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“As the clock ticks toward midnight and a shutdown of the federal government, President Obama and congressional leaders still lack a budget deal — and still dispute the major causes of the impasse that threatens to disrupt government operations.
“The government runs out of money at midnight unless Obama, Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., can resolve differences that appear to be narrow but intense.
“Reid said this morning that Democrats have agreed to $38 billion in budget cuts, but the big hold-up is Republican insistence on the inclusion of non-budget items in a final bill — particularly a proposal to de-fund Planned Parenthood because of abortion services. ‘This all deals with women’s health,’ Reid said.”
Us: Who is being ideological now, Sen. Reid? Taxpayers ought not be forced to fund the nation’s largest abortion provider. Even if you disagree, can we not see this is as an extraneous expenditure at this fiscally tight point?
Update: The Politico said of the deal, “The budget agreement reached late Friday night will not defund either the health care law or Planned Parenthood, but the Senate has agreed to take separate votes on both measures.” It’s hard to see how this is not a huge victory for Planned Parenthood. All the pressure to do the right thing is off. Go figure.
“The scandal and heartache of teen pregnancy has been exploited by producers of popular prime-time TV, who have made stories of 16-year-olds stumbling through accelerated adolescence into marketable drama. Likewise, news media have scrutinized the teen birth phenomenon for some time.
“The truly shocking and underreported story, however, is that of unmarried 20-something parents. While 21 percent of children born outside of marriage are to teen mothers, more than 60 percent of unwed births occur to women in their 20s”
“It is not the young girls studying for the SAT or fretting over their prom prospects that make up the majority of women bearing the 40 percent of children born outside marriage. It is women in their 20s and 30s, demonstrating the impact of increasing cohabitation and the collapse of marriage, who are putting cradles before wedding bands.”
“New York (CNN) — A New York billboard that focused exclusively on African-American abortion rates was taken down because of concerns for public safety, said Hal Kilshaw, spokesperson for Louisiana-based Lamar Advertising, on Thursday. The billboard was erected by group opposed to abortions.”
CITY JOURNAL has published a must-read column on teen pregnancy. The writer says:
“Within my lifetime, single parenthood has been transformed from shame to saintliness. In our society, perversely, we celebrate the unwed mother as a heroic figure, like a fireman or a police officer. During the last presidential election, much was made of Obama’s mother, who was a single parent. Movie stars and pop singers flaunt their daddy-less babies like fishing trophies.”
“None of this is lost on my students. In today’s urban high school, there is no shame or social ostracism when girls become pregnant.”
Read the full column here: http://city-journal.org/2011/21_1_teen-pregnancy.html
“We’re becoming a country where we have more and more takers and less makers. We don’t want to turn the safety net into a hammock.” — Rep. Paul Ryan, Wisc.
Imagine for a moment, a la Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, you could transport founding father and patriot Patrick Henry to today’s time. Imagine further you would take him to an American airport. I’m sure he would be shocked bedazzled to see the flying contraptions (not to mention the small rectangular object people held up to their ears). He might even be delighted, hoping to go tell Benjamin Franklin of what he saw.
Yet then imagine his horror to see a TSA attendant invasively frisking a nun in public, one who refused to walk through a “magic-like” machine that showed a person without clothes. Let’s listen in to the conversation:
TSA worker: Can I see your ticket, sir? It says here you paid with cash not plastic. We may have to search you.
Patrick Henry: What do you mean, plastic? May I ask who you are?
TSA worker: I work for the Transportation Security Administration of the Federal Government?
Patrick Henry: The what?
TSA worker: Put your hands above your head and let us scan you?
Patrick Henry: I beg your pardon!
TSA worker: Security!
Patrick Henry: Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you.
TSA worker: It’s for your own safety sir [as the worker invasively frisks him]
Patrick Henry: My safety? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of this shame? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me modesty … or give me death!
This is a silly illustration is to show the depths to which we have sunk. At the price of supposed security, we are giving up far more important things. I oppose the new TSA regulations for the following reasons:
1) The new scanners are an invasion of privacy and decorum;
2) The new frisking tactics are an invasion of privacy and modesty;
3) The new system is unnecessary. The previous security system worked. Even the “Fruit of kaboom” underwear bomber’s plan did not work, as he had to go to such great lengths to circumvent the system that his bomb was not functional.
4) Last but least, the new system is too costly. Specially trained dogs could be much more effective and cost-effective.
In sum, count me with the growing group of Americans fed up with the erosion of our modesty and yes, our liberty. Yes, please forbid it Almighty God!
With people heading to the polls tomorrow to pull the lever, so to speak, on a number of issues and candidates, the question of personal faith in public life is getting yet another round of discussion. There are some candidates, and some state question supporters, that make mention of faith, to varying degrees, while others decry the role of faith in public life. Their thinking seems to be, “It’s OK for you to have a private faith, but don’t let it influence you publicly.” This proposition could not be more unfair. Read the rest of this entry »
Over at First Things, Jim Hoft post a truly sad look into the mind of our president. Watch the video and see how he mangles the Declaration of Independence:
In the words of the ever eloquent Brandon Dutcher, he can’t bring himself to say it. The really, really long pause before he omits the reference to our Creator reminds me of King Henry’s lament regarding Thomas Becket. I can imagine the President thinking, “Who will rid me of this troublesome deity?”
Go ahead and say it, Mr. Obama. That’s the God you claim to worship! :)
This new documentary called, “Blood Money” attempts to expose Planned Parenthood.
