Category Archives: Conservatism

Discourse about conservatism as a political and social philosophy. Also a place to lampoon socialism in all its ugly forms

If I Were the Devil: Paul Harvey – 1965

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This speech was broadcast by legendary ABC Radio commentator Paul Harvey on April 3, 1965:

“If I were the Devil . . . I mean, if I were the Prince of Darkness, I would of course, want to engulf the whole earth in darkness. I would have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree, so I should set about however necessary to take over the United States. I would begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: “Do as you please.” “Do as you please.” To the young, I would whisper, “The Bible is a myth.” I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is “square”. In the ears of the young marrieds, I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be extreme in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct. And the old, I would teach to pray. I would teach them to say after me: “Our Father, which art in Washington” . . .

If I were the devil, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull an uninteresting. I’d threaten T.V. with dirtier movies and vice versa. And then, if I were the devil, I’d get organized. I’d infiltrate unions and urge more loafing and less work, because idle hands usually work for me. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. And I’d tranquilize the rest with pills. If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine yound intellects but neglect to discipline emotions . . . let those run wild. I would designate an athiest to front for me before the highest courts in the land and I would get preachers to say “she’s right.” With flattery and promises of power, I could get the courts to rule what I construe as against God and in favor of pornography, and thus, I would evict God from the courthouse, and then from the school house, and then from the houses of Congress and then, in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and I would deify science because that way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to control them.

If I were Satan, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas, a bottle. If I were the devil, I would take from those who have and I would give to those who wanted, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And then, my police state would force everybody back to work. Then, I could separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines, and objectors in slave camps. In other words, if I were Satan, I’d just keep on doing what he’s doing.

Paul Harvey, Good Day.”

CFA Editor’s note… “and so Satan inspired a group of atheists to write the Humanist Manifestos as a guide to implement his devilish plot, retained a group of Marxist lawyers to form a legal attack team called the Anti-Christian Legal Unit to begin taking away America’s Bill of Rights, then he possessed a group of ungodly justices on the Supreme Court to not uphold the Constitution, but bypass it by legislating from the bench, and then Satan turned the Public School system into into indoctrination centers where the doctrines of ungodly Secular Humanism are used to brainwash several successive generations, and here we are today, right where Paul Harvey predicted we would be.”

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Occupy Wall Street Tries To Crash The Tea Party

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By Dr. Tony Beam.

If your primary source of news is the mainstream media you are likely convinced that the Occupy Wall Street protests are insightful, peaceful, and growing by the minute. Last week, Diane Sawyer of ABC got so excited she reported the Occupy Wall Street movement had “spread to more than 250 American cities, more than a thousand countries… and every continent but Antarctica.” For the record, according to the U.S. State Department there are only 195 countries in the world.

The truth about the protest that has now spread around the world (to at least 20 countries) is that it is unruly, unfocused, and populated by people who believe defecating on police cars and trampling the American flag are legitimate means of expressing their opinions. And just what opinions are being expressed? How about the idea that American Capitalism should be replaced by pure socialism? Or, how about the idea that what America needs is a huge dose of wealth redistribution? Protestors in Chicago chanted, “We’re the ninety-nine percent,” and “the whole world is watching!”

Apparently the whole world is also weighing in on the significance of the movement. Speaking about the protesters that great international champion of freedom, Hugo Chavez said, “the repression is horrible, I don’t know how many are in prison now.” Just as Diane Sawyer was confused about how many countries there are Chavez must have been confused thinking someone had just asked him how many of the people of Venezuela he has jailed.

This weekend the protestors gained the much-coveted support of the American Nazi Party and the Communist Party USA. On Sunday, an unnamed spokesperson for the American Nazi Party wrote, “The Occupy Wall Street protests are tailor made for National Socialists, as well as White Nationalists who are serious about doing something.” The something they are serious about doing is creating chaos and instability in American Society for the purpose of destroying our capitalist system.

Not to be outdone by the Nazis, John Bachtell, an Illinois-based community organizer (sound familiar) and Communist Party USA board member told a cheering crowd, “I bring greetings and solidarity from the Communist Party. We are here, marching side-by side. We’ll sleep here. We’ll be with this movement till the very…till we make the changes that we know we have to make.”

From Cuba to China and from Venezuela to Iran there doesn’t seem to be a totalitarian regime on the planet that isn’t giddy about the protestors. And oddly enough so are many in the Democrat Party. Nancy Pelosi said, “God bless them for their spontaneity. Its independent people coming… it’s young, it’s spontaneous, it’s focused and it’s going to be effective.” The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is circulating a petition seeking 100,000 party supporters who are willing to declare they are ready to “stand with the Occupy Wall Street protests.”

