Constitution for the New Deal

by H. L. Mencken

THIS SATIRICAL PIECE FIRST APPEARED IN The American Mercury,, 41 (June 1937), 129-36, and was reprinted in condensed form by The Reader's Digest, 31 (July 1937), 27-29.

In order to indicate what reached the widest audience, the condensed version appears here.
The principal cause of the uproar in Washington is a conflict between the swift- moving idealism of the New Deal and the unyielding hunkerousness of the Constitution of 1788. What is needed, obviously, is a wholly new Constitution, drawn up with enough boldness and imagination to cover the whole program of the More Abundant Life, now and hereafter.
That is what I presume to offer here. The Constitution that follows is not my invention, and in more than. one detail I have unhappy doubts of its wisdom. But I believe that it sets forth with reasonable accuracy the plan of government that the More Abundant Life wizards have sought to substitute for the plan of the Fathers. They have themselves argued at one time or another, by word or deed, for everything contained herein:

PREAMBLE

We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish social justice, draw the fangs of privilege, effect the redistribution of property, remove the burden of liberty from ourselves and our posterity, and insure the continuance of the New Deal, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

ARTICLE I

The Executive

All governmental power of whatever sort shall be vested in a President of the United States. He shall hold office during a series of terms of four years each, and shall take the following oath: "I do solemnly swear that I will (in so far as I deem it feasible and convenient) faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will (to the best of my recollection and in the light of experiment and second thought) carry out the pledges made by me during my campaign for election (or such of them as I may select)."
The President shall be commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy, and of the militia, Boy Scouts, C.I.O., People's Front, and other armed forces of the nation.
The President shall have the power: To lay and collect taxes, and to expend the income of the United States in such manner as he may deem to be to their or his advantage;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States, and to provide for its repayment on such terms as he may fix;
To regulate all commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and within them; to license all persons engaged or proposing to engage in business; to regulate their affairs; to limit their profits by proclamation from time to time; and to fix wages, prices and hours of work;
To coin money, regulate the content and value thereof, and of foreign coin, and to amend or repudiate any contract requiring the payment by the United States, or by any private person, of coin of a given weight or fineness;
To repeal or amend, in his discretion, any so-called natural law, including Gresham's law, the law of diminishing returns, and the law of gravitation.
The President shall be assisted by a Cabinet of eight or more persons, whose duties shall be to make speeches whenever so instructed and to expend the public funds in such manner as to guarantee the President's continuance in office.
The President may establish such executive agencies as he deems necessary, and clothe them with such powers as he sees fit. No person shall be a member to any such bureau who has had any practical experience of the matters he is appointed to deal with.
One of the members of the Cabinet shall be an Attorney General. It shall be his duty to provide legal opinions certifying to the constitutionality of all measures undertaken by the President, and to gather evidence of the senility of judges.

ARTICLE II

The Legislature

The legislature of the United States shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Every bill shall be prepared under the direction of the President, and transmitted to the two Houses at his order by their presiding officers. No member shall propose any amendment to a bill without permission in writing from the President or one of his authorized agents. In case any member shall doubt the wisdom of a bill he may apply to the President for light upon it, and thereafter he shall be counted as voting aye. In all cases a majority of members shall be counted as voting aye.
Both Houses may appoint special committees to investigate the business practices, political views, and private lives of any persons known to be inimical to the President; and such committees shall publish at public cost any evidence discovered that appears to be damaging to the persons investigated.
Members of both Houses shall be agents of the President in the distribution of public offices, federal appropriations, and other gratuities in their several states, and shall be rewarded in ratio to their fidelity to his ideals and commands.

ARTICLE III

The Judiciary

The judges of the Supreme Court and of all inferior courts shall be appointed by the President, and shall hold their offices until he determines by proclamation that they have become senile. The number of judges appointed to the Supreme Court shall be prescribed by the President, and may be changed at his discretion. All decisions of the Supreme Court shall be unanimous.
The jurisdiction and powers of all courts shall he determined by the President. No act that he has approved shall be declared unconstitutional by any court.

ARTICLE IV

Bill of Rights

There shall be complete freedom of speech and of the press – subject to such regulations as the President or his agents may from time to time promulgate.
The freedom of communication by radio shall not be abridged; but the President and such persons as he may designate shall have the first call on the time of all stations.
In disputes between capital and labor, all the arbitrators shall be representatives of labor.
Every person whose annual income fans below a minimum to be fixed by the President shall receive from the public funds an amount sufficient to bring it up to that minimum.
No labor union shall be incorporated and no officer or member thereof shall be accountable for loss of life or damage to person or property during a strike.
All powers not delegated herein to the President are reserved to him, to be used at his discretion.


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The grasshopper and the Ant

Two Different Versions! Two Different Morals!

OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY : Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share. Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY : Be careful how you vote.



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How the Welfare State Corrupted Sweden

Old people in Sweden say that to be Swedish means to supply for your own, to take care of your self, and never be a burden on anyone else's shoulders. Independence and hard work was the common perception of a decent life, and the common perception of morality. That was less than one hundred years ago.

more on here: http://www.mises.org/story/2190


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Understanding Iran

If you read the news carefully, you will find a notable story about Iran every morning. Nine times out of ten it is hilarious.

Not long ago, Iran released a photograph of a missile launch that initially caused great consternation in the West. It showed four missiles being launched, more or less simultaneously, with wonderful contrails behind them. Upon examination, that photograph turned out to be a double phony. First, there was only one missile, and the Iranians replicated it to make it seem as if there were four. Second, the missile was two years old and was not an intermediate range missile at all. This airplane turned out to be a plastic toy made by Mattel with Iranian markings on it.

So the first thing to understand about Iran is that it is a country where lies and deception are a way of life.

We are dealing with a regime that came to power in 1979 and Iran declared war against the United States, branding us "The great Satan". Prior to 9/11 the Iranian regime was directly or indirectly responsible for murder of more Americans than any country or organization in the world.

Khomeini installed a regime in Iran which is best described as Islamofascist. It has followed, in every major detail, the model laid down by Hitler and Mussolini. To the question "Why don't we just sit down and talk with the Iranians?" we can answer with a scene from the movie Goldfinger, when asked "What is this, Goldfinger? Do you expect me to talk?" Goldfinger replies, "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die." That is exactly the Iranian attitude.

In fact, we have been talking to the Iranians, almost non-stop, for 30 years. There isn't an American president from Jimmy Carter to the present who has not authorized negotiations with Iran. There is a striking tendency among people in modern Western governments not to recognize the existence of evil in the world.

If you want to know how a country will behave internationally, look at the way it treats its own people. The Iranian regime treats its people with total contempt. Consider its treatment of women. Although you will never hear the American women's rights movement complain about it, women in Iran are officially worth half a man.

The bottom line is that Iran is our principal enemy in the Middle East, and perhaps in the entire world. It is also a vulnerable regime, and it knows that - which is why it makes up stories about airplanes and missiles that it doesn't have. They want us dead or dominated. You can't make deals with a regime like that.


