Battle for Free Speech

Senator Jim DeMint has put forth the Broadcast Freedom Act banning the Fairness Doctrine. At the same time, Senator Durbin has offered an amendment which will impose the fairness doctrine through FCC regulations.

The Fairness Doctrine is a clever name. Who doesn't want to be fair? If liberals truly wanted fairness, they would be talking about balancing the liberal-leaning television news, Hollywood, newspapers and more. These liberals don't want to be fair though. They want to silence the voices of dissent. In actuality, it is a censorship doctrine. By trying to force a balance of ideas on radio, the government stomps all over free speech. Powers that be, which are supposed to be representing the people who elected them, are instead trying to determine to whom and to what people listen. Apparently, we don't have the sense to choose for ourselves.

News from Senator DeMint on the Senate floor yesterday:

• Senator Durbin says "the contents of media should reflect the diversity of America." translation: DC politicians decide what Americans hear.


• The Durbin amendment passed 57 – 41. All the GOP opposed it. Democrats exposed their plans to impose the fairness doctrine in the backdoor by FCC regulation .


• The Broadcast Freedom Act ban Fairness Doctrine also passed. Victory for free speech.


• Senator DeMint: We have closed the front door on Fairness Doctrine, but the Durbin amendment opens back door to censorship. The fight goes on.


• The ban on Fairness Doctrine passes 87-11. But the fight is not over, Democrats have attacked from back door on media ownership and localism.

Senator Durbin argued that what he was proposing is already in place. So why propose it? Hmm? He's hoping that by forcing diversity in ownership, less airtime will be given to conservatism.

Let's think about this: Diversity in ownership. Who determines diversity? Is it male/female? Black/White/Hispanic? Republican/Democrat? Christian/Atheist/Muslim? I suggest it will be whichever promotes liberal viewpoints. They may have to switch it up in order to find "the right balance."

The First Amendment says, in part, that "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." To silence or ration the voices of dissent is unethical and unconstitutional.

Red Envelopes for President Obama

I received this email today. I'll be participating and I hope you will too!

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Dear Friends,

This afternoon I was praying about a number of things, and my mind began to wander. I was deeply distressed at the symbolic actions that President Obama took as he began his presidency. Namely, that he signed executive orders releasing funds to pay for abortions, permission to fund human stem cell research, and federal funding for contraception. I have been involved in the pro-life movement for nearly 20 years, and it pained my heart to see a man and a political party committed to the shedding of innocent blood. This man, and this party lead our country, but they do not represent me or the 54% of Americans who believe that abortion is wrong and should no longer be legal.

As I was praying, I believe that God gave me an interesting idea. Out in the garage I have a box of red envelopes. Like the powerful image of the red LIFE tape, an empty red envelope will send a message to Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue. It will be quiet, but clear.

Here is what I would like you to do:

Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores. On the front, address it to:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington , D.C. 20500

On the back, or on a note inside, write the following message.

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.

Put it in the mail, and send it. Then forward this email to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president.

We should all try to mail them on the same day so they arrive within a day or two of each other and be even more of a visual at the White House. With Valentine's Day coming up, red envelopes should be easy to come by too. Say we all mail them on the weekend of March 27-31st*. That gives us almost month to pass the word as far and wide as we can. Of course, you can send a red envelope anytime you want, but getting lots at once is great too.

So pass the word!


And all your children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children. Isaiah 54:13

*The date has been adjusted to March 31st as Red Envelope Day. You can visit the website for more information. http://www.redenvelopeday.com/

No Strings Please

Governor Bobby Jindal gets kudos from me for sincerely doing the best for Louisiana. The Governor said, "We'll have to review each program, each new dollar to make sure that we understand what are the conditions, what are the strings and see whether it's beneficial for Louisiana to use those dollars."

The stimulus bill that was passed has strings attached causing the federal government to grow, to expand beyond what our founders designed and set forth in the Constitution of the United States. When strings are attached to a "gift", it's not a gift but a way to control others.

The So-Called Freedom of Choice Act

When President Obama was campaigning, he said that he wanted to reduce the number of abortions. However, during his first week in office he signed an executive order overturning the Mexico City policy. The Mexico City policy, first enacted by then President Ronald Reagan, prohibited use of U.S. tax dollars to fund or promote abortions in foreign countries. This means that our tax dollars now are funding abortions in foreign countries. His order does not reduce the number of abortions but forces us to pay for the expansion of abortion around the world.

Throughout his political career, Mr. Obama has had a legacy of death. When making a campaign speech, he said, "if my daughters make a mistake then I wouldn't want them punished with a baby." As a senator in the Illinois Senate he voted against the Born Alive Act. When asked what decision he would do differently, he chose the Terri Schiavo vote where he actually did vote to give her a chance at life. When speaking to Planned Parenthood, he promised that if he were elected as president that he would sign the Freedom of Choice Act.

The Freedom of Choice Act would allow abortion to take place at any time during pregnancy, for any reason. According to NOW, this legislation would “sweep away hundreds of anti-abortion laws and policies.” These are laws and policies that elected officials and everyday people have voted on and passed. This act would negate the choice of the people to limit and reduce abortions. It would sweep away laws and policies protecting girls and women from an uninformed decision regarding a medical procedure that kills an innocent baby and often causes mental and/or physical harm or even death to the mothers. FOCA would override laws that require parental consent before an underage girl can be given an abortion. It would eradicate laws like The Partial Birth Abortion Ban that put a stop to stabbing the head of a late term baby before she is completely born and sucking her brains out. The Freedom of Choice act would not give hospitals and doctors the choice to refuse an abortion, regardless of their beliefs. Would Catholic hospitals have to close their doors as an alternative to sinning against their conscience? Pro-life doctors and nurses would have to choose between being forced to kill or quit their vocation. Where is the freedom of choice in that?

