability of the New American is nothing less than Gospel. As you and I believe in the freedom of each of us to determine our own destinies through Jesus Christ, so he believes himself to be, like John the Baptist, the voice in the wilderness making straight the Way of the Lord. In view of this kind of certitude, resistance is futile. He intends to win.


My friends, I believe we are in the very struggle of our times. “Yes, we can repair the world,” he said. “Yes we can!” This election cycle is important in ways not known perhaps in our lifetimes, but it alone will not change the nature of the spiritual war we are approaching. We had better gird on the armor of God for what is ahead, or stand aside.

(Reprinted from Jack Niewold's Facebook page.)

Warning: Government Schools Are Dangerous to Your Kids


"The Maine Human Rights Commission ruled this week that Orono Middle School discriminated against a sixth-grade male student who wants to live as a female by only offering the student access to a gender-neutral bathroom. The Commission said it will work with the state education commissioner to add rules pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity, as it pertains to education, in the Maine Human Rights Act."

Ah, government schools! They take more and more of your money in order to teach your kids what you don't want them to know...while doing their dead level best not to teach them what they really should!

Then throw in the facts that the public schools are havens of politically correct nonsense, immodesty, sexually aggressive kids with few restraints, bullying, and head lice.

So, please remind me again. Why on earth do you send your kids in there?

The Black Panther Voter Intimidation Case: Team Obama Lied

...But the real whopper? DOJ’s claim — repeated over and over again — that career civil servants were wholly responsible for the spiking of the case.

Today we learn, from the Department’s own records, that this claim is demonstrably false.


The privilege log produced in the FOIA litigation contains stunning entries. They show regular discussions and deliberations between the highest political officials inside the DOJ, including the deputy attorney general and the associate attorney general, about what to do with the case. This contradicts numerous statements made to Congress, the Civil Rights Commission, and to the public...


Congress and the public have been told — for over a year — that the dismissal of the New Black Panther case resulted from nothing more than a dispute between lowly career civil servants. Lapdog reporters have repeated this lie, if they even covered the case at all. The documents uncovered by Judicial Watch expose the ruse...


J. Christian Adams tells the story here.

BREAKING UPDATE --- Fox News reports on "Voting Rights Official Calls Dismissal of Black Panther Case a 'Travesty of Justice'"

Muslim Intolerance: Ancient, Brutal and Ongoing

One wonders if either the Canadian Arab Federation or the Canadian Islamic Congress are very concerned about Muslim intolerance, Muslim persecution of Christians and Jews, jihad training, and support (let alone, promotion) of Muslim terrorism.

Right. I don't think so either.

Yet both groups had the brazen gall to demand that Toronto Police monitor for hate crimes and incendiary speech a conference called “On The Front Line of Immigration, Terrorism, and Ethno-Politics.” The reason for their intolerant paranoia? Because the conference featured such speakers as Bat Ye’or, a small, gentle septuagenarian author whose family were among the more than a million Jews forced to leave their native Egypt in 1957.

Bat Ye’or is greatly feared because she calmly but passionately tells the truth about Muslim culture and history in such well-researched, highly-acclaimed reference works as Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis.

And that's why Canadian Muslim leaders wanted police help to keep her quiet.

“It is, I suppose, deeply ironic that I was told that I was not allowed to live in Egypt when I was a girl and now as a grown woman I’m told, in part by people from Egypt, that I shouldn’t come to Canada either. As for Israel, they’d like that to disappear...Where ought I to go? No matter. The story has to be told, the true story of how Islam has treated and still does treat its minorities.”

Bat Ye’or’s name is, as you might guess, a pseudonym. It is Hebrew for "Daughter of the Nile," itself a dramatic reminder of the personal pain in her past as well as a symbol to inform others of a tragic injustice that the world has deliberately refused to speak of.

Michael Coren has more, much more over at Mercator.

