I’m glad the President Prays but . . .

The White House has given us a glimpse into the private worship of the President. “He is a Christian and prays daily.” I wonder, as Shakespeare had it, whether he “protesteth too much.” I hope not. A New York Times pundit writes Obama should go ahead and attend the church near the White House once to quiet people’s doubts he is Christian. But “Simply going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in the garage makes you an automobile.”

From what we can tell of Obama’s long-time attendance at the now infamous mega-church in Chicago, it supplied a lot more connections with community organizers and America-bashers than with God. His private worship is his own business. It’s nice to know he prays. But use of the fact as a PR announcement by the press secretary doesn’t go down well.

God and the Signers of the Constitution

We get a lot of noise about whether our founding fathers were Christians, Deists, Athiests, etc. John Adams was a devout believer in God and a strong defender of Chrisianity. Jefferson’s favorite quotation collection was made up of clippings from the New Testament. Franklin insisted on prayer in the constitutional convention because as he said, approximately: “If a sparrow cannot fall without His notice, then it is doubtful a nation can rise without His aid.” Washington did not pray in his extremities at Valley Forge because he thought with the Deists that God had no further interest in his people.

An ancient prophet Mormon in the Americas saw our day and wrote “the power of God shall be denied, and churches become defiled and be lifted up in the pride of their hearts.” Does not the currently popular debunking of the founder’s beliefs in God fulfill his prophecy? Surveys of ministers and priests today report the majority do not believe in miracles anymore, do not believe Christ lives with a body of flesh and bone. As Paul wrote in the New Testament: “In the last days perilous times shall come.”

US Government doesn’t embezzle . . . does it?

Walter Williams’ column calls on elder citizens to abandon social security “entitlements” because they’re bankrupting the country. He claims the average retiree in 2000 gets back all he paid in within 20 & ½ yrs. Not so fast Mr. Williams – three gaps in your logic: 1) you’ve neglected the time value of the use of money, that is interest. We’re told the same funds randomly invested in the stock market would produce more return by retirement age than the social security benefits; 2) when the retiree and spouse (if any) die early the government keeps a windfall; 3) if a private company misused its pension reserves for other business, we call it fraud or embezzlement. Governments, however, aren’t held responsible. It was last decade’s Congress and President who promised that reserve – we new guys aren’t responsible. Besides we had to have the funds to offset against our deficit spending.

Will some things have to give in the tug between the generations? Maybe. But let’s not let Williams to pretend social security benefits are something for nothing – or even a fair return on amounts paid in. They're Not!

Don’t Blink . . Your Lights

My daughter Kate saw a Sandy police speed trap, and continued on, blinking her lights to warn oncoming drivers. So she gets stopped by one of Sandy’s finest who gives her a ticket (no, you didn’t guess it) failure to dim lights. A bright, sunshiny mid-day. So Kate pleads not guilty. I look up the city code which prescribes when lights must be on, then adds that at such times they must also be dimmed for oncoming vehicles. I’m just looking forward to the fun in court with the city prosecutor when Kate gets a notice: Case dismissed for lack of evidence. Of course it wasn’t lack of evidence but lack of law, lack of officer discipline, abuse of authority. I appreciate Sandy’s finest, but this one ought to be slapped upside the head. Do you have a tale like this to share?

Arlington Cemetery Crosses at Risk

So now these Tenth Circuit judges have found (or should we say invented) a so-called freedom of religion that forbids roadside crosses honoring Utah highway patrolmen lost in the line of duty. The next logical point of attack would be Arlington National Cemetery – which is just chock full of these offensive, religious symbols. And the cemetery doesn’t even have the defense that its crosses and their sites are privately funded. These ACLU folks will also want to blast off the facade of the U. S. Supreme Court the depiction of Moses and the Ten Commandmens.

Congress tell you how to tie your shoes? Absolutely!

The Commerce Clause of the Constitution is used by the Supreme Court to authorize Federal authority over airlines, interstate highways, and railroads – matters unknown at that time. The Constitution reserves to the states authority over matters not named for the Federal government. Court rulings have continually stretched the commerce clause far beyond obvious extensions – even to telling an Alabama restauranteur whom he must serve. Explained: Some of his foodstuffs came across state lines. Now Congress mandates health insurance, buys GM stock, etc. Not much reserving powers to the states. They need only five justices to agree and voila!, it’s all commerce clause stuff.

How you tie your shoes may undoubtedly be regulate-able because some of the materials in the laces (or the shoes) have come across state lines. There may be carcinogenic substances in the laces, or they might strangle a baby who gets tangled in them. So when you tie you shoes tomorrow morning, be grateful Congress hasn’t gotten there yet.

School for 3 and 4 yr olds? What are they thinking?

“People used to believe little babies were all just kind of blobs," according to Ms. Campbell –a leading advocate for schooling 3 and 4 yr olds. "Now there's so much more awareness that learning starts at the very beginning." Where in the world did Ms. Campbell get the “blob” idea? Has she ever been a mother? My mother, my grandmother, and their mothers before them knew very well that babies begin learning from birth, and even before, and are literally sponges soaking up knowledge of every kind imaginable.

The Israeli Kibbutzim reared by the community instead of their mothers, demonstrate damaging consequences to the child’s sense of family, of safety, and of belonging. No one else can teach with the ingenuity, love, and patience of a devoted mother. Not only would such schools be an utter waste of taxpayers’ money in budget crunching times; they would do serious harm to our children in deprivation of mother’s influence in early learning. It’s a Brave New World concept, leading towards the kind of amoral society portrayed in Huxley’s book of that name.

“Richer than me you could never be. I had a mother who read to me.”

Criminal Law Trend Aggravates Victims' Pain

A current fad in criminal law pushes “victim’s rights”, including victims appearing in tears at sentencing hearings, and before parole boards to bewail their loss. One lady whose famiy member was murdered bewailed her having to spend years at trials, sentencing, parole boards. Sad indeed. She could instead have been learning to forgive, so she could get on with her life.

By promoting this victim involvement, we promote a revenge factor in the criminal process. We lose sight of the great principles that it is the state’s, not the victim’s business to punish. More seriously, we lend credence to the view that it is almost a civic duty for the victim to pursue the criminal through the process to achieve something called “closure”.

How far more blessed is Corry Ten Boom’s forgiving, described in "The Hiding Place". She survived a Nazi prison camp and made presentations on forgiveness after the war. A man came up to thank her after one of her presentations and she recognized him as an SS guard who had perpetrated the atrocities that led to her sister’s death in Auschwitz. Corry could not bring herself to take the man’s proffered hand until she prayed God to give her strength to do so. Afterwards she felt a flood of relief through the prayer and forgiving process. Isn’t that why Christ taught, “Of you it is required to forgive all me” and “Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord.”

Of course we seek restitution where available, but we must not invite victims to prolong, re-live, and renew their agony over and over again in the criminal process. We only exacerbate the original injury by doing this.