The Left Wants the State to be God

One of the “5 Right-Wing Lunacies This Week: O'Reilly Goes Way Off the Deep End” (an article by Janet Allon on AlterNet.com) was Senator Rick Santorum’s contention that the concept of “Separation of Church and State is a Communist Idea.”

4. Rick Santorum: Separation of Church and State is a Communist Idea.

Sure hope Rick Santorum runs for president again. This theocracy booster told listeners that the words separation of church and state do not appear anywhere in the U.S. Constitution. You know where they appear?  “It was in the constitution of the former Soviet Union,” Santorum said in a conference call with members of right-wing pastor E.W. Jackson’s STAND America.

Whoa!

Someone needs to do some time-traveling quick to inform Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and other Founding Fathers that the amendment they drafted into the Constitution is a commie plot to separate us from Jesus!

Here is my comments in response to the above:

"The words separation of church and state do not appear anywhere in the U.S. Constitution" So, where in the U. S. Constitution do these words appear, Janet? Senator Santorum is correct, they do not appear in OUR Constitution.

It was the SCOTUS that perverted and misinterpreted the original intent of the Founders. It was never the intent of the Founders to separate God from the State, but only to insure that no specific Christian demonization be made the official state church, like was the situation in England.

Roe v. Wade is another perverted, misinterpreted decision. There the Supreme Court invented a right ("a woman's reproductive right" which is the right to kill a woman's unborn baby, a developing human being ) that was never intended either.

The biggest lesson that should be learned is that SCOTUS is not supreme and they are extremely fallible as are all human beings and institutions.

 

Pelosi's Hypocrisy

"I want you to speak about it (passing immigration reform legislation) from the pulpit", says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The above video illustrates the hypocrisy of the ruling class. I say that they are the ruling class, not because they have been given this distinction by the People, but because they seem to believe that they are above the law. With all the scrutiny of churches for promoting political causes by liberals, here have in the example of the queen of liberals one who is calling on churches to preach her position on a certain political issue. Its not that I would disagree with her that illegal immigration is an important issue (see this accompanying article for proof of that). It’s not that I don’t think that politics shouldn’t be discussed in churches (but watch it if you’re a 501(c)(3)). It’s just that somehow I don’t think Pelosi would use equivalent latitude to churches when their preachers are preaching against abortion (for "the dignity and worth of every person"), same-sex marriage or even the wars. What do you think? Is it time for Pelosi to retire?

Pray Today for the National Day of Prayer

I am a conservative, born again Christian, but when I look at political issues, I like to keep an open mind and not always take the “Christian side” (Alliance Defense Fund, American Center for Law and Justice, etc.) of every issue. Sometimes I take the other side, but for different reasons than the ACLU, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and other such organizations.

This being the National Day of Prayer, and the fact that it has recently been held unconstitutional by a Federal District judge, I decided to research this issue. At first I thought maybe the whole issue was just a big fight over nothing. After all, no one is being put in jail (or could be potentially deprived of rights in any way) by the proclamation of a day prayer. And on the other hand, why do we need the President to make such a proclamation? Couldn’t we just observe the Day without it? Like any other issue, I tried to wipe away my presuppositions and look first to the Bible and then the Constitution, and then to history (mostly Wikipedia) for answers.

While it is clear from Scripture that the religious and civil authority should not be combined into a single institution, the Bible makes it plain that there is nothing wrong with civil leaders giving proclamations to pray or fast. See II Chronicles 20:1-4, 30:1, Jeremiah 36:9, Daniel 6:25-27, and Jonah 3:6-10. Despite the fact that the concept of a civil proclamation of a day of prayer seems so symbolic (as opposed to issues of more substance like abortion and war), the Bible does seem to indicate in these passages that it is important.

It is also clear that the Founders had no problem with proclamations being issued for this purpose. The Second Continental Congress called for, at various times, special days to be set aside for prayer specifically calling on the name of Christ. [1] George Washington, while acting as President of the Constitutional Convention, begged that prayer be held at the beginning of each of its assemblies. [2] During the Quasi-War with France, President Adams declared May 9, 1798 as "a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer," during which citizens of all faiths were asked to pray "that our country may be protected from all the dangers which threaten it". [3] On March 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation that designated the day of April 30, 1863 as a day of "national humiliation, fasting and prayer."[4] Woodrow Wilson called for a day of prayer during World War I, as did Franklin Roosevelt during World War II, George H.W. Bush during the Gulf War, and George W. Bush during the Iraq War. In all 34 of 44 U.S. presidents have called for days of prayer during times of crisis.

