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Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Cyber Pastor's Daily Deciblez!!!


I'm not too big into the Halloween stuff (I'm not against kids going out and getting candy), so I will just move right on past the Halloween festivities to some good news!

The fact that people are now speaking up loud and clear when our religious beliefs are being trampled on is, in part, a direct result of the new media getting information into the hands of the people quickly and before it's old news.

The news that the directives involving the flag-folding and the removal of a reference to God from a display at the Washington Monument have been "fixed" is in fact "Great News". It gives me great hope that those who believe in the God of the Bible, and the God of our Founding Fathers are not going to stand for our beliefs to be stomped on any longer!
I think I will close today's Daily Deciblez!!! with a prayer:

Father, thank you for Your awesome goodness! Please forgive our country for the times that we, as a nation, have turned our backs on you or stood silently by while others did so. Help us to continue to have the courage it takes to Do The Right Thing in all things, but especially when it comes to proclaiming You as Lord of our lives. In the Holy Name of Jesus! Amen.

Today from the PPT - TROOPS UPDATES -updates about soldiers who are in the Adopt-A-Troop program at PPT.

Fred Thompson on the Issues - Pt 4 - final day of posting issues from Fred Thompson's website. Different feature on Fred starting tomorrow.

Mike Huckabee on the Issues - Pt 4 - one more day of issues to go from Mike Huckabee's website. The new feature on Mike will start on Friday.

Hope Above the Headlines - Doggie Treats - my friend, Jerry Brecheisen's humorous take on dressing up pets for Halloween.

Public outcry brings resolutions involving flag-folding ceremony, monument cap - the "no longer Silent Majority" wins again!

Today from the PPT - TROOPS UPDATES

These soldiers, who are part of a personal security detachment, prepare to leave a compound on Combat Outpost Courage in Mosul, Iraq, October 18. Pray for the safety and protection of our troops as they work to secure the city of Baghdad and the nation of Iraq.




Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense.

Greetings to our prayer partners! Thank you forever for your faithful prayer support for Jeffrey and his unit, and his wife and son. He will be stationed somewhere in the Middle East, for probably 15 months. At this time, Jeffrey is getting ready to be in a combat area, in the Middle East. Our prayers are with our troops as we remember that God is in control. What a faithful God we all serve! Thanks be to God for you and for your prayer support! "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as Eagles...." Isaiah 40:31 Your friends in Christ, Joyce and Tom (praying parents in MN.)

Mark is newly married. Please pray for his wife and him as he is deployed for several months to finish his tour. Pray for his walk with the Lord and to let the light of Jesus shine through him as well as safety for him and the others.

Nathan is now in a new location. We continue to pray for him to be surrounded by strong Christians who would befriend him and encourage him in drawing closer to the Lord. Soften his heart towards the Lord and he would be on fire for the Lord. There is a female he is very interested in; possible marriage. Pray for wisdom and discernment to make the right decision. Have the grace and trust to wait upon the Lord. Pray he would excel in his new area of studies and would excel and have the favor of the Lord.

Derek has been serving in a hostile area of Baghdad for about two months. His squadron has lost five soldiers in the past month. However, Derek has said he has seen miracles on the battlefield. Please continue to pray for the soldiers, their families, and the families of those who've been killed. Thank you for your prayers! May the Lord bless you!

Thank you for praying for him and the men he recruits. He is meeting his goals in spite of great odds against him so I believe this is in answer to prayer. He has also had some personal days off, much to the joy of his family. But his boys say that because he leaves early and comes home after their bedtime 7 days each week, they don't see him enough. Pray for them as they enter their teen years. One more year of this three year grueling schedule to go. He asks that you pray for his next assignment. He has a position in mind and I think because of his pastor-like heart he would do well in it if he got it.

To adopt a troop in prayer, click HERE.
To register a troop for adoption, click HERE.
To sign up for our free eNewsletter, click HERE.

To join Pastor Ed's Prayer Patriot's at the PPT click this link: www.pptambassador.org/team153

Fred Thompson on the Issues - Pt 4

http://www.fred08.com/Principles/PrinciplesSummary.aspx

Immigration

Read Fred Thompson's Full Immigration Plan (Note from Cyber Pastor - I have already had a post on this topic or I would have copied the entire plan. Click the link to see it if you haven't already.)

The United States is a nation of immigrants. Throughout our history, legal immigrants have brought energy, ideas, strength, and diversity to our country, our economy, and our culture. This must continue. But in the post-9/11 world, immigration is more of a national security issue. A government that cannot secure its borders and determine who may enter and who may not, abrogates a fundamental responsibility. I am committed to:

  • Securing our borders and enforcing immigration laws. Amnesty is not an option and the toleration of “sanctuary cities” must end.
  • Reviewing our immigration laws and policies to ensure they advance our national interests.
  • Uniting Americans by welcoming legal immigrants willing to learn English, assimilate into our communities, and become productive citizens.


Education

A well-educated citizenry is vital to our security, our economy, and our democracy. Despite the tens of billions of dollars spent on education by Washington each year, and the hundreds of federal education programs now in place, our children are still falling behind, particularly in subjects crucial to the global economy in which we live. At a time when America is behind other developed countries in education excellence, the federal role in education is too intrusive and too bureaucratic, and has become part of the problem. State and local governments are closest to the parents, the kids, and the schools, and best situated to implement changes and innovations that best educate children. I am committed to:

  • Giving parents more choices in education and schools less bureaucracy.
  • Reviewing federal programs for cost-effectiveness, reducing federal mandates, returning education money to the states, and empowering parents by promoting voucher programs, charter schools, and other innovations that enhance education excellence through competition and choice.
  • Encouraging students and teachers to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math—fields that are crucial to our security, competitiveness, and prosperity.
  • Promoting transparency to assess performance, promote accountability, and share innovations in education at all levels.

Mike Huckabee on the Issues - Pt 4


http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.Home

Veterans' Bill Of Rights

I support the following VETERANS' BILL OF RIGHTS for issues that are not being adequately addressed:

The right to a mandatory rather than a discretionary mechanism for funding veterans' health care, to eliminate year-to-year uncertainty that the funds they need will be there for them

The right to obtain full and clear explanation of all benefits and comprehensive assistance in obtaining those benefits.

The right to have a claim processed within six months.

The right to the fullest possible accounting of the fate of POW/MIAs and the right to be designated as POW/MIA.

The right to access state-of-the-art treatment facilities for traumatic brain injuries.

The right of National Guard and Reserve personnel called to active service to receive the same benefits as active duty veterans.

The right of disabled veterans to receive both their military retirement and VA compensation.

The right of wounded Reserve troops to be treated like their active duty counterparts until their claims have been processed.

The right of wounded veterans and those who have served in combat theaters to a comprehensive GI bill that provides full tuition, books, fees, and living expenses at any institution to which the veteran is accepted.

Education And The Arts
  • I believe that every child should have the opportunity for a quality education that teaches the fundamental skills needed to compete in a global economy.
  • Music and the arts are not extraneous, extra-curricular, or expendable - I believe they are essential. I want to provide every child these "Weapons of Mass Instruction."
  • Our future economy depends on a creative generation.
  • We need to judge the success of our schools by the results we obtain, not the revenue we spend.
  • Test scores rose dramatically when I was Governor of Arkansas because of my education reforms.
  • I have been a strong, consistent supporter of the rights of parents to home school their children, of creating more charter schools, and of public school choice.
  • We need a clear distinction between federal and state roles in education. While there is value in the "No Child Left Behind" law's effort to set high standards, states must be allowed to develop their own benchmarks.

