Michael Steele Wins It

It took six ballots and a lot of persistence, but Michael Steele has just become the first African-American to be chairman of the Replubilcan National Committee.

If you're prepared to be an obstructionist, "Get ready to be knocked over," Steele told a cheering crowd at the Capitol Hilton, moments after he defeated South Carolina Chairman Katon Dawson by a vote of 91 to 77.

Steele, a former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, referred to the GOP as a "conservative party" and promised Republicans could expect "something different."

Rush Recognizes Phyllis Schlafly On Air

"All you can do is let the grassroots take it over. That's had to have been done a number of times, by the way. It's what Reagan had to do.

You wouldn't believe the unsung heroes from 1976 on that were working the grassroots, people like Paul Weyrich and Phyllis Schlafly, you would not believe all the work that was going on without any fanfare, to take over the grassroots so that local elections and primary elections and congressional and Senate races were won by conservative candidates."

We Must Persevere

Wise words from Erick Ericksen of RedState.

I got an email yesterday. The correspondent wrote:

"I truly appreciate and support your efforts; however I have to admit my total frustration in having failed to stop the Treasury nomination, it is an offensive move. I called everyone but end up talking with one of the volunteers at the Senator's offices and I truly wonder about this strategy effectiveness. Maybe we need to pursue a different approach. Please advise."

We are not meant in the course of our activism to be always successful. We will have moments of success and they will be large and they will be small. But sometimes we will not be successful.

The persistent widow in Luke 18 had to keep going to the judge who "neither feared God nor cared about men." She "kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'" She persisted and the judge finally said, "Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!"

It is the same with an activist. We must persevere.

Yesterday the Politico ran a story on Jim DeMint filled with invective from anonymous Republican staffers in the Senate. They hate Jim DeMint because he perseveres. He is not always successful, but sometimes he is. And if he perseveres, at some point, he will prevail.

DeMint, in the article, said something very wise about the present Republican leadership. He said "that lawmakers in both parties 'only respond to pain.'"

Again, we don't expect to be successful all the time. We will have set backs. That is the nature of the political game. We must also accept that some people have good reasons for doing what they do, though we disagree with them. But we must also expect and demand that we are respected as the base of the party. We must fight and our fight must frequently induce pain on our own side. It is frequently the only way to make headway.

Persevere and fight on.

We will be sometimes defeated. We will be sometimes victorious. But most importantly, we won't be idly complaining and yelling into the wind - we'll be working to make a difference.

It is no good to complain and not act. It is very good to act without complaint and fight the good fight until the setting of the sun.

Persevere. And relish victories like we had last night - the House Republicans heard us and stood united against Barack Obama's socialist stimulus plan.

A Good Day For Conservatives

This was a brutally intense day, but citizens held elected leaders feet to the fire and it resulted in ALL Republicans House members opposing this very bad stimulus bill…and even 11 reasonable Democrats were swayed to vote against it.

Well done!

My thanks to every Washington state citizen who used their voice to make a difference. The battle over the stimulus bill now shifts to the Senate where we will once again fight for what’s right.

It would be great if you would take a moment and thank the our stalwart Republicans - McMorris-Rodgers, Hastings, and Reichert - who dared to face the giant with their vote.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers - (202) 225-2006
Doc Hastings - (202) 225-5816

Dave Reichert - (202) 225-7761

Now this from Michelle Malkin:

I’ve been doing a lot of Republican-bashing the past few weeks. Watching the Republicans crumble on the Geithner and Holder nominations, swoon over The One’s congeniality, and display indecision over the stimulus hasn’t been easy on the stomach or the head.

But credit must be given where it is due. Today was a very good day for conservatism — and a good day for the party whose logo I’ve had to run upside-down for too long.

Thank you, GOP.

And this from FRC:

Although the stimulus bill passed this evening 244-188, the GOP did set in motion a new era of opposition, voting unanimously against a bill that would take government into the final frontiers of universal health care and federalized education. In the face of the most popular incoming President since JFK, Republicans stood together in statement of solidarity. We applaud them for showing real backbone against unprecedented government expansion.

[Thanks Michelle Malkin for the elephant picture!]

As Citizen Speak Out Stimulus Is Flying Everywhere! KEEP CALLING!

Exposing what is actually in the Democrat Bailout Bill is a full time job itself - $335 million for sexually transmitted diseases is the latest revelation.

One thing is very clear, as citizens speak out stimulus is flying everywhere!
So let's turn up the heat on our elected leaders! Melt their phones lines!

“This is not change you can believe in,” said Sen. Jim DeMint of Barack Obama’s stimulus plan, “This is business as usual in Washington.”

Republicans, are taking a stand against the $825-billion bailout plan. Since conservatives are in the minority, the way to get things done is to “take it to the people.”

Citizens can get information on the stimulus bill at a new website http://www.readthestimulus.org/.

Please call, and then urge others to call. Citizens informed and active can make a difference!