But the real purpose of the occupiers isn’t random chaos or ramped-up rhetoric against the rich. Their real purpose is to crash the Tea Party and take the American electorates collective mind off of the failed polices of the Obama Administration and refocus it on the supposed greed of Wall Street.

The Left realizes it needs a straw man… a scapegoat where they can lay the blame of the stagnant American economy. Stimulus packages, bailouts, tax gimmicks, nothing has worked to turn the economy around so when you have nothing to run on you have to manufacture something to run against. That something happens to be American Capitalism. The Left wing of the Democrat Party is scared to death of the Tea Party. They long for a national response they can turn into a kind of “reverse Tea-Party movement.”

The problem of course is that the Occupy Wall Street movement bears no resemblance whatsoever to the Tea Party. When have you ever seen Tea Party protestors getting arrested for blocking the road or throwing rocks at police? For that matter, when have you ever seen the Tea Party squatting for days on public property, running up a bill on the American taxpayers? Tea Party members don’t camp. They come, they speak out, and then they go back home to take care of their families by working for a living. They are the backbone that makes America strong by occupying Main Street and giving our economy a fighting chance to recover. They stand in resolute contrast to the occupiers who are the tailbone of America looking for their next opportunity to sit back and receive their hand out.

Matthew Spalding, in his excellent book We Still Hold These Truths points out the difference between liberty and freedom. “Freedom,” Spalding says, “is often used to suggest a more open-ended sense of autonomy, meaning that we are free to do whatever we want.” Contrast that meaning with the meaning of the word liberty. Spalding says, “Liberty means the rightful exercise of freedom, the balancing of rights and responsibilities.”

That is exactly the difference between the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Tea Party patriots understand that freedom without morality and responsibility leads to anarchy. And that is exactly what the occupiers want.

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. You can also listen to recorded broadcasts in the Christian Worldview Today Archive.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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The Emperor is Naked!

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Rarely do I, as editor of this blog find myself in total agreement with Ron Paul. I cannot support his views on issues of morality.  That is why I can never be a Libertarian. But like the little boy in Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” Ron Paul has put this whole debt debate in the open light as sure as that little boy openly proclaimed “The Emperor is naked.”  Read the truth regarding this debate and what the House just passed, and will likely sail through the Senate.

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August 1, 2011
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - Today, 2012 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul issued a statement outlining his opposition to the debt ceiling deal struck between the White House and Congress. See statement below.

“While it is good to see serious debate about our debt crisis, I cannot support the reported deal on raising the nation’s debt ceiling.  I have never voted to raise the debt ceiling, and I never will.”

“This deal will reportedly cut spending by only slightly over $900 billion over 10 years.  But we will have a $1.6 trillion deficit after this year alone, meaning those meager cuts will do nothing to solve our unsustainable spending problem.”

“In fact, this bill will never balance the budget.  Instead, it will add untold trillions of dollars to our deficit.  This also assumes the cuts are real cuts and not the same old Washington smoke and mirrors game of spending less than originally projected so you can claim the difference as a ‘cut.’”

“The plan also calls for the formation of a deficit commission, which will accomplish nothing outside of providing Congress and the White House with another way to abdicate responsibility.”

“In my many years of public service, there have been commissions on everything from Social Security to energy policy, yet not one solution has been produced out of these commissions.”

“By denying members the ability to offer amendments and only allowing an up-or-down vote that will take place in the hectic time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, this Commission essentially disenfranchises the vast majority of members from meaningfully participating in the debate over reducing spending and balancing the budget.”

“Furthermore, despite the claims of the bill’s proponents, there is nothing to stop the commission from recommending tax increases.”

“One of the reasons why I humbly suggest that I am the most qualified Presidential candidate is my experience to see and understand the long track record of failure, disappointments, and bad recommendations made by such commissions.”

“Times like these require statesmanship and steady leadership, which I and the grassroots activists who have joined my campaign believe I am uniquely qualified to provide.”

“What should bother Americans most is that under cover of this debt ceiling circus, we learned from a recent GAO one-time, limited audit that the Federal Reserve secretly pumped $16 trillion into American and foreign banks over three years.  All of the Fed’s fat cat cronies were taken care of at the expense of the American public.” (You can read about that in this article: Government Spending is Nuts (below the video).

“To put that into perspective, our entire national debt is $14.5 trillion, and our annual deficit will be about $1.6 trillion, meaning the Federal Reserve created and appropriated more than our entire national debt to banks around the world in a few short years.  We have been fighting in Congress these past few weeks over raising our debt ceiling by $2 trillion, an amount the Fed secretly gave away to just one big bank.”