...It is her collection of work on the Islamic conquest of the Christian heartlands of Egypt, Palestine, Syria and North Africa that have caused so much frustration from Muslim opponents. She writes in detail of Dhimmitude, the method in which Jews and Christians were subjugated and humiliated.

It is her collection of work on the Islamic conquest of the Christian heartlands of Egypt, Palestine, Syria and North Africa that have caused so much frustration from Muslim opponents. She writes in detail of Dhimmitude, the method in which Jews and Christians were subjugated and humiliated.


“As late as the early twentieth-century in some Muslim countries Jews had to remove their shoes when they left their own quarter, were not allowed to ride a horse, were treated as second-class citizens. This idea of equality is nonsense. Their numbers were restricted, especially in the Holy Land, and the same was true of Christians. There were periodic pogroms, right up till the 1940s.”


A pause, searching for the right words. “What occurred back then is history, but history has to be understood and accepted. What we have now is revision, denial. Muslim immigrants are taking this false idea of the past to Europe and North America, along with a culture that does not share the Western notion of tolerance, equality, criticism of religion and freedom.”


The concept of dhimmitude is little known in the West but Bat Yeor is doing a great deal to correct that state of affairs.


“The whole notion differs fundamentally from the Western, Christian idea of tolerance” she explains. “Obviously Christians have not always lived up to this idea but modern pluralism is a direct result of Christian thinking. Islamic ideology, on the other hand, aspires to something entirely different. At best it is a paternalistic tolerance for a despised minority but often outright persecution..."


So the idea of Islamic tolerance is untrue?


“Completely so. Dhimmitude is the natural consequence of the jihad mindset. As a Muslim you conquer, dominate and convert because Islam is to triumph. That you would then respect those who do not become Muslim is self-contradictory. Those who reject Islam are considered immoral and the immoral are never to be trusted. This is why it is so difficult to form a working relationship between the West and genuine Islam, even when it appears to be moderate. We have to question motives, we have to understand intentions.”


This thesis of the spread of such ideas is discussed at length in what may be her most famous and controversial book, Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis. In it she argues that Islamic fundamentalism has found its way to Europe because most Muslim moderates are frightened of speaking out and European intellectuals and activists have been seduced by its anti-American dynamic.


“I cannot stress enough the incompatibility between the concept of tolerance as expressed by the jihad-dhimmitude ideology, and the concept of human rights based on the equality of all human beings and the inalienability of their rights. In Europe there is a connection between local socialism, communism and neo-fascism with the judeophobia and anti-imperialism of the new Muslim communities.


“There are courageous Muslims who do resist but it is difficult and dangerous. There is an underground of sharia law across Europe, with terrible treatment of women. This is combined with the threat of violence aimed at anybody who speaks out against what is going on. Censorship through fear. We even see this to a mild degree in Canada, an example being the attempt to stop me entering the country...”

Taking America Back



From Ben Howe and found at Red State. Thanks, guys.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Today's Posts

John Calvin on Abortion

"The fetus carried in the mother's womb is already a man; and it is quite unnatural that a life be destroyed of one who has not yet seen its enjoyment.

For it seems more unworthy that a man be killed in his home rather than in his field because for each man his home is his safest refuge.

How much more abominable ought it to be considered to kill a fetus in the womb who has not yet been brought into the light."

John Calvin

Taking Action Alerts to Heart

Claire, ever the winsome and principled Christian activist, warms to every Action Item that I post here. If only a few more would so act when injustice and immorality take the stage...well, you know what would happen -- blessings for our culture added to the forever blessings He gives to those who faithfully raise up His standard.

I asked her to write you a brief report about what happened after she read the "ella" post from yesterday.

After reading the item in yesterday’s Vital Signs Blog about “ellla,” I decided to e-mail the corporate headquarters of Walgreen's. I copied some of the information from the flyer that FRC put out (Denny linked to it in his post) and included that in my e-mail. I let them know that I like Walgreen's very much (it's my favorite store besides Ace Hardware) but I informed them politely that I would switch pharmacies if they were going to distribute “ella.”

