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| LET US PRAY www.kentuckyfamily.org Monday, July 16, 2012 | |
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Category Archives: Culture War
On Sexual Ethics
Below, the Family Foundation of Kentucky weighs in again on the homosexual activist movement. The question every reader should ask is, "How do I determine right from wrong? What tests should I use to evaluate and distinguish that which is unethical from that which is ethical. Is there an objective standard of right and wrong? If not, why should my behavior or the behavior of any individual matter to society or any authority?"
On Sexual Ethics
Below, the Family Foundation of Kentucky weighs in again on the homosexual activist movement. The question every reader should ask is, “How do I determine right from wrong? What tests should I use to evaluate and distinguish that which is unethical from that which is ethical. Is there an objective standard of right and wrong? If not, why should my behavior or the behavior of any individual matter to society or any authority?”
Now, dear reader, you are unlikely to take on the challenge of these questions in any intellectually serious manner. We live in the age of anti-intellectualism, hedonism, and instant gratification. “If it feels good, do it.” Or more simply and emphatically, “Just Do It.” But if you are willing to subjugate these baser instincts to thoughtful reflection, you will ultimately realize that you cannot determine matters of right and wrong for me, and I cannot determine them for you. In fact, you and I are incapable of determining right and wrong even for ourselves. In our usual moments of infatuated self-evaluation, we deny this. But in the end, matters of right and wrong have already been decided, and were so long before you and I were on the planet. Indeed, such matters have not only been decided by a higher authority, but by The Highest Authority. But each of us stokes his pride, and rebels.
You are likely to reject this by saying this author invokes absolutes, and retort that “there are no absolutes!” Really? Isn’t that an absolute statement? Of course, it is. And so you are intellectually and logically compromised. If, as you say, there are no absolutes, then your argument that “there are no absolutes” is logically inconsistent. It is an absolute statement.
I cannot decide right and wrong for you. If you are intellectually honest, you’ll admit that neither can you decide for me these matters of right and wrong.
That which is right and wrong has previously been determined by a higher authority. Indeed, the Highest Authority of all.
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| LET US PRAY www.kentuckyfamily.org Friday, July 6, 2012 | |
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Repeal Obamacare?
I received the email below very recently from a friend, who in turn received it from a friend. He did not know who the author was, but the analysis is quite provocative. If any reader can identify the author, please advise.
Sent: Sun, 01 Jul 2012 05:59:40 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: INTERESTING ANALYSIS
Below is an optimistic and very interesting analysis of the Supreme Court’s recent decision concerning Obamacare. I hope this fellow is correct in his reasoning.
June 30, 2012
Lexington, South Carolina
To all my friends, particularly those conservatives who are despondent over the searing betrayal by Chief Justice John Roberts and the pending demise of our beloved country, I offer this perspective to convey some profound hope and evidence of the Almighty’s hand in the affairs of men in relation to the Supreme Court’s decision on Obamacare. I initially thought we had cause for despondency when I only heard the results of the decision and not the reason or the make-up of the sides. I have now read a large portion of the decision and I believe that it was precisely the result that Scalia, Alito, Thomas, Roberts and even Kennedy wanted and not a defeat for conservatism or the rule of law. I believe the conservatives on the court have run circles around the liberals and demonstrated that the libs are patently unqualified to be on the Supreme Court. Let me explain.
First let me assure you that John Roberts is a conservative and he is not dumb, mentally unstable, diabolical, a turncoat, a Souter or even just trying to be too nice. He is a genius along with the members of the Court in the dissent. The more of the decision I read the more remarkable it became. It is not obvious and it requires a passable understanding of Constitutional law but if it is explained anyone can see the beauty of it. The decision was going to be a 5-4 decision no matter what, so the allegation that the decision was a partisan political decision was going to be made by the losing side and their supporters. If the bill was struck down completely with Roberts on the other side there would have been a national and media backlash against conservatives and probably strong motivation for Obama supporters to come out and vote in November. With today’s decision that dynamic is reversed and there is a groundswell of support for Romney and Republicans, even for people who were formerly lukewarm toward Romney before today, additionally Romney raised more than 3 million dollars today.
Next, merely striking the law without the support of Democrats and libs would have left the fight over the commerce clause and the “necessary and proper “ clause and the federal government’s role in general festering and heading the wrong way as it has since 1942. As a result of the decision the libs are saying great things about Roberts; how wise, fair and reasonable he is. They would never have said that without this decision even after the Arizona immigration decision on Monday. In the future when Roberts rules conservatively it will be harder for the left and the media to complain about the Robert’s Court’s fairness. That’s why he as Chief Justice went to the other side for this decision not Scalia, Alito, Thomas or Kennedy, all of whom I believe would have been willing to do it.
