News and commentary (News & Commentary) 

Ohio Ministers Challenge Political Pulpit Plan - A group of ministers filed a complaint Monday with the Internal Revenue Service to stop a conservative organization from encouraging pastors to endorse or oppose political candidates. The group of 55 religious leaders from Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and other states said the actions by the Alliance Defense Fund jeopardize the constitutional separation of church and state. "The rightful place of religious leaders and communities of faith in American life is not in electoral politics," said the Rev. Eric Williams, a minister with the liberal United Church of Christ. ..."What we're doing here is working within the framework of American law that allows for these types of civil rights challenges, and allows an individual who believes their constitutional rights are violated to have their day in court," Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the alliance. Many of the ministers signing the complaint against the ADF are members of the liberal United Church of Christ. The IRS investigated the denomination earlier this year over allegations it violated IRS rules when it hosted Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama at its convention in Hartford, Conn., in 2007. The tax agency ultimately found no violations had occurred.

God Told Me to Write This Column by Mary Grabar - Every morning God wakes me up and whispers in my ear, “Goest thou, Mary, through Cyber Land and write for the people. Spread the truth about the evils of atheism, false churches with racist preachers, the egotists who place faith in man’s own ability, and the dangers of a ruler who would be socialist emperor rather than one who leads with a ‘servant’s heart.’” (God speaks to me in the King James version because I am an English major.) ...The only ones concerned with my religious beliefs (or more accurately that my beliefs do not fall under the acceptable denominations of Muslim, Wiccan, Zen Buddhist, or Gaia worship) are the people who hire college faculty or publish creative writing.

You Can Put Lipstick on a Socialist—But He’s Still a Socialist by Doug Giles - Barack’s philosophical mentor Saul Alinsky was all about lipsticking/camouflaging his communist wet dream. Alinsky knew that Americans bristle when they hear radical rhetoric and must therefore be approached more gingerly with fluffy words like “change” and “hope.” Yep, Saul advised his droogies that if they want to catch the fish they have to present the bait but hide the hook.

The Speaker’s New ‘No Energy’ Plan - According to news reports, the Speaker of the House has unveiled a new energy proposal. It’s described as a compromise that would lead to more offshore energy production. Based on the bill summary, however, the plans appears to be more of a “bait and switch” that won’t do much of anything to bring new energy supplies to market for a long, long time. ...To the casual observer, this certainly seems like a reasonable compromise. Unfortunately, it’s not. It’s a bait and switch. Here’s why: ...

Crackdown on hiring illegal immigrants is having an effect by Phil Valentine - I devote an entire chapter to illegal immigration in my new book, The Conservative's Handbook (Cumberland House). In doing research for that chapter, I discovered that an ESR Research study released earlier this year estimates the cost of illegal immigration to the federal government alone at $115 billion! The human cost of illegal immigration is staggering. The Violent Crimes Institute estimates there are more than 240,000 illegal immigrant sex offenders in the United States. That's 93 sex offenders and 12 serial sex offenders crossing into the U.S. every day. Each sex offender is averaging four victims. That's close to a million victims of sexual crimes at the hands of illegal immigrants. Of that number, 41 percent were sexual homicides. U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, conducted a study of government records and cross-referenced those records with arrest records and prison population estimates. His conclusion? On average, 12 Americans are murdered daily by illegal immigrants. That's 4,380 per year. To put it another way, that's more people killed each year by illegal immigrants than the number of soldiers lost in the first four years of the Iraq war. King's study estimates another 13 people are killed by illegal immigrants in traffic accidents each day, primarily from drunken driving. That's 25 innocent Americans killed each day. That's 9,125 per year. That's like a 9/11 happening every four months or a 727 jetliner full of passengers going down every week. ...I've been doing these hold-their- feet-to-the-fire broadcasts for four years now. I've seen very little movement on the federal level, but I've seen a grass-roots movement grow to a deafening level. Americans are fed up with the inaction by Congress. They're sick and tired of activist judges thwarting the efforts of people like Lou Barletta in little Hazelton, Pa., who led his town council to crack down on those who hire illegal immigrants only to see his actions struck down by judges with an agenda.