Well, just a few hours after I sent the e-mail, I received a telephone call from the manager of the Walgreen's closest to our home. It's the one I regularly shop at. She said that both she and the pharmacist
had read through my e-mail but that neither were familiar with “ella.” She asked if it were perhaps listed under another name too. I repeated my concerns and also directed her to a website that had a lot more information about the drug. She promised they would check it out.

I was very impressed that Walgreen's responded so quickly and that they were willing to read the information about “ella.” I’ll be anxious to see if they decide to carry the drug or not. But, as always happens when you get evidence that your voice is being heard, I was encouraged to keep raising my questions, protests and thanks (whichever is called for) to the powers that be. Isn't that how you feel too?

Mega-Rich Planned Parenthood Whines About Losing New Jersey Public Money

Part of Gov. Chris Christie’s belt-tightening plan for New Jersey was the termination of $7.5 million in public funding for Planned Parenthood clinics in the state, a decision Democrats in the legislature countermanded with a bill that cleared the Senate with a 30-10 vote — sufficient to override a veto. But when that veto came and the Democrats scheduled an override vote, Republicans in the legislature backed down, and the measure failed 23-17.

Now, Planned Parenthood facilities in the state are shuttering their doors...


Actually, at this point, Planned Parenthood is just whining about it and trying to get sympathy by saying they will close clinics. I'll wait until they do before applauding.

But it does reveal again how, despite making millions of dollars every year by murdering preborn boys and girls, Planned Parenthood still has the gall to demand millions more in tax money to keep their coffers full.

And remember the extremely shady "goings on" about where that tax money is disappearing?

See as examples: "Massive Planned Parenthood Fraud Lawsuit Allowed to Continue;" "You Want a Scandal? Look at the Millions Taxpayers Give to Planned Parenthood;" and "Planned Parenthood Is Getting Millions Of Your Tax Dollars."

Oh, but one thing I'll say concerning applause -- I certainly won't wait to applaud Gov. Christie's common sense responsibility. Way to go, ace.

Ben Nelson's Latest Cave-In

Just a heads-up for those of you who didn't notice it.

Earlier this week the U.S. Senate dealt with a defense bill that the Democrats had stuffed with all kinds of very expensive, controversial, non-defense nonsense. The Dems' thinking was that Republicans would have to go along with it or face nasty commercials at election time which would portray Republicans as voting "against the troops."

It's typical Democrat politics. Shovel in the pork and other pet projects that would be unpopular with the majority of Americans if they had to stand on their own. And then lie through your teeth about just why the opposition voted against the Trojan Horse bill.

But there's a new mood in the country. So new and bold and energetic that even the G.O.P. is catching on. And this time, Republicans refused to play the patsy. They fought back. Using the Senate rules the Democrats themselves created, Republicans used the filibuster to force Democrats to either amend the bill (most importantly, to drop language that would have required hospitals on U.S. military bases to kill preborn kids through abortion) or keep the bill from coming to the Senate floor.

Shamefully, the Dems wouldn't budge on the abortion plank. But they fell just short in the vote and the pro-abortion "defense bill" remains stalled.

And Ben Nelson of Nebraska, that fellow who so often boasts of his pro-life convictions?

He voted with his party. And, though he will try and present his action as merely a procedural vote in favor of open debate, it will be rightly marked by pro-life organizations who know the whole story as a vote for abortion.

Don't forget it.

