September 2008 Archives

The policies of socialists are often justified through emotive appeals that invoke the needs of the poor and the greater good of society. The consequences are inevitably cruel, destroying lives by consuming the product of one's labor and enslaving the "beneficiaries" of the programs.

The Community Reinvestment Act is one such piece of legislation that institutionalized economic destruction by enabling those without sufficient credit or income to buy property they could not afford. Congress required banks to lower their credit standards and give out loans to those who didn't qualify. PhD economist and former Texas Senator Phil Gramm has called it: "a vast extortion scheme against the nation's banks."

We now know the laundry list of Democratic leaders who pushed this tragic program into law and defended its merits despite calls for scrutiny and regulation. Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Franklin Raines, John Conyers, Jim Johnson and others.

Barack Obama played his role by representing the Association of Community Organizations for Reform (Acorn), one of America's most militant left-wing "community activist groups,"

Obama represented ACORN in the Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank Fed. Sav. Bank, 1994 suit against redlining. Most significant of all, ACORN was the driving force behind a 1995 regulatory revision pushed through by the Clinton Administration that greatly expanded the CRA and laid the groundwork for the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac borne financial crisis we now confront. Barack Obama was the attorney representing ACORN in this effort. With this new authority, ACORN used its subsidiary, ACORN Housing, to promote subprime loans more aggressively.

[snip]

As a young attorney in the 1990s, Barack Obama represented ACORN in Washington in their successful efforts to expand Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) authority. In addition to making it easier for ACORN groups to force banks into making risky loans, this also paved the way for banks like Superior to package mortgages as investments, and for the Government Sponsored Enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to underwrite them. These changes created the conditions that ultimately lead to the current financial crisis.

This seems a bit generous to me: Democrat Party Risks Becoming the "Party of Death"

And yet, Keith Girard writes (WSJ):

The nation's top economic leaders repeatedly raised the specter of a Main Street meltdown on Capitol Hill this week to justify a $700 billion bailout for major financial institutions. But the message is pretty much ringing hollow on Main Street, where rising prices and the economic slowdown outweigh credit concerns, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).

The NFIB's chief economist, William C. Dunkelberg, said in an exclusive interview this week that the organization's monthly survey of economic conditions has yet to detect anything that would indicate severe credit stress among its members. Only 2 percent of those polled said credit was their No. 1 problem in its August survey. Credit was mentioned as a problem by 10 percent of those surveyed, which is up from about 3 percent in 2002. But the change is normal. "Is credit tighter? Yes," Dunkelberg says. "But it's always tighter at the end of the quarter."

In comparison, during the 1981-82 recession, 23 percent of small business owners said credit was their No. 1 problem. Even during the stock market crash of 1987, which saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunge 22 percent in one day, credit was never a major issue for small companies, he said. "We looked at our data, and the economy kept going until 1991. It is true that AIG stock is down and bank stocks in people's portfolios may be down, but looking at the fundamentals of the economy, it's not even as bad as 2001," he says.

"Bank of America may not be making car loans because it's short on capital, but I can't imagine why it would be difficult to get a car loan, unless the borrower is not a good credit risk," says the NFIB economist. "If you are looking to borrow 100 percent of the retail value of the car, no, but car loans are available."

Suffering as a result of our past policies is inevitable:

American's are going to suffer. The poor will be hardest hit. As conservative pro-life Christians, we've often been criticized for not carrying about kids after they are born, this despite our extensive charitable work and outreach. I'd like to point out that big government, the kind with a program to solve every societal ill and help every depressed individual, is responsible for the current financial crisis.

The tender mercies of the monstrous government that brought us the Community Reinvestment Act has jeopardized the future of the very people they said were being helped.

The audacity is that our "leaders" have not learned their lesson. Democrats are attempting to skim their 20% of profits first and foremost off the top of any enormous financial-bailout benefit. It's like reading a non-fiction version of Atlas Shrugged.

There are other ways out of this current crisis that do not involve socialistic strategies built upon years of government intervention and motivated by public fear.  Andy McCarthy quotes a friend with insight (HT: Michelle Malkin):

We all get it.  It's bad out there.  We're way over-leveraged.  Consumer debt is out of this world.  Credit is tight at best.  And banks are insolvent.  We need to take action.  But darn it, we should take the right kind of action.

(...) The Paulson-Democrat Wall Street Bailout will arguably make things WORSE, not better

(...) We may blow the best shot the federal government has to use taxpayer money wisely to "work out" of the current financial situation - getting it wrong will CREATE problems and HARM confidence, because fundamentally underpinning this situation is the assumption that the government can prevent a meltdown.  If the plan fails, this opportunity may well disappear.

(...) This plan would have government socialize losses - and breaks the tie between risk and reward/failure.  Certain companies need to get wiped out - and doing so will be BETTER for remaining investments.

When government steps in preemptively and starts arbitrarily buying up assets, the expectation is that it will do so again and again  

And as for alternatives:

 

-         how about reinforcing FDIC to give people confidence in their savings?  Maybe more support for money markets? 