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Jesus is Better than Santa

Santa lives at the North Pole. JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh, JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year, JESUS is an ever- present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies, JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited, JESUS stands at your door and knocks... and then enters your heart.
You have to stand in line to see Santa, JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap, JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?" JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too . He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads. JESUS has a heart full of love. JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says "You better not cry", JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."
Santa's little helpers make toys, JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa may make you chuckle but JESUS gives you joy that fills your soul & he is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree, JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison. We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about. We need to put Christ back in Christmas.
Jesus is still the reason for the season.

May the Lord Bless and Watch over you and your loved ones this Christmas season 2008

And may He prosper and bless the work of your hands in the 2009 New Year.


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What's the grade?

In a world of plenty, a huge number go hungry. Hunger is more than just the result of food production and meeting demands. The causes of hunger are related to the causes of poverty. One of the major causes of hunger is poverty itself. There are various issues (war, famine, land rights and ownership, inefficient agricultural practices, poor crop yield) that people are unable to afford food and hence people go hungry.

At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. For the 1.9 billion children from the developing world there are 400 million with no access to safe water (1 in 5) and 121 million children without education.

Approximately 790 million people in the developing world are still chronically undernourished, almost two-thirds of whom reside in Asia and the Pacific.

With all this, Christians give to charities more than anyone else. People of faith give more than non-religious people and on average they volunteer more than others. Gifts to religious causes totaled $93.2 billion in 2005, almost 36 percent of all contributions.

The question is: Can Christians do more to help the poor? What grade would you give Christians for the work they do to help thee poor and why??

Is it a B-always room for improvement, C, D or F - not enough??


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Truths

Great truths about life that adults have learned:

- Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
- Wrinkles don't hurt.
- Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
- Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
- Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
- Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

Great truths about growing old:

- Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
- Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
- When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
- You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
- It's frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to asks you the questions.
- Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
- Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.



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Deck of Cards Bible

A young soldier was in his bunkhouse all alone one Sunday morning. It was quiet that day, the guns and the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn't made a noise.

The young soldier knew it was Sunday. As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.

Just then an Army Sergeant came in and asked, "Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?"
The soldier replied, "I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord."
The sergeant said, "Looks like you're going to play cards."

The soldier said, "No sir, I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards.

The Ace, it reminds me that there is only one God.
The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testament.
The Three represents the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The Five is for the virgins that were glorified by taking oil in their vessels with their lamps.
The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and the Earth.
The Seven is for the day God rested after working the six days.
The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives, in which God saved the eight people from the flood that destroyed the earth for the first time.
The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy. He cleansed ten but nine never thanked Him.
The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.
The Jack is a reminder of Satan. One of God's first angels, and he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the Joker of eternal hell.
The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary.
The King stands for Jesus, for He is the King of all kings.
When I count the dots on all cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year.
There are a total of 52 cards in a deck, each is a week, 52 weeks in a year.
The four suits represents the four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter.
So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for."

The sergeant just stood there and after a minute, with tears in his eyes, he said, "Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?"



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Friend or Foe

Christmas is coming soon!! I will pay attention to what stores I'll go to do my shopping. The ones that recognize Christmas in their adds will get my business. Some of them are:

Amazon.com, Bass Pro Shops, Bath and Body Works, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Best Buy, Big Lots, Home Depot, JC Penney, KB Toys, K-Mart, Kohl’s, L.L. Bean, Linens ‘N Things, Lord and Taylor, Lowe’s, M&M-Mars Candies, Macy’s, Sam’s Club, Sears, Target, T.J. Maxx, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Williams-Sonoma.

These stores will NOT receive my business:

Banana Republic, Bloomingdale's, Circuit City, Costco, Comp USA, CVS, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Disney, Gap, Honey Baked Ham, J. Crew Outfitters, Lane Bryant, Nordstrom, Old Navy, Sprint.


For a complete list: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=323412


If they don't acknowledge Christmas, why should I acknowledge them??



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Best countries?

If you could choose any country in the world in which to raise your child, which would you choose?

According to the United Nations, the best places for you to raise your children are the countries in Northern Europe: Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, or the number one on the list: the Netherlands.

In 2007, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) released a study (http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/rc7_eng.pdf)that evaluated the quality of life of children in more than twenty developed countries and Netherlands was at the top of their list.

Everything sounds fine, right? Unless you want to know what's behind this high quality of life of children. Dutch children are certainly happy, but they are also the center of their society. ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6360517.stm) Parents go out of their way to please them, and teachers expect less of them than some of their European counterparts. Children's wishes become so strong that parents have to work very hard to give them what they want.

When it comes to making personal decisions, children in Netherlands also enjoy an extraordinary amount of freedom. The Netherlands is famous for its tolerant attitudes toward activities like drinking, smoking, drugs and sex. Sex education begins at the age of 4 and the age of consent is set at 12.

Do you think that UNICEF is happy about the study? NO! It's still not enough! As a result, the Netherlands is ceding to its government even more authority to "look out" for children.

UNICEF may consider the children in the Netherlands to be the most fortunate in the world, but their happiness comes at a great – and often hidden – cost to their families. In a culture that revolves around its children and a government that affords them incredible freedom over their personal decisions, parents in the Netherlands are relegated to a position of mere caregivers: responsible to feed, clothe, and satisfy, but not to rear, guide, teach, and train. Of course, parents want their children to be happy . . . but at what cost?



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You don't say...

∙ No one is listening until you make a mistake.

∙ We have enough youth. How about a fountain of "Smart".

∙ Ninety-nine percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

∙ I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.

∙ Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else get your way.

∙ Energizer Bunny arrested; charged with battery.

∙ Evolution: True science fiction.

∙ IRS: We've got what it takes to take what you have got.



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And What Do You Do?

In searching for a better job title than "housewife", I was thinking that "housewife" might satisfy the IRS, explaining in one word my negative cash flow. But it doesn't describe what I do every day, seven days a week, with no sick days no holidays, and sometimes not even bathroom breaks.

"Full-time" mom doesn't begin to cover how much time I spend at my job. Most full-time workers put in 40 to 50 hours a week. I put that many by Wednesday. In my job, I'm on call around the clock. Add family vacations, where I take my "work" with me on a very, very long car ride, and "full-time" becomes "all-the-time".

"Homemaker" is a quaint title, but it's inappropriate. I haven't made any homes. I am not making a house so much as I'm trying to keep the kids from tearing ours down.

I wish I could think of a better title for the toughest job I've ever had. But no matter what I come up with, my accountant will probably just put "housewife" on my tax return anyway. And the Social Security Administration will keep sending me reports with zeros on them. Perhaps that's just how little society values what I do.

But the next time someone asks what I do, I'll say that I do what my mother did. I'll say it's such a hard job, my husband wouldn't want to do it, and my father wouldn't know how. I'll say my kids are very proud of what I do.And they should know, because they come to work with me every day.