P.S. In case you want to let Senator Nelson know you won't forget it, contact his office here or through any of these three offices:

Omaha
11819 Miracle Hills Dr.
Suite 205
Omaha, NE 68154
Tel: (402) 391-3411
Fax: (402) 391-4725

Lincoln
440 North 8th Street
Suite 120
Lincoln, NE 68508
Tel: (402) 441-4600
Fax: (402) 476-8753

Washington, D.C.
720 Hart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-6551
Fax: (202) 228-0012

Public School Kids Indoctrinated with Islam: "Field Trip" to Mosque Includes Prayers to Allah

For years we’ve been told that there is no place for religion in schools. However, the more time that goes by, the more clearer it becomes that in actuality it’s really Christianity that’s been banned from schools. No more prayer, no more classes or Christian clubs, Christmas has been turned into a bad word, Jesus is only spoken as a slur, and the Bible is about as welcome as a porno magazine…probably less so. Since 1948 the modern idea of civil rights concerning Christianity has been such a one that the majority’s beliefs must be squashed in order not to offend a minority.

NYC bans the nativity scene at Christmas while allowing the Islam crescent to be front and center for Ramadan, we’ve seen teachers fired for reading their Bibles silently during Study Halls, kids who mention their faith during student speeches are shut down, coaches who start a game with a prayer for safety for the players are silenced and vilified. However, we’ve seen schools allow for extra breaks throughout the school day for Muslims who wish to pray. And yet, the mere words “Under God” in our pledge can cause ripples of horror.


It’s completely clear– the assault is not on religion- it’s on Christianity!


A new shock video circulating shows a middle school in Massachusetts taking a field trip to a mosque in which the children were being spoon fed the wondrous ideals of Islam. At one point, all of the females, children and teachers alike, were ushered out of the prayer room with some of the boys being led in a prayer, lying prostrate on the floor, buns in the air, to Allah.


Thankfully, one concerned mother attended the field trip and documented the entire experience through her own video camera...


Here's much more -- including the video proof.

The Simple Answer to the Ground Zero Mosque? Listen to the Aliens.

Had enough of the controversy surrounding the Ground Zero Mosque? Well, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the powerful Russian politician, millionaire, Buddhist, leader of Kalmykia (an oil-rich region on the Caspian sea), and close ally of Vladmir Putin, has come up with the answer.

And it's all so simple really. Just build instead a $10 million, 24-story World Chess Center on the site. The building would appear as a giant king piece and inside would be housed a mosque, a church, a Buddhist temple, synagogue, a chess school, and a bank of computers to coordinate online chess competitions around the world.

There will also be (in the king's crown) a state of the art observatory for star gazing. Outer space is quite important to Mr. Ilyumzhinov, having already been there in person in 1997 when extraterrestrials took him aboard their spaceship for a chat. That's where it was confirmed to him that chess was brought to our planet by aliens.

And you'd better take this as doggone serious too because Mr. Ilyumzhinov warns us that if Earthlings disrespect the aliens by not playing the game enough, they might destroy us. Checkmate indeed.

There's no word yet on whether NYC Mayor Bloomberg is taking the offer seriously but perhaps he should. After all, Mr. Ilyumzhinov usually gets his way. He has, for instance, governed one of Russia's richest regions for two decades. He built the largest Buddhist temple in Europe. Frequently accused of corruption, one of his top aides was convicted for the murder of an opposition journalist. And his autobiography has such chapter headings as "It only takes two weeks to have a man killed" and "Without me the people are incomplete."

It might be an offer Mayor Bloomberg can't refuse.

Here's more from The Independent.

John Boehner on the Republicans' Pledge to America

Could there be a fresh, healthy breeze blowing from America into Washington, D.C.?

Kathryn Jean Lopez interviews House GOP leader John Boehner, the Ohio Congressman who is promising a dramatic new agenda if only Americans will give Republicans the chance.

It makes for hopeful reading. But hope must have prayer, work and sacrifice behind it to become reality.

I print below a few excerpts of the NRO interview, including one showing that the "truce" on social issues that some shallow-minded Republicans have called for isn't part of Boehner's plan at all. That's very good.