I believe that every child should have the opportunity for a quality education that teaches the fundamental skills needed to compete in a global economy. As I traveled the country and the world over the last decade bringing jobs to Arkansas, the business leaders I met weren't worried about creating jobs, they were worried about finding skilled and professional workers to fill those jobs.

In addition, I want to provide our children what I call the "Weapons of Mass Instruction" - art and music - the secret, effective weapons that will help us to be competitive and creative. It is crucial that children flex both the left and right sides of the brain. We all know the cliché of thinking outside the box: I want our children to be so creative that they think outside the cardboard factory. Art and music are as important as math and science because the dreamers and visionaries among us take the rough straw of an idea and spin it into the gold of new businesses and jobs. It is as important to identify and encourage children with artistic talent as it is those with athletic ability. Our future economy depends on a creative generation.

Music has always been an important part of my life. I still play bass guitar in my band, Capitol Offense.

As Governor of Arkansas, I undertook several initiatives to encourage arts in education. I passed landmark legislation to provide music and art instruction by certified teachers for all Arkansas children in grades one through six, forty minutes a week. As Chairman of the Education and Arts Commission of the States, I created a two-year initiative called "The Arts - A Lifetime of Learning," which promotes the benefits of arts education to all fifty states.

Students with strong art and music programs have higher academic achievement overall, are far more likely to read for pleasure and participate in community service, and are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior. These programs have a powerful effect in leveling the academic playing field for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The study of music improves math scores, spatial reasoning and abstract thinking.

The success of our schools has to be judged by the results we obtain, not the revenues we spend. A focus on true quality rather than mere quantity requires us to set high standards for our students and teachers, measure their performance diligently, and hold educators and administrators accountable for the results in an atmosphere of transparency and efficiency.

As Governor of Arkansas, I created intensive reading and math programs that went back to basics. I started with elementary students and, as those children thrived, I expanded the program to middle and then high schools. Our test scores rose dramatically. I then created one of the most demanding high school curricula in the country, and the number of students taking advanced placement classes grew by leaps and bounds.

I opposed the teachers' union and got the Fair Dismissal Law passed, which allowed us to terminate poorly performing teachers. To attract top talent, I raised teachers' salaries from among the lowest in the nation to among the most competitive. I created systems to make our schools accountable to both parents and taxpayers by insisting on transparency in how money is spent, efficiency in putting money into classroom programs rather than administrative costs, and clear responsibility of all employees for the tasks assigned to them.

As Governor, I fought hard for more charter schools, with their strong parental involvement and their unique ability to serve as laboratories for education reform, and for the rights of parents to home school their children. I am a strong supporter of public school choice. I am proud that my three children attended public schools from K through twelve, as did my wife and I.

In addition to my gubernatorial experience, I have significant national experience in education policy. I was Chairman of the National Governors Association from 2005-2006 and also Chairman of the Education Committee of the States from 2004-2006, working with governors, legislators, and education chiefs from all fifty states to advance education policy and conduct research on effective trends in education.

We need to test teachers as well as students, replace teachers who aren't competent, and impose reasonable waiting periods for teachers to gain tenure. We should provide bonuses and forgive student loans for high-performing teachers to work in low-performing schools. Just as there are executives in the corporate world who specialize in turning around failing companies, we need teachers who are "turn-around specialists" for failing schools.

Typical employment procedures provide a disincentive for teachers and often discourage potentially good teachers from entering what I consider to be a noble profession. Educators and teachers should be involved in the design of compensation initiatives that incetivize training and promote performance based on merit, so that our children can have the best education in the world.

As President, my education agenda will include working towards a clear distinction between the federal role in assisting and empowering states and in usurping the right of states to carry out the education programs for their students. While there is value in the "No Child Left Behind" law's effort to set high national standards, states must be allowed to develop their own benchmarks.

As President, I will use my broad and deep expertise in education policy to lift up our children and America's economic future.

Health Care

  • The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health" system.
  • We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict.
  • We do need to get serious about preventive health care.
  • I advocate policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs.
  • I value the states' role as laboratories for new market-based approaches.
  • When I'm President, Americans will have more control of their health care options, not less.
  • As President, I will work with the private sector, Congress, health care providers, and other concerned parties to lead a complete overhaul of our health care system.
  • Our health care system is making our businesses non-competitive in the global economy.
  • It is time to recognize that jobs don't need health care, people do, and move from employer-based to consumer-based health care.

The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health" system. We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict or funded through ever-higher taxes. We do need to get serious about preventive health care instead of chasing more and more dollars to treat chronic disease, which currently gobbles up 80% of our health care costs, and yet is often avoidable. The result is that we'll be able to deliver better care where and when it's needed.

I advocate policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs and improve the free market for health care services. We have to change a system that happily pays $30,000 for a diabetic to have his foot amputated, but won't pay for the shoes that would save his foot.

We can make health care more affordable by reforming medical liability; adopting electronic record keeping; making health insurance more portable from one job to another; expanding health savings accounts to everyone, not just those with high deductibles; and making health insurance tax deductible for individuals and families as it now is for businesses. Low income families would get tax credits instead of deductions. We don't need all the government controls that would inevitably come with universal health care. When I'm President, Americans will have more control of their health care options, not less.

I also value the states' role as laboratories for new market-based approaches, and I will encourage those efforts. As President I will work with the private sector, Congress, health care providers, and other concerned parties to lead a complete overhaul of our health care system, not more of the same, paid for by Uncle Sam at the expense of hard-working families.

Health care spending is now about $2 trillion a year, which is close to $7,000 for each one of us. It consumes about 17% of our gross domestic product, easily surpassing the few European nations where spending is close to 10% and far higher than any other country in the world. If we reduced our out-of-control health care costs from 17% to 11%, we'd save $700 billion a year, which is about twice our annual national deficit.

Our health care system is making our businesses non-competitive in the global economy. General Motors spends more on health care than it does on steel, $1,500 per car. Starbucks spends more on health care than it does on coffee beans. We have an employer-based system from the 1940's, a system devised not because it was the best way to provide health care, but as a way around World War II wage-and-price controls. Costs have skyrocketed because the party paying for the health care - the employer - and the party using the health care - the employee - are not the same. It is human nature to consume more of something that is essentially free.

Workers complain that their wages are stagnant, but businesses reply that their total compensation costs are rising significantly because they are paying so much more for health care. Health care costs are adversely affecting your paycheck, even if you're healthy. Some Americans are afraid to change jobs or start their own businesses because they're afraid of losing their health insurance. It is time to recognize that jobs don't need health insurance, people do, and to ease the burden on our businesses. Our employer-based system has outlived its usefulness, but the answer is a consumer-based system, not socialized medicine.

Hope Above the Headlines - Doggie Treats


October 31, 2007

Doggie Treats

By Jerry Brecheisen

"Grab the Mars bars, Mildred, there's a Malamute at the door!" In Halloween speak that means "Honey, don't look now, but there's a doggie in the window and it wants a treat!" I admit Halloween isn't one of my favorite observances. I spent too many of the wonder years falling over shrubs and tripping up porch steps. It wasn't that I was such a klutz; it was because I usually wore a borrowed mask.

