today in history--1956

On July 30, 1956, two years after pushing to have the phrase "under God" inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance, President Dwight David Eisenhower signed a law making the phrase "In God We Trust" the official motto of the United States. The law also required that the new motto be printed on American currency.
Pres. Eisenhower talked about his feelings about the proper place for religion in the public square at a Flag Day ceremony in 1954. He said,
"In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."

mel gibson, david, and us

Last Thursday night, Hollywood actor/director/producer Mel Gibson was arrested for DUI. His BAC was well over the legal limit, he was horribly abusive to the police officers who were arresting him, and, clearly, he endangered other people driving drunk. On Saturday, Gibson issued a statement of apology.
Gibson took full responsibility (as he should) for the incident. He expressed remorse, called his behavior despicable, told how deeply ashamed he was of his actions, and apologized for his actions. He also acknowleged that his actions put other people's lives in danger, admitted to being an alcoholic, and apologized for disgracing his family. He also apologized for the abuse he directed towards the arresting officer.
Today in church, our pastor's sermon dealt with King David and Bathsheba. Our pastor promised that the sermon would be just as steamy as the weather outside, and he did not disappoint! For those unfamiliar with the story, King David happened to see Bathsheba taking a bath. The woman was very beautiful (and very married) and David was filled with lust. He had her brought to the palace, whereupon he slept with Bathsheba and got her pregnant. In an attempt to cover up his sin, David arranged for Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, to be killed. 2 Samuel 12 talks about how David was confronted by Nathan concerning his sin, how he then confessed and repented, and finally, what the consequences were of David's sin. David took full responsibility for the incident, he expressed remorse and shame, he confessed his sin, he begged God for forgiveness, and he repented.
What lessons can we learn from these two stories?
1. We learn about the importance of repentance. The Bible is filled with stories about people who, like us, are full of sin. The Bible tells us that confession and repentance are the difference makers in reestablishing our relationship with God.
2. We learn that even a man like David, a man the Bible calls "a man after God's own heart", is a sinful man capable of committing horrible crimes. So are we.
3. We learn that Gibson is a man of spiritual integrity. Read Judges 2:1-4. My Life Application Study Bible has a note that says, "The people of Israel knew they had sinned, and they wept aloud, responding with deep sorrow. Because we have a tendency to sin, repentence is the true measure of spiritual sensitivity. Repentence means asking God to forgive us, and then abandoning our sinful ways. But we cannot do this sincerely unless we are truly sorry for our sinful actions. When we are aware that we have done wrong, we should admit it plainly to God rather than try to cover it up or hope we can get away with it."
4. We learn that Mel Gibson is a pretty rare individual. How many times do we see some celebrity get in trouble, and then try to make excuses, cover it up, blame other people, etc.? I'm thinking of people like Ted Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy Cuomo (what is it with these Kennedy's?) , Pete Rose, Bill Clinton, and so on, and so on. Way to be a standup conservative, Mel!

Deuteronomy 31 would be an appropriate part of the Bible to read in order to tie these lessons together. We must make repentence a daily part of our lives, we must study God's Word daily so as to know when we have sinned, and we must pass this knowlege on to our children. God bless each and every one of us, and God bless America!

all you need to know about global warming

I happened to be watching the weather forecast on the local TV news this evening, and was treated to what I'm sure was an inadvertant lesson on the merits of the global warming debate. The weather gal showed how the weather would be so dreadfully hot and sticky for the next couple of days, and then segued into the 5-day forecast. For her forecast of Friday's weather, she said, and I will quote her word for word, "We have done two different computer models for Friday's weather. One model shows that Friday will be much cooler, the other model shows it will be much warmer. We'll have to wait til later in the week to be more sure."
This amazing quote left me with several questions, which I would love to have Al "Broken Thermometer" Gore answer for me. They are:

1. If a meteorologist can't tell me whether or not it will be warmer on Friday in my little town, how in the world can they tell me that it will become dangerously hotter over the course of the next decade world-wide?
2. The weather gal said that they had done two different computer models which gave two different results. Am I to infer from this that the results of a computer model will change if you change the data plugged into that model?
3. The scientific community, contrary to what passes for truth in the mainstream media, appears to be evenly divided on the accuracy of the global warming predictions. Is this because each of the two sides inputs different data into their computer models?
4. Broken Thermometer Gore has become something of a movie mogul with the release of his new science fiction flick. Final question--Why should I believe what Gore says about global warming? After all, this is the same man who says he invented the Internet, who lied about his service record in Vietnam, who lied about being a co-sponsor of the McCain-Feingold Bill, who lied about where he grew up, and who lied about his high school grades. Is it possible that he is also lying about global warming? I would bet money on it!

My congratulations to the local weather gal. You provided me with more useful information in your 3 sentences than Al Gore has provided in his entire political career!

the worst naval disaster in u.s. history

Tomorrow, July 30, will mark the 61st anniversary of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. At 12:14 AM on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Phillipine Sea and sank in 12 minutes. Of 1196 men on board, approximately 300 went down with the ship. The remainder, about 900 men, were left floating in shark-infested waters with no lifeboats and most with no food or water. The ship was never missed, and by the time the survivors were spotted by accident 4 days later only 316 men were still alive. Go to www.ussindianapolis.org for a very educational look back at this horrible tragedy. Also, in the spirit of rememberance, take a look at www.legion470.org/untilthen.html and www.legion470.org/remember911.html for a couple of wonderful tributes to the brave men and women who sacrifice so mightily to "secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity." Gratuitous political statement-- If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed by the constant Anti-Freedom, Anti-Troops, Anti-American rhetoric of the modern left and their willing accomplices in the mainstream media, remind yourself that we have an all-volunteer military today, and these brave men and women are sacrificing mightily for the cause of freedom and the war against terrorism. They need/deserve our support, our thanks, and our prayers.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.--- Thomas Jefferson

Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, Chief. We was comin' back from the island of Tinian to Leyte...just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in 12 minutes. Didn't see the first shark for about a half an hour. Tiger. 13-footer. You know how you know that when you're in the water, Chief? You tell by looking from the dorsal to the tail. What we didn't know, was our bomb mission had been so secret, no distress signal had been sent. They didn't even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin', so we formed ourselves into tight groups. You know, it was kinda like old squares in the battle like you see in the calendar named "The Battle of Waterloo" and the idea was: shark comes to the nearest man, that man he starts poundin' and hollerin' and screamin' and sometimes the shark go away...but sometimes he wouldn't go away. Sometimes that shark he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. And, you know, the thing about a shark...he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living...until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then...ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'. The ocean turns red, and despite all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and they...rip you to pieces. You know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don't know how many sharks, maybe a thousand. I know how many men, they averaged six an hour. On Thursday morning, Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player. Boatswain's mate. I thought he was asleep. I reached over to wake him up. Bobbed up, down in the water just like a kinda top. Upended. Well, he'd been bitten in half below the waist. Noon, the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us. He swung in low and he saw us...he was a young pilot, a lot younger than Mr. Hooper. Anyway, he saw us and he came in low and three hours later a big fat PBY comes down and starts to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened...waitin' for my turn. I'll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went into the water, 316 men came out and the sharks took the rest, June 29th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb.---Quint (gave wrong date). See www.thewallzzz.com/Videos.html for this classic video.

son of the south

In keeping with what is apparently a southern theme for my posts today, I did want to pay tribute to a true "Son of the South", Mr. Toy Caldwell.
Recently, I purchased the concert DVD "Live From the Garden State", a Marshall Tucker Band live performance in New Jersey, produced for MTV in 1981. I have been a huge Marshall Tucker Band fan since the late 70's, and I have seen them in concert on several occasions (1980, 1992, 1993, and 1996), but it took me watching the concert DVD to fully appreciate the magic, and the intensity, and the true greatness of the backbone of the original MTB--Toy Caldwell.
The original lineup for MTB was a collection of wonderful musicians, and they each brought their own unique gift to the group. Tommy Caldwell was the front man, played the bass guitar, and provided the vision for the band. Doug Gray was the lead vocalist for most of the songs. Doug was a student of the blues, and brought that influence to MTB. George McCorkle was the band's rhythm guitarist, and he wrote several of their songs, most notably Fire On The Mountain. His background was in country. The drummer was Paul Riddle, a student of Buddy Rich, and probably the only drummer in southern rock/country who was trained in jazz. Jerry Eubanks played sax and flute; the sound of his flute combined with Doug Gray's voice to create the "Marshall Tucker Band sound." As great as all of those guys were, Toy Caldwell, Tommy's brother, was the backbone of the band, the "straw that stirred the drink."
Toy Caldwell played lead guitar and occasionally sang lead vocals, most notably on the southern rock anthem Can't You See. Toy was also the band's principle song writer; he wrote 65 songs on the band's first 13 albums. The official Marshall Tucker Band website says, "It was from the heart and soul of Toy Caldwell that the majority of the Marshall Tucker Band's music originated. His lyrics and music touched many. For a lot of us it has touched us in a way no other music has, before or since." Craig Cumberland writes, on www.tuckerhead.com, "...it was Toy's songs that established the Tucker sound. In addition to his songwriting skills, his stage presence as a guitar player is unparalleled. He is not the household name that Eric Clapton is, but he should be. He was as amazing to watch as Jimi Hendrix. Anyone who watched him flail away his lead guitar licks WITH HIS THUMB walked away awestruck, dumbfounded and mesmerized all at once...and when he sang Can't You See, it was as if God was singing the blues!" Hank Williams, Jr. once refered to Toy's playing style as "The Thumb of Thunder."
Toy left the band (along with everybody else except Doug and Jerry) in 1984. He was worn down by the road, and spiritually drained due to losing two brothers (Tommy and younger brother Tim) in separate auto accidents just months apart in 1980. After leaving MTB he formed the Toy Caldwell Band and in 1992 released a self-titled solo album. It was later re-released by good friend Charlie Daniels as Son of the South in 2000. Tragically, Toy died of heart desease in 1993.
I have watched the concert DVD and been amazed by the raw, unbridled passion of Toy's guitar playing and his singing. The man was raw emotion personified on the stage!
I'll end with these words of tribute written by Charlie Daniels. May God bless you, Toy!

There was a whole lot of country in this Son of the South. He had the greatest respect for the West. He liked horses and saddles and rifles and such. But he loved that old guitar the best. He played different from anyone I'd ever known. Cause he did it all with his thumb. He could play it as tender as a virgin's first kiss. Or blast it all to kingdom come...He wrote about you and he wrote about me. A message to all common men...He went through the hell they called Vietnam. Knew the frustration that war could bring. But he served his country and he did it proud. Old Toy was a damn good Marine...I was out on the road way up in New York when I first got the word you'd gone on. And though that guitar has been silenced forever, it's still hard to believe that you're gone. But some nights when me and the boys feel like jammimg, we'll burn into old "Can't You See." And if I'm picking hot it ain't hard to imagine that you're standing next to me. I miss you old friend. There's a piece of my heart that will never belong to anyone but you.

