Meghan McCain: Another Liberal in Conservative Clothing

A relatively new name has jumped onto the scene, Meghan McCain, She is the daughter of the venerable John McCain who took a left turn somewhere in the last 20 years. Meghan defines herself in a paradoxical manner labeling herself a "Social Liberal Republican." This label is full of contradictions as is her stance on many subjects. She has been given a syndicated radio program to exhort her liberal views disguised as conservative conversation. Further, she has been hired by Fox as a contributor. Nepotism can carry someone so far, the rest is up to the individual. Coming from a wealthy family she is detached from the reality of the working class as her conversations display. Worse her liberal views on immigration and homosexual marriage stand antithetically to the media outlets that engaged her. Sadly I listened to her program several times and found her rambling comments mindful of the town fool. Perhaps Fox should have reviewed her background before hiring the Senator's daughter.

Know A Tree By It’s Fruit 

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

I am genuinely surprised when people approach me and ask my thoughts on Mitt Romney.  I invariably ask why they want to know and the reply they offer most often is that they really don’t know the man.

That is when I really want to grab them by both shoulders, shake them, and declare:  “PAY ATTENTION!”

The scriptures tell us:  “You shall know a tree by the fruit it bears.” In Matthew 7:16 it is said:  “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?”

In the New Testament book of James, the third chapter and the twelfth verse, we are informed thusly:  “My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

In other words a man is what he is – period.  If you want to know WHAT he is, what he believes, then pay attention to what he does. His accomplishments are the “fruits of his labors.”  Those fruits will define him completely.

Remember George W. Bush's “Compassionate Conservatism?”  Well, that was, in fact, code for “moderate.”  G.W. was a moderate AT BEST.

Mitt Romney is a liberal … moderate on some things … but at the core he is a liberal.  It is something the conservative base of the GOP knows instinctually and that is why they are avoiding support of Romney at all costs, even if that cost is the loss of the election to Obama in November.

I am old enough to remember the “Me Too” republicans.  Ever hear of them?  You’d have to harken back to the days of Nelson Rockefeller and the Rockefeller wing of the Republican Party in the 1960’s. (There is an excellent article on this HERE.)

Even then, the liberal wing of the GOP was based in America’s northeastern states.  It still is today.

Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts a liberal state if there ever has been one.  There is no way under the sun a conservative can be elected governor of Massachusetts. Yet, Mitt Romney was -- and he would have us believe he is a conservative.  This fact alone should be enough evidence to convinced anyone that Mr. Romney is no conservative. He is a solid member of the Rockefeller wing of the Republican Party.  In 1964 we called them the “Me Too” republicans.  Today we call them RINO’s. (Republican In Name Only)

Ever since conservatives began to grow in power within the Republican Party there has been an internal war raging for control of the party.  In 1960, Richard Nixon managed to merge the two factions of the GOP into one concentrated effort.  But -- just four years afterwards Nelson Rockefeller could not.  And he was furious.  He led an unprecedented attack on the GOP conservatives that failed but left massive scars on the GOP base that are still swollen and sensitive today.

Like Rockefeller, Romney is where he is because he was “next in line.”  It is “his turn” in accordance with the way the northeastern liberals ran the party. (They have yet to learn that they no longer control the Republican Party.)  GOP voters were simple told that Romney is the “frontrunner”  … no matter that Romney did not have the strength that comes from the support of the party faithful – including the conservative base of the party today. 

The so-called “republican establishment,” somehow, missed the fact that the power in the GOP switched from the northeastern states to the southern states years ago.  They also seem to have been oblivious of the inherent distrust of northeastern politicians in the south, which is left over from “Reconstruction” of the South immediately following the American Civil War a hundred and fifty years ago.  (Painful memories tend to last much longer than pleasant memories.)

Michael Gerson is an op-ed columnist for The Washington Post, a Policy Fellow with the ONE Campaign, and a former senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as President George W. Bush’s chief speechwriter from 2001 until June 2006, as a senior policy advisor from 2000 through June 2006.  Mr. Gerson once described Romney this way:  "Romney's main political vulnerability is a serious one. Running for Massachusetts' governor in 2002, he was a pro-choice, economically centrist, and culturally liberal, business oriented Republican."

You DID see “pro-choice,” “centrist,” and “liberal” in Mr. Gerson’s description of Mitt Romney above, didn’t you?

Yes, as a conservative I want to deprive Obama of a second term as President.  But I do not want to swap one liberal for another.  Besides, we have the likelihood of two vacancies on the US Supreme Court coming up in the next four to five years and it is vital that there be a conservative in the White House to appoint two conservative justices.

Romney cannot pull the two factions of the GOP together.  He may win the nomination but he will not win the election against Obama. The GOP’s “Anybody But Obama” strategy will not work. It is doomed to failure. It is as simple – AND -- as sad as that.  And yes, it IS depressing.

J. D. Longstreet   

Global Mischief Caused By A Weak US President

Global Mischief Caused By A Weak US President
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

North Korea artillery firing on South Korea is just the sort of global mischief we can expect when the Chief of the Global Police is weak, and has a worldwide reputation for being an international “pushover.”

Why would North Korea fire on South Korea? They did it because they could – and because they were, and remain, confident the Obama Regime will do nothing more than posture in public, issue a “stern” warning, and … well … THAT’S IT!

All the behind-the-hand-snickering we have heard from the world’s rogue state leaders was an indication that they understood Obama had loosened their leash.

First there is a missile launched off the coast of California a few days ago. (You may choose to believe it was the contrail of an aircraft if you wish. I do not.) I happen to believe that was a Chinese missile and it served its purpose, which, I believe, was to say to Obama: “Hey, we’ve got you by the cajones ... and don’t you forget it! Now – about Taiwan … “

Oh, this is just the beginning. Things are going to get rowdy around the globe until we get a new sheriff in town or, if you will, a new Chief of the Global Police.

For Instance: When Jimmy Carter was President we had the Iran Hostage situation. Within minutes of Ronald Reagan being sworn in as President, those hostages were freed.

They may be rogues, but they understand power and they understand and respect the application of power, and they understand when a US President decides to bring the hammer down, they are going to be smashed.

There is Syria, North Korea, Iran, Russia, China, Yemen, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Venezuela, the Palestinians, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, not to mention Al Qaeda or The Balkans, all capable of creating trouble at a moment’s notice. Of course, I did not mention Iraq or Afghanistan because we already have boots on the ground in both countries.

It is a fact that man is basically evil. We humans are capable of anything including appalling cruelty to our fellow human beings. As a conservative I understand that, so I expect my fellow man do such unthinkable things as initiating a war on a whim.

Man is a rebel. As people of faith the world over understand, man rebelled first against his own Creator. As punishment, man received the gift, or curse, of free will. The mixture of free will and a rebellious nature is explosive. We have been at each other’s throats since the children of the first couple became a murderer and the victim of murderer.

Nothing much has changed since that fateful day. Now, we murder in much greater volume and with much greater efficiency.

