A Complete Guide to ObamaCare

The Wall Street Journal has complied all of their stories and editorials regarding the healthcare debate. Great resource

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574441193211542788.html

Detroit Terror Plot Makes 28 Plots Foiled Since 9/11

Jena Baker McNeill, Homeland Security Expert over at the Heritage Foundation, offered an excellent insight into Detroit - Northwast Airlines - Terror Plot

http://www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandSecurity/wm2741.cfm

The Debt Limit Made Simple

A Christmas Prayer

I sometimes envy past generations because they had the ability to simply enjoy Christmas for what it is….the birth of Our Savior, Jesus.

The exchanging of gifts was to represent a birthday celebration. Yet somehow the greatest gift is lost in the commercialism that Christmas has become. God’s gift to man….his only Son.

As you sit down for your Christmas dinner this year, take inventory of God’s blessings in your life. We live in an imperfect world, and at times we can feel consumed by all the hate and sorrow we witness. We ask ourselves “what can I do to help?”

You can let God’s grace stay strong in your heart and share his message. Buy one less gift for each person, and give that money to charity. Because this season as many of us agonizes over trying to find a Zhu Zhu, there are children in this world who will not see their next birthday. As each of us worries about “putting on a few extra pounds,” there are parents struggling to feed their families. And as we gather with family and friends, there sits a person alone…thinking that they are not loved. But if each of us holds ourselves to the standard set by Jesus Christ, and do what ever we can to help our neighbors, we can keep the true meaning of Christmas alive.

So this Christmas, may God’s grace bless your home and shine into heart. May you find your meaning in life through God’s Peace.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men.
Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

A Christmas Canon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cP26ndrmtg

Lyrics to a Christmas Canon:

This night
We pray
Our lives
Will show

This dream
He had
Each child
Still knows

We are waiting
We have not forgotten

On this night
On this night
On this very
Christmas night

The Christmas Story

On Christmas Eve millions of families will gather together for the reading of “Twas The Night Before Christmas.” At the end of the story our children will place cookies out for Santa, sprinkle food on the lawn for his reindeer, and scamper off to bed for an anxious night of sleep.

When they wake up early in the morning, they will be overcome with the joy of finding gifts mystically left under the Christmas tree. But wouldn’t be nice if, after they open their presents, they were read another story which brings the true meaning of Christmas into your home.

Luke 2: Versus 1-20, tells the Nativity Story with simplicity, yet manages to convey the great joy that was delivered to man with the birth of Jesus.

The Story of Christmas

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth.

Silent Night, Holy Night

There truly is a Spirit of Christmas that transcends the worldly events that somehow occupy mans being on Earth. One such event is war. There is no more brutal expression of man’s ignorance then the conflicts that have littered our history. Yet, even in war, “love’s pure light” will shine.

On December 24th, 1914, heavenly peace did descend upon the trenches of World War One, when the soldiers of the Germany, French, and English Armies castaway their hate, and for a brief moment in time found “Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards Men.”

On that cold Christmas Eve night, Germany soldiers began decorating their trenches by placing candles on trees while singing Christmas Carols. One such carol was “Stille nacht, heilige nacht.” The British soldiers responded by singing the English version…….. “Silent Night, Holy Night.”

Eventually both sides would walk across “No Man’s Land” and exchange greetings and small gifts. Little did Father Josef Mohr, the composer of “Silent Night,” know that one day the words he penned would, even if only for a short time, help stop the madness of war and bring enemies together in peace:

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

How Is Jail Time A Building Block Of Healthcare Reform?

Three women are sitting in a jail cell wearing orange prison jumpsuits, waiting to appear before a judge. The women eventually enter into cell house banter which ultimately leads to a discussion as to the infraction that led to their incarnation.

The first woman tells a tale of shoplifting. The next woman shamefully confesses to driving drunk. The final woman reluctantly confesses to her crime. Is it murder? Nope. Perhaps embezzlement? Not quite. I know,……. espionage. No, the monstrous crime she committed ……not purchasing healthcare. The other two women say nothing at first, but then begin to laugh. Not buying insurance a crime….surely you jest!

I wish I was only joking, but aside from the many anti-liberty provisions and false assumptions made throughout both Senate and House bill, there are previsions (or better put, perversions) that punish those that would “opt-out,” choosing not to voluntarily participating in their own oppression:

If you chose not to purchase one of the “State approved” healthcare plans, you will be required to pay a fine equal to 2% of your income.