Imagine my dismay to learn that a million pets or more will have masks of their own this year. And over $5bil will be spent on costumes for the annual candy jarring. Many of the costumed will be of the four-legged kind. Now, don't send my name to the AKC, ASPCA, PETA, or the AAA. I'm not against Malamutes in Minnie Mouse outfits; I just don't want to race a Pit Bull to the porch for first dibs on a peanut bar.

I know there are folks on both sides of the backyard fence when it comes to Halloween. I'm not about to spend time in that dog house. It's just sad to me that so many would spend so much to be someone they're not, in order to get something they don't have. Come to think of it, that might describe our modern way of life. There's something scarier than a Beagle in a Batman suit. It's someone who needs a party to prove they're happier than they look. Psalm 68:3 (NLT), "But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful."

Public outcry brings resolutions involving flag-folding ceremony, monument cap


Allie Martin
October 31, 2007


Officials with the Veterans Administration (VA) have clarified a directive limiting the use of a religious recitation at flag-folding ceremonies during military funerals. And a replica of the cap on the Washington Monument will be rebuilt so a God-honoring phrase is visible. The founder of the American Family Association (AFA) credits public outcry in both cases.

Last month, a senior VA official told directors of the agency's 125 cemeteries not to distribute or post non-government handouts on "The Meaning of Each Fold of an Honor Guard Funeral Flag." The memo also said the handout should not be recited at graveside services by cemetery workers or by VA-sponsored volunteer honor guards. The recitations include references to "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" and to "the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

Public outcry was swift, with more than 200,000 emails sent to the VA. Now a VA spokesperson says volunteer honor guards may recite any text requested by next of kin.

AFA founder Don Wildmon says prompt public outcry made the difference. "The censoring of Christianity, making Christianity officially hostile to the federal government, has been seen," argues Wildmon, "and the Christian community and fair-minded people in our society are not going to allow this to happen anymore."

He cites another recent example of the influence of public outcry, noting that the National Park Service (NPS) has said it will rebuild a replica of the cap on the Washington Monument so that the Latin phrase "Laus Deo" -- meaning "Praise be to God" -- is not hidden from public view. The current display was moved in recent years so the phrase was facing a wall and not visible to the public.

A spokesman with the Park Service says the placement of the replica was not intentional, and that it will be moved to another location in the center of a room where all inscriptions will be easily viewed. The 100-ounce aluminum cap at the top of the monument has engravings on all four sides.

Wildmon says the NPS responded to the public, resulting in what he considers a great victory. "There was an outcry," he explains. "Over a hundred-thousand people contacted the National Park Service, and they rescinded that, [saying they were] going to put it back just like it was" so people can read it.

The pro-family leader believes many citizens are getting tired of efforts to eradicate references to God from the public square -- and that frustration, he says, is demonstrated by their willingness to get involved and express their displeasure when those efforts are brought to light.


Editor's Note: The American Family Association is the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates OneNewsNow.com.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Cyber Pastor's Daily Deciblez!!!

Well not a lot of posts today, but some days other things take precedence over the blogging!


I wanted to thank my friend Cassy for the heads up on the Washington Monument story. She sent me an email from AFA which asks you to contact the President to ask him to to reverse this decision.
Click here to participate:

I included the piece from PPT about Clergy Appreciation month so that if you haven't taken the time to say or do something nice to or for your own personal Clergy, there is still a couple of days left to do so (actually year round appreciation works well too). The PPT has a nice ecard you can send, and as always - if you would like to join my prayer team at PPT I would be honored. The link is in the post.

Starting to wrap up the issues posts from the websites of Huckabee and Thompson. Should finish that tomorrow, but I have other plans for the days to come.

Finally, I said I didn't want to let the Fred Phelps and the WBC church issue go away, so today I have listed posts from a couple of by blogging friend's sites. Go visit Spree and Snooper at the links below.



May God Bless America today and always!!!
Mike Huckabee on the Issues - Part 3

Fred Thompson on the Issues - Part 3

God banished from flag ceremony, Washington Monument - this topic of banishing God seems to come up almost daily. Let's pray that God will help those in decision making positions to wake up and do what is RIGHT!

Today from the PPT - OCTOBER IS CLERGY APPRECIATION MONTH

You appreciate them all year long, but do you remember to tell those who serve you in ministry that you are grateful for them and their ministry? October is Clergy Appreciation Month, and the Presidential Prayer Team is encouraging you to find creative, meaningful ways to express appreciation to pastors, youth workers, children’s ministers and all clergy! We’ve created a unique and beautiful eCard that you can send, free of charge.


Click HERE to preview.

Click HERE to send.
To join Pastor Ed's Prayer Patriot's at the PPT click this link: www.pptambassador.org/team153

Mike Huckabee on the Issues - Part 3

Faith and Politics

  • The First Amendment requires that expressions of faith be neither prohibited nor preferred.
  • My faith is my life - it defines me. I don't separate my faith from my personal and professional lives.
  • Real faith makes us more humble and mindful, not of the faults of others, but of our own. It makes us less judgmental, as we see others with the same frailties we have.
  • Faith gives us strength in the face of injustice and motivates us to do our best for "the least of us."
  • Our nation was birthed in a spirit of faith - not a prescriptive faith telling us how or whether to believe, but acknowledging a providence that pervades our world.

The First Amendment requires that expressions of faith be neither prohibited nor preferred. We should not banish religion from the public square, but should guarantee access to all voices and views. We should share and debate our faith, but never seek to impose it. When discussing faith and politics, we should honor the "candid" in candidate - I have much more respect for an honest atheist than a disingenuous believer.

My faith is my life - it defines me. My faith doesn't influence my decisions, it drives them. For example, when it comes to the environment, I believe in being a good steward of the earth. I don't separate my faith from my personal and professional lives.

Real faith makes us humble and mindful, not of the faults of others, but of our own. It makes us less judgmental, as we see others with the same frailties we have. Faith gives us strength in the face of injustice and motivates us to do our best for "the least of us."

Our nation was birthed in a spirit of faith - not a prescriptive one telling us whether to believe, but one acknowledging that a providence pervades our world.

Sanctity of Life

  • I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned.
  • I applaud the Supreme Court's recent decision in Gonzales v. Cathcart forbidding the gruesome practice of partial birth abortion. While I am optimistic that we are turning the tide in favor of life, we still have many battles ahead of us to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and so it is vital that we elect a pro-life President.
  • I first became politically active because of abortion, when I helped pass Arkansas' Unborn Child Amendment, which requires the state to do whatever it legally can to protect life.
  • As Governor, I did all I could to protect life. The many pro-life laws I got through my Democrat legislature are the accomplishments that give me the most pride and personal satisfaction.
  • To me, life doesn't begin at conception and end at birth. Every child deserves a quality education, first-rate health care, decent housing in a safe neighborhood, and clean air and drinking water. Every child deserves the opportunity to discover and use his God-given gifts and talents.
  • I believe in using existing stem cell lines for research, but I do not believe in creating life for the sole purpose of destroying it.

I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. As President, I will fight for passage of this amendment. My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned.

I applaud the Supreme Court's recent decision in Gonzales v. Cathcart forbidding the gruesome practice of partial birth abortion. While I am optimistic that we are turning the tide in favor of life, we still have many battles ahead of us to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and so it is vital that we elect a pro-life President.

No candidate has a stronger record on the sanctity of life than I do. I have always been actively and aggressively pro-life. I first became politically active when I helped pass Arkansas' Unborn Child Amendment, which requires the state to do whatever it can to protect life.