The idea of an annual National Day of Prayer was introduced by the Rev. Billy Graham, who suggested it in the midst of a several-weeks crusade in the nation’s capitol. Members of the House and Senate introduced a joint resolution for an annual National Day of Prayer.

On April 17, 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed a bill proclaiming that a National Day of Prayer must be declared by each following president at an appropriate date of his choice. In 1982 a National Prayer Committee formed to coordinate and implement a fixed commemorated day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended so that the National Day of Prayer would be held on the first Thursday of May. It now reads:

The President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.

-36 U.S.C. § 119 [5]

On October 3, 2008, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sued President George W. Bush, Jim Doyle, Shirley Dobson (chair of the National Day of Prayer Task Force), and White House Press Secretary Dana Perino at a Madison, Wisconsin federal court, challenging the federal law designating the National Day of Prayer. The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is defending Shirley Dobson and the National Day of Prayer Task Force. The Obama administration asked U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb to dismiss the case in March 2009. The administration argued the group has no legal standing to sue and that the tradition of the National Day of Prayer dated back to 1775. The suit was then amended to include President Obama and Press Secretary Gibbs.

On March 1, 2010 U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb stated that FFRF's lawsuit can proceed forward because the plaintiffs had shown that they suffered "concrete injury" that can potentially be remedied by judicial action. Justice Crabb stated about those supporting the federal law designating the National Day of Prayer, "adopting [the] defendants' view of standing would allow the government to have unrestrained authority to demean members of any religious group without legal consequence. The federal government could declare the 'National Day of Anti-Semitism' or even declare Christianity the official religion of the United States, but no one would have standing to sue because no one would have to 'pass by' those declarations." [6] This was in regards to the defendants' position that the plaintiffs did not have standing to engage in the lawsuit. Mr. Bolton, legal counsel of the Freedom From Religion Foundation stated, "The Foundation has never been opposed to nongovernment parties designating and participating in their own Day of Prayer activities. Here, however, government officials have too often adopted the religious perspective of Mrs. Dobson and the National Day of Prayer Task Force as the official public statement and position of the government. To the extent that Mrs. Dobson and the Task Force, operating from the Focus on the Family campus in Colorado Springs, concentrate on the private sphere, that is their prerogative. FFRF is concerned about the government's respect for the separation of church and state, which the court intends to address."[7]

On April 15, 2010, Judge Crabb ruled that the statute establishing the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional as it is "an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function".[8][4][9] However, Crabb stayed her ruling pending the completion of appeals.[10] In her ruling Judge Crabb stated the following:

In my view of the case law, government involvement in prayer may be consistent with the establishment clause* when the government's conduct serves a significant secular purpose and is not a "call for religious action on the part of citizens." McCreary County, Kentucky v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, 545 U.S. 844, 877 (2005). Unfortunately, (section) 119 cannot meet that test. It goes beyond mere "acknowledgment" of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context. In this instance, the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience. "When the government associates one set of religious beliefs with the state and identifies nonadherents as outsiders, it encroaches upon the individual's decision about whether and how to worship." McCreary County, 545 U.S. at 883 (O'Connor, J., concurring). Accordingly, I conclude that (section) 119 violates the establishment clause.

It bears emphasizing that a conclusion that the establishment clause prohibits the government from endorsing a religious exercise is not a judgment on the value of prayer or the millions of Americans who believe in its power. No one can doubt the important role that prayer plays in the spiritual life of a believer. In the best of times, people may pray as a way of expressing joy and thanks; during times of grief, many find that prayer provides comfort. Others may pray to give praise, seek forgiveness, ask for guidance or find the truth. "And perhaps it is not too much to say that since the beginning of th[e] history [of humans] many people have devoutly believed that 'More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.'" Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421, 433 (1962). However, recognizing the importance of prayer to many people does not mean that the government may enact a statute in support of it, any more than the government may encourage citizens to fast during the month of Ramadan, attend a synagogue, purify themselves in a sweat lodge or practice rune magic. In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual's decision whether and when to pray.[8]

*“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…”

Of course, Judge Crabb’s judgment is way off, the simple issuance of a proclamation of a day of prayer cannot be unconstitutional because it doesn’t come close to establishing a religion and the Founders would never have put something in the Constitution which would disallow something that is held to be of such great importance in the Scriptures. There obviously shouldn’t be a “National Day of Anti-Semitism”, but there is nothing in the Constitution which would prevent this from happening--no document, not even the Constitution, could ever prevent (even if it were always enforced) every wrong thing from happening, especially since no powers are really being exercised here (but see the next paragraph).

