When the Cash for Clunkers plan was first announced, it appeared to be a flawed plan right from the start. There were some obvious problems with the scheme to get people into more politically correct green friendly cars. With the plan only a few days into operation, the plan has successfully seduced so many more people to trade in there bigger, safer cars to snag their share of taxpayer or Chinese money that the initial billion dollars has already swirled down the drain. The government is busy patting itself on the back and proclaiming the program a total success. But is it?

According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 54% of the voting public was against the plan while 35% favored it. Among those with a little more financial interest, 62% of investors thought it should not be done... and an even 50% of all respondents felt that if they were going to run a program like this, it should be restricted to American made cars. However, like so many programs coming out of our nations' capitol... bailouts, health care and all sorts of things we haven't even been told about, the desires of the people... as in “We the People”... have been ignored in favor of elitist programs and schemes to involve the government in more areas of our lives.

Let's look at what really took place in our country. Thousands of buyers have happily driven away from lots in their shiny new or late model cars, with salesmen and women tallying their skyrocketing commissions and dealers themselves hoping they were going to see the promised money. The scenario fits perfectly the thinking of the current administration... transferring dollars to supposedly disadvantaged or favored and adding burdens to evil business owners.

Several dynamics were at work in each transaction... let's look at them.

The most obvious action was people who may have been thinking of replacing their current mode of transportation for a new one saw the incentive of having their fellow citizens chip in to help pay for their car. Often, these were people who could already afford a car and perhaps were planning to buy one in the next year or two. This program just compressed the process. I guess it goes back to the definition of fairness promoted by many in our government for many years... that someone else pays for my benefit. It's human nature... and not the nicest side of it.

However the they are not home free with no down side. In many cases, people have traded in a functioning automobile that carried no payments for another, probably better car, with significant payments. In other cases, some who could not quite swing the deal for the car found a way, with the incentive, to squeeze it into their budget. At a time when people are trying to cut down on their debts, these buyers have been convinced to join the federal government in increasing their monthly expenses in spite of increasingly insecure employment situations. We saw what happened when easy terms and low interest rates drew more and more people into the housing market who should not have been there... to the detriment of the themselves, lenders and our country in general. One has to wonder if this is just a repeat of a foolish strategy that may drive us into even more negative circumstances.

The salesmen are loving the increase in sales at car lots that have been devoid of customers for months. Customers have been waiting in line just to talk to one of these purveys of economical transportation. Assuredly, they will see some massive checks, but at what cost? Customers may have bought their new car next month, or a few months down the road, even into the next year. So we see a spike in sales this week at the cost of many future sales that would have given them a steady income over the months to come.

The dealers are seeing cars roll off their lots in, sometimes, record numbers. They have been told to sell the car, fill out the 1040 type forms, and wait for their payments... if they are approved. Already reports are coming in that submissions are being rejected... meaning the dealer is not getting the money. With hundreds of thousands of cars on the streets through this program combined with the efficiency and effectiveness of the government in getting payments out the door... this could conceivably be responsible for closing more dealers than the auto companies themselves as, essentially, the dealers have to pay off new cars coming out of their floor plan, pay commissions to salesmen and cover a variety of costs of doing business. The more successful they are, the more they are depending on the government to keep its word in a timely manner.

The cars themselves show the desire of the administration to destroy anything they just don't like. They're not all junkers... some are decent transportation for someone without a lot of money, yet, but terms of the agreement, they must be destroyed withing a few days... long before any payments will be received from our Big Brother in Washington. They cannot even be sent to junk yards for salvage, but are destined to be crushed and melted down. So strong is their desire to remove these politically incorrect vehicles from the streets, our “benefactors” don't have any concern for the less financially well off they claim to want to help by shrinking the supply of inexpensive vehicles.

The administration, and even some Republicans who should know better, are touting the plan as a massive success, to the point of looking for an additional two billion dollars from the American people beyond the initial one billion allocated to the plan. All one can do is only look back at one of the gravely voiced Everett Dirksen's favorite quotes, “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.” Unfortunately, the damage goes far beyond the dollars down the drain.

First of all, let’s make it clear that this is not a commercial for Nike. In fact you can wear almost any kind of footwear and take advantage of the ideas discussed here. However, as the phrase tells us, there are times when you just have to set aside personal hang ups, fears and lack of confidence and quit waiting for someone else to get things done. In the Richmond area this weekend we saw the folks that pulled off the Richmond Tea Party put together an event that attracted up to two thousand people who love their country and are looking to see how they can help.

Most of these people were either never politically active or had dropped out of the effort sometime in years past. They were not professional organizers, political, community or otherwise. Yet they pulled together representatives from around fifteen organizations, attract a couple thousand people and television coverage. They filled the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds with organizational displays, food vendors, games for the children and even a couple of dunking booths for the older children.

These average citizens found themselves pulled form their yard work, honey do lists, even time from their jobs and businesses. What pulled them away from the more mundane tasks that occupy most of us? Most likely it was the same thing that thing that caused you to begin reading this post… a recognition that things are not right in our wonderful country, and a desire to set them so.

The problem most Americans have today is that they will take part in events and programs that have been established for them. How often have you heard the phrase, “somebody should do something about that”? It’s a common malady among those of us who have been conditioned and encouraged to look to government programs to do things for us. They like it that way as it gives the statists control over our attention and direction.