Willful failure to pay the fine is punishable by up to a $25,000.00 fine, and up to one-year in jail.

Willful evasion to obtain healthcare or avoid paying the fine is punishable by up to $250,000.00, and up to five-year s in jail.

Where is the choice the Democrats pledged would be part of any healthcare reform? If a person takes steps to provide for their own healthcare needs, which happens to fall outside of the government controlled system, they will be labeled as criminals, and subject to the full weight of the federal government. With this bill, the federal government is outlawing self-reliance, herding us into a “death march” that would eventually make all of us wards of “the State.” Reform yes, but slavery, no.

Make no mistake about it. This healthcare reform “debate” is about control, and the very essence of this bill will affect our liberty, as well as the freedom of all future generations. The fact that this debate has been side-tracked by abortion funding is just a side-show to avoid a discussion regarding the real tyranny of this legislation. The issue we are facing once again from these agents of subjugation is “Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capitol can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves. “

If you are hungry, I will lend you a hand. If you need shelter, let‘s work together to help you. If you need aid and comfort, I will help. But do not ask me to steal from another man in the form of counterfeit compassion, whether that theft is in the form of money or the chipping away of individual liberty. I will not do that, and I will resist with every fiber of my being.

In an effort to fix a leaky faucet, the Democratic Party would have us tear down the entire house. Let us remember that “progressive” in itself is not an indication of morality, compassion, or intellect. Progress merely means that an individual or group strives to advance their cause, and contrary to those who think progress can only be defined as improvement, I suggest they stand on a mountain as an avalanche comes crashing down and bear witness to the destructive nature of progress without thought or reason. Like an avalanche, this attempt at healthcare reform is nothing more than an attempt by progressives to do something, no matter how destructive the end result that “something” is.

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard Democrats yell - "It is a crime that people do not have healthcare." With the pending passage of the Democratic healthcare reform, the Democrats will make it official.

Should Tea Party Groups Endorse Candidates?

Recently I talked about the need for the liberty groups (9/12, Tea Party, etc.) to think about publicly supporting like minded candidates; which would merely be the natural extension of their influence. I strongly suggested that the liberty groups require that any candidate seeking their support openly affirm their commitment to the liberty group’s principles/philosophies. Needless to say, I received several interesting e-mails.

Some felt that it would be a “betrayal” of the cause if they simple started to act like the “political machines” they detest. By no means was I suggesting that. It makes no difference to me, nor should it to the liberty groups, whether the candidates are attached to a political party or stand alone (although I tend to avoid Democratic candidates, in large part because the party platform does not come close to any of my core conservative principles, and by extension a candidate for that party would be ineffective). We have to be very careful not to dismiss an individual merely because of an established, political partnership.

I also was not suggesting that the liberty groups support “just one candidate.” If several candidates come forth that meet the principles of the group, than it is fine to support more than one candidate. This happens already, often because we find that groups create a rating system to assign to candidates. It is important to note that the group is not merely supporting a candidate, but willing to publicly stand with an individual who has pledged to support the group’s mission.

There are several methods a group can use to indicate which candidates best match the groups principles. The methods that can be used to grade a candidate can range from a simple report card style assessment, a “yes/no” survey, or a pledge or oath of adherence.

If the group has a list of principles, the group would merely assign a point system to each principle. The group may assign a higher point value to some of the principles, or even designate “deal breaker” principles (mandatory principles that must be agreed to in order to get the liberty groups approval). A list of principles provides both the group and the candidates the opportunity for flexibility, but still allow for clarity. A good example of this can be found in a recent undertaking from within the Republican Party:

Proposed RNC Resolution on Reagan’s Unity Principle for Support of Candidates

WHEREAS, President Ronald Reagan believed that the Republican Party should support and espouse conservative principles and public policies; and

WHEREAS, President Ronald Reagan also believed the Republican Party should welcome those with diverse views; and

WHEREAS, President Ronald Reagan believed, as a result, that someone who agreed with him 8 out of 10 times was his friend, not his opponent; and

WHEREAS, Republican faithfulness to its conservative principles and public policies and Republican solidarity in opposition to Obama’s socialist agenda is necessary to preserve the security of our country, our economic and political freedoms, and our way of life; and

WHEREAS, Republican faithfulness to its conservative principles and public policies is necessary to restore the trust of the American people in the Republican Party and to lead to Republican electoral victories; and