Call Our Senators:

Maria Cantwell - (202) 224-3441
Patty Murray - (202) 224-2621

Call Your Representatives:

1st District: Jay Inslee - (202) 225–6311
2nd District: Rick Larsen - (202) 225-2605
3rd District: Brian Baird - (202) 225-3536
4th District: Doc Hastings - (202) 225-5816
5th District: Cathy McMorris Rodgers - (202) 225-2006
6th District: Norm Dicks - (202) 225-5916
7th District: Jim McDermott - (202) 225-3106
8th District: Dave Reichert - (202) 225-7761
9th District: Adam Smith - (202) 225-8901

Million$ of Rea$on$ to Oppo$e

There are literally millions of reasons to oppose the Democrat stimulus bill. Check out some of their plans for your hard earned money from RedState:

$650 million for digital TV coupons.
$600 million for new cars for the federal government.
$6 billion for colleges/universities – many which have billion dollar endowments.
$50 million in funding for the National Endowment of the Arts.
$44 million for repairs to U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters.
$200 million for the National Mall, including $21 million for sod.

The plan establishes at least 32 new government programs at a cost of over $136 billion. That means more than a third of this plan’s spending provisions are dedicated to creating new government programs.

The plan provides spending in at least 150 different federal programs.

This isn't a plan, it's a scam! And it's obviously not about growing the economy but about growing government. It's not about us, but all about them.

Stimulus - Spending or Relief

The House is scheduled to vote on H.R. 1 later this week. Although Democrats are marketing the bill as an economic stimulus package it is nothing more than a $825 billion spending spree containing a tremendous amount of pork, few meaningful measures to stimulate the economy, and the expected perks for their radical left causes, including:

• Hundreds of millions of dollars for family planning including abortion providers.

• Billions of dollars for left-wing groups like ACORN, which has been accused of voter fraud.

• 1.1 billion dollars for "Comparative Effectiveness Research," the cornerstone of nationalized health care

• More massive education spending increases with no accountability.

There is a powerful alternative.

The Republican Study Committee has introduced the Economic Recovery and Middle-Class Relief Act of 2009 as an alternative to the Democrats' big-spending plan.

While the Democrats' plan simply prescribes more government spending during a time of record-breaking budget deficits, the RSC bill is a pro-growth alternative that unleashes the potential of American businesses, investors, and entrepreneurs.

The RSC plan provides incentive-based relief to individuals and job creators in order to reduce the burden that the government places on both employers and employees.

Economic recovery is not easy, but it must begin with responsible solutions that will invigorate the private sector, not another big-government handout.

Let Congress know which plan you support.

U.S. Senators:
Maria Cantwell - (202) 224-3441
Patty Murray - (202) 224-2621
U.S. Representatives:
1st District: Jay Inslee - (202) 225–6311
2nd District: Rick Larsen - (202) 225-2605
3rd District: Brian Baird - (202) 225-3536
4th District: Doc Hastings - (202) 225-5816
5th District: Cathy McMorris Rodgers - (202) 225-2006
6th District: Norm Dicks - (202) 225-5916
7th District: Jim McDermott - (202) 225-3106
8th District: Dave Reichert - (202) 225-7761
9th District: Adam Smith - (202) 225-8901

They Don't Want To Hear - So Call!!

Word from DC is the confirmation vote on Treasury Secretary-designee Tim Geithner will be Monday...and they DON'T want to hear from you!

You know what that means...CALL NOW!

Please call our Senators and ask them to VOTE NO on the Geithner nomination.

• Geithner knowingly failed to pay his taxes, even after an IRS audit exposed his "mistake."
• As the person responsible for collecting taxes from every American,
  his failure should disqualify him.

Sen. Murray 202-224-2621
Sen. Cantwell 202-224-3441

And if you're up for it also call Senate leadership and urge them to take a principled stand against Geithner:

Majority Leader Harry Reid: 202-224-5556
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: 202-224-3135
Majority Whip Richard Durbin: 202-224-9447
Minority Whip Jon Kyl: 202-224-2708

Don't wait. Call now. Then spread the word to others.

Fair and Balanced

Actual headlines from Bush’s inauguration 4 years ago:

"Republicans spending $42 million on inauguration while troops die in unarmored Humvees"

"Bush extravagance exceeds any reason during tough economic times"

"Fat cats get their $42 million inauguration party, Ordinary Americans get the shaft"

Actual headlines from Obama’s inauguration this week:

"Historic Obama Inauguration will cost only $120 million"

"Obama Spends $120 million on inauguration; America Needs A Big Party"

"Everyman Obama shows America how to celebrate"

"Citibank executives contribute $8 million to Obama Inauguration" [hey, didn’t we just bail them out??]

Committed to Abortion

"I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose."

~ President Barack Obama

January 22, 2009

More Vote By Mail Fraud

Here's the latest Washington State vote-by-mail ballot fraud reported by Stefan Sharkansky:

Of 653,462 King County absentee ballots that were mailed on time, roughly 7,400 were rejected for mismatched signatures -- a stunning 1.1%

Roughly 3,300 of the rejected signatures were "cured" by the voters who had to submit affidavits. The other 4,130 votes (0.63% of returned mail ballots) were thrown in the trash because election workers decided that the signature on the envelope didn't match the signature on file.

Ballot forgery can and does happen. But I would find it hard to believe that the number of forged ballots approaches 1% of the total cast.

I've documented numerous cases of non-matching signatures accepted and matching signatures rejected. If 3,300/7,400 ballots are known to be wrongly rejected, God only knows how many are wrongly accepted.