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A Salute to Freedom

Ronald Reagan revitalized the American economy and began an unprecedented period of economic growth. He rebuilt our armed forces. He restored the spirit of the American people. He rejected absolutely the idea of moral equivalence - the idea that there is no moral difference between free government and tyranny. Reagan adopted the policy of rolling back communism wherever possible.

The public unveiling of Reagan's anti-communist strategy took place when he spoke to the British Parliament at Westminster Palace. It was in that speech that he announced his battle plan for dealing with communism in the future. He spoke openly about the conflict between the principles of constitutional government and those of communism.

In March of 1983, Reagan gave a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals, in which he said that those who promote the total sovereignty over the individual are the focus of evil in the modern world.

There are several other milestones in Reagan's campaign against communism. We should learn something from one of the greatest presidents of all times.


Being democratic is not enough, for a majority cannot turn what is wrong into what is right. In order to be considered truly free, countries must also have a deep love of liberty and an abiding respect for the rule of law. Margaret Thatcher
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English can be a strange language...

There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is is a pig.

And why is it that writers write fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, two geese. So one moose, two meese?

Doesn't seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? That you comb through the annals of history but not a single annal?

How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike?

You have to marvel at our unique language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all).


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True American

One of the five greatest Senators in U.S. history, the State of New Hampshire placed his statue in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall. His career spanned almost four decades, serving as Secretary of State for Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler and Millard Fillmore.

His name was Daniel Webster, born January 18, 1782. From a New Hampshire farm, he attended Darmouth College and became the highest paid attorney of his day. He fought the slave trade, negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, setting the country's Northeast boundary, and when South Carolina threatened nullification, he stated: "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"

Addressing the New York Historical Society, Daniel Webster stated:
"If we and our posterity...live always in the fear of God and shall respect His Commandments...we may have the highest hopes of the future fortunes of our country...But if we...neglect religious instruction and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the Constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."

Do you think we should learn something from him?



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Ronald Reagan TV Ad: “Morning in America”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYEp5enV-lg



What a difference!!!! This is what I call hope!!






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WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!
JOHN McCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.
HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me, although I clearly remember having to dodge enemy fire as Chelsea and I tried to cross the road.
DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.
OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.
DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.
RUSH LIMBAUGH: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.
GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that intewesting? In a few moments, we will be wistening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a sewious case of molting, and went on to accompwish its wife wong dweam of cwossing the woad to engage in an illicit affair with a U.S. Senator.
ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.
BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?
AL GORE: I invented the chicken!
COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?
DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?
AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.
REVEREND JEREMIAH WRIGHT: I say, DAMN that chicken! Does that make me unpatriotic?



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Is Obama the Messiah??

Well, some people think so...

Mark Mortford- in San Francisco Cronicle- June 6, 2008-Barack Obama isn’t really one of us. Not in the normal way, anyway…It is something more. Even Bill Clinton, with all his effortless, winking charm, didn’t have what Obama has, which is a sort of powerful luminosity, a unique high-vibration integrity.

Samantha Fenell, the editor of Elle Magazine-I have thrown myself into a new world—one in which fluffy chatter and frivolous praise are replaced by a get-to-the-point directness and disciple-like devotion…(Obama) grabbed my hand, and gave that brilliant smile of his. I literally said out loud to the woman next to me who witnessed my good fate, “I’ll never wash this hand again”.

The Chicago Sun Times: Also, we just like to say his name. We are considering taking it as a mantra.” [page 218]… “At one point, I thought Barack was going to rise up over the people and start saying, ‘My children, my children, I have come to free you,‘ joked his driver and bodyguard, Mike Signator. “It was just incredible.” [p. 297]

Jesse Jackson, Jr.- congressman of Illinois “What Barack Obama has accomplished is the single most extraordinary event that has occurred in the 232 years of the nation’s political history. … The event itself is so extraordinary that another chapter could be added to the Bible to chronicle its significance.”

Obama’s Nomination Victory Speech In St. Paul June 3, 2008 - I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth.

Halle Berry -“I’ll do whatever he says to do,” actress Halle Berry said to the Philadelphia Daily News. “I’ll collect paper cups off the ground to make his pathway clear.” http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8605.html

Eve Konstantine in Huffington Post-Feb. 5, 2005-Barack Obama is our collective representation of our purest hopes, our highest visions and our deepest knowings of who we are as a people, and as a country. We’ve surfaced him out of “the field” and charged him with the task of riding this wave on our behalf. . . .
Obama has tapped into his own VQ. He’s listened to the unspoken, heard the unvoiced, and has responded to the yearning of our youth, our boomers, and the disenfranchised. He’s our product out of the all-knowing quantum field of intelligence.

Chris Matthews - CNBC - “I’ve never seen anything like this. This is bigger than Kennedy. [Obama] comes along, and he seems to have the answers. This is the New Testament. This is surprising.”

Gerald Campbell - member in Congress - . . . For his part, Obama has the capacity to summon heroic forces from the spiritual depths of ordinary citizens and to unleash therefrom a symphonic chorus of unique creative acts whose common purpose is to tame the soul and alleviate the great challenges facing mankind.

Oprah Winfrey -”We’re all here to come together – to appreciate our uniqueness and to treasure our diversity, and we’re here to evolve to a higher plane . . . When you listen to Barack Obama, when you really hear him, you witness a very rare thing. You witness a politician who has an ear for eloquence and a tongue dipped in the unvarnished truth…

Louis Farrakhan - You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change and that is why Obama has captured the youth and he has involved young people in a political process that they didn’t care anything about. That’s a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear and the Messiah is absolutely speaking… He is the stone that the builders rejected, has become the headstone in the corner.

Is this spiritual worship or what?? These words are used when describing God.
Is anything dark about this?? Behind this??

I think so.



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Rights and Responsabilities

We heard in the third debate this question: Is health care a right, or a responsibility?

B. Obama said that it should be a right. Where does that right originates from? Health care is a product. Whether be a physical product - in pharmaceuticals, or a product of labor - at the hands of a doctor. If you have a right to something, who is that to provide it? The government. Where does the government gets its resources from? The taxpayer. You and me! That means that when a person has the right, another person has the responsibility. You can't separate right to responsibilities. Rights are not a social commodity. They are not a social capital, where one person's rights can be elevated while decreasing rights of another. Rights are individual. There are no such thing as collective rights. The rights of a individual are not negotiable at the hands of another individual.

Nowhere in Constitution is mentioned that because you exist and you are processing oxygen, that you have the right to health care. We, the individual tax payer will be responsible for the behavior of every single other American.

Let's take homosexuality for an example:

You have a person A and a person B. They decided that they wanted to have unprotected gay sex. This is a behavior that we cannot regulate. If one of them transmits a life-threatening disease to another, guess who pays the bill? YOU and ME!!They have the right to behave that way and you have the responsibility to pay for it.

