FJM Blog

By Ken Blackwell

As President-elect Barack Obama prepares to protect our national security as commander-in-chief, we should hope his policies will be a radical departure from his campaign promises.

In his exit interviews, when asked what advice he would give the incoming president, President George W. Bush is encouraging Mr. Obama to remember his most solemn obligation is to protect the American people. The president who has kept us from being attacked since 9/11 is calling on the next president to be equally vigilant against the ongoing terrorist threat.

Mr. Obama won the Democratic nomination by running to Hillary Clinton’s left on national security. He did more than denounce the Iraq War. He called for habeas corpus rights to be given to foreign terrorists, called for meeting face-to-face with the leaders of countries that support terrorism, called for strident national-security measures enacted after 9/11 to be withdrawn, voted against funding troops in combat in Iraq, said the troop surge was doomed to failure, promised to remove all troops immediately, and called for closing Guantanamo Bay.

At the time, Mrs. Clinton called his views naïve and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden said that his vote against troop funding could cost American lives. But it won Mr. Obama plaudits from the far-left that dominated the Democratic nominating process.

Since then, Mr. Obama has given indications this may have just been politically-expedient rhetoric. He has appointed Mrs. Clinton as secretary of state, kept Robert Gates as secretary of defense, and may keep in place President Bush’s plan to gradually withdrawal military forces from Iraq.

What about the remaining national-security issues?

Will Mr. Obama close Guantanamo Bay? What will he do with the hundreds of hardened terrorists there? Can he name a single member of Congress who wants to have those terrorists sent to their district to be imprisoned, creating a tempting terrorist target in their own backyard?

Vice President Dick Cheney, in his recent exit interview on Fox News Sunday, pointed out that many of the Bush Administration’s actions have saved American lives, by uncovering and stopping plots such as the conspiracy to hijack flights from London bound for the United States. Will President Obama end the surveillance programs—condemned by the far left—that uncovered these plots?

Mr. Cheney also revealed he personally briefed the leaders of both parties in the White House Situation Room regarding these surveillance programs. He said Democrat leaders unanimously agreed with Republicans that they wanted these programs continued, and did not want the rest of Congress briefed for fear of information leaking out. These are the programs which, once leaked, led to indignant speeches by those same Democrat leaders condemning them. Will he rise above the partisanship that has infected the national-security debate by continuing those programs?

Ironically, the biggest challenge Mr. Obama faces on these issues could be of his own making. He promised to appoint judicial activists to our nation’s federal courts.

Yet, for the first time in history, the Supreme Court has become involved in overriding the actions of the president, and even the actions of the president and Congress working together, on national security. In Boumediene v. Bush, for example, the Court struck down procedures that Congress wrote into law and the president signed for detainees. This 5-4 decision came about from the Court’s sole moderate justice siding with the four liberals.

If Mr. Obama appoints more activists, he will guarantee that the Court continues to strike down presidential actions and even congressional legislation. Will he keep his promise to appoint strident liberals to the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts, knowing that it will result in those who are least-equipped to decide national-security matters continuing to do so?

The campaign is over, and it is now time for the hard work of governing to begin. Our nation’s security is far too important for petty partisan politics.

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By Harry R. Jackson, Jr.

Last week Paul Weyrich, a true American hero, passed away at the surprisingly young age of 66. Weyrich was a political activist and commentator with an almost prophetic sensitivity to the trends of culture and politics. As a leading conservative he will be most remembered as a co-founder of the Heritage Foundation (a conservative think tank) and the idea man who gave Jerry Falwell the concept of the moral majority. Weyrich also actually helped to found many other organizations including: the Council for National Policy (CNP) (an organization strategically aligning social conservatives), the Free Congress Foundation (an association of conservative activist organizations), and National Empowerment Television (a cable TV network, also known as America’s Voice, designed to mobilize the conservative grassroots).