Sarah Palin's and Oprah Winfrey's Spiritual Beliefs Contrast Starkly In an essay published today at http://www.solvinglight.com/blog/sarah-and- oprah/, author Robert Bowie Johnson Jr. contrasts, point by point, the spiritual beliefs of Sarah Palin with those of passionate Obama supporter, Oprah Winfrey. Here are some excerpts from it:

SARAH exhibits faith in God, believing that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

OPRAH mocks Christian faith, insisting that "God is a feeling experience, not a believing experience. If God for you is still about a belief, then it's not truly God."

SARAH relies on the word of God and the Holy Spirit to guide her into truth.

OPRAH relies on a spirit or a force Tolle calls the "Source" which he claims resides within him and Oprah. That "Source" has told him that the word of the God of the Bible is not reliable, that there is no death, and that he and Oprah both are as God, able to say of themselves "I Am That I Am." These things that the "Source" has told Oprah and Tolle are the same things the serpent told Eve in the ancient garden.

Sarah Palin: Leading by Example By Day Gardner - Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, the GOP Vice Presidential nominee and devoted mother and wife, has awakened women from both sides of the political spectrum with her quick wit, strong values and confident demeanor. She proved to be a fearless fighter and she is unafraid to confront corruption, even in her own party. It's exciting that Sarah Palin brings the issue of life front and center in this election.

In April of this year, she gave birth to a son who she knew would have Down syndrome and never once thought of ending the pregnancy. In a country where 91-93% of pregnancies with a diagnosis of Down syndrome are terminated, Palin penned a note to loved ones rejecting sympathy for her son Trig. She calls him a gift from God: We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed.

Then just days after Senator John McCain announced her as his running mate, news broke that Palin’s unwed 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, was five months pregnant. Palin and her husband expressed joy that Bristol would continue the pregnancy and said they will continue to give her, and their grandchild, unconditional love.

Now, let's contrast Palin’s story with Senator Barack Obama’s quote not long ago when he was discussing sexual education and pre-marital sex. Regarding his daughters, he said, “But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.” It's obvious that Governor Palin never thought that having a baby, whether at 17 or at 44, would be a punishment. Obama and his supporters at Planned Parenthood, NARAL, NOW, Emily’s List and other pro-abortion organizations have a view that somehow, children are toxic, especially those children who are underprivileged, or may need special love as they grow up.

Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger was a eugenicist who initiated the Negro Project to reduce the number of African-Americans as well propagating her view that birth control must be used to produce a “cleaner race” and to “weed out the unfit.”

As an African-American, conservative, pro-life woman who has seen the videos of Planned Parenthood accepting donations earmarked to abort black babies; who has witnessed abortion wipe out half of my race since it was legalized over 30 years ago; and who has to now to decide between my ancestry or my values, for me the choice is clear. I want my children's children to be welcomed into this world, not viewed as a punishment.

Election 2008 (Voting Resources) 

Free download: FRC Action's 2008 Presidential Voter Guide

Liberty Counsel Non-Partisan Voter Guides for 2008 General Election

Ronald Reagan  - “Ultimately, the choice before the American people is the choice between two visions: on the one hand, the policies of limited government, economic growth, a strong defense, and a firm foreign policy; and on the other hand, policies of tax and spend, economic stagnation, international weakness and accommodation, and always, always, from them, ‘Blame America first.’ It’s the choice between the policies of liberalism or the policies of America’s political mainstream.”

ETH comment: Apparently as indicated by the 2004 and 2006 election, approximately half of American voters continue to prefer a government of the government, by the government, for the government and are blissfully happy and content abandoning "We the people" for "we the sheeple."

