Duh-Huh Quote of the Day

"Peace will never be achieved through violence."

Rep. James P. Moran (D-Alexandria, VA)

Perhaps Rep. Moran might consider WWII as one example of peace achieved through violence.

End Anchor Baby Citizenship

Introduction to the California Taxpayer Protection Act

"A statewide initiative in California... may change the debate on the automatic citizenship that is wrongly bestowed upon children born to illegal aliens and foreign visitors in the United States. The initiative -- The California Taxpayer Protection Act -- is being planned for the June 2010 California ballot. This may seem like a distant point on the horizon, but it's really not when you consider the herculean efforts necessary to secure a spot on the ballot in the state. Supporters are being sought from across the nation for this important initiative.

Initiative Background

The initiative is sponsored by Taxpayer Revolution and authored by Ted Hilton, a scholar of Constitutional Law and expert on the 14th Amendment's original intent. The measure has three major provisions that would:

• Create a second type of California birth certificate for children born to illegal aliens and others who are not permanent residents. The current certificate would be limited to children with at least one parent who submits an affidavit stating that he or she is a citizen or a permanent legal resident (Social Security Number verified);

• Restrict illegal alien parents from applying for child-only CalWORKS benefits (TANF) for their U.S. born child by requiring lawful presence of all applicants; and

• Limit public benefits by requiring a signed affidavit under penalty of perjury that one is a citizen or qualified alien, and using the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program to verify legal residency.

Birth mothers who are not citizens or legal residents would be required to: apply for a birth certificate in person; provide complete identity including means of support; submit three passport type photographs; and be fingerprinted. All of this information would be provided to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Such mothers also would pay an additional $75 fee.

Qualifying the Initiative

To qualify for the ballot, the initiative requires 433,971 signatures. Since a cushion is needed for security, the proponents are seeking a total of 550,000. The last month to begin signature gathering, which must occur over a five-month period, is June 2009. However, experts believe that the best five-month period for gathering signatures is February through June.

Reasons to Support

NumbersUSA has long supported ending the automatic granting of U.S. citizenship to children born here to illegal aliens, finally righting a misguided and unintended interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment. Prior to the introduction of this initiative, we have promoted passage of bills in Congress to this end. Those bills have not been successful and are not likely to see action in the 111th Congress. As such, we need to consider an alternative means for moving forward.

Passing an initiative in California requiring the issuance of two types of birth certificates will ignite the national debate needed as a precursor to ending automatic citizenship. Success in California will set the stage for other states to follow and likely prompt litigation that could give the U.S. Supreme Court an opportunity to rule. The high court has never decided a citizenship case for children of temporary residents or those here illegally. We are confident such a case would finally end this misbegotten policy.

The initiative has already been endorsed by Representatives Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.; Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus Chair) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Ward Connerly (proponent of English language and other initiatives), Peter Nunez (former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury), the California American Legion, and others.

How You Can Help

The proponents at Taxpayer Revolution are seeking assistance. Click here to visit the initiative's web site and look for ways you might help."

Roy Beck, President
NumbersUSA

Ideology begets charity

Chairman's Update

Happy New Year

"The book is nearly closed on 2008, and as we file it on the shelf with the volumes of years past, let's take a moment to count our blessings, appreciate the good times with friends and family, remember those who are no longer with us, and lift our spirits to the New Year before us.

To our Republican friends all across Virginia, we at your Republican Party of Virginia wish each and every one of you a happy, safe, and blessed New Year.

Conservatism IS Compassion

Republicans sure do put up with a lot of name-calling from our so-called "compassionate" and "open minded" liberal counterparts.

Whether it's the bumper sticker we see at least once a day (or, if you live in northern Virginia like me, twenty or thirty times a day) telling us "somewhere in Texas a village is missing an idiot" or "hate is not a family value", then it's a national Democrat like Howard Dean calling us "evil," "corrupt," "brain-dead," and "not nice people."

Because this liberal animosity is so pernicious, over time we've developed the ability to just tune it out, much the same way the national press tunes out any negative information about Barack Obama that may interfere with their daily "hunk o'meter" stories

There's no doubt the Democrats and mainstream media have done a masterful job of caricaturing Republicans as heartless and greedy. This cover from TIME magazine may refresh your memories from the good old days of the 90s (back when we were merely cruel, but not yet evil and brain dead).

Just as the anti-Gingrich nonsense was easily disproved, so too is there a mountain of data that proves that Republicans are not only far from being the scrooges we're made out to be, but actually exceptionally more giving, charitable and generous than liberals. A recent article in the New York Times (that's not a typo) grudgingly admitted a few realities about "liberal tightwads" and generous conservatives that will require more than a few pounds of sugar for Dr. Dean to swallow:

• Conservative households give 30 percent more to charity than liberals -- in one study it was nearly double (despite earning an average of 6 percent less in income);
• We give a higher percentage of income to charity;
• We are far more likely to volunteer for good causes;
• We donate blood more frequently than liberals or moderates;
• The religious, who are overwhelmingly more conservative as a group, give more to all causes than secular donors ($2,210 vs. $642).