So far the public outcry against this legislation has been loud and clear. We must not stop fighting for what is right. Stand strong for our God-given rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Congress has not yet reintroduced FOCA. Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards told the Wall Street Journal: "We're going to be smart and strategic about our policy agenda to bring people together to make progress for women's health. The Freedom of Choice Act is very important . . . but we have a long list of things to get done that I think can address problems immediately that women are facing, that are really immediate concerns." If this legislation were to be introduced and passed piecemeal, it would still be just as devastating to our nation.

If you do not know what abortion entails or have never fully considered the consequences of it, you can click here. This site will give you abortion facts, articles, and testimonies.

You can contact your Representatives and tell them not to allow the taxpayer funding of abortions. You can sign a petition against the Freedom of Choice Act at http://www.fightfoca.com/ This is our nation, let's make our voices heard. Stand strong and choose life at every opportunity.

Quoteworthy

"God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever."
-Thomas Jefferson

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
-Thomas Jefferson

"But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child."
-Mother Theresa

Is it really a Stimulus Package?

President Obama says spending is stimulus. I believe sustained spending is stimulus. Spending that business owners can continue to count on will, in return, encourage investment and more hiring. Temporary influx of money is just that: nothing long term. Who do you think is wiser in how to spend? Do you think it is government which does not have a balanced budget and is known for wasteful spending or you who knows there is a limit to spending and prioritizes? Will it think there is stimulus when inflation skyrockets because of our government printing all this extra money and our dollar's value drops?

When the government takes less away from hard-working, business-owning, investing Americans, we will have more of our own hard-earned money to invest in the economy in ways that benefit other businesses and local economy. When the government takes more from the achievers, i.e. business owners and entrepreneurs, there is less incentive to work so hard and to succeed since you are "punished" for your success.

This is an interesting website where you can see exactly to where and on what this stimulus bill has designated money. http://www.stimuluswatch.org/ You can vote on what you think is critical or not. I would suggest you consider whether that project truly will stimulate the economy or whether it is just a pet project or social program put into the bill while "the spending is good." Some projects listed seem like good ideas but don't seem to belong in this bill and probably should be paid by their own states or municipalities.

Our Constitution begins with "We the People of the United States" not "Those who govern the masses". We must take responsibility for our lives and our nation. Government is not supposed to manage our lives or our companies but to secure these rights: Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

If you believe this stimulus package is not what they call it, you can sign this petition.

Big Pushes - Stand Firm

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste," said Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's chief of staff on November 21, 2008.

It seems that Obama and his team are trying to push through so much legislation and nominations as quickly as possible to overwhelm and/or prevent people from realizing what is being crammed down our throats.

President Obama has nominated four people to the Justice Department who have horrible records on pro-family issues. These are David Ogden, Dawn Johnson, Thomas Perrelli, and Elana Kagan. David Ogden opposes restrictions on abortion and pornography. He filed a brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in support of child pornographer, Steven Knox. Dawn Johnson is the former legal director for NARAL Pro-Choice America. Thomas Perrelli, Obama’s nominee to serve as associate attorney general, represented Terri Schiavo’s husband as he fought to have food and water withheld from his disabled wife. He was successful and she died a horrible death. Elana Kagan lacks the qualifications for solicitor general as she has never argued a case to the supreme court which is the solicitor general's function. Apparently, she has not even tried a single case. She does qualify as a far-left liberal though.

The stimulus bill just passed in the Senate. The House and the Senate still will need to reconcile the bill. It contains grievous governmental growth and interference. President Obama has claimed it there are no earmarks in this bill. I guess he hasn't read it or even been briefed on it. Why are groups like ACORN (which is being investigated for voter fraud) being given 4 billion dollars? Why is there $600 million stipulated for preparation for universal healthcare? $50 million to the National Endowment of the Arts? $650 million to switch from analog to digital TV? $600 million for "climate change" research? The list goes on extremely long. This bill gives money to special interest groups, groups that supported Obama's campaign. Earmarks, pork, special interests, whatever you want to call it, it is wasteful and not stimuli.

Universal healthcare was inserted into the so-called stimulus bill. They want to oversee your doctor's care of you and computerize all your health records. Good-bye privacy. Tom Daschle has said that senior citizens need to just grow old instead of seeking treatment. This is outrageous that people would use the fear of recession to further their own agenda.

The worst offense to me is the provision in the stimulus bill that attacks religious freedom. The provision reads: "PROHIBITED USES OF FUNDS. - No funds awarded under this section may be used for - (C) modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities - (i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or (ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission." This is religious discrimination and an affront to freedom of speech. Christian groups such as Campus Crusade, Christian Athletes, Catholic Student Ministries and others could very well be banned from campuses and facilities that would remain open to other non-religious organizations.

This is our nation. We the People of the United States are ultimately responsible for what our nation and what our government does. We must be vigilant. We must pray. We must take a stand for our rights and freedoms. We must not be silent.

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving." Colossians 4:2

CALL YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES. Let them know where you stand. Both your representative and your two senators can be reached at 1-202-224-3121. Find more contact information for your congressional representative and senators here.