RE: THE LEFT - “The patriotism feared by liberals isn’t the standard American-flag-pinned-on-your-lapel-patriotism (hardly anyone other than Barack Obama is against that). The kind they are afraid of is that which was stirred in us by the attacks on Pearl Harbor and again on 9/11—the kind that motivated Americans of all races and political persuasions to pull together in the duty of our common citizenship and the common cause of enduring American ideals. Liberals are threatened by such patriotism because they worry that their position—their belief that they, rather than we as free people, are the better rulers of our lives—will be usurped by a rebirth of Thomas Jefferson’s understanding of self-reliance and independence. They also worry that an increase in such patriotism will continually motivate men from all walks of life... to join our military and fight for the preservation of this great nation. It’s hard to convince men who are risking their lives in service to this nation that this nation isn’t as good as it once was or that we need to turn the reins of our government over to Democrats so they can rescue us from ourselves by ‘the audacity of hope’.” - A.W.R. Hawkins

Unrestrained judicial activism will destroy our way of life - One of the most important but most overlooked issues in the political campaign involves the kind of judges the next president will appoint. Those appointments, and this is no exaggeration, may well determine whether our free society survives and flourishes...

The 95% Solution by Bruce Bialosky - He says it wherever he goes these days. He said it in his convention speech. He said it in his interview on the O’Reilly Factor. He is saying it regularly on the stump. Senator Obama says that he is going to cut taxes for 95% of Americans. Sometimes he says 95% of working Americans and sometimes he says 95% of working families. Anyway you state it, it cannot be done. Mr. Obama seems not to be aware that in the last analysis of income taxes paid to the U.S. Treasury (in 2006), taxpayers whose earnings were in the lowest 50% paid only 3% of our total tax burden. That means most of these taxpayers paid almost nothing. The next lowest earning 25% of taxpayers paid only 11% of the total tax burden. Collectively, this means the lowest 75% of earners paid only 14% of the current income taxes collected in this country. Since 75% of Americans are already paying little or no taxes, how do you cut the taxes for 95% of Americans?

New "Politically Correct" definition: "Government inspired neighborliness" - Forcibly imposing government mandated charity obligations.

John McCain's Weekly Radio Address by John McCain - This Congress has been in session close to two years and now they have accomplished exactly nothing to meet any of these challenges. Now Senator Obama wants you to believe that things will get better if Democrats control both the Congress and the presidency. But when Americans demand change in Washington, one-party rule where power is an end of itself isn't exactly what they have in mind. My fellow Americans, if Governor Palin and I are entrusted with four years in the White House, we'll show you what real change looks like. As president, I will veto reckless spending bills, to control the size of government and to let the workers of America keep more of their own earnings. I will put an end to earmark spending, by refusing to sign any bill that contains an earmark. I will lead the cause of health-care reform, by offering every person and family a generous tax credit so they can choose and afford their own health care. I will offer real choice in America's public schools, so that parents, teachers, and principals are in charge instead of union bosses and bureaucrats. And instead of wasting your money on things you never asked for and don't need, we're going to focus on essential priorities like helping American families with tax relief, balancing our federal budget, protecting our people from threats abroad and at home, and regaining control over the cost and supply of energy.

10 reasons Christians shouldn't vote for Obama Barack Obama is an impressive speaker who presents himself as a “bridge builder” that will unite Americans of all political persuasions. Obama also speaks openly about his faith and his respect for pro-life and pro-family voters in a way not seen in many recent Democratic candidates for President. Because of these things, many Christians have been considering voting for Obama. What Christians and other people of faith need to understand is that in spite of Obama’s rhetoric about being a “uniter” who will work for common ground, Obama’s policies could not possibly be more opposed to the views of social conservatives. Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to state that an Obama presidency could undo every single gain that has been made in recent years by pro-life and pro-family Americans. Furthermore, an Obama presidency could usher in a new era of difficulty—or, dare we say, even a persecution—for Christians in the United States the likes of which we have never seen. All Christian voters need to take their political responsibility seriously and give weighty consideration to these reasons not to vote for Obama. And when you’re done reading, please pass this along to others so that Americans will be informed about the very real potential threats to Christians should Obama become our next President. ...

