FJM Blog

by Star Parker

My sense is that the attention that most Americans are paying as the power brokers of our government re-mold our future is not too deep.

Sure, we’re watching to see which Wall Street firm emerges as the basket case du jour.

And the 50 percent or so of us who own stocks in some form are paying attention to the impact that each major announcement has on the market and on our nest eggs.

But beyond this, it’s like watching the mechanic play around under the hood of your car. You stand by with your fingers crossed hoping that he knows what he’s doing and that the price tag of the damage won’t ruin you.

What’s bothering me today, and what I think should bother you, is not only don’t we understand exactly what these guys are doing as they play with our economic engine, but few are asking what authority they have to be playing around in there in the first place.

Talking about Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, the Wall Street Journal reports “Today he finds himself in a position of power unmatched by his predecessors. He decides whether Wall Street firms live or die, picking winners and losers with the power of the federal purse.”

Somehow the idea of our Treasury Secretary sitting like a Roman emperor, giving a thumbs up or down whether firm A or firm B will live or die, just doesn’t wash with the basic principles of how I believe this country is supposed to work.

The “power of the federal purse” is a nice abstract way of saying there is open season on citizens and taxpayers. We are the federal purse.

Somehow we have gotten to the point where we citizens have been written out of the equation of our own country and Constitution. Paulson can decide to commit billions of our money — you know, what we work for every day, save, and assume we own — to play lifeguard and we don’t even get a courtesy call asking if its okay.

So I ask, is this the disease pretending to be the cure?

There is, of course, a lot of discussion about the causes of today’s financial turmoil.

It may be politically expedient to blame greedy Wall Street executives. And I have no doubt there’s plenty of greed on Wall Street (or in Hollywood or elsewhere for that matter).

But as unattractive as greedy behavior may be, greed is not illegal.

I have not heard a single announcement about any Wall Street executive being indicted or about any law being broken.

But somehow it is legal and constitutional in America today, our dear country that supposedly has a Constitution that protects citizens and private property, for our private wealth and incomes to be used by politicians as collateral for their social engineering.

As we taxpayers get dragged up to the plate to bail out one firm or another, let’s recall that major culprits in all of this were the two massive Government Sponsored Enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Dressed in drag as private firms, they wheeled and dealed, getting involved in some way in one of every two mortgages, with us taxpayers behind the scenes guaranteeing their excesses.

Did we learn anything from the failures of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Did we learn that taxpayer guarantees for business is a formula for failure?

How can we say we learned anything if this is exactly what we are doing now to deal with the problems that this very behavior caused to begin with?

In a nice column in the New York Times the other day, David Leonhardt recalls the bailout of Chrysler in 1979. This was supposedly a success. And where is Chrysler today? And the whole American auto industry? Eclipsed by the Japanese and looking for another bailout.

Today’s financial crisis is not the worst problem we have. America has survived many crises, some far, far worse than this.

Our most serious problem is a loss of focus on American principles of freedom and limited constitutional government.

It’s a sign of our troubled times that there appears to be no leader — political or business — who even pays lip service to this.

(Star Parker is president of CURE, Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (www.urbancure.org). She can be reached at parker(at)urbancure.org.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)

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By Ceasar I. LeFlore III

Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has exposed some pretty embarrassing things about the state of Illinois to the rest of the nation.  In light of all that’s been dragged to the surface in the wake of the Oba-mania of this election, I’m sure that America must be asking itself; what in the world is up with Illinois.  Oh My God! 

It was in an Illinois hospital that Nurse Jill Stanek sat in a soiled utility room and lovingly rocked a dying child that survived an abortion procedure until he died, receiving no medical attention from doctors to attempt to save it’s life.

It was in the Illinois State House that a state senator (Barack Obama) actually argued against legislation that would require doctors to provide medical attention to children who are born alive after a failed abortion procedure.  Imagine that – an Illinois State Senator actually arguing for infanticide.

