Ducks, Decoys, and Divine Faith

Video:  700 Club interview with Phil and Kay Robertson, of Duck Dynasty

http://www.cbn.com/tv/2383064549001

A Message from our Chairman: Hobby Lobby

Friends,

As a Christian, you should share this. 

This is what happens when the church sits back in apathy and refuses to get involved or to stand up for God. If you don’t identify and vote for principled leaders, Christian leaders, those who would stand and defend your religious freedoms and rights, then YOU are part of the problem. 

If you don’t get out of your comfort zone and stand up yourself, then YOU are part of the problem. 

If you prefer being a sheep instead of a Lion for Jesus, then YOU are part of the problem. 

If you prefer being politically correct instead of biblically correct, then YOU are part of the problem and you will reap what you sow. Unfortunately, so will your children and grandchildren. 

If you think that I and my message are too political, then I pray you will someday see the light but I do not apologize for taking a stand for what our founders built for us. I am a Christian American, husband, father and grandfather and I am proud to be all of them and will gladly give all that I have to my last breath to defend and protect them. 

I am not ashamed to say God Bless America. I am not ashamed to claim Jesus is Lord. I know why we have Christmas and I will share that with anyone willing to listen. If this offends you, then delete me from your email list, remove me as a Facebook friend, politely ask me to leave your church or your organization. 

But if it in anyway convicts you or inspires you to take a stand, then join me in praying for David Green, the founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. His story is depicted below. I pray for an outcry from Christians for Divine intervention that will stop what is happening to our brother and his family and our once great country. I will be praying for the Green family and I will be praying for you.

Merry Christmas,

Rick Hopkins

Chairman, CCTA

Hobby Lobby May Close ALL Stores (July 2013)

http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/showthread.php?348951-Hobby-Lobby-Founder-May-close-ALL-stores

The Hobby Lobby Case Explained

When the Supreme Court agreed last week to hear Hobby Lobby’s lawsuit against the Obama administration over the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate, conservatives hoped the court would blow another deal to the president’s signature legislation.

The case appeared to concern a clear First Amendment principle, freedom of religion. Additionally, the uproar over the mandate requiring that all insurance plans cover contraception—including abortifacient drugs that many Christians see as immoral—has been steady and strong. And Hobby Lobby won before an appeals court recently.

CONTINUE READING:  http://freebeacon.com/the-hobby-lobby-case-explained/

SPEAK UP – PULPIT FREEDOM SUNDAY – OCTOBER 7, 2012

The future of religious freedom depends on a free pulpit to communicate fundamental, biblical principles to congregations across America. Join a growing movement of bold pastors preaching biblical Truth about candidates and elections from their pulpits on October 7, 2012

MORE:  http://bwcentral.org/2012/09/speak-up-pulpit-freedom-sunday-october-7-2012/

Everyone,


You may already know about this, but if not, please take the time to check this important initiative out. The time has certainly come to take a stand for religious liberty. In fact, it's been a long time coming. For all those who remember growing up in a school system where prayer was said or at least religion was respected and the Ten Commandments were displayed to remind us of certain fundamental limits on conduct and remember the safe, moral, family-orientated communities that were conducive to raising families... For all those who remember the consequences in our communities when the great Wall of Separation was erected and the ACLU became a legal force for the promotion of evil and immorality.... For all who are becoming increasingly frustrated over the fact that we are going from a "Nation Under God" to a "Nation Under the Control of the Federal Government"........ For all who were offended to the core when the Democratic delegates took God out of its platform at its Convention in Charlotte and then, even after an ordained Methodist minister made a motion to re-insert the language, they fought that motion with everything they had, in full view of the American people. They denied God three times, and even after that third vote, they expressed their collective will - to remove God from their ideological and political platform. The moderator may have declared that the motion to re-insert "God" had passed, but all those who heard the vote know that that it did not. The boo's that emerged after the moderator's decision was what sealed it and will be seered in our collective conscience for a long time....... We need it will be fresh in our minds on November 6th.

For all those who are frustrated, disappointed, disillusioned, and personally affected by the growing trend on the part of government to show hostility to religion, to promote immorality, to force Americans to choose between duty to government and their rights of conscience, to ignore the rights of the unborn, to promote the misuse of a woman's body, to erode traditional marriage, to fight against the rights of parents to raise their children with religious and other productive values, and to support such groups as the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups that want "an America without God," then please, please, please take the time to help promote this Pulpit Freedom Initiative.

Contact your churches and see if they will be participating. If they haven't heard of it, please send them the information below. Help spread the word !!

I've pasted the email that I sent the priests at my church. Please feel free to cut and paste and use as you will to send to the leaders of your church.

Father,
I wanted to send you this information about the Pulpit Freedom Initiative on October 7th. It is an Alliance Defense Fund initiative.


I support the NC Family Policy Council and the organization helps to promote the work of the ADF, which is the counter-part to the ACLU, the un-American organization that works tirelessly to erode religion and conservative institutions from all aspects of society. The ADF is a non-profit legal group which takes on cases to advocate for religious liberty, the rights of conscience, the rights of the unborn, and traditional marriage. I'm an attorney and I try to keep up with religion cases here in the state and I know the ADF has been fighting over the years to protect the right of faithful Americans to say a prayer in school and to open public meetings and hearings with a prayer that does not exclude Jesus Christ.

There is a lot of information on the website: http://www.speakupmovement.org/church/LearnMore/details/4702
http://blog.speakupmovement.org/church/tag/pulpit-initiative/ (Why the Pulpit Initiative Movement)

From the website: "The future of religious freedom depends on a free pulpit to communicate fundamental, biblical principles to congregations across America. Join a growing movement of bold pastors preaching biblical Truth about candidates and elections from their pulpits on October 7, 2012."

Alliance Defense Fund, overview - http://www.alliancedefendingfreedom.org/about Alliance Defense Fund, on their mission to promote religious liberty - http://www.alliancedefendingfreedom.org/issues/religious-liberty

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE JUNE 11, 2012

Federal Budget, Spending & Taxes

• No Budget: Tuesday, June 12 marks the 1140th day since the Senate has passed a budget under the leadership of Harry Reid (D-NV).
• Difference in Debt: Some of you may have noticed the media claiming that the CBO recently said that our federal debt would reach 70% of GDP sometime this year. But those of us paying attention noted that our debt passed 100% of GDP in December of 2011. So why the difference? The CBO is NOT counting intragovernmental debt. There is publicly held debt (debt held by bondholders, etc.) and debt held by government agencies. The CBO’s numbers only reflect the debt held by the public – they do not account for the debt held by the government! But it’s all debt that we are responsible for paying back, so the accurate number is the one that shows the debt exceeding 100% of GDP.
• Blame Game: The Democrats are now trying to say that the Republicans and the Tea Party have sabotaged the economy in order to win an election. This will be the new narrative for a while, so think about how you would like address it and respond to it.
• Meaning of Austerity: Watch this video of Veronique de Rugy discussing the different types of austerity. Also read her article about how European fiscal austerity doesn’t mean spending cuts.  And don’t forget to read the report by Harvard academics about how cutting spending and raising taxes has a historically bad track record, & how spending cuts only are the way to go.
• Tripled: Also in that CBO report was the fact that the debt is on track to TRIPLE in one generation! Now, remember they only looked at publicly held debt, so you can imagine how much worse it really is when we take into account the intragovernmental debt.