Who will take his place? This is the first question that arises at the death of a national leader. This is often the wrong question, because pioneers are usually impossible to replace. A more important question is: who will continue his work in light of the gift that this great man has been to our world? In other words, how do we carry on the legacy of Paul Weyrich? I believe that the man who once advocated the abandonment of many of our basic, public institutions in order to set up values-based alternatives would tell us that it is time for conservatives to re-engage in grassroots politics. He would not encourage us to engage in politics for politics sake. He would urge us to make sure that the conservative voice does not disappear as we enter what many are calling “the most liberal, one party government in American history.”

I think that a recent op-ed (opinion-editorial) piece written just 10 days before Weyrich’s death carries the tone and spirit of the conservative great. “Keeping a Conservative Voice” written by Mike Pence of Indiana, newly elected chairman of the House Republican Conference, sets forth four necessary steps for conservatives to take if we are to carry on Paul Weyrich’s legacy.

Although Pence did not mention Paul Weyrich and was probably not aware of how close the leader was to death, his words are as hauntingly reminiscent of Weyrich’s work as they are instructive. Pence began his article by explaining that only 22% of the voters on November 4th described themselves as “liberal.” He is essentially saying, as Paul Weyrich did in 1979, that there is a moral majority among American voters.

If we accept Pence’s premise, then his first step is absolutely imperative for the conservative movement. Step one is simply to confess that both Republicans and conservatives have lost their way. Private lifestyles have undermined the credibility of the movement’s public policy choices. Observers have noticed that the personal hypocrisy of some legislators is aggravated by governing hypocrisy. Governing hypocrisy is when I advocate one philosophic way of doing things before I get into office, while making laws or administrating programs in an inconsistent manner. For example, Republicans have started drifting toward their own brand of big government, despite years of decrying the dangers of big government. This move has become most glaring as we look at record deficits, federal involvement in education, and the current financial bailouts.

As the result of this double dealing, the Republican brand has lost a great deal of credibility and the word “conservative” is becoming synonymous with words like “narrow minded” or “bigoted.”

Second, these solutions have to be based on timeless principles that every conservative would share - defending the nation, balancing our budget, and promoting conservative social values.

Third, in his December 8th article Pence exhorted conservatives to work with people of every race and socio-economic strata based on the clear principles stated in step 2. Having worked with Paul Weyrich on many projects during the last four years, I am sure that Weyrich would advocate reaching out to blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities. We must do everything we can to prevent our 21st century conservatism from being labeled as racist, sexist, or elitist.

Fourth and finally, Pence exhorted conservatives to support the next president in every way that they can. As the loyal opposition, conservatives must work harder at genuine problem solving that looks out for the interests of the American people. This means that conservatives must lay aside partisan opinions and serve the nation based on proven principles.

In my opinion, it is unfortunate that in the current ideologically polarized environment, remaining faithful to conservative principles may put us at odds with the administration on many occasions. There may need to be spirited debates based on principles that we engage in despite our inability to carry a majority vote. Faithfulness and principled leadership should be encouraged by all of us.

In conclusion, let me remind you that every aspect of life, including politics, goes through cycles. There are periods of revival and periods of decline. In today’s culture we need many men to arise with the tireless spirit of Paul Weyrich and the clear message of Mike Pence to preserve our faith, our freedoms, and our national prosperity.

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By Herman Cain

OK! I said last week I would try to find some holiday cheer for this week, after sharing with you the depressing discovery that the union payoff legislation, or “Employee Free Choice Act,” from the Democrats in Congress would eliminate secret ballots and a vote altogether.

Under this proposed legislation, if union organizers can persuade a majority of a company’s employees to sign cards supporting unionization, the union is automatically certified and no vote is taken.

Well I did find some cheer! It is Richard Epstein’s article in the Wall Street Journal last Friday – “The Employee Free Choice Act is Unconstitutional”.

Epstein’s legal analysis is so clearly presented that even a non-lawyer could make a successful argument in court. But that does not mean the Democrats would not try to pass the legislation anyway. They have to be able to show the labor unions they tried, even if it is unconstitutional.