Next let’s look at the decision itself. Thankfully Roberts got to write it as Chief Justice and it is a masterpiece. (As I write this the libs don’t even know what has happened they just think Roberts is great and that they won and we are all going to have free, unlimited healthcare services and we are all going to live happily ever after.) He first emphatically states that Obamacare is unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause saying you cannot make people buy stuff. Then he emphatically states that it is unconstitutional under the “necessary and proper” clause which only applies to “enumerated powers” in the US Constitution. Justices Ginsberg, Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan all went along with these statements. They never would have gone along with that sentiment if that was the basis for striking the law in total. This is huge because this means that the Court ruled 9-0 that Obamacare was unconstitutional under the Commerce clause which was Obama’s whole defense of the bill.
They also ruled 9-0 on the “necessary and proper” clause. Even better both of these rulings were unnecessary to the decision so it is gravy that we got the libs to concede this and it will make it easier to pare away at both theories in the future, which we must do. Well done.
Roberts, through very tortured reasoning, goes on to find that the taxing law provides the Constitutionality for the law. Virtually everyone agrees that the Federal government has the power to do this as it does with the mortgage deduction for federal income taxes. This too is huge because Obama assiduously avoided using the term “tax” and now he has to admit this law is a tax and it is on everyone even the poor. That will hurt him hugely in the polls and will help Romney. More importantly though is the fact that this makes this a budgetary issue that can be voted on in the Senate by a mere majority instead of 60 votes needed to stop a filibuster. That means that if the Republicans can gain a majority in the Senate, it can vote to repeal Obamacare in total.
Finally the Court voted 7-2 to strike down the punitive rules that take away money from states that do not expand Medicare as required in Obamacare. This too is huge because we got Kagan and Breyer to join this decision and it can easily be applied to many other cases of extortion the Federal government uses to force states to do things they don’t want to. This is alsoamazing because Obamacare has no severability clause so by striking the Medicaid mandate portion as unconstitutional the whole bill should have been struck. If that happened none of these other benefits would have been accomplished. I haven’t read far enough to know how he did it but I am sure it is brilliant.
So to recap the Roberts court through a brilliant tactical maneuver has: strengthened the limitations of the commerce clause and the necessary and proper clause by a unanimous decision, made Obama raise taxes on the poor and middle classes, converted Obamacare into a tax program repealable with 51 votes in the Senate, enhanced Romney’s and Republican’s fundraising and likelihood of being elected in November, weakened federal extortion and got the left to love Roberts and sing his praises all without anyone even noticing. Even Obama is now espousing the rule of law just 2 weeks after violating it with his deportation executive order. That is why I have decided this was a genius decision and that I did in fact get a great birthday present today not to mention U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder being held in contempt. What a day.
America’s Liberty & Independence: Founded on the Christian Faith
Liberal Logic 101
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Roman Catholics Lead the Way Again
I’m not Catholic. I grew up in small town attending a United Methodist church. I remained a United Methodist for the first 40 years of life, before moving to a non-denominational church about twelve years ago. But I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen of Roman Catholic leadership in the last year.
The blurb below was sent to my email box by The Family Foundation of Kentucky. It is not a Roman Catholic organization. It’s principals, Martin Cothran and Kent Ostrander, are not Roman Catholic. But they clearly recognize the important role the Roman Catholic Church is taking in the culture war.
Roman Catholics are way out front of the rest of Christian America in thinking about critical social issues that intersect at the junction of religion and politics. The Calvinists are very good, very intellectual, but timid in leadership by comparison to American Catholicism. In addition, Roman Catholics bring mass (no pun intended) to the calculus of social and political influence. They can mobilize a lot of people very quickly and the money is already there. Protestants are divided and financially weak by comparison. Also, I sense the Establishment media have a certain respect and fear of the Roman Catholic Church. But they demonstrate only contempt and derision for Protestantism in all its forms.
I recommend to all readers two books recently written by Roman Catholics that address specifically some of the important questions of our generation. Father Robert Sirico’s book, Defending the Free Market will help you sort out the moral and ethical questions you may have about capitalism and socialism. Sirico is formerly a man of the political left, who worked along side Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden. He later returned to the faith of his boyhood and is now President and thoughtful spokesman for the Acton Institute (www.acton.org).
If this book whets your appetite, then I recommend Love & Economics by Jennifer Roback Morse. She is another Roman Catholic, and Ph.D economist who served on the faculties of Yale and George Mason University. She operates The Ruth Institute (www.ruthinstitute.org) and is a leading intellectual light on the nexus of economics and family. The Ruth Institute also does a regular podcast featuring Dr. Morse. The pod can be downloaded free from the iTunes store.
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| LET US PRAY www.kentuckyfamily.org Friday, June 22, 2012 | |
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On Race
I hold two professional designations from The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. This institution is a leading educator of financial professionals across the U.S. Founded in 1927, it provides quality distance learning programs for insurance and financial professionals. This morning, I received the advertisement below in my in box.
I responded to the College with an email. This is what I said:
Suppose we had a “Conference for European American Financial Professionals”? Would this not be patently racist and exclusive?