Regulations and Jobs

• REIN-ing in the Regulators:  Last December the House passed the REINS Act, which would have required Congress to vote “on a resolution of approval concerning every “major” regulation (with an economic impact of $100 million or more).” The Senate, of course, is useless when it comes to doing anything. Obama has threatened to veto the REINS Act should it reach his desk. This could be a great campaign issue in 2012 – ask your candidates about where they stand on it. Read more about the REINS Act here.
• Not Hiring:  Read about the personal stories of business owners who are afraid to start hiring again because of the regulatory adventurism of this administration, and the uncertainty of future tax rates.
• 3 Lies:  Read about the three lies of government statistics on unemployment - Remember this when you hear Obama’s Department of Labor crowing over some less-than-stellar unemployment numbers. And be sure to pass this on to anyone who you talk to that thinks the numbers are looking good. Apparently some people think that adding 69,000 jobs in one month is pretty darn impressive.
  Horrible Recovery:  In light of Obama’s comment about the private sector “doing fine,” check out this graph from the RSC to see how “fine” the private sector is really doing. Hint: waaaaaaaaaaay below average.

Obamacare

Thank you to the Alexandria Tea Party for collecting these links.

• Religious Freedom Rallies in 49 States
• House Takes Up Job-Killing Device Tax (& it passed this past week)
• Medical Loss Ratios Threaten Insurer Viability
• Home Tax Clobbers Middle Class
• Cost Curve Bent Upwards, Not Down
• Study Finds that Exchanges Won’t Work as Advertised
• High Deductible Plans Lead to Lower Spending
• Obamacare Diagnosed as Quackery
• Does Obama Already Know the SCOTUS Decision?
• Physician Survey – Doctors Not Happy With Obamacare

Property Rights & Sustainability

• Alabama Outlaws Agenda 21 – more info here
• House Defunds Two Egregious Ocean Policies
• UN Wants to Tax America
• Good Article from Tom DeWeese
• VIDEO: Rand Paul on His Bill to Curb the FDA’s Power
• See Agenda 21 Happening in Detroit

Illegal Immigration

• A Bill to Stop the DOJ from Suing States Over Their Immigration Laws

House of Representatives



Weekly summary and look-ahead provided by the RSC. Posting information from the RSC does not imply TPP endorsement of the RSC.


Weekly Wrap Up

• Partial Obamacare Repeal — Last Thursday, the House approved H.R. 436, the Health Care Cost Reduction Act, by a vote of 270-146. The legislation combines four bipartisan bills that would remove harmful limitations put in place by Obamacare. This will result in saving up to 47,000 jobs, supporting medical innovation, reducing health care costs, and providing Americanfamilies more choice and flexibility. The bill repeals the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices scheduled to take place in 2013; repeals the limitation on reimbursement of the over-the-counter medications from health savings account (HSA), flexible spending arrangement (FSA), health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), or medical savings accounts (MSA) that took effect in 2011; and allows 33 million consumers of health FSAs to “cash out” unused funds (capped at $500) at the end of the year. Finally, the bill eliminates exchange subsidy overpayments (the subsidies—refundable tax credits—are determined based on the most recent tax return, thus an overpayment could occur when actual incomes exceed subsidy eligibility thresholds). The Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R. 436 reduces the deficit by $6.7 billion over the 2013-2022 period. Conservatives remain committed to the full and total repeal of Obamacare, especially in light of the looming Supreme Court decision. Many conservatives worry that partial repeal and “fix-it” bills will divide and distract the coalition for repealing Obamacare and restarting on conservative health care reform.
• Transportation Spending – Last week, conservatives used a procedural vote called a “motion to instruct conferees” to force a debate and vote on transportation spending. These motions are used to send a message to the conference committee—this time on the highway bill—regarding the prerogatives of one chamber of Congress. Although not binding, conservatives hope that these motions will highlight conservative priorities on transportation The first motion, offered by Rep. Jeff Flake (AZ), stipulates that states must receive back from the federal government at least 95% of the revenue they pay into the Highway Trust Fund. Under the current system, some states are unfairly rewarded at the expense of other states. The motion passed 259-154. The second motion, offered by Rep. Paul Broun (GA), states that federal highway spending cannot exceed the user fee revenues of the Highway Trust Fund. Currently, highway spending exceeds the revenues of the trust fund and borrows from the general fund. Conservatives have long argued that federal highway spending should not spend money that does not come from the Highway Trust Fund. Unfortunately, this motion was rejected82-323.

NOTE: 145 Republicans voted AGAINST this bill that would have forced federal highway spending to operate within the existing revenue. See the votes here, meaning they voted FOR irresponsibility and higher spending - even when the money isn't there.

• Energy and Water Appropriations — Last Wednesday, the House approved H.R. 5325, the Energy and Water Appropriations Act of 2013, by a vote of 255-165. The bill provides a total of $32.09 billion in non-emergency, discretionary budget authority for the agencies and programs funded through the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. Budget authority in the bill is a reduction of $965 million, or 3 percent below, the spending level requested by the President for FY 2013. Unfortunately, the bill is also $87 million, or 0.2 percent, above the FY 2012 funding level.

The following amendments to the Energy & Water Appropriations bill should be of interest to conservatives.


o McClintock (R-CA) – Cuts the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program by $1.45 billion. Rejected 113-275.
o Chaffetz (R-UT) – Cuts the Advanced Manufacturing Program by $74 million, to FY 2011 levels. Rejected 140-245.
o Broun (R-GA) – Cuts the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program by $335 million. Rejected on voice vote.
o McClintock (R-CA) – Eliminates nuclear energy research subsidies (saves $514 million). Rejected 106-281.
o Connolly (D-VA) – Eliminates oil shale research and development subsidies (saves $25 million). Passed 208-207-1.
o Chabot (R-OH) – Eliminates funding for the regional commissions, such as the Appalachian Regional Commission (saves $99.3 million). Rejected 141-276.
o Kucinich (D-OH) – Prohibits funding for loan guarantees under Title 17 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (this is the program that funded Solyndra). Rejected 136-282.
o Blackburn (R-TN) – 1% across the board cut to discretionary spending (would cut $321 million). Rejected 157-261.
o Mulvaney (R-SC) – Would bring the bill toward RSC budget levels by cutting $3.1 billion. Rejected 125-293.
o King (R-IA) – Prohibits funding of Davis-Bacon union wage requirements. Rejected 184-235.
o Jordan (R-OH) – Prohibits loan guarantees for renewable energy systems, electric power transmission systems, or leading edge biofuel projects—aka Solyndra. Passed by voice vote.
o Landry (R-LA) – Prohibits funds being used for a national media campaign on green technologies. Passed by voice vote.
o Schweikert (R-AZ) – Prohibits funds being used to enforce federal shower head regulations. Passed by voice vote.
o Flake (R-AZ) – Across the board spending cut that would keep funding at FY 2012 levels ($87.5 million savings). Rejected 144-274.