Over time our tribes became klans and then countries. Countries initiated governments and governments initiated laws in an attempt to control man’s rebelliousness and conduct all that energy into productive channels that would benefit the population of the various countries.

Obviously, some countries became better at it than others. Some thrived while others did not prosper as well. We became a planet of “have” and “have-not” countries or nations. It wasn’t long until the “have-nots” decided to take what they wanted from the “haves.” Or the “haves’ decided to simply take the “have-not” country and make it a part of its greater self in order to make better use of the natural resources of the aforementioned “have-not” nation.

In the case of the former, it never worked – at least not for long. In the case of the latter, it did work often enough that great empires were born such as the empire of Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire.

But man is a rebel – remember? Tell him he cannot have something and that is the thing he wants most. Call it covetousness, or whatever; the plain truth is that man is never satisfied. He hungers for that which he cannot have.

There are two primary hungers, which have eaten at man since the Garden of Eden: freedom and power. Even today, in the twenty-first century, the desire for freedom and power burns within the heart of man with the fiery brilliance of an atom bomb explosion. And that gift, or curse, of freewill is the lit fuse on that volatile mixture.

I explain all this, as best I can, to try to explain that one must understand these basic facts of human nature before one can understand all the strife between nations the of our modern world.

And it is here that conservatives and liberals disagree, fundamentally, on how a powerful nation, such as the United States, must approach its enemies and the nations that continue to create, cause, and even fund worldwide mischief.

Conservatives understand that you cannot negotiate with someone who will not negotiate. You cannot talk to someone who will not talk. You cannot take the word of a liar whether that liar is an individual or a government.

Conservatives, unlike liberals, also understand that war can, and often does, solve a host of problems. It is also true that war sometimes creates a host of new and unexpected problems. Conservatives, who do not seek an unobtainable Utopia on earth, understand this and accept that it is a part of the human condition. We do not accept the delusion that man is basically good and kind. We know that wishing it so does not make it so.

The US has been the leader of the free world, on planet earth, since it was granted that position by, well, default. However, we have often made mistakes. But they have been mistakes we have quickly corrected or made amends. Making a “pilgrimage of apology,” bowing and scraping before the leaders of other countries, does nothing but demonstrate a nation’s weakness. When the leader of the United States makes a point of doing just that, America must expect mischief to be forthcoming.

The current President of the US, unfortunately, is seen around the globe as a weak leader. As a result America, and the free world, are just beginning to see emboldened enemies probing, trying, and testing his fortitude.

So far, in his tenure in office, President Obama has acted more as a politician than a leader. He is a great orator, a great politician, but a poor leader, especially on the international stage. The world knows this, even if his own political party does not.

There will be more incidents such as the North Korean shelling of a South Korean Island in the months ahead. “While the cat is away, the mice will play” is an old axiom with a great deal of truth attached to it. Until the US elects a new cat -- there will be much more activity among the mice. Count on it.

J. D. Longstreet

The Triumvirate of DUMB!

The Triumvirate of DUMB!

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
***********************************

Where are the “Grown-ups” in the Obama Regime? I look around and I see emotionally immature people traipsing about in the West Wing of the White House with the blessing of the uno numero socialist in America, President Obama. Then I look up the Hill to the Congress and I see Harry Reid over in the Senate, and I see Nancy Pelosi over in the House of Representatives -- and I shudder. I fear I am looking at “Dumb” and “Dumber.” It is frightening to realize that our country is in the hands of those three people: Obama, Reid, and Pelosi. You know what is even scarier? Pelosi is third in line for the Presidency should something, God forbid, happen to the President and the Vice-President.

There is a great deal of angst in the US these days. One can almost feel the tension in the air. Each day we awaken to another day of wondering what exactly the Obama regime is going to do today to strip more of our precious freedom away.

Already we have a Cap and Trade bill hanging over our heads. That bill alone is going to cost every American family mucho deniro in the years ahead as the government attempts to fight an enemy that doesn’t even exist. I am referring to global warming, or as the “environuts” are wont to say -- “Climate Change.” The “Bailouts” have strapped a generation, or so, of

Americans, even those yet unborn, with thousands of dollars of debt they must pay off in their lifetimes on this earth. I have read that the Obama Regime has saddled America with more debt in his ten months, or so, in office than all the previous US Presidents combined! Unemployment in America is now over nine percent and climbing. With fewer jobs there is less disposable income, less money in the marketplace, and that has affected Wall Street and stocks are all over the map. Investors are as nervous as a lady of ill repute in church!

Now, comes socialized medicine. The added cost to Americans is expected to be well over a trillion dollars in the first decade, and, frankly, we have serous doubts it will turn out to be that cheap. And regardless of what our esteemed senators and congresspersons are telling us it WILL affect the nations deficit and wreak even more havoc with what is left of our economy.

If there is any silver-lining, at all, to the dark clouds gathered over America these days, it is the very real possibility that in one year, if we can hang on, there is likely to be a political massacre of democrat politicians at the ballot box.

Even the liberal voters who flocked to the polls in 2008 to elect Obama are now having serious doubts about him and his policies.

I have noticed some of the more liberal journalists are bemoaning Obama’s failure to stand by his campaign promises, those promises especially favored by ultra-liberals, and, in fact, has continued a number of Bush’s policies and programs with what appears to be total disregard for the leftist dreams he has shattered along the way over the past ten months, or so.

Now, we are told, some in the White House are experiencing some trembling in the knees as Tuesday’s elections approach and their candidates are not making the “showing” they were expected to make against the more conservative candidates. In fact, The Obama Regime is admitting that at least a couple of races, they deem especially important to them, are likely to go to the opposition as their candidates go down in flames. One must ask: is this a precursor to coming attractions in 2012? Could be. But, 2012 is still a long way off and things change at a remarkable velocity in politics, especially national politics.

Dumb, dumber, and dumbest. Taking on Fox News was, probably the dumbest move yet. But, hey, that is what happens when people with power get cocky. They open themselves up to return fire.

I was in the US Army Artillery during my service in the military. One of the important lessons we learned -- and it is a lesson readily applied to one’s life -- is to always remember when the enemy is in range of your guns – YOU are in range of THEIRS! Somebody apparently forgot to tell the folks in the Obama Regime.

Americans have, at a minimum, three more years of wondering what we are going to be hit with next. Are we worried? You are “durn tootin” we’re worried -- and with good reason. We still do not see a viable presidential candidate being groomed by the Republicans to run against Obama in 2012. Oh, yes! It is truly worrisome.

J. D. Longstreet
***************

Conservative+Obama-Regime+Pelosi+Reid+Dumb

Obama’s Chicago-Style Politics

Obama’s Chicago-Style Politics
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

*************************************

Ah, Chicago! It is mythologized as the land of the mobster, the gangster, Al Capone, etc, etc. Many politicians, and even some journalists, are adding the name of Obama to that list of supposed infamy.