Indoctrination: "Mainstream" Media, Hollywood,& Education? - (Media, Hollywood, Secular Education) The good, the bad, and the ugly...Without a Heritage every generation starts over  Will our descendants know moral virtue? The primary responsibility of education DOES NOT belong to schools.  (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)

"Knowledge unenlightened by the truth of God is dark knowledge. We may have a B.S., an M.S., and a Ph.D., but without the Lord all we have is dark information. It may help navigate us in the world of darkness, but by itself will never lead us to the truth. Apart from the revelation of the Spirit of God, none of us could ever find our way into the light. Darkly educated people are like those whom Paul described to his young protégé', Timothy, as 'always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.'" (2 Timothy 3:7) Rediscovering the Kingdom by Myles Munroe

Teacher fights to post Declaration of Independence quote WORLDNETDAILY — A math teacher sued his school district after the principal told him the words "In God We Trust" and "All Men Are Created Equal, They Are Endowed By Their Creator" must be removed from his homeroom wall because they convey a Judeo-Christian viewpoint...

American Minute for September 14th Son of a butcher, his family died when a plague swept England, leaving him an estate. He attended Emmanuel College, was ordained, married and sailed for Massachusetts where he pastored the First Church of Charlestown. At age 31, he died of tuberculosis on SEPTEMBER 14, 1638. His name was Rev. John Harvard. The College at Cambridge was renamed for Rev. Harvard. Fifty-percent of 17th-century graduates were ministers, as were 10 out of 12 of Harvard's presidents prior to the Revolution. Harvard's founders wrote: "After God had carried us safe to New England, and we...rear'd convenient places for God's worship...dreading to leave an illiterate Ministry to the Churches, when our present Ministers shall lie in the Dust...it pleased God to stir up the heart of one Mr. Harvard, a godly gentleman and a lover of learning...to give the one half of his estate...towards the erecting of a college and all his Library." As 106 of the first 108 schools in America were founded on Christianity, Harvard's Rules & Precepts stated September 26, 1642: "Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life. John 17:3."

Dobbs has a change of heart on faith and politics - A popular cable news host says a prominent evangelical Christian leader changed his opinion about the role of faith in politics.

CNN anchor Lou Dobbs says Family Research Council president Tony Perkins "kept talking long enough and making enough sense" that he finally embraced Perkins' view that religious faith should influence public policy.

According to Dobbs, if his colleagues in the liberal media knew about that change of heart, he'd "be in trouble."

Dobbs told the 2008 Values Voter Summit in Washington that as recently as two years ago he believed that people who live according to the dictates of their religious faith should not have a voice in the public square.

"There is such a resistance to that idea that it has become an orthodoxy in the liberal media, in our political system -- to the point that it is to me outright censorship," said Dobbs. "And whether one is religious, whether one is Christian, Catholic, Jewish or Buddhist, I don't really care. From those religions and that religiosity springs a sense of morality and a philosophy that frankly I think that our public arena desperately, desperately needs."

Dobbs said that although he won't be "singing the Hallelujah Chorus," he is now absolutely convinced that people of faith should have their voices heard.

Later in his speech, Dobbs stated that he believes family values are critically important, yet the two most fundamental values in the U.S. are individual liberty and equality of opportunity -- both economic and educational.

He also argued that the greatest challenge to the country is not the Iraq war or economic troubles, but rather the "violation of the rule of the majority." Complete Coverage of Values Voters Summit can be found below.

Extra, Extra...

Comedy Turns Tables on Liberal Director Moore - By: Paul Bond, Hollywood Reporter - "An American Carol" is coming to a theater near you, whether you like it or not. The zany comedy, which promises to offend Hollywood's liberal sensibilities, will open on 2,000 screens across the United States on Oct. 3, just one month before the presidential election. It is based loosely on "A Christmas Carol," except that, instead of Ebenezer Scrooge's learning an appreciation for Christmas, a Michael Moore-type filmmaker learns to respect the U.S.A. through visits from the ghosts of George Washington, George Patton and President Kennedy.