The night Ted Cruz was booed off the stage—by Christians

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz speaking at an event intended to bring light to the vicious persecution of Christians began his speech at the In Defense of Christians’ gala on September 10 as keynote speaker ":

“Good evening. Today we are gathered at a time of extraordinary challenge. Tonight we are all united in defense of Christians. Tonight we are all united in defense of Jews. Tonight we are all united in defense of people of good faith who are standing together against those who would persecute and murder those who dare to disagree with their religious teachings.”

Murmurs around the room, which had begun with the senator’s greeting, grew louder when Cruz continued:

“Religious bigotry is a cancer with many manifestations. ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and their state sponsors like Syria and Iran, are all engaged in a vicious genocidal campaign to destroy religious minorities in the Middle East.

Sometimes we are told not to lump these groups together, that we have to understand their so-called nuances and differences. But we shouldn’t try to parse different manifestations of evil that are on murderous rampage through the region. Hate is hate and murder is murder.”

Instead of hearing Cruz’s remarks as a rallying cry to unity for those who are facing the same enemy, a small but very vocal group booed and heckled. Shouts of “Stop it!” and “No!” arose. Although Cruz persisted for some minutes, he cut short his speech and walked off the stage after saying that

“my heart weeps that the men and women here will not stand in solidarity with Jews and Christians alike who are persecuted by radicals who seek to murder them.”

Making sense of IDC

http://www.indefenseofchristians.org/idc/statement-idc-president-following-disruption-idc-gala-dinner/

Adrian Peterson

The Adrian Peterson situation has brought on a lot of discussion--all except how to be a good father. Is it depositing sperm and making support payments? How many children does he have with how many baby mommas? His home is a mansion, he's a millionaire, but the kids (no one seems to know how many) all live with their mothers. I believe he'd never met his 2 year old child (paternity test) who died last year (that man, the boyfriend of the child's mother, has been charged with murder).

A father looks back—my nephew Robert--Friday family photo

As I look back on the 28 years since I had my first child, Christopher, and then the 17 years since I was blessed with twins, Alex and Sydney, I think about all the times I held them, giving them a really big hug to calm their fears, or to make them feel safe. Little did I know then that the one who really needed the hug, the one who needed to know love, was in fact me. Nothing in the world feels as good as a big, tight hug from your kids, and I really miss that. The military, out of state schools, and a busy school and work schedule keep me and my kids from having that special moment every time I desire or need it, but I want them to know, just how incredibly important they are to me and how much their simple act of a hug has on their dad. You guys are my world. Love you more than life itself!  (from a Facebook post, used with permission)

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day

"Just as some Christians doubt so much of the Gospel, so too, even more Christians doubt the presence and power of evil in our world. Yet Paul is very clear about the cause of what is happening throughout our world and even here in our own land." Bishop John Bradosky preaching on Ephesians 6:10-20 NALC Convocation at The Citadel in Charleston, SC

If they are having trouble with believing in the power of evil, they should turn on the news.

NALC Convocation

Saving the unborn, one mother at a time

We attended a lovely dinner last night at Villa Milano (lasagna to die for)  with about 800 other people who care about the unborn to hear Father Frank Pavone. I sat next to a lovely young woman who had grown up in foster care who told me her story of thinking she had no other option than abortion for her now 7 year old precious daughter. By mistake she went to one of our PDHC locations instead of Planned Parenthood and was counseled by a wonderful volunteer and they have remained friends for 8 years. She also needed material aid, food, transportation, parenting help and a job, which God provided through loving Christians--so she was one lucky gal, and of course, the baby was too. And she was a blessing to me, too, I told her because sometimes we volunteers get discouraged and wonder if we make a difference.

My husband wasn’t all that thrilled about going, but I reminded him I’d have to drive alone both in rush hour traffic to get there, and in the dark to get home.  But he really enjoyed himself, thought the food was good and the speaker terrific, and when we were all asked for support, he leaned over and suggested quietly that I double our  agreed on amount.

On the left, feeling good is the goal, not change

“For leftists, the answer to domestic violence isn’t to deal with any of the issues that could lead boys to become abusing men. The answer, instead, is to lecture Americans about the use of the word “sissy” – not because that solves the problem, but because it makes those on the left feel warm and fuzzy inside. Similarly, the left will tell Americans that the name of the Washington Redskins matters far more to Native-Americans than the nearly half of Native-American youths who drop out of high school; they will explain that “microaggressions” are the true problem faced by blacks in America, not lack of education, poverty or unwed motherhood.”

The conversation we won’t have about raising men, Ben Shapiro

The stock market isn’t the whole story

On one of my feeds I saw a poster proclaiming all the economic successes of Obama since January 2009 (can't find it now).  And there's no doubt, those with investments have done well (mainly because of quantitative easing), and unemployment figures are nearing what he promised would happen in 2010.  However, the young, female and minority voters who voted heavily for him, still haven't benefited from his policies.

"Five years into an “economic recovery,” real median household income “is now 3.1 percent below that of June 2009 when the ‘great recession’ officially ended .. .  Single women with and without children present saw their incomes fall by roughly 5 percent.  Those age 25-34 experienced an income decline of 4.4 percent. Black heads of households saw their income tumble by 7.7 percent, while the income of Hispanic heads of households fell 5.6 percent. . The poor and unskilled saw their incomes fall by 7.4 percent for those with less than a high-school diploma and 8.2 percent for those with only a high-school diploma." [Stephen Moore, Patriot Post, Sept. 17, 2014]

For my trolls

A unique book club—all women and one football player

A mouse in the house

Our cat is 16 years old, somewhat arthritic, and sleeps most of the day--but she was back to her roots protecting us last night, stalking and running--apparently a mouse is in the house. We live in a wooded area, and this time of year they sneak in when they can. The cheese was removed from the trap, but it didn't spring. We're not sure who ate it--the cat or the mouse. Sort of like watching politics, isn't it?