Do you remember back during the campaign for President when Obama promised to re-introduce “bipartanship” into Washington politics if he was elected? I do. As a matter of fact I wrote at least once piece in which I blasted bipartanship as a bad thing, a VERY bad thing for the country if Obama was elected. Well, as it turned out he WAS elected and it also turns out, I needn’t have worried about bipartanship being re-introduced, by Obama, into politics in our capital city! It didn’t happen -- and it isn’t likely to happen -- as long as Obama is President. (As for my part, I hope it NEVER happens because that is not the way a democratic republic works!) As a matter of fact, Obama has introduced Chicago style politics into Washington politics.

Strong arms and brass knuckles are now the order of the day. No velvet gloves for the Obama Regime. Nope. It is Obama’s way, or the kneecaps are mush! See, Obama and his minions run everything, I MEAN EVERY THING! His Czars will see to it. THEY decide how you and I will live. If you are inside Obama’s orbit you get pretty much what you want. If you are outside Obama’s orbit you get what they let you have and no more. THAT is what Americans; especially the business community in America, is living with today.

Michael Barone has an excellent article on this very thing entitled: “Obama Hits Opponents With Chicago Brass Knuckles.” You’ll find it HERE. In his commentary Mr. Barone says: “It's not the worst way to run a city… But it's not the optimal way to run a national administration, at least if you've promised to bring in a new era of bipartisanship and mutual respect. Even so, it appears to be the way that Barack Obama, who once aspired to be mayor of Chicago, has decided to run his administration.” Mr. Barone goes on to say: “…Maybe Obama thought everyone in Washington would be his great friend. Having encountered un-Chicago-like dissent and disagreement, he has responded with classic Chicago brass knuckles. We'll see how far this kind of thuggery gets him.”

“In the American Mafia Family everyone has a job to do. Some people are bosses and some are workers. However you can always work your way up the ladder of power, and respect. Below is the hierarchy of an American Mafia family.

The Boss of the family. He controls everything that goes on in the mafia family. Every worker and lower ranking boss works for him. It is the boss who decides if someone should be killed or if someone should be initiated. The boss gets money from all of his workers and therefore is usually the richest person in the family.

The Underboss. The underboss is the person who actually runs the family. He is boss over all the other members except the actual boss. He will often become the boss of the family if something happens to the boss. The boss will choose who his underboss is. A family will usually have only one underboss.

The Consigliere. Consigliere is an Italian term meaning someone who gives advise. The consigliere in a mafia family is the "right hand man" to the boss. It is his job to help the boss make important decisions. The consigliere is as important as the underboss but is not the boss of anyone in the family. A family will usually have only one consigliere. Acts as a middle man in personle vendetas. He is supposed to make impartial descions which are best for everybody.
Caporegimes.

The next position of the family is caporegime (or captain). Families will have different numbers of caporegimes. A caporegime is in charge of a group of workers (see below; Soldiers). The underboss of the family is in charge of the caporegimes. The job of the caporegime is to collect money from the workers to give to the boss, underboss and consigliere as well as keeping money for himself. A family can have anywhere from 2 to 20 caporegimes.

Soldiers. The workers of a family are called "soldiers" or in Italian "soldati". There job is to earn money to give to their captain (caporegime). They will do any job asked of them by their captain or the boss or underboss. A family can have anywhere from 10 to 300 soldiers.
Each family will have a number of associates. These are people that work with them or for them but are not official members.” (Courtesy of Wikipedia. You can read the full article HERE.)

As you observe the Obama Regime in action keep this article (HERE.) in mind. It might help you sort through the smoke and mirrors and gain some insight into how the current regime occupying the White House operates.

Lest you conclude we are dubbing the President a gangster, allow me to disabuse you of such an idea. What we are saying is simply that his STYLE of politics resembles, greatly, the style of politics infamously attriubuted to the style of politics in Chicago, which is famous, or infamous, (as you will) for it’s history of gangsters.

A recent example of the Obama Regime’s Chicago style politics is their attempt to freeze Fox News out of an interview with White House pay czar Kenneth Feinberg. Plus, some of the President’s aides have recently referred to Fox News as an arm of the Republican Party, as the opposition, and as a non-credible news operation. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), at his weekly press briefing last week, said the following: “When you can’t win an argument based on the facts, launch vicious political attacks. This Chicago-style politics is shutting the American people out and demonizing their opponents.”

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a former Nixon White House aide, said: “An 'enemies list' only denigrates the Presidency and the Republic itself." (You will find an excellent article on this at CNSNEWS.com HERE.)

In our view, the President needs to “grow-up.” Petulance does not become a President of the United States.

Thinking back over the long months of the presidential campaign we recall that we were warned on more than one occasion that the President has a strong bent toward narcissism. His actions, and those of his staff, in the past few months have done absolutely nothing to ease our concern over those warnings. Self-importance, self-absorption, self-centeredness, all these shortcomings are more than a little evident in the Obama Regime. And they all point to narcissism. Narcissists tend to strike out, to flail, viciously when they perceive opposition.

If anything has become clear, in the past nine months or so, it is that America has made a monstrous mistake in choosing a leader. As the remaining years of the Obama Regime go by, we can only pray that the damage to The Republic can be held to a minimum until the next presidential election in 2012 and the nation can begin the process of healing.

J. D. Longstreet

*****************

Liberal+Socialist+Chicago+Politics+Obama

ObamaCare will Nullify Much of the Bill of Rights!

ObamaCare will Nullify Much of the Bill of Rights!

The Largest Transfer of Power from the American People to the Government in America’s History!

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

Over the past few months we have attempted to warn you about the freedom Americans will lose if the Healthcare bills, which have come to known as ObamaCare, are passed into law by the US Congress. Yet, some of the latest polls show the American people are split almost fifty-fifty in favor of and against the bills now making their way through the Congress.

It is sad beyond measure how little modern day Americans treasure the freedom so many thousands, yea millions, of their fellow Americans have given their blood, their treasure, and even their lives to secure and to preserve just for them!

But, sadly, that is where we are in today’s America. We are but a shell of the America I grew up in. Taken as a whole, the modern day American nation is a pathetic 100^th generation copy of the American nation of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Weak, apprehensive, apathetic, ignorant, fat, lazy, and just little frightened is a good description of America today. And that is a shame.

If you have ever observed a big, strong, strapping, young man killing himself with self-destructive behavior such as alcoholism or drug addiction while those who care for him warn him time and again about his destructive conduct and the certainty of his end, and you have watched as he deteriorates and crumbles in upon himself until he is a husk of the man he used to be, then you know how many of my generation view America today. Worse yet, we love her as did the friends of the hypothetical young man we mentioned above. It is painful to watch. But, that is where we are in America today.

America is bent on self-destruction and nothing, it seems, will save her.

For months now, we have warned that the ObamaCare bills are not about healthcare for Americans. They are about power for the government – power taken from the people and placed in the hands of government bureaucrats and apparatchiks, and czars, and administrators, and yes, even presidents.