(NOTE - There's no word on whether this study factored in Hillary's charitable donation of Bill's underwear, even though she did write it off on their taxes, it's a charitable donation nonetheless.)

As we celebrate the holidays, reflect on our blessings, and reach out to those less fortunate, it is a fitting time to remind ourselves that not only are conservatives and Republicans far more generous and giving than liberals, but also why we are more charitable as well. The two ideas, ideology and charity, are clearly related.

In his exhaustively researched book on this subject, Makers and Takers, author Peter Schweizer notes that our ideas influence our behavior, and a conservative world-view of individual responsibility, self-reliance, and a belief in the inherent fairness of the free market economic system correlate overwhelmingly to a level of personal individual happiness liberals (generally) can't achieve. And happy people are more generous people.

Conservative beliefs command a sense of deep personal obligation on a person who acknowledges the privilege of living in the greatest country on earth. It is why conservatives don't buy the liberal mentality that advocating on behalf of some social program counts as compassion, and why famously liberal politicians continue to be exposed for failing to live the values they publicly espouse.

Conservatives require more from themselves when it comes to helping others than offering mere lip service, and it is on this point that the parting of ways between liberals and conservatives is most stark.

As Republicans, our ultimate goal is to win elections and provide better government that represents our values. But even without politics, a right-leaning ideology is beneficial for offering a path to a happier, healthier, better adjusted way of life. When we consider the unfortunate this year, we might also think of the unhappy and angry liberals who remain largely incapable of achieving the level of happiness Republicans have acquired by comparison.

And despite the names they call us or the bumper stickers raging against our very existence, we'll continue to count our blessings."

Jeffrey M. Frederick, Chairman
Republican Party of Virginia

Quote of the Day

Tea Time!

"December 16^th was the 235^th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

In 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act, giving English Merchants preferential treatment in selling in the Colonies. However, preferential or not, there was still a tax on tea that the colonists argued was unconstitutional under the British Constitution because the colonists were not represented in Parliament (thus the slogan "no taxation without representation" was not merely a desired political position, but an expression of a Constitutional point).

In the face of growing protests led by Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty, owners of tea-bearing ships in and enroute to Boston Harbor agreed to return to England without unloading their tea (the point of unloading is where tax calculations were made); however, Governor Hutchison refused to let them leave the harbor without unloading their tea. Thus, a confrontation of some kind was coming.

December 17, 1773 was the appointed day that the tea was to be unloaded from the ships. On December 16^th, the captain of one of the ships went and asked Gov. Hutchison to let him leave the harbor for England without unloading his tea. Again the Governor refused, and the ship's captain so reported back to an enormous meeting of the Sons of Liberty (approximately 8,000).

At that point, Sam Adams noted that "this meeting can do nothing more to save the country," and immediately members of the Sons of Liberty headed to Griffin's wharf in Boston Harbor - dressed as Indians of course - and methodically dumped about 45 tons of tea into the harbor that night, thereby insuring that no taxes would be paid on that tea!

The rest is history...

It's always worth remembering good examples of fighting back against the establishment (and taxes)... so I didn't want to get too far behind the calendar without remembering these old patriots."

Senator Ken Cuccinelli

Virginia 37^th District

www.Cuccinelli.com

Greenies turn blue as reality sets in

Bad news for all the algorian enviro-crackpots who dreamed of using the global warming hoax to usher in an era of global utopian eco-communism. First, pesky science just refuses to cooperate and now economics pull the rug out from under their pet panic.

The Hidden Cost of Capping Emissions

By Robert Romano

Shedding the light of truth

The National Black Republican Association takes aim at Democrat hypocrisy.

OBAMA THE MAGIC NEGRO

By Frances Rice

If it were not so hypocritical, it would be comical how Democrats and their media allies have created a media firestorm over a parody on racism in the Democratic Party. The Democrats' display of rank hypocrisy on race is a familiar scenario. First, Democrats exhibit vile racism. Then, any Republican who points out the Democrats' display of vile racism is attacked by Democrats as being racist.

The current target of this Democratic Party racial jujitsu is RNC chairman candidate Chip Saltsman. So, what did Saltsman do to warrant being called a racist? Well, he dared to distribute a music CD with a parody about the fact that back Democrat David Ehrenstein called Sen. Barack Obama a "Magic Negro" in an article published by the left-wing, Democrat-controlled "Los Angeles Times." Huh?

None of the people now trashing Saltsman uttered one peep of protest when the article entitled "Obama the Magic Negro" was first published in the "Los Angeles Times" on March 19, 2007 with the subtitle: "The Illinois senator lends himself to white America's idealized, less-than-real black man." Below is the link to that article.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story?coll=la-opinion-center

Sadly, some high-profile Republicans who should know better have joined the Democrats and the mainstream news media in their Republican bashing frenzy.