This is precisely what these good organizers see as wrong with our country. Our government was established under the concept they its’ power was derived from the people and was the servant of the people. This clearly is no longer the case. The courts, along with the passive and complicit congress have long since stopped listening to the citizens. Often the will of the people is not only ignored, but the elites running government actually take us in exactly the opposite direction.

So waiting for a government program to fix our nations’ ills is like waiting for a thunderstorm in the Sahara… it is not going to happen. These people, and thousands of tea party organizers throughout the country, have decided to look in the mirror to see who will answer the call and get the job done.

If you have the same frustrations as many of us who believe in the United States of America and see the results of the sacrifices of our forefathers coming to naught, look up the people in your area trying to organize such events and spread the word. If you can’t find anyone… be one. It’s an adventure you will find tiring and exhilarating.

Oh the other hand, if you still don’t think you want get involved, consider James 2:20 which tells us “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” The same applies to concern about your friends, neighbors or your country.

Take the first steps. Don’t worry about the results. They are not in your hands anyway. Whatever the results, if you give it your best… even if you don’t accomplish everything you want, at least you can tell your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews that you fought the good fight and did not just let our country go down the tubes. Also keep in mind the fact that the world is run by those who show up. Don’t let everything up to others who may not share your values and concerns.

I spent what could have been a perfectly good evening watching Barack Hussein Obama lay out some of the information about his proposed health care for the masses plan. While he talked for almost an hour, he gave out little real information. It is entirely possible he believed every word of it. What is unfortunate is that most of what we learned has no relationship to reality.

Somewhere around the fourth or fifth exit in fantasy land was the claim that the health insurance plan would not add to the deficit. The total cost, we were told, would be covered by cost cutting and re-allocation of existing federal health care programs. If we could just have an example of this ever working with a government program the assertion may actually have some credibility. It reminds me of the old saying “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice (or thirty seven times), shame on me”. One has to wonder why, if they have identified that much waste already, it is not being squeezed out of the system now... unless that waste lies in delivering care to those deemed unworthy of the expense.

The president is determined that the cost of health care will not be thrust onto the backs of middle class families. Now, let's think about this. Who makes up most of the population and who will use most of the health care? At least at this point, our country is made up primarily of middle class families. Why should they not pay for their health insurance? And where are all the temporarily rich people that will actually pay for this? There just aren't that many... so where will the money come from? Ah yes... from the re-allocation from other government programs like Medicare which, while far from perfect, is something many have come to depend on.

He says some people will be unhappy about the change, that some people will be content with their current plan, but they are not as important as those he is trying to help. The implication is that the fat and happy few want to prevent the others from getting decent care. The problem is that, according the most recent Rasmussen poll, 53% oppose the plan and only 44% support it. While the government must look after everyone's interests, they have lost sight of the chain of command and who their real employers are when they are acting against the welfare and wishes of the American people.

The president revealed his ultimate goal when he told us that only a single payer system would be effective in achieving universal coverage as anything else would permit people to slip through the insurance cracks and become a financial drain on society. He then made his point with an illustration of a diabetic having surgery to remove a foot, but by making sure a proper diet was maintained, that foot and the money would be saved. This is a worthy goal... but how would they be certain diets were maintained. Is he proposing diet police? If we followed that thinking, cigarettes would have been outlawed years ago. Some say you can't legislate morality... well it would seem proper to say you can't legislate common sense... and you can't enforce it. And our federal government is one of the last organizations present itself as a purveyor common sense.

When asked by a reporter if he would be open to using the public option himself, Obama said of course he would, that there would be various levels depending upon the individuals needs and ability to pay... so we had our answer, of course he would not take the basic plan he was hawking to the great unwashed masses.

Rasmussen also tells us that people are more concerned about the cost than the universal nature of the coverage. Apparently the White House reads the Rasmussen reports as well since we were told that he understands and is sensitive to the fact that people are queasy about the deficit. Queasy is not really the word when people see the amount of debt already piled upon themselves, their children and their grandchildren. Either the man is purposely ignoring the anger sweeping the country or he is so wrapped up in pursuing this socialist dream that his is blissfully unaware of the mayhem he is inflicting on the country.

Perhaps the biggest whopper of all and the thing that throws the most doubt on any of the information we've been fed about the plan is the statement that they have already taken steps the would reduce spending by 2.2 trillion dollars over the next ten years. One has to wonder if the next step will be to try to sell us a bridge or ask some of his Nigerian friends or Kenyan relatives to request our help in moving cash into the country.

He wrapped up the press conference with a few other questions. I was glad it was over. I survived watching the whole thing, learned little, but felt kind of dirty... like I had just taken part in something immoral. The point is that even if we don't buy what they are selling in Washington, we need to be aware of it. We need to know this material to help spread the truth. It's just part of the unpleasant grunt work required of us if we are to remain free.

This past weekend, those who were watching honest reporting saw some headlines reflecting the esteem our country and our president commands throughout the world. What is interesting is that the man sitting in the oval office, along with his party, roundly criticized what they perceived to be George Bush's heavy handed approach to foreign affairs... vowing to bring about a new era of respect and respectability.

