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EarsToHear.net Newsletter
June 2, 2008 - What would George Washington say?....

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Upfront -  What would George Washington say?....

Secret plans under way to tear down Christian symbols Army says chapel crosses violate policy - Lt. Col. William Jenkins, 35th Infantry Division's Kosovo Force 9 command chaplain, told WND, "The removal of the crosses … is bringing the chapel into line with long-standing regulations and policies that apply to every U.S. Army chapel around the world and that are supported by all faith groups in the U.S. Army."

... After the Declaration of Independence was read to his troops, General Washington ordered chaplains placed in each regiment,
stating: "The General hopes and trusts, that every officer and man, will endeavour so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier, defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country."

Take Action - (Alerts, Action, Petitions)

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Tell Congress: Stop a $1.2 Trillion Cap-and-Trade Tax Hike! The U.S. Senate will soon debate a bill that would impose a "cap-and-trade" energy policy on the American people. The result would be more tax money for the government, a vast new web of bureaucracy, and a devastated economy. The last thing we need in uncertain economic times is a huge tax-and-spend debacle. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, this legislation is not a "market solution." No bill that includes $1.2 trillion in tax increases and massive regulatory burdens could fit that description. Contact your Senators and tell them to reject this tax-and-spend nightmare!

Tell the U.S. Congress: Make Gas Cheaper NOW by: By hamstringing American oil producers, Congress perversely makes the world more profitable for Venezuela, Iran, and the rest of OPEC. Already, a staggering 80 percent of the world’s oil supplies are now controlled by foreign governments and government-owned firms. In fact, Exxon-Mobil, the largest U.S. oil company, controls fewer oil reserves than the 14 largest government owned oil producers. The question now is whether Congress responds by passing more counterproductive ideas like “windfall profit taxes” on American oil producers, or whether it will address the fundamental supply and demand issues propelling much of the price increase.

• Cutting gas taxes and banning earmarks
• Increasing American oil production
• Building and expanding U.S. refineries  

Outrage Of The Week - This week’s outrage comes to us from Winchendon, Massachusetts where, in yet another case of  “zero-tolerance” enforcement defying common sense, fourth-grader Bradley Geslak was suspended from Toy Town Elementary School for bringing a Memorial Day souvenir to school.   According to a May 29, Telegram.com article, a uniformed veteran gave the 10-year-old two empty rifle shell casings from blanks used during the town’s Memorial Day celebration Monday morning.  Bradley gave one of the empty casings to his grandfather and kept the other as a souvenir.  The trouble began when he took his souvenir to school the next day.    “He was just playing with it at lunch,” explained Crystal Geslak, Bradley’s mother. “He wasn't showing it to anyone; he had it in his hand and was playing with it.”   A teacher saw him with the harmless piece of brass and confiscated it.  Ms. Geslak was then called at work and told to come and pick up her son, who had been suspended for five days!   Ms. Geslak arrived at the school to find her son in tears.  “I was totally shocked. I couldn’t believe this was happening,” she said.  “It was just an empty shell, not even from a real bullet.  A sharpened pencil would be more dangerous than this piece of metal.”   “He was so proud to have been given them.  His dad’s a veteran, his uncle’s a veteran, both his grandfathers are veterans.  Memorial Day is a big thing to us.  It’s a very important holiday and we have a big celebration every year,” Ms. Geslak said.   Ms. Geslak, who will be forced to miss work in order to stay home with her son, says she is worried about what having a “weapon-related suspension” on his school record will mean to his future.   To add insult to injury, the family says a school official told them that the shell would not be returned, and that the next step might involve assigning a probation officer to Bradley!  Yes, you read that right, a probation officer.   A young boy punished over a harmless souvenir.  By any standard, that’s outrageous.   If you’d like to express your concern over this incident, please visit http://www.winchendon.mec.edu.  To leave a voice message for Brooke Clenchy, Superintendent of Schools, please call 978-297-0031. 

News and commentary (News & Commentary)

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"Providence has given our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." John Jay

Another reason to vote? Imagine this... - John Kerry, Obama's Secretary of State? - Kerry would likely face competition from Sen. Joseph R. Biden of Delaware, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee; Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, a former Peace Corps volunteer who also sits on the panel, and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, a top Obama adviser.