Now back to the bad news. Epstein’s analysis is encouraging and clearly establishes a strong court challenge if the EFCA passes, but imagine how many businesses will be targeted and ruined before the legislation is thrown out in court.

Court challenges can take years. Businesses do not have that long if they are forced to unionize while waiting for the courts to resolve a law that never should have been passed in the first place.

The current economic downturn and financial credit crunch has made the window of survival for many businesses even shorter.

But at least there is hope.

There is hope that enough legislators will wake up and oppose the proposed legislation. This could happen if enough businesses become vocal and apply some heat to their members of Congress.

There is also hope that millions of voters will become vocal against this proposed legislation. Voters are the workers who will be most impacted with job losses, while the union representatives move on to destroy the next business.

Many Democrats have for years blamed the exodus of jobs from this country on greedy corporations and stockholders. They are consistently in denial that the two biggest causes are non-competitive corporate tax rates and non-competitive union demands.

All we have to do is look at the current situation with the U.S. automakers who are struggling for their economic survival.

Earth to liberals! We are in a global economy!

With an increased majority of Democrats in both houses of Congress, it is unlikely that corporate tax rates will be reduced anytime soon. Nor is it likely that the Democrats will acknowledge the senselessness of allowing the current tax rates to expire at the end of 2010.

So let’s put a death nail in the U.S. economy with forced unionization and unreasonable union demands with an unconstitutional law.

Now that’s change we can believe in, it’s just going to be faster.

Let’s hope that I am dead wrong.

Oh, I almost forgot! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, while it is still a recognized constitutional right to say in public.

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By Star Parker

“Tis the season to be jolly.”

But this year it’s going to be a challenge for many Americans. A Washington Post survey this week reported two thirds saying they were being impacted by the current recession. In another poll, 57 percent said they’d be cutting back on their Christmas spending.

Nothing unsettles the human heart and mind more than the unknown. I think our general discomfort is compounded by a feeling of not knowing exactly what is causing this economic tsunami and how and when we will recover.

Maybe as we consider all this, and particularly at a time of the year when we think about the blessings we do have to count, we might ponder what produced all the prosperity we have to begin with. What ’s behind this great economic miracle — the greatest of all time — the United States of America?

If we listen to the news and our politicians, you would conclude it’s all kind of a big machine. Like with a stalled car, they’re all under the hood trying to figure out what went wrong. A busted hose? Distributor? Spark plugs? What needs to get fixed or installed to get the thing running again?

Or, alternatively, you’d think that we’re like a bunch of white laboratory mice running around in a cage. The policy makers stand over us in white coats trying to figure out, “Well, do we need to give them a food pellet or an electric shock to get them to do what we want?”

Are we so lost today that we have forgotten that our great miracle has been produced by free people living in a free country?

Yet, now we hear from politicians that the problem is we’re too free. We need more government, more regulations, more bureaucrats planning our lives and telling us what to do. Who is asking, given what made us great to begin with, if the problem is not exactly the opposite?

Consider that on the other side of the world the Chinese are now celebrating the 30th anniversary of the economic reforms that introduced private ownership and free markets into their communist country. Sure, China is still run by their communist party. But 30 years ago one hundred percent of their companie s were government run. Today half have been privatized.

China has been growing at double-digit rates since they opened the door to economic freedom. Income per person is ten times higher today than thirty years ago. And 250 million Chinese have been lifted out of poverty.

Now I read that another miracle is occurring in China alongside of the new prosperity which freedom has enabled.

The Economist magazine recently reported about what it called “China’s fastest growing non-governmental organization.” Christianity.

According to the report, there may be now 130 million Chinese Christians - some 10 percent of the population. It is estimated that maybe one percent of the Chinese population was Christian when communist China was founded in 1949.

It’s particularly compelling to consider that this explosive growth of Chinese Christianity is occurring in a country that is still officially atheist and where the government remains hostile and opposed to religion. And that, according to this estimate, the number of Chinese Christians is now almost double the number of Chinese members of the Communist Party.