Lost in the media uproar is the fact that the parody has been broadcast several times on the radio, and the satirical content understood by the more than 20 million listeners of the popular Rush Limbaugh Show. One is left to wonder if the critics have even listened to the parody.

Where was all this outrage over racism when the Democrats used despicable racial stereotypes (just as Democrats did during the days of slavery and Jim Crow) to slur black professionals, such as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele?

Brazenly, on the left-wing Internet website called "The News Blog," Democrats posted a doctored photograph of Steele, depicting him as a "Simple Sambo."

Cartoonist Jeff Danziger depicted Rice as an ignorant, barefoot "mammy," reminiscent of the stereotyped black woman in the movie Gone with the Wind who remarked: "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies." Black comedian Harry Belafonte and Rev. Al Sharpton publicly denounced Powell as a "House Negro." NAACP Chairman Julian Bond equated the Republican Party with the Nazi Party and called Rice and Powell "tokens."

The liberal media showed not a hint of concern about racial insensitivity when Obama campaigned for white Democrat Benjamin L. Cardin and against Michael Steele during the 2006 Maryland senate race, not long after Obama issued a letter of support for the re-election of white Democrat and former Ku Klux Klansman Robert Byrd.

Not one word of angst was uttered by the liberal press when a black Democrat pundit on national television called black Democrat Juan Williams a "Happy Negro." What offense did Williams commit that resulted in such a vicious racial slur? He had the temerity to defy the Democratic Party's "thought police" and wrote a book called "Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-end Movements and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America." His book exposes how the failed socialist polices of the Democrats who have been running black communities for the past 40 years have turned those communities into economic and social wastelands.

As author Michael Scheuer stated, the Democratic Party is the party of the four S's: slavery, secession, segregation and now socialism. Visit the website www.NBRA.info on the Internet to see the racist cartoons of Rice and Steele and the details about the Democratic Party's 150-year history of racism.

The time is long overdue for Republicans to stop cowering over the issue of race. Republicans should cease attacking fellow Republicans for telling the truth about Democrats, recapture the Republican Party's rich civil rights legacy, and shed the light of truth on the failed socialism and racism in the Democratic Party - past and present.

Frances Rice is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, a lawyer and chairman of the National Black Republican Association. She can be contacted at www.NBRA.info

Note: Two of the leading RNC chairman candidates are black Republicans Ken Blackwell whose website is http://kenblackwell.com/ and Michael Steele whose website is http://www.steeleforchairman.com/

Republicans Unite!

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Quote of the Day

"The truth is that Western civilization is rotten through and through and only continues because of the absence of its rightful heirs, namely the Muslims, who have themselves forgotten their deen [religion] and failed to take their divinely appointed task of re-establishing Allah's guidance for the whole of mankind." -- Muhammad al-Ghazali, Journey Through the Qur'an: The Content and Context of the Suras, Dar al-Taqwa, 1998, p. 47.

Muhammad al-Ghazali is considered to be a 'reformist' by Muslim scholars. If that is their idea of improving or correcting Islam, 'Western civilization' had better wake up and smell the coffee.

Click here to read Robert Spencer's entire post at Jihad Watch

Mark Your Calendar for January 17th

'Gathering of Eagles'

This special meeting is to bring together Republicans from the four counties in our region - Albemarle, Greene, Madison and Orange to build a stronger unified network through which we can grow and advance more effectively the conservative message and principles of our party in the region...

Our keynote speaker will be Virgil Goode, our 5th District Congressman who as you know, lost to the Democrat challenger Tom Periello in an upset, coming from behind on a wave of millions of dollars in contributions from the DNC and Northern Democrats in the final weeks of the campaign. We can expect to hear a candid presentation by Congressman Goode on the race, the current status of the GOP and where we need to go from here to reestablish our message of authentic conservatism to reclaim our dominance in the political and social culture for the good of the Commonwealth.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

8:30 a.m. - 10:30 AM

Blue Ridge Cafe, Ruckersville

Sumptuous Breakfast Buffet

Speakers

1. Stephen McDowell, President The Providence Foundation

"One Nation under God, a Biblical worldview that undergurds our Republic"

2. Rob Bell, 58th District Delegate

3. Chris Shores, RPV State Central Committee report

4. Virgil Goode, 5th District Congressman

GCRC Business Meeting immediately following.

All Greene County Committee members are urged to attend to provide us with the necessary quorum to vote on critical issues:

1. Installing new members into the Greene County Republican Committee (GCRC)

2. Adopt new meeting calendar with quarterly business meetings Saturday mornings with special educational and informational monthly programs throughout the year featuring guest speakers and social events.

3. Vote to validate both newly formed Membership and Political Action sub-committees' objectives and policies and procedures.