Astonishing Obama Video: “I Will Slow Development of Future Combat Systems” In Video Statement, Senator Obama Inexplicably Pledges to Unilaterally Jeopardize American Military Superiority - When you find yourself in a hole, just keep digging. That appears to be the logic of Senator Barack Obama, who already finds himself in the proverbial hole on defense and national security issues. At this pace, he’ll reach China by November. In a strange video address intended to somehow reassure American voters regarding his military bona fides, Senator Obama ends up doing just the opposite.

Big Harry Deal - The new era of congressional compromise ended before it began, thanks to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.). The Senate Majority Leader failed to live up to his end of a ballyhooed deal that would have resulted in the confirmation of three judges by Memorial Day. Although Reid is quick to blame others, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says the Democratic leadership had ample time to make good on its word. To Human Events writer Jed Babbin, McConnell said, "I will be responding appropriately. ...There will be reprisals and they will begin after the recess." Considering the Republicans' track record under former President Bill Clinton, McConnell's party has every reason to be upset. During Clinton's last two years in office, the GOP majority confirmed 15 judges--two of whom were radically liberal. When the Democrats assumed control, Republicans expected the same treatment. That was clearly a miscalculation as the liberal majority seems more concerned about angering their friends at the People for the American Way than betraying the confidence of the American people. Is it any wonder that the approval rating for Congress is a measly 18 percent? In this session, Judiciary Committee Chair Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) has allowed the confirmation of just eight nominees. Others, like Peter Keisler, have been pending for 700 days despite receiving the American Bar Association's highest rating. Meanwhile, Sen. McConnell has vowed to make the Democrats pay, and the atmosphere in Congress is certain to deteriorate further.

1.5 Million Illegal Workers Enter Social Security Yearly When the Social Security Trustees delivered their grim news about the Trust Fund recently, to the casual observer there seemed to be little change from previous years.  The Trustees noted, as they did last year, that in about 9 years there would be more money going OUT of the fund than coming INTO it – something that every senior should watch carefully.  But what the Trustees did not say is that their forecast is based upon assumptions about illegal immigration that may make the Trust Fund appear to be in better shape than it really is.  The Trustees’ estimate — as bad as it is — is made much worse by the Trustees’ having credited the Trust Fund with the estimated contributions from a substantially growing number of “other-than-legal” immigrants, without deducting the cost of future Social Security benefits that would be payable to many of those same workers who could eventually become eligible.  ...Under current law, if illegal immigrants obtain valid work authorization at some point, such workers would become eligible for Social Security benefits based upon all their earnings, even for the time and earnings while working illegally, according to the Congressional Research Service. ...In light of this, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) strongly supports the “No Social Security For Illegal Immigrants Act” (H.R. 736), introduced by Representative Dana Rohrabacher (CA).  The legislation would ban Social Security credit for earnings from illegal work, and prohibit the use of wage for such work to determine the level of entitlement benefits.

Overwhelming Majority of Americans Oppose Lieberman-Warner Global Warming Proposal, New Poll Suggests - Clinton, McCain and Obama at Odds With 90%+ of Americans - Just as the U.S. Senate is poised to vote on the Lieberman-Warner America's Climate Security Act (S. 2191), a new poll finds an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the higher energy costs that Lieberman-Warner would impose. The poll, conducted by the Public Opinion and Policy Center of the National Center for Public Policy Research, found that 65% of Americans reject spending even a penny more for gasoline in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The number rejecting raising gas prices in an effort to combat global warming has increased by 17 percentage points -- or 35% -- in just over two months. The National Center conducted a similar survey in late February. An additional 13% oppose spending more than 5% more for gasoline to attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Lieberman-Warner plan would increase petroleum prices by 5.9% by 2015, according to Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. Other studies indicate the plan would push prices even higher.

E&E: The Basics on Energy -- "What Everyone Should Know" Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council) On foreign oil: In terms of meeting U.S. oil demand, 60 percent are net imports and 40 percent is domestic oil. "Some may be surprised to learn that almost 50% of U.S. crude oil and petroleum products imports came from the Western Hemisphere (North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean including U.S. territories) during 2006. We imported only 16% of our crude oil and petroleum products from the Persian Gulf countries of Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. During 2006, our five biggest suppliers of crude oil and petroleum products were: Canada (17.2%), Mexico (12.4%), Saudi Arabia (10.7%), Venezuela (10.4%), Nigeria (8.1%)."