“For decades, politicians have promised future restraint in exchange for hikes in the debt limit.  We are always told that we must act immediately to avoid a crisis.  But time and time again, politicians reveal themselves to be untrustworthy, and we soon find ourselves in a crisis being led by the same folks who wish only to maintain the status quo.”

“I believe in the great American traditions of free markets, sound money, and personal Liberty.  But we are moving far away from what made us the greatest nation in human history. We must cut spending and balance our budget now, before it is too late.”

“Let me be clear.  The cuts we must make will not be easy, and there will be difficult times in the short run.  But I have the greatest confidence that if we come together as a People, work hard, and do the right things, our country will be back on track in no time and on its way to unprecedented prosperity.  But, if we continue to print money and pyramid debt, we will destroy ourselves and lose the promise of America forever.”

“These difficult times require a President willing to stand against runaway spending.  If elected, I will veto any spending bill that contributes to an unbalanced budget, and I will balance the budget in the first year of my term.  I will not allow the Federal Reserve to destroy the value of our money by shoveling dollars into the pockets of its banker friends.”

“I remain committed to working on behalf of the American people to drastically reduce spending and implement fundamental changes that will reform government and restore our nation’s prosperity.”
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I hope you’ll take a moment to read his statement below and then pass it on to your family and friends. Tell your Senator to reject this latest sellout and instead join Dr. Paul in fighting to balance the budget and return government to its constitutional limits. You can reach them by calling the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121

John Tate,
Campaign Manager

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Government Spending is Nuts

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The Spending is Nuts!  This out of control Federal Government spending is unacceptable! This Obama/Boehner bill contains no real spending cuts, only higher debt and higher taxes on the middle class as Bush tax cuts go away. Obama gets all he wanted,  and then Conservatives in return get only imaginary spending reductions, as usual. The US House needs some responsible leadership on the Republican side, they have nothing in the current leadership but Nancy Pelosi Lite in House Speaker John Boehner.  Boehner is, in my opinion, bothing but yet another Obama lapdog. Watch this video that puts it all into perspective.  I  I feel certain even those educated in government run schools can grasp the accurate analogy contained in the video.

Now take a look at this article submitted by Campaign for Liberty. It might explain the urgency in raising the borrowing limit.

With America’s attention fixated on what’s happening in Washington concerning the debt crisis, I wanted to make sure you knew that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released the results of its one-time, limited audit of the Federal Reserve System.

The revelations are sickening – so-called “money” tossed around like confetti to banksters, foreign banks, and favored corporations.

Before I go into detail about their findings, let me first thank you for all your efforts in support of a thorough audit of our nation’s central bank. This isn’t the full audit Ron Paul and Campaign for Liberty continue to push, but it is a first peek behind Ben Bernanke’s curtain of secrecy.

This audit only happened because of our historic grassroots Audit the Fed movement.

Of course, Audit the Fed was always about achieving a complete, thorough audit. Audit the Fed was stymied at the last minute in the Senate last year, but the limited, one-time audit our efforts guaranteed has revealed a number of reasons for why we must not give up on a full audit.

Sixteen Trillion reasons, actually.

We have now learned that the Federal Reserve lent $16 trillion to both domestic and overseas financial institutions during the height of the financial crisis!

Let me rephrase that while the number sinks in – $16,000,000,000,000.

In less than three years.

From Dec. 1, 2007 – July 21, 2010, the Federal Reserve “created reserves in the banking system” (Bernanke slang for printing money) that exceeded not only the entire U.S. GDP for a year, but also the entire U.S. national debt that’s accumulated over the past 224 years!

More than $3 trillion dollars were lent to overseas financial institutions in numerous countries, including in the U.K., Germany, and France.

In addition, we learned just how much the big banks who contributed heavily to the crisis were rewarded – including nearly $8 trillion to banks like Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Merill Lynch, and Bank of America.

In February 2009, Campaign for Liberty made Audit the Fed our top legislative priority for the 111th Congress.

At the time, most Americans didn’t even know what the Federal Reserve was.

But thanks to an unprecedented level of grassroots pressure generated by C4L members like you across the country, we were able to pry open just a portion of the Fed’s books for the first time in history!

And we gained the support of over 70% of the American people for Audit the Fed.

Now, the case has never been clearer for why a complete audit is needed, and our resolve to achieve our goal has never been stronger.

That’s why Campaign for Liberty is planning to turn on the pressure for Audit the Fed like never before.

We will especially focus our efforts on the U.S. Senate, where only 7 legislators have cosponsored Senator Rand Paul’s S. 202.

But to carry out this program, and alert millions of more Americans to our fight, we need your help.

First, if you haven’t yet done so, please sign the petition at AudittheFed.com right away. Then, please send it to your family and friends so they can learn more about this key issue.