While you are sitting at your computer pull up the Bill of Rights. Read the 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 9^th and 10^th amendments to the US Constitution. If ObamaCare passes, America will, for all intents and purposes LOSE the freedoms granted under those amendments! That is how sinister ObamaCare really is.

America is looking at one of the largest transfers of power from the people of the country to the government in the history of democracy -- certainly in the history of America! And Americans are doing it willingly!

If ObamaCare passes into law, the US government will run your life! THAT is the bottom line.

There is an article by Michael Connelly titled: “The Truth about the Health Care Bills” which is a MUST READ. Mr. Connelly says he HAS READ the ENTIRE proposed House Bill 3200: “The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009.” In his article, Mr. Connelly says he has studied HB3200 with particular emphasis from his area of expertise, which is constitutional law. He says he was concerned that parts of the proposed law that were being discussed might be unconstitutional. What he found was far worse than what he had heard or expected. Mr. Connelly goes on to say: “The law does provide for rationing of health care, particularly where senior citizens and other classes of citizens are involved, free health care for illegal immigrants, free abortion services, and probably forced participation in abortions by members of the medical profession.” Mr. Connelly continues: “The Bill will also eventually force private insurance companies out of business and put everyone into a government run system. All decisions about personal health care will ultimately be made by federal bureaucrats and most of them will not be health care professionals. Hospital admissions, payments to physicians, and allocations of necessary medical devices will be strictly controlled.” As if that isn’t enough, Mr. Connelly says: “However, as scary as all of that it, it just scratches the surface.” (Emphasis mine.) You can read the entire article -- and we strongly encourage you do so HERE.

(Please don’t skip over Mr. Connelly’s article. It is extremely important that you know and understand what so many of us have been warning America about concerning ObamaCare. You NEED to arm yourself with the information in Mr. Connelly’s article.)

Now, understand this: The Congress has the power, right now, to pass this bill into law. The only thing, in my opinion, holding them back, temporarily, is the fact that they lack “cover” which would be provided them by votes of key members of the Republican delegations to both houses of the Congress. The democrats do not want to have ONLY their names signed to this bill when the American people discover, down the road a bit, that they have been had and are the serfs of a socialist government in Washington, DC. But they are catching what can only be described as “pure hell” from the Far Left in America to pass it without Republican support and, in my opinion, at sometime before Christmas of 2009 they Will PASS THIS BILL -- unless Americans rise up, in righteous anger, and demand they pull the proposed bill and back down.

America is in perilous times. She stands at the threshold of becoming a dictatorial, socialist, country. And all it will take is as the philosopher said: “… for good men to do nothing.”

The push to pass ObamaCare is far more dangerous to America than Osama bin Laden and his band of terrorists. This proposed bill will effective strip Americans of their birthright of freedom.

In the Scriptures Esau sells his birthright to Jacob, his twin brother, for a bowl of lentil stew. America’s birthright is being given to a government in exchange for a promise to provide healthcare for all – a promise that could be easily forgotten by the government with no fear of retaliation from a people who will then have no power to do a thing about it

It is ALL about POWER for the government and SERFDOM for the American people.

If there is any spine left in the American people, at all, they will rise up and demand that ObamaCare be completely squashed and all those power hungry men and women who are relentlessly pressing for this transfer of power into their hands will be turned out of the Congress in the election of 2010 and our current President will be asked for his immediate resignation. It is the only way to save our country.

J. D. Longstreet

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Bill-of-rights+Liberal+Socialists+Obama+Lies+Healthcare

Illegal Aliens and Socialist America!

Illegal Aliens and Socialist America!
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*******************************

They tell us there are 12 million illegals living in the United States of America. 12 million! (I don’t believe, for a second, there are ONLY 12 million illegal aliens in America!) But, for the sake of this commentary, let us accept, for the moment, that figure is true. That means the southern border of the US has been violated, crossed illegally, 12 million times, that we know of, and it MUST STOP!

I suppose the thing that galls me so much about it is the fact that those illegals will play the race card in a heartbeat - and they claim to be so “put upon” when we confront them and declare their crossing the border without the proper paperwork a crime, which it most certainly is!

Thinking back to the demonstrations months ago, I remember I could only stare, wide-eyed, as my jaw dropped! There were no federal authorities there to round those people up and check their citizenship! None. There they were, in broad daylight, marching and protesting that we, legal US citizens, are angry that THEY broke into OUR country! It bothers me greatly that he US government extends the right granted to US citizens by the US Constitution to non-citizens. They ARE NOT CITIZENS and they ARE NOT ENTITLED TO ANY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!

The illegal aliens in the US today act as if we OWE them! We OWE them nothing! Nothing! They are upset that we conservatives want to treat them like criminals. They ARE criminals!

My regional newspaper has said that we simply cannot keep people out who wanted to better themselves. Oh, contraire! Yes, we can… and we must! At least until they make use of the proper channels and enter the US legally!

I am tired, no, I’m past tired of seeing my tax dollars go to care for people who just broke into the country.

It’s time to warn Mexico that if they continue encouraging their poor to illegally cross the border, into the US, we will invade… again… and just annex their whole country and be done with it! Maybe the oil they have would offset the cost of supporting them. Well, I mean, they want to be Americanos, so darned much, why don’t we make the whole country of Mexico the 51st state and be done with it!

Until the US can get it’s immigration under control, we need to stop ALL immigration, legal as well as illegal. Take down Lady Liberty, dismantle her, and ship her back to France! OK, so that’s a bit much, but I think you get the passion I bring to the subject at hand!

This immigration boil has needed to be lanced for a long time now. It’s going to hurt for a little while and then it will feel SO MUCH BETTER!

You folks in the northern tier of states may not feel the invasion as we do. Down here, in the southern tier, we are being overrun. And we are fed up! When the South gets fed up, it tends to make life miserable for those in charge until something gets done!

We want the southern border closed and sealed. We want the illegals already in the US found and put in prison. No more trucking them back across the border so they can come right back as soon as the moon rises. No, we want them put away - in prisons - for a long, long, time.

While we’re at it, we ought to serve notice on Mexico that any more incursions by their military across that border will be considered and act of war and the US military will act accordingly.

This is not over. The Southern States, especially the Border States, have had it. It IS going to stop. One way or the other. If the current crop of politicians in DC can’t do it, then we desperately need to throw them out and elect people who can and who will actually TRY!

The US is split right down the middle, these days, with the citizens in one of two camps. If you are an American today, you are either a capitalist or a socialists.

We Conservatives are, for all practical purposes, without a political party these days. So, we are fighting the socialist agenda of the Democratic Party on our own. We have no choice.

As a conservative, I am convinced that as soon as the Obama Regime gets the Socialized Medicine issue behind them… and declares victory for the President… they are going to turn their attention to illegal immigration. They are not going to try to solve the issue; they are going to make another attempt to ram an AMNESTY for ILLEGAL ALIENS through Congress. They want and they need the votes of those people in the US illegally and they are going to make an all-out push to secure them.