• Homeland Security Appropriations — Thursday, the House approved H.R. 5855, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2013, by a vote of 234-182. The bill provides $39.1 billion in discretionary budget authority for programs funded through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for Fiscal Year 2013. Unlike previous years, funding for the Coast Guard’s support of the Global War on Terror/Overseas Contingency Operations are not included in the bill and are instead provided via transfer of $254 million from Department of Defense, Navy, Operations & Maintenance. Discretionary budget authority in the bill is $484 million, or 1.2 percent, less than last year and $393 million, or 1 percent, below the President’s request.

The following amendments to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill should be of interest to conservatives.


o Broun (R-GA) – Reduces administrative expense accouns by 3% (saves $500,000). Rejected 140-273.
o Broun (R-GA) – Eliminates all funding for TSA (saves $5.041 billion). Rejected by voice vote.
o Flake (R-AZ) – Cuts $412.9 million from FEMA state and local programs (a reduction to FY 2012 levels). Rejected by voice vote.
o Black (R-TN) – Prohibits funding for the position of Public Advocate within Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Passed by voice vote.
o King (R-IA) – Prohibits funding to enforce an executive order which mandates the Department of Homeland Security to use languages other than English. Passed 224-189.
o King (R-IA) – Prohibits funding to enforce “Morton Memos” concerning administrative amnesty. Passed 238-175.
o Blackburn (R-TN) – Prohibits funding to provide TSA employees badges, shields, or uniforms with epaulets or a badge tab. Rejected 131-282.
o Blackburn (R-TN) – Prohibits funding for TSA employees outside of airports. Rejected 204-210.
o Sullivan (R-OK) – Prohibits funds from being used to prevent state and local law enforcement from enforcing immigration laws. Passed 250-164.
o Barletta (R-PA) – Prohibits funding for sanctuary cities. Passed by voice vote.
o Polis (D-CO) – 2% across the board cut to the bill. Rejected 99-316.

• Legislative Branch Appropriations — Friday, the House approved H.R. 5882, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of FY 2013, by a vote of 307-102. The bill provides a total of $3.33 billion in discretionary budget authority for all non-Senate Legislative Branch activities, which is $34 million, or 1 percent, below last year’s levels and $189 million, or 5.4 percent, below the President’s requested level. The House and Senate traditionally determine their own funding separately and concur with each other’s bill in a conference committee. According to House Report 112-511, which accompanies the legislation, the Senate appropriations estimate is $956.1 million. When House and Senate appropriations are combined, total Legislative Branch funding would be $4.28 billion. According to the Appropriations Committee, since Fiscal Year 2010, the spending overseen by the Legislative Branch Subcommittee has been cut by 10.5 percent.

The following amendments to the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill should be of interest to conservatives.

o Gosar (R-AZ) – Reduces funding for the U.S. Botanic Garden to FY 2009 levels (saves $1.235 million). Passed 213-193.
o Broun (R-GA) – Reduces funding for the Congressional Research Services to FY 2012 levels (saves $878,000). Passed 214-189.

o Scalise (R-LA) – Eliminates all funding for the Open World Leadership Center Trust Fund (saves $1 million). Passed 204-203.
o Moran (D-VA) – Prohibits House food service facilities from buying Styrofoam. Rejected 178-229.
o Flake (R-AZ) – Prohibits Members of Congress from using official funds to buy advertisements on non-official sites (like Facebook, etc.). Rejected 148-261.

Check out these weekly updates from caucuses, task forces, working groups, and special projects of the RSC!

• Budget and Spending Task Force – A weekly roundup of budget and spending news in the House from a conservative perspective.
• Money Monitor – The only document that tracks the cost of bills as the pass the House.
• National Security Working Group – Periodic updates on national security and defense issues in the House from a conservative perspective.
• Financial Services Working Group – Provides conservative analysis of financial services issues, including Dodd Frank, GSE’s, and the Fed.
• Health Care Working Group – The latest news on Obamacare and conservative health care solutions.
• 10th Amendment Task Force – Highlights legislation and initiatives that moves power out of Washington and back to the states.
• Repeal Task Force – A weekly bill is highlighted that repeals an entire law (ie. Obamacare, Dodd Frank, Davis Bacon).
• Sunset Caucus – A weekly bill is highlighted that sunsets a federal program or agency.
• Questionable Constitutional Authority Statement – The most egregious examples of the misuse and misapplication of the House’s constitutional authority statement rule.
• If Democrats Controlled The House… - The worst examples of liberal legislation that could be considered if Democrats were in the majority.
• Weekly Updates from the Chairman – To sign up for these weekly updates—usually sent on Monday—from Chairman Jordan highlighting conservative Members, issues, and activities in the RSC, please go here.

The Week Ahead

The House is in recess this week.
 
Senate

• The Senate resumes consideration of the motion to proceed to a five-year farm bill, although amendment votes are not expected before Tuesday.
• The first vote of the week will be in connection with the confirmation of Andrew D. Hurwitz for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Two Senate Appropriations subcommittees — Labor-HHS-Education and Financial Services— mark up their draft fiscal 2013 spending bills. Later in the week, the full Appropriations panel is expected to consider both measures.
• Environment and Public Works holds a confirmation hearing on two Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominations: Allison M. Macfarlane, who has been tapped to replace Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko, and incumbent Commissioner Kristine L. Svinicki.
• MONDAY: Convenes 2 p.m., Roll call votes expected S 3240 — Farm bill and Nomination — Andrew D. Hurwitz for a judgeship on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

TUESDAY AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK:
S 3240 — Farm bill

Christian Derangement Syndrome: Bill Maher and the Huffington Post Have It!

by Diane Rufino, March 2012

Not long ago, a blogger wrote: "Recently, my Biology teacher threw a bible across the classroom! Not that I am a Christian, but that's not how you treat other peoples religion. When we asked him why he did it, he said 'That book is full of lies.' Every time I'm in his class, he always talks about how there are many mistakes in the Bible. He's always criticizing the Bible."

