February 27, 2006

The Heritage War

Quotes

"When I was a kid everyone knew who [George] Washington was and what he accomplished, but few kids know about him today—few understand how unique our political system is and how the incredible bounty we enjoy can be laid at the feet of Washington. Thus, all that Presidents Day is for a lot of folks is the best day of the year to get good deals on furniture and linen." Tom Purcell

Did You Know

Benjamin Franklin's Virtue Chart: Did you know that in 1726, at the age of 20, while on an 80-day ocean voyage from London back to Philadelphia, he developed a "Plan" for regulating his future conduct? He was partially motivated by Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." He followed the plan he created "pretty faithfully" even to the age of 79 (when he wrote about it), and he was even more determined to stick with it for his remaining days because of the happiness he had enjoyed so far by following it.

His "Plan" was made up of 13 virtues, each with short descriptions. Click the link above or the Chart to see his list.

He committed to giving strict attention to one virtue each week so after 13 weeks he moved through all 13. After 13 weeks he would start the process over again so in one year he would complete the course a total of 4 times.

He tracked his progress by using a little book of 13 charts. At the top of each chart was one of the virtues. The charts had a column for each day of the week and thirteen rows marked with the first letter of each of the 13 virtues. Every evening he would review the day and put a mark (dot) next to each virtue for each fault committed with respect to that virtue for that day.

The War on Terror

Former vice president Al Gore when Visiting Saudi Arabia in a speech to the Jeddah Economic Forum, said that Arabs in the United States had been "indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable." He went on: "Unfortunately, there have been terrible abuses and it's wrong. I do want you to know that it does not represent the desires or wishes or feelings of the majority of the citizens of my country."

"Bulletin: According to a Center for Immigration Studies report, 48 foreign-born al-Qa'ida members were involved in domestic terrorism in the last 10 years, and 25 percent were illegal aliens. Mohamed Atta at one point violated the terms of his visa. Good thing we didn't 'indiscriminately round him up.' Thank the stars he wasn't held in 'unforgivable conditions'." James Lileks

Scholar reads Constitution text; liberals appalled - The Constitution and more than 200 years of tradition give the President broad powers to conduct military operations without formal Congressional approval, former Justice Department lawyer John Yoo said Wednesday at The Heritage Foundation. Yoo used both the text and the structure of the Constitution to demonstrate that the Founders intended to give the President alone the power to make war and engage the enemy. He admitted, though, that Congress can check these war powers since it controls military funding. Of course, Yoo's use of the Constitution's text bothered liberals who don't believe the Founders meant what they said or don't believe what they said is relevant. Several liberal hecklers in the crowd made their views known, and Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank wrote a column attacking his speech.

To Ponder

Kuwait Donates Another $25 Million to Katrina Effort WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Representatives of Kuwait Dr. Hilal Al-Sayer, and Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Sabah, have delivered a $25 million check for the Hurricane Katrina relief fund, the second installment of a donation that will total $500 million.

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"[T]he truth is that George Bush's presidency has suffered precisely because he has failed to listen to the small-government guys... Earmarks have mushroomed during the Bush presidency from 6,333 to 13,999—and Republicans are taking the heat because of them. Education spending at the federal level has doubled, with the political payoff extremely hard to detect. The largest expansion of Medicare in four decades has occurred with Bush leading the charge. And Bush is heading toward an historic first: the only president in over 120 years never to have vetoed a single bill." Allan Ryskind

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Excerpts from Patriot Post 06-08 Digest (e-Subscription Required. Donation requested.)

Protests about the planned transfer of management for several U.S. seaports to a state-owned company in the United Arab Emirates are fraught with almost as much confusion as fervor—which explains why the current division within the political parties is almost as stark as the one between them. When Karl Rove, Jimmy Carter and The Los Angeles Times line up on one side of an issue, while Senators Bill Frist, Chuck Schumer and The New York Times line up on the other, something is seriously amiss.

"The management of these ports is the door which you walk through to get to all of these other questions... It raises a lot of questions about the lobbying, the connections and the terms of the deal, and the security problems the administration has left unaddressed." —Senator John F. Kerry, who was in favor of "reaching out to the Muslim world" before he was against it

"I take a back seat to nobody when it comes to fighting terrorism and standing up for national homeland security. Our port security is too important to place in the hands of foreign governments. I will be working to introduce legislation that will prohibit the sale of ports to foreign governments." —Sen. Hillary in '08 Clinton, insisting she is on top of things, and not in the back seat

Memo to Hill: First, there is no transfer of security responsibility. Second, no ports are being sold. Third, if you feel so strongly about the UAE threat, then perhaps Bill should return the $600,000 he received from the UAE for speaking engagements in the last two years.

Portions of the Patriot Post 06-08 Digest can be seen at Townhall.com column: The Port of Public Opinion by Mark Alexander - Despite the rancor, the U.S. does not outsource the protection of our critical national-security infrastructure. Mark Alexander is executive editor and publisher of The Patriot Post, the Web's "Conservative E-Journal of Record," considered mandatory reading for EarsToHear.net subscribers.

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A war on terror, not a war on Muslims by Armstrong Williams 02/27 - There is a dangerous theme emerging in the post September 11 era. It’s the frightening willingness for our citizens and our leaders to treat foreigners as threats to national security, solely because they are of Middle Eastern descent. ...the Arabs are coming; the Arabs are coming, exclaim legislators from both sides of the aisle. The fearful response only makes sense if the United Arab Emirates deal represents some sort of imminent threat to national security. It does not. The security of the ports would continue to be overseen by the U.S. Coast Guard, and that many of the port workers would be Americans. Consequently, the change in management will have no discernable effect on security.