-         How about cutting corporate taxes or cap gains taxes? 

-         How about buying up (or financing the purchase of) the AAA securities that currently are having trouble moving but are not "toxic," in order to increase liquidity and help with possible insolvency for healthier institutions rather than the old line investment banks? 

-         How about doing something about the silliness of the $62 Trillion Credit Default Swap market (e.g. the margin requirements, etc...)? 

-           How about immediately changing mark-to-market rules?

-      And - heaven forbid - how about belt-tightening in Washington?  Don't hold your breath - but imagine what a signal that would send - a freeze in discretionary spending, a moratorium on earmarks and a real plan to educate America about entitlements and talk about the need to get our fiscal house in order.

Neither Republican socialism nor Democratic corporatism is the answer to the current financial "crisis." The conventional mantra of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates is that this problem was caused by a financial industry that was insufficiently regulated. In fact, the crisis was caused by previous government intervention and bailouts -- for example, FDR's bank holiday and the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation during the New Deal and Bush's father's massive bail out of the Savings and Loan banks during the late 1980s and early 1990s. If the financial sector is regarded as too important to have difficulties or if particular financial institutions are regarded as "too big to fail," they will engage in reckless practices that will end in "crisis," thus leading to demands for yet more government action to fix the problems that prior government intervention caused.

This downward spiral must be broken. Financial institutions must be allowed to fail, and the market must be allowed to return to equilibrium. Such failures might very well induce a recession, but as Herbert Hoover discovered, throwing more credit at a market with excess credit only worsens the inevitable economic downturn. Let's just hope the ill effects of this massive financial bail out don't get that bad.

First Amendment to the United States Constitution:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances"

Have you ever been in a small group setting where someone mentions their pro-choice opinion on the abortion issue? Then once you or a fellow pro-lifer starts to question their views, they say that they don't want to discuss it or some other response to squelch the debate. This occurs from small group settings to large pro-life exhibits. For example, recently 18 pro-lifers were arrested in Maryland for just standing on the side of the road holding pro-life signs. They were basically arrested for trumped-up charges and later released.

It's very ironic that often it is difficult to have a pro-life display exhibited on college campuses. College professors and administrators preach free speech, tolerance, and diversity but only when it pertains to something they agree with. They usually have very little tolerance for a pro-life group displaying its freedom of speech rights, even though the group is following all the rules for displays set by the administration. The response is sometimes similar from the students who have been indoctrinated by those same professors and administrators. This is a typical reaction of many liberals in our society. If someone questions them, then that person is to be dismissed and their opinions not worthy of respect. With many social topics, including abortion, the liberal side does not want to deal with the logic of the issue. If you oppose their view, you should not be heard; not because of specifics of the claim you made, but only because you oppose their view.

How does a pro-lifer respond to being stifled in such a manner? Verbally fight back with a calm demeanor, and put them on the spot. Ask them if they believe in free speech? In tolerance? In diversity? Of course, they should respond yes to all. Then you agree and state that you believe in free speech for all, tolerance for differing points of view, and a desire to listen to a diversity of opinions. Then offer them the chance to state their opinion as long as you can state yours.

Thus far, local 40 Days for Life coordinators have reported 48 babies saved from abortion! And reports are still coming in. It's awesome!

Karen in Oklahoma City tells of a young woman who approached sidewalk counselors outside the clinic. "They could tell she was conflicted and open to their words," she said.

This young woman was the victim of sexual assault. "She was afraid of carrying a child she did not really want," said Karen, "but she was also afraid that she might fall in love with her baby if she chose life."

After the counselors described the free resources available, she asked if she could choose an adoptive family for her baby. The answer was a resounding yes. "The counselors hugged her and thanked her for choosing life for her unborn child," Karen said. "She left smiling and happy. Praise God!"

Michele in Colorado Springs reports a car drove up to the clinic and two young women got out -- a woman scheduled for an abortion and her friend. The friend called out to the people praying outside the clinic, "I'm with you! Pray for her!" And of course they did just that. The two women went inside the clinic, then came back out and talked. They went back in again, and came back out and talked again.

This time, someone shared a scripture verse with them -- Isaiah 49:15: "Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you." After reading this together, the two young women went home. The baby was saved!

Carol in Toms River, New Jersey was praying with a small group outside the clinic when a young couple walked out, quietly talking to one another. "She was crying," Carol noticed. "He hugged her and then she began to walk down the steps with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes."

The young woman looked at the vigil volunteers and said, "I could not do it. I just could not do it." Still, she was afraid of her mother's reaction, because it was her mother who was pushing the abortion. She also had concerns that her boyfriend might not be able to finish college. "But she took the first step in conquering those fears," Carol said, "and God will bless her."

Carol added, "There is much to be said when you realize that our prayers really make a difference. There is much to be said when you know in your heart you are part of God's plan. If you have not yet gotten involved in 40 Days for Life, I cannot tell you the blessings you will experience and the wonderful people you will meet -- all for the glory of God."