What Obama is unwilling to do is calling what it is: socialism. When you say one person has the right and the other person has the responsibility, you describe socialism. If you want the government to really work for us: the hell to be at work on time, the hell to working hard and do a good job, quit your job, get drunk and pee on yourself. Just lay in the street. Obama will take care of you. He'll give you a house, free food, health care.

We need food before we need doctors, right? So if people need health care and therefore is their right to have it and you have the responsibility to provide it, why not universal nutrition? Why not have the government step in and decide that cattle farmers, poultry farmers, corn farmers, own their product of their labor to hungry people? Not a free market, its entitled! They need it.

We need houses? Universal shelter, universal housing. How about clothing? Universal apparel. You think it's too far?? Under FDR, the government had no problem with the idea that the government was going to nationalize retirement, and tell every single American they had no right but to participate in social security. We are so used to it.

This is not compassion. Compassion is something we do from the goodness of our heart. When the government makes us do it, it's compulsion.

People have the right to be gay, to be fat, to be drunk, to be high, to be stupid and you have the responsibility to pay. You, go to work! You, get up in the morning! You, sacrifice time away from your family, go to work, push, pull, dig, sweat!! Spend extra time on the job! Work double shift! You owe it to them! They are hungry, they're tired, they're poor, they're needy! It's your fault! You are not working for yourself and your family, you are working for everybody else! You don't own your own labor! You don't own your productivity! You don't own your mind!

Obama does!!

He's going around to tell everybody they are entitled to their behavior, the suckers are going to pay!!

WE, the idiots!!

If you assume a right, you assume the responsibility. If you say "this is my right" then it's your responsibility to deal with the consequences. Your can't say "you don't have the responsibility to pursuit the happiness for you, you have the responsibility to pursue it for me'!!!!!!!!!!




..

The "C" Word

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Obama is a COMMUNIST!

The cats are out of the bag, Obama is a CoMMUNIST!!

That's it!!



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Bar Stool Economics

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until on day, the owner threw them a curve.'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.'I only got a dollar out of the $20,' declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, 'but he got $10!''Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!''Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!




And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.



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Ode to The Chosen One

Dedicated to The Obamessiah and his Democrats

This is an ode to The Obamessiah, the Chosen One, chosen by the MSM, sprung from the seed of a corrupt ACORN and the closest thing to the anti-Christ we’ve seen to date!

Christopher Columbus, was the greatest Democrat of all. He left not knowing where he was going, did not know where he was, and returned not knowing where he had been.
And he did it all on borrowed money.
Over 3,000 years ago Moses said to the children of Israel, “Pick up your shovels, mount your asses and camels, and I will lead you to the promised land.” Nearly 3,000 years later Roosevelt said, “Lay down your shovels,sit on your asses and light up a camel - this is the promised land.”
Now, Barack HUSSEIN Obama is going to steal your shovels, kick your asses, raise the price of Camels and mortgage the promised land.
If you are one of the fortunate people who has anything left after paying taxes, we expect a very generous contribution to the worthwhile project.
P.S. It is said that Barack HUSSEIN Obama is considering changing the Democratic Party emblem from a donkey to a condom, because it stands for inflation, halts productivity, covers up a bunch of pricks, and it gives a false sense of security.

FIRST BOOK OF DEMOCRAT Psalm 2008-2012

Obama Is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want.
He Leadeth Me Beside Still Factories,
He Restoreth My Faith In The Republican Party,
He Guideth Me In The Paths Of Unemployment.
Yea, Though I Walk Through The Valley Of The Bread Line, I Shall Not Go Hungry.
Obama Has Anointed My Income With Taxes,
My Expenses Runneth Over My Income,
Surely, Poverty And Hard Living Will Follow Me All The Days Of My Life.
The Democrats And I Will Live Forever In a Rented Room.

I Am Glad I Am an American,
I Am Glad That I Am Free.
But I Wish I Was A Little Dog
And Obama was A Tree.



.swiped from: http://texasfred.net/archives/2525

United States Map

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little girl, Shelby.

She wanted to know what the United States looked like.

Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces,he gave it to Shelby and said, 'Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today.'

After a few minutes, Shelby returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly. 'Oh,' she said, 'on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus . When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together.'

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Don't vote marxist

What happens if we elect a marxist to the presidency? The foundation will start to crack. Maybe not right away, but it will crack. Aren't we live in a soft tyranny today?? Let's see:

One third (1/3) of Americans do not pay any federal income taxes. Two thirds (2/3) are the ones that are carrying the entire burden, and of those 2/3, top 50% is paying 97% of the tax burden for everybody else.

Obama wants to redistribute wealth, but just how much more does he wants to redistribute?? He says that 95% of Americans will get a tax break. How can that possibly be when only 2/3 pay? Do you know how? It is called the massive welfare state. The saying is that Obama is going to take more money from those who pay income taxes and give it to the people who don't pay any income taxes. That's called welfare.

In the Constitution, tax bills come out of the House of representatives. The last two years' tax bills, were Nancy Pelosi's tax bills. Do you hear Obama bragging about that?

I think every citizen of this country should pay some income taxes so they a stake on what's going on. If you get to vote, then you ought to pay some taxes. This is what the libs figured it out: if they can get close to 50% of people not paying taxes, they'll own the country, because they will be able to beat out the productive sector.

Where these politicians get of and tell us that they can do these things and we have to surrender more and more what we worked for? Where is the example that they are capable of handling what they already have? Why do people who pay taxes, those 2/3, voluntarily vote to surrender their liberty to the federal government??



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Weird Flash Cards

We’ve all seen flash cards used to teach math functions and simple words. But we’re sure you haven’t seen flash cards like these!

A Barnes & Noble bookstore in Minnesota has a package of flash cards apparently intended to help someone translate Arabic words and phrases into English.


Here is a sample of some of the English words and phrases translated from the Arabic in this flash card set.

“assassination attempt”
“counter strike”
“attack”
“air strike”
“enemy”
“The army seized power”
“We buried the dead man yesterday”
“to seize power”
“martyr”
“to die in a battle”

To see a PDF image of the actual flashcards, designed by Fethi Mansouri, please click http://tool.donation-net.net/Images/Email/1097/Arabic_flash_cards.pdf. You will need Adobe Reader or similar software to view the image.

I guess we’re pretty straight-laced here in America. Our flashcards designed to teach English have such controversial words and phrases such as “thank you,” “could you please help me?”, and “what time is it?” I don’t think you’ll find an English translation flashcard set with words like “assassination attempt.”

One has to wonder who would need an Arabic flash card set that translates “assassination attempt” into English. Then again, maybe we shouldn’t have to wonder at all.




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Being a Pumpkin

A woman was asked by a coworker,
'What is it like to be a Christian?'
The coworker replied, 'It is like being a pumpkin.'
God picks you from the patch, brings you in,
and washes all the dirt off of you.
Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.
He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed.
Then He carves you a new smiling face and
puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.'

Isn't it wonderful being a pumpkin?




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Dumbing Down...tests?...kids?