What would bother me, if anything does, about the legislation is that it is an (apparently binding) command given to the President by the Congress where no explicit authority to do so is mentioned in the Constitution (thus, an apparent violation of the 10th amendment). In the past, such proclamations were made at the discretion of the President. I do not believe that these proclamations themselves are a violation of the 10th amendment because they are not binding on anyone, i.e. it is not an exercise of power. The Congress could instead pass a non-binding resolution that a Day of Prayer be proclaimed.

Another thing that bothers me is one of the defenses being used against the judge’s decision. The argument that such proclamations go back to 1775 is fine, but to say that the plaintiffs have no standing would be to reinforce a dangerous precedent. (But it seems hypocritical of the courts to apply this when someone is legitimately trying to hold the government accountable to the constitution and not apply it to frivolous cases like this.) I hope that none of the attorneys fighting for this will resort to using arguments that the NDP is immune from the Establishment Clause because it serves “a secular purpose”. A law for a religious purpose doesn’t violate the 1st Amendment as long as it does not exercise powers (or effect them in any way) which are solely and rightfully within the jurisdiction of the Church or prohibit religious exercise.

References (mostly from Wikipedia)

1. http://www.constitution.org/brief/historical_test_brief.htm

2. www.constitution.org/dfc/dfc-1787.txt

3. John Adams, "A Proclamation," March 23, 1798; printed in thePhiladelphia Weekly Magazine, March 31, 1798.

4. Richmond, Todd (15 April 2010). "Federal judge rules Day of Prayer unconstitutional". Associated Press. Retrieved 18 April 2010.

5. http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/36/I/A/1/119

6. http://www.ffrf.org/uploads/legal/dayofprayer_standing.PDF^

7. http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/court-ffrf-suit-against-national-day-of-prayer-can-proceed

8.http://www.wiwd.uscourts.gov/assets/pdf/FFRF_v_Obama_Order.pdf

9. Gilgoff, Dan (16 April 2010). "Federal judge strikes down National Day of Prayer statute". CNN. Retrieved 16 April 2010.

10. Richey, Warren (15 April 2010). "Federal judge: National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 17 April 2010.

Source of Our Rights - God or the State?

"The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but form the hand of God."

.
--- President John F. Kennedy (D-MA), 1961, Inaugural Address

Forty-eight years later, America saw the election and inauguration of a Saul Alinsky inspired community organizer, a puppet of the Soros-Gill financed destructive anti-America pro-socialist, pro-Marxist movement. America elected someone who believes the direct opposite of JFK.

.

Barry Soetoro a/k/a Barack Obama believes that rights are granted by the government and that God and Jesus Christ must be separated from the state. Unfortunately, if government can grant rights, then it can also rescind them as well. This is what is happening in our country right now.

Faith and Action on the National Day of Prayer

The group Faith & Action is having prayers at the Supreme Court for the National Day of Prayer. Four years ago they bravely started this traditional at the risk of being prosecuted for violating the non-existent “separation of church and state” law. This year they are also cosponsoring a continuous 90 hour bible reading from the West Steps of the U.S. Capitol Building, which started on Sunday and runs though noon today. The Bible is being read aloud over a public address system so that the members of Congress can hear it during the hours they are session! Wow, what a great idea!

Don’t know what to pray? Here are some ideas:

Here is another thing that you can pray for. THAT BARACK OBAMA WOULD abondon his hypocrisy and START PRACTICING WHAT HE PREACHES (at least when he preaching to men and women of faith).

Separating God from American Society

MSNBC is taking a poll on whether "In God We Trust" should stay on our American currency. Their LIVE VOTE survey question is:

Should the motto "In God We Trust" be removed from U.S. currency?

___ Yes. It's a violation of the principle of separation of church and state.

_X_ No. The motto has historical and patriotic significance and does nothing to establish a state religion.

COMMENTARY

First of all the so-called principle of “separation of Church and State” is a lie. It is really the desire on the part of the liberal secular humanist left to create a totally secular society. To do that, among other things they have to essentially separate God from the state. This is antithetical to what our Founding Fathers desired and created. We were founded as a Christian nation.

TAKE ACTION

Please take the time to VOTE on the MSNBC website...

Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our faith in God, as a nation . . .

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

Separating God from the State

The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch newspaper runs a regular feature called the Hot Issue, where they ask their readers a question of interest and ask them to answer the question and comment on their answer. The following question was asked yesterday (Thursday.)

The Hot Issue:

Do you think Nativity scenes should be allowed on government property?

My Response:

Absolutely! Why not? The concept of “Separation of Church and State” is unconstitutional and was contrived. That concept is just like the heinious Roe v. Wade ruling, which mistakenly created a “right” for a woman to kill her baby.

