Friday, October 29, 2010

John Boehner: "We Will Not Compromise"

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Rep. John Boehner will likely become the Speaker of the House, replacing Nancy Pelosi, should the Republicans win as it appears they will on Tuesday.

Boehner
is promising, "We will not compromise."

This resolve seems to run deep, not only with national candidates, but with state candidates here in Washington as well.

We the people have two action items facing us.

First. We must vote. Many have already voted, many have not. Encourage everyone you know who has not yet voted, to do so. Contact friends, family and those at your church.

Thousands have forwarded the Faith and Freedom "
Candidate Information" list, while many, many more have downloaded the pdf , printed and distributed hard copies to friends, family and local groups.

Second. Once a new majority is elected, it is our absolute responsibility to see that they don't forget why they were elected.

The word that comes to my mind is "watchdog" or "watchman on the wall".

I believe they sincerely intend to keep this promise of no compromise. I believe, we, the people, must sincerely help them to keep it.

Things are looking up. Thank God.

Be Prayerful. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Active. Be Blessed. Be Free.

______________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

High School Principal Responds to "No Prayer" Law

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Please forward or print and distribute our list of candidate endorsements to those whom you know have not yet voted. Thank you for the kind words of appreciation for our endorsements.

We received this message late yesterday afternoon from a reader:
"I noted a correction that needs to be addressed on the 2010 Candidate Information Sheet. In Washington State House, District 16, Position 1, Brenda High is running as "Constitution Party" ("C" or "CP") not Republican ("R"). I happen to know Brenda personally and so took special note of that race. Brenda has indeed been active in the Republican Party for many years, but when she decided to run against the liberal incumbent Republican earlier this year, she decided that the Constitution Party best represented her views and so decided to run under that banner. Sorry to be picky. I can't begin to appreciate the hours that have gone into compiling such a voter guide. Nevertheless, someone will always come along and find the one error to address. "
Be vigilant and aware. Stories of voter fraud and irregularities continue. I have linked a few of them from yesterday.
CHICAGOLAND: 'Glitch' with vote-by-mail system; Hundreds of thousands may be disenfranchised...
Daytona Beach Commissioner Charged With Absentee Ballot Fraud...

Lawmakers May Probe Late Military Ballots...
Residents cry foul over ballots in PA...
____________________________________

High School Principal Responds to "No Prayer" Law

I had heard that a certain high school principal had taken an extra ordinary step in responding to the ban on public prayer at their high school football games.

I contacted the high school yesterday and had a great visit with Lisa Roberts, who works in the administration office at Roane County High School in Kingston, Tennessee. I told her what I had heard and she said, "Oh yes, that is very true. I was there and have worked with the principal for many years."

I asked what, if any consequences resulted in the principal's action. She said there were no negative actions taken toward him and he has since been promoted within the district.

Now I know that Roane County is not King County and Kingston is not Seattle or Spokane or Tacoma or Olympia or Yakima or Tricities or Vancouver----but just take a deep breath, read his words and the response of the audience and imagine.

Principal Jody McCleod had been told he could no longer legally read the traditional prayer over the loud speaker before each home football game. On this night he stepped up the mic and read the following:

"It has been the custom at Roane County High School games to say a prayer and play the National Anthem, to honor God and Country.

Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a prayer is a violation of Federal Case Law. As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion and call it 'an alternative lifestyle' and if someone is offended that's OK.

I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity by dispensing condoms and calling it 'safe sex'. If someone is offended, that's OK.

I can even use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as a 'viable means of birth control'. If anyone is offended, no problem.

I can designate a school day as 'Earth Day' and involve students in activities to worship religiously and praise the goddess 'Mother Earth' and call it 'ecology'.

I can use literature, videos and presentations in the classroom that depicts people with strong, traditional Christian convictions as 'simple minded' and 'ignorant' and call it 'enlightenment'.

However, if anyone uses this facility to honor God and to ask Him to bless this event with safety and good sportsmanship, then Federal Case Law is violated.

This appears to be inconsistent at best and at worst, diabolical.

Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone, except God and His Commandments.

Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do otherwise would be inconsistent at best, and at worst, hypocritical...I suffer from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need to add an intentional transgression.

For this reason, I shall render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and refrain from praying at this time.

However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise and thank God and ask Him, in the name of Jesus, to bless this event, please feel free to do so. As far as I know, that is not against the law---yet."

I was told that people in the stands bowed their heads and began to pray. Lisa told me she was among them. They held hands with one another. They stood, they praised God with a loud voice. The teams prayed, those in the concession stands prayed and they prayed in the announcer's box.