What is it about Christianity that causes so many people to become deranged? Why do they it so much more than other religions?

Years ago, liberals suffered a similar type of derangement whenever President Bush was in the limelight. It was called the Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS). Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was a perfect example. She couldn't pass an opportunity to use the microphone, on any occasion, to call Bush names and criticize his every move. I remember one year, President Bush started his State of the Union Address by congratulating Pelosi on being the first woman Speaker of the House and graciously introducing her as a woman of integrity. She sat there, all smiles, taking in the moment and lavishing the praise he was giving her in front of the entire nation. Yet the minute the Address was concluded and Pelosi was able to get in front of a microphone, her demeanor changed, the rabies kicked in, and she let loose a vitriolic diatribe against Bush. I believe I saw saliva foaming at her mouth. The foaming was not always indicative of BDS, but we often saw it in members of the liberal media. Its goal was not necessarily to show that President Bush was bad for the country - because they never were able to make that case - but rather to show that he was bad for people's mental health. At least that's the way I saw it.

And now we have a similar syndrome - Christian Derangement Syndrome. Similarly, while their goal apparently is to show that Christians are bad for the country, they will never be able to make that case. In fact, the more they carry on, it's much clearer that they are the ones that are harmful. Rather, their default goal is to show that Christians are bad for the mental health of non-believers.

A teacher at Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, California, was accused of violating the Establishment Clause by repeatedly making statements critical and derogatory of religion in his AP European History class. For example, he told his class: “When you put on your Jesus glasses, you can’t see the truth.”

He also said: “Aristotle was a physicist. … He argued that there has to be a God. Of course that’s nonsense.” And he made this comment, among many others: "The people who want to make the argument that God did it, there is as much evidence that God did it as there is that there is a giant spaghetti monster living behind the moon." The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the teacher was using appropriate critical thinking skills to teach his students. I imagine that if it were the other way around, and the teacher had been praising God, the Ninth Circuit would have held that there was an improper establishment of religion.

A kindergarten teacher in New Jersey saw the name "Jesus" on a Thanksgiving poster made by one of her students and instantly removed it from a display she made of the class posters out in the hall. God forbid someone should walk by and see that name!! In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, the teacher asked the students to make posters depicting what they were "thankful for." The child at issue wanted to thank Jesus. The child was 5 years old. It was a kindergarten hallway. Imagine the confusion the child suffered, being taught one thing at home and in church but being punished for it by her teacher.

And then there's the personal, one-man crusade led by rabid atheist Michael Newdow. He is the man who went to court to try to stop children from being able to say the Pledge of Allegiance in school because it includes the offensive phrase "Under God." He alleged that the words "under God" in the pledge amounted to an establishment of religion, in violation of the First Amendment. He brought the case on behalf of his 9-year-old daughter who he didn't even have custody of. He also brought the case in spite of the fact that the girl herself wanted to continue saying the pledge and didn't want the lawsuit filed. The district court held the pledge was constitutional but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 vote, reversed the decision and held that recitation of the pledge with the words "under God" in the school system violated the Establishment Clause. To celebrate the decision by the Court of Appeals, Time Magazine did a story on Newdow and made him their "Person of the Week."

[The case eventually reached the US Supreme Court in 2004. The Court held that Michael Newdow didn't have standing to bring the case in the first place, so the pledge was affirmed].

A little over fifty years ago, in 1954, when the phrase “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance by Congress, the vote was unanimous. The decision to insert the words "under God" was made "to recognize a Supreme Being" and advance religion at a time "when the government was publicly fighting against atheistic communism." Furthermore, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the act which added the phrase "under God," he announced: "From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our Nation and our people to the Almighty."

CONTINUED:  http://ncrenegade.com/editorial/christian-derangement-syndrome-bill-maher-and-the-huffington-post-have-it/

PATRIOT POST: Essential Liberty--The Obama approach to the Constitution

The Obama approach to the Constitution

[F]or the past week America has watched the media elite and some in Washington bend over backward to turn attention away from an issue that is fundamental to the future of this country: Obamacare's attack on individual liberty. ... It all stems from a decision by the Obama Administration to mandate that religious employers, including schools, hospitals, and charities, provide health care coverage for abortion-inducing drugs and contraception. ... Some have attempted to make this a debate about other issues, but despite their efforts, the core complaint about this anti-conscience mandate remains: The President's policy is an unprecedented attack on all Americans' rights as protected by the First Amendment. ... No matter the direction the debate has taken, the deeply flawed policy remains, as does the opposition. Fortunately, Americans are not powerless to take action against this continuing encroachment on liberty. To begin with, Congress can and should take action now to stand in opposition to this anti-conscience mandate and ensure that the liberties guaranteed under the First Amendment remain intact. As Obamacare's two-year anniversary approaches, we've already seen two monumental reasons it must be repealed: the individual mandate and the anti-conscience mandate. But these are by no means the last of Obamacare's attacks on Americans' liberty."
--Heritage


CONTINUED:http://patriotpost.us/edition/2012/03/12/brief/

N.C. County Stands up to ACLU’s Attack on Public Prayer

North Carolina county has thumbed its nose at the state’s ACLU franchise, which has been warning county officials all over the state to stop opening government meetings with prayer.

As reported by the Associated Press, a “Rowan County commissioner opened the board’s [March 5] meeting with a Christian prayer, despite a warning from the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union that it would violate the law and potentially trigger a lawsuit. As has long been the elected board’s practice, Commissioner Jon Barber (left) opened the public meeting with an invocation asking for a blessing in the name of Jesus.”

The ACLU has been harassing counties all over the Tar Heel State since mid-January, when the U.S Supreme Court declined to review a ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals against the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners in its long-held tradition of opening meetings with predominantly Christian prayers. As reported by The New American, two residents sued the county after a local pastor opened a December 2007 government meeting by thanking God for sending His Son “to forgive us for our sins,” and closed the prayer “in the name of Jesus.”

http://thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/11138-nc-county-stands-up-to-aclus-attack-on-public-prayer

Barton Calls Obama ‘America’s Most Biblically-Hostile U. S. President’

Is President Barack Obama America’s most “Biblically-hostile U.S. president?” This is the label that conservative historian David Bardon has given Obama, as the nation continues its debate over the president’s controversial contraceptive mandate.


But for Barton, the situation transcends the current debate about religious freedom and the Catholic Church, as the frequent guest on Glenn Beck’s radio and television shows develops his provocative argument in detail.