As Governor, I used that Amendment to pass pro-life legislation. The many pro-life laws I got through my Democrat legislature are the accomplishments that give me the most pride and personal satisfaction. I banned partial birth abortion, I required parental notification, I required that a woman give informed consent before having an abortion, I required that a woman be told her baby will experience pain and be given the option of anesthesia for her baby, I allowed a woman to have her baby and leave the child safely at a hospital, and I made it a crime for an unborn child to be injured or murdered during an attack on his mother.

What I accomplished as Governor proves that there is a lot more that a pro-life President can do than wait for a Supreme Court vacancy, and I will do everything I can to promote a pro-life agenda and pass pro-life legislation. If I'm saddled with a Democrat Congress, I'll veto any pro-abortion legislation they pass. I will staff all relevant positions with pro-life appointees. I will use the bully pulpit to change hearts and minds. I have no desire to throw women in jail, I just want us to stop throwing babies in the garbage.

To me, life doesn't begin at conception and end at birth. Every child deserves a quality education, first-rate health care, decent housing in a safe neighborhood, and clean air and drinking water. Every child deserves the opportunity to discover and use his God-given gifts and talents.

With respect to stem cells, I support federal funding of research using existing stem cell lines. I do not believe in creating life for the sole purpose of destroying it. I'm encouraged by recent discoveries showing that stem cells from the umbilical cord offer great promise.

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.Home

Fred Thompson on the Issues - Part 3

Healthcare

Americans have the best healthcare in the world. Some, however, choose not be insured; others cannot afford it. Every American should be able to get health insurance coverage that is affordable, fully accessible, and portable. Coverage should meet their individual needs and put them in control. Those who propose a one-size-fits-all Washington-controlled program ignore the cost, inefficiency, and inadequate care that such a system offers. Access to affordable, portable health care can be made available for all Americans without imposing new mandates or raising taxes. Current government programs must also be streamlined and improved so that those who truly need help can get the health care they need. I am committed to a healthcare system that:

  • Realigns programs and creates a system around individual consumers and patients by providing more information and more opportunities to choose affordable health care options that best meet their needs and those of their families.
  • Improves the individual health of all Americans by shifting to a system that promotes cost-effective prevention, chronic-care management, and personal responsibility
  • Modernizes delivery and administration of care by encouraging the widespread use of clinical best practices, medical information technology, and other innovations.
  • Increases competition and consumer choice while streamlining regulations through free-market solutions that benefit individuals and reduce costs for employers.
  • Promotes and speeds medical research and life-sciences innovation.


Building Strong Families

Strong families are the bedrock of our nation and our culture. They are built around the sanctity of life and the institution of marriage, which is the union of a man and a woman. To counter coarseness in today’s culture that oftentimes victimizes our children and undermines the traditional values parents want to instill, we must not only protect but strengthen the institutions of family and marriage. I am committed to:

  • Using the Presidency to encourage policies that promote a culture of life, strengthen the institution of marriage and traditional families, and advance freedom of religion.
  • Returning authority to the levels of government closest to families and communities—the states—and then protecting states from further intrusion by the federal government, the judiciary, and other states.
  • Combating the spread of obscenity over TV and other media by making sure parents can better exercise their responsibilities.

Government Effectiveness

Our government is outdated, inefficient, and wasteful. It is often unable to perform even the most basic tasks our citizens expect. It is no longer enough just to want limited government; the American people deserve more effective government. Given today’s challenges, we cannot afford—and shouldn’t accept—anything less than a nimble, effective, and efficient government that is able to focus its resources on the important issues facing our country. It must be able act on behalf of the American people and our national interests in a timely manner. The key to competent government is strong, committed leadership from the top. The key to good government is good people who are well-managed and put the national interest first. I am committed to:

  • Attracting and rewarding the best Americans to serve in government and ensuring they have the authority and resources needed to get the job done.
  • Fixing government accounting so tax dollars are properly spent and the American people know exactly what they are being spent on.
  • Improving government performance by making agencies accountable for accomplishing their missions on time and within budget.
  • Ensuring information technology systems are secure and that they give our government the capacity and effectiveness to get the job done.

http://www.fred08.com/Principles/PrinciplesSummary.aspx

God banished from flag ceremony, Washington Monument

Photo was taken by Cyber Pastor on a recent visit to D.C. with Vets for Freedom.





















Bryan Fischer
October 28, 2007

http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/fischer/071028

According to a new policy issued on Sept. 27, in response to a single, solitary complaint, the flag ceremony at military funerals in all 125 national cemeteries has been banned, because the recitation accompanying the 11th fold mentions "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob" (for Jewish veterans) and the 12th mentions "God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost" (for Christian veterans).

Brass at the National Cemetery Administration have immediately gone into self-protective mode, plaintively saying that the new policy was "not meant for public distribution," by which, of course, they meant that they hoped you and I would never find out about it.
Said one veteran, who has regularly performed the flag recitation as a volunteer in the Memorial Honor Detail, "That the actions of one disgruntled, whining, narcissistic and intolerant individual is preventing veterans from getting the honors they deserve is truly an outrage."

He and a compatriot have always spoken to families before providing military honors, giving them the option of declining any specific parts of the ceremony they wish, which means that absolutely no one is forced to hear the flag recitation if they don't want to.

The pair has been part of a team that has performed military honors at more than 1,400 services, and were preparing to read the flag-folding remarks when they were stopped by government officials in mid-ceremony.

So once again we encounter the jack-booted intolerance of secular fundamentalists, who can't stand the thought that someone, somewhere might be publicly acknowledging God, and the craven capitulation of those who surrender on matters of public religious expression without firing a shot.

Fortunately, Washington bureaucrats failed to recognize they're messing with combat veterans here. The parliamentarian for the American Legion of California is advising memorial honor details to ignore the edict, even if they get kicked out of cemeteries for doing so.

"This is nuts," he said. "There are 26 million veterans in this country and they're not going to take us all to prison."

Said one member of an honor detail, "We're going to fight this tooth and nail, hammer and boot."

The flag folding ceremony is not the only victim of this secular purge. Not even the most visible monument in our nation's capitol has escaped the censor's hatchet.

The capstone of the Washington Monument includes a four-sided apex which is inscribed on three sides with the names of the various luminaries involved in constructing the monument. The fourth side, however, is inscribed with these words: "Laus Deo," Latin for "Praise be to God."

Since no one can see the capstone, a replica has been made and placed inside the Washington Monument where visitors can view it. Well, it turns out they can see three sides of it, the sides that are inscribed with such names as W.W. Corcoran, M.E. Bell, Edward Clark and Thos. Lincoln Casey. In other words, people nobody ever heard of.

Predictably, the one side inscribed with the one name that everybody would know — God — is turned to the wall so that visitors can't see it and therefore simply have no idea that his name is praised on the apex of the tallest monument in our nation's capitol.

In fact, curators have gone to the trouble of removing the mention of God even from the description of the display. In 2000, the description included this sentence, "The casting was inscribed with the phrase, Laus Deo (Praise be to God)."

However, by 2007, that phrase had been leached out of the description. And so the occasionally silent and secret purging of the name of God from the public square continues.

Bryan Fischer is the Executive Director of the Idaho Values Alliance, whose mission is to make Idaho the friendliest place in the world to raise a family. He has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy (from Stanford University) and a graduate degree in theology.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Cyber Pastor's Daily Deciblez!!!

Three main themes to today's posts. 1) Prayer; 2) Lack of media coverage on important topics; and 3) More on the issues from the Thompson and Huckabee websites.

