U.S. Military To The Rescue (American Values With Gary Bauer)
The photos on the front pages of Washington's two daily newspapers tell the story. One picture shows a young U.S. soldier carrying an Indonesian child, hooked up to an IV, to an evacuation helicopter. The other photo shows two U.S. Navy crewmen carrying an injured woman to safety. Both shots convey a reality the professional "America haters" and "military bashers" don't want exposed - it was U.S. armed forces that most quickly rode to the rescue of the battered peoples of the Indian Ocean basin. Indeed, it is because we maintain a major military force dedicated to the defense of freedom that we have the capacity to also project humanitarian relief.
What is the value of U.S. naval vessels to the tsunami stricken area? In addition to the helicopters, which can reach remote areas, these ships use desalinization technology to supply their crews with fresh water, now desperately needed by the survivors.
What is a good leftwing radical supposed to do now? The soldiers they routinely label as "baby killers" and "fascists" are the very same men and women who are first on the scene in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to provide real help. What they can't fathom is that we are saving babies in Iraq too - saving them from the murderous Jihadists who want to sweep across the Middle East like a tsunami.
Columnist Mark Steyn, a Canadian, summed it up well. Writing of his native country, he describes a wonderful 200-man Disaster Assistance Response Team.
Then he makes the following sad observation: "But Ottawa has no way to get them to the Indian Ocean. Indeed, it's doubtful if it could get them to the remoter parts of Canada. The reality is you require a big modern well-equipped military…"Of course, Canada's "progressives" have gutted their military and they don't much like ours either. Canada's leftist politicians are spending a lot more time trying to ensure that Canadian men can "marry" other men than they are on the requirements and responsibilities of being a great nation.
Here's one more bit of irony; a U.S. sailor a few weeks back, no doubt seduced by the leftist drivel in our popular culture, refused to board his ship for service in the waters off Iraq. He didn't want to be a "baby killer," you know. Now his ship has been diverted to relief efforts in the Indian Ocean. Babies are being snatched out of death's mouth by his fellow seamen, while he languishes in a cell all because he was deceived about America and who the "good guys" are in this harsh, crazy and dangerous world.
TV Content Filter Takes Aim at Fox (Citizen-Link) Two haughty liberal entrepreneurs are marketing a filter for cable subscribers that would block that pesky conservative viewpoint from the television airwaves -- those who purchase the FOX-blocker won't be able to view the Fox News Channel, the New York Daily News reported. Each time a person orders one of the filters online, an e-mail is automatically sent to advertisers on the Fox network. Joshua Montgomery, one of the people marketing the device, hopes to impact those advertisers.
QUOTEWORTHY: "The nearer I approach to the end of my pilgrimage, the clearer is the evidence of the divine origin of the Bible, the grandeur and sublimity of God's remedy for fallen man are more appreciated, and the future is illumined with hope and joy." Samuel F.B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph
Parent Upset Over Mass. School's Pink Triangle Program (Jim Brown-Agape-Press) A Massachusetts mother is expressing outrage over what she calls "the promotion of the homosexual agenda" in her local school system. Last July, the Department of Education in her state allowed a rainbow-colored homosexual pride flag to continue flying at John Glenn Middle School in Bedford; and now pink "Safe Zone" decals have been appearing on classroom doors at the school. Pam Clare, who has a sixth grader and a seventh grader at John Glenn Middle School, is upset at what she sees as an ongoing problem in the Massachusetts school system.
She notes that the State DOE permitted the rainbow flag to go on flying over the school, despite complaints from parents who objected to the political and sexual messages it conveyed.
And now, the appearance of the pink triangle stickers is once again indicating the school system's apparent complicity in efforts to promote homosexuality to youngsters.
The Light On The Hill------- (We Vote Values Update)------ Recently several Christians were arrested for simply reading the Scriptures out loud during a gay festival in Philadelphia. They have been charged and will be tried for 'hate crimes'. If they are convicted they could spend up to 50 years in jail. This landmark case will set a precedent for every liberal community in America.