4. How to promote the conservative Republican message in Greene.

5. Growing an effective grassroots coalition in our four county region.

6. Agenda items per Gary Lowe, chairman

Mark your calendars and make arrangements to attend. You won't want to miss what promises to be a stimulating program that will hopefully be the beginning of a new era for the revitalization of the Republican party in Virginia in the months ahead. The cost for the buffet breakfast is $15 to cover the restaurant and all other associated expenses.

We will require an RSVP please, no later than the 5th of January to make the necessary arrangements. Simply call John Gress if you plan to attend.

See you all on the 17th!

Contact: John L. Gress

Chairman, Political Action Committee

Greene County Republicans

566-4911

www.gopgreene.org

Woman of the Year

Governor Sarah Palin will light up conservative corners and kitchens all over the country this year, according to Noel Sheppard at www.newsbusters.org. The ever popular Sarah Palin is gracing the pages of a 2009 calendar which is a best seller over at Amazon.com.

Sheppard notes that the customer comments section are filled with the intolerant venomous rantings regularly spewed by the vast unhinged contingent of left-wing haters, who obviously need to find a more productive use of their free time and perhaps anger management counseling, so be sure and leave a positive message.

Quote of the Day

"Should Senator Obama be discovered, after he takes office, to be ineligible for the Office of President of the United States of America and, thereby, his election declared void," argues the Alan Keyes case pending in California, "Americans will suffer irreparable harm in that (a) usurper will be sitting as the President of the United States, and none of the treaties, laws, or executive orders signed by him will be valid or legal."

Bob Unruh

Merry Christmas from Mexico

Just in time for Christmas - below is an email excerpt from Jack Henderson, a missionary and a great American, who has devoted most of his life to a ministry in Mexico.

I want to thank all of you that have had a part in the ministry here in Mexico this year. I could not have gotten through with out your support and prayers. There is so much to do for the new year and I do believe that the Lord is going to do great and mighty things this new year that I can not even imagine. However I want to wish you all a merry Christmas and a reminder that Christ should be in the center of our celebrations.

Pray for:

1. the needed support for the coming year.

2. several families that have heavy family problems

3. Pastor’s retreat Feb. of 09

4. Medical missions and evangelism March and April of 09

5. Construction projects at the camp

6. Feeding station construction and food for children

Major need:

Most of all I really need to get my housing in order. Needed are $3000. and lots of volunteer help. Please pray about what you can do. I need to complete the bathroom, kitchen, and clean up the place as it has grown up in weeds. When the hurricane came through there was damage to trees, buildings and fence. Every thing has been on hold since March of this year.

Pray with me about these things as I go into the new year. My life is not about watching the days go by, but about letting the Lord use me however He desires and I just want to walk with Him and listen to His direction.

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all your help this past year. I would not have gotten through this time without your help. Thanks to all of those that called and wrote to me. It has been such a help. “Faithful is He who has called you, who will also keep you and show you great and mighty things which you don not know about”.

Your Missionary to Mexico,

Jack Henderson

For those that have expressed a desire to help on a monthly basis, I think now would be the time to start. Pray about what the Lord would have you do, and contact me soon.

P.O. Box 915
San Benito, Texas, 78586
956-592-1884
Web: Haciendahenderson.org

Quote of the Day

"I think the songs, hymns, and music of Christmas carry us near to the very heart of God. These carols are most comforting. They speak to our hearts in a soothing and spiritual way. Though sung during the season of Christmas, they linger in our hearts throughout the year. It is in Christ that we find the 'comfort' that protects our souls through adversities and trials, troubles, and struggles. As we struggle through this life, God stands near as a father watching over his child..."

Dr. Tommy Palmer, Minister

Lawsuit: AIG bailout promotes Sharia in the U.S.

Money for nothin' but the stealth jihad is free...

Stealth Jihad Alert -- an update on this story. "AIG Bailout Promotes Shariah Law, Lawsuit Claims," by Catherine Herridge for FoxNews, December 22 (thanks to Angela): The U.S. government's bailout of the American International Group is helping promote Shariah law,...

Click here to read the full article

A Holiday Video Message from Bob McDonnell

On Monday, Attorney General McDonnell traveled to the Central Virginia Food Bank to attend the formal presentation of Dominion's $1 million gift to Food Banks in 14 states. Following the announcement of this generous and critical gift, Bob joined Fay Lohr, President and CEO of Feed More, the umbrella organization that brings together the Central Virginia Foodbank, Meals on Wheels, and the Community Kitchen, to tape a quick message about the importance of supporting your local Food Bank at the Holiday season, and all year round.

To watch the video, please click here.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays from Bob McDonnell and everyone at McDonnell for Governor!

Jobs for foreign workers while Americans hit the bricks

How do your U.S. Senators and Representatives measure up?