Second, while your representative and senators are back home on their August recess, schedule a meeting or stop in at a town hall and make sure to urge them respectfully to cosponsor the Audit the Fed bills, H.R. 459 and S. 202, if they have not already cosponsored.

If they have signed on, urge them to do everything in their power to achieve a standalone, up or down roll call vote in their chamber of Congress.

Third, I hope you can chip in $10 or $20 to help C4L increase the support for Audit the Fed even further and see it turned into law.

We’re up against one of the most secretive, powerful institutions in Washington, which can create money out of thin air to finance its operations. Ben Bernanke, Barack Obama, and their bankster allies seem determined to never again let Americans know what the Fed does.

Well, it’s up to you and me to blow a hole in their secret projects and let loose the outrage of Americans feeling the pinch of out-of-control spending, skyrocketing gas prices, and an economy stuck in failure.

C4L can only take as much action as your continued support allows, and we thank you for all you have helped us accomplish so far.

This limited, one-time glimpse into the Fed’s activities was only possible because of your tireless efforts.

Now is the time to double down on the pressure.

Campaign for Liberty will continue to use our nationwide grassroots network to educate millions of Americans about sound money and the need for transparency at our nation’s secretive central bank.

With your continued assistance, we will generate millions of petitions and phone calls to Congress pushing for the passage of Audit the Fed (officially “The Federal Reserve Transparency Act” in Congress), H.R. 459 and S. 202.

In Liberty,

Timothy Shoemaker
Director of Legislation

P.S. Now that we know that the Fed tossed around over $16 trillion in less than three years to favored banksters, insiders, and foreign institutions, it’s time to double down on the pressure for a complete audit of our central bank.

In addition to signing the petition at AudittheFed.com, I hope you will stop by your elected officials’ local offices during their August recess to urge them to do all in their power to pass Audit the Fed.

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Cut Cap & Balance

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Written by Samuel Lawrence

I like the Republican plan of Cut Cap & Balance passed in the US House to help curb government spending and hopefully leave a free republic in place in America for my children and grandson.  My Boy Scout son recently wrote a letter to Jim DeMint regarding the current spending crisis in Washington.  My son’s letter inspired me to write this blog post below that I sent to Jeff Duncan, Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint.  Your feedback is always welcome.

Two Opposite Approaches to Legislating

Why do Conservatives in Congress, who (the majority of the time) offer real world solutions and workable ideas to the nation’s problems, rarely get their voices heard, or rarely win the public debate on critical fiscal and social issues?  Obviously (to anyone looking) the widespread Liberal media bias plays a huge role, especially in propagandizing the populace toward Liberalism.  That is not, however, the real problem Conservatives face in today’s culture.  One thing I have noticed the past several decades is that there are fundamental differences in legislating between Liberals and Conservatives and the roots of those differences perhaps go all the way back to the elementary school yard playground.  Here are those fundamental differences:

The Conservative Approach to Legislating:

“It is not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.”

 The Liberal Approach to Legislating:

“It is not how you play the game, but whether you win or lose.”

 What I have seen repeatedly are Conservatives trying to take a civilized and rational approach to topics like “out of control government spending” (which is driving the national debt through the roof, leading our nation toward bankruptcy and economic collapse) and to the health care debate.  Conservatives, for example, take into account realities involved in having freedom in a free market system.  They believe in personal responsibility and the rule of law that is bound up in our Constitution.  They know there are such things as “absolute truth” and Conservatives typically exude a sense of “fair play” consistent with their historical approach to legislating.

At the same time, Liberals with their approach to legislating, take the direct inverse approach. With no concept of absolute truth, they seem to have no problem using the willing and able Liberal “media propaganda machine” to spew forth wild exaggerations, spread misleading and false statements about their agenda, routinely use scare tactics to garner support, and then demonize their opposition, along with anything or any person who gets in the way of their goal… to win, at all cost. Since absolute truth is not part of their consciousness, there is no regard shown for a “sense of fair play” or the “rule of law,” because if truth is relative, so is the rule of law, including the Constitution. “Civility,” “bi-partisanship” and a “sense of fair play” can only be achieved in the Liberal mindset if the opposing forces relent, give in, and ultimately surrender, thereby granting the Liberals their objective: to win, out right, and offering little in exchange for doing so.

This dichotomy of approaches to legislating, coupled with a overwhelmingly Liberal mass media that has joined forces with the Liberal agenda, produces a very one sided playing field slanted against Conservatives.  Additionally Liberals know the value of “incrementalism” in achieving their goals of social change. They don’t mind taking three steps forward and even taking two and a half steps backwards, because in the end, that cadence still gets them to their destination.  Thirdly, and sadly for Conservatives, there are many Liberals wearing the Conservative banner; they are like wolves in sheep’s clothing.  Again, it goes to the root of the Liberal approach to legislating: “win at any cost,” even if that means masquerading as a Conservative. That is why the US Congress and Statehouses like that in Columbia, SC, are often filled with Liberal RINOs.  Conversely, I don’t know of any social or fiscal Conservatives masquerading as Liberals, that I can think of, because that would violate their approach to legislating.