Rep. Boehner: I haven’t hesitated to use the word failure to describe the economic policies of the president and his current team. I’m a former small businessman, and before I came to serve in Congress I saw firsthand the way government can crush job creation in this country. Uncertainty kills jobs, and under this administration, there hasn’t been anything but uncertainty for small businesses and private-sector job creators. The Pledge to America is focused first and foremost on jobs, cutting spending, and reforming Congress...

To help our economy create jobs, we need to stop all of the coming tax hikes, cut spending, and begin a drive for smaller, less costly government — and to do this, we need to change Congress itself...


It’s an approach focused on cutting spending instead of increasing spending, and eliminating uncertainty for the private-sector innovators and entrepreneurs who create jobs in this country. And it also acknowledges that if we’re going to be successful in reining in spending and reducing the size of government, we have to change the way Congress itself works. As Kevin McCarthy often says, structure dictates behavior. Right now all the rules and structures are rigged in favor of increased spending and minimal public scrutiny. We need to reverse that. Having a Congress that’s basically pre-programmed to spend money and prevent spending cuts is part of the reason we’re in the mess we’re in...


We’re calling for all bills that come to the floor to include a citation of their constitutional authority. That’s something John Shadegg [R., Ariz.] has championed for years, and he was onto something. Outside the Beltway, this is something that has incredibly strong support among the people. People want their government to reconnect with the Constitution and the principles upon which our government was founded. It’s very real...


We’re calling for an immediate cut in non-security discretionary spending to 2008 levels, which was the last year before all the stimulus spending sprees, bailouts, and takeovers. “Pre-binge levels” is how one economist we talked to puts it. That will save taxpayers $100 billion in the first year alone. And we’re calling for real, enforceable spending caps to keep a lid on the growth of government going forward. This won’t be easy, but the alternative is unacceptable. We just can’t keep spending money and passing the bill to our children and grandchildren the way we’ve been doing...


Lopez: The agenda does not mention one of the most contentious issues of the day: protecting the institution of marriage. Why?


Rep. Boehner: Actually it does. The preamble section of the Pledge states that we’re going to honor families, traditional marriage, and life. The focus of the document is on jobs, cutting spending, and reforming government, but we’re also clear about our principles.


Lopez: Why is the Hyde expansion you have in the agenda important? Isn’t it going to drive some members and interest groups mad?


Rep. Boehner: The American people are overwhelmingly opposed to having their tax dollars used to pay for abortions. Frankly, I don’t think this is even controversial. It’s the will of the people. Back in June I had the honor of addressing the National Right to Life convention in Pittsburgh, and I made clear that codifying the Hyde amendment was going to be a priority for us. And it will be. The Pledge to America reflects our commitment to life...

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Today's Posts

"When Swing Was King" Wins New Fans

"From the first song you played till the last, my legs and feet wouldn't keep still. And on some of those songs, other parts were moving that hadn't moved in quite awhile! What great music and such memories!"

"That brought back so many memories, both sad and happy. I'm going to be thinking about this the whole afternoon. Thank you so much for coming. It was the best program we've ever had here."

"Where did you find all of those pictures? And the music! If I could have danced, I sure would have! This was delightful. Please come back again and again."

"This reminded me so well of the good old days. Why, I hadn't heard Vaughn Monroe or the Andrews Sisters for I can't remember when. Thank you. This was really grand."

"Oh, how we loved your program. The music is from our young days and it was so nice to hear it again. We loved your pictures too -- oh, those hats! And the things you told us were so interesting. I sure hope you come back again."

Wow.

If you're not careful, hearing things like that can make your whole day!

Those were actually just a few of the responses we received after presenting "When Swing Was King" to audiences at two new facilities, the Immanuel Courtyard assisted living on Monday afternoon and the Harmony Court independent living in Council Bluffs, Iowa, yesterday afternoon.

We still have a little room in the schedule but things are filling up fast. In fact, we're already booked more than we had originally planned -- so please let us know ASAP if you're interested in helping us bring "When Swing Was King" to the nursing home, assisted living or retirement community in your neighborhood.