It was in the Illinois State House that legislation was defeated that would require parents of minor children be notified before an abortion procedure could be provided for their child.  Illinois still has no requirement for parental notification for children as young as 12 years old who would seek to abort a child.  According to Senator Obama, Illinois children, including his own daughters, are to be protected from their parents so that they are not “punished with a baby” when they make the critical mistake of becoming pregnant as a result of  illicit teen sex.  So to be clear, Illinois approves of children deceiving their parents in abortion decisions because the parents can’t be trusted to do the right thing concerning their own children.

It was in the Illinois State House that legislation was passed that would provide comprehensive sex education to children beginning in kindergarten; being justified by its supporters (Barack Obama) because it also contained a provision to teach children how to report inappropriate touching by an adult.

It was in Illinois that known terrorist William Aires was granted 50 million dollars to fund The Chicago Annenberg Challenge, an education assistance program (that failed) that hired a young in-experienced Chairman to head it named Barack Obama.

Illinois is the home of controversial religious leaders like Louis Farrakhan, Jeremiah Wright, and Michael Pfleger.

Besides all that, Illinois gave the country two Jesse Jacksons, and two Richard Daleys, . 

You’re Welcome!

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by Armstrong Williams

Senator Barack Obama’s triumph over Senator Clinton in the Democratic primaries will undoubtedly go down as one of the most shocking upsets in American electoral history.  Obama, a dark horse (no pun intended) with no national track record, was able to beat the formidable Clinton machine because he was a phantom.  He confounded his rivals because he provided little of substance for them to stick their swords into.  Because he lacked a track record, he could switch directions easily without seeming incongruous. He was flexible, and could not be locked in or nailed down on anything.

Along comes Governor Palin, who, like Obama, is also an unknown.  Like Obama, she has a razor thin track record on any issues of substance; and her appearance on the national stage came almost out of nowhere.  Thus far, her very presence has sucked the air out of Obama’s sails.  He finds himself at a loss for words, veering sharply off script into ad hominem attacks that are so very uncharacteristic of him. Yet he finds that Governor Palin is proving somewhat difficult to impale. 

Meanwhile, Governor Palin has contented herself with making her points, and then stepping back with a confident smug.  Thus far, she has stayed firmly on message.  Borrowing a chapter from Obama’s play book, she has resisted the urge to respond to her detractors, refute the rumors, or even humor her critics in any way.  Instead she has merely basked in the glow of her ascension, and allowed her charisma and charm to speak for itself.

How does Obama and Co. intend to beat this phantom menace?   Or better yet, how would Obama fight the mirror image of himself? Some have suggested that the only way he can do this is by clearly defining Palin on his terms; that is, by throwing enough mud in her direction that it begins to stick.  Yet, everything we know about Senator Obama thus far suggests that his greatest strength is defense and not offense.  His acceptance speech before the Democratic convention, his most aggressive attack thus far on Senator McCain, was, at best, an attack from a defensive position.  He attacked only, on issues over which he has been attacked (experience, love of country, etc.), but did not open up any new fronts in the battle. He did not thrust, but merely parried.

One senses in observing him that perhaps he is afraid of his own power; he may have adapted his defensive position because he is afraid of summoning forces of negativity within himself.  He may not have found a way of exhibiting aggression without becoming vindictive. But this just will not work going down the stretch to the election.  Everyone knows that this will be a dogfight, and Governor Palin has signaled as much by referring to herself as a pit bull with lipstick. If indeed she proves to be a pit bull, her habits and instincts will become readily apparent.  Obama must figure these out and play the matador.  He must test her discipline while keeping his cool. 

While Obama must be seen as the cool, calm and dignified matador, he has to employ his allies in a successful effort to goad Governor Palin into defining herself before she is ready. Senator Biden and the Clintons have to be put to use for this purpose.  Thus far, neither of the Clintons has dedicated any effort to dismantling Palin.  Some see the Clintons ’ reluctance to go after Palin as a play for more support from Obama; possibly for his promise of support for a Clinton bid in 2016.  Some have rejoiced in the notion that the Clintons secretly want Obama to lose because they would have another chance to run in 2012. 

