We have -
Moved To:
http://professor-howdy.blogspot.com/

ACROSS AMERICA – ALL OVER THE WORLD – THERE HAS

BEEN ONE DISASTROUS HEADLINE AFTER ANOTHER

AS 2006 GOT OFF TO AN UPSETTING START



While we were still reeling from those disasters which dominated world news during the closing months of 2005 … the earthquakes in Pakistan … the hurricanes and flooding from Florida all the way across the Gulf Coast to Louisiana … the flooding and mudslides in Mexico and Central America, to name a few . . . then along came new headlines to welcome in 2006 … disastrous wild fires swept across Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, while rain, fog, flooding and mudslides disrupted life in California and the Pacific Northwest … a tragic accident in a West Virginia coal mine took the lives of 12 men … new sectarian terrorist violence erupted in Iraq following the relative calm of the December election .. one of the nation’s most widespread influence peddling scandals was exposed in Washington . . . and in the Middle-East the powerfully influential voice of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was silenced by stroke and brain hemorrhage, again, to name a few.



But even with the punctuation of these few headlined events, there has been the over-riding text of a malaise which has become increasingly evident and which increasingly affects our nation’s ability to cope with current events. There are a plethora of words to label this problem; un-American, anti-American and treason come to mind.



In considering the “un-American,” concept, it is interesting to note that without exception, those who demonstrate this trait or behavior stand on their First Amendment right of free speech, and insist on their right to act in an un-American way, but at the same time are adamant in denying that they are un-American in even the slightest degree. They employ the most inflamed language to attack our government and our elected officials in the clear sight and hearing of our enemies around the world – to their benefit – and reply to any critical comment, “Don’t you dare to question my patriotism.”



This “un-American” approach to current events is most prevalent among politicians who are members of the minority party, and who are openly and unashamedly eager to regain the power they lost when the nation’s voters demonstrated their collective viewpoints by giving conservative ideologies a powerful position in the White House, both houses of Congress and among the nation’s state governors.



A few examples of this “un-American” viewpoint will suffice . . . a Senator who compares our soldiers to Nazis and accuses America of operating in Soviet gulag style . . . another Senator who, after serving in the military in Viet Nam for a brief period, in an anti-war protest threw his military awards over a fence but later used that military service which he had so disgraced as an advocacy point in his failed presidential bid . . . or the minority leader of the House of Representatives saying that President Bush is incompetent, is no leader, has no judgment, no experience and no knowledge of what he is called upon to do . . . or the headliner of the anti-war movement, Cindy Sheehan, calling President Bush a “lying bastard” . . . and singer Harry Belafonte in his adulation of Venezuelan President Chavez, called President Bush the world’s greatest terrorist . . . and a member of Congress with a military background going public with the assertion that he would not serve in the US military today, and suggesting that young people considering the military should reconsider . . . and even former presidents Carter and Clinton in an unprecedented way joined the attacks, Clinton calling the Iraq war a big mistake, and Carter saying that President Bush’s lies brought on the war.



These few examples of a growing un-American attitude may be justified, perhaps, on the grounds of political expediency, but for the individual American Christian they are indicators of a sinister trend in political thinking. America is built upon long established Judeo-Christian principles which established a nation which guaranteed freedom of religion, and never intended to require its citizens to be regulated into a condition of freedom from religion. The nation’s founding fathers seldom wrote an opinion without including reference to their religious convictions, and the First Amendment was written and agreed upon to guarantee that freedom of religious belief would always be part of America’s existence. To attack Americanism is to attack our right to hold and express our personal religious convictions. And make no mistake about it – that is the ultimate goal of those liberals who are so vocal in their un-American attacks. They are determined to kill the Biblical concepts of family and marriage and sexuality, to have the right to kill unborn children, to kill Biblical morality and to kill the freedom of religious expression. That is what is happening right now . . . today.



Beyond “un-American” is the concept of “anti-American,” admittedly much more frequently employed by people outside this nation, with perhaps the most recent example being found in the pronouncements of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the holocaust is a myth, that Israel should be wiped off the map of the world, and adding, “God willing we shall soon experience a world without the US and Zionism.” There is anti-America sentiment in many parts of the world, most prevalent and most violently expressed by Muslims holding radical Islamic beliefs – the destruction of American embassies, American military vessels and equipment, and the horrific events of “9/11” serving as all too vivid reminders that such sentiments do exist in today’s world.



And finally “treason.” Beyond dictionary definitions as being the betrayal of one’s country to an enemy, the US Constitution in Article III, at Section 3, defines Treason as follows: “Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.” In the history of the United States there have been less than 40 federal prosecutions for treason, and only a very few have resulted in conviction, the most recent being in cases coming before the US Supreme Court during World War II.



This very logical question arises: what has to be done in giving aid and comfort to the enemy to merit the charge of treason in today’s world, bearing in mind that instantaneous communication is in effect more than at any time in history. The instance of Al Quaeda’s No. 2 leader, Ayman Zawahiri, releasing a video last week which included these statements, “Bush, you must admit that you have been defeated in Iraq, and that you are being defeated in Afghanistan and that you will soon be defeated in Palestine.” The video was released almost immediately following President Bush’s announcement of troop reductions – brought on by liberal attacks urging him to “cut and run,” and accusing the president of being incapable of bringing the war to a successful conclusion.



And remember that New Year's Resolution? You were going to contact your elected representatives in Washington and suggest how you want them to vote on important issues. This is the week to keep that resolution: phone the Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your Senators -- urge them to vote to confirm Judge Alito to the Supreme Court. The Liberals are going all out in their smear campaign . . . we Christians must make our voices heard as well.



Quote for the week: “Liberals demand that the nation treat enemies like friends, and friends like enemies. We must lift sanctions, cancel embargoes, pull out our troops, reason with our adversaries, and absolutely never wage war – unless the French say it is okay.” – Ann Coulter, in “Treason,” Crown Forum, New York, © Ann Coulter, 2003.

___________________________________________________



To subscribe to EPOCH Commentary (no charge):

EPOCHCommentary-subscribe@yahoogroups.com