We could see free speech for Christians severely hampered. This is no time to sit on the sidelines. Never has it been so necessary for all of us to stay informed and engaged in the 'culture clashes' taking shape in Washington DC. Be encouraged that a number of conservative values organizations have made it easier than ever to stay informed and involved.
This new project will maximize Christian influence in Washington D.C. through prayer and civic action. It's called the “Light on the Hill” an is a monthly video briefing featuring our elected leaders on Capitol Hill. Light on the Hill is delivered via a LIVE Windows Media Web cast, or via archive download by going to http://lightonthehill.tv or via DVD sent directly to you.
Bible Display Ruled Unconstitutional [and] ordered removed from outside a downtown Houston courthouse Monday Jan. 10, 2005. (www.WeVoteValues.Com)
QUOTEWORTHY: --"The Bible is good enough for me, just the old book under which I was brought up. I do not want notes, or criticism, or explanations about authorship or origin." -- President Grover Cleveland
NBC's Engel Admits He Rarely Reports on Heroics of U.S. Soldiers (Media Research Center)
NBC's Richard Engel conceded on the Today Show that he rarely gets to report on the heroics of U.S. soldiers in Iraq, but he did this one time because those heroics saved him. Recounting how the Army unit with whom he was traveling came under attack, Engel noted how a soldier "actually stepped right in front of me protecting me with his body and started to return fire at the insurgents.
Congress passes `doomsday' plan (Prophecy Watch)
With no fanfare, the U.S. House has passed a controversial doomsday provision that would allow a handful of lawmakers to run Congress if a terrorist attack or major disaster killed or incapacitated large numbers of congressmen. I think (the new rule) is terrible in a whole host of ways - first, I think it's unconstitutional,'' said Norm Ornstein, a counselor to the independent Continuity of Government Commission, a bipartisan panel created to study the issue. ``It's a very foolish thing to do, I believe, and the way in which it was done was more foolish.''
But supporters say the rule provides a stopgap measure to allow the government to continue functioning at a time of national crisis. Usually, 218 lawmakers - a majority of the 435 members of Congress - are required to conduct House business, such as passing laws or declaring war. But under the new rule, a majority of living congressmen no longer will be needed to do business under ``catastrophic circumstances.'' Instead, a majority of the congressmen able to show up at the House, conceivably a dozen lawmakers or less. would be enough to conduct business.
Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), one of few lawmakers active on the issue, argued the rule change contradicts the U.S. Constitution, which states that ``a majority of each (House) shall constitute a quorum to do business. ``Changing what constitutes a quorum in this way would allow less than a dozen lawmakers to declare war on another nation,'' Baird said.
FCC On The Take? (ww.OneMillionDads.Com) In November 2004, the FCC cut a backroom deal with CBS and its parent company Viacom. In summary, Viacom agreed to donate a paltry sum (3.5 Million dollars) in exchange for dropping thousands of indecency complaints filed against it by taxpaying consumers.
CBS immediately went back to their standard fare of lewd and indecency programs. and on December 31, 2004, CBS re-aired an episode of Without A Trace, the original broadcast of this episode had thousands of FCC complaints against it, which were tossed out in the November FCC/CBS "back-scratching" deal. Because of these kinds of backdoor deals, the FCC continues to allow networks like CBS to flood the airwaves with indecency.
Judicial Watch Saves Texas taxpayers $400,000-----(Judicial Watch)-----Through a lawsuit our Southwestern Regional Office caused the Texas Attorney General and the state Lottery Commission to cancel an agreement they had to pay a Las Vegas law firm for services related to legislation to legalize video slot machines in Texas.
The law firm was to be paid to draft a constitutional amendment and legislation and to lobby the Texas Legislature on behalf of the Lottery Commission. State law prohibits state agencies from lobbying the Legislature.
As pointed out by Judicial Watch Southwestern Director Russell Verney, who filed the lawsuit against the AG's office and the Lottery Commission, that $400,000 was paid by residents of the state to be used for the operation of the government, specifically the public school system, and not to be used as a slush fund to help legalize gambling.
Howard Wilson hwilson@texasmoralaction.org