Can anybody in a position of responsibility finally admit that "signature verification" in a vote-by-mail scenario doesn't provide the security and accuracy that voting requires?

What A Difference A Day Makes

If you visited the White House website yesterday morning, you would have been introduced to a defense of the right to life, the need for lower taxes and the sanctity of traditional marriage.

But within hours, as power changed from a president of one party to a president of another, all that was gone. By mid-afternoon the White House website had undergone an “extreme makeover,” with the extreme agenda of the new administration front and center.

Here are just a few examples:

• Abortion: “he [President Obama] has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice [abortion on demand] and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Administration.”

• Homosexual rights: “President Obama and Vice President Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation… President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. …President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation.”

• On taxes and the economy, he is promising to hike tax rates on successful families and small businesses back to Clinton-era levels, raise payroll taxes, again raise the minimum wage and then index it for inflation.

Of course, changes to the White House website by the new administration were to be expected. But the radical changes in policy outlined there today underscore the consequences of elections past and future, as well the challenges ahead for those who cherish our time-honored traditional values, which do not change with the winds of political fortunes.

Gary Bauer, American Values

Gregoire's Hand Is Out

That didn’t take long - her hand is out to the feds already.

According to the PI, on Tuesday Governor Gregoire said that her No. 1 request from the new Obama government is for a stimulus package. She said she worries about layoffs and unemployment and wants them to “hand out” economic stimulus to the states that would allow us to keep state workers and programs.

…or we could be a bit forward thinking and self sufficient and do what we can to stimulate business and growth.

Let’s create free market solutions not sell our souls to government growth and solutions.

Let’s reduce taxes that take desperately needed funds from existing businesses large and small.

Let’s unleash businesses from governments strangling regulations that hold them back and keep them down.

Just a thought.

3753 Human Casualties Daily

If the prolife position is correct, the 3,753 abortions occurring every day represent 3,753 human casualties.

And though none of these deaths is reported on the evening news (though the same unborn child killed by a bullet would be), each aborted child is just as real and just as valuable as older children.

If these unborn are really babies, then America has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.

Randy Alcorn,

Never Despair

"We should never despair, our situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better, so I trust, it will again.

If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth new exertions and proportion our efforts to the exigency of the times."

~ George Washington

Obama - Four Years To Save Earth

Barack Obama has only four years to save the world.

That is the stark assessment of Nasa scientist and leading climate expert Jim Hansen who last week warned only urgent action by the new president could halt the devastating climate change that now threatens Earth.

Crucially, that action will have to be taken within Obama's first administration he added.

Break out the Botox

It's inauguration party time. and Washington, D.C.-area cosmetic dermatologists say despite the sagging economy, requests for quickie cosmetic fixes like Botox have picked up during the last few weeks as people pretty-up for inaugural fetes.

"We have been absolutely swamped since the election with people desiring rejuvenation procedures for the upcoming inauguration," says Washington, D.C., cosmetic dermatologist Tina Alster.

"My normal load for cosmetic procedures has doubled."

Democrats Push State Income Tax

Here is comes:

Senate Bill 5104 (Creating a State Income Tax)Introduced by Sen. Rosa Franklin, (D-Tacoma) (D) on January 13, 2009, creates a Washington state income tax for the stated purpose of providing the necessary revenues for the support of vital state services on a more stable and equitable basis.

A Bitter Blast

It appears that a bitter blast of Artic air is now headed East...just in time for the Obama inaugural festivities.

The Real Party of Change

There is a time to be polite and there's a time to be assertive, and I want to be assertive.

I always talk about what's right about conservatism. I always talk about the conservative principles that are out there.

That's not the same as talking up the GOP, which is still led by moderates and appeasers, and I'm not going to talk up the GOP when it's not led by conservatives!

It's the party that has to change, not me. It's the party that has to change, not the voters.

If they want to win elections, conservatives have to get hold of that party.

~ Rush Limbaugh

Effective Tax Cuts

Tax cuts stimulate the economy when they involve reductions in tax rates.

The reduction in rates improves incentives for savings, investment, business creation and expansion, job creation, entrepreneurship, and work, by allowing people to keep a greater percentage of the reward produced by these activities. This improves the economy not just by the dollar amount of the tax cut.

The improved incentives affect every economic decision and every dollar in the entire economy.

The astoundingly successful Reagan tax cuts in the 1980s, as well as the astoundingly successful Kennedy tax cuts of the 1960s, were both based on reducing tax rates, and were successful for these reasons.

Obama the Centrist?

Centrist?

Obama wants to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on pork-barrel projects. Much more than Clinton tried to do. And much of his tax cut consists of sending checks to people.

If the federal government is writing a check to someone, that’s not a tax cut, that’s spending.

And the president-elect claims his spending will create 3 million jobs–20 percent or 600,000 of them will be government workers.

That’s like adding another post office on the backs of taxpayers.

This is the most left-wing big-spending president in American history, and he’s not even in office yet.

by Grover Norquist

If Somebody's Got A Better Idea...

As Democrats squirm under the unwelcome restraint of their looming budget deficit (yes, I said THEIR budget deficit) it was interesting to me to read the challenge made by Marty Brown, Gov. Gregoire's legislative director.

