Hurray For the Constitution

You just have to love it when the Supreme Court actually says the US Constitution is correct. In an age where a radical judiciary seeks to legislate from the bench, often in direct opposition to the stated will of the people, it’s nice to have Justices who have the guts to say, “The Constitution really is true.”

In case you haven’t heard, the High Court handed down a decision which states that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting. Now most of us regular folks knew that all along. There’s this thing called the Second Amendment which guarantees that right. But it was nice to see the Supreme Court agree with that Amendment, even if it was by only a 5-4 majority.

Oddly enough, this is the first major decision regarding the “gun rights” issue in the history of these United States. According to a brief AP blurb, “The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791.” Probably because most people understood exactly what this thing meant! It’s hard to argue with plain language, although the liberals love to do it with the First Amendment on a regular basis.

The ruling specifically strikes down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns, while at the same time suggesting that this right does come with some limitations.

Ironically, this all comes at the same time as some other good news for gun owners in Missouri. Today, Gov. Matt Blunt is scheduled to sign into law House Bill 2034, which will make some positive changes to MO’s gun laws.

Those who know me know that I am not a violent sort of person. I’m squeamish enough that I have to leave the room while they put an IV in patients while I’m visiting in the hospital. Needles make me freaky!

But at the same time, the basic right to “bear arms” both for hunting purposes and to protect my family if need be is one that I support with all my being. Obviously, our forefathers did as well, which is why they wrote that Amendment to begin with. And history has proven their wisdom. In most places which are “gun friendly,” allowing concealed carry, etc. crime rates are always lower.

It’s nice to see the judiciary get one right.

Protect Free Speech!

For years now Christians have been taken in by a variety of “petition drives” asking us to sign petitions to stop people like atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair (who’s been missing and presumed dead/murdered for years BTW). Most of these deal with non-existent legislation and it only serves to embarrass the Church when we pass things like this along.

This is different. This is real.

According to an email alert sent out from Focus on the Family,

the Democratic leadership in the House has stalled a key bill -- the Broadcaster Freedom Act (H.R. 2905). This bill would ban the so-called Fairness Doctrine, which would allow the federal government to dictate the content of talk radio. Unless pro-family citizens demand immediate action in Congress, the bill will die and conservative free speech on the air will remain threatened.

The Broadcaster Freedom Act will die in committee unless we can rally a majority of members of Congress to sign a “discharge petition” that would move the bill to a floor vote in spite of the Democrats. Thus far, 195 members of Congress have signed the discharge petition but we must have 23 more signatures or the bill dies. It's important to note that if the Act comes to a vote, it will likely pass.

The Focus on the Family folks are asking us to sign a petition to encourage legislators to sign the “discharge petition.” I know it sounds confusing. But go here to read more about it and sign this petition.

In case you haven’t realized it, the anti-Christian lobby in this nation is growing each and every day. And if Christian people don’t stand up against it, we will have no one but ourselves to blame when we lose the freedoms we take for granted.

I’m not usually an alarmist, but it’s time to take action. Please go Focus on the Family and sign this petition.

Vision Forum DVD Winner!

Well, after the overwhelming response (sarcasm intended!) it's time to announce the winner of the DVD giveaway from Vision Forum. They had authorized affiliate blogs like this one to give away a free copy a DVD from their Reclaiming the Culture DVD series. , and we decided to give away a copy of the DVD entitled: The Promise: The Beauty and the Power of the 5th Commandment.

So congrats to Kristen and Doug. I'll be sending an email with some details in the very near futre.

For the record, I still encourage folks to check out the VF site and catalog. They have quality resources that are family friendly and Christ centered. I appreciate them making things like this available. Enjoy!

A Matter of Life and Death

It's not an overstatement to say that this year's Presidential election is a matter of life and death, especially if Barack Obama is elected. Those at risk are not just the millions protected by our military whom the Illinois Senator would abaondon. It's not just the lives and well-being of millions of middle class Americans who will suffer as those who have to pay for the ridiculous programs he advocates. The most serious issue is literally the life or death of hundreds of thousands as a result of this pro-death activist.

A recent Wall Street Journal article by Daniel Allott called "The Audacity of Death," (a play on Obama's well known theme) says that the record shows Obama as the most pro-abortion person in the Senate, with a 100% pro-death voting record. Further more, Allott says:

As an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama twice opposed legislation to define as "persons" babies who survive late-term abortions. . . Mr. Obama said in a speech on the Illinois Senate floor that he could not accept that babies wholly emerged from their mother's wombs are "persons," and thus deserving of equal protection under the Constitution's 14th Amendment.

And he promises, "the first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act," which would overturn hundreds of federal and state laws limiting abortion, including the federal ban on partial-birth abortion and bans on public funding of abortion.

Later, Allott reports:

All this explains why the National Abortion Rights Action League voted unanimously to endorse Mr. Obama over Hillary Clinton, as did abortion activist Frances Kissling, who called Mrs. Clinton "not radical enough on abortion."

He admits his pro-death, anti-child mindset with comments like the one he made regarding not wanting his daughters "punished" with a baby. (See Rod Albert's excellent blog regarding this).

Wake up, folks! This man offers no real hope. Of course, the only real hope is in Jesus Christ, but even apart from that, from a purely national standpoint, this man will literally be the death of hundreds of thousands. If you value life, if you believe a person is a person no matter how small, to steal a phrase, we must vote to oppose men like Barack Obama.

Protecting Marriage

As many of you are aware, with recent rulings in California, the need for an amendment to the US Constitution protecting Marriage is needed now more than ever. Congressman Paul Broun of Georgia has introduced H.J. RES. 89, known as the Marriage Protection Amendment of 2008. This amendment would make marriage legal only between a man and a woman.

The American Family Association has some good information about this. At the bottom of the article is a link to a form you can fill out to send to your Congressman to encourage them to become co-sponsors of this legislation. The time to act is now while we have a President friendly to the cause. Regardless of how the November election turns out, Christians will not find a friendly face in the Oval Office come January 2009.

FREE DVD from Vision Forum

The generous folks at Vision Forum have authorized affiliate blogs like this one to give away a FREE copy a DVD from their Reclaiming the Culture DVD series. In particular, we will be giving away a copy of the DVD entitled: The Promise: The Beauty and the Power of the 5th Commandment. Here’s a bit about the DVD:

Is it “well with you”? If not, it may be because there are unresolved issues relating to honor in your life. “Honor your father and mother” is the first command with a promise. When you practice honor, “it will be well with you.” But what does this mean?

In this foundational message, Doug Phillips breaks down the issue of honor and addresses challenging issues such as: How do wise parents instill honor in their children? How should children respond to perverse authority in parents? In what ways are adult sons and daughters to honor their living parents? How does our culture promote dishonor? How can adult children restore honor to relationships that have long been tinged by dishonor? What are the consequences of dishonor? This talk has been shared with tens of thousands and has been a life-changing message for many.

So here’s how it works. Simply post a comment to this article and you’ll be entered in the drawing. To keep things as “fair” and “random” as possible, I’m going to put all the names in a hat and let my three-year-old son draw one out. Then check back here along about June 20 to find out who the winner is and we’ll make the contact arrangements and so on.

This is a wonderful way to get a sample of what Vision Forum is all about. I urge you, if you haven’t before, to check out their website. They have a plethora of solid Christian, pro-family books, CDs, DVDs, resources and fun stuff available. In the meantime, post a comment below for your chance to win the FREE The Promise DVD.