FJM Blog

By Mychal Massie

“What kind of nigger are you?”

Like “have you stopped beating your wife?,” it’s a question with no right answer.

The question is even harder to answer when it’s being yelled at you by one of two angry men who are over six feet tall and together weigh close to 500 pounds (and you weigh just 130).

Making it even more uncomfortable is that all of you are black!

Welcome to the world of Kenneth Gladney.

This past August 6, Gladney was handing out pens and buttons outside a St. Louis-area town hall meeting sponsored by Representative Russ Carnahan (D-MO).  People there were concerned about Obama policies such as the cap-and-trade energy tax, runaway “stimulus” spending and a government takeover of health care.  Despite the crowd’s anxiety, Gladney - by all reports - was far from what one might consider “angry.”

Leave the anger to Elston McCowan and Perry Molens.  McCowan and Molens work for the Service Employees International Union. When town hall meetings became uncomfortable for Obama-friendly lawmakers, the SEIU essentially became the White House’s muscle.

According to the recently-released police report from the Carnahan event, witnesses saw McCowan berating Gladney.  That’s when McCowan asked the previously-mentioned loaded question. McCowan then punched Gladney in the face.  Molens grabbed Gladney by the collar and dragged him over the table, where they both proceeded to punch and kick Gladney.

McCowan and Molens were arrested for assault and interfering with an officer (formal charges were filed on November 25).  Gladney went to the hospital with a sore shoulder.

A black man was beaten for expressing his political beliefs.  Isn’t that a hate crime?

Where are the Jacksons and the Sharptons calling the SEIU leadership on the carpet and demanding answers?  Where are the Congressional Black Caucus demands for hearings and investigations?  Why hasn’t Obama said these union thugs “acted stupidly”?

Unfortunately, the SEIU seems immune from scrutiny.  When the White House visitor logs were recently released, SEIU president Andy Stern was Obama’s most frequent guest.  SEIU chapters also work hand-in-glove with ACORN.

It also must be remembered that Kenneth Gladney is a black conservative.  Hate crimes and civil rights protections don’t always seem to apply to blacks who don’t toe the liberal line.

As the chairman of the black conservative network Project 21, I’m no stranger to such abuse.

I’ve been called “Uncle Tom” more times than I care to - and can - remember.  I’ve had my face photoshopped onto an Aunt Jemima box.

Like Ward Connerly, Walter Williams, Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson, Condoleezza Rice, Juan Williams (when he strays from the liberal plantation), General Colin Powell (until he began criticizing Republicans) and others, I have been called names such as “house negro” and considered a race traitor - as if being black makes us politically distinct from the rest of humanity.

Can’t we all get along?

With the exception of Reverend Peterson - who actually was roughed up by associates of Jesse Jackson - most black conservatives have been spared from the indignity suffered upon Gladney.

But this may change.

On August 6, the Obama White House told liberal senators they had to be more aggressive with critics.  According to the Politico newspaper, Obama deputy chief of staff Jim Messina said “punch back twice as hard.”

Gladney reportedly didn’t even raise a hand in anger that very night before he was pummeled by Obama loyalists.

Nixon had a fabled enemies list, and it’s rumored Obama has something similar (remember flag@whitehouse.gov?).  Conservative groups were routinely audited by the IRS during the Clinton Administration.

Now it seems violence is approved against Obama critics.

Obama’s election was considered a civil rights milestone, yet his staff that now seeks to essentially turn a firehose on dissent.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

#  #  #

Mychal Massie is the chairman of the black leadership network Project 21.  Comments may be sent to Project21@nationalcenter.org.

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By Herman Cain

“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated” was an expression popularized by Mark Twain after hearing that his obituary had been published in the New York Journal circa 1897.

A daily overdose of bad news about our economy, military casualties and bad legislation being rushed through Congress by the Democrats would make it easy for someone to be ready to pronounce the death of the United States.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Despite all of the attention devoted to negative stories about the recession, jobs, the wars and what the liberals are trying to do to this country, we are not dead yet.