The Democrat/Socialist Party - It has long been plain to anyone prepared to look at the facts: the Democratic Party, since 1932, has been heart-and-soul devoted to bringing about the mythical socialist millennium of man-made earthly perfection. ...“And guess what this liberal would be about.  This liberal will be about socializing …uh, um…” It took the congresswoman (Democrat Representative Maxine Waters) a moment to recover.  She then continued, “Would be about, basically taking over, and the government running all of your companies. It was reported that the oil company executives answered that statement saying they had seen such action before…in Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela. The huge thing about this seemingly small stutter-speak is that Maxine Waters had used the big “S” word in public debate.  She had turned over the always hidden falsehood rock of socialism and exposed the dirty underbelly of the far left political party. Those who promote the Democratic Party use every word possible to hide its underpinning of socialism.  They say they are the “party of the working man.” They call themselves “liberals”…and when the meaning of that word becomes too tainted, they become “progressives.” They call themselves everything but what they are…. “Socialists”!

Picking Judges Linda Chavez  - If you ask Americans what issues matter most to them in choosing a president, the candidate's judicial philosophy is not likely to make it into the top 10. But a president's power to nominate judges is, in fact, one of his most powerful tools -- and often leaves a legacy that lasts far longer than any policy initiative.

Indiana Photo ID Law Works By Todd Rokita - As the Indiana polls opened at 6:00 am on May 6, opponents of Indiana's Photo ID law eagerly anticipated word from our more than 5,500 precincts that the state's requirement that all voters show a photo ID at the polls was causing havoc. It's what they told the United States Supreme Court would happen. To them, it was time to watch Indiana's most highly anticipated presidential primary in generations collapse under the weight of the requirement. In Indiana, our election officials and voters are fully committed to increasing confidence in and the integrity of our elections. We have invested a great deal of time, money, and energy over the last few years in needed improvements to our election processes. The central component to this effort is the preservation of the fundamental right of each citizen over the age of 18 to have ONE vote, and to have that vote count.

PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE The right of the People... shall not be infringed By Mark Alexander  “The Constitution shall never be construed... to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.” Samuel Adams - “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” —Second Amendment to the United States Constitution - There is no more important constitutional issue than that of defending the plain language and original intent of the Second Amendment. Justice Joseph Story, appointed to the Supreme Court by our Constitution’s principal author, James Madison, wrote in his Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States (1833), “The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of the republic; since it offers a strong moral check against usurpation and arbitrary power of the rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them.” It is no small irony that the latest assault on the Second Amendment is taking place in our nation’s capital. The Supreme Court will announce its decision in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller in June, and that decision will likely have far-reaching implications for the “interpretation” of our Constitution’s most important provision. And make no mistake, the newly-emboldened Left, with Barack Hussein Obama leading the charge, is gunning for those rights. Obama supports the D.C. regulations because he, “...wanted to make sure that local communities were recognized as having a right to regulate firearms... The notion that somehow local jurisdictions can’t initiate gun laws isn’t born out by our Constitution.” ...To understand how the right to bear arms was understood in proper context as an individual right, consider some of the earliest state constitutional provisions both before and after the ratification of the Bill of Rights: Pennsylvania—That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the state (1776); Vermont—[T]he people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State (1777); Kentucky—[T]he right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned (1792). Tennessee—[T]he freemen of this State have a right to keep and bear arms for their common defence (1796) and, Connecticut—Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state (1818). These are not references to state guard units as the ACLU insists. ...The BIG lie “We can have reasonable, thoughtful gun control measures that I think respect the Second Amendment and people’s traditions. I think there’s a lot of room before bumping against a constitutional barrier... I am not in favor of concealed weapons. There has not been any evidence that allowing people to carry a concealed weapon is going to make anybody safer... I wanted to make sure that local communities were recognized as having a right to regulate firearms. The notion that somehow local jurisdictions can’t initiate gun laws isn’t born out by our Constitution.” —Barack Hussein Obama on “thoughtful” adulteration of our Constitution. Non-Compos Mentis “While I may favor common-sense gun control laws, that doesn’t keep me from reaching out to NRA members... I’m a strong believer in the rights of hunters and sportsmen to have firearms.” —Obama on “common-sense” adulteration of our Constitution.

