"Gotta Serve Somebody"

In the words of one-time evangelist, Bob Dylan, everyone has "Gotta serve somebody":

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have to choose whom
we are going to follow. In the Book of Luke there is a story about
the temptation of Jesus by the Devil:

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an
instant all the kingdoms of the world.
And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and
splendor, for it has been given to me,
and I can give it to anyone I want to.
So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
Luke 4:5-7 (New International Version)

The leaders of our country have this decision to make also.
Will they lead in a way that "worships" and glorifies the
Creator of this universe, or will they aspire to the "splendor"
of the current World Master, the Devil?

The Coming Fight Over Religious Liberty

Great article by Matt Lewis on what may be in store for the church in America if "gay rights" are fully embraced. If there is a "phobia" related to the "gay" debate, this may be it. Among others, Christ followers are rightfully fearful of the likely black-hole consequences of the casting-off this societal restraint:

Yesterday, President Obama spoke to gay leaders to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York. The riots took place after a police raid on a gay nightclub in Greenwich Village, and are considered the start of the gay-rights movement in the United States.

So far, the response to Obama's remarks seems a bit schizophrenic....

But while Obama is being politically sagacious (after all, he does have a car company to run and two wars to fight), it appears the gay rights movement is slowly gaining steam, as younger Americans show a more tolerant attitude toward homosexuality. And there is little doubt the intense political pressure from the left will ultimately force him to act on at least some of their agenda.

In my estimation, so long as the debate is presented as a group seeking civil rights vs. a group attempting to deny civil rights, Americans who favor traditional values will continue to lose the argument. Of course, the debate is much more complex than that. There are many unintended consequences to consider....

Consider, for example, the prospects of a church school that refuses to hire a transgendered teacher because doing so is counter to their theology. This could ultimately be viewed as discrimination, and, at the very least, open the school up to civil lawsuits -- some of them, perhaps, filed solely for political purposes. The school would either have to hire some transgendered teachers, or lie about it -- either way, it would be forced by the government to betray a tenet of its theology...

Read the full article at:

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/06/30/the-coming-fight-over-religious-liberty/ (accessed 6-30-2009)

Cap and Trade GOP "traitors"

Here is the list of the 8 GOP Reps that voted FOR Cap and Trade HR 2454 on June 26, 2009. What were they thinking? Maybe a Dove Bar from Nancy Pelosi did the trick:

Mary Bono Mack R (CA)
Mike Castle R (DW)
Mark Steven Kirk R (IL)
Leonard Lance R (NJ)
Frank LoBiondo R (NJ)
John McHugh R (NY)
Dave Reichert R (WA)
Chris Smith R (NJ)

From Tea Party Patriots Website http://www.teapartypatriots.org/

Obama is a statist, not a socialist

Written by Edward H. Crane

Thursday, 30 April 2009 13:29

Pres. Barack Obama is not a socialist. He is a thoroughgoing statist, perhaps the worst in American history. And with Wilson, FDR, and LBJ, he's got some serious competition. Republicans in Congress lack the leadership to challenge the president's audacious power grabs. More important, they lack any serious philosophical basis for doing so. The acronym RINO is an oxymoron, for the name "Republican" in fact designates someone with a commitment to nothing more than maintaining political power. The purpose of maintaining that power is to, well, maintain that power.

There is a reason sales of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged are going through the roof. The book is nothing if not prescient. The "Troubled Assets Relief Program" is straight from its pages. Monday's New York Times front page suggests Atlas may be starting to shrug. "Doctor Shortage Proves Obstacle to Obama Goals," laments the headline. Hmm. Wonder why there would be a doctor shortage in the face of nationalized health care? Perhaps bright young people considering a career don't want to work for the federal bureaucracy?

Time for those conservatives serious about limited government to re-read Goldwater's Conscience of a Conservative. Strategically, conservatives have made three major mistakes. The first was to follow the advice of supply-side guru (and big-government Democrat) Jude Wanniski and not talk about spending cuts, much less the proper role of government. Economic growth replaced individual liberty as the rallying cry of far too many GOPers. Second, the neocons — mostly statists themselves — should never have been accepted into the fold. All they give us is a war against a country that never attacked us and schemes for "national greatness" like going to Mars. Enough. Finally, conservatives should jettison the social agenda of gay marriage, flag burning, and school prayer, and focus instead on federalism. Politics is about man's relationship to the state. That relationship, to be healthy, should be minimal.

Edward H. Crane is the president of the Cato Institute.

http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=350:obama-is-a-statist-not-a-socialist&catid=28:commentary&Itemid=319 (accessed 6-28-09)

Sincere Tyranny

I've been listening to Mark Levin's "Liberty and Tyranny" on my iPod. Truly a great book expounding the basis for conservatism. The polar opposite of "statism".

At the end of Chapter 2 Mark talks about the statist who truly believes that what he is doing is for "the good" of the ruled. He quoted C.S. Lewis most appropriately:

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."