Starting after the 2006 election, and increasing in strength and intensity after the 2008 election, the trickle of Liberal “incrementalism” turned first into a swelling river then a raging flood for the Liberal agenda in our nation.  All the while most Conservatives continued to use their “play nice” approach, tried to be “bi-partisan” and they got stomped into the ground in both elections and in the halls of Congress as well.  It finally took a long overdue “Great Awakening” of grass-roots Conservatives who were “Taxed Enough Already” to stem the Liberal tide by winning back the US House and a portion of the US Senate in 2010.

I believe America today is standing at a pivotal crossroad.  If Conservatives cave, yet again, on the current debt ceiling crisis without Cutting the Spending, Capping the Debt Ceiling and getting a Balance Budget Amendment by going head to head and playing some “hard ball” with the Liberals, then once again, this current game of “chicken” will go into the Liberals’ “win” category. Why? It is because of the Liberal approach to legislating: win at all cost.  Only by Conservative standing united and standing firm will there be any glimmer of HOPE for real positive CHANGE to be achieved for retaining both the republic and our personal freedoms for future generation. Unless we change our national fiscal policies, the economy will collapse. The only question remaining would be how soon? The path we are on financially is unsustainable. If you doubt it, simply look across the big pond to Greece… Ancient and Modern.

My personal feeling has always been, I’d rather lose while standing on principle and morality, than “win” with neither. That would NOT be a TRUE WIN for Conservatism by my definition. Yet if Conservatives stand on principle and morality, and win, then they have a win worth having.  As I can recall, nearly every time Conservatives stand (to the end) on principle and morality, Conservatism wins out.  Conversely, every time, that I can remember, that Conservatives cave in to Liberal demands and compromise, Conservatives lose and usually lose big.  With that thought in mind, four prominent Americans come to mind for standing firm on principle and morality: George Washington, Davy Crockett, Ronald Reagan and Jim DeMint. They are all four legendary American heroes in my way of seeing things. There is also a newcomer to a growing number of statesmen replacing raw politicians.  He is Jeff Duncan, representing the 3rd Congressional District in South Carolina. He was one of the original signers of the Cut, Cap, and Balance legislation. Thank you Congressman.

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Inaugural Eve & The Real Meaning of TEA

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Written By: Josh Kimbrell.

Hey Folks, I hope y’all are well.

January 12th is inaugural day here in South Carolina, and Governor-Elect Nikki Haley will officially take the oath of office as the 116th Governor of South Carolina. As she begins her term, and South Carolina swears-in a new slate of Constitutional officers, I wanted to take a moment and remind you all of the journey we’ve traveled together.

Freedom’s revival is at hand, as folks from all walks of life have come forward for freedom. In order to ensure that real change is realized, we must now take the energy of 2010 and make it the determination of 2011. As such, I’ve posted my favorite 2010 article below. We must fight to protect our trampled values, before the moment to do so has passed.

Here’s to 2011 being the year of freedom’s revival.

The Real Meaning of TEA

Over the past year and a half millions of Americans from coast to coast, including my wife and me, have participated in rallies simply known as TEA Parties. I’m not sure when the acronym caught-on, but it is widely accepted that TEA stands for “Taxed Enough Already,” to which I heartily add my consent. Nevertheless, the main stream media, indeed many within conservative circles, fail to fully grasp the scope of the TEA Party movement. It is not, as some would argue, merely a libertarian backlash to tax and spend policies, which have driven our nation deeply into debt. It is, instead, a resurgence of the American Spirit, fighting for values and ideals that make America, well, America.

As I mentioned, I’ve attended a number of these rallies myself. Each time I’ve come away with a sense of pride in America’s goodness and virtue. None of the rallies I’ve attended promoted fiscal responsibility to the exclusion of social principles. In fact, as my friend Bill Connor reminds me, the lines that draw the loudest applause are those affirming America’s Christian heritage. Some folks are perplexed by this assertion, as they’ve missed the point of the TEA Party movement altogether. This movement isn’t about complex job creation bills, or exclusively restructuring the tax code. Instead, it has simply sought to bring America back to her founding ideals, which are steeped in the Judeo-Christian Ethic.