Yes, Virginia. "Ella" Is an Abortion Drug.

Join the campaign to inform pharmacists (and the general public) of the scientific realities of the new abortifacient drug from Watson Pharmaceuticals, ella.

The stakes are of the highest value of all, human lives.

Here, from LifeNews.com and the Family Research Council, is more:

...The FDA and Watson are able to call the drug non-abortifacient because they have redefined the beginning of pregnancy -- changing it from conception to implantation. That makes it appear an unborn child after conception does not lose her life to the drug when testing in animals and humans make it clear the drug causes abortions.

But, since the drug is "effective" up to five days following intercourse, there is clearly sufficient time for conception to occur and for a unique human being's life to be destroyed via use of the ella drug.


The FDA approval requires the ella drug to be sold with a prescription requirement tin the same manner as the RU 486 abortion drug, known as mifepristone and that has killed anywhere from 13-50 women worldwide. That means pharmacists will be involved in dispensing the drug to women who present valid prescriptions for it.


The Family Research Council has launched a campaign designed to get pro-life advocates to inform their pharmacists that ella causes abortions and to urge them to refrain from dispensing it.


"Due to the FDA's approval of 'ella' as an EC, pharmacists may believe they must cover ella as a prescription drug," FRC president Tony Perkins said in a recent email to the group's members. "However, many pharmacists do not know about the dangers of this drug or that it functions like an abortifacient. Many pharmacies may not know ella can cause an abortion, and need to be aware of these concerns before they begin stocking this abortion drug."


"To educate pharmacists around the country about this new abortion drug and shed light on its dangers, we ask you to download this informational flyer, take it to your local pharmacy, and respectfully ask your pharmacist not to offer the ella abortion drug," he added..

Mosquitoes vs Kids: Radical Greens Choose the Former.

By far, the most catastrophic evil wrought by the radical environmental forces is their success in banning DDT throughout the world. For in doing so, this irrational green movement has guaranteed the deaths of millions of people.

Here's an excellent primer on this crucial matter.

Imagine losing millions of Americans to malaria. As recently as the 1940s, malaria thrived here in America, afflicting many. Fortunately, we were able completely eradicate it, ending needless suffering and death. How? Through some fancy, expensive, high-tech process? Not at all! Malaria was eradicated in the United States through the diligent application of a simple and very cheap insecticide: DDT.


The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) was formed in 1946 specifically to fight malaria. Its primary weapon was DDT, which it sprayed on over 4.5 million American homes. It worked, and by 1951 malaria had been eradicated from the United States. Since then, a variety of green groups have waged a campaign to ban this valuable weapon, and have succeeded to a large degree. Ineffective bed nets are in. DDT spraying is out. CFACT's experts explain in the following articles why reinstating DDT as a tool in the fight against global malaria is a matter of life and death...


And if you're thinking that the leaders of the radical greens aren't aware of the implications of their anti-DDT campaign, consider this post from Wesley J. Smith's blog, Secondhand Smoke:

Nature had a discussion about whether humans could–or should–wipe out mosquitoes, since they cause us so much harm. I would hesitate to wipe out any species based on the potential ecological consequences and balances, while certainly would support eradicating or deeply reducing the populations of the vampire insects in areas where they spread deadly diseases such as malaria–which kills about 1 million people a year–yes, even if it costs birds and bats some food.

But the animal rights terrorism advocate, Jerry Vlasak, opposed it because wiping out mosquitoes would benefit humankind, as he supported Chinese tyranny over human reproduction. From the story in the Daily Caller:


"Another animal rights proponent, Jerry Vlasak, spokesman for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, went further. 'They would have us believe it’s either the mosquitoes or us. That’s just not the case. For one thing, there are way too many people on the planet,' Vlasak said. Vlasak said more attention should be focused on the problems of overpopulation instead. 'One of the problems is, they send 1 million pounds of food to Somalia and all they do is reproduce and pretty soon there’s going to be more people suffering there. China is sort of an example where they were able to stabilize the population with governmental standards,' Vlasak said.
"

Once again, a leader of the animal rights movement-albeit on its most radical flank–demonstrates a profound anti humanism that opposes aid to hungry people in Africa as he supports forced abortion and infanticide in China. Amazing.