this day in history--1868

After being ratified by the required three-quarters of the States, the 14th Amendment was officially ratified and adopted into the U.S. Constitution on July 28, 1868--138 years ago today.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and the State wherein they reside.
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

How have we as a society strayed so far from the simple, yet powerful words of this amendment? Today we have affirmative action programs which discriminate on the basis of race. We have Title IX, which discriminates against male high school and college athletes. We have laws that criminalize "hate speech" and "hate crimes". This means that certain words and deeds can be criminally punished, but only if the victim and the offender are of the "correct" race, color, creed, or national origin. We have an entire political party, the Democrats, that exists solely to perpetuate the "victimization" of public policy and to gain favored status for its various victims...I mean "constituents".
It is time for "we the people" to demand that our elected officials follow the mandates of our Constitution, and of the 14th Amendment. It is way past time for we the people to demand that our society become the great culture that Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed of when he said,

"And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.'
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!"

a few comments about the liberal media

I have always believed that the mainstream media views everything that is news through the prism of liberalism. This prism affects how they report the news, how they write headlines, how they decide what is news and what isn't news, and who they consider to be worthy of attack and worthy of praise. This has always been so, and I have always been aware of it, but several recent events have made this fact even clearer to me. I'll explain.
One of my favorite TV stations is ESPN Classic. My wife tells me that if I watch Game 6 of the 1976 NBA Finals one more time (I've only seen it 342 times!) she will call the lawyer! One of the programs on that station is a show called "SportsCentury". It's a program that examines the life and career of a famous athlete from the past. Two weeks ago "SportsCentury" told the story of Hank Aaron, a man who I consider to be one of the top 2 or 3 baseball players of all time. A good deal of the program dealt with Aaron's chase for "714"--Babe Ruth's supposedly "unreachable" home run record. Aaron played for the Atlanta Braves, and those were the 70's, and there were people in that Southern town (and elsewhere, as well) who just couldn't stand the thought of a black man breaking the Babe's record (Did you know that Ruth was probably of "mixed" ancestory? He took a lot of abuse from fellow players about the possibility of him being partially black, but that's the subject of another post.). Hammerin' Hank actually received death threats in 1973 and '74, and had to resort to hiring bodyguards. The FBI began to travel with him to try to ferret out the culprits. Aaron finally hit #715 in April of 1974 against Al Downing of the LA Dodgers, went on to finish with 755 home runs for his career, and has had a very successful baseball management career since then, but he remains very scarred emotionally from his experiences 30 some years ago. This is a story I am very familiar with, because I have heard it repeated literally hundreds of times. Highly skilled, intelligent Black athlete plays in a Southern town and the fans can't wait to burn a cross in his yard. Atlanta is no longer like that, but the good folks who live there sure do get hammered every time the story of Hank Aaron and #715 comes up.
Today's SportsCentury program was about Willie Mays--in my opinion, the greatest baseball player in the history of the world. The program talked about how popular Mays was in New York during the early years of his career, and how the fans loved and admired him. None of this was unfamiliar to me. Then came 1957, the move to San Francisco, and a part of the story I had never heard before. It seems that baseball fans in Frisco were a tad bit resentful that a Black man who had played in New York was deemed a better baseball player than The Great Joe DiMaggio, who had been born and raised in San Francisco. Joltin' Joe had also played minor league ball for the local Seals. The locals scorned Mays. One local "picture of enlightenment" threw a brick through the front window of Willie's home!
By now you are asking, "What's this guy's point?" The point is this: Racism occurs everywhere, but the mainstream media doesn't think so. They think it only occurs in the South (like Atlanta) or in such unenlightened backwater places like Indiana (I'm a native Hoosier, and this kind of thinking really irritates me.). San Francisco is touted as the Mecca of Tolerance, the Shining City On A Hill Dedicated To Enlightenment. It is the City of Love, with a Summer of Love to call its own. I have never, ever heard this story of racial bigotry in The City By The Bay, but I'll bet I have watched Atlanta dragged through the mud a thousand times. Racial intolerance is ignored/swept under the rug in places that liberals think are groovy, but the red states get pounded.
I mentioned that I am a Hoosier. As an avid basketball fan (state law requires it!) I have watched Allen Iverson of the 76'ers get booed and cussed in every arena in the NBA. When he got booed in Indy several years ago, the media immediately called it racism. They dredged up Indiana's KKK past (that all died years ago), they referenced the Mike Tyson trial as a racial persecution (it wasn't--the dude was guilty as sin!), and they called Hoosiers racist rednecks. Why have I never read a story or seen a TV program (before today) that talked about the racism Willie Mays faced in San Francisco? That's your liberal media in action!
That's all for this topic. My wife now says that if I'm going to get this worked up over a sports show, she's going to "sentence" me to 1 month of nothing but the Lifetime Network and Oprah. Yikes!

harry died, but philly cheesesteaks live forever!