I remember a time here in Washington when prayers in my public school in the Yakima Valley were not questioned or challenged or scorned or mocked.

Not that we would want to go "back" to anything, but one wonders if God was retained in public life as He was during the first hundred or more years of this Republic, what a better life our children and grandchildren could experience.

Imagine.
Be Vigilant. Be Prayerful. Be Discerning. Be Active. Be Blessed.
____________

Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Voter Fraud--Here We Go Again

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Washington State voters know a little about funny things happening around elections. While mail-in ballots separate the voter from the actual recording of their vote, unfortunately, there continues to be reason for concern.

While we are not suggesting any irregularities in Washington State, we are suggesting this is a time to be vigilant, informed and aware.

FOX 5 in Nevada is reporting that voter Joyce Ferrara went to vote for Republican Sharon Angle and found Democrat Harry Reid's name was already on her ballot.

Others had the same experience, according to FOX 5.

The county registrar said, "There is no voter fraud." He said voters, "need to have faith in the system."

This on a day when
REAL CLEAR POLITICS is reporting that Angle is leading Reid in an average of all polls.

Sam Laughinhouse, in New Bern, N.C.,
pushed the button to vote Republican on all races, but the voting screen displayed a ballot with all Democrats checked. He cleared the screen and tried again with the same result. He then asked for help from the elections staff.

The staff person tried twice with the same results. Four times in a row, he voted Republican and got Democrat. Finally, on the 5th try he got the correct ballot and was able to vote. He said he may not have been as attentive if he had not heard a caution regarding voting problems.

Again, others are reporting the same problems.

Be vigilant. Be aware. Be Informed.

It is generally known that ACORN was deeply entrenched in assisting people in voting, among many other "helps" and activities. We also know that ACORN collapsed under the weight of fraud.

What you may not know is that ACORN has re-branded itself in a number of states, including Washington State and is continuing its "work" under a new name.

In Washington State, it is "Organization United for Reform" or "OUR" Washington.

The full list of new ACORN groups is as follows:

In California, ACORN is now the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (“ACCE”)

In Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, ACORN is New England United for Justice.

In New York, ACORN is New York Communities for Change.

In Arkansas, ACORN has become Arkansas Community Organizations (“ACO”).

In Louisiana, ACORN is “A Community Voice”.

In Missouri, ACORN is Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (“MORE”).

In Washington state, ACORN is Organization United for Reform (“OUR”) Washington.

In Minnesota, ACORN is Minnesota Neighborhoods Organizing for Change.

In Pennsylvania, ACORN has become the Pennsylvania Communities Organizing for Change (“PCOC”) and Pennsylvania Neighborhoods for Social Justice, Inc.

In Texas, ACORN is now the Texas Organizing Project.

ACORN Housing Corporation (“AHC”)

Again, I am not suggesting ACORN's new incarnations will attempt to commit fraud. I am suggesting we must be informed and vigilant.

Blessings.

__________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.



Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Character is Destiny

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paid for by faith and freedom pac

Join others this week in contacting your friends and family, reminding them to vote if they have not yet done so.

We have been told the Faith and Freedom PAC
candidate endorsement list has been a great help to many as they cast their vote.
____________


A Rasmuessen poll, this week, is showing that 43% of likely voters believe that neither Republicans or Democrats in Congress are the party of the people.

In fact, 38% think Republicans and Democrats are so much alike that an entirely new party is needed, however, 50% say a new party is not necessary at this time.

One thing is certain. Americans see elected officials as elitist, out of touch and not representative of their values, concerns and needs.

In a rush to be elected, some Republican leaders are advocating that voters should set aside their core values on life, marriage and family to focus on economic concerns. And the likely Republican success in the upcoming election will probably be used to affirm that false premise.

If we are to do so, we are missing an inescapable truth. Character is destiny.

While some dismiss the admonitions of those who founded America as, well, old and irrelevant, before we do so, we must look at their accomplishments.

They founded the greatest, most free and prosperous nation in history. And they knew the importance of character.

Samuel Adams, considered by many to be the father of the American Revolution, certainly understood why patriots fought and died for freedom and how this country would endure.

He was convinced that the destiny of our country was inseparably linked to the character of its leaders.

He said:
"If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honor of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we can expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation."

As Adams recognized that character is destiny, so must we. Character and proper policy are not mutually exclusive. Leaders can posses both, but if a candidate does not value the most basic, God-honored sanctity of life and the importance of natural marriage as the cornerstone of every successful civilization and culture in history, how can they chart a long term prosperous future and destiny?