John Cannell is a physician that started to investigate why there is little, if any, relationships between the tests administers by the schools and those given by the outside psychologists.

One of his patients, a 15 yo pregnant girl dropped out of school after giving birth. Cannell was curious about her school records and found out that her teacher didn't say anything about the girl's low academic skills because the teacher didn't want the girl's self-esteem to be injured. She scored on a standardized test (CTBS) slightly above the national norm.

How could so many children test below average on independent testing but do well on their official school achievement test? States like W. Virginia and Kentucky announced that their test score placed their students "above the national average" on that same CTBC test. Does that means that all is well?

Looking closer, Cannell found that W. Virginia had the lowest proportion of college graduates and the third lowest ACT college entrance scores of any state in the country. It ranked near the top in illiteracy and poverty. Same questions applied to Kentucky.

Cannell then decided to present himself to a test publisher as a superintendent. Almost immediately, he was talking to a saleswoman who implied that their district's scores would be "above average" if he bought one of their tests and as long as he didn't change tests, their score would go up every year. How could she be so sure?

Not a single one of the 50 states reported that its students scored below average. More than 90% of American school districts claimed to be performing above average.Among those were St. Louis, Kansas City, New York City, all districts notorious for the break down in their schools. His findings were upheld by the U.S. Department of Education.

Cannell is going even further to believe that the current American epidemic of teenage pregnancy, depression, drug use, delinquency, and teen suicide is partially related to the low standards and the low expectations so evident in America's public schools.

Dumbing down the tests and the low standards that the schools set, cheat our children of the future they can have.




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TRUE History

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7KmtezWVGU



swiped from http://olbroad.com/2008/09/29/true-history/




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A wise woman

In this hurried life we live, we put so much emphasis on what we do.The demanding tasks and expected accomplishments become our focus. In the rush of it all we sometimes fail to notice the seeds of change within ourselves. It is wise to stop and ask, "Am I growing or eroding in who I am becoming?"

A wise woman grows in becoming trustworthy.

Being a trustworthy person is being someone worthy of confidence; someone who can be relied on. The very first indicator that this character trait is visible is in the area of our speech. Are we worthy of the confidence of others? Are we known for our encouraging words? Do we let our own burdens and concerns become an excuse to leave our tongue untamed?

A trustworthy woman pays attention to how she speaks. She chooses her words well, knowing she can speak words of life and death!

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18




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VOTE NO ON EDUCATION BEGINS AT HOME ACT!

Action is needed now to stop a harmful early education bill, H.R. 2343, the Education Begins at Home Act. Despite the bill’s seemingly homeschool-friendly title, the legislation is actually yet another “big government” encroachment into the sphere of education.
H.R. 2343 seeks to expand the Head Start Early Home Visitation program to supposedly “educate” parents of children from infants to 5-year-olds on parenting strategies. If passed, this bill would literally open the door for government employees to enter private homes to impose unelected officials’ educational agendas, which may prove offensive and contrary to many families’ moral and religious beliefs. Although at this point enrollment in the home visitation program is voluntary, government programs almost always grow beyond their original scope when bills are amended.
This intrusive and unnecessary legislation comes at a whopping starting cost of more than $190 million—a burden that will be incurred by already struggling American taxpayers.

Action Requested

Please call your U.S. representative today and urge him or her to oppose H.R. 2343, the Education Begins at Home Act. It is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler. You can say something as simple as the following:

“I am a constituent and I strongly oppose H.R. 2343. The government should not be involved in funding questionable early education programs, especially at a time of financial uncertainty when our hard-earned tax dollars could be better spent elsewhere.”

You can reach your U.S. representative by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or by using our Legislative Toolbox.
This bill has been placed on the House calendar and could come up for a vote anytime this week, or even during the weekend as Congress rushes to finish legislative priorities before they adjourn.





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Why Obama is not a Christian

.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4cMB8ktCT8






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Democrat's Amnesia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCVZlLBchVE&feature=related



If Bush lied about the war, then the Clintons, John Kerry, Al Gore, Kennedy, all lied. But the amnesia that the democrats suffer of doesn't permit them to remember that they voted for the war before they voted against it.






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Couldn't resist, either

From: http://olbroad.com/



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'Harvery Milk Day' in California Public Schools

BILL NUMBER: AB 2567
INTRODUCED BILL TEXTINTRODUCED BY Assembly
Member Leno (Coauthors: Assembly Members Laird and Nunez)
(Coauthors: Senators Kehoe, Kuehl, and Migden)

FEBRUARY 22, 2008 An act to amend Section 37222 of the
Education Code, and to addSection 6721 to the Government Code, relating to
Harvey Milk Day.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2567, as introduced, Leno.
Harvey Milk Day: officialdesignation. Existing law requires the
Governor to proclaim certain days eachyear for specified reasons. Existing law
also designates particulardays each year as having special significance in
public schools andeducational institutions and encourages those entities to
conductsuitable commemorative exercises on those dates. This bill
would require the Governor to proclaim May 22 of eachyear as Harvey Milk Day,
and would designate that date as havingspecial significance in public schools
and educational institutionsand encourage those entities to conduct suitable
commemorativeexercises on that date

.

Who is Harvey Milk?

The Legislature finds and declares the following: (a) Harvey Bernard
Milk
was born on May 22, 1930, in Woodmere, NewYork. He was the first openly gay
person to be elected to publicoffice in a major city of the United
States.

During his term on the board of supervisors, Harvey Milksponsored and
successfully passed a gay rights ordinance .

A teacher can't have his Bible on his desk or a football coach can't pray with his students before a game, but there is a day that celebrates a gay guy?

I can't wait for a Jonathan Edwards Day or a John Wesley Day!!

Yeah, right!!!

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The Pillsbury Doughboy

The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

If this made you smile for even a brief second, please rise to the occasion and take time to pass it on and share that smile with someone else who may be having a crumby day and kneads it.



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Three Things to Ponder

1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments

COWS

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? Moreover, they tracked her calves to their stalls. However, they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.

THE CONSTITUTION

They keep talking about drafting a constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? Many smart people wrote it, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this: You cannot post 'Thou Shall Not Steal,' 'Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery,' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians...It creates a hostile work environment.



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Homeschool comics

The Teacher Who Couldn't Read

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- John Corcoran graduated from college and taught high school for 17 years without being able to read, write or spell. Corcoran's life of secrecy started at a young age. He said his teachers moved him up from grade to grade. Often placed in what he calls the "dumb row," the images of his tribulations in the classroom are still vividly clear.

Corcoran eventually started acting up to hide his illiteracy. From fifth through seventh grade he was expelled, suspended and spent most of his days at the principal's office. Corcoran later attended Palo Verde High School in Blythe, Calif. He cheated his way through high school, receiving his diploma in June 1956. "When I was a child I was just sort of just moved along when I got to high school I wanted to participate in athletics. At that time in high school I went underground. I decided to behave myself and do what it took. I started cheating by turning in other peoples' paper, dated the valedictorian, and ran around with college prep kids," said Corcoran. "I couldn't read words but I could read the system and I could read people," adds Corcoran. He stole tests and persuaded friends to complete his assignments. Corcoran earned an athletic scholarship to Texas Western College. He said his cheating intensified, claiming he cheated in every class. "I passed a bluebook out the window to a friend I painstakingly copied four essay questions off the board in U.S. government class that was required, and hoped my friend would get it back to me with the right answers," Corcoran said.