As I’ve asserted on many an occasion, the protection of private property is inexorably linked to the protection of personhood. To revoke the right to life is to revoke the right to pursue happiness. You can’t protect folks’ farms and not protect their families. The protection of one necessitates the protection of the other. The only way to ensure that free-markets flourish, and that Capitalism succeeds, is to reduce the size and scope of government. This can only occur when a free society is willing to take responsibility for its own. This responsibility is manifest in church and charity, which strengthen our communities by meeting the needs of the afflicted. This responsibility is manifest when families take care of their own, as opposed to leaving them to the mercy of the state.

A resurgence of America’s core Judeo-Christian Culture must be realized before economic prosperity and personal freedom make a come-back. We can never afford to abandon America’s soul in the name of her wallet. If we do, we’ll quickly realize that we’ve forever lost both. I propose that we think of the TEA Party movement as more than “Taxed Enough Already.” With regard to American Culture and values, we should probably say “Trampled Enough Already.”

Joshua B. Kimbrell
President & Chairman
CEO Round Table of South Carolina

Josh Kimbrell is President & Chairman of CEO Round Table of South Carolina. CEO stands for “Christians Empowered & Organized.” Part of the mission of CEO Round Table is “to promote a way of life that embraces faith, family, and freedom.” For more information visit http://joshkimbrell.com

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A New Year Brings in a New Congress, and Perhaps Some Real Change

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Written by Samuel Lawrence

As a Christian Conservative (socially and fiscally Conservative), the past two years have been very frustrating for me to bear under this Liberal/Progressive President and his never ceasing barage of Socialism. I think that a fun way to start off the new year is to look at his agenda through the lens of political humor and satire. A long time friend and fellow believer told me about the comedy impressionist Steve Bridges, who performs in prosthetic makeup as Barack Obama. Bridges has been impersonating presidents since the Bill Clinton era, but his routine of Obama captures the idiocy coming from the Oval Office in a magnificently humerous way. Watch Steve Bridges as President Barack Obama…

America’s slide however, down the path to bankruptcy of our nation, financially, morally and spiritually, began long ago. Unfortunately, it must be noted too that the blame for this slide can be laid on both major political parties. And with the 2006 election, we handed the reins of nation’s Federal Government (and as a result of that election we sacrificed our economy as well) to one of the most hard core, left-leaning, bunch of Liberal/Progressives in the history of our nation.

After President Obama took office in January of 2009, national “main stream” media outlets persistently babbled about Obama inheriting a huge deficit from Bush. Sadly, a lot of people swallowed this nonsense. So, as the new 2011 Congress is set to take office in a few days with a lot of presumed “Conservatives,” here is a short civics lesson to consider.

Federal Budgets do not come from the White House. They come from Congress, and the party that controlled Congress since January 2007 is the Democratic Party. They controlled the budget process for FY 2008 and FY 2009, as well as FY 2010 and FY 2011. In that first year, they had to contend with George Bush, which caused them to compromise on spending, when Bush somewhat belatedly got tough on spending increases.

For FY 2009 though, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid bypassed George Bush entirely, passing continuing resolutions to keep government running until Barack Obama could take office. At that time, they passed a massive omnibus spending bill to complete the FY 2009 budgets.

And where was Barack Obama during this time? He was a member of that very Congress that passed all of these massive spending bills, and he signed the omnibus bill as President to complete FY 2009. Let’s remember what the deficits looked like during that period:

If the Democrats inherited any deficit, it was the FY 2007 deficit, the last of the Republican budgets. That deficit was the lowest in five years, and the fourth straight decline in deficit spending. After that, Democrats in Congress took control of spending, and that includes Barack Obama, who voted for the budgets. If Obama inherited anything, he inherited it from himself.

So, in a nutshell, what Obama has been saying is, “I inherited a deficit that I voted for and then I voted to expand that deficit well over four-fold since January 20th of 2009.”

Well, Republicans get back control of the US House of Representatives in 2011. They have the opportunity to lead our nation back to some economic sanity. Plus, they can shut down or stiffle the socialistic garbage that Harry Reid and the Democrats, who still control the Senate, can attempt to churn out because their ability to filibuster has been given back in the 2010 election. The question is this: will Republican listen to the voters? Or will this Congress of 2011 continue down the same path of the statist/elitist “let them eat cake” arrogance of the past 4 years.

Tim Hawkins has a song to put it all in the right perspective. I got to see Christian comedian Tim Hawkins at a youth conference a few years ago and I really like his style. I have posted this video by Tim before, but as we enter a new year, with the opportunity for some real “Hope and Change,” I want to share his video again…


(See more of Tim’s videos at http://www.timhawkins.net)

Happy New Year! And I pray the newly elected Conservatives will stand tall and true to the voters who sent them to Washington to fight for less spending, fewer Federal Government social experiments like promoting homosexuality in public education and in the military. and hopefully turn back the takeover of our nation’s health care.