Our foundations are crumbling. Citizens are fearful and angry. In 2008, we chose "ideas" over character. "Ideas" do not lead a country, nor do they get elected. People do.

People who lack character, seldom keep their policy promises.

Our present "affairs" do not rest on a solid and permanent foundation.

Your vote, when cast on character first, is an act of restoration and of determining the destiny of our country.

Be Prayerful. Be Wise. Be Discerning. Be Blessed. Be Free.

______________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Monday, October 25, 2010

National Public Radio--A State Of Denial, Hypocrisy and Prejudice

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paid for by faith and freedom pac

Thank you for the kind remarks and significant response to the Faith and Freedom PAC
endorsement list of candidates. Apparently thousands have downloaded and distributed our Candidate Information Sheet. I have been told the single sheet endorsement has been very helpful and easy to both distribute and understand.

Several candidates with whom we were unable to make initial contact, have contacted us asking that they be included in our endorsements. Several additions have been made to the list.

If you know of someone who has not voted and would be informed by our
endorsement list, please forward it to them.

Thank you to those who helped put this information together for us. And to all who are distributing it.

Reminder: Today is the last day to register to vote in Washington State for this upcoming election. You must register in person at your county elections office. Click
here for more details.
________________

National Public Radio--A State Of Denial, Hypocrisy And Prejudice

National Public Radio fired Juan Williams last week for the following comments made to Bill O'Reilly on FOX News:


"Look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried, I get nervous."

He
also said that political correctness could, "lead to some kind of paralysis, where you don't address reality."

While federally funded National Public Radio has had a problem with Williams for a while, it was these words that they chose to use for cause to fire him.

Williams has a long and distinguished career with both the Washington Post, NPR and as an author. While I don't agree with many of Williams' positions, I have always appreciated his integrity, passion and class.

Apparently, those characteristics mean little at NPR, as they reflect the party line of the so-called "progressive" media. Except they are a little different in that they are publicly funded and there is now a move to de-fund them. Not so much in defense of Williams, as outrage over their absolute denial of reality.

This personifies the hypocrisy and prejudice in the far left media, and NPR has been taking this position for a long time. If similar comments would have been made of a Christian or Jew, you would not have seen this kind of action.

Hypocrisy and Prejudice.

Michael Marion, formerly with ABC and now with NPR,
has implied on the air that Catholicism and Christianity in general had some connection to Timothy McVeigh blowing up the federal building in Oklahoma.

Scott Simon, with NPR, in an
on-air interview with Christopher Hitchens following Mother Teresa's death in 1997, was far more prejudiced and malicious than expressing fear of Muslims in full garb on a plane.

Simon began with, "It wasn't her support of the church so much as her tolerance of tyrants and criminals." Hitchens criticized her concern for the dignity of poverty as "Middle Ages theology, a destructive comfort to keep people poor."

When white powder was found in the offices of a few Democratic Senators, it was NPR that
attempted to implicate the Traditional Values Coalition, a Christian values organization, without any evidence.

And NPR's
Terry Gross was horrified at the "very extreme" Franklin Graham statements, expressing concerns that Graham would tarnish our image to the rest of the world.

You have likely heard that the catalyst for NPR's action was CAIR, an Hamas linked Muslim advocacy organization operating here in our country. They demanded NPR take action over Williams' words.

FOX's Megyn Kelly covered the story very well with a sampling of what the national media was saying about this matter at the end of last week.
This link also includes an interview with Ibe Hooper, a spokesman for Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Political correctness is strangling both reason and reality. We need deliverance.

God help us.

Be Vigilant. Be Informed. Be Prayerful. Be Blessed.

____________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Facebook " Friends" GLAAD to Police FB website

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CNN reports the 500 million users of Facebook will now be officially policed by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to, "end hate speech and anti-gay bullying" on the Facebook Internet site.

In their
press release, GLAAD announces that Facebook has officially friended them and that "new measures have been put in place to respond more quickly to hateful comments and "troll" activity."

The word "troll" is Internet slang describing, "someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous or off-topic messages in an online community such as an online discussion forum, chatroom or blog with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response."

The reference to "primary intent" is very troubling. That is "thought policing."

After my 4-hour deposition by Attorney General Rob McKenna's office in the matter of the Referendum 71 names, I am perhaps more sensitive to the probing of someones personal religious belief and attempting to equate those beliefs with inappropriate or even illegal expression. And the attempt to destroy the character of someone when their message is not acceptable.

The policing of thoughts is a direct and dangerous attack on freedom of speech and expression.

Let me be very clear.