Jobless Numbers Continue to Worsen

A report released on Christmas Eve indicated the highest number of jobless claims since 1982. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to pump 140,000 foreign workers on average into the labor force every month. We encourage you to read Roy's new blog listing the states that have been naughty and those that have been nice, and then fax your Senators and/or Representatives if they're on the naughty list.

Happy Holidays,
Chris Chmielenski
NumbersUSA Website Editor

Gov. "Eyebrow" tries to sit on energy independence

Just in time to play the Grinch for Christmas, Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA) tries to pull a fast one on Virginians..

Cuccinelli Hits Kaine for Stalling on Energy

(Centreville, VA) - Senator Ken Cuccinelli, the leading candidate for Attorney General in 2009, today reacted to Governor Kaine's attempt to further delay offshore drilling in Virginia, saying, "I was shocked to open my newspaper this morning to find that Governor Kaine is seeking further delay in Virginia's attempts to start offshore drilling." "This is one more example of Democrats who say they want to lead Virginia to new sources of energy, but who put every obstacle in the way of that goal - saying one thing and doing another."

Governor Kaine has asked the Interior Department to delay the close of a public comment period related to leasing waters off Virginia's coast for oil and gas drilling. Senator Cuccinelli noted "this public comment period has already been extended once before. This is a stall tactic by the Governor and his allies that talk about new energy sources while doing everything in their power to block new sources of energy." "The people of Virginia recognize that we have a problem, and that, with offshore drilling, we are also in a position to solve part of the problem ourselves. They expect us to act, not delay."

Senator Cuccinelli further noted "I have put in bills in previous sessions to capture royalties from offshore drilling to fund transportation - let's not forget that little tidbit to this debate, we can attack two problem at once: energy and transportation."

Quote of the Day

"Seek to avoid pride, greed and fear is a common mantra in investment management. Jesus substitutes the positive virtues: justice, mercy and faithfulness. Don't think more highly of yourself if you have money. Be generous to those in need and trust that God cars for you. Remember these principles this Christmas season, and you will remember the one whose birth we celebrate."

David Marotta
Marotta Wealth Management Inc.

Barack Obama Enrages Strident Bigots on his Left

Pardon me Mr. Obama but your narrow-minded supporters are exploding...

Their Bigotry Is Showing

"The “tolerant” Left is continuing its attack on Pastor Rick Warren for having been invited to pray at Barack Obama’s inauguration. This is ironic in many respects. For one, many conservative evangelicals have been skeptical of Warren in recent years and do not see him as a “culture warrior.” Few would compare him to Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell.

And while his church has been at the vanguard of caring for the victims of AIDS, Warren is being denounced by the militant homosexual rights movement as a Nazi and a bigot. Warren’s compassion for those suffering with AIDS seems meaningless to them. He stood up to their demands to redefine marriage and defended the truth of the scriptures. And for that he is being vilified.

This is an instructive lesson for those Christians who believe pro-family activists just need to change our tone. They are wrong. The only thing that will satisfy the anti-religious bigots on the Left is if men and women of faith surrender our values and embrace their worldview.

The Left is turning its outrage against Obama as well. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) called Warren’s invitation “a serious mistake” and mocked Obama’s talk of “post-partisan change,” saying, “…to be honest, when he talks about being post-partisan … I suffer from post-partisan depression.” Frank added, “I believe that he overestimates his ability to get people to put aside fundamental differences.”

Mark your calendars, my friends. This may be the only time you see me agreeing with Barney Frank. On this point, he’s right.

No politician is going to “unite” Americans on the fundamental cultural and values issues that divide us. Either unborn children are fully human, with the inalienable right to life, or they are the equivalent of Styrofoam cups to be discarded at whim. Either marriage will remain what it always has been or it will be redefined in a radical way that says children do not need mothers and fathers.

We will either teach our children that faith played an important part in the foundation of our nation or we will teach them that the Founding Fathers were liars or misguided fools when they said our rights come from our Creator. Either we will muster the courage to defend civilization against the evil of Islamofascism or we will deny we are at war, blame ourselves and try to reason with Holocaust deniers.

These are some of the fundamental differences that divide us, and only one side will prevail in the culture war. Barney Frank has no intention of giving up. Neither do I, and I pray you don’t either."

Gary Bauer
Campaign for Working Families

An Imperial Decree

From Tony Perkins comes a retelling of one of the most famous political edicts...

What Caesar Did

"Political power has always attracted attention. The people's eyes naturally go to the wielder of the sword and the scepter. It was so in Biblical times. The Gospel of Luke tells us that "a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed." The Roman Empire was vast in those days. It stretched from Britain in the north, to Spain and Portugal in the west, deep into Africa and Egypt in the south, and as far east as modern-day Syria. Caesar Augustus ruled all of this territory and the teeming millions who inhabited it.

Rome needed increased revenues, and Caesar knew how to get it. He first ordered that a census be conducted. He wanted a head count in order to apportion the amounts of money each provincial governor-like Cyrenius, governor of Syria-would be required to raise.