CONTINUED:  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/barton-calls-obama-america%E2%80%99s-most-biblically-hostile-u-s-president/

How can you help? Glenn announces 'We are all Catholics Now'

How can you help? Glenn announces 'We are all Catholics Now' movement as attack intensifies --The Obama administration has not backed down on its attack on faith and conscience, instead giving a non-concession concession in their push to mandate birth control & abortion coverage. Senator Roy Blunt (R) has added an amendment to the Highway Transportation bill that would allow employers to decide whether they want to cover contraception or not. What can you do? It's easy -- time to hit the switchboards. Phone numbers in the link - CLICK HERE & CALL.

http://www.glennbeck.com/2012/02/15/details-glenn-to-kick-off-we-are-all-catholics-now-campaign/

URGENT: Tell Your Senators to Vote YES on the Blunt-Rubio-Ayotte Amendment to Protect Conscience

URGENT: Tell Your Senators to Vote YES on the Blunt-Rubio-Ayotte Amendment to Protect Conscience


Tell them to vote YES on Amendment #1520

Last Friday, the President Obama announced a new “accommodation” for religiously-affiliated organizations under the ObamaCare mandate that requires all health plans to cover contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs. This so-called compromise, however, is nothing but an accounting gimmick that still forces religiously-affiliated organizations, like Catholic hospitals, schools, and charities, to provide abortion-inducing drugs to its employees. This mandate remains a gross violation of the First Amendment which forces these institutions to either abandon their essential beliefs or not provide health insurance to their employees and pay a heavy fine.

Take immediate action by contacting your Senators to vote in favor of Amendment #1520 to S.1813, put forward by pro-life hero Senator Roy Blunt and supported by Senators Marco Rubio, Kelly Ayotte and others. Amendment #1520 would ensure that religiously-affiliated organizations are not coerced by the government to provide abortion-inducing drugs that violate their religious and moral convictions.

Act Now!  Send email or print letters from here for free!
http://capwiz.com/sbalist/issues/alert/?alertid=61000461


Senator Burr:  DC: 202-224-3154; Rocky Mount: 252-977-9522

Senator Hagan:  DC: 202-224-6342; Greensboro: 336-333-5311;
Raleigh: 919-856-4630

Message from NC Senator Richard Burr

February 10, 2012



This Week in Washington: Unemployment Benefits Reform Act
This week, I introduced a bill called the Unemployment Benefits Reform Act of 2012 which would individuals who have been unemployed for six months or more to complete 20 hours of public service and 20 hours of active job search or other work related activities per week as conditions for receipt of federal extended unemployment benefits. The United States economy is suffering, and we are experiencing record levels of sustained unemployment. Being unemployed for an extended length of time can be demoralizing for people looking for work, but engagement in volunteer service will encourage unemployed workers to maintain job skills, marketability, and a sense of self-worth while providing for the betterment of their communities. Even more, the active job search requirement will enhance the integrity of the unemployment system and its ability to identify and serve those most in need.

Public service may be fulfilled by working for a 501( c ) (3) organization or a federal, state or local agency, and the bill protects government workers from displacement by only permitting volunteering with a governmental agency when permitted by current law. However, with nearly 13 million unemployed Americans and potentially limited opportunities for voluntary service, states would have the discretionary power to waive the requirement for individuals who had made a concerted effort to volunteer. In addition, unemployed individuals may be exempt from the public service requirement due to illness, family emergency, or if they are unable to perform public service due to child care responsibilities or lack of transportation.


Work related activities include subsidized private sector employment; subsidized public sector employment; work experience (including work associated with the refurbishing of publicly assisted housing); on-the-job training; job readiness assistance; vocational educational training, education directly related to employment, receiving a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency; and providing child care services to an individual who is participating in a community service program.

Not only will this bill improve the stability of our unemployment system, it will also keep the morale, and more importantly, the employability, as high as possible for those looking for work.


Religious Freedom Restoration Act

On Thursday, I signed on as a cosponsor of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012, a bill introduced by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) that would repeal the recent mandate under the President’s health care law that violates religious liberties and conscience rights of faith-based institutions by forcing them to offer employees insurance coverage for contraception free of charge. This mandate is an example of the White House’s complete disrespect for religious beliefs, which has deeply offended many Americans and institutions who do not want to have to choose between providing health insurance for their employees and abandoning the religious beliefs and morals they hold dear.

Religious liberty is one of the most valued freedoms upon which this nation was founded, and I hope that President Obama will reverse this unprecedented federal mandate that conflicts with long-standing religious freedoms and conscience protections.

http://burr.senate.gov/public/

SUN JOURNAL NEW BERN: Prayers hushed at county government meetings

February 7, 2012
The Cowardly Commissioners!
RIVER BEND – Craven County Board of Commissioners didn’t start their Monday meeting here with a prayer.

It may not have been the first time for the board but it was unusual. It is expected to now be the norm on the advice of the county’s lawyer, Jim Hicks.

In January, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of an American Civil Liberties Union suit against Forsyth County Board of Commissioners. That let stand a 2011 ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that a government group’s prayer policy allowing mostly Christian prayers violates the U.S. Constitution.

Hicks, who represents Craven, Pamlico, and Jones counties and six area municipalities, said the ACLU has already contacted him regarding policies of two of his clients, including Jones County.

Hicks said, “Most elected officials are very, very frustrated” with the lower court decision but “it is not new law.” The Supreme Court has allowed prayer using only the name of God as the deity, not Jesus, which would be only for the Christian religion.

CONTINUED:http://www.newbernsj.com/news/hushed-104169-meetings-prayers.html

INDOCTRINATION: PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE DECLINE OF CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA (DVD)

Nearly 90% of Christian children attend a public school. Their families have a vested interest in all that happens there. Join Scottish filmmaker Colin Gunn, a homeschool father of seven, on the field trip of a lifetime. Driving an old school bus, Colin and family travel across America, asking questions about the origins and social impact of American's public education system. Colin asks:


•Who established the American public school system?

•Are my kids physically and morally safe in the schools?

•Are the public schools religiously neutral?

•Should Christians try to be “salt and light” in public schools?

•Can the public school system be fixed or redeemed?

Featuring interviews with whistleblower teachers, administrators, students, parents, and others, this film is part documentary, part testimonial, and totally captivating. Above all it is both an encouragement and challenge to the millions of Christians who need to know what God's Word says about the discipleship and training of the next generation.

http://superstore.wnd.com/video/Education_2/IndoctriNation-Public-Schools-and-the-Decline-of-Christianity-in-America-DVD

WallBuilders: Free to Speak—Religious Freedom Sunday

From time to time, WallBuilders is involved with a number of groups and cooperates with them in worthy culture-changing efforts. Here is one such upcoming event: Religious Freedom Sunday.


Parents, educators, youth group leaders, and students, this is your chance to speak up by joining the movement to keep faith in public schools! Religious Freedom Sunday (January 15, 2012) is a day to honor teachers and educate students and parents regarding the rights of religious expressions in the public schools.