Anyone who is a true follower of Jesus Christ, should not say or post hateful threats toward homosexuals or anyone else. Nor should they feel hate toward the individual. Rejecting the behavior is not hating the individual. Defending natural marriage is not "hating" those who demand homosexual marriage.

Let me equally clear.

Being accused of "hate speech" or "bigotry" because one does not embrace and celebrate homosexual behavior or homosexual marriage is not hate or bigotry. It is freedom of religious expression and free speech.

The homosexual community has successfully created a culture, thanks to political correctness and a complicit media industry and public education system, in which anyone who opposes their behavior for any reason or opposes their agenda to redefine marriage and family is "hateful", "bigoted" or possibly criminal. We are a half step from being seen as guilty for teaching or even believing biblical teaching on homosexuality.

GLAAD says, "Our community needs to continue to be vigilant and report instances of hateful comments and images across the site to Facebook moderators as well as post messages of support for gay, bi-sexual and transgender youth."

Some daunting questions:

*Will Facebook now expand its definition of "hate" speech to conform with GLAAD, GLSEN and other homosexual activist groups?

*Will Facebook now consider it "hate" to discuss the considerable health risks associated with homosexual behavior?

*Will Facebook consider it "hate" for Christians to discuss biblical teaching that relates to homosexual behavior? The Bible strongly condemns homosexual behavior.

*Will these new policing standards be applied toward comments and individuals who disagree with---"hate," Christians and their beliefs, or say, conservative talk show hosts who do not support the homosexual agenda and have a Facebook account?

*Will the new Facebook-GLAAD marriage be fair to those who disagree with their position?

This is significant because Facebook involves more than a half billion people.

I personally believe, this is a piece of a larger campaign.

It is not specifically about "protecting" homosexuals so much as it is about forcing Americans to accept and affirm their behavior.

CNN says Facebook's friending of GLADD "isn't just routine TOS policing" and that Facebook "intends to work closely with GLADD and other LGBT (gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender) organizations on future initiatives."

These are perilous times for those who believe and express biblical teaching on matters of morality, especially homosexual behavior.

Free speech and freedom of expression is in peril as well.

Be Prayerful. Be Vigilant. Be Active.

______________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

With God On Our Side

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"With God On Our Side," is a film that will be touring the country aimed at evangelical audiences, challenging the Christian theology which teaches that because the Jews are God's chosen people, they have a divine right to Israel.

The film argues that to give uncritical support to Israel leads to suffering among Muslim and Christian Palestinians. It portrays pro-Israel Christians as mindless zealots indifferent to Palestinian suffering and Palestinians as victims exclusively of Israeli oppression.

The banner carriers for the film are Jim Wallis, Tony Compolo, Brian McLaren and Steve Haas, vice president at World Vision, to name a few.

Stephen Sizer, an Anglican priest who is prominently featured in the film and along with producer Porter Speakman is touring the film saying it is incredulous that Christians would, "justify on theological grounds the theft of land, the demolition of homes, the destruction of property, the creation of ghettos and the denial of fundamental human rights, in order to create what is increasingly becoming a racist state."

Sizer deplores Christian Zionism as a heresy conclusively refuted by the New Testament.

Tony Compolo says the film, "is brilliant, challenging and the church desperately needs it."

The film was scheduled to be screened on October 27 in the US Capitol Visitor Center, but has been rescheduled to be screened in a nearby Washington DC Lutheran church.

They screened the film at Wheaton College, often considered the leading evangelical college in America, and Christianity Today, a flagship evangelical magazine, favorably reviewed the film this summer.

Mark Tooley, President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, says it is an anti-Israel movie produced by an evangelical pastor, aimed at evangelical audiences, with the purpose of turning churches against Israel.

I strongly recommend you read his
linked article.

Steve Haas, vice president of World Vision, says the film delivers a clear assessment of the conflict in the Middle East. The film's challenge, he says, will be "obtaining an audience, often steeped with established notions."

So what are Mr. Haas' established notions?

Pastor John Hagee has long been a strong supporter of Israel. He
told a gathering of 4000 Christians and Christian leaders earlier this year, "When flotillas filled with militants seek to turn Gaza into an Iranian port, we proudly proclaim I am an Israeli. When the world condemns Israel for defending yourself from thousands of missiles and mortar attacks, we proudly proclaim I am an Israeli. When terrorists threaten to kill you, we proudly proclaim I am Israeli."

Hagee told the gathering, "Israel is America's closest and most trusted ally. We are committed to steadfastly supporting the Jewish State."

But Hagee's passion for Israel runs deeper than appreciation for their political alliance with America.