WHEREAS, the Republican National Committee shares President Ronald Reagan’s belief that the Republican Party should espouse conservative principles and public policies and welcome persons of diverse views; and

WHEREAS, the Republican National Committee desires to implement President Reagan’s Unity Principle for Support of Candidates; and

WHEREAS, in addition to supporting candidates, the Republican National Committee provides financial support for Republican state and local parties for party building and federal election activities, which benefit all candidates and is not affected by this resolution; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican National Committee identifies ten (10) key public policy positions for the 2010 election cycle, which the Republican National Committee expects its public officials and candidates to support:

(1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama’s “stimulus” bill;

(2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run healthcare;

(3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;

(4) We support workers’ right to secret ballot by opposing card check;

(5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;

(6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;

(7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;

(8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;

(9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and

(10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership; and be further

RESOLVED, that a candidate who disagrees with three or more of the above stated public policy position of the Republican National Committee, as identified by the voting record, public statements and/or signed questionnaire of the candidate, shall not be eligible for financial support and endorsement by the Republican National Committee; and be further

RESOLVED, that upon the approval of this resolution the Republican National Committee shall deliver a copy of this resolution to each of Republican members of Congress, all Republican candidates for Congress, as they become known, and to each Republican state and territorial party office.

Another good example of a liberty-minded pledge is the one currently being featured at Laura Ingraham’s web site, which she calls “10 for 10:”

1) Taxpayers' Bill of Rights (TABOR). Limit federal spending growth to the percentage in population growth plus the rate of inflation; provide taxpayers the option of filing a post-card sized return using a low, flat tax rate of 15%

2) End Tax-funded abortions. Stop federal payments to Planned Parenthood and prohibit any taxpayer-subsidized health insurance plan from covering abortion

3) Defend American Borders. Complete America's border-protection initiatives using remaining funds from the so-called stimulus bill

4) King Dollar. Preserve a strong dollar so that Americans' savings aren't wiped out by inflation and the U.S. dollar remains the world's reserve currency

5) Empower American Business. Immediately slash corporate tax rates to 15% and scrap the capital-gains tax altogether

6) Defend America. Strengthen America to defend our homeland and fully fund an operational, layered missile-defense system

7) Statism Exit Plan. De-fund czars; immediately cease bailout payments to failed companies; ban future bailouts

8) End Generational Theft. As few believe America's entitlement programs will be able to pay benefits to future generations, provide younger workers the choice of diverting payroll/Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts

9) Restore America's System of Justice. Introduce penalties for frivolous lawsuits, where those who launch unsuccessful lawsuits are liable for the defendants' legal bills

10) American Energy Independence. All-of-the-Above strategy that embraces alternatives, expands and accelerates exploration and production of oil and natural gas, and jumpstarts dramatic increases in nuclear power

Some groups choose to require the candidates to commit to a pledge. The difficultly with a pledge is that they often do not allow much flexibility; and maybe that is the desired goal of the liberty group. But we must remember that 100% agreement (even from within the liberty groups) is nearly impossible. The pledge should convey a commitment to the cause, but respect the fact that there may be a difference of opinion on how to achieve a shared goal. If the language of the pledge is too vague, no candidate will agree to it; if the pledge is too rigid, then the group should be prepared to having very few, or even no candidates taking the pledge. An example of a pledge that liberty groups should consider is a piece called the American’s Creed.

The American’s Creed was commissioned by Congress in 1917, and it is the combination of the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address, so it sets a liberty tone that has stood the test of time:

The American's Creed

by William Tyler Page

I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.

The American’s Creed is one of the strongest dedications to the virtues that made our country great. The Creed respects the understanding that we are a unified nation bound together by core beliefs, while at the same time declaring the importance of States’ sovereignty (the fundamental idea that many believe helps to ensure that government is closest to the people). The Creed is tight enough to repel those candidates that are not liberty minded, while being flexible enough not to scare high-quality candidates away.

Regardless of the type of oath a group opts for, it is important for the group to commit to paper the core principles that best represent their values. By providing a written declaration, the liberty groups will not only provide guidance to potential candidates, but the group will also have a foundational document that will always remind them of their commitment.

And to those candidates seeking the support of liberty groups; do so only if you intend to honor the groups cause, and not just for votes. As I have stated on numerous occasions, much of the liberty groups wrath is directed at those politicians they feel have let them down. Trust me when I tell you that you do not want to be added to that list.