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Learning from Wal-Mart - by Edwin J. Feulner 02/24 - Anyone who's ever filed a tax return or visited the Department of Motor Vehicles understands that government does two things well: spend our money and waste our time. Unfortunately, both traits were on display during the response to Hurricane Katrina. ...And while Chertoff admits Katrina caught the government flat-footed, Wal-Mart is always ready. In his book "The World is Flat," New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote, "The minute Wal-Mart's meteorologists tell headquarters a hurricane is bearing down on Florida, its supply chain automatically adjusts to a hurricane mix in the Florida stores." That means plenty of non-perishable food and critical items such as generators appear in stores even before disaster strikes. -- Dr. Edwin Feulner is president of The Heritage Foundation, a Townhall.com Gold Partner. Both are also considered mandatory reading for EarsToHear.net subscribers.

Movies & Hollywood - Brokeback Mountain, The DaVinci Code

Brokeback Mountain

Co-sign a letter written by the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ's Executive Director, Dr. Gary Cass. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' nomination of "Brokeback Mountain" for best picture. This movie is simply another outrageous example of Hollywood trying to legitimize and force their homosexual agenda on the citizens of our nation.
If you share Dr. Cass' outrage and would like to co-sign his letter to Academy President Sid Ganis, click here:
http://www.cfra.info/253/petition.asp?PID=10611291&NID=1

Brokeback: Understanding Propaganda By Dr. R. Winfield

The Real Tragedy Of ‘Brokeback Mountain’ By Rev. Louis P. Sheldon

The DaVinci Code ???

Web Resources

Exposing the DaVinci Code -Hosted by Dr Steve Munsey Arm yourself with the facts
www.exposingthedavincicode.com

Da Vinci Code Conspiracy - Who is the real Jesus? Read revealing magazine article
www.y-Jesus.com

Da Vinci Code Deception -Is it really fact or fiction? DVD docu-drama answers questions
www.ChristianCinema.com

DaVinciOutreach.com A coalition of Catholics, including Ascension Press, Catholic Exchange, and Catholic Outreach, has formed an initiative called DaVinci Outreach to help readers and moviegoers navigate their way through the web of bogus history and outright lies conjured up by Dan Brown and brought to life by Imagine Entertainment and Sony Pictures. 100 Questions and Answers About the Facts and Fiction of The Da Vinci Code, a concise 144 page Q & A book that is designed to provide answers to questions of faith that The Da Vinci Code (novel or movie) may have aroused." The Da Vinci Code is a frontal assault on Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church," continues Matthew Pinto. "DavinciOutreach.com, a Web site that offers resources, study guides, local speaker information, and other free materials, is the much-needed antidote to the spiritual and intellectual poison that permeates Dan Brown’s novel and that will undoubtedly be depicted in the forthcoming film."

Books

Cracking DaVinci's Code: You've Read the Fiction, Now Read the Facts
by James L., PH.D. Garlow, Peter Jones (Paperback - November 2005)

Preaching Another Jesus: Decoding Dan Brown's Davinci Code Hoax
by Shawn McDonnell (Paperback - September 30, 2004)

Breaking the Da Vinci Code
by Darrell L. Bock

The Culture War

Growing List Features Prominent Scientists That Disagree With Darwinism More than 500 scientists have signed a statement expressing their doubts about the credibility of Darwinian evolution. As signatories of "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism," these scientists are expressing skepticism about claims of evidence for the theory of evolution. Rob Crowther with the Seattle-based Discovery Institute says Darwin's theory is being increasingly challenged by emerging scientific evidence. "As time goes on and as we make new discoveries in science," Crowther notes, "and as we find out more information about molecular biology and about DNA and the genome and these things, we're beginning to see that the explanations that Darwin put forward -- with natural selection and random mutation being the mechanism of how life evolved -- just doesn't seem to be the case."

Day of Truth - The Truth Cannot Be Silenced

On Thursday, April 27, students from across the country will stand together on the Day of Truth...will you be one of them?

This year marks the second year of the Day of Truth, which was established to counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda and express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective.

Last year more than 1,100 students from over 350 schools participated and shared the Truth with their classmates. But there are so many more who need to hear the Truth, spoken in love.

The Day of Truth was established to counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda and express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective.

In the past, students who have attempted to speak against the promotion of the homosexual agenda have been censored or, in some cases, punished for their beliefs. It is important that students stand up for their First Amendment right to hear and speak the Truth about human sexuality in order to protect that freedom for future generations. The Day of Truth provides an opportunity to publicly exercise our free speech rights.

Participating students are encouraged to wear T-shirts and pass out cards (not during class time) with the following message:

   I am speaking the Truth to break the silence.
   Silence isn’t freedom. It’s a constraint.
   Truth tolerates open discussion, because the Truth emerges when healthy discourse is allowed.
   By proclaiming the Truth in love, hurts will be halted, hearts will be healed, and lives will be saved.

The Day of Truth is scheduled for April 27, 2006. This is the day after GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Educational Network) will sponsor the "Day of Silence." GLSEN’s Day of Silence encourages students to remain silent throughout the day. It is part of their overall strategy to change how our society perceives homosexual behavior. But the Day of Silence is a misnomer, because what is truly being silenced is the Truth.

Note: In Illinois (we've been told), the Day of Truth will be on April 20, following the Day of Silence on April 19. Double check your local school plans.

For more information, see www.dayoftruth.org.