Apparently majority Democrats are reviewing the proposed cuts before considering "alternative solutions" ....like taxes.

"If somebody's got a better idea, we're open to it,"Brown said.

Republicans, this is your cue to step up to the plate and present to the people those better ideas.

Always Remember This:

Regardless of what the liberal left would have you believe, you live in the greatest nation that has ever existed on the earth, and God is still in control.

The Point Is Truth

History....But No God

The new Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, which is now where every visitor will arrive to see the nation’s Capitol, opened yesterday with 580,000 square feet of displays and $621,000,000 worth of history, but no God.

In what appears to be an intentional misrepresentation of the nation’s religious roots, visitors will enter the center reading a large engraving:
We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.

This reminded me of the celebration of the goddess Reason in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on November 10, 1792. There were some similarities between the American and French Revolutions. But that was not one of them. Reason was big here. But she was not yet God.

He quotes George Washington’s first inaugural address, not to prove that we are a Christian nation, but simply to show that the designers of the new visitor center have rewritten history in order to be politically correct.

…[I]t would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official Act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe, who presides in the Councils of Nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that his benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the People of the United States, a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes: and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success, the functions allotted to his charge.

DeMint’s point is not Christian advocacy. The point is truth. Caring about that is one of the biggest differences between 1787, when our constitution was written, and now.

John Piper

How Stands The City On Our Watch?

By Mark Alexander

In the aftermath of a momentous election, an election sure to change the course of our nation, it is tempting to despair. On this Thanksgiving, though, let us resist that powerful temptation and instead take stock of the blessings of liberty.

President Ronald Reagan often cited the Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving as our forebears who charted the path of American freedom. He made frequent reference to John Winthrop's "shining city upon a hill."

As Reagan explained, "The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free."

Who were these "freedom men," and how did they eventually blaze the path of true liberty? They were Calvinist Protestants who rejected the institutional Church of England, believing that worshipping God must originate freely in the individual soul, without coercion. Suffering persecution and imprisonment in England for their beliefs, a group of these separatists fled to Holland in 1608. There, they found spiritual liberty in the midst of a disjointed economy that failed to provide adequate compensation for their labors, and a dissolute, degraded, corrupt culture that tempted their children to stray from faith.

Determined to protect their families from such spiritual and cultural dangers, the Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620, sailing for a new world that offered the promise of both civil and religious liberty. After an arduous journey, they dropped anchor off the coast of what is now Massachusetts.

On 11 December 1620, prior to disembarking at Plymouth Rock, they signed the Mayflower Compact, America's original document of civil government. It was the first to introduce self-government, and the foundation on which the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were built. Governor William Bradford described the Compact as "a combination ... that when they came a shore they would use their owne libertie; for none had power to command them."

Upon landing, the Pilgrims conducted a prayer service and quickly turned to building shelters. Under harrowing conditions, the colonists persisted through prayer and hard work, reaping a bountiful summer harvest. But their material prosperity soon evaporated, for the Pilgrims had erred in acquiescing to their European investors' demands for a financial arrangement holding all crops and property in common, in order to return an agreed-to half to their overseas backers.

By 1623, however, Plymouth Colony was near failure as a result of famine, blight and drought, as well as excessive taxation and what amounted to forced collectivization.

In desperation, the Pilgrims set a day for prayers of repentance; God answered, delivering a gentle rainfall by evening. Bradford's diary recounts how the colonists repented in action: "At length, after much debate of things, the Governor (with the advice of the chiefest amongst them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves; in all other things to go in the general way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their number."

Property ownership and families freely laboring on their own behalf replaced the "common store," but only after their ill-advised experiment with communism nearly wiped out the entire settlement.

In their simple representative government, born out of dedication to religious freedom, the Pilgrims replaced the rule of men -- with its arbitrary justice administered capriciously at the whim of rulers who favor some at the expense of others -- with the rule of law, treating individuals equally. Yet even these "freedom men" strayed under straits. So could we, if we revert to materialistic government reliance instead of grateful obedience to God. Sadly, we're a long way down that path already.

Closing his farewell address in 1989, Ronald Reagan asked, "And how stands the city on this winter night?" Contemplating our blessings of liberty this Thanksgiving, nearly 20 years after President Reagan left office and 20 generations past the Pilgrims' experience, how stands the city on our watch?

A Top-Down Problem

I just received the WA House Republican press release regarding the election of their new leadership team. Rep Richard DeBolt - Chehalis was re-elected as House Republican Leader.

His statement reads: “Our state has been under one-party control since 2005. Today, we have the largest budget deficit in state history, health insurance costs are at an all time high, and education and transportation systems face unprecedented challenges”.

He then adds: “These problems are too big for one party to solve and the best public policy comes from the center."

Say what??

And then, few paragraphs later, he laments about Republican being outspent three-to-one during this election cycle.

I would like to draw a correlation between those three things for Rep. DeBolt to help him clear things up a bit.

First, it is the liberal-left policies of Democrats that have resulted in all the "challenges" he lists.

Second, when Republicans continually abandon principle by jumping to the middle they fail the people of our state and the party they were elected to represent.

Third, the lack of money he laments about is a direct reflection of Republicans withholding their financial support from a party that has abandoned its priorities and principles.