This nation was created as a Christian nation on Judeo-Christian principles and those principles are interwoven into the fabric of our government and its founding documents. To deny this fact is to agree with American historical revisionists.

One Hot School Board Meetin’

Righting 1st Amendment Wrongs

(MOUNT VERNON, OHIO) It was the regular first-Monday of the month school board meeting for the Mount Vernon City School District Board. Schedule for 7:30 PM the meeting was delayed 20-25 minutes because upwards of 500 people tried to cram into the Middle School Library to take in the deliberations of this important meeting.

What made this school board important? John Freshwater, who is embroiled in a controversy of his right to keep his personal Bible on his classroom desk, would have a chance to present his case in public to the school board. It was his side of the story that was terribly short-changed and maybe deliberately misreported by the media, especially the liberal propaganda purveyor to central Ohio, the Columbus Dispatch. It was also overlooked, for the most part, in the recently completed investigative report commissioned by the Mount Vernon City School District Board. That report was at best a hatchet job.

I attended the relocated board meeting. In the new digs I had a much better view of the proceedings - sitting at the end of the fourth row -than I did standing and peering between the stacks in the middle school library. Talking about crowd control. Think about trying to fit 500 people into a typical school library. The local fire chief who visited midway during the relocated board meeting, would have freaked out had he seen the wall-to-wall people sardined into the inadequate capacity.

Twenty-six people availed themselves of the opportunity to speak for and against John Freshwater. Most were well prepared and spoke convincingly. Some rightfully argued against the false interpretation and false notion that the U.S. Constitution prohibits the separation of church and state. This is an atrocious lie perpetrated mostly by God-haters and people who defy absolutes, especially absolute morality. A precocious few spoke praised the actions of the school board in moving to terminate John Freshwater’s employment. More spoke fondly of Mr. Freshwater as an excellent example of living Biblical Christianity, of being a model of effectiveness as a teacher and mentor to other teachers. One peer even spoke of having her classroom kitty corner from Mr. Freshwater’s and watching as he would personally welcome each and every student each day into his class. He would do this by shaking hands or patting the student on the back. Wow! In 18 years of schooling I can never remember every being greeted that way by any teacher. The guy is exception.

But maybe the standard that our school administrations, school boards and teachers today is conformity and mediocrity, and not excellence. The product being produced, the grossly unfit and undereducated students, is stark evidence to that reality. Interestingly, the only science class in the Mount Vernon Middle school to pass the state proficiency test this year was Mr. Freshwater's! Again, obviously and God-forbid, we cannot tolerate excellence in our schools.

FINALLY FRESHWATER GETS HIS SAY

But let’s get to the heart of the matter. Let’s get to the real reason why 500 people showed up to offer support for this beleaguered Christian champion of the classroom. The Mount Vernon News, the local daily newspaper service Mount Vernon and Knox County and environs had a comprehensive article about last night’s board meeting. See the more sketchy Columbus Dispatch coverage here. The following is a transcript of Mr. Freshwater’s extended remarks to the School Board. He was allowed to speak longer than the 3 minutes allotted to the other 25 speakers. Here is his own defense in his own words. Let them speak for themselves.

“I’ve been a public school teacher for 24 years — 21 years in this building. I take my responsibility for teaching seriously. And I feel like I’ve done a good job. I’ve done an excellent job. My personnel file, 240 pages of it, I have no reprimands. It’s clean. It’s absolutely clean, 240 pages. I have excellent evaluations. I have no written reprimands against me.

“It is my understanding that the members of this board of education have elected to have my termination hearing heard by a referee. A referee. Why not you? ... Because you have chosen not to hear the facts for yourself firsthand, I want to make certain there’s no confusion in the translation of the evidence and the testimony from the referee to the members of the board of education. No matter what you hear or perceive that you hear, I want you to know the following facts:

“One. I never, never branded or burnt a person. I have never branded or burnt myself. I have never branded or burnt or put a religious mark on my family. I have never done that to a student.
“Two: I never taught evolution and creation in a public classroom. (The written text reads, ‘I have never taught creationism nor intelligent design in a public classroom.’)

“Three: I have never taught anything in the public classroom that was prohibited by the mandates of the curriculum for state standards.

“Four: I have never exceeded the boundaries or the parameters established for being a teacher monitor, facilitator or supervisor of FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In fact, I never received any training about how to do so until this year. When I did receive that training, I was pleased to learn that I have been monitoring, facilitating and supervising exactly as mandated by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, (according to the document Superintendent Short had given me).