Are you invovled in the 40 Days for Life? Campaign Director David Bereit shares an incredible testimony from a participant in Fresno, California:

I stood outside of Planned Parenthood for about 6 and a half hours today, most of those hours alongside my wife, who is 9 months pregnant. A young, attractive girl started walking toward me from the Planned Parenthood driveway. I smiled at her thinking she was a Planned Parenthood employee.

The young woman said she wanted to ask me some questions, and I told her that I'd be glad to answer any questions she could think of. She asked why we were out here. At that point I knew she wasn't a Planned Parenthood employee, because she would have known exactly why we're out here! I told her that we were there to peacefully pray for an end to abortion. I introduced myself and asked for her name, and she shook my hand saying her name was Ashley.

Then she said, "Well, I changed my mind." I figured maybe she had become pro-life, so I asked her what she meant by that. Ashley responded, "I was going to have an abortion, but I'm not going to now." My eyes widened, I gave her a huge smile and told her that she was my new favorite person! (Except for my wife, of course!)

Ashley explained further that she saw a news story on TV about us this morning and knew she couldn't have an abortion. I hadn't seen that coverage yet, so I asked her what it was about the story that changed her mind. She said that she saw men and women praying and holding signs and Bibles, and she knew that she couldn't go through with the abortion.

Ashley is 16 years old and 5 weeks pregnant. Her parents wanted her to have the abortion and have now kicked her out of their house and taken her cell phone. She's living with a friend now. I began to tell Ashley about the local pregnancy care center and how much help we personally can offer her as well. I told her, "You're not alone."

St. Louis, MO -- Operation Rescue and the Christian Defense Coalition have announced plans for demonstrations surrounding the Vice-Presidential debate to be held in St. Louis on October 2.

The groups, which are coordinating with Defenders of the Unborn, Concerned Women for America, and other pro-life groups, have planned events that will both support pro-life Republican vice presidential nominee, Gov. Sarah Palin, and stand in opposition to the pro-abortion Democratic vice presidential nominee, Sen. Joe Biden.

"Governor Palin has energized the faith and pro-life constituencies like no other," said Rev. Pat Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition Director. "This is an untapped resource I think is extraordinary."

"Gov. Palin is a ray of hope that God is beginning to answer our prayers for the leadership of our nation," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "She has helped vault the plight of the pre-born to the front burner of American politics. Sen. Biden, on the other hand, is an enemy of Life and should be exposed and rebuked."

"She is a pro-life candidate. All Christians must band together to elect her to the White House," said Mary Maschmeier of the St. Louis group Defenders of the Unborn.

Events scheduled so far include the following:

Rally and Prayer in preparation for the Vice-Presidential Debate October 1, 2008 at 7:00 PM IL Monastero- On the campus of St. Louis University 3010 Olive Street, St. Louis

Prayer and Prayer During the Debate October 2, 2008 from 5-9 PM Skinker and Forest Park Blvd., one block from Forest Park across from Lindell Blvd.

The specific times and locations for various other activities will be determined in the next few days.

Source: Operation Rescue

I read with interest Suzanne's post (Big Blue Wave) about the changing climate in Russia in regard to abortion. It seems the country has a fledgling pro-life movement brewing and, according to the LA Times, Russian abortionist Marina Chechneva is speaking out:

These days, Chechneva is writing magazine articles about fetus development in hope of raising public opposition to abortion. After years of handling fetuses, she explains, she has come to feel a responsibility toward the unborn children.

"They should realize that what they're doing is already a murder," she said.

"This is the decision of a lifetime," gynecologist Natalia Smirnova said. "It's very important for me to show them the ultrasound picture of their fetuses. This stops most of them."

"You kill not only a child, a living being, but a part of yourself, something that was alive in you," said Irina, a 25-year-old Muscovite who has had three abortions. The young women who were interviewed declined to give their last names. "There's a trauma and a grief you suffer. You murder a child. It was much more difficult than I expected."

Still, Irina repeatedly chose abortion when she felt she was without options -- unemployed despite her university degree in accounting, married to first one man and then another who didn't want the babies. She never used birth control. She became pregnant, then went to the state clinic and waited in line for a no-cost abortion.

"It's like a conveyor belt," she said. "Women sit next to the abortion room in a line, and it happens very quickly."

The government is desperate to persuade citizens to bear more children. Russians are dying faster than they're being born, a trend that has emerged as one of the most serious challenges faced by this sprawling, scantily populated land.

What is going on in Missouri? What happened to free speech? Who do the the media and law enforcement officers in the video think they are that they can obliterate free speech and "assist Obama's campaign in making tacit threats to the public in general and McCain supporters in particular"?

Watch this video and you get the feeling that Stalin has just taken over Missouri law enforcement and Missouri public officials.

More from RealChoice on Barack Obama's opposition to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (Warning: graphic content)

This just released, an excerpt from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation:

And lastly, it would seem anyone could pay for near-universal healthcare by first taking our tax money for it, almost $140 Billion of it.

Then maybe we'll have what Canada has: doctors picking patients' names out of hats to decide which ones to treat.