We can envision Caesar's imperial decree being inscribed by hand on vellum, a material made from the scraped-clean hide of an unborn calf. From the Emperor's residence in the House of Hortensius on Rome's Palatine Hill, runners would have carried the document to waiting horsemen, the imperial couriers. From Rome, these horsemen would likely have proceeded in relay, changing horse and rider as each messenger reached the border of one of Roman Italy's 11 administrative regions. Passing through Latium and Campania to Samnium, to Apulia along the Appian Way, the riders would make for Brundisium, a port city on the east coast of Italy.

There, Caesar's decree probably would have been received aboard a Roman warship. It might have been a quinquereme, propelled by galley slaves who rowed in banks of five. On board this red cedar-built craft, Caesar's order would cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Roman province of Palestine. Palestine was a distant outpost of the Empire, far from the most important of Rome's imperial holdings.

All this ordering and obeying, this saluting and receiving of salutes, this "hail caesaring" was necessary to bring millions of people together in their ancestral villages. And so Joseph, who was of the House and Lineage of David, also complied with Caesar's decree.

Thus were Joseph and Mary brought into Bethlehem. Caesar thought he knew what he was doing. He had never heard of Bethlehem. He had never heard of the Hebrew Prophet Micah. Micah had written: For out of you Bethlehem-Ephrata...shall come one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is of old...his greatness shall reach the ends of the earth; he shall be peace. (Micah: 5:2, 3, 5)

God knew what He was doing in Palestine. Today, we know that the birth of Jesus in that little town of Bethlehem was, is, and ever shall be more important than all the Caesars, all the kings, all the presidents who ever ruled. In Bethlehem's dark streets there appeared an everlasting light. It shines for us still."

Tony Perkins
Family Research Council Action

(excerpt)

Obama: Just show your original birth certificate!

Perhaps, the third time will be a charm...

---

Supreme Court to talk about Obama 3rd time

WORLDNETDAILY — One of the original legal challenges to President-elect Barack Obama's eligibility for office to reach the U.S. Supreme Court now has been scheduled for a conference, a meeting at which the justices discuss its merits and whether to step into the fray... (more)

Vote for Outrage of the Month!

Go to the National Taxpayers Union online voting booth to cast your vote for the biggest Outrage.

President Bush leaves big shoes to fill

Unfortunately, in Barack Hussein Obama, America evidently has a presumed Commander-In-Chief who is more in the Clintonian mode.

"The president’s commitment to, and respect for, our troops and their families as the “Comforter In Chief” stands in stark contrast to Mr. Obama’s example as the “Campaigner In Chief.” You may recall that while campaigning overseas in Berlin, Germany, where Mr. Obama delivered his “citizen of the world” speech, the Obama campaign abruptly canceled a visit to the U.S. military hospital at Landstuhl after he was told he could not use the visit as a campaign photo-op.

I realize Mr. Obama has spent the past two years campaigning against Bush’s policies and on a platform of “hope and change.” But when it comes to showing dedication to our men and women in uniform, I hope Mr. Obama will change his own ways and strive to follow the example of his oft-maligned predecessor."

Gary Bauer
Campaign for Working Families

Global Warming scaremongers face The Big Chill

Who is the biggest con man of 2008 - algore or Bernard Madoff? It has to be algore - he hoodwinked more people and made more money doing it. And while Madoff is likely to be punished, algore will go scot free, although hopefully as a laughingstock. Traditional Values Coalition has the story.

Oklahoma Senator Issues New Report Debunking ‘Climate Change’ Hysterics

Quote of the Day

"Yep, aside from the murderous Islamic jihadists, it seems nobody hates (or lies) like the Left, and nobody on the Left hates like the homosexual militants... Funny, it seems that accusing someone of being “gay” is the biggest insult that radical homosexuals can hurl at their opponents."

Peter LaBarbera

Pakistan Approves Persecution: Muslims steal Christian homes

The Jihad Watch / Dhimmi Watch Digest reveals anti-Christian bigotry is racing at full-throttle in Pakistan.

Pakistan: Officials allow Muslims to demolish 30 Christian homes for stables

"[W]hile the stable will keep the Muslims' animals warm and dry, these 30 Christian families are now homeless." "Officials Allow Muslims to Demolish 30 Christian Homes for Stable," by Jeremy Reynalds for ANS, December 19:WASHINGTON D.C. (ANS) -- A human...