So why, when the Chinese are discovering both freedom and faith, is America abandoning both?

Why do we now think we need to turn to commissars in Washington to plan our economy and our lives to save our country? Is this really where we should be turning20to be saved?

Let’s remember, particularly now, that freedom is what made America great and that for that freedom, in the words of our first president George Washington, “religion and morality are indispensable.”

This Christmas, let’s remember who we really are and that the formula for American success is freedom, faith, family, and friends. Merry Christmas to all.

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By Harry R. Jackson Jr.

Call in “Gay Day” and the new tension between blacks and the gay community have been surprising post-election developments. But last week’s surprise took the cake!

Thursday, I read with incredulity the words of Lisa Miller in a Newsweek article advocating gay marriage entitled, “Our Mutual Joy.” Although I knew that there would eventually be an all-out attack by the gay community on traditional marriage, I did not expect mainstream magazines to submit to the gay agenda so easily. It seems to me that the defeat of the attempts by gays to secure marriage rights has hurt the pride of their movement. Therefore, gay advocates seem to have a need to flex their muscles and exert their influence around the nation.

Miller’s article turned out to be nothing more than propaganda for the gay rights movement. Further, she set herself up as a biblical expert speaking out against the bias of the nation’s churches. I was especially surprised that Jon Meacham, Newsweek’s managing editor, decided to place this article on the front page of the famed magazine. Ironically, I participated in a symposium with him last month entitled, “One nation under God?” In the symposium setting, Meacham came off as an ivory tower, religious liberal even though the title of his last book was American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation. The book was well researched, powerfully written, and critically acclaimed. Given Meacham’s brilliance, I expected a more fair and balanced presentation from his “shop.”

Further, given the tumultuous times in which we live, I expected more content and substance from such an authoritative, national voice. Perhaps Meacham only had the bottom line in mind - increased weekly sales. If that was his measure, I am sure he met his goals. Last week the magazine sold out quickly at newsstands around DC and it nationally received over 40,000 responses to the piece. Newsweek officials reported that the vast majority of these contacts were negative, stemming from a letter-writing campaign led by the American Family Association.

Was there any value to the article? Not really. It was a diatribe aimed at discrediting the biblically based opposition to gay marriage. Lisa Miller’s compelling, opening paragraph began with a huge misrepresentation of biblical truth and then it went downhill from there. She ended her introductory paragraph with the following negative query, “Would any contemporary heterosexual married couple…turn to the Bible as a how-to script?”

Her article questioned both the content of the Bible and the applicability of its lessons. Like so many casual biblical observers, Miller mistakenly painted Bible heroes solely in terms of their personal problems. In essence, she glibly recited superficial facts from the Bible without understanding the moral lessons they illustrate.

In addition to misrepresenting the content of the scriptures, Miller exaggerated the magnitude of the theological battle over gay marriage. She  compared the battle for gay marriage, “waged for more than a decade,” with the pulpit controversy over slavery in the 1860s. Although gay marriage has become a huge cultural debate, only a small number of Bible scholars or theologians would make a case for gay marriage. As a result there are only a handful of churches in any city that are affirming to gays.

Not stopped by logic, history or cultural tradition, Miller boldly made this declaration, “Scripture gives us no good reason why gays and lesbians should not be (civilly and religiously) married – and a number of excellent reasons why they should.” Her assertion was so wrong headed that only people who have never read much of the Bible could believe it.

At the end of the day, the gay community realizes that the Bible-believing, faith community will continue to block its efforts to make gay marriage the law of the land. Their hope is that younger Christians who are not committed to mainstream theology will change their views and their votes. Therefore, I expect to see more articles espousing bizarre theological arguments and doctrines in an attempt to re-define this clear-cut, moral issue of homosexuality.