With the November elections at hand and extreme polarization between party lines, the current economic crisis is being leveraged and exploited by pundits as a means to gain political advantage. Most us probably don't realize how bad the situation has become and how close the United States is to disaster. William Kristol's recent message is sobering:

I've received phone calls in the last hour from two economists I respect, one of them Larry Lindsey, the other in a position where he'd prefer not to be named. Both have government experience, neither is alarmist by nature, and they say this:

The huge European bank Fortis is apparently about to fail. The ripple effect on the American banking system could be disastrous, with bank runs, liquidity crises, and stock sell offs possible Monday. Wachovia may well fail next week. As Larry put it, this really will be 1933 soon if we don't move rapidly to stabilize the banking system.

And here's the bad news: the current bailout bill, whatever its merits and likelihood of passage, does nothing to address this.

But who's to blame? Although some bear more guilt than others, both parties have contributed to the economic crisis (Pat Buchanan):

Big Government is riding to the rescue - saddlebags full of our tax dollars - to save us from the consequences of the stupidity and folly of Big Government. New York and Washington, the twin cities responsible for the crisis, are now being hailed by the media as the 7th Cavalry, coming to rescue a beleaguered nation.

Had there not been a steady and constant infusion of easy money and credit into the U.S. economy by the Fed, for years on end, a housing bubble of the magnitude of the one that has just exploded could never have been created.

Had the politicians of both parties not coerced and pressured banks, S&Ls, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make all those sub-prime mortgages, then to tie this rotten paper to good paper, convert it into securities and sell to banks all over the world, there would have been no global financial crisis.

Had they seen this coming and acted sooner, the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury would not today, like Henny Penny, be crying, "The sky is falling!" and the end times are at hand, unless we give them 5 percent of our gross domestic product to buy up suspect securities backed by sub-prime mortgages.

The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go away. They will go away because we as Americans have the capacity now, as we've had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom.

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.

Leave it to present-day Democrats to skim their 20% of profits first and foremost off the top of any enormous financial-bailout benefit, shafting the taxpayers who are about to foot the bill, and giving that 20% to groups who supported Clinton and the Democrats in Congress when they modified a law in 1995 to require banks to give out more of the risky housing loans that caused the financial meltdown in the first place, a law first supported and passed by Democrat President Jimmy Carter which created the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac disaster, a law that is still law in this nation...all while solely blaming the Republicans for passing another law that President Clinton collaborated on and passed.

More Facts That Keith Olbermann and his Not Ready For Prime Time Players Won't Tell You...

David Prentice notes that Researchers at the University of Milan have published results indicating that adult neural stem cells might be used as a treatment for spinal muscular atrophy. The disease is the second most common genetic disorder leading to death in childhood and there is currently no cure.

Earlier this week, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District IV, ruled in Donna Limmer v. Linda Schunk that persons who assist in the suicide of another are still entitled to the inheritance of the deceased person. This dangerous decision encourages persons who have a financial interest in another's death to assist that person in committing suicide. [Americans United for Life]

At issue is a case in Clark County where Linda and Megan Schunk allegedly drove Edward Schunk, their husband/father, to a cabin on their property and left him there alone with a loaded shotgun. He subsequently killed himself with the gun. The case is Donna Lemmer v. Linda Schunk. Linda and Megan Schunk are inheritors under Edward's will. Another daughter of Edward's, Donna Lemmer, filed proceedings claiming that Linda and Megan should not be entitled to their inheritance because they assisted in Edward's suicide.

The court concluded that the probate statutes only disallow inheritance when there
is intentional killing, and concluded that assisting a suicide is not an intentional
killing under the probate statutes. Wisconsin does have a law which specifically
prohibits assisted suicide.

"Wisconsin Right to Life plans to seek either court or legislative action to close this
loophole. For the protection of our citizens, the state should not provide a financial
motive to those who participate in a suicide," commented Barbara Lyons, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life.

Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe has used an address to the United Nations general assembly to accuse Britain and America of genocide. Strong words... are they true?

Once a regional breadbasket, an exporter of food, Zimbabwe's economy is in meltdown with the world's highest inflation rate and four out of five adults unemployed.

In case you are unaware, inflation results from a government's economic policy. It is a sophisticated and "legal" way to consume a nation and results, in Zimbabwe's case, from government printing more money as a means to conduct its business and repay debts.

The people of Zimbabwe have been plundered:

Zimbabwe's inflation rate has soared in the past three months and is now at 11.2 million percent, the highest in the world, according to the country's Central Statistical Office.

Zimbabwe's inflation rate has soared to a world high.

Official figures dated Monday show inflation has surged from the rate of 2.2 million percent recorded in May, despite the government's price controls.

The country's finance minister confirmed the new figure in an interview but said the rising inflation rate was not confined to Zimbabwe alone.

"While our case has been aggravated by the illegal sanctions imposed by the Western powers, rising food prices are a world phenomenon because of the use of bio-fuel," said Samuel Mumbengegwi. "But we will continue to fight inflation by making sure that prices charged are realistic."