At Obama's Rare Church Attendance, There Was a Muslim Guest Speaker

I mentioned on Monday the President's first visit to church since last spring and intimated that it was related to his desperate need for an image burnishment for the electioneering ahead of him this next 6 weeks.

Well, it turns out that there may have been another reason, one that the press has managed to keep irresponsibly silent about.

At the liberal St. John’s Episcopal Church where the First Family decided to attend services last Sunday (only the 3rd time he has been in church this year), there was a guest speaker scheduled, a well-known Washington figure whose presence would certainly have been known by President Obama.

That guest speaker was Dr. Ziad Asali, a pro-Palestinian Muslim, the founder and president of the American Task Force on Palestine. Asali spoke on “Prospects of the Two-State Solution in the Middle-East.”

Hmm. The first time in months that the President goes to church is a morning that a Muslim speaker is also on the program? Given Team Obama's harsh response to opinion polls showing that many Americans believe that the President is a Muslim and not a Christian as he claims, wasn't this an astoundingly dumb idea? Or perhaps was it sheer chutzpah?

Whatever it was, the American people were not given the chance to ponder. For the news coverage blacked out Dr. Asali's presence completely. It was in none of the network TV coverage. I repeat, none. Nor did the brief story in the U.S. News and World Report inform us of this eminently newsworthy fact. This even though the whole spin of their article was that Obama's church attendance was perhaps countering those opinion polls reflecting a quarter of the American citizenry think the President is a Muslim.

Any professional reporter (any objective observer even) would have thus pointed out the glaring irony that the church was featuring a speaker that morning who was, in fact, a real Muslim. But not the U.S. News and World Report.

And not the L.A. Times story. And not the AP story. And not the CNN story. And not the Politico story. And not the Chicago Sun-Times story. And not the Reuters story. And not the USA Today story.

You getting the picture here?

No, Americans could only discover this obviously important, critically relevant fact from this British newspaper and this Israeli newspaper.

Protecting the President is supposed to be the responsibility of the Secret Service. But in Barack Obama's case, the mainstream media has signed onto the duty as well.

Sand Castle-Gate? Feds Prohibit Digging on Public Beach.



For more on this goofy, ham-handed attempt of the feds to cover up the effects of the BP oil spill, check out Tina Korbe's report for The Foundry over at the Heritage Foundation.

Wanna' Help Save America's Economy? Shop Local.

Are you sick and tired of the Wal-Martization of America? Are you saddened by the disappearance of family-owned businesses and the deterioration of America's downtown areas? Do you yearn for the days when business transactions were more personal and stable and community enriching?

Well, don't just kick your dog. Find out more about the 3/50 Project, a simple plan to help motivate people to spend $50 a month (with money they're going to spend anyway) at local, independently owned businesses.

Did you know, for instance, that for every $100 spent in locally owned, independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures? If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays around. And if you spend it online, it's likely that none of it "comes home."

Let's start a trend.

Obama's Arrogant Auntie (Part Two)

"Hey there. I have a few million in the bank but I want you to take care of my aunt's expenses. It's the American way."

If you missed yesterday's link to Boston's WBZ-TV interview with Barack Obama's Aunt Zeituni, for years an illegal immigrant who still lives off the public dole that she has never paid into, you'll find it here.

It is quite a performance.

But after watching it, be sure and check out WBZ's second installment. It too makes for fascinating (if also infuriating) viewing.

(There is also a print story you might find of interest right here.)