"Politically Correct" - (Politically Correct) Examples and results of using unrighteous deception which lack Biblical Moral Virtue. Remove the Light (Jesus) and darkness (politically correct secular humanism) inevitably ensues.

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Tyranny of the atheist minority By William J. Federer - Daily there are news reports of atheists offended by prayers at graduations and football games; offended by a Cross or Star of David; offended by Christmas carols or patriotic hymns; offended by Christmas trees and menorahs; offended by the Ten Commandments or "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance; offended a teacher might hint there may be a Creator; offended a soldier said "God bless you" at a funeral; offended the Boy Scout Oath says "Do my duty to God and my country"; or offended by a cross on a Veterans Memorial. Whereas basic Christian teaching is to forgive when offended, these atheists, when offended, protest, intimidate, threaten and sue to have their will enforced as law. But exactly how many atheists are in America, anyway? USA Today published Feb. 25, 2008, the results of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. This survey "of the people" reported that 80.2 percent of Americans hold Judeo-Christian beliefs (51.3 percent Evangelical/Mainline Protestant Christian; 23.9 percent Catholic; 1.6 percent Orthodox & other Christian; 1.7 percent Mormon; and 1.7 percent Jewish.) Those not reporting or who said nothing in particular represented 12.9 percent, while 1.2 percent were Unitarian-Universalist-Spiritual-New Age-Native; 0.7 percent Buddhist; 0.6 percent Muslim; 0.4 percent Hindu; 0.3 percent Other World Religions, 2.4 percent agnostic ... and only 1.6 percent atheist. Imagine that – only 1.6 percent atheists, yet their beliefs are becoming the law of the land. A minority forcing its will on the majority – isn't this the classic definition of tyranny?

Tyranny is so generally established in the rest of the world that the prospect of an asylum in America for those who love liberty gives general joy, and our cause is esteemed the cause of all mankind…we are fighting for the dignity and happiness of human nature.  Glorious it is for the Americans to be called by Providence to this posit of honour.  Cursed and detested will everyone be that deserts or betrays it. Benjamin Franklin

Dehumanizing Humanity - Darwinian evolutionary doctrine and its concomitant faith in the godless political state as the savior of mankind ironically, in practice, reduce human existence to the law of the jungle: survival of the fittest. Darwinian natural selection has been used repeatedly since 1859 to justify strong-arm political tactics leading to dictatorial tyranny. In National Socialist Germany, for example, Jews were declared unfit to survive, and that declaration was rationalized on the basis of Darwinian “science” and its offshoot, eugenics. As G. K. Chesterton noted: when men cease to believe in God, they don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything.

The Bullet Counters- Thomas Sowell - "Killing an Unarmed Man." That is how the front-page headline in the New York Times characterized an incident in which a man tried to run over a policeman with his car and was shot by three policemen on the scene, including his intended victim. An automobile is a deadly weapon. If you are killed by an automobile, you are just as dead as if you had been shot through the heart. A phrase like "an unarmed man" makes a talking point-- as if matters of life and death should be discussed in terms of how you can spin a talking point. ...People who are full of excuses for criminals-- bad childhood, unemployment, unfair world-- sit in the safety and comfort of their editorial offices and presume policemen to be guilty until proved innocent. And they concoct clever headlines about killing an "unarmed" person, as if someone trying to run you over with a car poses no danger. Where the person killed is black, as in the present case, that settles it, as far as the politically correct commentators are concerned, even though two of the three policemen who shot him are also black.

Reminder: Blatant hypocrisy on the Iraq war. Video of Democrats on Iraq before the war. (See also the archived page on WMDs. for more on the liberal hypocrisy.)