It is time for conservative Americans to step up, once again, and meet them head-on and stop their sweeping attempt to turn the United States into just another mediocre socialist country.

J. D. Longstreet

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Conservative+Illegal-Immigration+Amnesty+Obama

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
********************************

“I cannot accept, your canon that we are to judge pope and king unlike other men, with a favorable presumption that they do no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way against holders of power ... Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”… Lord Acton

What will it take to convince Americans that the people we place in office ought to be of high moral character? I no longer think it is even possible. I no longer think Americans even care… as evidenced by the results of the presidential election, and numerous congressional elections, and even state and local elections around the country just last year.

We have become so accustomed to self serving, double-dealing, dishonest, greedy, callous, crafty, deceitful, duplicitous politicians that we now accept it as “normal”. What that says about Americans, as a people, is absolutely shameful. What it says about the future of America is terrifying!

I dare say ancient Rome was not as corrupt as America is today. We have managed to dumb down our populace, the voter base, the electorate, concerning what is expected of public servants, until we think nothing of electing to public office people of such low morals they ought not be allowed IN public, let alone serve in a public office. Nowadays, the use of the phrase “choosing the lesser of two evils,” when describing our choice of candidates, is in regular use… and we don’t even raise an eyebrow. Why? Because it is true!

James L. Buckley once said: ” What people fail to appreciate is that the currency of corruption in elective office is, not money, but votes.” He was spot on!

I am not surprised at the corruption of our politicians. How could I be? How could YOU be? It is we who elected them. It is we, the people of America, who bear the shame and the guilt for placing these people of low repute in offices that good men fought, bled, and died on foreign and domestic battlefields to secure for us. Do we not understand that we have disgraced our heritage? Do we not understand that we have brought shame upon our ancestors, upon our forefathers, upon The Founders of this nation, and… upon ourselves for not being good citizens and good stewards of this priceless jewel of a country?

Too long have we abrogated our singular duty to study the foundations of this country, the constitution of this country, the legal/judiciary system of this country, and, just as important, the government of this country, and… the way that government was intended to operate. We haven’t done any of this.

Our public education system has failed, utterly, in educating our young about their heritage as Americans. It has failed at instilling pride in our young as Americans. The angry cries of “nationalism” have drowned out “patriotism” until one is frowned upon for any public display of pride in America. There is something intrinsically wrong about that! In modern day America education has been devalued while ignorance is celebrated… even unto the voting booth! It is revolting!

Yes, I am angry. It is an anger born of frustration. I am frustrated with my fellow Americans who absolutely refused to see that substance does trump style every time. The percentage of the electorate who voted to place a man in office, primarily because of the color of his skin and, secondly, his eloquent way with words, have done America a huge disservice. The cost is going to be monumental, biblical, even.

One of the great men of the American Revolution, Samuel Adams, said this: “The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.”

I would draw your attention to the last portion of the last sentence above: “… or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.” THAT is precisely where we find ourselves in America today. And we have no one, no one, to blame… but ourselves.

Are you ready for the years, immediately ahead, with tailgating scandals and stories of corruption and graft and the peccadilloes of powerful men unable to restrain themselves when let lose on an ignorant populace? You’d better be - for I am mighty afraid that is exactly where we are heading. The political shenanigans in Washington, to which we have, unfortunately, become accustomed, are, I’m afraid, only the tip of a vastly underestimated iceberg of such conduct. America’s ship of state is sailing directly into that iceberg.

J. D. Longstreet

******************

Conservative Liberal+Progressive+Socialist+Obama+Absolute-Power+Corruption

“ … I Come Not to Praise Kennedy, But To Bury Him”

“ … I Come Not to Praise Kennedy, But To Bury Him”
A commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*******************************************

Up to now, I have maintained my silence about the late Senator Ted Kennedy. I have been torn between my “sainted” mother’s advice that if you cannot say something nice about someone, say nothing at all.

I also remember a quote from Abraham Lincoln who reportedly said, “The wise man speaks because he has something to say. The fool speaks because he has to say something.”

So, you see my quandary.

But, as I listened to the praises being sung about some senator I have never heard of - and do not know, it has become impossible to maintain my silence.

Count me among the fools, if you will, but down here, in the south land of America, the senator from Massachusetts was not well thought of - except by a handful of ultra-leftists and those transplanted northeasterners who have recently invaded our holy land, Dixie.

I was, and remain, a great fan of the late Senator Jesse Helms. Many years ago, when we were both broadcasters, I knew the senator and grew to admire him as someone who, when asked a question, told you the truth as he believed the truth to be, and never wavered. You might not like the answer he gave to your question, but it was an honest answer, nevertheless. I grew to admire Senator Helms long before he became the senator from my state of North Carolina.

The Kennedy family, on the other hand, was an altogether different animal, if you will. I began to investigate that family when Jack was a candidate for President. I did not like what I learned. After Chappaquiddick and the absolute mess Ted made of that incident, and the efforts his family made to save his behind, told me everything I ever needed to know about Ted, himself, and the family.

True, I hail from a long line of proud southern bootleggers, but I never ran for Congress, either.

To this scribe, Ted Kennedy never got past the drunken, slovenly, not very bright, court jester image that he seemed to polish continually. Frankly, I never trusted him to do, well, anything, very well, at all. Except one thing, that is. That one thing was to push his favorite socialist program, as best he could, through the Senate. That he seemed to do with great gusto.

Ted Kennedy had as much to do with Jesse Helms going back to the Senate for all those years as the voters in North Carolina had. Jesse was our answer to Ted. Jesse was the counter-weight, if you please.

So, forgive me if I do not join in the left’s deifying of Ted Kennedy. For unlike my friends on the left, I am unable to suspend my disbelief for the few days it will take for the left to bury the man.

As I predicted, it only took hours for the Democratic Party to take advantage of his death and attach his name to the ObamaCare bill before Congress. As we have come to know, such tasteless behavior is certainly not beneath the left when their power is being challenged by the conservative movement in this country.

ObamaCare began “for the children.” It will end “for Teddy.”

If one really wanted to remember someone at this funereal time, I would suggest we all take a few moments to remember a young lady named Mary Jo Kopechne and the date July 18th, 1969.
J. D. Longstreet

*****************

Conservative+Liberal+Kennedy+Kopechne

Does the US have a REAL President --- or Not?

Does the US have a REAL President --- or Not?
By: J. D. Longstreet

************************

The story continues to bubble just below the surface of the consciousness of the American electorate primarily because the Mainstream Media is so deep in the tank for Obama that they refuse to cover it. But it is there, nevertheless, and eventually it is going to break through and chances are very good that it will create chaos when it does.

The question of whether or not Obama is legally qualified to even be President of the US has never been answered. Many lawsuits have been filed in an attempt to answer the question. Many have been dismissed, for one reason or the other, but many are still in the queue waiting for a ruling and eventually that ruling will come.

The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President."