Harry Olivieri died last week. Why is this noteworthy? Because Mr. Olivieri, along with his brother Pat (as in world-famous Pat's King of Steaks), invented what we now call the Philly cheesesteak. He was 90 years old.
Back in 1930, as the story goes, Harry and Pat operated a hotdog stand at the corner of Ninth Street and Passyunk Avenue in South Philly. Business was slow, so Harry had time to walk over to the local Italian Market to buy a hunk of steak to cut up for lunch for the two of them. They put the steak, along with chopped onions, on a roll and shared the lunch. A cabbie drove by, saw they were eating a steak sandwich, and offered to buy it for a dime. He liked it so much that the brothers began selling them instead of hot dogs. That was the birth of the Philadelphia steak sandwich. Cheese was introduced 22 years later. First they started using Cheez Whiz. Then they began adding American and provolone chese, and pizza sauce. Their creation was so popular that they eventually opened Pat's King of Steaks, THE Philly cheesesteak establishment in Philly. Politicians, entertainers, celebrities and regular folk from all over the world became regulars at Pat's.
Why is this important? Because there is a lesson to be learned in this story. 1930 was the height of the Depression; nobody had money. If Harry and Pat had possessed the modern liberal "victim mentality", they would have called on Mommy and Daddy Government to create a program to "give" them the station in life they were "entitled" to. That's not how regular folk thought in those days. What these sons of Italian immigrants did was to get up every day and work hard. They created a better product, and their hard work and ingenuity paid off. That is the American Dream! Think about Harry and Pat the next time you hear some liberal politician waxing poetic about what our country owes to the "less fortunate".

i'm glad kerry lost!

Go to www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=16228&o=ANN001 for a must-read Ann Coulter article concerning John Kerry's recent statements about war in the Middle East. I sure am glad that Kerry lost!

today in history

As I surfed the net tonight, looking for interesting happenings throughout history that occurred on July 22, I found several events that all share a common theme.
The first event I found was from 7-22-2003. It was on that day that Sadaam Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed by American troops during a raid on a villa in Mosul, Iraq. These two monsters had been responsible for the death, rape, and torture of literally thousands of innocent Iraqis. Pres. Bush understood how important it was to the morale of the Iraqis to have these thugs dead, so the photos of their lifeless bodies were released for all to see and celebrate.
The second event I found was from 7-22-1943. Gen. George Patton captured Palermo, Sicily. This victory set off a chain of events that eventually lead to Mussolini being deposed, and eventually killed.
The third event was from 7-22-1934. John Dillinger was gunned down by FBI agents outside the Biograph Theater in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. A dangerous criminal, one of the FBI's original "Public Enemies", was stopped forever.
The final event was from 7-22-1862. Pres. Lincoln informed his Cabinet that he was going to issue a proclamation freeing the slaves. He told them that he was going to wait to do it until the Union Army had won a substantial victory, so he eventually issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862, making it effective as of Jan. 1, 1863.
What do all of these events have in common? Freedom! Freedom from fear, freedom from tyranny, freedom from involuntary servitude, freedom from evil. Each one of these events brought freedom in one way or another to people desparately yearning for freedom. In each case, blood had to be shed in order to secure that freedom. In each case, also, that freedom was worth the cost. It has always been so, throughout the history of mankind, that the cost of securing and maintaining freedom is often painfully high, but that cost must be paid.
Let us remember the lessons of history as we seek to spread the blessings of liberty in the Middle East, as we seek to help Israel preserve their freedom, and as we seek to defend our freedom and national security here in America while being threatened by Islamofacists both here and abroad.

pray for israel

I would like to make a plea to all who read this, to say a prayer tonight for Israel. They have been attacked by an unspeakable evil that seeks to destroy them, and they need God's protection. I pray that the world will unite to utterly destroy Islamofacism , so that we might live in peace.

the core principles of reagan

Go to the link I have below, and compare the core principles of the 20th Century's greatest president, Ronald Wilson Reagan, with the non-principled actions of today's politicians. We need to seek out and elect more leaders in the mold of Pres. Reagan.

http://www.thereaganwing.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=7

inspiration for these troubled times

Dave Barton of wallbuilders.com has written a column that is so very appropriate for these uncertain times we live in. Go to http://www.wallbuilders.com/resources/search/detail.php?ResourceID=143. God bless each and every one of us, and God bless America.

blessed are the merciful

Let's continue with our on again/off again series on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and, specifically, the Beatitudes. It serves as God's perfect blueprint for how to live our lives. We are up to the part where Jesus says, "Blessed are the merciful...".
Our God is a loving and merciful God. We know that, by God's perfect standard, there is not one righteous man on earth. We also know that the wages of sin are death. God must punish sin, but His great loves for us means that we can be forgiven of our sins. Read the account of Moses leading the Israelites to the Promised Land to see God's mercy in action. Read the book of Jonah. The city of Ninevah was as evil and corrupt as any city in the world, but God called Jonah to witness to the people there. After a short detour by way of the stomach of a great fish, Jonah did go to Ninevah, and all 120,000 of the Ninavites repented. God showed them mercy and spared their lives.
Each and every one of us sins on a daily basis, falling short of what God expects of us, yet God continues to forgive us and give us second chances (and third and forth and...) and to show us a level of mercy we don't deserve.
Because of the great mercy that God has shown us, God expects us to be merciful to others. We are to clothe the poor, feed the hungry, minister to the sick and dying, and proclaim the Gospel to a sick and dying world. We are to work to relieve suffering wherever we find it. We are to show active, working compassion that makes a difference. This is what churches mean when they use the word "mission." As Christians, our mission is to be Christ in this world, and we do that by being merciful. Read Matthew 25:31-46 for a perfect illustration of what Jesus means about being merciful and our obligations in that regard.
One of my favorite quotes comes from the great theologian, Roberto Clemente (OK, maybe he wasn't a great theologian, but he was one of the greatest right fielders in the history of baseball!). Clemente was a great humanitarian, and, in fact, lost his life in a plane crash while flying supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua in the early 1970's. The great Clemente used to say, "Anytime you have the opportunity to make things better, and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this earth." It can't be said any better than that.

this day in history--1969

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I have climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds,--and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of--wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
my eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor ever eagle flew--
And while, with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
John Gillespie Magee, Jr., the Pilot Poet