Both voters and donors are sending this message. Is anybody listening?

Apparently this is a top-down problem.

The Great Exchange

Over the years, I’ve seen people become increasingly anxious that government should provide for many, if not all, of their needs.

When you hear a radio or TV spot denouncing the President for “taking away our jobs,” or, conversely, praising a would-be President who will “bring jobs to our state” (not to mention fix the economy, provide universal health insurance, and feed, clothe, and house us all), what are you hearing? Isn’t the message-within-the-message, “The government must take care of me”?

Of course, the deadly danger to a democracy here lies in what I call the Great Exchange. The more people find they can get from the government, the more power over their lives they will surrender to the government. The more power the government gets, the less freedom the governed will have.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “If a man won’t work, he shouldn’t eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). The book of Proverbs is chock full of admonitions to labor and diligence. Why all these warnings and admonitions?

It’s self-evident that work—purposeful, productive activity—enhances our humanity. Witness the number of retired men who literally don’t know what to do with themselves (with wives only too happy to give them something to do).

The Bible indicates that work is one mark of the image of God in us (cf. Genesis 2:15; John 5:17). To surrender, then, our freedom to work for that which sustains us is to surrender a valuable part of our humanity.

Understand, now, I’m not talking about people who can’t work, any more than the Bible does. Indeed, the church has the responsibility to look after widows and orphans (James 2:27). The criteria Jesus uses at the Last Judgment includes whether we clothed the naked and fed the hungry (Matthew 25:35-36).

In too many places, the church has cheerfully turned over her responsibility to care for the truly needy within her ranks to the government.

Is government, then, more Christian than the Christians who’ve sloughed off what Jesus told them to do? I think not! That’s because those who govern are worried about power, not poverty.

The first order of politics is get in power. If elected, the candidate’s next concern is stay in power. How will such a man campaign, upon what platform will he stand, when he knows that people will turn out in droves to vote for their own largesse?

What frightens me is the growing idea that federal power can solve all our ills. Listen to the ads buzzing like flies at election time, singing the praises of Our Candidate (while damning The Other Guy): Our man will change the country! Our man will give you everything you need and, come to think of it, all you’ve ever wanted! Our man will make all your dreams come true!
What they fail to realize is that, in the process, they must surrender more and more of their freedom.

The erosion of personal responsibility at all levels of life should concern all Americans, but particularly American Christians. After all, what does a Christian do? He works, if he can. He doesn’t pray to the state for his daily bread but to the Father in Heaven. He gives Caesar what is Caesar’s, yes, but not without giving God what is His.

Gary D. Robinson

I Intend To Fight!

We live in a free country. There will be other elections. In the meantime, there will be major battles over life, marriage, war and peace, taxes, judges and a host of things we can’t even anticipate right now.

After 2000 and 2004, the radical Left did not fold up and go away quietly. It immediately redoubled its efforts to defeat us. Leftwing groups organized, raised money, registered voters and, finally, yesterday they succeeded.

Will we be as tough and committed as they were? Or will we slink away demoralized and defeated?

I have already made my decision. I intend to fight!

I intend to do everything I can to save innocent unborn children and preserve normal marriage.

I will defend our country from the Islamofascists and resist the Big Government socialists who want to turn us into Europe.

I will defend free enterprise and the entrepreneurs who grow our economy and create jobs.

I am counting on not being alone.

~ Gary Bauer

A Prayer for America on Election Day

Americans head for the voting precincts today as the 2008 election is now at hand. Already, some 20 million citizens have voted through early voting options. Some expect a record turn-out for today's election. In any event, millions of citizens will participate in the first duty of freedom -- the freedom to vote.

There is so much at stake. We hear every election cycle that the stakes have never beeen higher. In one sense, this is usually also true. There is always the sense that there is more at stake this year than last, and, given the way issues unfold, that perception often seems validated by the times.

Christians face the responsibility to vote, not only as citizens, but as Christians who seekt to honor and follow Christ in all things. But, beyond the vote, we also bear responsibility to pray for our nation.

First, we should pray that God will bless America with leaders better than we deserve. Democratic systems inevitably reflect the electorate's decisions, and these decisions reveal underlying worldviews. And, truth be told, all we can expect from democracy is the government we deserve. We must pray for a government and for leaders better than we deserve. May God grant us mercy as he reigns and rules over all things, including this election.

Second, we should pray that Americans will motivated to fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship, yet also that we will be stripped of an unhealthy and idolatrous confidence in the power of government to save us. God has given us the gift of rulers and governments in order to restrain evil, uphold righteousness, and provide for civil order. No human ruler can save. No government official or office holder can heal the human heart, solve the sin problem, or accomplish final justice. These powers belong to God and God alone.

Third, we must pray that Americans will vote by conscience, not merely on the basis of celebrity or emotion. Christian citizens must vote to uphold righteousness and contend for righteous and just laws. But, at the same time, we must repent of moralism and the tacit assumption that better laws would produce better people.

Fourth, we must pray that Americans will vote to defend the least among us -- and especially those who have no vote. This starts, but does not end, with concern for the unborn and for the recovery of respect for the dignity and sanctity of every single human life at every stage of development, from conception until natural death.