Over the weekend, Glenn Beck held a rally on the National Mall at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The political left, of course, hated every minute of it. Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, though, was unimpressed for other reasons and posted this very thought-provoking article on the event. It’s so chock full of great quotes that if I tried to sample them, I’d likely end up pasting the entire article, so head over to russellmoore.com and read the entire article yourself. I will, though, at the risk of “ruining” it for you, quote his closer, because it’s a good one:
It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not pessimistic. Jesus will build his church, and he will build it on the gospel. He doesn’t need American Christianity to do it. Vibrant, loving, orthodox Christianity will flourish, perhaps among the poor of Haiti or the persecuted of Sudan or the outlawed of China, but it will flourish.
And there will be a new generation, in America and elsewhere, who will be ready for a gospel that is more than just Fox News at prayer.
Feel free to comment below.
A U.S. district court issued a preliminary injunction on Monday stopping federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, in a slap to the Obama administration’s new guidelines on the sensitive issue.
In his June 18 Presidential Proclamation of Father’s Day, President Obama had this to say in part:
Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a step father, a grandfather, or caring guardian. [emphasis added]
Do you think Mr. Obama, in praising “two fathers” refers to a situation of same-sex partners, or the late 80′s situation comedy with Paul Reiser, “My Two Dads“?
Our rapid moral decline in America, I’m afraid, leaves us only to guess.
WASHINGTON (BP)–You can’t keep a good state down. Proving that its state motto, “Equality Before the Law,” truly applies to all its residents, Nebraska has again stepped up to take the lead against the horrific practice of late-term abortion and its main proponent, LeRoy Carhart.
By the overwhelming margin of 44-5, Nebraska’s unicameral legislature passed a bill April 13 that bans abortions after 20 weeks of gestation, except when the abortion would preserve the life or physical health of the mother. Gov. Dave Heineman signed the bill into law that same day.
Read more here: http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=33107
Check out this headline and news story.
Nebraska First to Allow Women to Sue for Psychological Injury After Abortion
In this recent TV interview, when asked about the Executive Order related to abortion and the health care bill, self-proclaimed pro-life Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak says:
“There is nothing that would stop this president from a month from now, a year from now, 10 years from now, of repealing this executive order.”
Ten years from now? So much for Presidential term limits.
Be that as it may, many in the pro-life movement think Bart Stupak betrayed the pro-life cause with his deal. At the very least you could make a strong case he blundered, because:
1) the executive order could be, to his own admission, can be easily undone;
2) taxpayer funded abortions will in fact occur in this system, if only the ones included in the legal exceptions (e.g. for cases of rape); and
3) the $11B in funding to Community Health Centers could be, and likely will be used to subsidize abortions, as money is fungible.
Here’s to hoping Rep. Stupak knows better than we.
“God and Tea,” a new piece posted on The American Conservative blog discusses how there is a rising tension between social conservatives and libertarians.
During the 2008 Presidential primary season there was a visible tension between Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul. Since then, Huckabee has gone on to attack Congressman Paul on occasion, and criticize CPAC for becoming too libertarian. Now evangelical leaders are expressing their unease with the libertarian leanings of the Tea Party Movement.
Read the full article here. I tend to think Fusionism died along with President Reagan. Now, not only do I not see how we can all get along, I don’t see why we would.
A panel of Oklahoma House of Representatives passed House Bill 2321 which allows “the state Board of Education to adopt guidelines for the nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Bible and its influence on literature, art, music, culture and politics.”
“This lays some ground fire to back these teachers who would like to refer to the Bible,” said bill author Rep. Todd Russ. “It’s intended to be an additional tool for presenting our heritage and the history of America and the value system of America and where it came from.”
I appreciate Rep. Russ’ description of “ground fire.” It reminds me of the line from the song “Pass It On” that says it only takes a spark to get a fire going. May this Bible teaching fire continue to spread throughout our country.
“The uproar over Tim Tebow’s Super Bowl ad with his mother, who is expected to talk about how she ignored medical advice to have an abortion when she had complications during her pregnancy, shows the underlying hypocrisy in the so-called abortion ‘debate’: There can be no debate, no conversation at all.
“A simple ad with the theme ‘Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life’ has now been deemed by the National Organization for Women ‘extraordinarily offensive and demeaning.’” Read the rest here.
So let’s see: GoDaddy’s SuperBowl ads each year don’t create a reaction from radical feminists, but the pro-life Tim Tebow ad is a bother. Can’t remember who first pointed out to me this contradiction, but it’s true.
Hat tip: JR
I normally don’t like to stop to kick every barking dog, but this issue requires a stand. You can count me with David Boren and the fans who want this phenomenon to stop because:
1) It’s silly copy-cat-ism at its worst. The Atlanta Braves started this years ago (which makes more sense as they are the Braves, by the way, and only add an ‘S’ on the end) so it’s not even original to us;
2) There’s something unpatriotic about messing with our national anthem, and we Okies are the first ones to get upset when someone tinkers with the words of the pledge of allegiance. Why does this not upset us?;
3) The so-called tradition is brand-new. It did not begin until a decade ago; and
4) Finally, the fans who do it subconsciously realize it’s inappropriate. How do I know? Because during the ballgame directly following 9/11, the entire stadium, I vividly recall, sang as one “… and the home of the brave.”
Let’s keep celebrating America the home of the brave, fellow Sooners!