“I have been told that the members of the school board likely have a preconceived notion of the facts surrounding these untrue allegations. I pray that each one of you has the patience, the courage and the professionalism to be unbiased to proceed on target until after the facts have been presented. You have to keep coming back to this question: What makes sense here? What makes sense here? Why did it take so long to come up with the allegations against me, if I have been acting in violation for 21 years? The answer is, I have done nothing wrong. I have done nothing wrong. Please hear me on that.

.

.

“This case is, and remains to be, my abridged, my paraphrased personal Bible on my desk.”

He was warmly greeted as he approached the packed (SRO) high school theater in the gymnasium, where the school board meeting was moved to accommodate the larger than expected crowd of supports and dissenters. He was loudly and 'longly' cheered as he completed his prepared words and walked off the stage back into the audience. A few more speakers pro and con spoke, but it was all anti-climatic. For nearly 90 minutes or more the open public speech making was carried out. Almost as an afterthought the regular school board meeting was held to what I expected was a sparse gathering as most headed out to the parking lots. I wonder if they reconvened back to the school library . . . no probably not.

See Tracy Townsend's 10 TV News, Columbus video report, "Suspended Teacher Defends Self."

WHAT'S NEXT?

Indeed, what impact, if any, will the overwhelming turnover of support for Mr. Freshwater have on the board? Or did they already make up their minds in April to remove this vestige of godly Christian influence in their school district? It will be interesting to see what the “impartial referee” decides, since apparently the school board itself seems unwilling to make the difficult decision. A hearing is set for August 26 where Mr. Freshwater’s case will be formally tried and prosecuted.

More Freshwater News

See my first article, The PC Police Go Freshwater Fishing.

The saga continues . . .

MOUNT VERNON, OHIO

For the past few days I have been following the John Freshwater story of possible religious discrimination and intolerance on the part of Mount Vernon (Ohio) Schools Administration and their Board of Education toward the middle school teacher and Christian. Below is the latest from MountVernonNews.com regarding John Freshwater, a middle school teacher supposedly in hot water for refusing to remove his personal Bible from the top of his classroom desk defying the order of the school principal.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008 – Investigation to begin into allegations against teacher – MountVernonNews.com reported that, “Mount Vernon City Schools Board of Education and administration decided to have an independent party investigate allegations made against eighth grade science teacher John Freshwater. . .

The newspaper’s website stated, “In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent Steve Short said, “The allegations against Mr. Freshwater are very serious. This is not about his personal Bible on his desktop. It is about the totality of his conduct.”

The article goes on to talk about a science class project which allegedly used an electrostatic process to “burn” crosses onto the arms of students. This incident happened in December of 2007, four month ago, no action had been taken regarding that incident up to this point. Another allegation was that Mr. Freshwater had the gall to explain the meaning of Good Friday and Easter. We would not want our student to have any real knowledge now would we? It is okay to talk about Kwanza and Ramadan but how dare you acknowledge the existence and reason for man’s only means of redemption!

MountVernonNew.com also reported, “While the independent investigation is being conducted, an administrator will be in the classroom with Freshwater, monitoring his activities to ensure board policy is followed and student’s rights are protected.” What about Mr. Freshwater’s rights? Must he abrogate those rights when he walks into the school? That is foolish and contrary to the original intent of our Founding Fathers. Does it not matter what they established? It worked for 200 some years.

I can’t help but think that America’s Founders if they returned to Mount Vernon in Ohio today would take up arms and declare a second revolutionary war on the government bureaucracy that has been overrun by elitists and socialists who have accomplished a bloodless coup and established a new tyranny far worse that that of the King of England in 1776! Where are the Patrick Henrys and Noah Websters and George Washingtons of our day? I find it somewhat ironic that this incident of suppressing religious freedom was occurring in a city whose namesake is George Washington’s famous home.

The MountVernonNews.com article concludes, “According to Freshwater’s personnel file, he had been cautioned on several occasions about adhering to the school district’s policy regarding religion in the classroom. Employee evaluation also state Freshwater has good rapport with students, good teaching skills and extensive knowledge of his subject matter.” The article fails to mention, however, that Mr. Freshwater was the Teacher of the Year in 2007 and one additional time in past years. Pretty seedy character if you ask me.

COLUMBUS, OHIO – THE WRONG SIDE

The following is an excerpt from today’s disgraceful Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch’s top editorial published today.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - The last straw – Mount Vernon’s teacher/s Bible was one in a long list of religious intrusions.

“ . . . (Freshwater) amplified his protest by calling in Dave Daubenmire, a former London High School football coach who, after resigning in 2000 amid controversy over his insistence on leading the team in pregame prayer, became well-known as a combative advocate for religion in public life. Daubenmire’s Pass the Salt Ministries and Minutemen United have turned up at scenes of religious controversy around the country, occluding Alabama (Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court) Judge Roy Moore’s unsuccessful fight to display a Ten Commandments monument at the state’s supreme court and the fight in Florida over ending the life of comatose Terri Schiavo.