Fifth, we should pray that God will prick the conscience of the nation on issues of morality, righteousness, and respect for marriage as the central institution of human civilization. So much ground appears to have been lost on these issues. We need to pray that much ground can be regained.

Sixth, we should pray that God will protect these candidates and their families. They have been through an arduous ordeal and now face the deadline of the vote. They are physically exhausted and now face the judgment of the people. They are public figures, but they are also flesh and blood human beings, who are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters. Their families have withstood much. We should pray for their marriages and their children. May God protect them.

Seventh, we should pray that the election is conducted with honor, civility, respect, and justice. We must pray that we do not face another round of litigation after an election. This brings democracy into disrepute. May there be a clear winner, not a contested result.

Eighth, we must pray that Americans will be prepared to accept the results of the election with respect and kindness. This will be no time for rancor, condemnations, and conspiracy theories. Instead, we must pray that God will settle the hearts of the people. May Christians be ready to respond with prayer, respect for office, and a gentle spirit. Others will be watching.

Ninth, we should pray that this election would lead to even greater opportunities to preach the Gospel, and that the freedom of the church will be respected, honored, and protected.

Tenth, we must pray for the church, praying that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ would be strengthened in the truth, grounded in the faith, and empowered for witness and ministry. May the church, the sign of the coming kingdom, be faithful to declare the Gospel -- knowing that this is the only message that will save.May God grant us mercy and grace as we seek to fulfil our responsibilities as citizens -- and our responsibilities as Christians. This world is not our home, but we do bear responsibilities as followers of Christ as we are living here.

May God bless America, not because this nation deserves to be blessed, but because He is a God of grace and mercy.

Oh God . . . save us from ourselves.

Dr. Albert Mohler

Our Moment to Defend Life

There is an issue that supersedes every other issue in this election.

That issue is life.

Please watch this 4 minute video from America's Choice Now.

This is a moment we may look back on for the rest of our lives, a moment where we can make a difference in our nation's for life.

This is a moment. This is our moment.

"Now choose life, so you and your children may live."

~ Duet 30:19b

Biden: "Is this a joke?" No!

You gotta love how Biden can dish it out, but can't take it. Watch this!

My Top Five Reads

I have just posted five important articles on our WA Eagle Forum website that I hope you will read by simply clicking on the title:

Hot Topics:
The Conservative Challenge
Same-Sex Marriage 'Whether You Like It or Not'
Gateway to Obama's 'Change'
Felon Vote Can Tip Election
WA State's Runaway Minimum Wage Escalator

Self Government

In 1675 and 1676, the colonies were reeling under the onslaught of King Philip’s War. The streets of towns like Swansea and Dartmouth, Taunton and Sudbury were littered with the bodies of mutilated men, women and children. It appeared as if nothing could withstand the force of thousands of King Philip’s braves.

In the midst of this, Peter Folger, the grandfather of Benjamin Franklin, wrote these words:

If we then truly turn to God,

He will remove His ire.

And will forthwith take this His rod

And cast it in the fire.

Let us then search what is the sin

That God doth punish for;

And when found out,

cast it away,And ever it abhor.

Peter Marshall writes:“By April 1676, there was scarcely a man or woman in all of New England who was not diligently searching his or her own soul for unconfessed or unrepented sin. In fact, it became unpatriotic not to do so—as if one were not doing one’s part for the war effort.”

Four months later the war was over. It cost this nation proportionately more lives than any war we have fought since.

But there is a lesson here that we have forgotten. It is in the midst of trials and trouble that God’s people must turn to Him, on repentant knees, not seeking to find ultimate blame in others.

If we are to turn this nation around, we must again be forthright in recognizing the real cause of social upheavals and be willing to deal with them rightly: selfishness, greed, lust, coveting, lying, stealing…not only at the individual level, but at the corporate and governmental levels.

These are times that call for repentance, not recrimination.

These are times that call for self denial, not self-actualization.

These are times that call for bravery and courage, not fear and retreat.

For these are actually times of great opportunity…for we are not like those who are “without hope and without God in this world” (Eph 2:12).

When the night is the darkest, a light shines its brightest.

~ Dr. Del Tackett

...And The Line Forms

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has now asked the Treasury Department for a $7 billion bailout claiming the money is needed to avoid having to shut down state operations because the state fund is empty until sales and tax revenues can be collected. [sigh]

Congratulations

Congratulations taxpayers, you are now the owners of a $700 BILLION dollar bailout.

Slavery...or Freedom

“No man in his senses can hesitate in choosing to be free, rather than a slave.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

The prospect of an Obama presidency, supported by a legislative branch controlled by like-minded liberals, and only the slightest conservative margin in the judicial branch, poses a greater risk to American liberty than any domestic enemy in our nation’s great history.

Should Obama defeat John McCain in the only opinion poll that matters this election cycle, the poll on Tuesday, 4 November (merely 32 days from now), that would be a stunning offense of staggering proportions to our national heritage, an offense equaled only by the impending assault against the liberties set forth in our U.S. Constitution following an Obama inauguration

Read the rest of this important article in this weeks The Patriot Post.

Sarah Rocks!

By Michelle Malkin

First, I would like to see all the Sarah doubters and detractors in the Beltway/Manhattan corridor eat their words.