Americans do come together, but . . .

If it is something that binds Americans together, the liberals/progressives are protesting it, suing it, fighting it and smearing it on social media. The Star Spangled Banner, the Pledge of Allegiance, a common language, an American flag on a locker in a police station or on a t-shirt, a motto on our money, prayer before community meetings, a local celebration based on our religious traditions. They say they want inclusiveness, but really, they want more people to think they are victims and to exclude God.

 

 

 

 

His word is worthless—even when made to Democrats

Another promise and more laws broken--"absolutely no abortion coverage under [my plan] Obamacare. Our president, Sept. 9, 2009.

If he hadn't lied through his teeth, there would be no Obamacare. A law, an executive order, and a very explicit promise. Worthless. Leftists never change--do it now, ask later. Remember, he controlled both houses then--the promises were made to pro-life Democrats. http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/boehner-gao-report-confirms-taxpayers-fund-abortions-through-obamacare

The Taliban 5 swap was illegal

President Obama’s decision to exchange captive Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Guantanamo Bay detainees violated federal law, according to a legal opinion the Government Accountability Office sent to Congress Thursday. That’s because the administration failed to notify Congress at least 30 days before the transfer, as required under a law passed in February. The Pentagon notified Congress of the deal on May 31, the same day the transfer was made. And because Congress did not authorize spending for the exchange, it also violated the Antideficiency Act, a law intended to protect Congress’s power of the purse. The Department of Defense spent $988,400 on the transfer, the Pentagon told the GAO. An intentional violation of the Antideficiency Act is a crime punishable by up to two years in prison, but those criminal penalties are rarely enforced. -

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/08/21/bowe-bergdahl-release-illegal-legal-opinion/14408807/

This is not “news,” but a refresher.  I wonder if the beheadings had happened first, if the Bergdahl swap would have happened. I don’t know if the 5 will go to ISIS, but if they don’t, there are 999 other groups to recruit them.

Allen West on fighting Ebola (from Facebook)

“Listening to Obama’s speech on attacking the virus Ebola. Just kinda wish he had been this proactive and energetic about confronting another virus, ISIS, back in January. Islamic jihadism is a virus that is already in America, guess that is cool with Barack Hussein Obama. I would rather send 3000 tough hard combat troops to fight ISIS and ensure the epidemic of Christian and religious minority genocide ceased. The world needs to step up against Islamo-fascism but I suppose fighting Ebola is easier for a faux Commander-in-Chief than to fight a real enemy of America. Nice optics there Barack, good try to change the subject, and make yourself seem like a leader fighting a really bad flu bug -- all the while you dismiss the cockroaches who behead Americans.”

I don’t know how many people die of Ebola, but it’s probably not as high as the flu in the USA.

A new analysis of the past 31 flu seasons, put out by the CDC this afternoon, shows that 36K might have been a third too high. It's more like 23,607 per year, on average. But it all depends on how you slice the data. NPR

The War on Poverty—a failure, now 50 years old

Abstract

In his January 1964 State of the Union address, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed, “This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America.” In the 50 years since that time, U.S. taxpayers have spent over $22 trillion on anti-poverty programs. Adjusted for inflation, this spending (which does not include Social Security or Medicare) is three times the cost of all U.S. military wars since the American Revolution. Yet progress against poverty, as measured by the U.S. Census Bureau, has been minimal, and in terms of President Johnson’s main goal of reducing the “causes” rather than the mere “consequences” of poverty, the War on Poverty has failed completely. In fact, a significant portion of the population is now less capable of self-sufficiency than it was when the War on Poverty began.

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/09/the-war-on-poverty-after-50-years

Hydraulic fracturing is not contaminating wells

There are many studies to confirm that hydraulic fracturing is safe and our road to independence from the middle east, but this won't calm the voices of unreason because it is a political, not a scientific issue, much like global climate change.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/09/15/4153640_duke-scientists-fracking-didnt.html?rh=1

The findings of the Duke researchers, based on 133 drinking water wells in Texas and Pennsylvania, corroborate claims by the energy industry that the fracturing process alone is not likely to imperil drinking water.

“We’re saying to the industry, the good news is we don’t think it’s actually from the hydraulic fracturing itself,” said Avner Vengosh, Duke professor of geochemistry and water quality.

“So far we can say pretty categorically that we have not seen escape of the gas from the shale formation into the overlying aquifers,” Vengosh said.

The Duke scientists say their findings apply only to the 113 wells in Pennsylvania and the 20 in Texas they have sampled, but they are likely to also be true for the thousands of other wells that have been horizontally drilled and hydraulically fracked all over the country.

The great divide

If it is something that binds Americans together, the liberals/progressives are protesting it, suing it, fighting it and smearing it on social media. The Star Spangled Banner, the Pledge of Allegiance, a common language, an American flag on a locker in a police station or on a t-shirt, a motto on our money, prayer before community meetings, a local celebration based on our religious traditions. They say they want inclusiveness, but really, they want more people to think they are victims and to exclude God.

Worship the King

Over the shoulder

Cool mornings ahead

Lows in the 40s and lower 50s and highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s.

Darn that global warming.