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My Reaction to Senator Jim DeMint’s stand on Morality

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Written by Samuel Lawrence.

I got to hear Senator Jim DeMint speak October 1st at First Baptist North Spartanburg at the Greater Freedom Rally sponsored by CEO Roundtable of SC. I had never heard him speak before. I brought my 15 year old daughter to the event. We were both very encouraged and impressed with his positive stand on morality. I agree with him 100%. I found it very sad and unfortunate to hear that so many good people have been bullied into whispering their support of him on moral issues. I, for one, will not whisper, I will shout it from the mountaintops. In fact, I was so impressed with him I added the following FREE banner ad of support of him my personal blog…

The ad rotates randomly among others in the top right sidebar of every page of the website.

What is so amazing is that his comments regarding homosexuality and unwed mothers teaching in public schools was not a comment on those matters but rather given as an example of how the media touts these as “ok” and lambasts anyone who dares speak out on moral issues.  And… true to form, the media propaganda machinery, once again took the information and spun it into a web of moral deception.  Senator DeMint was merely recalling an incident where he spoke against homosexuality in a prior campaign and the media attacked him. He tried to clarify and say he was not singling out homosexuals but that he would feel the same way about an unwed mother openly flaunting her improper lifestyle in front of students, and the media took that and and again attacked him. It has been in my short 51 year life span that morality has been turned upside down. When I was a child in the 1960′s, there were none on television, or the classrooms, and certainly none in Congress openly flaunting a homosexual lifestyle. Unwed mothers were similarly looked upon in disdain as living immoral lives. What has changed the past 4 decades?

What has changed is this: Since I was a child growing up in the radical 60′s and the decadent 70′s, our nation has had 4 more full decades of indoctrination into secular humanist morality in the public classrooms. This has been aided and abetted by 4 decades of “progressive” (i.e. Liberal/Humanist) propaganda spewed over the airwaves and satelites and piped into our homes as “news” and “entertainment.” I believe Americans, especially Christian Americans, need to stop buying into the secular humanist ideal that what is morally wrong, can somehow be made politically correct. What used to be called perverse is now considered diverse. This way of thinking needs to stop and be reversed. If we surrender the fight on moral issues, we surrender our freedoms. That is why I applaud Josh Kimbrell and the CEO Roundtable of SC for tying social conservatism and fiscal conservatism together, for indeed the two are really tied like two sides of the same coin.

In the story “The Emperor’s New Clothes,“by Hans Christian Anderson, two scoundrels convince the emperor they could weave a cloth so fine and light it appeared invisible. They told the king ” As a matter of fact it is invisible to anyone who is too stupid and incompetent to appreciate its quality.” So, the emperor, and all those in his court, convinced themselves and others that the new clothing made from the invisible cloth was both real and visible, for fear of appearing stupid (or enlightened, or educated, etc). So, the ruler made a complete fool of himself parading around naked. It took the innocence of a child to expose the foolishness of the emperor and all who fell for the ruse of the two scoundrels.

When I read story that as a child, I thought how silly and improbable that story was. Unfortunately, we now live in a similar environment. Today, America has been duped by two such scoundrels into believing foolishness such as the atrocities of abortion and the perversions of sexual immorality are normal and acceptable. And just like in the story of the emperor’s new clothes, people in our culture tolerate and even promote these immoralities for fear of being labeled ignorant, or homophobe, or worse… a bigot. The two scoundrels duping America, and our entire western culture, are called Secularism and Humanism. They teach and indoctrinate our children and grandchildren in our public education system. They sit in Congress and legislate their brand of “religion” & “morality” and impose it on us all, they make laws in the Statehouses across America, and they legislate from the Bench at all levels. They need to be exposed for what they are… scoundrels bent on destroying our culture, our Christian heritage and our American way of life.

Senator DeMint’s message of real hope and change on October 1, 2010, brought to my mind the passage in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, especially verse 25 “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” DeMint’s boldness for speaking the truth is so refreshing. I wish it would catch on like a wild fire in the new 2011 Congress. I feel toward our humble Senator from South Carolina As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:4-6… “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way— in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.”

Godspeed in your re-election Campaign Senator DeMint. Do not ever stop standing for what is true, right, moral and just.

Rev. Sam Lawrence is the Owner and publisher of Christian Faith In America

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How to Achieve A Greater Freedom

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Written by Samuel Lawrence.