The operative word is yet.

Yes, we are on the brink of bankruptcy as a nation. Yes, our economy is stalled due to a recession that did not have to happen. And yes, our situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating because of a procrastinating president. Yet, there are many things for which we can be thankful.

Our Constitutions is not broken. It is simply not being enforced, and it is being misinterpreted by some people. The First Amendment to the Constitution says that government cannot impose religion on the people. It does not say that religion cannot be exhibited in government.

Liberals ignore this fact as they try to eliminate religion and faith from our culture. All of our currency is inscribed with “In God We Trust” for a reason.

Our system of three branches of government is not broken as designed by the Founding Fathers. The excessive abuse of those branches is the problem. We have too much legislation, too much regulation and too much taxation.

And our military is still the strongest and best in the world. Using our military power where and when appropriate is not arrogance. It’s common sense. Pip squeak potentates in smaller and weaker countries would like to reduce us to their level by promising to sit down and sing kumbaya.

The current administration might buy that, but I do not. I believe in diplomacy as much as anyone else. But when diplomacy fails, we are faced with a “kill or be killed” or “take or be taken” world.

The people of this country are not going to be taken for granted.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from frustrated citizens is, “What can we do?” I tell them that there’s a lot we can do, and giving up is not one of them.

First, become better informed about the big issues. These include Cap & Trade & Tax & Kill, Health Care Deform legislation, Card Check lies, the Unfairness Doctrine and anything that walks or talks or looks like a tax increase.

Liberals are counting on enough uninformed people in order to pass their extreme liberal agenda of more taxes, more government and less individual responsibility, even if they have to distort the facts.

Secondly, I tell them to get ready to vote in November 2010 and again in 2012. Too many conservatives stayed home in 2008 and we are now suffering the consequences.

Then lastly, join an organization capable of expressing your voice collectively with millions of other like minded people. Yes, it is important to call your representative and send them e-mails with your views, but it is equally important to express your opinions collectively with millions of other voices.

The USA is not dead, and reports of our impending death are greatly exaggerated. Don’t ask the politicians or the mainstream media. Just ask the real people who are no longer sitting on their “anchovies”.

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By Ken Blackwell

I’m not a doctor. I don’t even play one on TV. Nor is Steve Pearlstein a doctor. Pearlstein is the respected business columnist of the Washington Post. His weekly column scorched President Obama’s Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for her decision to override an impartial expert panel’s advice on mammograms.

He wrote: “Sebelius did a marvelous job…of undermining the move toward evidence-based medicine with her hasty and cowardly disavowal of a recommendation from her department’s own task force that women under 50 are probably better off not getting routine annual mammograms.”

How does Steve Pearlstein know which advice is better for women–an HHS panel of medical experts or the Secretary of HHS? He doesn’t and I don’t. One thing is clear, we’re going to get this kind of back-and-forthing every week from now until the day we die unless the government takeover of health care is stopped.

President Obama’s chief adviser on health care is Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel, brother of White House  Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel. Dr. Emmanuel thinks the problem with burgeoning health care costs is that pesky Hippocratic Oath. Too many doctors are too concerned about their own patients; they’re not looking at the bigger picture. In a world of scarce resources, wouldn’t it be better to take our chances that some women 41-50 will get breast cancer than to devote a disproportionate share of society’s total resources to MRI’s for them. We could treat a lot of diabetics for what it costs to save a few women from breast cancer. Do the math. That’s the Zeke approach.

It’s probably really convenient that Zeke and Rahm are brothers. That way we can apply Chicago-style politics to your health care needs. You won’t have many choices under ObamaCare. But you don’t have many choices for Mayor in Chicago, either. And they like it that way.

One thing not being mentioned in this week’s battle over early detection for breast cancer is the abortion-breast cancer connection. Abortion can increase the likelihood of a woman developing  breast cancer. So can use of the contraceptive pill.