It is reported that Israeli ambassador Michael Oren was summoned to the State Department.* He was told that a building project being developed by an American investor in east Jerusalem must not go forward as it interfered with their plans for regional peace. The State Department sought to forbid any Jewish development on captured lands in an attempt to draw boundaries more satisfactory to the Palestinians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the attempted land use demand by commenting, "I can only imagine what would happen if someone suggested Jews could not live in certain neighborhoods in New York, London, Paris or Rome. There would certainly be a major international outcry." This new construction is part of his plan for a unified Jerusalem. It is surprising that he took no public offense at the treatment of his ambassador as some lackey from a client state... however, it appears that he is focused on what is best for his country and not on petty one upsmanship.

Meanwhile, former first lady and current Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton was hearing from India’s environment minister, Jairam Ramesh,** that his country had no interest in signing on to environmental demands of the Obama administration and Europeans who have bought into the man-made climate change hysteria. Even though she dangled technical partnerships in front of him, Ramesh did not bite.

Mrs. Clinton was not able to convince him that the fate of the world hung on their decision and that only by working together can we overcome all the evil, planet warming pollution that the reprobate western corporations have been spewing for years. Not only did she apologize for the west, and US in particular, for gunking up the planet but she offered to help them fix our errors. The minister was not impressed. India, along with China as well, have chosen not to, lemming like, follow the US and our slick lipped shyster down the path to economic suicide.

It appears that foreign leaders do not fall under the same teleprompter induced spell that hypnotizes many in the slack jawed segment of our electorate. They seem to be more able to see through the soaring rhetoric to the harsh economic realities that underlie the awesomely proposed plans of our fearless leader. They see the destruction that lies down the path we, as a nation, have chosen. The man has made his pitch, but they are not buying.

Perhaps they are understanding that there is more form than substance to this administration, it's rhetoric and it's plans. On the other hand, they just may not have the emotional attachment to the president who wants to solve all our problems by sticking it to the rich... or they may not have given any thought at all to the President of the United States.

It is possible that they just looked at the plans in both cases and rejected them because the simply were bad ideas. I had a friend who, when he was training to be a camp counselor for middle age children, was told that for them to follow and respect him, he not only had to be right, but he had to appear to be right. Unfortunately Barack Hussein Obama has neither of these going for him.

* Israel Rejects US Call to Halt Jerusalem Project http://tinyurl.com/ljbhz3
** India Rebuffs US Carbon Demands http://tinyurl.com/nugzw2

Yesterday afternoon, I watched the shuttle Endeavour blasting off into space. It had been a while since I paid much attention to the space program. Like most Americans, in spite of the few tragic failures, we take for granted the flawless perfection of a NASA operation. After all, they are a bunch of rocket scientists. The whole thing was most impressive... four million pounds lifting off the earth and seconds later traveling at well over 11,000 miles per hour. I was thinking John Force, eat your heart out. Anyone not impressed by both the brute force of six million pounds of thrust and the split-second precision of this take off is just not paying attention.

It got me thinking back to that day in May of 1961 when we filed into the junior high school auditorium to watch Alan Shepard take that first brief wild ride on the top of a rocket into space. Now it does not seem like much, but then, without the experience and technology of 2009 it was quite a feat. No American had ever done this before and it was less than a month since Russian, Yuri Gagarin had become the first man in space.

September 12 of the next year saw President Kennedy tell the people of the world that there would be an American standing on the moon by the end of the decade. July 20, 1969 my wife and I brought our second child home from the hospital and that night saw grainy pictures of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin plant an American flag and leave American footprints on the surface of the moon.

They tell us that a modern day car carries more computing power than the ship that took Armstrong, Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon, yet NASA engineers figured out how to do it and got the job done. It was a time when Americans believed in themselves and they were proud of their country.

Today's launch showed that American technology still gets the job done and we still have brave astronauts who fly these machines. Even though the news outlets recount numerous flights, to the point where they almost seem commonplace... they most certainly are not. It's still a breathtaking sight.

However, even as the Endeavour was hurtling through space, back on earth Police in the District of Columbia killed a man in a shootout just steps from the capitol. The reality of human nature intrudes on our moments of triumph, as if to remind us that we are not merely technicians and programs... just as it did in 1969 when Ted Kennedy's presidential aspirations perished along with Mary Jo Kopechne on Chappaquiddick Island as our three modern day explorers headed toward the moon.

Bad things happened then, more are happening now, but there is still a remnant of the American spirit that put the Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon. It may be working in a more hostile environment, but there is still so much each of us can do. We still have the ingenuity that got the job done then and is getting the job done today.

We have courageous, resourceful soldiers making us safe, when they are allowed to do their job. We have, perhaps, the most generous people who reach out and help their neighbors when they are in dire straights. We have beautiful mountains and sun drenched beaches. In spite of all our problems, the U.S. of A. is still a great place to live. Although it's 233 years old, it still has all the potential in the world and is worth fighting for.

Sometimes we can get so hung up on the problems our country faces that we forget the purple mountain majesties and the bountiful fruited plains. We are truly blessed to live in this country. We have a country to be proud of and a country worth working and fighting for.

During his inaugural address, Barack Hussein Obama promised "We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost," This was in part, to counter what he perceived to be excessive deference to religious influences by the previous administration. At the time it was difficult to tell if he was embracing one and or simply rejecting the other.