Click here to read the full article

The Un-Choice brings sorrow year-round

While holidays are known to increase suicide risk, The Elliot Institute is raising awareness about the double-whammy effect for a woman who has had an abortion. (excerpt)

Suicide Risk on the Rise For Teens and Adult Women, Too

“Parents are faced with a shell of a person and have no idea where they lost their child.” -Teri, who had a secret abortion as a teen

A troubling 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that teen suicide rates are on the rise. According to the study, there was an 18% increase in teen suicides in 2004—the largest single-year increase in the past 15 years—and the upward trend continued in the next year.1

Experts and parents are concerned about this upswing in youth suicides, and many are also troubled by the results of a recent Johns Hopkins University study that found a 4% annual increase in suicides among Caucasian women age 40 to 64. The findings were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.²

Elliot Institute research over the years has indicated disturbingly high suicide rates among teens and women who've had abortions. After abortion there is a 65% higher risk of clinical depression.³ Most suffer symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD),⁴ made worse by societal dismissal of the grief or blanket condemnation of women who've had an abortion.

Suicide rates are 6 times higher after abortion⁵ and there are few checks and balances for coercion or post-abortion issues in schools, clinics, hospitals and even social services or pastoral care. Not only do most fail to screen for evidence of unwanted, coerced, inadequately or deceptively informed or even forced abortion; some contribute to the insidious and often collective synergy of coercion. Few make efforts to address its heartbreaking, sometimes deadly aftereffects.

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Citations

1. Bridge JA et. al., " Suicide Trends Among Youths Aged 10 to 19 Years in the United States, JAMA, Vol. 300, No. 9, Sept. 3, 2008.

2. Theresa Tamkin, "Study: U.S. suicides rising; risk high in middle age," CNN Health, Dec. 9, 2008. Accessed Dec. 18, 2008 at www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/10/21/Healthmag.suicide.increase/?iref=mpstoryview

3. Cougle JR et. al., "Depression Associated With Abortion and Childbirth: A Long-Term Analysis of the NLSY Cohort," Medical Science Monitor 9(4): CR105-112 (2003).

4. Rue VM et. al., “Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women,” Medical Science Monitor 10(10): SR5-16 (2004).

5. Gissler M et. al., "Suicides after pregnancy in Finland, 1987-94: register linkage study," British Journal of Medicine 313:1431-4, 1996, and Gissler M, “Injury deaths, suicides and homicides associated with pregnancy, Finland 1987-2000,” European J. Public Health 15(5):459-63, 2005. See also Reardon DC et. al., “Deaths Associated With Pregnancy Outcome: A Record Linkage Study of Low Income Women,” Southern Medical Journal 95(8):834-41, Aug. 2002.

Kowtowing to Islamist Religous Bigots

Similar to the way an ailing FDR condemned millions to communist tyranny at Yalta, America has condemned millions to continue to live without hope of religious freedom in the Middle East...

US Postal Service won't send "any matter containing religious materials contrary to Islamic faith" to overseas military post offices

Want to send your brother-in-law in Iraq a Bible? An ikon? A kippah? Some joss sticks? Forget it. All that is "contrary to Islamic faith." Qur'ans and other Islamic articles only, please. Sharia Alert from...the United States Postal Service: "Overseas...

Click here to read the full article at Jihad Watch

Asleep at the wheel

The Traditional Values Coalition warns of the stealth jihad in our midst...

U.S. Government Sponsors Terror Against Own Citizens

Passing of a Conservative Giant

"For those of you that have not heard, it is with great sadness that I am writing to let you know that one of the founders and pillars of the conservative movement in America for over 40 years -- Paul Weyrich -- passed away this week.

Paul has been a spectaular "doer" who has led from the front and educated so many of us along the way. He has even gone to other countries, such as the Eastern Bloc after the fall of the Berlin wall, to introduce conservative principles in a part of the world that had been an intellectual desert for many decades.

It is impossible to overstate the incredible impact that he has had on this country through his conservative efforts.

Paul was a constituent of mine. I met him while doing door to door campaigning very early in my Senate career. While walking through a neighborhood, I was reading my street sheets. And I still remember thinking, 'how about that, this guy has the same name as THE Paul Weyrich.'

Little did I know that I was about to meet THE Paul Weyrich! It was an honor and a treat to meet him, to have his support and to learn from him.

Paul died the same day that I got his Christmas card. I would ask each of you to pray for Paul and his family in their time of grief. And let us commit ourselves to continuing his great work."

Senator Ken Cuccinelli

Virginia 37^th District

For more information, please go to www.FreeCongress.org

Abortion Guidelines are a real "killer"

40 million dead and counting...

Abortion Industry Presents Obama With Policy Guidelines For Next Four Years

Well, the first thing you know, old Bill's a millionare...

The real question is, if the Clintons are so filthy rich now, why can't Hillary pay her own campaign bills?

“Bubba Of Arabia”

"In an attempt to provide smoother sailing for Senator Hillary Clinton’s confirmation as Secretary of State, Bill Clinton has finally released the donor lists to the Clinton Library and the William J. Clinton Foundation. But I suspect even supporters of the Clintons may be shocked by the scope of the former president’s global fundraising, and it’s not at all clear that the revelations will help Hillary. The potential conflicts of interest for the future Secretary of State are almost endless.