These are not things you are likely to hear in this debate. Why? Because the fight to defend human life has already politicized medical care in this country.

Drs. Joel Brind and Angela Lanfranchi are highly educated medical and researchers. They head the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute. Note their emphasis on prevention. It’s a word we rarely hear in politicized discussions of breast cancer.

President and Mrs. Obama placed a giant pink ribbon outside the White House last month. It was breast cancer awareness month. Is there anyone in the U.S. who is not aware of breast cancer? And liberal blather about how men just don’t get it, just don’t care about breast cancer is nonsense. Men have mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters whom we love. (Men, by the way, can get breast cancer, too.)

We need to pay greater attention to prevention strategies. Drs. Brind and Lanfranchi offer common sense recommendations, including these: 1. Reduce exposure to estrogen (such as that included in birth control pills, patches and injectable or implantable hormones). 2. Don’t smoke. 3. Exercise. 4. Maintain early body weight.   5. Have children earlier in life. 6. Breast feed your children. 7. Avoid induced abortion. 8. Avoid induced premature deliveries.

You can get more detailed information from the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute at 1.866.622.6237 (1.86NO CANCER) or by going online to www.bcpinstitute.org. Most of the debate over ObamaCare has focused too narrowly on some select issues–subsidies for abortion, the so-called public option (government health care), or coverage of illegal immigrants.

These are important questions, to be sure, but they’re only three of the hundreds of reasons why we should resist ObamaCare. We need to see how politicized medicine is simply bad medicine. We need to understand that politics is not the best place for decisions about your health care needs. We need to encourage those doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who uphold the Hippocratic Oath. They are not working for all of society. They hold their obligation to you, their patient, as a sacred trust. Isn’t that what you really want in a health care provider?

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By Armstrong Williams

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is now conscious and being nursed back to health by hospital staff, just days after opening fire on crowds of unarmed American soldiers at the Fort Hood Readiness Center. Hasan reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar!” — a phrase meaning “God is great!” –before discharging 100 bullets at some 300 unarmed American soldiers who had gathered for pre-deployment processing. By the time his rampage ended, Hasan had massacred 13 servicemen and women, and injured 30.

In all likelihood, this tragedy would have been avoided if political correctness hadn’t led military and government officials to turn a blind eye to clear signs that Hassan had become an Islamist extremist.  As far back as a year ago, at least three government agencies—the Army, the Department of Defense, and the FBI —learned that Hasan had sent 10 to 20 e-mails to al Qaeda propagandist, Anwar Aulaqi.  Aulaqui is the radical imam from Virginia who had ties to several of the 9/11 hijackers. In those 2008 correspondences with Aulaqui, Hasan sought advice about how to reconcile his membership in the armed forces with his increasingly radical beliefs. One can certainly imagine how Aulaqui prodded Hassan toward the virulent strain of Islamic extremism that he preaches through his website.  Indeed, just days after Hassan’s rampage, Aulaqui posted an essay on his web site titled “Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing.” In it, Aulaqui described Hasan as a hero and “a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people.”

Amazingly, none of the three government agencies that was aware of the communications between Hasan and Aulaqui ever opened an in- depth investigation into the matter. How is it that three government agencies could know that a major in the US Army is communicating with an Al Quaeda associate, yet do nothing? At least one government official has stated that US officials were scared that an investigation into Hasan’s activities could be viewed as a sign of bias against Muslims. And so they did nothing. A year later, Hasan went on a killing spree.

Hasan’s colleagues ignored similar red flags. Several of Hasan’s Army comrades have disclosed how, on almost a daily basis, Hasan interrupted class discussions with volatile rants about “Muslims had a right to rise up and attack Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Over time, Hasan became increasingly vocal that the war on terrorism was a war against Islam. More than one classmate complained to higher-ups.