The selection of John Holdren as the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy helps put the purpose into much sharper focus. If Holdren were simply a wild eyed academic, the damage he could inflict would be limited to the destruction of a relatively few impressionable minds behind ivy covered walls. But he is not... and the damage is incalculable if he is permitted to inflict his thinking on our whole country.

What is this thinking? How can we know what is going on in the demented mind of John Holdren. He has over the years had published hundreds of papers and articles and co-authored twenty books. These give a pretty clear picture of a man who appears to have watched far too many science fiction movies as a child.

These were the wonderful old black and white movies we saw on Saturday afternoons, such as The Monolith Monsters and Day of the Triffids. In these B movies... maybe even C movies, the problems facing humanity were almost as awful as their special effects. It was only through the lone, virtuous scientist that the earth was saved every time. I enjoyed those films myself but they could produce a warped vision of science versus the unwashed masses.

In 2006 he predicted that ocean levels would rise by thirteen inches by the end of the century. Not quite up to Algore standards, but sufficiently frightening to those who accept global warming, make that climate change, dogma.

Even more destructive though, are his views on population control... as if this were under the purview of human governments. In his book, Ecoscience (ISBN 0716705672), written with Paul Ehrlich and Anne Ehrlich he expounds his views on excessive human population and what to do about it. He apparently saw no problem with someone in his exalted ivory tower setting deciding who should live, who should be permitted to have children and how many of us there should be.

If these passages don't give you pause, perhaps you are reading the wrong material or do not comprehend the implications of this man's thinking.

“Indeed, it has been concluded that compulsory population-control laws, even including laws requiring compulsory abortion, could be sustained under the existing Constitution if the population crisis became sufficiently severe to endanger the society.” (page 837)

On single mothers: “One way to carry out this disapproval might be to insist that all illegitimate babies be put up for adoption—especially those born to minors, who generally are not capable of caring properly for a child alone.” (page 786)

On mass sterilization: “Adding a sterilant to drinking water or staple foods is a suggestion that seems to horrify people more than most proposals for involuntary fertility control. Indeed, this would pose some very difficult political, legal, and social questions, to say nothing of the technical problems” (page 787)

“If some individuals contribute to general social deterioration by overproducing children, and if the need is compelling, they can be required by law to exercise reproductive responsibility—just as they can be required to exercise responsibility in their resource-consumption patterns.” (page 838)

“Perhaps those agencies, combined with UNEP and the United Nations population agencies, might eventually be developed into a Planetary Regime—sort of an international superagency for population, resources, and environment. Such a comprehensive Planetary Regime could control the development, administration, conservation, and distribution of all natural resources, renewable or nonrenewable, at least insofar as international implications exist.” (page 942)

Some reasonable good political types would say that all this is a cause for concern. A cause for concern! Then they may even wring there hands a little. The correct response is to tell anyone who will listen that someone like this has the ear of a president who has already demonstrated contempt for constitutional limits on his authority and the bounds of common sense. It would scare the living daylights out of anyone who was paying attention.

We have our answer on the position of the president who is willing to use science, in it's proper place, of course, as a bludgeon to control even more aspects of our lives and commit unspeakable crimes against nature. The man he appointed as his science guru belongs more in the east wing of an asylum rather than the west wing of the White House. We have already heard of some pretty outrageous schemes coming out of this administration but ideas coming from Holdren top them all. What we need to do is get past the false security that “It can't happen here.” Then we have to do something about it.

“Sic Semper Tyrannis”, thus reads the phrase at the bottom of the seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Translated, it means “thus always to tyrants.” Above it is an image of Virtue, sword in hand and a foot on the chest of the fallen Tyranny with his crown laying nearby. The symbolism is obvious: that virtue will triumph over oppression. Those of us who have read the Bible through to the end understand this will be the ultimate outcome. That is the ultimate outcome... but what about now?

The motto was suggested at the Virginia Convention in 1776 by George Mason... then placed in the official state seal designed by Declaration of Independence signer, George Wythe. This was at a time when the commonwealth and our fledgling nation were locked in a struggle for survival and independence from the British crown. The Declaration phrased it, “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions“, meaning that they were looking for divine assistance in their struggle for freedom.

This struggle was one that they understood to be theirs... that they were not just depending on the righteousness of their cause being sufficient for success. These founding fathers knew they had to put forth the effort and endure the pain and hardship of their course... but they also knew that they had the force of natural law, the desire for freedom and their creator on their side.

They knew the struggle was not just for themselves, but for all the other citizens of the the colonies who craved freedom. The freedom fighters knew it was part of their service to their fellow man. James Madison put it this way, "Resistance to tyranny is service to God.” Not only did they look to the hand of God to aid their efforts, they also saw such efforts as serving Him and in spreading the divinely mandated freedom throughout their land.

People of that era did not have the easy life we have today but there was a common understanding of Christian principles... of right and wrong. They understood that rights came from God and not from government. They knew they had to oppose restrictions on their rights.

Today, we don't see a power from across the sea encroaching on our liberties and property. For those of us in Virginia, it is right across the Potomac River. We have a president who is appointing one czar after another. Each one has a sole purpose in live to meddle with, and manipulate, some area of our lives. The last I heard, there were more than twenty of these petty czars, reporting only the the alpha czar, Barack Hussein Obama. They exist to tell us what to do about energy, and the environment. They are here to tell us how much we should be paid, unless we are union members. They are appointed to tell the automobile companies what kind of cars they should make for us to drive.