I also want to bring up a post from yesterday that I don't want to let go. The More on Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church post is one that I would appreciate you going by and checking this group and their insanity out. I am so disgusted by what the do, what they say, and what is on their websites that I want everyone to be fully aware of who they are and that what they represent is not what Christ promotes!

God Bless America!!

And I love you all.

Today from the PPT - Today's Immediate Concerns - A long list.

Pastor issues warning to churches in America over 'worship' - A good story from OneNewsNow.com .

Media fantasy land - This story is from Act for America and is a must read!

Fred Thompson on the Issues - Part 2 - From the Fred Thompson website.

Mike Huckabee on the Issues - Part 2 - From the Mike Huckabee website.

The Unvarnished Truth About Progress in the War in Iraq - Please click here and read about the great progress our troops are making due to the Surge. The charts and graphs are awesome. This is courtesy of Vets for Freedom.

Help Vets for Freedom! - A push to enroll 5,000 new members for Vets for Freedom!.

Today from the PPT - Today's Immediate Concerns


Pray for President Bush today as he travel to Bryn Mawr, PA to attend private fund-raising events for his party...

Pray for the families of University of South Carolina students who lost their lives in a beach house fire over the weekend. One Clemson student was also killed.

Pray for comfort and strength from God for their loved ones, and for the students on these campuses who are so greatly impacted...Give thanks for the great success in calming wildfires that devastated Southern California last week. Pray firefighters as they continue to battle the 16 remaining fires...

Give thanks for the tremendous ministry by many churches that have brought relief in all forms to fire victims. Pray for the love of Jesus Christ to be clearly revealed in these efforts...

Pray for those who now seek to rebuild and recover from the devastation brought by the fires...

Pray for members of Congress as they seek compromise on SCHIP--free healthcare for our nation's neediest children, asking God's wisdom for them as they determine how best to shape this bill...

Pray for members of Congress as they debate the nomination of Michael Mukasey to the post of Attorney General. A vote is expected soon...

Pray for candidates as they continue to speak with people and explain their views on essential issues, asking God to oversee and guide the entire election process.

Give thanks for the incredible privilege of living in a democracy...

Pray for the members of our military as they defend the cause of liberty, placing themselves in harm's way in Afghanistan and Iraq and around the world...

Pastor issues warning to churches in America over 'worship'

Allie Martin
OneNewsNow.com
October 29, 2007

http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/10/pastor_issues_warning_to_churc.php

A worship leader and author says many churches in America have lost their focus and main mission. That's why he is calling them to return to what he considers the greatest form of worship -- prayer.

In his new book Worship Awakening, Gary Wright issues a warning to the church in America. Using statistics which show that more than 85 percent of churches have reached their plateau or are declining, Wright says many pastors and church members need to recapture their passion to know Christ. He says that will only come about when churches return to fervent prayer, which he says is the greatest form of worship.

"I don't believe God's going to allow the demise of his church -- I don't believe that," says Wright, who is lead pastor of Lifesong Church in Bessemer, Alabama. "But I do believe that God is working to unite folks to begin a prayer movement to see awakening happen in the church."

In his book, Wright urges the church in America to return to its first love. He contends most churches lack true worship, which is why there is a lack of fruit. "I believe that God will bring revival if we really seek his face," he shares -- noting that that belief focuses his prayers for all believers.

"My prayer is that somebody would read this book -- a pastor or a lay person -- and would really get a burden and start praying for their church, and the church as a whole, to see God's Spirit really poured out and to see God's people really fall on their face before God and seek him and depend on him totally to fulfill his purposes in the world," the pastor shares.

Wright argues that too many Christians are trying to serve as God's ambassadors in the world without being connected to God through prayer. Wright is president of Fish the Planet, Inc. , an evangelistic ministry.

Media fantasy land



A symptom of the “political correctness” in America that is aiding and abetting Islamofascism is the way the “mainstream” media chooses to report, or not report, Islamist terror incidents. The following story is compelling reading about which cases get the “mainstream” media’s attention – and which ones don’t – and how the “mainstream” media reports these cases.
_____________________________________________________________________


By Joel Mowbray
The Washington Times

In the terrorism case of two young Egyptian nationals and University of South Florida students arrested Aug. 4 in South Carolina, fascinating twists and turns abound.

There's a secret recording of the defendants discussing strategy shortly after their arrest. There's a YouTube video in which one of the defendants gave instructions in Arabic on converting a remote-control toy into a bomb detonator, which he allegedly told police was made to help people in Arab countries "defend themselves against the infidels invading their countries," specifically "against those who fought for the United States."

That's not all. The father of one of the defendants, Youssef Megahed, all but pointed the finger at the co-defendant, Ahmed Mohamed, as the sole culprit, thus implying that his son was ignorant or duped.

Yet this compelling drama has drawn scant attention from the mainstream media. And while apologists might attempt to write off the paucity of coverage for various reasons, a slew of other terrorism cases since September 11 have been met with the same media disinterest. [emphasis added].

Following the arrests of Mr. Mohamed and Mr. Megahed on Aug. 4 with explosives in the trunk of their car — just seven miles from a naval weapons base in Goose Creek, S.C. — The Washington Post and New York Times made fleeting references. [emphasis added]. Each paper ran a brief overview from the Associated Press, with no independent reporting.

After the federal government indicted the two defendants on explosives charges and Mr. Mohamed on terrorism-related charges, the Times devoted not even 500 words — on page 14, no less. That was actually more aggressive than The Post, which discussed the indictment, but only in the context of the revelation of the YouTube video, which included asking what might happen to the Internet giant.

Neither highly esteemed outlet reported the full contents in the trunk of the vehicle the pair was driving: a box of .22-caliber bullets, gun powder, several gallons of gasoline, PVC piping, 20 feet of fuse, and a drill.

Neither paper even mentioned perhaps the most amusing part of the case: the conversation between the two defendants in the back of the police car after the arrest. Not knowing an audio recorder was capturing their words, the two had the following exchange:

"Did you tell them there is something in them?" Mr. Mohamed asked, presumably referring to the PVC pipes.

"Water," Mr. Megahed said.

"Water! Right? The black water is in the Pepsi."

Also left unreported by the Post and the Times was that Mr. Mohamed's computer contained a file named "Bomb Shock," which contained detailed information on TNT and C-4, a military-grade plastic explosive.

Most shocking is the apparent animus Mr. Mohamed harbors for the U.S. military. According to a court document, Mr. Mohamed "considered American troops, and those military forces fighting with the American military, to be invaders of Arab countries."

When someone with seething anger toward U.S. soldiers drives a car filled with explosive materials two states away to a naval station, how is that not major news? [emphasis added].

Contrast that to the coverage afforded the recent mistrial in the government's case against Holy Land Foundation, an alleged front for Hamas.

The mistrial was spun by most mainstream media outlets as a major defeat to U.S. counterterrorism efforts. The New York Times dedicated over 1,200 words in a page-one story. The Washington Post was a bit more restrained, putting its coverage on page three, but the editorial page ran a stinging criticism by Georgetown Professor David Cole of supposed government overreach.

Defenders of high-profile treatment of the Holy Land mistrial likely would assert the connection to September 11, as the Islamic charity was shut down with great fanfare in October 2001.
But what about the case of Ali al-Timimi, a Muslim cleric who was convicted in 2005 for urging his followers shortly after September 11 to wage jihad against the United States. The Times ran its coverage of the April 2005 conviction on page 12. The life sentence Mr. Timimi received that July was bumped back to page 21.