Eat them.

Sarah Palin is the real deal. Five weeks on the campaign trail, thrust onto the national stage, she rocked tonight’s debate.

She was warm, fresh, funny, confident, energetic, personable, relentless, and on message. She roasted Obama’s flip-flops on the surge and tea-with-dictators declarations, dinged Biden’s bash-Bush rhetoric, challenged the blame-America defeatism of the Left, and exuded the sunny optimism that energized the base in the first place.

McCain has not done many things right. But Sarah Palin proved tonight that the VP risk he took was worth it.

Her performance also underscored the underhandedness of the hatchet job editors at ABC News and CBS News, which failed to capture her solid competence on the whole array of foreign and domestic policy issues on the debate table tonight. (I didn’t care for all the “greed” rhetoric, but I understand they are trying to appeal to independents and Dems. They’re trying to win the election.)

Pause to reflect on this: She matched — and trumped several times — a man who has spent his entire adult life on the political stage, run for president twice, and as he mentioned several times, chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sarah Palin looked presidential.

Joe Biden looked tired.

Sarah made history.

Biden is history.

***
Prediction: Watch for a whole new, severe strain of Palin Derangement Syndrome to begin tonight.

They hated her before tonight. They are going to pour on more unfathomable hate at a level we have never seen before.

Sarah, we’re praying for you.

My favorite line of the nite - Palin to Biden "Can I call you Joe?"

ACORN, Obama, and the Mortgage Mess

I think every citizen who wants their vote in November to count should know a bit about Obama and his association with ACORN. May I suggest you start with this article by Mona Charen.

Citizen Solution

This grassroots citizen common sense solution to the financial crisis is a winner:

"One solution to this ongoing problem is coming up in November. The voters have the opportunity to change all of the House and 1/3 of the Senate in the coming election."

Don't let the same bunch who cause this mess be re-elected to fix it.

Get right on it!

WA Delegation Bailout Vote

Here's how our state delegation voted on the failed bailout bill:

Aye:

Brian Baird - D
Norm Dicks - D
Rick Larsen Larsen - D
Jim McDermott - D
Adam Smith - D

Nay:

Jay Inslee - D
Doc Hastings - R
Cathy McMorris-Rodgers - R
Dave Reichert - R

Socializing Losses

This bailout could permanently and fundamentally change the role of government in the American free enterprise system.

Once the government socializes losses, it will soon socialize profits. If we lose our ability to fail, we will soon lose our ability to succeed.

If we bail out risky behavior, we will soon see even riskier behavior.

~ U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling

There Are Alternatives

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence - a principled leader leading:

Our nation has been confronted by a crisis in our financial markets. The President and this Congress were right to act with all deliberate speed in addressing this crisis. And we now have a bill that promises to bring near-term stability to our financial turmoil, but at what price?

Benjamin Franklin said in 1759: ‘They that can give up liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.’

Economic freedom means the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail. The decision to give the federal government the ability to nationalize almost every bad mortgage in America interrupts this basic truth of our free market economy.

It must be said, Republicans in this Congress improved this bill, but it remains the largest corporate bailout in American history, forever changes the relationship between government and the financial sector, and passes the cost along to the American people. I cannot support it.

There are no easy answers, but the American people deserve to know there are alternatives to massive federal spending.

The Bush Administration and this Congress have acted quickly but have largely ignored free market solutions to this crisis. The House Republican plan, as a solid alternative, would have set up an FDIC-style mandatory insurance program in which Wall Street firms would have paid to insure their mortgage-backed securities. Doing so would have made Wall Street pay the cost of this rescue, instead of Main Street.

And while there is an option for an insurance plan in this bill, it falls far short of the substitute that Republicans desired.

The House Republican plan would have injected liquidity into our markets through fast-acting tax strategies, releasing the economic power inherent in the American economy.

Temporarily reducing the repatriation tax, as we did in 2005, would have brought hundreds of billions of dollars back into this economy, and the other business deductions would have helped the financial sector back on its feet.

There were alternatives.

So, I say to my colleagues, before you vote, ask yourselves why you came here, and vote with courage and integrity to those principles.

If, like me, you came here because you believe in limited government and the freedom of the American marketplace, I urge you to vote in accordance with your convictions. Duty is ours, outcomes belong to God.

The American people and our posterity deserve to know that there were men and women in this Congress who opposed the leviathan state in this hour.

And if you do this, I promise you, I will stand with you and I believe with all my heart the American people will stand with you as well.

Stand up for limited government and economic freedom. Stand up for the American taxpayer. Reject this bailout and vote ‘no’ on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.

Trillion Dollar Band-Aid

Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) outlined a plan to stimulate real economic growth for American businesses and families through lowering taxes, reforming government failures, and immediately expanding domestic energy production.

“The proposed bailout is a trillion dollar band-aid that does not contain a single item that will stimulate our economy,” said Senator DeMint. “Now is the time to cut taxes on American investment, reform government failures, and expedite energy exploration so we can grow our economy.

We must enact pro-growth economic solutions that will create jobs, open up our vast energy resources, encourage investment, and pave the way for long-term prosperity.