Did you know-- On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 launched into orbit from Cape Canaveral. The crew aboard that historic spacecraft included Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins. After liftoff, Apollo 11 traveled 240,000 miles in 72 hours, and entered lunar orbit on July 19. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin piloted the lunar module Eagle to the moon's surface, where they landed at the edge of the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong was the astronaut who radioed back to mission control the famous words, "The Eagle has landed." Neil Armstrong was the first to exit the module, making him the first man to set foot on the moon.
Almost everybody knows that Armstrong planted a U.S. flag on the moon, and I'm sure that everybody is familiar with the "One small step..." statement. What you may not be aware of is the fact that Buzz Aldrin became the first man to perform a religious ceremony on the moon when he took part in the Christian celebration of communion. Aldrin had brought with him a tiny communion kit, given to him by his church at home, that contained a silver chalice and wine vial about the size of the tip of his finger. During the morning, he radioed Houston control and said, "I would like to invite each person listening in, whoever or wherever he may be, to contemplate for a moment the events of the last few hours, and to give thanks in their own individual way."
"In the radio blackout", he wrote later, "I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, 'I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit.' I had intended to read my communion passage back to Earth, but at the last minute Deke Slayton had requested that I not do this. NASA was already embroiled in a legal battle with Madelyn Murray O'Hare, the celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 crew reading from the book of Genesis while orbiting the moon at Christmas. I agreed reluctantly." He went on in his writing, "I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranquility. It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten here, were the communion elements."

liberal lies--the war against america

I have come to a point where I can't possibly stomach anymore of the lies, the slander, the treason, and the absolute ignorance that flows so freely from the devotees of modern liberalism. It has become increasingly clear to me that the secular progressives in our society have declared all-out war against the America that was created by our Founding Fathers. That America was based on the idea that our basic human freedoms came from God, and that men created government to safeguard those freedoms. We the people give government its power, not the other way around. America was founded on the belief that the national government should be strictly limited to a very few, well defined powers and that the various States, and their citizens, would retain all other powers. Our nation was based on the idea that it was imperative to have a moral and religious citizenry, who would in turn select virtuous leaders. Our forefathers believed that low taxes and minimal government regulation provided the best path to economic prosperity. The architects of this great republic designed our government with the intent of making the judicial branch the least powerful of the three branches, so that our elected representatives would be in charge of establishing public policy. Our forefathers believed, as articulated in The Federalist Papers, that the executive branch should be unlimited in its ability to safeguard our national security against a foreign threat. Modern liberalism seeks to destroy all of the above through an out of control judiciary hijacked by the progressives, and their all-too-willing accomplices in the mainstream media. I will not take it anymore!

I established this blog so that I could use Al Gore's Internet (I've retained my sense of humor!) to spread the truth that is inherent in the teachings of Christianity and the principles of Reagan Conservatism. What I have also begun doing is to "invade" liberal blogs and spread the truth among the "other side". It angers liberals to be challenged; they don't respond so well to facts (Liberal Rule #1: "Never let the truth get in the way of a good liberal lie."). I will continue to fight the left with facts, logic, and reason, and I hope other Christian conservatives will do the same.

more ann coulter news

How about that all-too-predictable liberal counter assault against Ann Coulter this week. Reputable (allegedly) news organizations nation wide are reprinting unsubstantiated reports from the blogosphere which accuse Coulter of plagiarism. What should we make of this?

First--These accusations are nothing new. Everytime Coulter comes out with a new book, the liberal blogosphere rolls out the plagiarism stories and hyperventilates over them for a few minutes. The accusations have been investigated by her publisher and have been found to be untrue. End of story.

Second--Why is it that liberals will never debate a conservative on the facts of a particular issue? For example, when Coulter wrote a book calling liberals "godless", liberals responded by saying Coulter had been mean to the Jersey Girls. Coulter devoted an entire chapter of her book to the culture of death and its importance to the Democrat Party, and liberals responded with false accusations of plagiarism. Could it be that the facts are on the side of conservatives and liberals know it, so they dazzle, distract, and obfuscate? Liberals can't possibly defend their cockamamie ideas, so they engage in name calling and subject changing, what Muhammad Ali would have called "The Rope-A-Dope".

Thank you, Ann Coulter, for shining the cold light of harsh reality on these liberal games.

blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Let's continue with our on-again, off-again series on the Beatitudes as a blueprint for Christian living. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."

Do you see how the Beatitudes offer us a step-by-step progression? If we recognize that we are indeed poor in spirit, and we mourn over the depth of our sinfulness, and we meekly put our lives in God's hands and follow His will because we are all too aware of our own impotence, we must take the next step and beg God to wash those sins away. We are commanded to hunger and thirst for the Holy Spirit to transform us (and others) just as a starving man would hunger and thirst for bread and water. We must yearn for God's goodness and righteousness, both in ourselves and in the world. We have to know that this world is so very temporary and that God has a permanent home reserved for us in heaven where righteousness will reign forever. We must strive daily and hourly and minute-by-minute to live as God has commanded with our eyes on that eternal prize. If we yearn for material wealth, worldly possessions, or earthly, vulgar excitement, we become of the world and there is no room in our hearts for righteousness.

My Life Application Study Bible by Zondervan has a wonderful chart in it showing how the book of Proverbs compares and contrasts the lifestyles of the righteous with that of the wicked. This makes a great tool as we seek to teach our children how to live a righteous life. Proverbs 10:24 shows that the righteous have a hopeful outlook on life while the wicked are fearful. 12:10 says that the righteous are concerned about God's creation. The righteous don't desire the company of godless people (24:1-2), they care for the poor (29:7), they detest the dishonest (29:27), and they persevere against evil (24:15-16). We as Christian conservatives should make the book of Proverbs standard reading in our homes.

it's funny because it's true

A conservative and a liberal were dining together one evening in a nice restaurant. The waiter came to the table to refill their coffee cups and, as he did, he accidentally spilled coffee on the table.