At least The Post placed the story about Mr. Timimi's conviction on the front page. This might have owed to the local angle, though, as Mr. Timimi taught at an adult Islamic education center in Northern Virginia.

Just three months later, The Post editorialized against Mr. Timimi's life sentence, under the headline, "Sentenced for Speaking." Emphasizing that none of his followers had actually waged successful jihad, The Post wrote, "[he] has been sentenced to life in prison for words that had little effect."

So, success is the barometer for importance? Does this mean continued media avoidance of thwarted terrorism on our soil until the government fails to stop an attack?


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ACT for America
P.O. Box 6884
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
http://www.actforamerica.org/

ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam.

Fred Thompson on the Issues - Part 2

http://www.fred08.com/Principles/PrinciplesSummary.aspx

Second Ammendment

I strongly support the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms. Gun control is touted as a major crime-control measure. But some of the places with the strictest gun-control laws also have high violent-crime rates. Disarming law-abiding citizens does not prevent crime. The answer to violent crime is smart, effective, and aggressive law enforcement. The real effect of these gun-control measures is to place onerous restrictions on law-abiding citizens who use firearms for such legal activities as self-defense, sport-shooting, hunting, and collecting. I am committed to:

  • Strictly enforcing existing laws and severely punishing violent criminals.
  • Protecting the rights individual Americans enjoy under the Second Amendment

Energy Security

The energy challenges our nation faces today are real and significant. Our dependence on foreign sources of oil threatens our national security and puts our economic prosperity at risk. America must rise to the challenge and take the steps necessary to become more energy independent before this becomes a crisis. No one solution will solve the energy challenges we face; all ideas must be on the table. Greater energy security will enhance our ability to pursue our foreign policy and national security objectives. Increasing our energy independence and investing in alternative energy sources will also produce a healthier environment. And while we don’t know for certain how or why climate change is occurring, it makes sense to take reasonable steps to reduce CO2 emissions without harming our economy. Overall, I am committed to:
  • A balanced approach to energy security that increases domestic supplies, reduces demand for oil and gas, and promotes alternative fuels and other diverse energy sources.
  • Investing in renewable and alternative fuels to promote greater energy independence and a cleaner environment.
  • An energy policy that invests in the advanced technologies of tomorrow and places more emphasis on conservation and energy efficiency.
  • Conducting research and development into technologies that improve the environment, especially the reduction of CO2 emissions.

Appointing Judges Faithful To Our Constitution

Activist judges across the country seem intent on legislating from the bench to promote a culture of abortion, redefine marriage, and undermine families—in effect re-shaping the values of our entire society without the consent of the people. We need judges who recognize their role in our democracy is to interpret, not make, the law. I am committed to:

  • Appointing strict constructionist judges who will interpret the law, not impose their views on us by legislating from the bench.

Mike Huckabee on the Issues - Part 2

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.Home

Immigration

  • My number one priority is to secure America's border.

  • We have to know who is coming into our country, where they are going, and why they are here. We need a fence along our border with Mexico, electronic in some places, and more highly-trained border agents.

  • Those who are caught trying to enter illegally must be detained, processed, and deported.

  • Illegal immigrants already living among us who commit crimes must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and incarcerated or deported.

I opposed the amnesty bill that was defeated by the Senate in June. I support the $3 billion that Congress recently appropriated for border security. These funds will be used to train and deploy 23,000 more agents, add four drone airplanes, build 700 miles of fence and 300 miles of vehicle barriers, and erect 105 radar and camera towers. They will be used to end "catch and release" by providing money to "catch and detain" those caught entering illegally and to crack down on those who enter legally, but overstay their visas. These border security provisions will stem the tide of illegals, which is what we must do before we can turn the tide and deal with those who are already here. Before you fix the damage in your house caused by a leaking roof, you stop the leak, which is what this legislation will do.

My number one priority is to have a secure border. Right now, we have too many people entering the country illegally, and this must stop. We can't turn the tide until we stem the tide. We need to know who is coming into our country, where they are going, and why they are here. We need to create a process to allow people to come here to do the jobs - plucking chickens, tarring roofs, picking fruits - that are going unfilled by our citizens. They must have a tamper-proof, scannable I. D. with a finger or retinal scan, so that their employers know they belong here.

Besides stopping terrorists, we must weed out those with a criminal background or a communicable disease. We have to build a fence along our border with Mexico, parts of which will be electronic. We need more well-trained border agents and cooperation agreements with local and state law enforcement officials, so that we have a clear and consistent approach by all jurisdictions.

Those who are caught trying to enter illegally must be detained, processed, and deported. Illegal immigrants who are already living among us and commit crimes must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and incarcerated or deported.

Taxes/Economy

  • I support the FairTax.
  • As Governor of Arkansas, I cut taxes and fees almost 100 times, saving the taxpayers almost $380 million. I left a surplus of nearly $850 million, which I urged should go back to the people.
  • Our massive deficit is not due to Americans' being under-taxed, but to the government's over-spending.
  • To control spending, I believe the President should have the line-item veto.
  • I believe in free trade, but it has to be fair trade.
  • Globalization, done right, done fairly, can be the equivalent of a big pay raise by allowing us to buy things more cheaply.

I'd like you to join me at the best "Going Out of Business" sale I can imagine - one held by the Internal Revenue Service. Am I running for president to shut down the federal government? Not exactly. But I am running to completely eliminate all federal income and payroll taxes. And do I mean all - personal federal, corporate federal, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, self-employment. All our hours filling out forms, all our payments for help with those forms, all our shopping bags filled with disorganized receipts, all our headaches and heartburn from tax stress will vanish. Instead we will have the FairTax, a simple tax based on wealth. When the FairTax becomes law, it will be like waving a magic wand releasing us from pain and unfairness.

The FairTax will replace the Internal Revenue Code with a consumption tax, like the taxes on retail sales forty-five states and the District of Columbia have now. All of us will get a monthly rebate that will reimburse us for taxes on purchases up to the poverty line, so that we're not taxed on necessities. That means people below the poverty line won't be taxed at all. We'll be taxed on what we decide to buy, not what we happen to earn. We won't be taxed on what we choose to save or the interest those savings earn. The tax will apply only to new goods, so we can reduce our taxes further by buying a used car or computer.

Our current progressive tax system penalizes us for working harder and becoming more successful. As we climb the ladder, the government lurks on each rung, hungry for a bigger bite out of our earnings. The FairTax is also progressive, but it doesn't punish the American dream of success, or the old-fashioned virtues of hard work and thrift, it rewards and encourages them. The FairTax isn't intended to raise any more or less money for the federal government to spend - it is revenue neutral.

Expert analyses have shown that the FairTax lowers the lifetime tax burden of all of us: single or married; working or retired; rich, poor or middle class.

The FairTax will instantly make American products 12 to 25% more competitive because the cost of those goods will no longer be inflated by corporate taxes, costs of tax compliance, and Social Security matching payments. When we buy products now, those taxes are built into the cost, so all of us pay corporate taxes indirectly on top of the personal taxes we pay directly. Compliance costs are just make-work with no real added value, yet they consume as much as 3% of our gross domestic product annually. These costs are an especially heavy burden on small businesses, which generate most of our jobs.

If you buy a bottle of domestic wine, you're paying the taxes/compliance/matching payments of all the folks who produced the grapes, the wine, the bottle, the cork, the label. If you buy a bottle of French wine, the producers had their Value Added Tax rebated to them when the wine was exported. So French consumers pay those taxes, but you don't. Our current tax system puts our goods at a disadvantage both here and overseas. Other governments give their goods an advantage on the world market, an advantage estimated at 18% compared to American goods.