“Daubenmire considers the concept of separation of Church and state - a core constitutional guarantee of religions freedom in the United States – invalid. Freshwater’s association with him is a strong indication that the teacher is as interested in picking a fight over religion as in teaching students about science . . .

“This is more than a Bible on the desk and calls into question Freshwater’s commitment to teaching science. Mount Vernon school officials are right to insist that he conduct himself as a science teacher, not as a religious provocateur.”

Would the dispatch use the same logic in the associations of one of their own liberal idols, Senator Barack Hussein Obama, and his association with racists and anti-semites Jeremiah Wright and Al Sharpton or domestic terrorist William Ayers or white color criminal Antoin "Tony" Rezko? I don’t think so.

The Dispatch is right, it is “This is more than a Bible on the desk,” it is about jumping on the side of the ACLU to suppress all godly influence in society. The media, including the liberal Columbus Dispatch is one the of those who want to remove all vestiges of God, morality, virtue and all decency from our society at the expense of society. Why? Perhaps the left wants to usher in a global socialism, fawned over by leftists worldwide. Even if is at the expense of American sovereignty and freedom.

COLUMBUS, OHIO – THE OTHER SIDE

Below is an email I received from Coach Dave Daubenmire, the “combative advocate for religion in public life.” Boy, that description by the editors of the Columbus Dispatch, really sounds sinister doesn’t it? Does someone who dares to work to preserve the values and principles of Christianity in this once Christian nation deserve to be ostracized, vilified and marginalized? That is what the liberal press seems to be doing to Coach Dave.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008 –- Coach Dave Daubenmire Calls for End to Inquisition of Teacher John Freshwater

“. . . Superintendent Stephen Short emphasized in a news release yesterday that the allegations involving Freshwater extend beyond that Bible.

"This is not about his personal Bible on his desktop," the release states. "It is alleged he used his classroom to advance religion … We have an obligation to protect our students' rights." Coach Dave Daubenmire disagrees with Short. Here is the Coach's statement:

“Mt. Vernon City Schools have chosen character assassination as their weapon of choice in the battle to force John Freshwater to remove a Bible from his desk. With complete disregard for his family or his reputation the attorneys for the school board leaked information to the press regarding a science experiment that Mr. Freshwater conducted in his classroom.

“To accuse Mr. Freshwater of "burning crosses" on the arms of students in attempt to make him appear to be a religious fanatic is a desperate and despicable act. They know John Freshwater and his character and they know that the incident in his science classroom had nothing to do with Christianity. Those responsible should be ashamed. Freshwater has never once violated the freedom of conscience of any of his students. As someone who has endured the wrath of this kind of inquisition, I'm proud to stand with John and his family as they endure this Christian flogging. We will not allow freedom to be expelled from Ohio's public school classrooms."”

WHAT NOW?

I don’t think that we are getting the total story from the main stream media. Hopefully the truth will emerge and we will find Mr. Freshwater guilty only of being an excellent teacher and a God-honoring man. If that warrants termination, God help us all.

The PC Police Go Freshwater Fishing

John Freshwater, center, addresses a sizable crowd on Mount Vernon’s Public Square Wednesday afternoon, proclaiming his First Amendment rights to keep a Bible on his desk at school. With Freshwater are his wife, Nancy, right, and Dave Daubenmire, left, of Pass the Salt Ministries. (Photo by Pam Schehl)

.

(MOUNT VERNON, OHIO) Mount Vernon public school teacher John Freshwater was recently told by his middle school principal to remove the 10 commandments display from his collage of historic documents displayed on windows in his classroom. He was also told to hide his bible from his students. For the past 20 years he has had his personal bible visible on his desk.

Here is a chronology of the John Freshwater story as reported on WorldNetDaily (First article) and the MountVernonNew.com (All other articles):

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - Teacher keeps Bible, cites God-given rights Principal ordered Good Book hidden from students – Here is the original story published on WorldNetDaily that outlines the story.

Thursday, April 17, 2008 - Wednesday afternoon rally in support of teacher – Over 100 student, parents and community members rallied on behalf of Mr. Freshwater.

Saturday, April 19, 2008 - Students rally in support of science teacher – the good guys - High school and middle school students, parents and community members signed petitions supporting Mr. Freshwater.

Saturday, 4/19/08 - ACLU supports MV school board decision – the bad guys - Right here you know the man is on the right side of the law. 90% of the time the anti-American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is involved it is destructive in nature . . .