Few countries have been as devastated as Zim by the policies put in place by one man. President Robert Mugabe has literally destroyed his country and is starving his people. Until the last few years, he denied there was even a problem and outlawed food imports.

There is much, much more - crimes against humanity, torture, political violence, election fraud, farm seizures, assassination, famine, etc.,

Mugabe is right in penning the word "genocide" into his United Nations speech. Unfortunately, the term he throws at others applies to himself.

Why is it that a severely injured person is called a vegetable? Mark Pickup writes:

Eight years ago, Kevin Monk of Casper Wyoming was in a terrible car accident. He suffered severe physical and brain injuries. For eighteen days after the accident Monk had no brain function and remained in a coma for another three months. During that time, his doctors tried to persuade is family to let him die.

Contrary to the doctors' predictions that Mr. Monk would never recover, he did waken from his coma. In a recent interview with the Casper Star-Tribune, Monk (33) said, "Some of the doctors told Mom and Dad to just pull the plug," His mother added, "From every place we went, they told us he'd never be anything but a vegetable." Some vegetable!
Today, Kevin Monk is well on his road to recovery and even walks unaided.

Barack Obama voted against the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act 4 times in 3 years and was the sole senator to speak against it on the Senate floor in 2001 and 2002. He later misrepresented his vote and then called his critics liars (here's the facts).

According to Barack Obama, these babies are not human persons when born and not eligible for legal protection. Here's the language Barack Obama objected to as "clearly threatening Roe": A live child born as a result of an abortion shall be fully recognized as a human person and accorded immediate protection under the law.

Think about it as you read this story, published by RealChoice:

An August 2, 1981 story in the Philadelphia Inquirer said that in July of 1979, Dr. Boyd Cooper performed an abortion at 23 weeks at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The 1 lb 2 oz infant boy gasped and tried to breathe. No efforts were made to revive the infant due to the parents' wishes and the infant's size. The baby was placed in a utility room used as an infant morgue. Cooper instructed nurse, "Leave the baby there -- it will die." The nurse testified that the baby was still gasping in the closet when she returned to work 12 hours later. Cooper then finally agreed to allow the baby to be transferred to intensive care, where he died 4 days later. Despite having left the child gasping, cold and alone, in a morgue for over twelve hours, the baby's death was ruled accidental.

John Piper speaks on abortion ...

HT: Reviving Mothers

This video is really meant for Obama supporters and all Democrats everywhere (except for Democrats For Life), and ESPECIALLY those who call themselves Catholics or Christians.

WARNING: THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO IS VERY GRAPHIC.

For those who are post-abortive and not sure how you feel anymore about your abortions, please do NOT watch this. I'm very serious about that. It is quite graphic, with absolutely amazing video footage I could not have watched before I attended my Rachel's Vineyard retreat and probably not even for a long time afterward. I had trouble watching it even now. Had to close my eyes and not look at some of it.

Even if you've been on a post-abortion recovery retreat or some other kind of service, please consider not watching it.

Yet the music...close your eyes and listen to the words of the song if nothing else. Especially if you support Obama AND describe yourself as a Christian of any kind.

Part 1 of Pro-Life Unity's interview with Jill Stanek at the 2008 Values Voter Summit: She recalls the horrifying moment that made her into a pro-life activist and start her long road to end abortion -- the cradling of a Down's Syndrome baby that was aborted alive.

Eyeblast Version - Part 1

YouTube Version - Parts 1 & 2 combined

For more videos and information on the efforts of Pro-Life Unity, click here to visit ProLifeUnity.com.

Our friend from Arizona, Len Munsil, has given us permission to reproduce his well framed article LIBERALS NOW BELIEVE YOU CAN LEGISLATE MORALITY:

For decades liberals have told conservatives that when it comes to laws protecting innocent human life, defining marriage, or regulating gambling or pornography to protect families from harm -- "you can't legislate morality."

But tonight, in response to a national financial meltdown, the same liberals who argue that law can't influence moral behavior, seem to believe all our financial problems can be solved by more laws regulating moral behavior.

Particularly amusing was Rep. Barney Frank -- a prime promoter of the "you can't legislate morality" crowd who was all over television tonight decrying the immorality of Wall Street and promising new laws to legislate morality in the financial industries.

This is the same Barney Frank who, while a Congressman, had a gay lover running a male prostitution ring from his home. Now it turns out that another former gay lover of the Congressman -- who Frank described as his "spouse" -- was a top executive at Fannie May while Rep. Frank was defending and receiving lots of campaign cash from Fannie May.

All law provides a dividing line between right and wrong conduct. And of course law itself cannot prevent wrong behavior, or else we would have no theft or murder. Debates over the wisdom of legislation on issues from abortion to civil rights to financial fraud are legitimate and welcome, especially as we balance our commitment to individual liberty against the regulatory power of government.

The question on any of these issues is not whether we can legislate morality. The question is: "what moral rules are best for governing society?" With this latest attempt by liberals to legislate morality, perhaps we can have a more honest debate over other issues that liberals try to dismiss as "off limits."