However, in order to secure the Clintons ’ fervent support, Obama would have to convince them of the likelihood of a different scenario.  He would have to highlight the fact that there is a betting chance that Senator McCain, who has already suffered multiple outbreaks of skin cancer, may not survive the first term; an event which would elevate Palin to the Presidency.  If that happened, Palin would steal Hillary’s thunder as the first female President, and severely damage her chances of winning the election in 2012 against a female incumbent.  If McCain survives two terms in office, Palin will have gained all of the experience she needs to make a convincing case that she is more qualified than Senator Clinton, as she actually worked in the Executive office, and was not merely a Presidential spouse.  This, he would have to argue, would spell doom to Senator Clinton’s chances of winning in 2016. 

Obama may feel that hitching his wagon to the Clintons ’ ambitions will unnecessarily constrain his own choices. He feels somewhat reluctant about entering the Presidency already indebted and leveraged.  But this is the price he has to pay for victory in November.  After all, no one makes it to the top without help; not even a phantom.

www.armstrongwilliams.com

“The Armstrong Williams Show” is broadcast on WPGC-AM TALK 1580 in Washington, and XM Satellite Power 

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by Wayne Perryman

While millions of African Americans are lining up to elect America’s first black president and millions of conservatives are lining up to elect America’s first female vice president, few are lining up to make a difference in their community.  Because the media places so much emphasis on the office of the President of the United States, many African Americans are overlooking the fact that many of the conditions that plague America’s inner-cities can not be solved by the President of the United States or by government officials (a fact that Obama has stated several times in his speeches and in his book: The Audacity of Hope).

Far too many voters are looking to young powerful political figures like Barack to solve their problems much like the Jews looked to their new upcoming political figure, Barabbas.  They do so without realizing that the government cannot solve many of the self-inflicted problems that we face today.  This not to say that government (as it was during Christ’s time), do not have a role in resolving some of the crucial and critical problems facing African Americans like health care.  However it is to re-emphasize what many African American social scientists and health professionals have been saying for years, and that is - some of our health conditions from Aids to drug addiction are self-inflicted, while other health conditions from diabetes to high blood pressure can be traced to improper diets and the lack of exercise. Although Obama tries to eat right and exercise regularly, as president, he cannot mandate that we do this as well.    

Additionally, as in the issue of health, neither McCain nor Obama can save the inner cities of America, nor do their parties have an agenda to do so.  As President, these individuals will not stop:

1.     Drive by shootings

2.     Black on black crime

3.     Teenage pregnancy

4.     Aids due to irresponsible sex

5.     Single parent homes

6.     High School dropouts

7.     Drugs in the black community

8.     Low test scores among black youth

9.     Alcohol abuse

10.   Music with negative lyrics degrading our women and youth

11.   The deterioration of the black community

12.   Nor will either candidate develop our young people to be outstanding responsible citizens.

Older blacks recall the times when we had no blacks in the White House or sympathetic members in Congress, but we had unity in our community and a host of volunteers determined and committed to make a difference.  With these committed volunteers (led by the clergy) we built schools and colleges, insurance companies and banks, and our own Negro Baseball league and news organizations.  We looked out for our neighbors, we spanked our children, and rather than aborting children conceived out of wedlock, we raised them to be voters and responsible citizens. 

Committed to cause, African American volunteers met annually in national conventions to establish their own agenda and to draft plans for progress.  History reveals that those plans always included a deep commitment to trust in God and not in the government. During the 1896 Convention, Booker T. Washington opened with the following remarks:

The aim will be, as in the four previous years, to bring together for a quiet conference, not politicians, but the representatives of the common, hard working farmers and mechanics and the back bone and sinew of the Negro race, the ministers and teachers.  I want to emphasize the object of these conferences.  When they were first instituted, it was to confine [us] mainly to the conditions within our own power to remedy.  We might discuss many wrongs which should be righted; but it seems to me that it is best to lay hold of the things we can put right rather than those we can do nothing but find fault with.  To be perfectly frank with each other; state things as they are; do not say anything for mere sound, or because you think it will please one or displease another; let us hear the truth on all matters.  We have many things to discourage and disappoint us, and we sometimes feel that we are slipping backwards; but I believe, if we do our duty in getting property, Christian education, and character, in some way or other the sky will clear up, and we shall make our way onward.