The liberal immediately called for Comprehensive Spilled Coffee Reform. He introduced legislation in the Congress that would create a Federal Spilled Coffee Commission to investigate the root causes of spilled coffee. He demanded that the Dept. of Education begin Spilled Coffee Awareness Programs in all public schools. He went on Meet The Press with Tim Russert to denounce the Bush administration and their inability to "connect the dots" to prevent such a catastrophe. Perhaps Pres. Bush had even acted criminally in the Great Spilled Coffee Caper! "What did he know, and when did he know it?", the liberal breathlessly asked.

What did the conservative do? He asked for a towel and he cleaned up the mess.

has it really been 10 years?

The 2006 NFL football season marks the 10th anniversary of my beloved Green Bay Packers winning their last Super Bowl. Brett Favre, Reggie White, Desmond Howard, Antonio Freeman, Dorsey Levens and company defeated the New England Patriots 35-21 at the Louisiana Superdome in Super Bowl XXXI. The Magnificent Favre threw for 246 yards and 2 TD and scored another TD on the ground, the Packer ground attack gained 115 yards in rushing, and MVP Howard returned 4 kickoffs for 154 yards and 1 TD.

Will the Pack be back in 2006? Not likely, but the addition of A.J. Hawk (rookie LB from Ohio State) and Charles Woodson (free agent DB and former Heisman winner) should make them a whole lot better than in 2005.

Anyone who calls themselves a football fan owes it to themselves to make the pilgrimage to Lambeau Field at least once. Go online at www.packerfantours.com to find very affordable packages. Go Pack!

an experience somwhere to the left of reality

Imagine if you will:

George Bush was re-elected to the presidency in the 2004 election, receiving more votes than any president in U.S. history. Right after the election, Pres. Bush announced that he was scheduling two special elections for January, 2005. The first election would be for the purpose of putting a new U.S. Constitution up for a vote in a nationwide referendum. The new constitution would be structured to reflect more fully the principles of conservatism, as understood by Pres. Bush, VP Dick Cheney, and presidential advisor Karl Rove. The second election would be for the purpose establishing a Constitutional Assembly, composed entirely of conservative Republicans, that would make sure that the new constitution got passed.

Three weeks after winning re-election, Pres. Bush's Constitutional Assembly established a special "judicial emergency committee" and gave it the authority to remove from office any federal judge who wasn't sufficiently conservative. By January, 2006 the committee had fired 190 federal judges.

The Constitutional Assembly also declared a "legislative emergency" and created a 7-member committee, composed entirely of conservative Republicans, that would take over the legislative responsibilities of the U.S. Congress. The Senate was abolished, and the U.S. House was prohibited from meeting. This prohibition was enforced by armed soldiers posted at the Capitol Building.

In the January special elections, the new constitution was overwhelmingly passed by the voters of the United States. The election was monitored by the Texas Republican State Committee. Although the Texas Republicans acknowleged that there were many irregularities with the election, and that the Bush administration would not give them full access to all voting precincts, the Texas GOP still was able to assure all interested parties that it was a fair election.

Right after the special election, Pres. Bush issued an executive order giving himself the power to rule by unfettered decree for a period of one month. During that time the president issued 49 presidential decrees that effectively consolidated all powers of the federal government within the executive branch, and which prohibited the media from reporting anything that wasn't first approved by the president.

Obviously all of the above is complete fiction; it never happened. Well, I should say, it never happened in the U.S. Before I tell you where it did happen, let me ask a simple question: What would the reaction be from the modern Democrat Party and their cronies in the mainstream, drive-by media if Pres. Bush attempted to do any of the above?

Now, the punch line to this sick joke. All of the above did happen in Venezuela under the rule of Hugo Chavez. This is the same Hugo Chavez who was playing kissy-face with liberal-loon Cindy Sheehan. This is the same Hugo Chavez who Sheehan said was such a better president than George Bush. She said that she would rather live in a country under the rule of Chavez than under the Bush administration. The Democrats have chosen to make Sheehan, and other left wing bananas just like her, the face of their party. Is it any wonder that the Democrat Party has become irrelevent in the 21st Century?

back from kings island

We are back in town after a few days in the Cincinnati area and a visit to Kings Island. What a great time! It brought back a lot of wonderful childhood memories for my wife and me as we watched our kids enjoying Kings Island as much as we did. A couple of random thoughts hit me during the time we spent at the park.
First-- It was so nice to see literally thousands of traditional, two-parent families bonding and creating their own family memories. While it is true that two-parent families are on the decline in our country, and that not enough dads take an active part in the raising of their kids, it was so very gratifying to witness thousands of families doing it "the right way". There is hope!
Second--Hundreds of churches from all over the Midwest were in attendance at Kings Island for a Christian music festival hosted by the park. Thousands of Christians, wearing T-shirts declaring their love of God and their personal relationship with Jesus, served as a powerful witness to all who were there.
Third-- When I was a kid going to Kings Island, I vividly recall hearing the song "It's a Small World After All" playing over and over and over and....over the loud speakers all day. That cute (but annoying) song has been replaced with Nickelodian girl-band songs with lyrics like "What can I do to get you to love me?" and "It's all about me". These are messages we want our pre-teens bombarded with? It's the only complaint I had about the whole experience.

united we stand

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all, by uniting we stand, by dividing we fall; in so righteous a cause let us hope to succeed, for heaven approves of each generous deed.---John Dickinson, The Liberty Song, 1768

I think Americans today could probably relate to the national mood in July of 1942. U.S. troops, in the months following Pearl Harbor, had suffered tremendous losses in the Pacific, particularly on Bataan and Corregidor. Morale on the home front was low and people were afraid. The sale of war bonds had dropped dramatically. Although some industries had grown due to war production, other industries were losing ground. One of those suffering industries was the publishing business, due to material shortages and restrictions. Out of this turmoil, fear and uncertainty came a collaboration that 21st Century America could learn a lesson from.