Moreover, doctors at the Walter Reed Medical Center, where Hasan was completing a fellowship, noted that Hasan’s behavior was becoming erratic and that he delighted in spewing anti-American statements.  Fearful of getting embroiled in a discrimination lawsuit, the doctors at Walter Reed had Hasan promoted and transferred to Fort Hood.  Apparently, the administrators at Walter Reed have become so neutered by notions of political correctness, that they ignored the blatant signs that a budding homegrown terrorist was in their midst.

It doesn’t end there. Approximately six months ago, the FBI reviewed internet postings by Hasan, which described suicide bombings as heroic sacrifices in defense of Islam: “If one suicide bomber can kill 100 enemy soldiers because they were caught off guard that would be considered a strategic victory,” wrote Hasan.  The FBI never opened a full investigation. Do terrorists now have to hand out business cards proclaiming themselves “Terrorists” before the FBI takes action? This thought may have actually occurred to Hasan who printed up business cards identifying him as “SOA” – a jihadi acronym for “Soldier of Allah.” Still, no one did anything.

Even now, after the full extent of this tragedy has sunk in, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey has warned the public not to make any connections between Hasan and Muslims: “As great a tragedy as this was, it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty, as well,” said Casey. It is true that this tragedy should not become an excuse to nurture irrational fear and loathing of Muslims. But we cannot become so neutered by political correctness that we ignore the facts. Hasan’s killing spree was the most deadly act of terrorism on American soil since September 11, 2001.

The military must state, in no uncertain terms, that it endorses a zero-tolerance policy for Islamist extremism. Certainly, if Hasan had been a white supremacist spewing forth racist vitriol, he would have been booted from the military. If Hasan had been a domestic terrorist spewing forth Timothy McVeigh-esque rhetoric about a tyrannical federal government, the government would have launched an in-depth investigation. Yet, apparently we have become so fearful of offending the Muslim community that we overlook it when a U.S. soldier exhorts violent Islamist extremism.  Even now, the Washington Post and the New York Times are running profiles on Hasan that depict him as a displaced and impoverished Muslim who suffered for his religious beliefs. For obvious reasons, neither piece mentioned that Hasan earned approximately $90,000 a year and had no school loans to pay back. This is impoverished? I think not. Let’s hold off on the sympathy pieces and deal with the hard truth: This tragedy could have been averted if we hadn’t been so scared of offending the Muslim community that we ignored a jihadist in our midst. We need to open our eyes, and say never again.

www.armstrongwilliams.com
“The Armstrong Williams Show” is broadcast daily on XM Satellite Power 169 from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

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By Ken Blackwell

We don’t yet know how bad the Ft. Hood shooter’s case was. We do not know — and we must find out — how it was possible for an Army medical officer to openly express treasonous statements and not be court-martialed. We do not know if the shooter or his family members were under surveillance by the FBI or other federal law enforcement agencies. We must soon find out.

But we do know this much: Gen. George Casey, the Army Chief of Staff, raced to the Sunday morning talk shows to express his deep concern. Gen. Casey’s concern was not for American victory in the war on terror, nor for the safety of the American people, nor for the safety of U.S. military personnel. Gen. Casey’s greatest concern was for diversity.

He said that if diversity were a “casualty,” then it would be an even greater tragedy than the murders of fourteen innocent Americans.

If we want to know how such an obvious terror threat was ignored, how such a mass killer was enabled, we need look no further than the command climate created by Gen. Casey and his politically correct subordinates.

If you are serving in a forward unit of the Army today, can you have confidence that your fellow soldier can be trusted to “have your back”? Can you sleep soundly in an Army barracks wondering whether your bunkmate might be a jihadist?

Unit cohesion is essential to any effective fighting force. Troops must trust one another when their lives are on the line. By winking at treason, Gen. Casey and his subordinates allowed Major Nidal Hasan’s conduct to taint every Muslim currently serving in the U.S. military.

No one has a right to serve. Service is an honor and a privilege, but it is not a right. Colorblind people and people with heart murmurs are perfectly loyal Americans. It casts no aspersion on them or their families to be excluded from military service.