Thirteen years earlier in 1883, Fredrick Douglass put it this way:

If six million of colored people of this country, armed with the Constitution of the United States, with a million votes of their own to lean upon, and millions of white men at their back, whose hearts are responsive to the claims of humanity, have not sufficient spirit and wisdom to organize and combine to defend themselves from outrage, discrimination and oppression, it will be idle for them to expect that the Republican party or any other political party will organize and combine for them or care what becomes of them.  Men may combine to prevent cruelty to animals, for they are dumb and cannot speak for themselves; but we are men and must speak for ourselves, or we shall not be spoken for at all.  Parties were made for men, not men for parties.[1]

African Americans need more than a black man in the White House, they need millions of volunteers in their communities.  Can we have both?  Yes.  But we must do two things:

1.     We must stop the elimination of future black voters through Abortions

2.     And we must have as many volunteers lining up to put our community in order as we have voters lining up to put a black man in a White House. 

As a former Community Organizer, if Senator Obama has inspired us to do anything, we should be inspired to improve the conditions in our communities rather than waiting for the Baracks and Barabbas’ (political figures or government programs) to do it for us.     Romans 8:31

Rev. Wayne Perryman

P.O. Box 256

Mercer Island, WA 98040

(206) 860-6880

www.wayneperryman.com

Rev. Perryman is author of Unveiling the Whole Truth: What the Media Failed To Tell American Voters and The Drama of Obama Regarding Racism

[1] Documentary Negro History pp. 661

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By Herman Cain

The Media Research Center has quantified, documented and exposed media bias for its 20 years of existence. But media bias has a new dimension – media garbage, which is false information or unsubstantiated rumors.

Media garbage is an outgrowth of the speed and proliferation of 24/7 news, the Internet, the blogosphere and the race to be the first to report a sensational story, sensationalize a non-story or capture the often-desired mantel of journalistic achievement called “gotcha”.

Ever since Dan Rather of CBS News was fired for insisting that phony National Guard records about President Bush were true, most media outlets have been more careful about accuracy, but most have not tempered their bias tendencies.

Now that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has confiscated the rock star status from Sen. Barack Obama, the liberal left is working overtime to try to destroy her reputation and suitability to be vice president of the United States. Without much substance for their mission, a lot of cyberspace garbage has surfaced, much of which has been false.

Ironically, a CBS News investigative reporter, Laura Strickler, chased down some of the rumors about Gov. Palin in Wasilla, Alaska, the governor’s hometown. Strickler, in a report aired on Sept. 12, was able to set the record straight on a few of the more popular rumors floating around.

Rumor: Governor Sarah Palin cut funding for special needs children as governor of Alaska. This is false, she actually increased spending.

Rumor: When Sarah Palin was Mayor of Wasilla, she sought to ban a list of books from the Wasilla Library. This is false, and the list of books floating around on the Internet has one book on it that was not even published in 1996 – part of the Harry Potter series.

Rumor: When Sarah Palin was mayor she hired a lobbyist to get more federal earmarks. This is true. The nearly $10 million she sought was for Wasilla infrastructure projects. Name one mayor that has not tried to get federal assistance for infrastructure projects. And this is a long way from earmarks abuse, which is what the Democrats are trying to say it is.

Now here’s the real garbage:

Rumor: Sarah and Todd Palin’s business partner, Scott Richter, sought to have his divorce records sealed because he had something to hide. A companion rumor was that Sarah Palin was mentioned in the records.

Laura Strickler reported that CBS News and at least a dozen other national reporters found absolutely nothing in the documents except Scott Richter’s phone number, which he wanted to keep private.