In 1961, Corcoran graduated with a bachelor's degree in education, while still illiterate he contends. He then went on to become a teacher during a teacher shortage. "When I graduated from the university, the school district in El Paso, where I went to school, gave almost all the college education graduates a job," said Corcoran. For 17 years Corcoran taught high school for the Oceanside School District. Relying on teacher's assistants for help and oral lesson plans, he said he did a great job at teaching his students. "What I did was I created an oral and visual environment. There wasn't the written word in there. I always had two or three teacher's assistants in each class to do board work or read the bulletin," said Corcoran. In retrospect, Corcoran said, his deceit took him a long time to accept. "As a teacher it really made me sick to think that I was a teacher who couldn't read. It is embarrassing for me, and it's embarrassing for this nation and it's embarrassing for schools that we're failing to teach our children how to read, write and spell!" It wasn't until he was 48 years old that he gave reading and writing another chance. He drove to an inconspicuous office with a sign he couldn't read. He studied and worked with a tutor at the Literacy Center of Carlsbad. Assigned to a 65-year-old volunteer tutor, Eleanor Condit, he was able to read at a sixth-grade level within a year. "I'm just an optimistic hopeful person that believes in the impossible and miracles," said Corcoran. Carlsbad City Library literacy coordinator Carrie Scott said people of all walks of life go through the reading program, including teachers.

Corcoran is now an education advocate. "I believe that illiteracy in America is a form of child neglect and child abuse and the child is blamed and they carry the shame, if we just teach our people how to read we'd give them a fair chance," Corcoran said. He has written two books, "The Teacher Who Couldn't Read" and "Bridge to Literacy." He is also the founder of the John Corcoran Foundation. The foundation is state-approved as a supplemental service provider for literacy in Colorado and California – providing tutoring programs for over 600 students in small group settings, and individually in homes through an online program.

Find out more about John Corcoran at his Web site: johncorcoranfoundation.com




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Our Suicidal Urge

Our democratic governments today preside over multicultural societies that have less and less glue holding them together. They've grown comfortable with the idea of the state as the mediator between interest groups. And confronted by growing and restive Muslim populations, they're increasingly at ease with the idea of regulating freedom in the interests of social harmony.

It's a different situation in America, which has the First Amendment and a social consensus that increasingly does not exist in Europe. Europe's consensus seems to be that Danish cartoonists should be able to draw what they like, but not if it sparks Islamic violence. It is certainly odd that the requirement of self restraint should only apply to one party.

So don't worry, nothing's happening. Just a few gay Muslims frustrated at the lack of gay Muslim nightclubs. Sharia in Britain? Taxpayer-subsidized polygamy in Toronto? Yawn. Nothing to see here. True, if you'd suggested such things on September 10, 2001, most Britons and Canadians would have said you were nuts. But a few years on and it doesn't seem such a big deal, nor will the next concession, or the one after that.

Ultimately, our crisis is not about Islam. It's not about fire-breathing Imams or polygamists whooping it up on welfare. It's not about them. It's about us. And by us I mean the culture that shaped the modern world, and established the global networks, legal systems, and trading relationships on which the planet depends.

To reprise Sir Eduard Grey, the lamps are going out all over the world, and an awful lot of the map will look an awful lot darker by the time many Americans realize the scale of this struggle.




Reprinted by permission from Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College.

I will Survive - The Homeschool Version

War on the Homefront

It remains true that we are good at military campaigns, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our tanks and ships are better, and our bombs and soldiers are smarter. But these are not ultimately the most important battlefronts. We are in danger of losing this war without a shot being fired.

The British government recently announced that it would be issuing Sharia-compliant Islamic bonds, that is, bonds compliant with Islamic law and practice as prescribed in the Koran. As The Mail on Sunday put it, this innovative marks "one of the most significant economic advances of Sharia law in the non-muslim world."

At about the same time, The Times of London reported that "Knorbert the piglet has been dropped as the mascot of Fortis Bank, after it decided to stop giving piggy banks to children for fear of offending Muslims." Recently, for instance, a local government council prohibited its workers from having ornaments on their desk representing Winnie the Pooh's sidekick Piglet. As Pastor Martin Niemoller might have said, "First they came for Piglet and I did not speak out because I was not a Disney character, and if I was, I'd be more of an Eeyore. Then they came for the Three Little Pigs and Babe, and by the time I realized the Western world had turned into a 24/7 Looney Tunes, it was too late, because there was no Porky Pig to stammer, 'Th-th-th-that's all folks!', and bring the nightmare to an end."

What all these stories have in common is excessive deference to - and in fact fear of - Islam. If the story of the Three Little Pigs is forbidden when Muslims still comprise less than 10 % of Europe's population, what else will be on the black list when they comprise 20%? In small but telling ways, non-muslims communities are being persuaded that a kind of uber-Islamic law now applies to all.

And if you don't remember the Three Little Pigs, by the way, one builds a house of straw, another of sicks, and both get blown down by the Big Bad Wolf. Western Civilization is a mighty house of bricks, but you don't need a Big Bad Wolf when the pig is so eager to demolish the house himself.

As the famous saying goes, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. What the Canadian Islamic Congress and similar groups in the West are trying to do is criminalize vigilance. They want to use the legal system to circumscribe debate on one of the great questions of the age: the relationship between Islam and the West and the increasing Islamization of much of the Western world, in what the United Nations itself calls the fastest population transformation in history.




(Reprinted by permission from Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College.")

"The lamps are going out all over Europe"

This are the words of British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey. Today, the lights are going out on liberty all over the Western world, but in more subtle and profound way.

Much of the West is far too comfortable with state regulation of speech and expression, which puts freedom itself at risk. The response over the the Danish cartoons that sparked Muslim violence was to propose that newspapers exercise "prudence" on certain controversial subjects involving religions beginning with the letter "I". The Italian writer O. Fallaci, after writing of the contradiction between Islam and the Western tradition of liberty, was being sued in France, Italy, Switzerland. In Canada, the Canadian Islamic Congress said: "America will be an Islamic Republic by 2040. There will be a break for Muslim prayers during the Super Bowl. There will be a religious police enforcing Islamic norms. The USS Ronald Reagan will be named after Osama bin Laden."

These are small parts of a very big picture. After the London Tube bombings and the French riots a few years back, commentators lined up behind the idea that Western Muslims are insufficiently assimilated. But in their mastery of legalisms and the language of victimology, they're superbly assimilated. Since these are the principal means of discourse in multicultural societies, they've mastered all they need to know. Every day of the week, somewhere in the West, a Muslim lobbying group is engaging in an action similar to that in Canada. Meanwhile, in London, masked men marched through the streets with signs reading "Behead the Enemies of Islam" and promising another 9/11 and another Holocaust, all while being protected by a phalanx of London policemen.