The U.S. Treasury Dept. and the National Publishers Association joined together to organize the United We Stand Campaign for the month of July, 1942. The NPA circulated flyers as a call to "patriotic action by the magazines of America". The flyers outlined the goal of the campaign, which was to promote national unity. Their request to the magazines was for all of those magazines to feature pictures of the American flag on their covers. The NPA also suggested, on the behalf of the Treasury Dept., that the covers also carry a message asking Americans to buy war bonds. Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. said, on July 1, 1942, "America asks you to save; to Save To Win The War; to buy War Bonds and Stamps....Is Liberty worth it? Is Democracy worth it? I think I know your answer." The campaign boosted morale at home, it saved the magazine business by increasing their sales, and war bond sales greatly increased. You can view a gallery of the magazine covers by going to http://americanhistory.si.edu/1942/gallery/index.html.

As I read about the United We Stand Campaign, a few questions banged around in my head. First, the U.S. has lost almost 3000 troops in Iraq since the war started (that's 31 months). From December of 1941 (Pearl Harbor) through May of 1942 (that's just 5 months) 2500 Americans were killed in action during the Battle of the Philippines. Another 10,000 POW's died/were killed during the Bataan Death March. How dare we whine about the limited number of casualties we have suffered while fighting Islamofacism in Iraq!
Second, can any clear thinking American possibly imagine our Drive-By Media doing anything today to support our troops and help the war effort? The Big Three TV news outfits frothed like rabid dogs when FOX News reporters wore American Flag lapel pins on the air, stating that it made FOX News appear "biased" against the "freedom fighters" (heathen, maniacal, terrorist thugs might have been a more appropriate description). The NY Times has committed treason by revealing classified, ongoing covert operations. It ain't 1942 anymore!
Third, can you imagine the hullabaloo we would hear from the "Gosh I Hope We Lose!" liberals in this country if the Treasury Dept. attempted to solicit support from the media for the war effort? They would be camped outside the White House screaming for impeachment!
We live in far different times today, as compared to 64 years ago, and not all of the differences are good.

patriotism and the christian

I just finished reading a wonderful article online, entitled Providence of God and Patriotism by William Einwechter (www.natreformassn.org/statesman/00/provpat.html). You can certainly read the entire article, but here are some quotes that really "hit home" for me.

"A Christian patriot works to see the kingdom of God and His righteousness established in the land of his earthly citizenship."

"The Christian patriot knows that the best way to promote the welfare of his country is to live a life of humble obedience to God and seek to apply the Scripture to all phases of life."

"In the providence of God we have been placed in the particular nation in which we live. God would have us recognize that He put us there for a purpose, and that we have unique moral duties to perform in that context. Christian patritism grows out of a natural affection for the commands of God's Word. It is based on our desire to serve our country with the goal of promoting righteousness, liberty and peace. Patriotism, rightly practiced, glorifies God, fulfills the command to love our neighbor as ourselves, and benefits us personally."

We here at Christian Conservatives, on this 4th of July, would like to issue the following challenges to ourselves and our readers:
1. Confess to God in prayer that we, as a nation, have sinned mightily against Him and beg for His forgiveness.
2. Pray to God that He would change our hearts and draw us closer to Him.
3. Pray for wisdom so that we might be able to discern God's will for our lives.
4. Pray for courage so that we would be able to follow God's will for our lives.
5. Pray for God's blessings upon our political and military leaders, so that His will would be done through them.
6. Pray for peace and the safe return home of our brave troops.
7. Pray that God would transform these United States of America into "one nation under God".
8. Pray for our enemies, that their hearts would be transformed by God's Holy Spirit.

Thank you for visiting, and, as always, God bless each and every one of you, and God bless America.

Sincerely,
The Christian Conservatives

a prayer for the 4th of july

The following prayer was offered by Rev. Byron Sunderland, D.D. to open the July 4, 1861 session of the U.S. Senate (I thought liberals said we had separation of church and state!):

Almighty and everlasting God, be not angry with us for our sins, which we only confess and deplore; but pardon our offenses and extend to us Thy favor. We thank Thee for Thy goodness on this anniversary of the nation a day tenfold more precious by reason of our present troubles, and sacred to the heart for the ever memorable Declaration of our fathers, in which Thou didst begin more openly to give us a name among the nations of the earth. We thank thee for all Thy manifold and abundant mercies hitherto to make our nation great and glorious; but now disasters have befallen us and darkness broods in the land. And now we ask Thy mercy as the Senate is convening at a most momentous crisis of our history. Give to Thy servants all needed help. Add to their deliberations wisdom and unanimity, and profit and speed to their conclusion. Bless Thy servant, the President of the United States, our veteran Commander-In-Chief, and all that have functions in the civil and military power. May the angel of Thy presence walk in the Cabinet and in the Congress and in the camp, to go before, to purify, and to direct the now greatly and universally-awakened love of country. And we beseech Thee to guide us, to overrule and order all things, and so to cause that nothing will fail, that the disorders of the land may be speedily healed, that peace and concord may prevail, that truth and righteousness may be established, and that Thy Church and Kingdom may flourish in a larger peace and prosperity, for Thy Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

May this be our prayer today, during this 4th of July season, in these grim and uncertain days of the 21st Century. May God bless each and every one of us, and God bless America!