Religious Freedom Sunday is a preparation for Religious Freedom Day, declared to be January 16th since 1993, when a resolution passed in Congress set this day apart, purposely choosing January 16th to honor The Virginia Act For Establishing Religious Freedom. This act was written by Thomas Jefferson and passed by the Virginia legislature in 1786.

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=24ff978071728b002d42f126f&id=85f997c3b9&fblike=true&e=82b2973156

Pastors Unite Against IRS Restrictions on Political Speech in the Pulpit

September 25, 2011

A regulation added to the IRS code back in 1954 (The Johnson Amendment) has muddied the waters for pastors, creating a scenario in which some leaders are too fearful of federal consequences to exercise their right to free speech from the pulpit.

The Speak Up campaign (launched by the Alliance Defense Fund) addresses this important issue, while working to “protect and promote” the rights of American churches. In addition to making faith leaders aware of their constitutional right to free speech, the movement encourages pastors to stop self-censoring and to start making their political voices heard.

But in addition to legal help, pastors can also join in on Pulpit Freedom Sunday, an annual event the coalition has launched to encourage pastors to preach sermons that to examine candidates’ stances. Aside from exploring candidate opinion, churches are encouraged to look at what Scripture says about each issue. Then, they will make specific recommendations about whether or not the congregation should vote for or against specific candidates.

Following the event, each pastor lets the IRS know about his or her sermon. The hope is that making the government aware of the code violation will spark an audit. Then, the constitutionality of the Johnson Amendment can be hashed out once and for all.

In 2008, only 33 pastors participated; this expanded to 80 faith leaders in 2009 and then nearly 100 in 2010. With the movement rapidly growing, even more leaders are poised to take part in this year’s
Pulpit Freedom Sunday on October 2, 2011.

http://patriotupdate.com/12556/pastors-unite-against-irs-restrictions-on-political-speech-in-the-pulpit

MORE ON THE BLAZE:  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/pastors-unite-against-irs-tax-code-restrictions-on-political-speech-in-the-pulpit/

Note:  LBJ said the amendment was not aimed at churches--rather it was retailiation by Johnson against two business men who had the gall to criticize him!  More info on this on GBTV.COM--September 22, 2011 episode of the Glenn Beck Show.

Right to Prayer, Andy Rooney

With comments from my friend Gail,

You know, I don't always agree with everything Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes says, but this is one time he is right on the mark. When are we going to stand up and not let those who will trash our Faith, our CONSTITUTIONAL government and our right to freedom and liberties continue to rule our lives. God gave us his grace and will give us the strength to defend our rights to practice our faiths openly and honestly. Anyone who doesn't like it is welcome to their own opinions but not going to stop us from OPENLY being believers in God. I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of atheists and non-believers (who are in the minority) dictating to believers what we can and cannot do when it comes to prayer.


The Constitution of the United States of America states in the 1st Amendment that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Personally, I feel we have allowed our government and others who don't believe in our Christian faiths to prohibit us from the free exercise of our religion. We can't have even a moment of silence for our children to start their day in PUBLIC school with a prayer to our Creator; we aren't allowed to put up nativity scenes in or at our public buildings at Christmas; every time we turn around the liberal media, elitest or non-believers are influencing our government to not allow us to even mention the name of God or Jesus Christ in every thing public that we do. Our belief in God is the very fiber of our being both in our private and public lives. It doesn't stop when we are in or at public events. It is time to put God were he should be and that is, FIRST IN OUR LIVES AND IN EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES. He is the one who gave us life in the first place through our parents.


May God forgive us and may God Bless us and America. Gail

Right to Prayer, Andy Rooney

Andy Rooney says:


I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin , but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire Book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue.

Yes, and this is the United States of America , a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem , I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer...
If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad , I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.
If I went to a ping pong match in China , I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.
And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit.


When in Rome .....


But what about the atheists? Is another argument.


What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do.. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.

God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well, just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we tell that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority doesn't care what they want. It is time that the majority


Rules! It's time we tell them, You don't have to pray; you don't have to say the Pledge of Allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right; but by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away. We are fighting back, and we WILL WIN!


God bless us one and all ... Especially those who denounce Him , God bless America, despite all her faults. She is still the greatest nation of all. God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.

http://www.sodahead.com/entertainment/right-to-prayer-andy-rooney/question-661583/

Merry Christmas from NC Freedom!

Merry Christmas


The United States Code, section 5 USC 6103 declares ten national, legal, public holidays:

(a)  The following are legal public holidays:
      New Year's Day, January 1.
      Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the third Monday in January.
      Washington's Birthday, the third Monday in February.
      Memorial Day, the last Monday in May.
      Independence Day, July 4.
      Labor Day, the first Monday in September.
      Columbus Day, the second Monday in October.
      Veterans Day, November 11.
      Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November.
      Christmas Day, December 25.
     
Christmas Day is a Christian religious holiday so how can the federal government justify this holiday under the current political correct definition of the separation of church vs. state? We see retail stores, banks and government offices outline a policy for Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas in order to not offend some ethereal "patron".

Cincinnati attorney Richard Ganulin filed a lawsuit in U.S. district court in August, 1998 by filing a lawsuit asking the federal government to stop declaring December 25th as a holiday.

"Christmas is a religious holiday and the Congress of the United States is not constitutionally permitted to endorse or aid any religion, purposefully or otherwise, or [promote] entanglement between our government and religious beliefs."

The lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Susan Dlott who stated:
"that Christmas can be observed as a federal holiday because non-Christians also mark the holiday by celebrating the arrival of Santa Claus. Since nonreligious people also observe the holiday, giving federal workers a day off for Christmas does not elevate one religion over another."

Judge Dlott preceded her ruling with the following poem:

"The court will address plaintiff's seasonal confusion erroneously believing Christmas merely a religious intrusion.

Whatever the reason constitutional or other Christmas is not an act of big brother!


Christmas is about joy and giving and sharing it is about the child within u.s. it is mostly about caring!

One is never jailed for not having a tree for not going to church for not spreading glee!

The court will uphold seemingly contradictory causes decreeing "the establishment" and "santa" both worthwhile "claus(es)!"


We are all better for santa the easter bunny too and maybe the great pumpkin to name just a few!

An extra day off is hardly high treason it may be spent as you wish regardless of reason.

The court having read the lessons of "lynch" refuses to play the role of the grinch!

There is room in this country and in all our hearts too for different convictions and a day off too!"

I personally do not need a court case to justify the spirit of Christmas. The decision concerning how individuals celebrate the birth of Jesus is just that: an individual decision. With that thought in mind, the staff and directors of NC Freedom wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas.