Thus we see that today's multicultural societies tolerate the explicitly intolerant and avowedly unicultural, while refusing to tolerate anyone pointing out that intolerance.



.(Reprinted by permission from Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College.)

Democratic Party Agenda? - Guess Again

Doesn't the following look like a Democrat will say? Well, guess again:



Meet the Needs of Working, Unemployed and Farm Families
- Raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour.
-Unemployment insurance for all workers.
- Moratorium on farm foreclosures
- Labor law reform to remove barriers to workers who want to join a union.
- No privatization of Social Security. Increase benefits.
- Universal prescription drug coverage administered by Medicare. Universal health care system.
- Restore social safety net. Welfare reform that includes job training, supports and living wages.
- Full funding for equal, quality, bi-lingual public education. No vouchers.

Make Corporate Giants Pay
- Repeal tax cuts to the rich and corporations.
- Close corporate tax loopholes.
- Restitution to workers' pensions.
- Strong regulation of financial industry.
- Regulation and public ownership of utilities
- Prosecute corporate polluters. Public works program to clean our air, water and land
- Aid to cities and states. Federally funded infrastructure repair and social service programs

Foreign Policy for Peace and Justice
- No to war with Iraq
- End military interventions
- Repeal Fast Track and NAFTA, stop Free Trade Area of the Americas(FTAA). No secrecy.
- Save Salt II Agreements, reject Star Wars and Nuclear Posture Review
-Abolish nuclear weapons
- End military interventions.
- Cut military budget and fund human needs.

Defend Democracy and Civil Rights
- End racial profiling.
- Repeal the death penalty.
- Enforce civil rights laws and affirmative action.
- Repeal USA Patriot Act.
- Legalization and protection of immigrant>rights.
- Public financing of elections. Overall election law reform including Instant Runoff Voting.
- Youth and student bill of rights. Guarantee youth's right to earn,learn and live.



A lot of these are in line with the Democratic Party. But if think you they are the ones who put these together, check this: http://cpusa.org/

INTERESTING, huh??????




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The Assault Continues

For decades, we have been performing an experiment with the American family. The result has been dismal failure. Yet, the pressure to continue this destructive path continues. In spite of much rhetoric, nothing has been done to alter the structure of the institutional slavery known as welfare.

Children thrive best with a stay-at-home parent, yet the prevalence of single-parent families and oppressive taxation eliminates this possibility for many families.

At a time when young people desperately need discipline, social services agencies are allowed to dictate what form that discipline may take. There is a concerted effort to make any form of corporal punishment a crime, even though no data exists which would indicate that spanking, when used with discretion, has ever caused any harm. In fact, as spanking has gone out of vogue, the incidence of violence has increased.

Parents who use other methods of discipline are also at risk for abuse charges. Children have been removed from homes because a 12 yo was not allowed to wear make-up to school, because a pregnant 14 yo was grounded from seeing her gang-member boyfriend, and because a young teen lost phone privileges after coming home late. Instead of empowering parents, government programs and policies seem bent on destroying the family completely.

On 16 February 1995, M. Albright signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. But this treaty does NOT protect children. Children are already protected by law from abuse. Unfortunately, abuse still occurs because laws do not change the heart. It is ridiculous to think that a United Nations treaty can guarantee anyone a happy childhood. In fact, this treaty actually destroys a fundamental right of all children: the right to be raised in a loving home, free from bureaucratic interference. (B. Scott, Children no More)



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Homeschool Stereotypes

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).

As a homeschooling parent, have you ever known the frustration of being stereotyped? Unfairly, mainstream America has deemed us unfashionable, overly protective, dogmatically religious, and socially backwards. Like other stereotypes that develop from negative assumptions, homeschooling parents suffer from unjust labels with unfounded perceptions of their true character. Added to this misconception is the fact that homeschooled children are also stereotyped.

Breaking loose from these hurtful stereotypes is difficult, but as Christian homeschooling families, we can change how the world views us. Instead of becoming defensive and argumentative when homeschooling adversaries slander our name, we can show God's love through our Christ-like character and actions. Whether we're shopping at the mall, attending a community event, or eating at a restaurant, we can erase incorrect images with courtesy, respect, and genuine concern for others. In addition, godly homeschoolers can best illustrate one reason for teaching our own children by displaying a servant's heart that looks for ways to help others in need. Christ Himself said it best in the Sermon on the Mount: "Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44b).

Do you struggle with vengeful thoughts when others look down on you for homeschooling? Don't let the homeschool stereotype discourage you. Prove those labels wrong, and respond to the negative remarks with the love of Christ. After all, isn't that the most important message we're trying to teach our children as we homeschool? "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds" (Hebrews 12:3).(AOP)


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The Family under Siege

Our nation's history is steeped in a rich tradition of family. It is from family that children receive a sense of roots, learn self-discipline, and acquire moral values: essential elements in developing healthy self-esteem. Strong homes build strong children and in turn, a strong community. But, in America, the family has taken a beating.

For centuries, divorce was seen in most cultures as a public statement of failure, an avenue of last resort. Marriage vows were taken seriously, and laws often required divorcing couples with children to present compelling cause for dissolving a marriage. Many struggling marriages remained intact "for the sake of the kids."

The breakdown of the nuclear family is a major cause of the increase in juvenile problems. Seventy percent of juvenile offenders come from single-parent homes. The majority of children in gangs com from abusive family situations or from homes which do not have a significant male role model.

Another change families have undergone over the past decades has been an exodus of mothers from the home. The number of working mothers tripled. "Never in the history of the world have so many children been raised by strangers." Some women wishing to pursue a career, have chosen to join the work force voluntarily.

Discussions of the benefits of stay-at-home moms invariably raise protest from feminists, who quickly point to full-time motherhood as instituted male domination. They create a perception that full-time child rearing is somehow stifling and unfulfilling, a choice no woman in her right mind would make willingly.

The younger the child is when he enters day care, the greater the potential harm. This is especially true in regular day-care centers, where children receive little physical affection. After twenty years of research in this area, educational psychologist doctor White is convinced that children should spend most of their waking hours with a full-time parent or other loving relative during their first three years of life.

For so many American families, however, this is not an option. (B. Scott, Children No More)


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Near-sighted

As Christians, we have a tendency to be short-sighted when life is going well. Living in the success of "now," we think our current blessings are the result of our own hands. Like the Old Testament nation of Israel, we fail to acknowledge God's hand of divine intervention in our lives. Unfortunately, many times we must experience painful or humbling reminders in order to correct our vision to see the true picture-God is in control, not us.

If you're starting your new school year depending on your own abilities, be careful. Only the Lord can show you those things that will make your homeschooling truly successful. As you depend on the Holy Spirit, you will not only discover wisdom to teach, but you'll have your eyes opened to see all God desires for your family. "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwells in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God" (Psalm 123:1-2a).