And let's hope the moral zealots of the left, in their desire to punish Wall Street wrongdoers for this latest crisis, don't produce even more rules that stifle economic freedom in a way that is truly destructive to our nation's future prosperity.

In reality, there is no law that does not have a moral dimension. Law makers legislate based upon what they perceive to be right and wrong. The question is upon what standard do they determine right and wrong?

With any number of significant issues worth addressing with serious journalists, David Letterman gave John McCain a "serious roasting Wednesday night for scrubbing an appearance roughly one hour before the taping." I wouldn't blame either candidate for canceling an appearance with Letterman in favor of almost anyone else, particularly at a time when the country faces a significant economic crisis.

Beyond this, I sure hope Americans have enough depth to evaluate presidential candidates on the basis of their objective stands (yes, on issues such as abortion) and view of justice, civil liberties and economic policy rather than whether or not a Late Night Talk Show host feels snubbed.

What do you think?

With so much attention on the economy, one area of federal legislation that can be overlooked is abortion. An old and dangerous bill that will increase abortions by an enormous amount is being resurrected by abortion advocates: the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). H.R. 1964 and S.1173. FOCA is usually reported as "codifying Roe v. Wade," but it is much more....

For a guy who supports infanticide, what's 125,000 more abortions, give or take a few?

Cross-posted: Hyscience

Last week, BornAliveTruth.org unveiled its premier ad, featuring for the first time ever an abortion survivor speaking to a national audience. In the ad, Gianna Jessen appealed to Barack Obama to reconsider his prejudice against gutsy babies like her.

Gianna was aborted in 1977 by infamous CA abortionist Edward Allred, who is named on her birth certificate as her attending physician. Gianna's 17-year-old mother aborted her at 29-1/2 weeks' gestation after belatedly deciding the time wasn't right....

Gianna was externally and internally scalded [by a saline solution] for 18 hours, but her mother's bag of waters ruptured before Gianna died, and Gianna was delivered kicking and squalling....

Were it up to Obama, Gianna would not be here.

Doubt me? Obama's website lists the following language as "Language Clearly Threatening Roe" from the first, second and third versions the IL's Born Alive Infants Protection Act:

A live child born as a result of an abortion shall be fully recognized as a human person and accorded immediate protection under the law.

In Obama's mind, Gianna was not a human person when born and not eligible for legal protection.

If Obama doesn't believe abortion survivors are legal persons, it is perfectly legal to draw and quarter them by the dilatation and extraction (D&E) abortion procedure after delivery. It is perfectly legal to drown them in a bucket of water, the equivalent to a hysterotomy abortion wherein the baby is drowned in amniotic fluid. Obama must explain why this absolutely wouldn't be so....

Continue reading my column, "Gianna Jessen: Above Obama's pay grade," on WorldNetDaily.com.

Should feelings of pity reduce the consequences of murder?

Joanne Hill, who murdered her daughter with cerebral palsy, won't be eligible for parole for at least 15 years:

Judge Elgan Edwards told Hill: "There can be no excuse for what you did."

The judge said: "You killed your own daughter because you could not cope with her disability. You had other pressures upon you, a disintegrating marriage, and you decided to kill your own daughter by drowning her."

However, I can't help but think that Ms. Hill's lawyer chose the wrong defense strategy. Recall Robert Latimer, the Canadian who murdered his daughter Traci because she had cerebral palsy--an act supported by his wife after the fact and applauded widely in Canada. Latimer's defense was he was doing it for Traci, as a compassionate and loving act. He got off with a several years in prison, and the jury didn't even want him to serve that much time.

Americans United for Life (AUL) has filed comments with the Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) affirming the need for a proposed regulation that will protect the freedom of conscience of healthcare providers nationwide.

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, President and CEO of AUL said, "Protecting the rights of healthcare providers is critical to the continuing viability and safety of our healthcare system."

"Protecting conscience helps to ensure that providers enter and remain in the healthcare professions, helping to meet the rising demand for quality care," continued Yoest. "Failing to protect freedom of conscience will most certainly compromise basic healthcare for the entire nation."

Denise Burke, AUL Vice President & Legal Director added, "Laws such as the proposed HHS regulation acknowledge that certain demands of patients, usually for procedures that are life-destructive and not life-saving, must not be blindly accommodated to the detriment of the freedom of healthcare providers."

The proposed HHS regulation will require recipients of federal funding through HHS to certify compliance with existing federal laws including the Hyde-Weldon Amendment and the Church Amendment, which protect the right of healthcare providers to decline to participate in abortions for reasons of conscience.

In its comments, AUL argues that the proposed regulation is a much-needed and long-overdue enforcement mechanism for existing federal laws protecting healthcare freedom of conscience. In addition, the failure to adequately protect conscience -- through both appropriate laws and requisite enforcement mechanisms -- will only exacerbate the existing healthcare crisis in this country.

To view AUL's comments, go to http://www.aul.org/hhsroc

Wisconsin stem cell researcher James Thomson has shifted his focus:

"I personally believe that the future is in the (adult skin) cells," said Thomson, speaking during a press conference on Tuesday. "But the future is not here yet."