The question that really troubles many of us is why the President doesn’t just present the evidence that he is a natural born American citizen and put it all to rest? It seems so simple. Yet, reports have it that the President has legal teams, all over the country, fighting all attempts by citizens to get to the bottom of what could turn out to be a constitutional crisis for the country. Some reports say that huge sums of money have been spent, already, just to stop the release of that birth certificate from the state of Hawaii. Why not release that certificate and put this whole thing to rest?

Obama’s reluctance to produce proof of his American citizenship certainly leads one to question a lot of things about the President. For instance: What is his real name? Was his father an African, an Arab, or a Muslim? (Find more on this
HERE.)

See, the problem here, over and above the obvious, is… this may happen again. We need to have laws that clearly describe what it means to be a natural born citizen of the US and laws that clearly delineate the steps one MUST go through in order to prove one’s eligibility to be President of the US.

Unknown to a great many Americans is the fact there is just such a movement in Congress that would require presidential candidates to verify their eligibility to hold the highest elected office in the United States --- not to mention the office of Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the US. Congressman Bill Posey, a Republican of Florida, filed the bill --- HR 1503 --- an amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. H.R. 1503 would "require the principal campaign committee of a candidate for election to the office of president to include with the committee's statement of organization a copy of the candidate's birth certificate, together with such other documentation as may be necessary to establish that the candidate meets the qualifications for eligibility to the Office of President under the Constitution." You can read up on the story HERE.

Last week, Congressman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican of Virginia, signed onto the bill. You can read the story on this HERE. The bill was referred to the US House of Representatives’ “Committee on House Administration,” where it remains. I would urge my congressman to get behind this bill and get it passed.

As we mentioned above there are numerous lawsuits still pending on this issue. At least one of those suits asked the question of whether or not the President was, indeed, born in the state of Hawaii, as he insists, or rather some place outside the United States. If it turns out he was born outside the US, Obama's American mother, would have been too young (at the time of his birth) to confer American citizenship on her son under the law at the time. (Confusing enough for you?) Still other lawsuits are looking at the possibility of conferring citizenship through Obama’s father, a Kenyan, and a British subject. That would confer dual citizenship on Obama, and, constitutional experts say the constitution does not allow anyone holding dual citizenship to be eligible to stand as a candidate for President of the United States.

There is no need for this confusion. Obama can clear the air, once and for all, by producing proof of HIS birth within the United States, in particular, the state of Hawaii. The Congress can stop this from ever happening again by passing HR 1503 and tacking it onto the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 as an amendment.

Do I think it will happen? No, I do not. Why? That’s simple enough to answer. It won’t happen because those same groups of people who form the infamous “Shadow Government” do not want it to happen.

Like many Americans, I thought the “Shadow Government” was only a creation of the conspiracy nuts. But, such stunts as this have certainly pushed me much closer to believing in the existence of a group of powerful, wealthy, families who pull the strings of governments all over the globe for their mutual benefit. Their supreme goal is Global Governance… or as we used to say: “One World Government.” The current President of the United States is a Global Governance adherent. That fact makes him one of them and, as such, his continued occupancy of the Oval Office must be assured.

J. D. Longstreet

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Conservative+UN+Global+Governance+Obama+Socialist

Just 100 Days To Take America From Democracy To Socialism!

Just 100 Days To Take America From Democracy To Socialism!
Obama Leads USA Onto Ash Heap Of History In Record Time!
By: J. D. Longstreet

**********************

While the Mainstream Media fawned for several days over the wonders the Messiah Obama has wrought in his first 100 days in office as the USA’s First Socialist President, we have been near to nausea! There is nothing like a leftist/ socialist President to bring out the sycophant lapdogs of The Left and have them howling in unison. And that is, I think, a good description of the MSM’s reporting on the miracles of Obama, “The One”, the past few days on all the media they control, which is darn near all the media.

The MSM reminds us so much of a child who thinks he, or she, is so much smarter than his parents… until he grows up. And they find, as a famous writer once said: “The older I get the smarter my Dad gets”! Eventually those in America’s media will grow up, but, upon adulthood they will be replaced with another group of young leftists right out of the cookie-cutter leftist journalism schools at our leftist universities and leftist colleges in America. That’s the way it works, dear reader. There is NEVER a shortage of leftist journalists because the left has factories where they are made!

The Messiah image of Obama continues to be polished and held up into the light so that it sparkles and blinds the beholders so they do not see what is behind that eye-scorching dazzle.

But, there will come a time in the not too distant future when the truth of the empty suit that is “The Obamissiah” will become evident

It is the young, the inexperienced, the ignorant, and the leftist/socialists among the American electorate who support this man. And that is frightening. Why? Because they are present in such vast numbers. To know that your country is ruled by such lightweights is a scary thing. Add to that the evidence of Obama’s efforts to move the US farther to the left, and deeper into socialism and secularism and you have a formula for disaster for this formerly great country.

Redistribution of the nation’s wealth, universal healthcare, embracing the global warming hoax, plans for nuclear disarmament, nationalization of America’s financial system and auto industry, and the list goes on. What else do you need before you will accept that Obama has taken America, in 100 days, from a democratic nation to a socialist nation? There it is.

Of course, we haven’t mentioned Obama’s request to have the “IHS” on the stage at Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall covered before he would speak there on April 14th. That, alone, should tell you all you ever need to know about the man. (For those few of you not versed in the Christian faith… “IHS” is a symbol for the name of “Christ.”) You can read the story on this and what Representative John Fleming, Republican of Louisiana had to say on the floor of the US House of Representatives at CNSNews.com HERE.

In the article, at CNSNews.com, Representative Fleming is quoted as saying: “I have a concern about the very sharp turn to socialism that’s happening in our government.” Fleming is further quoted as having said: “Where you see socialism, you see a decline in Christianity and religion in general.” The Congressman is on the money with those remarks.

America has problems today, dear reader, that makes our financial problems pale in comparison. America is on the extreme verge of losing her soul! What, you may ask, is the causation of this dilemma? LUST, POWER, and GREED. Put another way: The lust for power, and the greediness of the political left to lay claim to all of it!

One hundred days, and one man, was all it took to bring America down. The socialist/communists have always said they would bring America down from INSIDE. They have succeeded.

Joe Stalin once said: "America, is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within." Soviet dictator Krushchev once said: "We can't expect the American people to jump from capitalism to communism (socialism), but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses (Incrementalism) of socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have communism".

When you “look up” socilaism in your dictionary you will see that socialism is defined as the last stage before full blown communism. THAT’S how close we are today.

One hundred days was all it took. One hundred days.

J. D. Longstreet

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Conservative+UN+Socialist+America+Patriot+Freedom

Newspapers Meet Their “End Times.”

Newspapers Meet Their “End Times.”
By: J. D. Longstreet
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My morning paper was not delivered again today. I had to go out and drive to the nearest newspaper rack, 3 blocks away, and purchase a paper because I did not get the once I had already paid for… in advance.