David DeGerolamo
NC Freedom

You can join their mailing list at:  http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0013yYWxIr3lUGnCroR4gD3wQ%3D%3D

Thomas Sowell: Forgetting the Constitution

The assurance that “separation of church and state” is in the Constitution shows our elites’ ignorance.

Politics is not the only place where some pretty brassy statements have been made and repeated so often that some people have accepted these brassy statements as being as good as gold.


One of the brassiest of the brass oldies is the notion that the Constitution creates a “wall of separation” between church and state. This false notion has been so widely accepted that people who tell the truth get laughed at and mocked.

A recent New York Times piece said that it was “a flub of the first order” when Christine O’Donnell, Republican candidate for senator in Delaware, asked a law school audience, “Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?” According to the New York Times, “The question draw gasps and laughter” from this audience of professors and law students who are elites-in-waiting.

The New York Times writer joined in the mocking response to Ms. O’Donnell’s question, though admitting in passing that “in the strictest sense” the “actual words ‘separation of church and state’ do not appear in the text of the Constitution.” Either the separation of church and state is there or it is not there. It is not a question of some “strictest” technicality.


The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States begins, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” There is absolutely nothing in the Constitution about a “wall of separation” between church and state, either directly or indirectly.

That phrase was used in a letter by Thomas Jefferson, who was not even in the country when the Constitution was written. It was a phrase seized upon many years later, by people who wanted to restrict religious symbols, and it has been cited by judges who share that wish.

There was no mystery about what “an establishment of religion” meant when that phrase was put into the Constitution. It was not an open-ended invitation to judges to decide what role religion should play in American society or in American government.

The Church of England was an “established church.” That is, it was not only financed by the government, its members had privileges denied to members of other religions.

The people who wrote the Constitution of the United States had been British subjects most of their lives, and knew exactly what an “established church” meant. They wanted no such thing in the United States of America. End of story — or so it should have been.

For more than a century, no one thought that the First Amendment meant that religious symbols were forbidden on government property. Prayers were offered in Congress and in the Supreme Court. Chaplains served in the military and presidents took their oath of office on the Bible.

But, in our own times, judges have latched onto Jefferson’s phrase and run with it. It has been repeated so often in their decisions that it has become one of the brassiest of the brass oldies that get confused with golden oldies.

As fundamentally important as the First Amendment is, what is even more important is the question whether judges are to take it upon themselves to “interpret” the law to mean whatever they want it to mean, rather than what it plainly says.

This is part of a larger question, as to whether this country is to be a self-governing nation, controlled by “we the people,” as the Constitution put it, or whether arrogant elites shall take it upon themselves to find ways to impose what they want on the rest of us, by circumventing the Constitution.

Congress is already doing that by passing laws before anyone has time to read them and the White House is likewise circumventing the Constitution by appointing “czars” who have as much power as cabinet members, without having to go through the confirmation process prescribed for cabinet members by the Constitution.

Judges circumvent the Constitution by reading their own meaning into its words, regardless of how plain and unequivocal its words are.

The Constitution cannot protect us and our freedoms as a self-governing people unless we protect the Constitution. That means zero tolerance at election time for people who circumvent the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. Freedom is too precious to give it up in exchange for brassy words from arrogant elites.


— Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. © 2010 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/251250/forgetting-constitution-thomas-sowell

Townhall.com

Alan Sears:  Sunrise, Sunset: Our Future is Only as Certain as Religious Freedom

As the often heated, sometimes bitter debates that characterized the Constitutional Convention roared back and forth, month after month, throughout the long summer of 1787, Benjamin Franklin found himself gazing more and more at the painted image carved on the chair used by George Washington, who was presiding over the convention.


Franklin couldn’t decide, he told those sitting around him, if the image of a shining orb was supposed to represent the dawn of a new day…or dusk, and darkness coming on the land.


“Now,” he announced with a smile, as the Constitution was finally approved and signed on September 17, “I have the happiness to know that it is a rising, not a setting sun.”

Today, 223 years later, it’s sometimes tempting to want to pull out the old chair and look again. In America, the sunrise on tomorrow is only as sure as the state of our Constitution…and today, that state is shakier than it’s been in a long, long time.

Perhaps no element of that Constitution is more endangered than the First Amendment protections of religious liberty. That cornerstone of our nation’s freedom—the dream that brought the Pilgrims and so many of the other early settlers to our Atlantic shores—is now under direct, daily assault coast to coast.

From California courtrooms to the legislative halls of Massachusetts, our First Freedom is denounced as an impediment to those who would reinvent marriage into something it’s never been, and never can be. On university campuses, it’s all but outlawed as administrative officials segregate Christian students and their activities.

In public schools, religious freedom is ignored as educators work diligently to immerse our children in an aggressively secular world view. In hospitals and clinics and pharmacies across the country, it’s a freedom often denied to those whose religious faith prohibits their participation in abortion.


For far too many Americans, their awareness of the danger is as flimsy as their knowledge of the Constitution. For most, that understanding is limited to muddled memories from high school civics classes and a carefully orchestrated falsehood fabricated years ago by the American Civil Liberties Union and pummeled relentlessly into the public consciousness ever since: “separation of church and state.”


That so-called separation, and the growing legal assault it foments against people of faith, are both so far, far removed from any intention of those who hammered out our extraordinary, unprecedented Constitution that hot Philadelphia summer of so long ago.

Of course, not even the men Thomas Jefferson (whose duties as America’s ambassador to France kept him out of the country) called “an assembly of demi-gods” were immune to the temptation to sideline the Almighty from their undertaking. So conspicuous was His absence that finally Franklin—no overtly religious man himself—asked for the floor, and, addressing Washington, offered one of the most remarkable observations in American history:



In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings?


In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered.

All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. To that kind Providence, we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance?

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?


We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that “except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: we shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and byword down to future ages.

And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human Wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that service.

The observation—like the petty in-fighting, the global implications, and the very real danger of self-destruction—is as applicable to our nation now as it was that day.

Religious freedom is the thread by which hangs not only the document we commemorate today, Constitution Day, but the future of the nation to which that document gave birth. In our willingness to defend that freedom—through our decisions, through our votes, through our prayers—lies the answer to the ever-new mystery of that image carved on Washington’s chair.

Is it morning in America? Or is a great darkness descending?

Alan Sears:  Alan Sears, a former federal prosecutor in the Reagan Administration, is president and CEO of the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance employing a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.

'Lose Christianity or face expulsion'

BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS

'Lose Christianity or face expulsion' -- Georgia student told to read 'gay' lit, attend 'pride parade,' change beliefs

By Bob Unruh

© 2010 WorldNetDaily

A lawsuit against Augusta State University in Georgia alleges school officials essentially gave a graduate student in counseling the choice of giving up her Christian beliefs or being expelled from the graduate program.