He told MSBNC that he understands the technology still has a long way to go and that embryonic stem cells are not being used in any human clinical trials yet.

"I'm very hopeful that there will be some transplantation applications for this technology, but they're going to be very challenging," he told MSNBC. "And it's been so hyped in the press that people expect it to come the day after tomorrow."

Thomson conceded that embryonic stem cell cures may not be available until "ten to twenty years from now."

You see, the dismal track record and unattainable promises of ESC research are not the fundamental problem with it. The fatal flaw in ESC research is that scientists must "destroy" (a synonym for "kill") a human being to extract the stem cells they need. Emotionally based appeals are made to justify the practice by demeaning the unborn and undeveloped person and claiming an embryo is not as important as someone who has developed and is in need of the embryo's parts. However, the mystical point in time that a human embryo develops into a human who cannot be sacrificed for science is unknown.

Adult stem cell research has none of these problems and actually yields technology that helps people.

Call it bias, bad journalism, being in the tank for Obama, dishonestly biased journalism, or all of these (my personal choice), the old media continues to get it disgustingly, purposefully, wrong with a negative slant when it comes to reporting anything having to do with Sarah Palin.

And once again, NewsBusters has busted them:

At least since September 8 the extreme left has been pushing a lie that Governor, then Mayor, Sarah Palin "charged rape victims for rape kits" performed upon them in the Alaskan town of Wasilla. The charge stems from a May 22, 2000 article in the local Wasilla paper The Frontiersman and has been spun from a comment made by the Wasilla Police Chief. This comment was somehow made into a Sarah Palin policy. Evidence of the incident, though, shows no involvement by Palin at all. Still, many Old Media outlets continue to keep illegitimately linking this rape kit billing claim to Sarah Palin, even though the truth is easily discovered.

Read it all ...

American Life League supporters Tuesday celebrated the news that Planned Parenthood Columbia-Willamette took down the videos on the lewd TakeCareDownThere.com web site that was first launched in July.

The video site, which Planned Parenthood marketed as "sex education," included skits of two teenage boys engaged in oral sex, girls and boys examining each other's reproductive organs, couples talking about participating in orgies and masturbation among others.

When American Life League alerted the pro-life movement to the site, the story made national headlines.

A.L.L. president Judie Brown issued the following statement.

"Praise God!" said Judie Brown, "after months of pro-life outcry against this site, we can finally rest knowing this site will no longer threaten our kids. Planned Parenthood finally pushed the envelope past the point of tolerance. Every person concerned with the health and wellbeing of our children should have been outraged by this blatant attempt to sexualize kids. It appears the roar of just anger over this Planned Parenthood filth was so great, Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion chain had to shut it down. This is truly a great day."

Related: Planned Parenthood's "Take care down there" videos removed!

[Like] many of us Christians who deeply lament the unbiblical support from our brothers and sisters of offensive war, murder, lying and blasphemy - and those who have sold themselves out to John McCain's "evil" because it is "less evil" than Barack Obama's "evil" has decided to embrace a genuinely Christian candidate in Chuck Baldwin. From the pastor himself:

For one thing, a sizeable number of believers allowed President George W. Bush to redefine their Christian principles almost out of existence. They willingly looked the other way while Bush betrayed his word (not to mention the Constitution) and catapulted conservative principles into outer darkness. To the point, that they can now even support someone as liberal as John McCain and still call him a "conservative."

Sarah Palin drew a crowd of over 60,000 people in Florida the other day.

The reaction of the press- ho hum.

Ask yourself where did you hear about the crowds.

Did you hear about the 18,000 who met her in Colorado Springs?

And she did not have to hire a rock band to draw the people.

Let me predict that the way that the mainstream media is going to deal with Palin from now on is to ignore her. They think that she is simply a creation of their obsession and if they do not talk about her, she will go away.

The truth is that Gov. Sarah Palin strikes a chord with all Americans.
She loves her country in an honest forthright way.

She believes in God and is not afraid to say she wants to do His will.

She loves life, born and unborn, and family and her husband and her children.

She became governor not through marriage, or by knowing the powers that be, or by eliminating the competition through the old boys' network, but with hard work and an honest message of reform.

She continues to surprise everyone. She is the Alaskan Avalanche.

Now keep passing the word that Sarah Palin has the media shaking in their collective boots.

And make sure everyone is registered to vote.

Eight (plus?) More Reasons To Doubt Obama's Message and Leadership:

Democrat readers and/or Obama supporters probably won't bother to read this all the way through, nor the various links provided herein, but it's all fact and it's all out there nonetheless, whether the beloved Keith Olberman's of the world are telling you these facts or not, whether you "believe" it or not:

1. The Obama-Ayers connection: Chicago Annenberg Challenge, also discussed here, Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism On Schools:

   Barack Obama has never written about his most important executive experience. From 1995 to 1999, he led an education foundation called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC), and remained on the board until 2001. The group poured more than $100 million into the hands of community organizers and radical education activists.