Many days I sit here at the computer anxiously awaiting the arrival of my morning paper. Many mornings it will not arrive before mid-morning when I no longer need it. Yet, I have paid for it in advance. It has gotten so bad I often leave today’s paper in the box and get it out tomorrow morning and read it, a day late, in order to have a paper at the breakfast table! (It’s a cultural thing!)

On the bright side… I have been reading Google’s news since around 3 this morning. And for years now, I have been going to websites of newspapers from Europe, usually Great Britain, or Australia, to get news about what’s happening in the US because, frankly, it is more reliable for accuracy and lack of bias toward the political left or right in America. So, I am fairly well informed at this point of the morning even without having received my own newspaper.

Newspapers are in deep, deep trouble… and they have brought it upon themselves. And guess what? They still do not understand what has happened to them, nor why! Take a look at the latest edition of Time Magazine for February 16^th. Check the front cover. Now read the article by Walter Isaacson. It begins on page 30. It’s title: “How to Save Your Newspaper.” If you, perchance, do not subscribe to Time Magazine, you can read the article HERE.

See what I mean? I would respectfully disagree with Mr. Isaacson’s. It is my contention that the print media still does not understand the problem they are facing. They have yet, in my opinion, to understand that, by and large, the people of America are conservative… to varying degrees, of course, yet most Americans hold conservative views on many, many, things and they are just tired of the print media’s liberal stance on practically everything. It is tiring, and it is boring, and we’ve had enough. This is the very same reason, in my opinion, that liberal talk shows on the broadcast media fall so far behind in listenership when they come up against conservative talk radio.

I wrote an article a year ago on this same topic. Frankly, I had no idea the consumers of newspapers, indeed, all the print media, would move so quickly to dump the liberal media. It was obvious, even then, that it was coming, but the rapidity with which it swooped down upon the ink stained hordes is amazing.

Newspapers are NOT a healthy business right now… not by any stretch of the imagination. Both my regional papers are laying off staff, and one is reducing the size of the pages because of the cost of newsprint paper, and they are even looking at using a different font, one that will not use as much ink as the font they are currently using. The proposed font is MUCH harder to see and read. It doesn’t have the depth of the old font and those of us who depend on spectacles to wind our way through that jungle of the already fine print will have the dickens of a time reading this proposed font, IF they actually DO switch to it. I have already let the editor and publisher know of my feelings on the matter. Hey, they asked!

Newspapers are in serious danger of going the way of the dinosaur. You would think they would, at least, look at their content. Usually, when the consumers refuse a product, it has something to do with the consumer’s perception of the quality of that product. When you consistently feed liberal drivel to the masses, and a huge percentage of those masses are conservative, sooner or later, they are going to say enough, and begin to look for a source of information more in line with their own core belief. You would think the print media could see that. And you would think service to their subscribers would receive much more consideration than it does now. But neither is happening. If it is… it certainly is not obvious!

I have a friend, way across this state that receives the premier newspaper in the state delivered to his home when he gets it! He is having the same problem we are having, out here on the coast, with an entirely different publishing company. Is this an indicator of a nationwide trend?

Newspapers are fast becoming a thing of the past. Home delivery is on the way out… I know that. The papers are having a hell of a time getting carriers as a result of the cost of gasoline and upkeep to their vehicles. In some I cases, I am informed that newspapers have had to guarantee carriers “X” number of dollars, a month, before they will even take the job. Believe me, I understand that. But, do not sell me a subscription to your paper and promise to deliver it before a certain time in the morning and then be either consistently late, by as much as 2 hours, or more, or… do not deliver at all. There is no excuse for that… none, whatsoever.

I have watched the size of the newspaper page diminish. I have watched the thickness of the newsprint paper diminish, and I have now seen service to subscribers diminish. Is the newspaper business deaf, dumb, and blind? These are just more reasons people are not using their product nearly as much these days… I mean other than disagreement with the print media’s biases.

Ad sales are the lifeblood of a newspaper. Believe me, once their advertisers become aware their ads are NOT reaching the numbers of subscribers they had expected, there will be another huge decrease in the paper’s ad sales which translates in to lost profits. A newspaper can survive a good while with dwindling subscribers. But when the advertisers begin to fall off, death comes quickly.

So, maybe we are witnessing the swan song of the newspaper business as a “brick and mortar” business. Do you think so? Actually, I hate to see that happen, but it certainly looks as if it is. But contrary to what the experts may think, charging money to read an article, a column, or even a blog from their online site is not the answer. Newspapers and print magazines are in apocalyptic days. The “End Times” are upon them. Their death throes are not pretty.

J. D. Longstreet

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href="http://technorati.com/tag/Conservative+Newspapers, bankruptcy+Apocalypse" rel="tag">Conservative+Newspapers, bankruptcy+Apocalypse"

The Road to Islamification is Paved by Religious Pluralism

Key Words: Tolerance, Religious Diversity, Liberal, Progressive Christians, Left, Religious Pluralism

As I wrote earlier in December

One of the first lessons I learned in seminary is that you cannot divorce religion from culture. Every religion carries with it the mark of the culture that gave it birth. Either religions will adapt to cultural change, or the culture will adapt to religious change. Change one and you change the other. It’s as simple and as complex as that. . .

The second lesson I learned in seminary (a liberal mainline Protestant seminary) was that there is a major investment by liberal (mainline) denominations in promoting Religious Pluralism in the name of Social Justice and cultural diversity.

The third lesson I learned in seminary is that any conservative thought openly espoused by either student or professor was tantamount to heresy!!! You cannot progress in a “progressive” institution if you are even the slightest bit conservative. While the liberal seminaries give lip-service to tradition, Christian tradition is merely a tool for deconstructive argumentation.

Before I entered the seminary, I was somewhat politically naive. That changed rapidly as I learned that theology and politics are intimately linked. For years mainline seminaries have functioned as the religious arm of the far left progressives. Admission of any conservative political bent is literally the kiss of death. No doubt there are many closet conservative professors who would not long survive if their personal politics were known. Students hoping for plumb assignments following ordination are well-aware of which sides their daily bread is buttered.

Social Justice (as commonly understood today): Social justice mostly refers to an ideal of society, where "justice" refers to economic status rather than to the administration of laws. It is based on the idea of a society which gives individuals and groups fair treatment and a just share of the benefits of society, although what is "fair treatment" and a "just share" must remain unclear or subject to interpretation. . .

Think: Redistribution of wealth from wealthy (imperialistic) nations of the West to poor 3rd and 4th world nations.