School officials Mary Jane Anderson-Wiley, Paulette Schenck and Richard Deaner demanded student Jen Keeton, 24, go through a "remediation" program after she asserted homosexuality is a behavioral choice, not a "state of being" as a professor said, according to the complaint.

Also named as defendants in the case that developed in May and June are other administrators and the university system's board of regents.

The remediation program was to include "sensitivity training" on homosexual issues, additional outside study on literature promoting homosexuality and the plan that she attend a "gay pride parade" and report on it.

Where has higher education in America gone? Find out in "Freefall of the American University"

The lawsuit, filed by attorneys working with the Alliance Defense Fund, asserted the school cannot violate the Constitution by demanding that a person's beliefs be changed.

"ASU faculty have promised to expel Miss Keeton from the graduate Counselor Education program, not because of poor academic showing or demonstrated deficiencies in clinical performance, but simply because she has communicated both inside and outside the classroom that she holds to Christian ethical convictions on matters of human sexuality and gender identity," the law firm explained.


School spokeswoman Kathy Schose today declined to address the allegations in the case but agreed to discuss the counselor teaching program in general.


She cited the American Counseling Association's code of ethics and said students would be required to adopt its provisions.

"There is a code of ethics that govern counselors," she said. "They have to abide by the code of the profession."


Ethics codes generally govern behavior, and Schose denied the school was attempting to alter any student's beliefs or moral values.


But the lawsuit specifically charges the faculty members targeted Keeton's biblically based belief system and values, not her behavior regarding the treatment of any clients, which had not yet happened.


"Schenck told Miss Keeton that it was unethical for her to believe that her convictions should also be shared by other persons. … Schenck explained that while Miss Keeton was free to have points of view about how she personally should conduct and define herself, she may not believe that others should adopt the standards she personally is convinced are true," the lawsuit said.


Anderson-Wiley confirmed that Miss Keeton will not be able to successfully complete the remediation plan and thus complete the ASU counseling program unless she commits to affirming the propriety of gay and lesbian relationships if such an opportunity arises in her future professional efforts," it continued.


ADF Senior Counsel David French contended a public university student "shouldn't be threatened with expulsion for being a Christian and refusing to publicly renounce her faith, but that's exactly what's happening here."


"Simply put, the university is imposing thought reform," he said. "Abandoning one's own religious beliefs should not be a precondition at a public university for obtaining a degree. This type of leftist zero-tolerance policy is in place at far too many universities, and it must stop. Jennifer's only crime was to have the beliefs that she does."


Keeton's own e-mail response to the faculty members who allegedly were pressuring her to adopt a pro-homosexual belief system defines the dispute.


"At times you said that I must alter my beliefs because they are unethical. … other times you said that I can keep my beliefs so long as they are only personal and I don't believe that anyone else should believe like me. But that is just another way of saying that I must alter my beliefs, because my beliefs are about absolute truth. ….. in order to finish the counseling program you are requiring me to alter my objective beliefs and also to commit now that if I ever may have a client who wants me to affirm their decision to have an abortion or engage in gay, lesbian, or transgender behavior, I will do that. I can't alter my biblical beliefs, and I will not affirm the morality of those behaviors in a counseling situation," she wrote.

Faculty members had demanded she "attend at least three workshops … which emphasize … diversity training sensitive toward working with GLBTQ populations." They also wanted her to "develop" her knowledge of homosexuality by reading 10 articles and increasing her exposure to homosexuals and lesbians by attending "the Gay Pride Parade."


According to the complaint documentation, which also seeks a preliminary injunction in the case, Keeton asked Anderson-Wiley how her Christian convictions are any less acceptable than those of a Buddhist or Muslim student. Anderson-Wiley responded, "Christians see this population as sinners."


The complaint alleges Anderson-Wiley specifically told Keeton she was being asked to alter some of her beliefs. The "remediation" program included a statement that Keeton would be dismissed from the program if she chose not to comply, the lawsuit said.


"Unless and until defendant's unconstitutional speech-regulating policies and threatened … actions against Miss Keeton are enjoined, Miss Keeton will suffer and continue to suffer irreparable injury to her constitutional rights," the lawsuit said.

Among the alleged violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments are viewpoint discrimination, compelled speech, equal protection and freedom of speech, it said.

"By conditioning Miss Keeton's continued enrollment in the ASU school counselor masters degree program on her waiver of rights to speech and free exercise of religion … by requiring that she alter her beliefs and speech, and that she … commit to affirm in a hypothetical future context the ethical propriety of transgender and homosexual identification and behavior by others, as well as other values and behaviors she now disapproves, and which violate her religion convictions, defendants have imposed an unconstitutional condition on Miss Keeton," the complaint alleges.

"The First Amendment never permits the government to penalize beliefs in this manner," the complaint said.


The ADF said it also is litigating a case involving a Georgia counselor fired by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because she would not agree to affirm homosexual behavior. While an earlier similar case at Missouri State has been resolved, there is another in which Eastern Michigan University is defendant on similar allegations.


In the Missouri State case, a social work professor, Frank Kauffman, eventually was placed on leave as part of a settlement of the lawsuit brought on behalf of student Emily Brooker. The student had refused his assignment to lobby on behalf of homosexual adoptions because it violated her religious beliefs. She then was brought up on ethics charges in the school.


The settlement also included monetary damages and the removal of the charges against her from her record. The school's own commissioned conclusion in the case found "many students and faculty stated a fear of voicing differing opinions. … In fact, 'bullying' was used by both students and faculty to characterize specific faculty."

In the still-pending case involving Eastern Michigan, lawmakers there considered calling top school officials on the carpet after they expelled from a counseling program a Christian student who refused to argue in support of the homosexual lifestyle.


As WND reported, trouble began for master's program student Julea Ward when she refused to accept a client whose issue concerned a homosexual relationship.

The school expelled her from the counseling program March 12, 2009, for refusing to abrogate her own personal religious beliefs and support the homosexual lifestyle.


Since then, Ward has brought a lawsuit through the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom.


Members of the Michigan Senate shortly later approved legislation that includes a provision calling on university counseling programs to evaluate and affirm how they can accommodate the religious beliefs of students.


State Rep. Tom McMillin told WND at the time the case was "extremely alarming," and there was growing support for an effort to penalize universities that don't accommodate religious beliefs.


"This is a state-taxpayer-supported university," he said. "She's got a court case. Hopefully that will be resolved."


In the case, the judge refused to dismiss the complaint, determining there were "genuine issues of material fact" about the school's "true motivations" for dismissing Ward from the program. Further, the judge concluded, the student's actions to avoid in advance a counseling session for which she had reservations probably followed professional ethical guidelines.


http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=182441