As a white, Protestant male who attended integrated public schools in the mid-south from the first grade through high school graduation, who played on integrated athletic teams, and who was member of a college fraternity that included not only “African-Americans”, but actual Africans (specifically, Ghanans), Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews, I find the idea of this “conference” utterly ridiculous. I find it offensive in its political correctness. I had thought better of The American College.
I hope in the future that you will consider inclusive conferences. For our unity as one people with different stories is the great strength of this country. From many nations, we are one people. “E Pluribus Unum” is inscribed on every American coin. A few “African-Americans” that you might consult about this matter include Thomas Sowell, Walter E. Williams, Allen West, Alan Keyes, J.C. Watts, Clarence Thomas, Lou Harvey, and many more.
As a white man, I take no pride in either my race or sex. Neither do I have shame. I had nothing to do with either my race or sex. It is not as though I was born some neutral race and sex, and through my own striving and determination I one day achieved whiteness and maleness. No, whiteness and maleness were my lot in life right out of the womb, thrust upon me through no choice of my own. I’m not proud of it. I’m not ashamed of it. I had nothing to do with it. But I do accept it. What else can I do? It is the most emotionally healthy choice I could make. Is not Chaz Bono, and others who have made the choice for “trans-gender”, in a state of complete rebellion. What peace can there be in such a life?
But I digress.
I have no more patience for white pride than for black pride. You may say that blacks were an oppressed class and many have emotional or psychological scars from having been excluded and disenfranchised. You may say because of this history it is necessary to extoll blackness. I understand your point, but disagree.
Throughout American history, certain classes of people were excluded by the majority. These included native Americans, Roman Catholics, Jews, Irish, Italians, and women, among many others. Many individuals within these groups were beaten, brutalized, lynched, or otherwise mal-treated by the majority. For the most part, these oppressed peoples overcame and became one with the citizens of this nation, despite lasting differences of ethnicity or religion. They shared a common belief with the founders in the American Dream – in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Even the black man, once free, chose to stay and suffer Jim Crow and profound oppression rather than return to Africa. Things improved for him in America, while Africa, Europe and the rest of the world continued as Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “like boats against the current, born back ceaselessly into the past,” which is to say there was little or no upward mobility in the cultures of the rest of the world. Only America offered a chance to improve one’s economic or social well being. So profound is this truth, that the New York Times reported a few years ago that the U.S. has had more people of African heritage immigrate to the USA than were ever brought here in the slave trade. If the USA is such a racist nation, why do Africans continue to move here? If America is such a racist nation, how is that we alone among the nations of the world outside Africa, have a head of state and government of African heritage?
Africans, like other immigrants, recognize that opportunity here is superior to opportunity elsewhere. No, we are not a perfect nation. We have many problems. But we air our dirty laundry and seek to clean it up. Sometimes we succeed. When we fail, we try again. Other nations, particularly socialist nations, bury their dirty laundry and punish journalists that seek to expose it.
Those groups that have been most protected through government programs have been most retarded in economic and social mobility. Specifically, these are the Native American and the African American. These two groups continue to suffer from the benevolent and enabling hand of government safety net programs. No ethic groups have more afflictions of substance abuse and family disintegration than these. And these are directly attributable to the massive intrusion of government into family life. These programs destroy the most basic economic unit of society, the family, by reducing dependence of family members upon one another and transferring this dependence to the government. Ironically, the government is itself on its way to bankruptcy having made financial commitments it cannot keep. In time, the family will re-emerge among Native Americans and African Americans as the important economic and social unit it was designed to be. In the meantime, government will continue to cause much damage.
For some of you, my “post-racial” view will be found over the top. I acknowledge your criticism, am grateful for it, but don’t regard it as valid or true. The future is with the “post-racial”. Those wallowing in the sins of the past fail to see the redemption of the future. We are still a melting pot. Inter-racial marriage is rampant in this nation as nowhere else. As each generation passes, new frontiers of social integration develop. It is so great to be a nation of mutts.
If you’re proud of your race or sex, I pity you. These seem like rather shallow attributes of which to be proud, particularly so since you did nothing to achieve them or preserve them. For me, I’m proud to be an American, from the land of great ideas, where the idea of liberty for all people was birthed and nurtured as nowhere else on the globe. I’m proud to celebrate these ideas, to teach them to my children, to share them with my neighbors and friends, to advance them however and wherever I can. Of this, I am proud. I celebrate the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Northwest Ordinance as the greatest achievements of mankind in the formation of civil government — achievements which set the foundation for the freest society on earth, however imperfect.
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Sowing in Truth and Spirit
| This email was distributed by the Kentucky Family Foundation today: | |
| LET US PRAY www.kentuckyfamily.org Thursday, June 7, 2012 | |
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LGBT Proclamation
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| LET US PRAY www.kentuckyfamily.org Tuesday, June 5, 2012 | |
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