All military personnel in the U.S. Armed Forces must demonstrate their loyalty to the United States of America. When they raise their right hand and take that oath before God to protect the Constitution of the United States “from all enemies foreign and domestic,” Americans have a right to expect that that oath will be enforced. No one gets a pass.

Gen. Casey has clearly failed to do this. No action could reassure our troops more in the wake of the worst case of domestic terrorism since 9/11 that national security and loyalty to the United States is the first requirement for military service than the dismissal of Gen. Casey.

Our all-volunteer military should know that even a four-star general is held to the same high standard that we expect of the lowest-ranking enlisted man or woman. From now on, it should be understood by all our serving men and women that you can report disloyal, insubordinate, and treasonous statements by anyone in the military and that that report will be acted upon promptly.

Only if this lesson is forcefully taught by the prompt, public dismissal for cause of Gen. Casey will the troops have renewed confidence that they can trust all their fellow soldiers. They must know that the United States will be loyal to them as they are loyal to the United States.

In this, as in so many things, George Washington said it best. In his historic letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport in 1790, he wrote:

[The] Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

Notice this strong pledge of respect for rights of religious minorities comes with a stern requirement: All good citizens must give their “effectual support.” Can anyone say that Major Hasan — after more than a decade of taxpayer-funded education and special treatment — gave the United States his effectual support? Of course not.

There were warning signs aplenty. Many of the shooter’s classmates and fellow officers raise concerns about this man’s loyalty and reliability. The command climate created by Gen. Casey stifled those warning cries. The result is the death of innocents. Gen. Casey must be replaced as Army chief of staff.

Ken Blackwell is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council and a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

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By Harry R. Jackson, Jr.

Last Friday I was privileged to stand with Chuck Colson, Jim Daly, Robert George, Archbishop Wuerl, Tony Perkins, Alan Sears, Cardinal Rigali, and over 20 others to represent the first 150 signers of a document called The Manhattan Declaration.

Why the name? The group met a few weeks ago in Manhattan where we read a draft of the document. It was there we concluded that we had to bridge the huge historic chasms separating the major branches of the Christian faith. The famed Chuck Colson along with co-initiators issued a call to all Christians that we must remain true to our core convictions, based upon the scriptures. The group also came together to let the secular community know that increasingly Christians from Catholic, Evangelical, and Orthodox traditions will work together and speak with one voice.

A critical line of the declaration states, “We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence.” In our estimation this means that civil disobedience may well be a part of the stony path we must tread. The document lays out the group’s views on the value of human life, the concept and role of the family, and religious liberties.

Christianity is not merely a set of doctrines or beliefs; it lives out the ideals set forth in the Bible. This compels us as Christians to commit now, more than ever, to reaffirm the biblical truths that support the common good in our land. We must stand against any pressure that is brought to bear against our Christian ideals in these areas: the definition of marriage, the sanctity of life, and religious liberty. I have sought to paraphrase the documents’ major summary statements below, along with an exhortation for Christians everywhere to join us as signers.

The Definition of Marriage

The institution of marriage has historically been the most important means of sustaining society’s health, education, and human welfare. Marriage has the terrible risk of being redefined, which will subvert it from its original intent as a covenant between one man and one woman. Traditional marriage has been plagued with infidelity and divorce. The idea to redefine marriage has sprung from the vulnerable state of the institution that exists today. Redefinition is not a cure for these ills; it is a symptom. Studies by noted sociologists show conclusively that when marriage erodes, social pathologies rise. Redefining marriage would enable that erosion to increase by defining marriage through romance and physical satisfaction rather than through covenant relationship. It would produce a loss of understanding of what a healthy marriage is in both in our civil laws and religious traditions. We believe that marriage is an objective reality that should be protected by law.