Monday, 4/20/08 – After reading the above stories on WorldNetDaily and MountVernonNews.com, and listening to a couple of Columbus area radio talk shows, I concluded that Mr. Freshwater’s rights were being violated and sent the following email to the members of the Mount Vernon Board of Education on his behalf:

Dear Mount Vernon School Board Members:

This is an email in support of Mr. John Freshwater’s constitutional right to freely express his faith by having his personal bible on his desk. To prohibit him from doing so would infringe on his rights as a citizen.This is not Communist Red China, where bibles are confiscated routinely and where religion is oppressed. This country, America, contrary to those who want to revise our American history was founded by Christians who read their bibles and acted upon its teachings and principles. In fact, our founding fathers honored God and His Word as opposed to expelling Him and His Word, which our courts have wrongly done in recent times.

Surely it is time to draw the line on the widespread anti-Christian, anti-American bigotry and sentiment and to return to the principles and values of our founders. The Mount Vernon area is strongly conservative and there is an overwhelming Christian element and influence. Please take a stand and ask Mr. Stephen Short to withdraw his demand that Mr. John Freshwater remove his personal bible from the top of his desk.

Personally, I see nothing wrong with having the 10 Commandments posted with other key historic documents, which Mr. Short also demanded that Mr. Freshwater remove. After all, much of our law was based on the principles outlined in that important guideline.

I would be willing to provide the Mount Vernon School Board with financial support of at least $____ if you were sued by the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Education Association or any other despotic organization as a result of your action to exonerate Mr. Freshwater and to allow him the freedom to exercise his faith by retaining his personal bible on top of his desk.

It is truly shameful that things have gotten to this point that we even have to have this communication isn’t it? Unfortunately, there are forces in our society that are working to destroy America. Please, I urge you to do what is right.

Today, Tuesday, 4/22/08 - Teacher conduct subject of investigation - the MountVernonNews.com reported that the School Board had decided to have an independent party investigate allegations made against eighth-grade science teacher John Freshwater. Apparently there was more to this story than what was reported so far. Up to this point there was no mention of any misconduct on the part of the teacher

However, the MountVernonNews.com reported that, “In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent Steve Short said, “The allegations against Mr. Freshwater are very serious. This is not about his personal Bible on his desktop. It is about the totality of his conduct.” . . .

The article goes on to describe a couple of allegations against Mr. Freshwater that were not brought out last week.

It is interesting that MountVernonNews.com relates, “While the independent investigation is being conducted, an administrator will be in the classroom with Freshwater, monitoring his activities to ensure board policy is followed and students’ rights are protected.” Did he rape a student? Did he strike a student? No, he may have participated in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) meeting instead of merely “monitoring” the activity. The man may even have had the audacity to pray with the children in that FCA meeting! For shame, how dare he “violate” the students rights and dare exercise his faith!

The MountVernonNews.com article adds, ““As a public school system,” Short said, we “cannot teach, promote or favor any religion or religious beliefs. Our obligation is not to endorse or establish any religion under the First Amendment, but we have an obligation to protect our students’ rights. We are hoping that an independent investigation will get to the truth of the allegations so we can make appropriate decisions as to what should be done going forward.””

.

Our public school have been so confused by and intimidated by the ACLUs that they can no longer think or act logically. There is no separation of church and state, no separation of God from the state anywhere in the Constitution. The exact opposite is true. Actually our Founders recognized that our rights come from God, not the state. Our rights are inalienable.

So now our school administrators and school boards must protect our children from being exposed not to pedophiles, not to rapists, not to child molesters, not to drug addicts and dealers, not to homosexuals and abortion providers, not to communist subversives, but to God? This is pure insanity and must come to an end starting now - here is the line in the sand. This is un-American! Since when has God become Public Enemy No. 1 in America?

The Ten Commandments & the U.S. Congress

"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."

- - - President Ronald Reagan

First, the Ten Commandments would be carved in (government surplus) butter, instead of stone. Next, Commandments #1 - #5 would have to go since they violate the imaginary "separation of church and state," which really is separating God from the state. Furthermore, you can say goodbye to #7 since Abortion according to Roe v. Wade does not permit us to prohibit killing. More than likely none of the 10 would pass through the Congress. If any made it through intact, then the "American" Civil "Liberty" Union (ACLU) file a lawsuit to demand that the United States Supreme Court overturn any that did.

.

Separation of ACLU and State

A Glenn McCoy Cartoon from Townhall.com 12/26/07

What a fantastic dipiction of one dispicable organization. They would hastle Tiny Tim on Christmas Day to make a point. What a loathsome operation. See the story below on what the allies of the ACLU have accomplished in California . . .