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Educating the Politically Correct

Not only have the public schools increasingly usurped parental roles, they have also become indoctrination centers for political correctness. Beginning in the earliest grades, children are actively recruited for various causes. Scientifically inaccurate information is fed to students regarding world population growth, global warming, and natural resources until they feel guilty for being human.

Texts are typically aimed at playing on the fears of young children. Children are encouraged to sign "save-the-earth" pledges, to support abortion as a cure to overpopulation, to chastise parents for unwise use of resources, and to become militant activists for the environmental movement. Of course, children should be taught to be thrifty and resourceful, but this kind of exploitation is despicable.Children should not be made to feel that their existence is a threat to the survival of earth. No child should be made to feel guilty for being alive.


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Subject to Change

"A man's heart devise his way: but the LORD direct his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).

If there's one thing you can count on as a homeschooling parent, it's change. Like the weather, no two days are ever exactly the same. More times than I can remember, my best-made lesson plans and organized activities were altered by the day's events. Whether my children became absorbed in a particular topic and spent more time studying or an untimely interruption caused a delay in teaching a lesson, it was necessary to make adjustments without becoming anxious. Whatever failed to be taught one day was usually made up within the next few days, and I learned not to worry about the setback, as long as we continued to move forward with our studies.

As time went on, I determined to let God order our daily events. Committing the day to Him each morning, I found peace in yielding to His Lordship and control to follow His perfect plan. The "Serenity Prayer" hung on my kitchen wall as a constant reminder to let the Lord guide our homeschooling.

What about you? Do you stress over the changes that come your way throughout your homeschooling day? Relax, if you've given God control over your homeschooling day, He will help you accomplish everything that needs to be done. Besides, God has a few lesson plans of His own for you and your children to learn. "The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established" (Proverbs 16:1, 3).(AOP)




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In Loco Parentis

As NEA (National Education Association) has successfully campaigned for increased governmental control over education, the rights of parents in these matters has significantly decreased. Coincidentally, the literacy rate has dropped as government control of schools has increased. Parents no longer have much influence over curriculum. When they object to occultic or sexually explicit literature in the school libraries, they are castigated as "right-wing, fundamentalist book-burners." The schools self-righteously insist upon the students' "right" to access to such material. Yet, this same "right" does not apply to the Bible or materials which promote Judeo-Christian ethics, topics the NEA has deemed to be offensive.

The situation has escalated to the point that schools now operate under the doctrine on in loco parentis, which allows the state to take the place of the parent. Because of this doctrine, when a child is enrolled in, dropped off at, or attends class in a public school, he becomes the property of the state. The NEA is a strong supporter of early sex education, school-based health clinics which provide abortion counseling, and school sponsored condom distribution. Not surprisingly, the NEA is in favor of ratifying the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The NEA has also been outspoken about its intent that the schools replace the parent in teaching values to the students. History books have been rewritten to exclude an "offensive" mention to the religious, Judeo-Christian heritage of this country. Absolute values have been shelved for situational ethics. At many schools, students are not even taught the Pledge of Allegiance. Some teachers encouraged their students to create a bulletin board around the theme "I disagree with my parents about..." (B. Scott, Children No More)

How low can these kind of organizations bring our society? What can we do?




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One Day at a Time

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).

As a homeschooling parent, do you ever wake up in the morning and want to run away and hide from your responsibilities? Last night's dishes, last week's laundry, and yesterday's school work all clamor for your attention. Your baby's cry reminds you of yet another need, and your young toddlers seek your affection and time for play. On top of that, your church is having difficulty finding help with Sunday school and the nursery, and you know you should offer your assistance. Exhausted before the day has even begun, you throw the covers back over your head and think, "Why would God give me all this responsibility? Doesn't He know I can't take care of everything? Where can I go to get away from all of this work?"

When the pressure of obeying God's call seems too much, it's tempting to look for the easy way out. Just ask Jonah. God had given him the task of prophesying to the wicked city of Nineveh, but Jonah decided it was too big a responsibility. Hopping a boat to Joppa, Jonah worked just as hard at running away and hiding from God's call as he would have worked if he obeyed. Fortunately, God gave this reluctant prophet another chance to accept the job He had given. After being thrown overboard and spending three days in the belly of a big fish, Jonah decided that being a preacher wasn't that bad, even if it was to a wicked city like Nineveh.

If the responsibility of facing another year of homeschooling is causing you to run and hide, be encouraged. Although you can't see the way through the work right now, the Lord promises to uphold you with His wisdom and strength when you need them (Isaiah 41:10). As you obediently follow His will in homeschooling today, He continues to guide you with the next step tomorrow. Step by step, day by day, you will get through the work and accomplish all He has planned for your homeschooling family. "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8).(AOP)


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One in Christ

"But now indeed there are many members, yet one body." 1Cor.12:20

Summer vacation is a great learning adventure for a homeschooling family. Lessons from nature makes both science and scripture come alive. One lesson in particular can come from a large stand of beautiful aspen tree. Did you know that aspen trees grow from one common root? Every one of the individual tree you think you see is actually one big tree.

There is the similarity between the aspen tree and the body of Christ. Each believer is like the individual aspen tree and plays a unique role in God's family. However, we all grow from one common root, Jesus Christ, and we must work together in the body. If we all do what we're supposed to as Christians, we'll show God's beauty like the aspen tree.

Do you know where God has placed you in the body of Christ? Although some gifts may seem more important than others, they're not. (1Cor.12:23-24) Each believer contributes to the well-being of the body by faithfully using the gifts that God has given. Whether your spiritual gift is teaching, serving, or showing mercy, you can bloom where you're planted and give God the glory as you depend on the life-giving root of Christ's forgiveness and love.

"rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving" Colossians 2:7

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Shifting Role of American Schools

Traditionally, most American children were educated at home or in private schools. Those public schools which did exist were under strict community control - without state or federal interference. These methods were highly successful, and the nation boasted a 99 percent literacy rate in the early 1880s. At least ten U.S. presidents and numerous other significant figures in history were products of homeschooling. State involvement in public education first appeared in Massachusetts in the late 1840s, though actual control was still local. Parents were allowed to choose the form of education they desired and remained the primary dictators of course content and values.

It was not until the early 1900s that compulsory attendance laws were passed throughout the country and tax-supported, public schools became the primary mode of education. At this time, the theories and reforms of John Dewey, an American philosopher and educator, were gaining popularity. A "scientific humanist" and an original signer of the Humanist Manifesto, Dewey detested religion and believed that society had evolved beyond the need of a God. Man should only believe in that which he could experience.

Dewey is then responsible for bringing secular humanism into America's public school system. And as Abraham Lincoln once observed that the philosophy of the schools of one generation would become the philosophy of the government in the next generation, we can now understand why the generation today has the least morals and godly principles comparing with the generations before.

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