The Sanctity of Life

The weak and vulnerable among our society are also increasingly being threatened. The government should protect those who are unborn, who are disabled, and who are elderly. Yet the government has been enlisted to promote what Pope John Paul II declared as a “culture of death.” The declaration asserts that Christians must pledge to wage an unceasing war against any laws that expand acts of abortion, destructive embryonic research, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. Human beings have the right to equal protection at every stage of life, from pre-birth development through old age. We must resist any acts of government that would perpetrate the destruction or disadvantage of any human life.

Religious Liberty and Expression of Conscience

Our team believes that fundamental principles of justice are being threatened through a bias against religious liberty and the expression of conscience. Recent attempts to eliminate the protection of conscience for healthcare professionals and institutions have demonstrated this frontal attack. Religious institutions and charities have been assaulted through anti-discrimination statutes that challenge their beliefs to oppose those things they deem are immoral.

Businesses and service providers are threatened with losing their licenses if they do not choose to accept or facilitate activities they believe do not meet their moral standards. The government and society should be protective of these institutions as they are dependent upon religious institutions and charities to maintain the overall good of society.

Christians believe that we are to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. We are taught to respect the authority of earthly rulers. Our democratic society sprang from the moral laws of Old Testament tradition and we acknowledge the moral claims of the law. It our right as citizens to participate in the political process; this includes doing our part to change unjust or immoral laws. Civil disobedience may be required to stand against laws that do not promote justice.

We must not render unto to Caesar those things that are God’s. We cannot comply with any statute that forces us, or the institutions that we are part of, to bless sexual partnerships that are biblically immoral or to facilitate abortions, destructive embryonic research, euthanasia, or assisted suicide. We will not violate our consciences through intimidation or any other act of cultural or political power. We will express our religious freedom, regardless of the consequences to ourselves.

Finally, I invite you to go http://manhattandeclaration.org/index.php and sign this important declaration. We are convinced that we can best serve the nation by lifting our collective voice. In signing the declaration you will be celebrating three things:

1. The unity in diversity of the body of Christ
2. The prophetic calling of the body of Christ
3. The urgent need we have to engage the culture in dialogue.

America needs a conscience, an objective voice, which advocates for truth, reason, and biblical justice. Historically, we Christians have been that voice. We have served the nation in shaping its foundational settlements, it’s original documents, the nation’s great spiritual awakenings, the abolition of slavery, and effective civil rights laws. Without the voice of the Church, the nation would not have had its original hospitals and many caring social services institutions of our day. Let’s regain the integrity of our mission.

Dare to Declare!

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By Star Parker

At a time when our country is sick, it shouldn’t surprise that one our sickest places is our nation’s capital.

The poverty rate of Washington, DC, almost 20 percent, is one of the highest in the nation. Its child poverty rate is the nation’s highest..

DC’s public school system, with a graduation rate of less than 50 percent, is one of the worst in the country.

According to DC’s HIV/AIDS office, three percent of the local population has HIV or AIDS. The Administrator of this office notes that this HIV/AIDS incidence is “…higher than West Africa…on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya.” And the principal way that HIV is transmitted continues to be through male homosexual activity.

Amidst this dismal picture, the DC City Council, perhaps on the theory that serving up another glass of wine is the way to help a drunk, is scheduled to vote on December 1 to legalize same sex marriage in America’s capital city.

Looking at realities in Washington, DC should make clear why George Washington said “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

But the America that our first president had in mind was very different from the vision of our DC government officials.

George Washington’s America was one in which the point of freedom is to allow Man to rise to what he can become. To do this, the greatest challenge he faces is conquering himself. To rise above his baser instincts, to rise above the many temptations that lead him astray. And to achieve this end, as Washington said, “religion and morality are indispensible supports.”

In left wing America, of which the DC government is a poster child, freedom means to indulge every instinct that the tradition and religion of George Washington would have us overcome.

Where does it lead? Well, look at DC.

It is tempting to look at DC’s realities and just call this a black thing. And by and large it is.

DC is largely black — almost 60 percent. Its poverty is black poverty. Its public school system serves mostly black children. And its AIDS crisis is mostly among blacks.