Last Friday evening I attended a rally entitled “A Greater Freedom,” at First Baptist North Spartanburg Church with my 15 year old daughter  The event was sponsored by CEO Round Table of SC and Conservative.SC.   It was an inspiring program filled with great speakers.  The most notable speaker was SC Senator Jim DeMint (http://demint.senate.gov), a champion of Conservatism, who received a standing ovation upon walking into the room.  Other notable speakers were…

  • Dr. Frank S. Page, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, http://www.sbcec.org/
  • Dr. Michael S. Hamlet, Senior Pastor of First Baptist North Spartanburg
    http://www.firstnorth.org/
  • Josh Kimbrell, President & Chairman of CEO Round Table of South Carolina
    http://ceopac.org/
  • Dave Wilson, President, Conservative.SC, http://www.conservative.sc/
  • Dr. Tony Beam, Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, where “Christ Makes The Difference” http://www.ngu.edu/
  • Lisa Van Riper, an adjunct instructor for Political Science courses at North Greenville University since 1988. http://www.ngu.edu/
  • Dr. Cheryl Collier, Chair of the English Department, at North Greenville University since 1999. http://www.ngu.edu/

The messages delivered at the rally centered around these topics: the liberal and the secular direction our nation is headed in, the liberal progressive leadership taking our nation down a path to financial ruin, the degradation of morality, and the lack of respect of human life in all stages.  The tie between needing Conservative fiscal policies, was directly linked to the desperate need for moral purity and Social conservatism.  Social conservatism and Fiscal conservatism must go hand in hand.  DeMint mentioned that what is happening in American culture is not that Christians are puhing their beliefs on others, but rather that the secularists are bent on forcing their unchristian views of morality on Christians.  This is an unacceptable situation that must be reversed.

I noticed there was one recurring theme that I heard all night… “America needs another Great Awakening.” I have been saying that for quite a while and could not agree more with all the speeches I heard.  Christian Spiritual renewal and America’s national turning away from sin and debauchery, including the shedding of the most innocent blood of the preborn, and turning to Christ is a critical need for America to not only survive, but to have any real hope of reovering our freedoms that have been swallowed up the past few years.  The problem today is this: America is vainly trying to take that which is morally and scripturally wrong and make it politically correct.

One of my Evangelical Christian heroes of modern history wrote succinctly and timely sermons and devotions regarding the very problems we are facing in our culture today. He was a prophetic preacher and powerful communicator whose sermons need to be preached to our culture in 2010 (spoken out loud and not in whispers). I was blessed to have heard him live at a revival in Greenville when I was much younger. He was not a loud, pulpit banging preacher.  At first glance, he was unimpressive in his stature and quite layed back in his presentations.  However, he spoke with great power and great authority.  His words were carried by the Holy Spirit and deposited into the ears and hearts of those in attendance.  This oreacher was Dr. Vance Havner (1901-1986), and he had a gift of speaking Gospel truths in relevant terms which went straight to the heart of the Scripture and illuminated it in vivid luminous quality. Below is one of Havner’s devotions that I think pretty well sums up the ineffectiveness of the vast majority of today’s churches to impact the culture in which we live.  In it Havner places the responsibility for our loss of effectiveness in the pulpit and in the laps of Christ’s followers.  The speakers Friday night also layed the blame for the crumbling morality in the laps of Chistians and the churches failing to proclaim the whole council of God.  Read this short devotional and see if you agree…

BACK TO DOGMA! (By Vance Havner)

“The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.” (II Timothy 4:3)

One of the pet bugaboos of many a deluded soul in the past few years has been dogma. One would think it the unpardonable sin to be dogmatic in the pulpit. Now we are reaping the harvest, because “my humble opinion” has supplanted “Thus saith the Lord.”

When I am sick I want a dogmatic physician who knows what ails me and calls it by its right name. I want my medicine put up by a dogmatic pharmacist. If he got tired of being dogmatic and decided to disregard his formula it might mean my funeral. When I ride the train I want a dogmatic engineer up front who keeps a schedule. When your car needs repairs you want a dogmatic mechanic who knows what the trouble is and can fix it.

Yet in the pulpit, of all places, ministers to whom is entrusted the care of men’s souls throw away their instructions and go by guesswork instead of by God’s Word. We are not peddlers of fable. God has spoken, and when men ask a reason for our hope we ought to have a definite, clear-cut answer.

The Early Church did something because it believed something. We are trying to do what they did without believing what they believed. But without Scriptural doctrine we cannot do our spiritual duty.”1

Well said Dr. Havner!  It is time for the church to start being THE CHURCH.  We need to get out of the pews, off our Lazy-Boys, put away our toys and gadgets and start engaging the culture in positive ways for Christ by not only sharing our faith, but demonstrating it through our own lives.

Notes:
1. (Pepper ‘n Salt by Vance Havner. Fleming H. Revell Company, 1966) Source: http://www.vancehavner.com/

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