Even Mr. Porkbarrel, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) registered his concern in a letter to the White House where he wrote, "The rapid and easy accumulation of power by White House staff can threaten the constitutional system of checks and balances." He went on to complain about past czars, "They rarely testify before congressional committees and often shield the information and decision-making process behind the assertion of executive privilege."

The point is that they are given significant power in the executive branch, yet are not subject to the Senate confirmation process or congressional oversight. The president could, and may yet appoint the likes of Ward Churchill to oversee education. He has already appointed John Holdren who, in the past has advocated forced abortions and mass sterilizations, as his science guru.

Much of this is going on under the radar and we won't know about it until we run into rules, regulations and restrictions created by executive fiat. We will generally find ourselves alone, facing the power of the federal government as it willfully violates the natural law that our forefathers struggled to lay down as the foundation of our constitution.

The question then becomes how will we respond. Will we tell census takers all the private personal information they request? Will we permit bureaucrats in Washington prescribe our health care? Will we quietly permit federal inspectors inside our homes? Will we stand quietly by as our weapons are confiscated?

In the early morning hours of April 19, 1775 our forefathers made that choice as they stood on Lexington Green, then later that day at Concord, when the British troops came to confiscate their weapons. The colonists stood up the the British regulars... and the regulars did not succeed!

Each one must answer for him or herself, but even Albert Einstein, not a particularly political or revolutionary man had this advice, "Never do anything against conscience even if the State demands it."

Recent revelations have not done much to give us confidence in the security our government is providing to our country. We have been told that over the Fourth of July weekend, various high level government sites suffered denial of service attacks by what may well have been the North Koreans. We have not heard much of the other, more dangerous attempts to hack into our so-called secure data. Then GAO officials testified in a Senate hearing that their agents managed to penetrate ten secure government office buildings with bomb components, assemble them and wander through various parts of the building. The high point of the report was a picture of a security guard asleep at his post.

These news stories make one wonder if our government can even protect itself, let alone the people of this country. President Obama just commented that “The future does not belong to those who gather armies on a field of battle or bury missiles in the ground.” His contempt for the value of our military is obvious and he apparently does not take external threats seriously. Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama apparently believes the silver tongue that won over American voters will work its magic on those who hate everything this country used to stand for and sooth their savage souls. He certainly seems to be heading down the road of unilateral disarmament... which is nice in theory, but presents huge risks to those without access to the presidential bunker.

Where he and his administration are paying attention is to the domestic unrest that is building through out the land. The Department of Homeland Security* is looking at gun rights advocates, pro-lifers, constitution advocates, states rights supporters, even evangelical Christians as possible threats to the Obama regime. These threats ARE being taken seriously. The MIAC* report confirmed this as do numerous corresponding state reports*. These citizens expressing our traditional American values are ranked right up there with white supremacist skinheads and head bangers.

Sure there is some attention to the groups like al Qaeda, Hamas and the like but far under the proportion of their threat. Little attention is paid to La Raza which openly wants to reclaim the southwest US for Mexico. Political agendas are hard to hide.

When we look at this distrust of American citizens unhappy with the administration and the direction it is taking the country along with some of the anti-gun and anti-dissent pronouncements of some of its officials we see some cause for alarm.

The 29 Palms survey showed that some of our fighting men were willing to serve under the UN banner and some were even willing to fire on US citizens who refused to have their fire arms confiscated, they were a small enough number to render such plans ineffective. Our military is full of fine young men and women who take an oath to defend our constitution and protect the American people.

This year, the National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09)**, is concentrating on “terrorism prevention and protection, as opposed to incident response and recovery” and includes “participation of Australia, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom”. It is true that foreign troops have been trained in the US for many years, but never in the numbers anticipated and never for the suppression of anticipated acts of terrorism.

Some might say that our own capabilities have slipped as evidenced by the examples cited at the beginning. I find it hard to believe that the American military has fallen so far that we need foreign soldiers to protect us. Others take it all at face value... that these soldiers are merely being trained to return home and do their job. Yet others are concerned that foreign troops would not share our own soldiers hesitancy to use the force necessary to control angry mobs of American people.

I don't know what the answer is, but from what I've seen in the brief history of this administration, we need to continue to watch closely what people do, not what they say. We need to do what we can to minimize the potential for unnecessary violent conflict, and we need to pray that our leaders will govern with wisdom from above and a fear of the Lord.

* These documents and others can be found at http://www.politicalchristian.org/documents.html

** The full FEMA report can be found at http://www.fema.gov/media/fact_sheets/nle09.shtm

There are almost as many answers to this question of what it will take to the our country back on track as there are people who try to answer it. There is an answer that has worked in the past but is being practiced by far to few. II Chronicles 7:14 tells us, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Many of us, myself included, spend far too much time plotting, scheming and complaining and not enough following this advice.

Christians have had a hand in the creation of the mess as we tend to stay wrapped up in our own little world, not actively working to make our country a better place to live for everyone. The blame is not ours alone, but we can be the ones to set things straight. The founding fathers recognized the need for divine guidance and protection as they broke away from Great Britain to start a new nation based on rights given by our creator rather than granted by a monarch.

The Declaration of Independence declares: “We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States...”