Instead of giving government more power after its past failures, this plan provides our economy the tools it needs to work through this crisis and gives Americans the freedom to succeed."

Read Sen. DeMints plan here.

No Federal Bailout

US Congressman Mike Pence gave the following speech from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today, urging caution when considering the possibility of a federal bailout:

“Our financial markets are in turmoil and the Administration was right to call for decisive action to prevent further harm to our economy.

“But nationalizing every bad mortgage in America is not the answer. This Administration’s request of this Congress amounts to the largest corporate bailout in American history.

“I believe Congress should act, but we should act in a way that protects the integrity of our free market and protects the American taxpayer from more debt and higher taxes.

“The strength of America resides in our faith in God and our faith in freedom, including our economic freedom. To have the freedom to succeed, we must also have the freedom to fail and any solution to the present crisis must preserve that essential economic liberty.

“Next, Congress should consider all available options to put our nation’s economy back on its feet.

“There are no easy answers but there are alternatives that this Congress can consider: indexing capital gains to inflation, passing a real energy bill, even regulating the credit default swap market as the chief of the SEC requested yesterday.

“These and other alternatives to a massive federal bailout must be fully considered and debated before Congress acts.

“We must address this crisis with forethought and creativity, rather than massive federal resources.”

Pelosi Uses Panic to Pass Pork

U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) expressed disappointment that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used the focus on the financial crisis to pass billions of dollars on thousands of new earmarks included in the continuing resolution (CR), which funds the government through March of next year.

The $16.1 billion for 2,627 earmarks in the CR is nearly double the cost of pet projects in the same bills from last year, and almost four times the level the President said he would except.

"As politicians tell Americans our nation faces a financial crisis, the earmark business on Capitol Hill is booming," said Senator DeMint.

“Congress has the lowest approval rating in history, and it’s well-earned. Washington seems to have no time to lower taxes or reform government, but plenty of time to bail out Wall Street and mortgage our nation's future with pork barrel spending."

Eagle Forum Holds National Leadership Conference

Phyllis Schlafly will host the 37th annual Eagle Forum Leadership Conference this weekend, September 26-28th, at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington D.C.

Some 250 leaders from all 50 states are expected to attend.

Protecting Marriage to Protect Children

There is a thoughtful opinion piece today in the LA Times on same-sex marriage I like to call your attention to. I've included an excerpt below. You can read the entire article on the Washington Eagle Forum web page under Hot Topics on the right.

While I do not completely agree with him it is worth reading.

Protecting Marriage to Protect Children
By David Blankenhorn

I'm a liberal Democrat. And I do not favor same-sex marriage. Do those positions sound contradictory? To me, they fit together.

Many seem to believe that marriage is simply a private love relationship between two people. They accept this view, in part, because Americans have increasingly emphasized and come to value the intimate, emotional side of marriage, and in part because almost all opinion leaders today, from journalists to judges, strongly embrace this position.

That's certainly the idea that underpinned the California Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage. But I spent a year studying the history and anthropology of marriage, and I've come to a different conclusion.

Marriage as a human institution is constantly evolving, and many of its features vary across groups and cultures. But there is one constant. In all societies, marriage shapes the rights and obligations of parenthood.

Among us humans, the scholars report, marriage is not primarily a license to have sex. Nor is it primarily a license to receive benefits or social recognition. It is primarily a license to have children.

In this sense, marriage is a gift that society bestows on its next generation. Marriage (and only marriage) unites the three core dimensions of parenthood -- biological, social and legal -- into one pro-child form: the married couple.

Marriage says to a child: The man and the woman whose sexual union made you will also be there to love and raise you. Marriage says to society as a whole: For every child born, there is a recognized mother and a father, accountable to the child and to each other...

WA Voters Better Wise Up!

by Lynn Harsh, Evergreen Freedom Foundation

Let's see...it appears lawmakers will have $530 million fewer dollars to spend next year, raising the projected state budget deficit for the next two years to $3.2 billion.

Governor Gregoire has put her foot down. She insists that officials in her budget office find $200 million in savings. That's $200 million plus the $90 million she mentioned last month.

Math doesn't appear to be her strong suit, at least not during the election season. What do you want to bet that a deficit reduction will be the sum of increased taxes plus new regulatory fees, if she get re-elected?

In fact, we seem to have elected a whole slew of math-deficient, weak-kneed politicians in this country. The latest actions by elected officials at the federal level now have a government running the world's largest hedge fund and one of the world's largest insurance companies...with our money!

We voters had better wise up.

Happy Constitution Day!

September 17 is Constitution Day. On this date in 1787, 39 of the original 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document that would eventually be ratified and enshrined as our fundamental law.

The United States has the longest-lasting written Constitution in human history. Our Constitution is responsible for our greatness and prosperity, and the remarkable stability we experience in our political life.

Where other nations are vulnerable to radical movements which undermine liberty and self-government, our Constitution has been the anchor and ballast by which we have maintained a stable regime.

But if our Constitution is to continue to provide these blessings, we must seize these opportunities to recur to our Constitution’s principles.

As Andrew Busch, a professor at Claremont McKenna College has recently written, too few of our public officials discuss the Constitution in their public addresses, but this will only be remedied by citizens who speak up and demand that their representatives return to constitutional principles.

Heritage Foundation