But the pathologies that strike the weakest parts of our population most brutally are nonetheless pathologies of the nation.

The Brookings Institution is one of our oldest policy institutes and certainly no bastion of conservatism. But in a recently published volume, Brookings scholars Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill point out the centrality of the traditional family to the American dream of opportunity and the centrality of family breakdown to poverty.

Reporting data showing the general breakdown of the traditional American family, they say, “Some claim that anyone who is concerned about these trends is simply out of touch with modern culture; we respond that, if that be the case, then, “modern culture is out of touch with the needs of children.”

The Catholic Archdiocese of DC announced that legalization of same sex marriage would make it impossible to continue its relationship with the DC government and require termination of the social services it provides to some 68,000 of the city’s poor — including about one third of its homeless. The reaction of DC council member David Catania was essentially “so what.” According to him, “their services are not indispensable.”

Is Catania out of touch with the needs of DC’s poor?

No. He just has different priorities. More important to him, and more important to DC’s left wing city council, is advancing moral relativism and the indulgences it feeds.

This is more important to them than feeding the poor or recognizing the values that would get them out of poverty.

It should concern every American as we watch our nation’s capital city transform officially into Sodom.

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By Herman Cain

Mr. President, I had hoped that I could wait at least to the end of your first full year in office to break this bad news to you, but your latest pronouncement had me screaming at my TV, so I knew I had to tell you now.

In a Fox News interview on November 17, 2009 with White House Correspondent Major Garrett, you said:

“There may be some tax provisions that can encourage businesses to hire sooner rather than sitting on the sidelines. So we’re taking a look at those. I think it is important though to recognize if we keep on adding to the debt, even in the midst of this recovery, that at some point, people could lose confidence in the U.S. economy in a way that could actually lead to a double-dip recession.”

Sitting on the sidelines! Businesses don’t sit on the sidelines or they would be out of business. Businesses are managing for survival as we pray that you and Congress will pass some real stimulus measures before we slip into an even deeper recession. Most businesses are hoping that the double-dip recession you hinted at will not turn into a triple-dip.

You have been advised to start mentioning some tax provisions to help stimulate the economy. Republicans in Congress and others suggested this before the $787 billion dollar stimulus bill was passed and signed, but it fell on deaf ears. So you ended up with a bill for the government, of the government and by the government.

Here are three tax provisions that will work. Suspend the payroll tax for a year, suspend the tax on repatriated corporate profits indefinitely and replace the income tax with a consumption tax, popularly known as the FairTax. I know it’s a long shot, but I’m just trying to offer some better advice than you have been getting.

You have also been advised to allude to the fact that we can’t keep on spending this way. You’re right! Your acknowledgement is welcomed, because that’s a lot different from what you said in December 2008, namely, “deficits don’t matter.”

Most of us acknowledged that deficits do matter before the passage of the stimulus bill, but your chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said, “Don’t let a good crisis go to waste”.

You did not, and the stimulus is not working.

You also suggest that we are in the midst of an economic recovery. There is no recovery yet. The unemployment rate is now 10.2 percent and is expected to continue to rise. Remember, your advisors told you to say that it would not go above 8 percent with the passage of the stimulus bill. They also have you trying to peddle the “jobs saved and created” rhetoric, and most people are not buying it.

Businesses do not add jobs based on rhetoric and promises of tax provisions for businesses. They add jobs based on sustained economic recovery.

I wrote a commentary last July about the unmanageable executive structure you were creating by adding dozens of “czars” on top of the existing cabinet structure available to the president. I did not expect your staff to share that with you, nor did I even expect you to consider my analysis. But in my commentary I pointed out that, over time, this management structure will breed indecision.

Unfortunately, this structure is breeding indecision and inaccuracies, and highlighting some serious incompetence. Well-scripted speeches to try to make things sound better than they are have lost their luster. It certainly will not work for another three years of your presidency.