This past Sunday my pastor talked about this very thing. He commented that, “We can't expect our land to be different if we aren't going to be different.” We've all tried complaining. Some of us have tried getting involved in the political system. Some have tried prayer.

So what can me change? I have a humble suggestion for us to consider. Why don't we consider dropping the first and combining the other two actions. We are commanded to pray for our country and our leaders. But that is not enough. Prayer is an expression of faith but James 2:17 tells us “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Actions work in two ways. One is to start doing something neglected in the past. The other is to stop doing something we have been doing. We don't like to think about the “turn from their wicked ways” part too much. However recently we've seen “secret sins” come back to both Senator John Ensign and Governor Mark Sanford. Everyone thought they were great men destined for even bigger things, but there was a cancer in their lives that brought them down.

The recent tragedy of football great Steve McNair showed that results of going our own way can be deadly. As a friend of mine commented at the time, “You put yourself somewhere you shouldn't be, this is the kind of stuff that happens.” While we may not be doing these specific things, each of us may have areas of our lives where we have gone along with the crowd where we shouldn't have. True, none of us are perfect, but if we expect divine blessing on our efforts, can we continue to turn a blind eye to things we know are not right?

This two prong approach has got to be better than any one alone. For those who have been doing both, congratulations, you get it! Don't get complacent. Just keep on keeping on. For those of us who have been a little lax in one one, or both areas, it's time to get to pick up the pace. Our country is on a downhill slide... and picking up speed. It's time to fight the battle in the streets and on our knees.

One more thing, it is up to us. It's not up to Barack Obama. It's not up to Barney Frank. It's not up to Nancy Pelosi. It's not up to Harry Reid. The verse says “my people”. That is those who read and understand the word of the creator are responsible. The others have no basis of understanding, they don't know any better than what they are doing. So let us work together as brothers and sisters, recognizing that we have access to all the power of the universe... if only we put ourselves in a position to use it.


For some prayer suggestions, check out http://www.politicalchristian.org/pray.html .

Way too early on the morning of July 4, I rode into our nations capitol with a bus load of patriots from Chester VA. As we passed the Pentagon and followed the Southwest Freeway across the bridge into Washingon DC, passing the Jefferson Memorial, I heard a comment that it used to be exciting coming into the city and visit the famous landmarks, but now it was depressing. It seems the government buildings and the city itself no longer represented the beacon of freedom we heard about as we grew up, but had become a symbol of oppression and a drain on the American people.

Several thousand people from all over the country gathered in Upper Senate Park in the shadow of the halls of congress. Speakers came from all over he country as well and said some mighty fine things. However, what they said was not nearly as important as the fact that we were standing together on a beautiful summer day, within stones throw of the Capitol (to my knowledge no physical stones were thrown), meeting new friends, fellow patriots, from about twenty to twenty five different states.

We had a great time encouraging each other and just enjoying the company of people who love their country. I'm sure this was the case at every other party around America the Beautiful. I'm sure everyone left inspired by new ideas and with a fresh enthusiasm to continue the fight to preserve our country.

The test of the experience will be rolling out of bed Monday morning, Tuesday morning and every other day that follows. We have our daily lives, most of them so full of stuff that it is easy to forget the big picture of what needs to be done. Work is certainly important. Families are important. Our church and communities are important as well.

It's easy to loose sight of the big picture – the big problems facing our country when we have twenty minutes to get dinner together before Billy's Little League Game, Mary's dance lesson or a church committee meeting. It's easy to believe what many tell us: that one person can't make much of a difference or that someone else will take care of the problem... or that the problems just cannot be solved.

Lies, they are all lies, every one of them! Let's start with the first one... that you can't make a difference. If you attended any of the tea parties, you were with any where from several hundred to several thousand people who believe pretty much the same things you believe. You are not alone! Samuel Adams told us, "It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men."

Someone else may NOT fix the problem. Would you be willing to bet the future of your children and grandchildren on the actions of someone else you may neither know nor influence? As I've said before, to all your friends, neighbors and acquaintances, you ARE someone else. If you can look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are willing to let the future of this great country up to the the actions and dedication of other people, perhaps this fight is not for you. The fact that you are reading this, gives me optimism that this is not the case.

As far as problems not being solvable... we are Americans! Our fathers and grandfathers chased tyrants from Europe and Japan. Our scientists and engineers made it possible for men to walk on the moon. Our medical system is finding cures for diseases that used to kill millions. When the naysayers tell us that problems cannot be solved, all we hear is that we have problems and have just not found the solution yet.

Even if you did not get to participate in this July Forth outpouring of support for our country, take heart because of those who did. There are millions of us and we will only be denied if we loose heart and permit it. Of course we're in for some rocky roads ahead, but consider the colonists taking on the strongest economic and military power of their time... and they won! But not without cost. If we persist, if we don't loose heart, if we hang together, we will win too.

Remember what Winston Churchill told the Harrow School in October of 1941, an extremely bleak time in British history with the blitz going on at home and the advancing German army abroad, “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” Good advice then, and good advice now.



See what others say about about defending your freedoms at http://www.politicalchristian.org/quotes.html .