On the Fence for Cap & Trade?

List of "On Fence" Members of Congress for "Cap & Trade":

Call them at 202-224-3121 (or 225-3121) and tell them NO to CAP & TRADE!

Email links and direct lines shown below (hope they all work):

Republicans:

Bartlett (MD) http://bartlett.house.gov/Email_Roscoe/ 202 225-2721

Bono Mack (CA) http://bono.house.gov/Contact_Mary/ContactForm.htm (202) 225-5330

Castle (DE) http://www.castle.house.gov/Contact/ContactForm.htm 202.225.4165 Twitter @repmikecastle

Dent (PA) http://dent.house.gov/htbin/formproc_za.pl?/dent/zip_qual_flags.txt&form=/dent/subscribe.shtml

202-225-6411

Ehlers (MI) https://writerep.house.gov/htbin/wrep_findrep?HIP865926342.23387.4114 (202) 225-3831

Frelinghuysen (NJ) http://frelinghuysen.house.gov/contactus/form.cfm (202) 225-5034

Gerlach (PA) https://writerep.house.gov/htbin/wrep_findrep?HIP865926342.26633.3031 202.225.4315

Inglis (SC) http://inglis.house.gov/contact.asp?content=sections/contact/write_inglis (202) 225-6030

Tim Johnson (IL) http://timjohnson.house.gov/?sectionid=56&sectiontree=3,56 202-225-2371

Kirk (IL) http://www.house.gov/htbin/formproc_za/kirk/ht_zip_parms.txt&form=/kirk/messageform.shtml 202-225-4835

Lance (NJ) http://lance.house.gov/?sectionid=48&sectiontree=3,48 (202) 225-5361

LoBiondo (NJ) http://www.house.gov/lobiondo/IMA/issue.htm (202) 225-6572

Petri (WI) https://forms.house.gov/htbin/formproc_za/petri/zip_authen.txt&form=/petri/contact_email.shtml&pass 202-225-2476

Platts (PA) http://www.house.gov/platts/email.shtml (202) 225-5836

Ros-Lehtinen (FL) http://ros-lehtinen.house.gov/IMA/issue.htm 202-225-3931 Twitter @IRL

Democrats:

Altmire (PA) https://forms.house.gov/altmire/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm 202-225-2565

Bright (AL) https://forms.house.gov/bright/contact-form.shtml (202) 225-2901)

Dahlkemper (PA) https://forms.house.gov/dahlkemper/contact-form.shtml (202) 225-5406

Drieshaus (OH) https://forms.house.gov/driehaus/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm (202) 225-2216

Ellsworth (IN) http://www.ellsworth.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=325&Itemid= (202) 225-4636

Kissell (NC) https://forms.house.gov/kissell/contact-form.shtml (202) 225-3715

Kratovil (MD) https://forms.house.gov/kratovil/contact-form.shtml (202) 225-5311

Kanjorski (PA) http://kanjorski.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1479&Itemid= (202) 225-6511

Minnick(ID) https://forms.house.gov/minnick/contact-form.shtml (202) 225-6611

Teague (NM) http://forms.house.gov/teague/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm (202) 225-2365

Obamas Slow to Find a Church in Which to Serve

At a White House Press Briefing on June 19, 2009 Robert Gibbs was asked about President Obama's search for a church home:

Q Okay. Last topic. The prayer breakfast today reminded me of something the President said during the campaign, that he would hope to or he probably would have a church selected for his and the girls' and Michelle's attendance in January. We're now in June -- can you update us on either the President's churchgoing habits or his process in selecting a church?

MR. GIBBS: I know they're continuing to look for a permanent place, mindful of many things.

Q Such as?

MR. GIBBS: What it does when a President decides to walk out of this building and walk into a different building and disrupt worshippers that are attending for their own personal reasons. I think that is certainly -- that's not an exhaustive list, but certainly one of the things that the President has on his mind about that.

Q Anything else that he has on his mind about it?

MR. GIBBS: Yes, I think there's wanting to ensure that he finds a church that he, Michelle, and the girls feel most comfortable in. (emphasis mine)

Q Robert, following on that --

Q Does he use the chapel in Camp David?

MR. GIBBS: He does.

Q Robert, a follow on church?

MR. GIBBS: Sure.

Q Is the President, since he has not found a church home here in Washington yet, is he -- is a minister being brought in to the White House on Sundays to have a service with the family? And is that also happening at Camp David?

MR. GIBBS: Well, as I've just said to Major, the President has been and very much enjoys the chapel and the chaplain up at Camp David. I don't know that anybody has been brought in here.
----------------------

My understanding of a mature Christian's search for a Church is that it is more about finding a place where one can serve rather than "feel comfortable". After all Michelle was just in San Francisco on Monday to kick off the "United We Serve" program. Perhaps if we could use Federal tax dollars to pay volunteers to serve in Church, the Obama's would be more anxious to find a Church home?