Thursday, July 2, 2009

Why Politics Matters - National Version

Yesterday it became official; the Democrats now have the first U.S. Senate supermajority since 1979 with the certification of former Saturday Night Live writer and comedian Al Franken as the Senator from Minnesota. There are three ways to view this event: with glee that the Democratic takeover of Washington is complete, with dismay at how things could have turned so bad in just three years, or with a big yawn and an attitude of "Who cares?"

If you are in the last group, and you are someone who cares about freedom of speech, freedom of religious expression, individual property rights, and the value of human life, then you need to WAKE UP!

The era of change is well underway. Let's see what kind of changes we've had so far this year:

On January 28, 2009, U.S. taxpayer funding of overseas abortions was reinstated. As if your tax dollars being used for domestic abortions wasn't bad enough, now we get to send our money overseas to help women all over the world end innocent lives. Care to guess how many Democrats voted against a measure that would have blocked this reinstatement? Only one Democrat stood for life; Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Thank you Senator Nelson.

Three current Republicans and one former Republican voted to send your money overseas, including Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins from Maine, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, and Arlen Spector from Pennsylvania. The vote was 60-37.

In February, President Obama nominated David Ogden for the post of Deputy Attorney General. Who is David Ogden? Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said Ogden "is more than just a lawyer who has had a few unsavory clients. He has devoted a substantial part of his career, case after case, for 20 years, in defense of pornography." Here are some examples:

In 1986, he argued against the Library of Congress' decision to stop publishing Braille editions of Playboy magazine. He once filed a brief on behalf of a group of library directors arguing against the Children's Internet Protection Act. The act ordered libraries and schools receiving funding for the Internet to restrict access to obscene sites. But Ogden's brief argued that the act impaired the ability of librarians to do their jobs. He called it "unconstitutional," though the Supreme Court later disagreed with him and upheld the act. He argued, on behalf of several media groups, against a child pornography law that required publishers of all kinds to verify and document the age of their models (which would ensure the models are at least 18). The provisions were struck down. View the source of this article

Last month, President Obama appointed Kevin Jennings, the former head of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to be the assistant deputy secretary of education in charge of the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. The GLSEN is dedicated to promoting pro-homosexual clubs and curricula in public schools. The interpretation of what "safe" means should be obvious from this appointment. Hint: it doesn't mean children will be safe to practice free religious expression, but I'll bet it does mean lots of free condoms.

The list goes on and on, but hopefully you get the idea. When one party has complete control of the agenda in Washington DC, and that party is at best indifferent to, and at worse intolerant of the values that you care about, you can't just complain about it. It isn't going to get any better until changes are made.

What can we do? Watch the news, read a newspaper, know what's going on in the world. Send an email, write a letter, or make a telephone call to your Senators and Representatives in Washington, DC. Tell them what you think and how you feel.

Put down your bag of potato chips, get off your couch, and TAKE ACTION!

1 comment:

  1. The more I read this:

    Isaiah 3:4-5 NAS And I will make mere lads their princes And capricious children will rule over them, (5) And the people will be oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; The youth will storm against the elder, And the inferior against the honorable.

    Isaiah 3:12 NAS O My people! Their oppressors are children, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray, And confuse the direction of your paths.

    The more and more it reminds me of what is happening today...

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