Let  the Newsweek article serve as a warning to the Bible-believing, Christian community. We cannot rest on our laurels. We must do three things. First, we must determine that we will honor the covenant of marriage. Our nation is in need of covenant couples, who will raise the standard for lifelong marriage again, demonstrating to hurting people in noncommittal relationships that lifelong married monogamy is the happiest, most fulfilling arrangement ever created.

Second, we must let our voices be heard as the 40,000 protestors did last week. We must not remain silent. Third, we should boycott media sources that move beyond reporting the news to attempting to ‘create’ the news.

It is not too late to save the family in America. Our movement simply needs to remain focused upon creating a nation that respects biblical marriage and the multiplied benefits it gives to us, and our children.

Let’s roll.

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In concert with the theme of the Nov/Dec 08 issue of Freedom’s Journal Magazine What Role Should the Church Play in Politics? We offer the following FoxNews special.

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By Ak’bar Shabazz

As the year ends, so will the seasons of most high school football teams.  Both the victorious and vanquished will move on to other things.

For many senior players, it is likely to be the last time they play organized sports. According to the NCAA, just over five percent of high school football players will play in college, and even fewer will end up playing professionally.

What happens to those kids who didn’t prepare for this reality?  What is the fate of the countless young men and women who will never play sports again?  How can they be kept from making the wrong decisions?

For many former student-athletes, it will be a less-than-graceful fall to earth. For better or worse, they will are headed for the status quo of their families and community.  With proper direction, they’ll be fine. If not, they’ll be lucky to settle into mediocrity.

As a volunteer assistant football coach, it pains me to see other coaches exploit players’ success only to drop them after they’ve played their final game.  To them, it seems yesterday’s players are yesterday’s news.  While those coaches dream about next season, the kids fall from prince to pauper.

There needs to be something to give at-risk kids proper direction and prevent them from ending up on the streets.  It doesn’t need to come from government.  Community-based organizations such as churches, fraternities and sororities and charities are there and want to enhance their neighborhoods.

In this troubled economy, it is also more important than ever that kids get a good education. There are plenty of opportunities for gifted student-athletes to get a higher education, but many lack the guidance and instruction to make the right choices.  Concerned adults can help.

Today’s coaches and administrators have a great responsibility.  It’s more than about sports these days - it’s about kids’ futures.  A college scholarship can earn them a good education and the possibility of playing sports for a few more years.  Upon graduation, when going pro is only a remote possibility, they still have an education that can launch them on a career and provide an example for younger kids to emulate.

I’m familiar, however, with the different extremes facing student-athletes.

In Georgia, where football is king and where I currently live, many high school coaches have relationships with colleges.  They can get even marginal yet motivated players some sort of scholarship.  The kids can lace it up for a few more years and get that important education.

On the other end of the spectrum is Indiana, where I grew up.  It is not unusual to see former high school superstars there selling drugs, in jail or simply hanging out on street corners.

Compared to Georgia, coaches in Indiana are less willing to actively promote the advancement of their players’ education.  The Indiana Football Coaches Association seems to rely more on team histories and league politics than individuals’ skills.  It prevents many smart and capable rural and inner-city players from obtaining the exposure that will help them earn a scholarship.

Athletics has grown beyond being a simple pastime.  It is now a vehicle that can help a kid go farther than his current conditions dictate.  But it can also set kids up for a tremendous fall.

Communities can’t rely on self-interested coaches and administrators to look out for kids. Concerned parents and community leaders need to be actively involved to make sure student-athletes have an opportunity to make the most of their playing days.  If they cannot, they need to be there to make sure they are not cast aside and forgotten.

Having skills on the field or the court can be both a blessing and a curse.  It is up to those with the means and the power - the adults - to promote those student-athletes with the talent and ambition as well as ensure those who cannot advance are not left to fend for themselves in a world far less glamorous that before.

It’s not just for them, but for all of society.

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Ak’Bar A. Shabazz is a member of the national advisory council for the Project 21 black leadership network and president of Shabazz Enterprises.  Comments may be sent to akbar@akbarshabazz.com.

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