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Let us readopt the Declaration of Independence, and with it the practices and policy which harmonize with it." This was necessary during his time, how much more today when the American people face so many challenges to the freedoms we have long enjoyed and want to pass on to our children and grandchildren. However to readopt it... we need to read it, not just once, but over and over until it becomes part of us. Once someone absorbs its precepts and the concept that God created each of us to be free... they are unfit for servitude.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.


Fifty six men signed this document that, had they failed, would have put a hangman's noose around their necks. As it was it cost many family members, homes and their personal wealth. What are we willing to sacrifice for the freedoms we inherited as Americans... not to just keep it for ourselves, but for our friends and neighbors who may not understand the danger to our liberties and even more, for our families and the generations to come?

Sure the people of California voted on the issue... TWICE! From the left coast even. And yet, the issue is not settled. The courts are still sticking their nose into the peoples business one more time, looking for ways to impose their will on the fruits, nuts and flakes along our western coast. Fortunately there are people who are able and willing to stand in the gap and defend what is right against against the best the secular humanists have to throw at them.

San Francisco, CA – Today Liberty Counsel is filing a motion to intervene in the recent lawsuit against California’s Marriage Amendment (Prop 8). Attorney David Boies and former Solicitor General Ted Olson filed a federal lawsuit against California’s marriage amendment, claiming that it violates the U.S. Constitution. Liberty Counsel is representing the Campaign for California Families (Campaign).

Shortly after the amendment passed in November, three lawsuits were filed at the California Supreme Court by same-sex marriage advocates, also claiming that Prop 8 violates the state constitution. In May, the California Supreme Court upheld Prop 8, affirming the constitutional amendment that defines marriage as only the union of one man and one woman. This new lawsuit now claims that the marriage amendment violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Liberty Counsel has represented the Campaign in the defense of marriage in California for more than five years, arguing at the state trial and appellate court and the California Supreme Court. Liberty Counsel also represented the Campaign as Intervenor and argued in federal district and appellate courts in defense of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The federal courts threw out the challenge to the federal DOMA. Now California marriage laws are again under attack. Since Attorney General Jerry Brown is not likely to vigorously defend California’s marriage laws, Liberty Counsel has requested to once again intervene on behalf of the Campaign to defend the marriage amendment.

Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: “The battle for marriage continues in California. Redefining marriage to include same-sex unions would undermine marriage and the family and would have significant negative social consequences. The United States Supreme Court has previously hinted that the U.S. Constitution does not grant a right for same-sex couples to marry. Common sense and a quick read of the Constitution say there is no such right to same-sex marriage.”

# # #

Liberty Counsel is one of several groups of attorneys gathered to help people stand against an overreaching government. Two others that come to mind are The Rutherford Institute and the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).

My wife and I depended heavily on the helpful advice we received from ACLJ when we battled the local school district and their affinity for a local group called the Richmond Organization for Sexual Minority Youth... and we won! The point of all this is that we will most likely be facing ever increasing challenges from a government that neither shares nor respects the values that made this country great.

These people are here to help us fight the good fight. While we are never alone when we are doing the right thing, having the advice and help of any of these organizations may make all the difference in the world. Don't be afraid to contact them and don't just sit on the sidelines when you see something is wrong. Just remember: the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.

Bono-Mack, Castle, Kirk, McHugh, Reichert, Smith, LoBiondo, Lance – names of Republicans who voted with the Democrats to pass the abomination called cap and trade. The sad thing about this is that we have come to expect the party of Barack Hussein Obama to sell out their countrymen in the quest of power and control. We used to expect more of Republicans, but recent events have shaken our belief that the Republican Party was really the party of smaller government and free enterprise. These eight could have helped put some luster back on that image. They chose not to do so. The

y chose, instead, to accept the unproven and highly suspect global warming theories and take an action guaranteed to ruin the economy of our once and future great nation. These house members, chose to leave their fellow party members to follow a fantasy. Some will say they showed courage and followed their consciences... doing the right thing and all that. That is what they often said about the party's eminently successful presidential candidate last November.

There are areas where we can have differing view points, and there are issues that go the heart of who we are, as a party and as a nation. It's like Jim Croce once wrote “After all it's what we've done that makes us what we are.” What they've done is turned their backs on those who were supposed to be their allies and gave the victory to those who would rule over us. I will leave it to the reader to decide what that makes them.

In some ways, it may not have made much difference in the ultimate outcome. However by sticking their thumbs in the eyes of all their constituents who called, wrote, faxed and emailed them objecting to this form of madness, they gave several Democrats a free pass. It is apparent that Speaker Pelosi let some of her minions vote against the bill as their votes were not necessary for passage. So, not only did they make their own re-election more difficult, which is not a bad thing, but they gave cover to several other would be socialists who did not have to annoy their constituents with an unpopular position.

Given the districts these people represented... east coast, west coast and Illinois, it may be possible that they are the best the Republicans could elect. I don't know that this is the fact, but this is the party line: that we have to accept those who lean toward progressive thinking if we are to win. Then I have to ask, what is the point? Are we just going to concede these areas to the statists and be happy that some of the statists are wearing the right jersey?

This is the “big tent” thinking in operation. What it really means is that we either don't know what we believe, or we don't have the confidence in our beliefs to present them forcefully in a way that helps people catch the vision of freedom. I believe much of this comes from the professional politicians who cynically view their careers as more important that any issue. We may have been able to let that pass in the past when we were not faced with such an assault on what it means to be an American, the values our country stood for and the freedom we once had.