Sincerely,
The Christian Conservatives

conservatism doesn't change

Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online had a good column about the mutating differences between Republicans and Democrats (http://author.nationalreview.com/latest/?q=MjE5NQ==). Although we here at Christian Conservatives agree that those traditional differences are "evolving", we disagree as to the reasons why. Put simply, the reason why we are seeing so many Beltway Republicans behaving like shameless Democrats is because the GOP has become infected with the disease of liberalism. As we have stated before, liberalism is a cancer that destroys a person's ability to tell right from wrong, fact from fiction, and honest from dishonest. Liberalism is reaching epidemic proportions in our nation's capitol and must be stopped.
Goldberg makes the case that conservatism itself is changing. That's not true. A conservative might change, because that conservative is a fallable human being capable of any number of wrong thoughts and deeds. The core values of conservatism however, as embodied in the philosophy of Pres. Ronald Wilson Reagan, remain immutable and rock solid. Those principles/beliefs are as follows:
1. There has never, in the history of the world, been any country that has amassed more power or wealth, and used it for such good, as the United States of America. This republic, created as such a "grand experiment" by our Founding Fathers, is truly the greatest nation on earth.
2. The Founding Fathers ensured that greatness by building America on the bedrock foundation of love of God and the teachings of His Son, Jesus Christ. The evidence for that statement is overwhelming, unshakeable, and a matter of historical record for anyone with eyes to see. Our republic will not survive without a moral and religious citizenry who in turn elect virtous leaders.
3. All of our basic human rights come, not from man-made government or law, but from God. We the people give government the power to safeguard those God-given rights.
4. The principles of federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances, the way they are written in the Constitution, must be followed to the letter in order to limit government's power to take away those God-given rights.
5. The above principles are unchanging; there is no such thing as a "living constitution".
6. Prosperity is highest in a free-market economy with low taxes and minimal government regulation.
7. The national government has an obligation to safeguard our national defense by maintaining a strong, well-funded military commanded by one Commander-In-Chief. Read The Federalist Papers to see conservatism's philosophy regarding the executive branch and national security spelled out.

The only thing wrong with the modern GOP is that they have strayed from these core principles. They have become infected with the deadly cancer of liberalism. The only cure is to recommit to the core values of Reagan Conservatism. Those values are healthier for our country, and will translate into increased success at the ballot box.

we admit it when we're wrong

When we here at Christian Conservatives get something wrong, we will admit it. That's what differentiates us from liberals! One of the June 29 posts dealt with the Indiana Pacers and some predictions about how Larry Bird would proceed in rebuilding. We said that there was no way Peja wouldn't be resigned. Oops! Peja, we hardly knew ye! Good luck with the rest of your career!

a psalm for america

Psalm 130 is a wonderful prayer found in the Bible for the salvation of Israel, and it applies equally to America today. Read this version of Psalm 130, from The Message and modified to apply to the United States, and hear what God is saying to us.
Help God--the bottom has fallen out of my life! Master, hear my cry for help! Listen hard! Open your ears! Listen to my cries for mercy. If you, God, kept records of wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped. I pray to God--my life a prayer--and wait for what he'll say and do. My life's on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning. America, wait and watch for God--with God's arrival comes love, with God's arrival comes generous redemption. No doubt about it--he'll redeem America, buy back America from captivity to sin.

liberals will get us all killed

Here is a link to a great article posted on worldnetdaily.com written by Kevin McCullough. It is http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50877. It speaks the truth.

blessed are the meek

We have been discussing, somewhat sporadically, the Beatitudes. Specifically, we have been lookig at those words from Jesus as a blueprint for how to become Christ-like "salt and light Christians". Let's continue with the next trait.
Blessed are the meek. Here is a real misunderstood word in today's world. Say the word "meek" and other words come immediately to mind; words like "cowardly" or "timid" or "wishy-washy" or "weak" or "pacifist". This is an excellent example of how the Beatitudes completely turn around and contradict worldly values. The dictionary in my Bible defines "meek" as humbly and gently doing God's will. There is a lesson there for Christians. When Jesus says we need to be meek, He means that we should be gentle and humble in our words and actions, not brash or self-promoting. Jesus wants us to be strong and outspoken about our faith (read about Peter in Acts 4) but He also wants us to adopt a servant's attitude (read John 13:1-20) so that we will be willing to serve God in any way that brings Him glory. He wants us to see ourselves as God sees us--sinful and in need of salvation. How could we possibly be prideful or boastful if we recognize our own sinfulness. Jesus wants us to apply His Holy Word to our lives because we know we will die without it. He certainly doesn't want us to beat others over the head with the Bible in a haughty, self-righteous manner. He does, however, want us to humbly share His Good News with others. Above all else, Jesus wants us to love and worship God so completely that we will humbly follow His will for our lives, wherever that may lead.
Do you want to read about meekness personified? Read the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life on earth. Jesus was born in a barn among the animals, He walked the earth as the poorest of the poor, He rode a donkey into Jeruselum, He washed the feet of His disciples, and He humbled Himself to die for us on a cross. Read Philippians 2:1-11 to see what Paul had to say about the meekness and the humility of Christ. Above all, let us all pray to God that He would change our hearts so that we could emulate the meekness of Jesus ourselves.