What is Religious Pluralism? In its strongest sense, religious pluralism holds that no single religion can claim absolute authority to teach absolute truth. The word of God is not literal religion. On the contrary, religion attempts to describe God's utterances. Given the finite and fallible nature of human beings, no religious text written by Man can absolutely describe God, God's will, or God's counsel, since it is God apart from Man who reveals the divine thoughts, intentions and volition perfectly. . . Giving one religion or denomination special rights that are denied to others can weaken religious pluralism. . Relativism, the belief that all religions are equal in their value and that none of the religions gives access to absolute truth, is an extreme form of inclusivism. Likewise, syncretism, the attempt to take over creeds of practices from other religions or even to blend practices or creeds from different religions into one new faith is an extreme form of inter-religious dialogue, which just tries to seek common ground between what already exists in the different religions. Syncretism must not be confused with ecumenism, the attempt to bring closer and eventually reunite different denominations of one religion that have a common origin but were separated by a schism.

Here’s an excerpt from a good article by Jim Leffel “Christian Witness in a Pluralistic Age”

. . .I suggest that the primary barrier to getting a hearing for the gospel on the vast majority of campuses today is ideologically driven pluralism. Pluralism takes the fact of the world's rich cultural diversity and makes an "ism" out of it. It doesn't merely extol the virtue of understanding and appreciating cultural differences; virtually everyone is for that. Pluralism holds that distinct cultural beliefs are true for that culture--but not for cultures that operate out of a different "paradigm." Pluralists say that truth is a "social construction." It is created through social consensus and tradition, not discovered in reality that exists independently of our beliefs. Truth is subjective interpretation, not correspondence between our beliefs and reality.
Since pluralists consider truth to be a cultural construct, it is the height of arrogance to try to convert someone from their paradigm (especially if it's non-western) to Christianity. That's what most people mean when they say that Christianity is intolerant. But should we accept the pluralistic definition of "tolerance"? . . .

. . .The notion that truth is a social construct is both unbiblical and dangerous. Truth matters. It's no mere philosophical abstraction. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." Our commission is to spread the good news to all the peoples of the earth. To make effective inroads in today's multi-ethnic, culturally diverse university, we must do the hard work of engaging the thinking behind pluralism and the demands of this new meaning of tolerance.

For a further understanding of how pervasive Religious Pluralism (see Progressive Chrisitanity) has become in the West visit these sites: Oh and be sure to check out their links to the Progressive Christian denominations and organizations.

The Pluralism Project (Harvard University)
Religious Tolerance
Religious Diversity News (check out their article links on Islamophobia. Talk about naivety!!!)
UCSB Religious Studies Department
Ford Foundation
Center for Religion and Civic Culture at USC
The Religion and Immigration Project (TRIP) at USF
Hispanic Churches in American Public Life Project
Muslims in American Public Square

Religious Pluralism in Southern California (blod highlights added by me)

A brief overview of the Religious Pluralism in Southern California Project

The Religious Pluralism in Southern California project examines the impact that religious pluralism is having on civic life in Southern California. The project is funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation.

Our inherited paradigms about religious pluralism offer two possible scenarios: assimilation to a mainline culture or social and cultural fragmentation-bubble or Babel. Neither seems to capture the dynamics of contemporary pluralism. Rather than assimilating the "American way of life" many new immigrant communities appear to be actively negotiating the terms of social life. This negotiation process takes place in the context of public institutions and in response to public events.

Furthermore,the process takes place in the context of a cultural system that attributes meaning to such constructions as race, gender, class, and religion and urges a normative response to the experience of diversity. Pluralism is more than just diversity, we argue; pluralism is meaningful diversity. . .

It’s important to remember that religious dialogue doesn’t work (nor does Religious Pluralism) when one of the parties is intent on the total destruction of your religion and your culture!!! So as the growing number of cloud-walking Religious Pluralists devise more ways to engage Islam (as if Islam was some kind of monolithic religion), they ignore the very real threats Islamification poses to all religious freedoms. See “Our Vulnerable Religious Freedoms”

To get a good idea of how all mainline Christian denominations (including Roman Catholicism) are rapidly moving toward Religious Pluralism, and as a result, handing radical Islam the rope with which to hang Christianity, please read “Praying to the Buddha”.
[COMMONWEAL Magazine, January 26, 2007 / Volume CXXXIV, Number 2]

This article was written by Peter C. Phan, a Vietnamese American, who holds the Ignacio Ellacuría Chair of Catholic Social Thought at Georgetown University. He has written or edited more than twenty books and three hundred essays. His latest work includes a trilogy: Christianity with an Asian Face, In Our Own Tongues, and Being Religious Interreligiously (Orbis Books). This essay has been funded by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.

The article begins with a story about Phan’s Christian mother who prayed to the Buddah. Religious Pluralism makes that all possible! Here’s an excerpt:

. . .How, then, could an old woman like my mother, God-loving and church-fearing, a twice-a-day churchgoer raised to believe that no one except Catholics can be saved, do what she did that day in that pagoda? And what, exactly, happened between the 1960s and 2000 that enabled her to honor the Buddhist nun, pray to the Buddha, and contribute money to the maintenance of the pagoda? The answer lies in the dramatic expansion during our era of interreligious dialogue, particularly as it has been espoused by the church since Vatican II. Being religious interreligiously. . . .

Contemporary religious pluralism, in Asia and increasingly in the United States, requires interreligious dialogue not only at the theological level, but at the personal level too. It challenges one to be religious interreligiously. . . .

. . .as Paul Knitter has helpfully explained in Introducing Theologies of Religions: replacement (there is only one true religion), fulfillment (one true religion fulfills other religions), mutuality (there are many true religions which are called to dialogue), and acceptance (there are many religions which have different ends). More simply, theologies of religions are often categorized in three models: exclusivism, pluralism, and inclusivism. Exclusivism holds that there is only one savior and one true religion or church and that no salvation is possible outside of them. At the other end of the spectrum, pluralism holds that there are many saviors and different paths leading to salvation, none necessarily superior to the others. Inclusivism maintains that although there is only one savior and one true church, salvation remains possible outside them-though it is always ultimately dependent on them. . .

The official teaching of the Catholic Church, at least as articulated in Dominus Iesus, favors inclusivism while warning against the dangers of pluralism. . .

Christ is the sacrament, the definitive symbol of God’s salvation for all humanity. This is what the salvific uniqueness and universality means in the Indian context. That, however, does not mean there cannot be other symbols, valid in their own ways, which the Christian sees as related to the definitive symbol, Jesus Christ. The implication of all this is that for hundreds of millions of our fellow human beings, salvation is seen as being channeled to them not in spite of but through and in their various sociocultural and religious traditions. We cannot, then, deny a priori a salvific role for these non-Christian religions.

Interreligious dialogue can be practiced by people of faith, irrespective of educational level, social standing, and religious status, and is urgently needed in the conflict-ridden political and religious climate of the post-9/11 United States. Such dialogue is not merely a preparatory step toward peacemaking and reconciliation; it constitutes the very process of peacemaking and reconciliation itself, a process that occurs precisely in the acts of living together, working together, and praying together. These dialogues are powerful means to correct biases, erase deep-seated hatreds, and heal ancient wounds. By promoting communication, grassroots activism toward peace and justice, and above all, shared experiences of the Divine or the Absolute in spite of religious differences, such dialogue helps forge a new way of life.

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