Extra, Extra... (Click links for complete columns / footnotes)

Civil War over Civil Servants - The will of Californians may have been trampled, but one leader is working to ensure that the conscience rights of its employees are not. In the wake of the state Supreme Court ruling on marriage, San Diego County Clerk Gregory Smith is going to bat for county workers who may be asked to perform same-sex ceremonies or issue gay "marriage" licenses. Smith said that his 115 employees will not be forced to comply with homosexuals' requests if they have moral or religious objections. Although this could mean extra work for Smith, he says it's worth it to "show dignity and respect to his staff." If the justices reject Alliance Defense Fund's request to stay the ruling until Californians vote on a marriage protection amendment this November, other clerks will face similar dilemmas as soon as June 16. But according to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, other counties should not take their cues from Smith. Speaking to reporters, Newsom said, "I was pretty shocked about all that, candidly, and pretty outraged. This is a civil marriage that civil servants have a responsibility to provide... If that is their job and they are going to be able to pick and choose based on their morality, then... they are not doing their jobs... and maybe [they] should get a new job. Talk about a slippery slope, Mr. County Clerk down in San Diego." Of course, Newsom's comments are all the more ironic considering his actions as San Francisco's mayor. In 2004, he didn't mind "picking and choosing based on his morality" when he violated state law and ordered city employees to issue illegal gay "marriage" licenses. The conscience of religious peoples and their freedom of religion should not be jeopardized by an activist court or by arrogant officials like Mayor

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Rev. John C. Rankin, President - Theological Education Institute (TEI) and the Mars Hill Society - 150 Trumbull Street, 4th Floor, Hartford, Connecticut 06103 - 860/246-0099   www.teinetwork.com   tei@teinetwork.com - TEI Update #200, May 23, 2008 - Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, now California; is Connecticut next with its pending Kerrigan ruling? - The 2008 Ministers Affirmation on Marriage (link below- which includes other Christian leaders). After we published the original Affirmation in the Hartford Courant in 2003 and 2005, with 200 and 700 signatories respectively, and as I presented it on various college campuses, we have received virtually no public criticism of its content or spirit. It has proven able to draw people to the Gospel. The need is to organize every church in every precinct to give prophetic and pastoral witness to the culture and its political leaders, here in Connecticut as well as Massachusetts and California -- for starters. And then the need is to recruit and elect biblically committed people to public office in 2010 and beyond -- the purpose of my recent book, The Six Pillars of Honest Politics: The Biblical Nature of a Level Playing Field. ...if you are a minister, a church leader (including pastoral staff, missionaries, elders and deacons, worship leaders, Sunday School teachers, youth leaders et al.), a teacher in a Christian school, or other recognized Christian leader, we need you as a signatory. Please send your name, position, church or organization name, address, and phone number to my eldest son Chad: chad@teinetwork.com. But please first read the Affirmation you are affirming! It is above reproach in its accurate diagnosis and invitation to the Gospel.

Rankin v. Massachusetts: A Federal Challenge to the Massachusetts Goodridge Same-Sex Marriage Ruling.

Male and Female as the Image of God: The Grand Design

The Ministers Affirmation on Marriage - Definition and Source of Civil Rights First, with respect to civil rights, we believe the following: 1. In the United States, the civil rights which we all enjoy are rooted in "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God," in the unalienable rights to life, liberty, property, and hence, the power to pursue happiness. “Unalienable rights” refer to these basic rights that are prior to and above that of human government, given by the Creator, and which by definition no human government may supersede, create, take away (alienate) or redefine. ...Are Civil Rights Being Redefined, and if so, on What Basis? These two courts now tout same-sex marriage as a “basic” or “fundamental civil right." But such a “right” cannot be rooted in the unalienable rights given by the Creator. And in fact, marriage historically is not a “basic” right in any sense of entitlement. But in Massachusetts, the Supreme Judicial Court sought shrewdly to equate same-sex marriage with an unalienable right, but without biblical, historical or legal precedent. And in California, the Supreme Court equated same-sex marriage with “inalienable rights,” but likewise without precedent. It did not define these rights, instead it merely and baldly asserts a judicial power greater than historic unalienable rights, greater than the executive and legislative branches of government, greater than the expressed will of the people, and hence, the Supreme Court of California has appointed itself god.

EarsToHear.net Book: Lessons of the Holy Spirit - A Guide for Entering the Kingdom of God and Discover Why it Pleased God to Hide His Kingdom from the Wise - Click here for Press Release and lesson content. Covering many of the concepts categorized below and can be used for both personal challenges and group discussions. If you enjoy the Quiz on the Gospel of John, you will enjoy this book of 17 lessons.

Disclaimer: EarsToHear.net does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted in its newsletters. All articles are aimed at challenging apathy and to encourage taking a stand for the values you represent. Please see associated EarsToHear.net links for its stance and commentary on the issues.

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