In the professional field of information technology, there is an expression for inaccurate information and what it produces. It’s GIGO, which stands for “garbage in garbage out”.

Media garbage can destroy a promising career of public service, a reputation or even a business. Just ask United Airlines, whose stock price went from $12.50 a share to a penny a share in one day, because of a four-year-old story about its bankruptcy, which circulated on the Internet mistakenly.

The public is waking up to the bias and the garbage in the media. A recent Rasmussen poll found that Americans believe by a five-to-one ratio that the media is trying to help Barack Obama. They also believe by a 10-to-one ratio that the media is trying to hurt Sarah Palin.

The poll results are good news!

It means that more voters are becoming better informed voters, and they are not allowing the media to use their brains as a garbage dump.

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By Harry R. Jackson, Jr.

Last weekend, as Chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition (HILC), I was privileged to be a co-sponsor of the premiere Christian, political conference - the Values Voter Summit. The summit featured a combination of some of the nation’s most popular talk show hosts, pundits, ministers, and newsmakers. Over 2,100 people were physically present with approximately 8,000 additional folks watching via Internet.

This conference typically attracts a combination of lay people, clergy, and Christian activists. Interestingly the term “Values Voters” was created by the news media as a way of describing people that voted against John Kerry in 2004. The conference was first launched just three short years ago; the event has grown steadily in influence each year. Although it’s hard to measure the impact of a conference upon a regional or national election, the national media widely covered the event.

Last year the entire field of Republican presidential candidates was present and accounted for. During last year’s conference, Senator Sam Brownback made his exit announcement from the campaign – in addition Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee emerged as forces to contend with in the primary elections. Although no Democratic candidates showed up at all, it gave values voters an opportunity to decide how to engage in the primary season.

This year’s event had much fewer opportunities for surprises. Occurring just days after both the Republican and Democratic conventions, it was the perfect place to ascertain how motivated the participants would be to support either Obama or McCain. The event was awash with enthusiasm for the McCain/Palin ticket. In fact this was the most unified I have seen the evangelical camp in over two years.

If the McCain campaign continues to fan the flames of the enthusiasm of this group, he may well overcome the popularity of Obama and his “history making” campaign. After all, the Palin factor gives McCain a “history making” campaign as well. 

There is one thing that could torpedo McCain’s efforts – a sense that McCain is playing the race card against his opponent instead of using a legitimate political strategy. If the race is determined by the content of the candidates’ character and a sportsman like contest, Americans will have realized Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream. Therefore, even if Senator Obama is not elected president, the nation will acknowledge this as a watershed moment for the entire country. On the other hand, if racial slurs and prejudice are used by McCain supporters it could cause a backlash among undecided voters that will cause the McCain/Palin ticket to lose.

The only negative thing that came out of the Values Voter’s Summit was that two men from Franklin Tennessee (Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss) sold a product called “Obama Waffles” at the event until the conference leaders shut them down on Saturday. The Family Research Council issued a statement on behalf of all of the sponsors of the summit that we “strongly condemned the tone and content of the materials” of the product’s packaging. As far as HILC is concerned, the so-called political “satire” on the boxes of waffles is racist and makes fun of all African Americans – not to mention unfairly demeaning Barak Obama.  Two hundred and six newspaper articles carried the story of the waffles this weekend. Newspapers from Jerusalem to China felt that this story was newsworthy. If this last seven weeks of the campaign becomes a referendum on race, it will hurt race relations and the McCain campaign.

Let me explain.

The images on the box play off of the Aunt Jemima pancake-mix product. The senator is depicted with bulging eyes and thick lips. The packaging also portrays the senator in Arab or Islamic headdress. The back of the box depicts Obama in a Mexican sombrero above a recipe for “Open Border Fiesta Waffles.” The copy implies that Obama will be easy on illegal aliens. People who read the box say that it poked fun at Michelle Obama, Pastor Jeremiah Wright, and John Kerry.