So no matter how hard Americans work, no matter how innovative and creative we are, no matter how superior our products are, we suffer from a built-in competitive disadvantage simply because of our tax system. A recent study by MIT found that our tax system deprives us of about $1 billion in exports annually. When you export over-priced goods as we have, you inevitably end up exporting jobs and industries as we now are. We are the square peg trying to fit into the round hole of international trade. The rest of the world isn't going to change, it's time that we do.

Under the FairTax, American companies are far less likely to move overseas and foreign companies are far more likely to come here, hiring Americans to build and work in their new plants. The FairTax encourages growth by promoting investment and capital formation.

We have to scrap a 20th century tax system that is holding us back and keeping us down in the 21st century. The FairTax is the path to greater prosperity and job security for us and for our children.

As Governor of Arkansas, I pushed through the Arkansas Legislature the first major, broad-based tax cuts in state history - a $90 million tax relief package for Arkansas families. I also doubled the standard deduction to $2,000 for single taxpayers and $4,000 for those who are married. Some taxes I eliminated entirely: the marriage penalty, bracket creep caused by inflation, income tax on poor families, and capital gains on home sales. To encourage investment, I cut capital gains for both individuals and businesses. To help people better themselves, I provided tax credits for employee training and education. In total, I cut taxes and fees nearly 100 times during my ten-and-a-half years as Governor, saving the people of Arkansas almost $380 million.

When I left office in early 2007, Arkansas had nearly $850 million in state surplus, which I urged should go back to the people in the form of either a tax rebate or tax cut.

I believe that our massive deficit is not due to Americans' being under-taxed, but due to the federal government's over-spending. Achieving and maintaining a balanced federal budget is an important and worthy goal necessary to our long-term economic well-being. To achieve a balanced federal budget, I believe the President should have the line-item veto.

I believe in free trade, but it has to be fair trade. We are losing jobs because of an unlevel, unfair trading arena that has to be fixed. Behind the statistics, there are real families and real lives and real pain. I'm running for President because I don't want people who have worked loyally for a company for twenty or thirty years to walk in one morning and be handed a pink slip and be told, "I'm sorry, but everything you spent your life working for is no longer here."

I believe that globalization, done right, done fairly, can be a blessing for our society. As the Industrial Revolution raised living standards by allowing ordinary people to buy mass-produced goods that previously only the rich could afford, so globalization gives all of us the equivalent of a big pay raise by letting us buy all kinds of things from clothing to computers to TVs much more inexpensively.

2nd Amendment Rights

  • The Second Amendment is primarily about tyranny and self-defense, not hunting.
  • The Founding Fathers wanted us to be able to defend ourselves from our own government, if need be, and from all threats to our lives and property.
  • Second Amendment rights belong to individuals, not cities or states. I oppose gun control based on geography.
  • I consistently opposed banning assault weapons and opposed the Brady Bill.
  • As Governor, I protected gun manufacturers from frivolous law suits.
  • I was the first Governor in the country to have a concealed handgun license.

No candidate has a stronger, more consistent record on Second Amendment rights than I do. Our Founding Fathers, having endured the tyranny of the British Empire, wanted to guarantee our God-given liberties. They devised our three branches of government and our system of checks and balances. But they were still concerned that the system could fail, and that we might someday face a new tyranny from our own government. They wanted us to be able to defend ourselves, and that's why they gave us the Second Amendment. They knew that a government facing an armed populace was less likely to take away our rights, while a disarmed population wouldn't have much hope. As Ronald Reagan reminded us, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." Without our Second Amendment rights, all of our other rights aren't inalienable, they're just "on loan" from the government.

Other candidates say gun control doesn't affect hunting. Now I'm a very avid hunter, but the Second Amendment isn't really about hunting. It's about tyranny and self-defense. The Founding Fathers weren't worried about our being able to bag a duck or a deer, they were worried about our keeping our fundamental freedoms.

I once saw a bumper sticker that said, "Criminals prefer unarmed victims." Criminals will always find a way to get guns. By disarming our law-abiding citizens, we take away the strongest deterrent to violent criminals - the uncertainty that they don't know who is helpless and who is armed. Our law enforcement officials can't be everywhere, all the time. Lawfully-armed citizens back them up and prevent robberies, rapes, and the murder of innocents. Right after Katrina, with law enforcement non-existent, many victims were able to protect their lives, their homes, and their precious supplies of food and water only because they were armed.

Other candidates believe gun control should be determined geographically, but Second Amendment rights belong to individuals, not cities or states. Your Second Amendment rights don't change when you change your address.

Other candidates filed frivolous law suits against gun manufacturers. When I was Governor, I protected gun manufacturers from exactly those types of suits. I allowed former law enforcement officials to carry concealed handguns and removed restrictions on concealed handgun permit holders. I was the first Governor in the country to have a concealed handgun license, and of course I'm a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

Other candidates have supported banning assault weapons. When the federal ban on assault weapons expired in 2004, I said, "May it rest in peace." It won't be returning in the Huckabee Administration.

Zealously protecting your Second Amendment rights is another way that I will lift all law-abiding Americans up, by consistently championing your right to defend yourself.

The Unvarnished Truth About Progress in the War in Iraq


Since the “Surge” of troops was completed in June of this year, violence throughout Iraq has reduced dramatically. The combination of additional troops, and more importantly a new counter-insurgency strategy, are undeniably responsible for the reduction.

Below you will see FACTS about the dramatic drop in violence. We have broken them down to the “Surge Focus” (June-October 2007) and to “One Year Focus.”

Visit this site weekly to get the latest data. We also plan to add data about political and economic progress.

SURGE FOCUS

Fact: Since June, Iraqi civilian casualties have dropped 56.4% (1,148 in June, 501 in October). Source: http://www.icasulaties.org/

* This number verifies that the U.S goal of “population protection,” is gradually being met.





Fact: Since June, Coalition Forces casualties have dropped 68.5% (108 in June, 34 in October). Source: http://www.icasulaties.org/

* Despite an aggressive counter-insurgency posture, U.S. troop deaths have dropped, because they have slowly gained the trust of the population groups they are protecting (alongside Iraqi forces).

Fact: Since June, Coalition Forces casualties by IED have dropped by 78.3% (74 in June, 16 in October). Source: www.icasualties.org

* This number is a direct result of an increase in tip from Iraqis (over four times as many as last year). More IEDs are being found than are detonating on U.S. Forces.

Fact: Since June, Iraqi Security Forces casualties have dropped by 68.9% (197 in June, 67 in October). Source: www.icasualties.org

* Our counter-insurgency campaign has also made the operating environment safer for our Iraqi allies.


ONE-YEAR FOCUS
* New leadership (Gen Petraeus), a new strategy (counter-insurgency), and additional troops (the “surge”), have made an enormous difference over the past year.

* Iraq is no longer caught in the “civil war” that plagued it following the Samarra mosque bombing in February of 2006.

Fact: Since September of 2006, overall civilian casualties in Iraq have dropped by 77.8% (3,389 in September ’06, 752 in September ’07). Source: http://www.icasulaties.org/

Fact: Since October of 2006, Coalition Forces casualties have dropped by 69.1% (110 in October ’06, 34 in October ’07). Source: http://www.icasulaties.org/

Fact: Since September of 2006, Iraqi Security Forces casualties have dropped by 36% (150 in September ’06, 96 in September ’07). Source: http://www.icasulaties.org/

MORE INFORMATION TO COME.

http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/Progress/default.aspx

Help Vets for Freedom!