Today we are fighting battles on far too many fronts: the economy, health care, environmental extremism, hostility to Christians... the list could go on and on... we cannot afford to let the self-serving political types determine the direction of the opposition party or of our country. It's time to put up with more dates on our calendars and more lost sleep as we work to restore the country to what is once was and what it can be again.

The “big tent” is really not a bad idea, as long as it's filled with conservatives and libertarians. Now is the time to do it, while we can do it peacefully... before Washington controls every area of our life and treats us, not as citizens to be respected, but as pawns to be manipulated and taxed to carry out their grandiose schemes that leave us with nothing but a tax bill.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” So says one of the most important documents in the history of the United States of America: the Declaration of Independence. The realization of these rights was the whole point of the bloody struggle to break free from the control of the British crown that saw itself as the originator and dispenser of rights to the people, both at home and in the colonies.

The signers of this document pledged “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” to establishing a government in the new land where these rights to life, liberty and so much more were recognized. Once free of the oppressive monarch, they set about to create a system where the people were the ultimate authority and government answered to its employers: the citizens.

They laboriously created a constitutional plan where three branches were supposed to balance each other so no one reigned supreme. They did this by limiting the reach of the legislative, executive and judicial branches to restrain dictatorial rule. So concerned were some of the leaders immediately following the presentation of the document that it did not sufficiently restrain the power of the central government that its ratification by all the states could not have been accomplished without the promise of additional guarantees of individual freedoms and restraints on governmental power. Hence the first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, quickly followed acceptance of the original document.

Many today believe they have the rights of free speech, religion, personal protection through firearms because of these amendments. In reality, every human being has these rights, because they were bought into being by a loving creator who wants to see each one of us live and prosper to the best of our abilities. Then why was it necessary to codify them in the constitution? The answer is the same as for any other provision of the constitution, and that is so the government would recognize the limits of its power.

If we were to take the approach that the piece of paper granted us these rights, we would be in the precarious position of leaving them up to what ever men, legislative body or judiciary panel would decide to give us. This would return us to the plight of the colonists under King George. Our creator created us to be free and governments that fail to recognize these rights are operating in violation of what the founding fathers called “natural law”, which was the law that was self evident to anyone with the Christian background of these men.

Why is this important? If these rights are unalienable as our founders believed, they are existent apart from any decree from DC. On the other hand, if they come from men, they can be taken away by men. We then have no recourse if these men (or women) decide that we have few or none of the rights laid out by our forefathers. Worse yet, by doing this, we move from being citizens in charge of our government to being its subjects.

This is the price the secular humanists are willing to pay to eliminate the Christian influence from our great country. Their fear of the absolute moral teaching coming from the Word of God leads them to accept enslavement to whims of leaders, ultimately a much more heavy handed control, but without the moral measurement of the ten commandments.

This is the underlying basis of the entire culture war in our country... but it isn't really cultural, it is spiritual.

The cash for clunkers is one more plan by the Barack Hussein Obama that not only attempts to make all of us good little subjects, but actually transfers wealth to his supporters who comply. The idea of the government giving $4500 toward the purchase of a new or late model car, if it is a car approved by our beneficent government is opposed by the 54% who understand the implications of this incentive program.

Only about a third (35% according to a recent Rasmussen poll), think it's a good idea, with government employees giving it higher marks than the general population. That pretty much aligns with the number of hard core Democrats... maybe even the future number of government workers. This form of social engineering is an attempt to get people to buy cars that both foreign and domestic manufacturers have been producing, but people have not been buying in significant quantities. They are trying to get people to purchase smaller, lighter, more fuel efficient vehicles that most people understand instinctively are more cramped and hazardous to their occupants.

I am wondering how many of us are willing to put our children and, in my case, grand children, at greater risk to solve a problem that, most likely, does not even exist? For the presidents rabid environmentalist supporters who believe that man's presence is detrimental to the earth itself, the answer is simple. The earth must survive, even if I and my family do not.

These undersized and generally underpowered machines are touted to have passed the regular safety tests our big brother now imposes on all vehicles sold in the US. This is great, but they leave out the getting-run-over-by-an-SUV test and don't even think about an eighteen wheeler.

The other problem with this, besides the safety issue, is that our country has an almost ten percent unemployment rate, many people are struggling to get by. Many have learned that debt, while it lets you get nice things now, is killing them financially. They have put off buying a new, or late model, car so they can get their financial house in order. The government is, once again, enticing these people to act against their best interest and go into debt to buy another vehicle that they may not really need, but will make mother earth and the environmental extremists happy.

Perhaps the worst part of the plan is that it takes borrowed money and gives it to a favored few who can already afford a car and leaves it to future generations to pay back. It does not help the general welfare of the citizens, unless one buys the argument that everyone benefits from the marginally cleaner air and more stable climate these cars will facilitate. If one does not understand the logic of our betters, it's just more money taken from everyone and flushed down the drain into the pockets of the favored few.

Should some readers believe this is a good idea, or think it's a bad idea, but are willing to take advantage of it anyway, it's been suggested that even if you don't have a suitable junker to trade in, go out an buy a $700 clunker to trade for the $4500 credit. Apparently to prosper in this new world order, it helps to have a larcenous streak with no conscience to get in the way.