When African-American members of my conference staff and volunteers saw the product, it deeply offended them. They felt that it reflected badly on all participants - especially our organization. Here we were at the event talking about racial reconciliation and the need for evangelicals to vote based on their principles, while another “unofficial group” of people were undermining our message and making money on this distortion to boot.

Conservatives should repudiate people that want to use racism as a weapon in this election. It will backfire on us. As an African American I think that it’s time that the conservative movement shed the image of being racially insensitive. Republicans should be especially zealous to restore their image and their legacy as a reform party - the party of Lincoln. 

If the contest stays tough but clean, and evangelicals remain engaged with enthusiasm McCain may have a shot at a positive photo finish. My prayer is simply that the best man wins.

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by Armstrong Williams

In the fall of 2007, we took a production crew to Alaska for our annual taping of the RightSide television broadcast.  While there, we heard such a buzz about this woman named Palin, and the fact that she would one day be someone’s vice-presidential candidate.  Keep in mind that this was 2007, and 80% of the country had never heard of Sarah Palin.  What also struck me was that while so many Republicans had issues with her at the time, they strongly urged us to interview her while in Alaska . 

Before parting to return home, we made a call to Palin’s office, and, lo and behold, they gave us an hour to spend with her and interview her on camera.  As someone who unabashedly believes in God, and finds moral striving to be critical in today’s America , we were struck by the fact that we both shared a Pentecostal upbringing.  In our profession, we get to interview people of all walks of life.  But we were so impressed by this woman called Palin’s unwavering faith in moral absolutes, and her warmth and sincerity towards our production crew, that we found ourselves feeling almost awestruck upon leaving her offices. 

Back in Washington that fall, when we mentioned Governor Palin to insiders, many of them considered it laughable that she would one day be considered someone’s vice-president; so the interview and our experience lay dormant.  Fast forward to where we are now and Senator Barack Obama’s decision not to select Senator Hillary Clinton as his running mate, and out of the wild blue yonder, McCain selects Palin as his.  Who would have ever thought that Palin, an unknown and, in some minds, untested small state Governor could have had such an impact on women voters and the conservative base so quickly?

Given the complex challenge the selection of Palin as McCain’s running mate poses for the Obama-Biden ticket, one has to wonder deep down just what Hillary Clinton is thinking and feeling.  Have you noticed that she only criticizes McCain and shows deference to Palin?  One has to feel deep down that Senator Clinton is just as ecstatic about the selection of Governor Palin as the Republican base is.  Why?  It is known in many circles that former President Bill Clinton has assumed that Senator Obama will lose the election in November, and he has even predicted the margins of defeat.  The Clintons , given their incredible instincts and understanding of the political landscape much relish the fact that McCain will be 76 in 2012, and, no matter what, Americans will not be ready for Palin as President.  In fact, the Clintons must feel that the stars are aligned for them, because in 2012 it will be a cinch for them to capture their party’s nomination and beat either an aging McCain or an inexperienced Palin.

One can only conclude that the current scenario spells doom for the Clintons ’ enthusiasm for an Obama victory in November.  So, Senator Obama, it is fair to say, made a colossal mistake in selecting Senator Joe Biden as his running mate and not a woman.  He did not realize that he gave McCain a great opportunity to play his greatest trump card. So he found a woman, five kids in tow, one suffering from Down syndrome, who is not only resonating with the American people, but has literally displaced Senator Barack Obama as the phenom and the celebrity in this race.

The choice of Palin seems to have helped McCain close the gender gap versus Senator Obama.  Recent polls have shown that the sizeable lead for Senator Obama among white women has now been narrowed, and that McCain and Obama are running about equal with white women voters.  McCain has also closed the gap somewhat on the economy, with Obama retaining only a narrow advantage in what was previously seen as a strong point; this is utterly incredulous at a time when the current Republican administration facing the highest unemployment levels in fifteen years.