Dear Vets for Freedom member:

What news have you heard about Iraq since General Petraeus and Vets for Freedom were on Capitol Hill in September? If you're like most Americans, the answer is "very little."

Why? I believe it is because the situation in Iraq has fundamentally changed. And while the media has always been quick to report bombings and failures in Iraq, it is simply not reporting the good news.

The change is that-today-most of the news coming out of Iraq is positive. There is no doubt that real and sustainable progress is happening in Iraq. The courage of our troops, and the nature of their new counter-insurgency strategy, is paying off.

VETS FOR FREEDOM: "PROGRESS IN IRAQ" CAMPAIGN

For the next two months, Vets for Freedom will be making a coordinated effort to get the good news out about Iraq. We will be targeting the American public, elected officials, candidates, and the media.

You see, Al Qaeda in Iraq is on the run, Iraqi Security Forces are fighting hard to take back their country, and local Iraqi leaders are taking control of their neighborhoods. This is all good news - but it is not reaching the ears of the American people.

Our campaign will include television and radio ads, grassroots efforts, town hall meetings, highlighting pro-mission candidates, and events. We have also added a "Progress in Iraq" section to our website, where you can go to get the latest facts and statistics about the good things happening in Iraq.

In addition, each week we will be asking you-the membership of Vets for Freedom-to get involved. And together, we will help get the good news out about Iraq.

THIS WEEK'S ACTION ITEM

This week, help us spread the word about Vets for Freedom, so that we can spread the word about progress in Iraq.

Our goal is to add 5,000 new Vets for Freedom members in the next two weeks, and as a member of the team, you are the best messenger to bring new faces and voices to our organization.

This week, we need you to reach out to guys from your platoon/section/troop, buddies who recently returned from overseas, or any veterans you know. In addition, reach out to your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and like-minded Americans.

Help us grow the Vets for Freedom team today in 3 simple steps:

2) Type or copy the email addresses of six friends who might be interested in joining the Vets for Freedom team and add your own personal message.

3) Click "Send Now" and those on your list will receive your message and be on their way to mobilizing veterans to communicate America's strategic objectives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Soldiers and Marines in Iraq are doing incredible things, and we owe it to them to ensure that the facts about their mission reach the American public. Their story must be told. We've got their backs-join us.

Move out and draw fire!

Pete Hegseth
Executive Director
Vets for Freedom

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Cyber Pastor's Daily Deciblez!!!

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

I pray that your Lord's Day has been a blessed one! Sorry there were no posts on Saturday, but was out of town from 5 am until 8 pm so there was no time for blogging.

Today is Part 1 for Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson on the issues. The information comes directly from their websites.

A big thank you and shout out to Spree from Wake Up America http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com/ for the article about the parade AGAINST al-Quaida in the town of Ramadi. Spree highlight's many of the positive things that are happening in Iraq that are not covered by the Major Media outlets.

In the comments section of the first of what may well be numerous articles on Fred Phelps and his followers at WBC in Topeka, KS, a reader listed the following website: www.thesignsofthetimes.net/ that shows more of the ignorance of this group.

Some might say that by giving them space on my blog that they are getting the exposure that they want - I disagree. They need to be exposed for who they are. People need to hear that the God of the Bible does not HATE as you will see some of their posters say in today's post. Again, I hope your day has been blessed and just know this, God Loves You, and so do I!

Today from the PPT - PRAYER AND FAITH

More on Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church

Great Article from Spree at Wake Up America

Mike Huckabee on the Issues - Part 1

Fred Thompson on the Issues - Part 1

Today from the PPT - PRAYER AND FAITH

Senate Chaplain Barry Black delivers one of the keynote addresses during the 2007 Montana Faith Community Impact Summit at the Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, MT. Image courtesy of the Flathead Beacon.









Senate Chaplain Inspires Conferees to Pray
Courtesy of the Daily Interlake, Kalispell, MT

A standing-room-only crowd gathered Tuesday for the second day of the 2007 Montana Faith Community Impact Summit at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell.

Organized by Sen. Max Baucus, D-MT, the event brought together members of churches, nonprofit organizations and concerned citizens for Bible-backed brainstorming for solutions to pressing community needs.

Baucus opened the day sharing a prayer from his boyhood that he said he recites every day. He said that faith clearly drives everyone in attendance at the summit. Read more.

More on Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church






Established in 1955 by Pastor Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) of Topeka, Kansas still exists today as an Old School (or, Primitive) Baptist Church. See the WBC Monograph. In short, we adhere to the teachings of the Bible, preach against all form of sin (e.g., fornication, adultery, sodomy), and insist that the doctrines of grace be taught publicly to all men. These doctrines of grace were well summed up by John Calvin in his 5 points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. Although these doctrines are almost universally hated today, they were once loved and believed. For example, Augustine (one of the early Church fathers), Martin Luther (the founder of the Lutheran Church), John Knox (the founder of the Presbyterian Church), Augustus Toplady (hymnist and leader in the Episcopal Church), Charles Spurgeon (a well-known preacher), and John Leland (who was partially responsible for our First Amendment in the United States) are just a few examples of people who have advanced these ideas. Please see The Doctrine of Absolute Predestination by Jerom Zanchius and our MEMO ON THE CHURCH. Most of the major Confessions of Faith throughout the history of the New Testament Church have also advanced these ideas. So, even though the Arminian lies that "God loves everyone" and "Jesus died for everyone" are being taught from nearly every pulpit in this generation, this hasn't always been the case. In fact, if you are in a church that supposedly believes the Bible, and you are hearing these lies, then your church doesn't teach what the Bible teaches. If you care about your never-dying soul, you will carefully read every word of this web site, along with the entire Bible.

WBC engages in daily peaceful sidewalk demonstrations opposing the homosexual lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth. We display large, colorful signs containing Bible words and sentiments, including: GOD HATES FAGS, FAGS HATE GOD, AIDS CURES FAGS, THANK GOD FOR AIDS, FAGS BURN IN HELL, GOD IS NOT MOCKED, FAGS ARE NATURE FREAKS, GOD GAVE FAGS UP, NO SPECIAL LAWS FOR FAGS, FAGS DOOM NATIONS, THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS, FAG TROOPS, GOD BLEW UP THE TROOPS, GOD HATES AMERICA, AMERICA IS DOOMED, THE WORLD IS DOOMED, etc.

Perceiving the modern militant homosexual movement to pose a clear and present danger to the survival of America, exposing our nation to the wrath of God as in 1898 B.C. at Sodom and Gomorrah, WBC has conducted over 32,000 such demonstrations since June, 1991, at homosexual parades and other events, including funerals of impenitent sodomites (like Matthew Shepard) and over 200 military funerals of troops whom God has killed in Iraq/Afghanistan in righteous judgment against an evil nation. America crossed the line on June 26, 2003, when the Supreme Court (the conscience of the nation) ruled that we must respect sodomy. WBC teams have picketed all over the United States, and internationally (including Canada, Jordan and Iraq). The unique picketing ministry of Westboro Baptist Church has received international attention, and WBC believes this gospel message to be this world's last hope.

For more information about WBC, feel free to attend one of our weekly church meetings. We are located at 3701 W. 12th Street in Topeka, KS. Regular service time is 12:00 p.m. (Central time).