In the eight years since Mr. Clinton left office, and while his wife was a sitting United States Senator, the Clinton Library and foundation raked in $500 million from sources all over the world. A significant portion of these funds came out of the Middle East, with the Saudis being the most generous Clinton benefactors. In fact, the New York Post headlined a story today, “Bubba Of Arabia -- Sheik-ing The Money Tree.” Consider these few examples:

• $10-$25 million from Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer and chief financier of Wahabbi extremism;
• $5-$10 million from “Friends of Saudi Arabia,” an outfit funded by the kingdom to “foster U.S.-Saudi ties;”
• $1-$5 million from Kuwait;
• $1-$5 million from Oman; and
• $1-$5 million from Qatar.

In his column today, Dick Morris poses this question: “How can Hillary Rodham Clinton mediate and negotiate conflicts in the Middle East impartially when her husband’s library and foundation … have been bankrolled by the very nations with whom she must negotiate?”"

Gary Bauer
Campaign for Working Families

Media prognosticators get a failing grade

The Business and Media Institute analyzes what many have suspected for a long time - Drive-by talking heads are gas bags.

Pumped Up Predictions
Gas and oil prices have collapsed despite media predictions they would both spike much higher. In more than 500 oil and gas stories one thing is obvious – you are better off flipping a coin than relying on media price predictions which are wrong nearly two-thirds of the time.

Up from the ashes grow the roses of success

Here's a good note to be ending the year on...

GOP Governors Successful

"Many may have missed this story buried deep within the doom and gloom news coverage of the 2008 elections, but there is one area where Republicans were actually quite successful last November. Every single Republican Governor won re-election, and to be honest none were seriously challenged.

Even though Indiana passed on McCain, Governor Mitch Daniels won re-election by over 17%. Republicans also held the governorship in Vermont, where many believe being Republican was outlawed years ago.

If there is a bright spot currently to be found for the future of our party, there's a good chance is lies among our team of Republican Governors, who are providing innovative ideas and solutions to our nation's problems within the borders of their home states.

Of course there is much to like about GOP Congressional leaders such as John Boehner, Eric Cantor and the other members of our Virginia delegation, but if the Founding Fathers themselves had to work under Nancy Pelosi in Washington, they'd find themselves spending the vast majority of their time frustrated, road blocked, and probably with their pantaloons in a bunch.

Inside the Beltway, Democrats have no other agenda other than to spend more and increase government even when the majority of Americans oppose their plans. Outside the Beltway, Republican governors don't have the luxury of borrowing their way out of trouble (nor do they care to). Instead they are demonstrating the power and effectiveness of our conservative principles by cutting spending, streamlining services, reforming government, and keeping their word to the voters. This is the future of our Party, and the future is extremely bright.

Exhibit A: Bobby Jindal, whose stunning success during his short tenure as Louisiana's Governor has earned him every percentage point of his sky-high approval rating. After winning an open primary with 54% of the vote in 2007, Jindal passed sweeping ethics reform in Louisiana in just two weeks, earned a 100 percent conservative score with the ACU, and has kept his pledge not to raise taxes. Most importantly, Jindal has moved Louisiana into the forefront of best managed states, with innovative solutions on healthcare, education and job creation.

It is no small event then when Governor Jindal finds a kindred spirit in our own gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonell, and travels to Virginia as he did last week to offer his full and enthusiastic endorsement.

Said Jindal, "Bob McDonnell will be a great Governor for Virginia. He has a proven record of cracking down on sex offenders, he is committed to reining in spending, and more than anything, he knows how to cross party lines to get things done."

Notice that line: "get things done." After all, that is why politicians are elected, to solve problems and, just as importantly, not create new ones. A conservative-leaning approach that starts from the premise that government outlives its usefulness the larger it gets is not only the most popular approach among the American people, but also the most proven over time to actually work.

Contrast the Republican approach to governing with Virginia's Democrat Governor Tim Kaine, who campaigned as a low-tax, small government guy, but governs as a true-blue Democrat. Virginia's reward for trusting Gov. Kaine? A disaster of a state budget built on phony numbers and profligate spending. The coup de grace: the obligatory Democrat tax hike. This kind of governing philosophy is about as modern and forward thinking as signing up for Esperanto lessons, and also about as effective.

There is now ample evidence throughout the nation that Republicans can do better than this -- in their sleep. Following the example of Ronald Reagan decades ago, our Party boasts a healthy stable of accomplished executive quarter horses ready and able to gallop laps around the Democrat competition.

The path has been laid, and next year's elections in Virginia will be a showcase for the Republican brand of leadership as practiced on the state level. Bob McDonnell will campaign on his own record of innovation and accomplishment and show Virginia very clearly that the GOP is the party of ideas, innovation and reform. But next year, it won't be such a well-kept secret."

Jeffrey M. Frederick, Chairman
Republican Party of Virginia