Mr. President, is it you or the people around you?

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By Armstrong Williams

Thanksgiving is traditionally a time and place to once again gather with family, enjoy the sweet aromas of turkey and cranberries, and to remember all the things for which you are grateful. With the recent economic downturn, many people will have their holiday darkened by financial crisis. Families that traditionally host a lavish Thanksgiving dinner may have to cut back.  Others who visit their families during the holidays may not be able to afford the costs of travel.  Other families may no longer have a home to celebrate in. The Housing crisis in this country is now impacting families that once thought they were immune to this Great Recession.

According to a recent report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 50 million people — including almost one child in four — struggled to get enough to eat in 2007. That report indicates the highest number of Americans lacking food since the government began tracking the nation’s food supply. Particularly hard hit were families with children. According to the report, the number of children lacking dependable food sources catapulted from 700,000 to almost 1.1 million last year. Look around: This year, the holiday season will be marked by long lines lately at food banks and soup kitchens.

As more and more families are forced to navigate these painful economic times, perhaps we should all pause a moment for perspective.

It is hard to be grateful when your stomach is growling. But difficult times are when it is most important to take stock of what we’re grateful for. There’s something about making a conscious decision to take time in your day to savor the things for which you are thankful that helps you navigate stress. I implore you to take a half-hour tonight and to make a list of the things for which you are grateful.

Don’t just go through the motions. Really savor each act of kindness.

You will find in this moment of gratitude an affirmation of life.

Clinical studies show that gratefulness strengthens feelings of health and well-being. Though gratitude does not make your problems disappear, it can help strip away the narcissism and mean, personal vanity that impedes feelings of gratitude. In their wonderful book, Words of Gratitude for Mind, Body, and Soul, authors Robert A. Emmons, Joanna V. Hill & Brother David Steindl-Rast observe that “Gratitude is…more than a feeling, a virtue, or an experience; gratitude emerges as an attitude we can freely choose in order to create a better life for ourselves and for others.” Taking the time to truly consider that for which we are grateful creates a fundamentally enduring perspective that reaches beyond mere politeness; it helps improve emotional and physical health and strengthens communal bonds.

Not surprisingly, the concept of cultivating gratitude is deeply rooted in most religious traditions. In Judaism and Islam, gratitude in the form of prayer forms an essential part of the religious experience. In the Buddhist tradition, mediation is used to help people experience gratitude. In the Christian tradition, the story of Christ forms a powerful trope on gratitude. Christ sought a moral frame of reference that was quite beyond the selfish and materialistic concerns of society. He urged his followers to give away their possessions, live as servants and practice selfless acts of charity and love. He taught that one must first purge his vain and materialistic concerns, before one is able to achieve good. This purging of “the self,” was beautifully embodied by Christ’s admonition on the cross, “Forgive them father, they know not what they do.” Even as they tore at his flesh, Christ acted without malice. His example teaches us that genuine religion means purging the ego and removing oneself from boorishness in order to experience genuine gratitude.

It is clear that we’ve lost touch with a lot of what Christ’s words and actions were meant to teach us. We call ourselves Christians because our parents call themselves Christians, but somewhere along the line, we lost the ability to practice gratitude. Our sense of vanity and materialism get in the way, and prevents us from achieving the truly beautiful possibilities of life. While I will never minimize the importance of material wealth and how it can empower others who are less fortunate, we should never forget that spirituality opens us up to the truly beautiful possibilities of life.

We falter when our self-esteem becomes inextricably tied up in our material acquisitions. We are more than our possessions. No amount of material gain can compare with the joy of tossing a football with your child in the backyard. Simple moments of human interconnectedness are the bedrock of our existence. We cannot allow economic misfortune to darken our view of the truly beautiful possibilities of life. I do not wish financial loss on anyone. But I feel hopeful that these difficult times can have a transformative effect if they remind us that personal vanity is not the road to happiness.

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Tags: Uncategorized by Dr. Eric Wallace
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