Forget about what the pundits are predicting.  Toss out all the playbooks and textbooks over the past election cycles; there is nothing in the history of presidential politics that can now give us an indication as to who will be the ultimate victor.  Analysis of the electoral map reveals a possibility of another Bush-Gore scenario.  If Senator Barack Obama does not stop the bleeding and snatch the flavor of the month away from Palin, he could find himself carrying only a few states going into November.  What should worry the Obama campaign the most though, is that he peaked to soon, and he has reached his ceiling.  He now finds himself all over the place, compromising on issues that he was firm on in the past; all evidence that he is confounded with the burgeoning McCain-Palin celebrity-dom.

www.armstrongwilliams.com

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By Star Parker

Barney Frank isn’t just another liberal. And he is much more than just an openly gay congressman. He is a powerful legislator who happens to be chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

This makes Frank a central and influential player in government’s response to the current mortgage crisis that has rocked our financial markets. The decisions that Frank, a Democrat, makes can put taxpayers on the hook for not just billions, but trillions of dollars. These are decisions that effect our pocketbooks but also our freedom. They influence the size and scope of government in the lives of every American citizen.

So, yes, I care a lot about what Barney Frank thinks, and how he thinks, on any subject that I know matters to him.

It’s why I paid particular attention when Frank decided to join the liberal chorus attacking conservatives on the issue of John McCain’s selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

In an op-ed in his hometown paper, the Boston Globe, Frank portrays conservatives as small-minded and intolerant folk who are willing to hypocritically look the other way, and forgive where they normally would not forgive, in order to get one of their own into a position of power.

With regard to Palin’s sister’s divorce, and the pregnancy of her teenage daughter, “people of the right,” according to Frank, “seek to impose strict standards on others, and blame them for falling short, while making exceptions for those close to them.”

This, in contrast to liberals, who for Frank are honest about and realistic in addressing life’s many challenges, and ready to forgive, at the drop of a hat, those who stray off the path.

In Frank’s mind, liberalism is tantamount to respect and compassion. And conservatism amounts to intolerance and self-righteousness.

My guess is that Crystal Dixon, who I wrote about earlier this year, doesn’t quite see the world as Barney Frank does.

Dixon, a black Christian woman, wrote an op-ed that was published in the Toledo Free Press, as a counter point to a pro-gay opinion column that had appeared in the paper. She challenged that column and expressed her sense, as a Christian, that homosexual behavior is unacceptable. She also challenged the premise equating unwillingness to accept homosexuality to racial discrimination (”I cannot wake up tomorrow morning and not be a black woman”).

Dixon was fired from the administrative position she held at the University of Toledo for writing this column and expressing her views.

I’m not holding my breath waiting for Barney Frank to write an outraged column about the abrogation of Crystal Dixon’s freedom. I’m not expecting much respect and compassion from the congressman for a woman who lost her job because she is a Christian and tired of sitting by quietly and passively as others force their counter-world view on her.

Barney Frank calls James Dobson “one of the leading advocates for imposing moral choices on the rest of us.”

Frank introduced last year the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007 making it a federal crime for an employer to deny employment to an individual because of their sexual orientation.

Dobson talks on the radio. Frank, a congressman, wields major political power and wants to pass legislation imposing his sense of right and wrong on every employer in America, and yet he sees Dobson as the threat to freedom.

As the many Americans who quietly go to church and unobtrusively raise their families have sat by quietly and passively over the years, left-wing activists such as Frank have hijacked our nation and our culture. Now that those who care about traditional values respond, they are called intolerant.

Initiatives to constitutionally define marriage as between a man and a woman have not come out of the blue. They are in response to left-wing inspired judicial activism that, if ignored, would result in homosexual marriage becoming a formal and legal reality in America.

Of course, conservatives are thrilled by the candidacy of Sarah Palin.

And, of course, Christians understand that to err is to be human. Forgiveness is a pillar of our faith.

We even forgive Barney Frank. Our only intolerance is toward his campaign to tear down the traditional values foundation of our country and replace them with his culture of nihilism.

(Star Parker is president of CURE, Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (www.urbancure.org) and author of three books. She can be reached at parker(at)urbancure.org.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)

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