   The CAC was the brainchild of Bill Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground in the 1960s. Among other feats, Mr. Ayers and his cohorts bombed the Pentagon, and he has never expressed regret for his actions. Barack Obama's first run for the Illinois State Senate was launched at a 1995 gathering at Mr. Ayers's home.

   
   
2. "Obama's Social Security Whopper: Obama tells Social Security recipients their money would now be in the stock market under McCain's plan. False."

   Read on for more. We can't make this stuff up.

National Life Chain Sunday 2008 is October 5

Annually, on the first Sunday in October, LIFE CHAIN invites the churches in each city and town across North America to stand on a designated local sidewalk and pray for one hour.

In 2007, well over 1,300 Life Chains were built in cities and towns across America and Canada and posted on LifeChain.net. The focus is now on Lord willing, from 2:30 to 3:30 pm (or the time preferred by the local Life Chain Committee) in each time zone across North America. To include your city in 2008, notify National Life Chain of your interest via email National Life Chain or call (530) 674-5068 and download (from this web site) a copy of the Life Chain Manual and the other entries under "LIFE CHAIN Materials." Thereafter, inform your local pastors of your Life Chain plans as soon as possible, and ask them to schedule your Chain on their church calendar.

Despite convoluted descriptions of Barack Obama's position on abortion, it has become quite clear that it is anything but "nuanced."

Dave Andrusko, writing for the National Right to Life, lays out Obama's strategy:

It is one thing to say that there are many people of faith who will not necessarily vote for the pro-life candidate just because he or she stands up for unborn children. It is quite another to say that these same people wouldn't be aghast if they had any idea how militantly, across the board (and beyond) anti-life Obama actually is.

The key to Obama's forays into the Christian community is to convince its various and diverse membership that if he's not exactly in the mainstream, he is at least close. That while he is "pro-choice," he's really serious about "reducing the number of abortions."

In other words, please don't look at my record. If you do you will see the ultimate Stepford Husband, a guy who will do anything the PPFAs and NARALs and NOWs of this world tell him to do.

1. Obama wishes to vaporize the Hyde Amendment. As pro-abortionists themselves are the first to acknowledge (ruefully), the Hyde Amendment saves lives--at a minimum one million!


2. In addition to ending that proven abortion-reducer, Obama "wants to enact a mandatory national health insurance program that would also mandate coverage of abortion on demand." The multiplier effect of this initiative is almost incalculable.


3. Obama can't wait to sign into law the "Freedom of Choice Act." FOCA would terminate other proven abortion-reducing laws, such as women's right to know laws, waiting periods, and parental notification laws. These laws have saved countless lives, but no matter. As Obama told the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in 2007, "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do."


4. Obama even goes so far as to "advocates repeal of the national ban on partial-birth abortions (which the FOCA would also accomplish)."


5. Finally while a member of the Illinois state Senate, Obama "led the opposition to legislation to provide protection and care for babies who are born alive during abortions," as NRLC has thoroughly documented at http://www.nrlc.org/ObamaBAIPA/WhitePaperAugust282008.html. He was no passive spectator, but the ringleader.

Ron Paul continues to shake things up by endorsing a third-party candidate for president:

I've thought about the unsolicited advice from the Libertarian Party candidate, and he has convinced me to reject my neutral stance in the November election. I'm supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate.

Ironically the most difficult group to recruit has been the evangelicals who supported McCain and his pro-war positions. They have been convinced that they are obligated to initiate preventive war in the Middle East for theological reasons. Fortunately, this is a minority of the Christian community, but our doors remain open to all despite this type of challenge. The point is, new devotees to the freedom philosophy are more likely to come from the left than from those conservatives who have been convinced that God has instructed us to militarize the Middle East.

I recently had an idea for a post. My concept was that if an American Pro-Life Hall of Fame existed, who would be the inaugural class? Who would be the first five people to be honored based on the last 30+ years of the pro-life cause? The most influential individuals involved with the cause?

The guidelines would be that an eligible person for election would have to be American born and have exposure at a national level. To come up with this list, I spoke with someone whom I believe is a leading authority on the pro-life cause, and its history, in America. We bounced ideas off each other, and came up with the following list of whom we would select as the inaugural class trying to cover the multi-facets of the cause and our society:

This video is making the rounds in a big way tonight...re-launched from the intial release in the Spring. Warning...it does contain some images pro-abortionists might not find offensive (HT - FR):

Barack Obama fought against the Born Alive Infants Protection Act which would have provided basic medical care to any infants that survive an abortion attempt. He wants to kill those infants born alive.

Link: Creative Minority Report

Here's an explosive audio found with Obama arguing against Born Alive Infant Protection Act:

Related: Obama Cover-up Revealed On Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Bill

Related: BornAliveTruth.org

Americans United for Life's Charmaine Yoest takes on a Planned Parenthood spokesperson during this September 18 Fox News segment featuring debating on which presidential candidate will win the day on the abortion issue (JillStanek.com).

Isn't interesting that Barack Obama supporters continue to assert that his position is ""nuanced"? How nuanced is this (The Quick and the Dead):