.

Baby Jesus "Offends" Wisconsin Atheist Group

Tear Down the Manger, Mr. City Manager!

MENOMINEE, Wisconsin (AP) -- Really the rally cry of the atheist and their radical liberal socialist allies is tear down American culture with is historic Christian roots and values!

The Associated Press reported on November 19, 2007 that there was a group of atheists and agnostics in Menominee, Wisconsin, whose population is around 11,000 persons, who are protesting the city’s parks and recreation department committee’s approval of sheltering the Nativity scene in the city’s band shell.

Here is a portion of the text of the news article, “The co-president of the Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation said in a letter sent Thursday that the display would violate the separation of church and state.

“"It is unlawful for the city of Menominee to maintain, erect or host a display that consists solely of a nativity scene, thus singling out, showing preference for and endorsing one religion, and commemorating its most holy day,'' Annie Laurie Gaylor wrote to Menominee City Manager Eric Strahl. "Compounding this is the tax money spent on illuminating this religious scene on public property.''

“City attorney Rob Jamo warned the parks committee during its meeting that the display was close to violating the separation of church and state established in the Constitution.”

First of all, it always amazes me that some people find the time to stir up trouble where there is no need to do so. Their lives must be so shallow and so unfulfilled that they stoop to pick on God and His people. Well, God is being enough to take care of Himself and everyone and everything else. One day every knee shall bow . . .

Second, it is a boldface lie that the concept of separation of church and state appears or exists in the Constitution at all. It has been misinterpreted or reinterpreted to just about mean a call to separate God from our society. This is totally opposed to the original intent of the Founders of America.

Third, groups such as Wisconsin's Freedom From Religion Foundation or the American Civil Liberties Union or People for the American Way or Barry Lynn’s group, Americans for the Separation of Church and State, are wrong on this issue among many others. They violate the Constitution’s right for individuals to express their faith. They insult, smear and sneer at God, who repeatedly blessed this nation since its inception.

Moreover, America was founded as a fundamentally Christian nation. To acknowledge and honor God and Jesus Christ is not the same as establishing a state religion by a long shot. This is what some godless liberal groups and activities judges want to bring about. To the contrary, the Founders did not want America to sanction any one particular denomination over another is the actual intent of the Founders. They did not want what happened in England to happen here, where the Church of England was given a special status.

Finally, the same people who bemoan a nativity scene featuring a lifeless statue of the baby Jesus are those who defend the woman's right to kill her baby. These folks do not care the least about the pain that these innocent babies endure at the hand of the abortionist. What have these folks against babies, anyway? Why do they so fear Him, so? Could it be that they cannot stand the truth? After all, He did make the statement, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to God (the Father) except through Me."

Monumental Mistake

Washington Monument on the Mall, Washington, D.C.

.

.

On a macro, big picture, level removing God from our country and our culture is THE monumental mistake. On a micro level, however, and to get a glimpse of how pervasive the assault against God and against Christianity is in our once unashamedly Christian nation, take the incident of the display at the Washington Monument.

.

NPS Restores 'God' at Monument

Well, glory be to God, the National Park Service (NPS) was “man” enough to acknowledge its mistake and to take immediate corrective action to give God His due. Please see yesterday’s article on this blog titled Dissing God, which cited several recent instances of besmirching God by our government (way)officials. Today Bob Unruh of WorldNetDaily.com (WND) in his story writes, “In response to public protest (28,000 emails received today by the NPS . . . the National Park Service today told WND it is rebuilding the display of the replica of the cap on the Washington Monument so that the Latin inscription "Laus Deo" – meaning "Praise be to God" – is no longer obscured from public view.”

Unruh goes on in his WND article to report that the person who first noticed and brought the slighting of God in the Washington Monument display plaque to the attention of the NPS was Pastor Todd DuBord from California. He wrote, “DuBord, whose past research shows Thomas Jefferson actually advocated a "gate" between church and state, and uncovered officials at the U.S. Supreme Court lying about the nation's Christian heritage, also uncovered a "reinterpretation" of history at Monticello. DuBord also lobbied those organizations to restore accuracy in their recounting of the nation's Christian heritage.”

I am personally grateful for individuals such as Pastor DuBord and David Barton of WallBuilders who are trying to teach and to preserve the accuracy of history against the tide of revisionist academics and historians. Because the true American historical accounts and even actual documents do not support their socialist and secular humanistic agenda, these men are the Paul Reveres of our day warning of the enemy that is coming. That enemy is the hostile histrionics of the leftists in this nation, who think if they repeat the lie often enough the truth will be varnished.