He regularly advocates that churches across America learn about God's enduring covenant with Abraham and the Jewish people, including God's promise in Genesis 12:3 that He will bless those who bless Israel.


I have linked an article that was published by Hagee this last summer following their Support Israel rally in Washington DC.

This film will likely appear in a church or theater in your area sometime over the next year. Please be aware that it is aimed at changing the end-time views of evangelicals and their theology.

As for Mr Haas' "established notions" regarding Israel, the following list gives 7 reasons why Pastor Hagee and every other biblical evangelical supports Israel: (source: Hagee Ministeries)


Why Christians Should Support Israel
The Apple of HIS Eye...

Everything Christians do should be based upon the Biblical text. Here are seven solid Bible reasons why Christians should support Israel.

Genesis 12:3 "And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed." Point: God has promised to bless the man or nation that blesses the Chosen People. History has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the nations that have blessed the Jewish people have had the blessing of God; the nations that have cursed the Jewish people have experienced the curse of God.

St. Paul recorded in Romans 15:27 "For if the Gentiles have shared in their (the Jews) spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things."

Christians owe a debt of eternal gratitude to the Jewish people for their contributions that gave birth to the Christian faith. Jesus Christ, a prominent Rabbi from Nazareth said, "Salvation is of the Jews!" (St. John 4:22) consider what the Jewish people have given to Christianity:

a) The Sacred Scripture
b) The Prophets
c) The Patriarchs
d) Mary, Joseph, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth
e) The Twelve Disciples
f) The Apostles

It is not possible to say, "I am a Christian" and not love the Jewish people. The Bible teaches that love is not what you say, but what you do. (1 John 3:18) "A bell is not a bell until you ring it, a song is not a song until you sing it, love is not love until you share it."

While some Christians try to deny the connection between Jesus of Nazareth and the Jews of the world, Jesus never denied his Jewishness. He was born Jewish, He was circumcised on the eighth day in keeping with Jewish tradition, He had his Bar Mitzvah on his 13th birthday, He kept the law of Moses, He wore the Prayer Shawl Moses commanded all Jewish men to wear, He died on a cross with an inscription over His head, "King of the Jews!

Jesus considered the Jewish people His family. Jesus said (Matthew 25:40) "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren (the Jewish people… Gentiles were never called His brethren), ye have done it unto me.

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee." (Psalm 122:6) the scriptural principle of prosperity is tied to blessing Israel and the city of Jerusalem.

Why did Jesus Christ go to the house of Cornelius in Capernaum and heal his servant, which was ready to die? What logic did the Jewish elders use with Jesus to convince Him to come into the house of a Gentile and perform a miracle?

The logic they used is recorded in Luke 7:5; "For He loveth our nation, and He hath built us a synagogue." The message? This Gentile deserves the blessing of God because he loves our nation and has done something practical to bless the Jewish people.

Why did God the Father select the house of Cornelius in Caesarea (Acts Chapter 10) to be the first Gentile house in Israel to receive the Gospel? The answer is given repeatedly in Acts 10.

Acts 10:2 "a devout man, (Cornelius) and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always." Who were the people to whom Cornelius gave these alms? They were the Jews.

Again is Acts 10:4 "… thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God."

Again in Acts 10:31 "… and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God."
The point is made three times in the same chapter. A godly Gentile who expressed his unconditional love for the Jewish people in a practical manner was divinely selected by heaven to be the first Gentile house to receive the Gospel and the first to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

These combined Scriptures verify that PROSPERITY (Genesis 12:3 and Psalm 122:6), HEALING (Luke 7:1-5) and the OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT came first to Gentiles that blessed the Jewish people and the nation of Israel in a practical manner.

We support Israel because all other nations were created by an act of men, but Israel was created by an act of God! The Royal Land Grant that was given to Abraham and his seed through Isaac and Jacob with an everlasting and unconditional covenant. (Genesis 12:1-3, 13:14-18, 15:1-21, 17:4-8, 22:15-18, 26:1-5 and Psalm 89:28-37.)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Some Thoughts on Palin and Common Sense

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Faith and Freedom PAC has added an endorsement. After good discussion with Doug Richards we are endorsing him for State House District 26, position 2. We believe he is pro-marriage, pro-life and anti-tax. We might also note that he is running against incumbent Larry Seaquist who has consistently voted against our core values.
__________

Sarah Palin told a crowd in Reno yesterday that she could see the 2012 election, "from our house."

The Associated Press also quoted her saying, "Commonsense is an endangered species."

She probably wasn't thinking about the American reggae and alternative rock band from Orange County or even Thomas Paine's pamphlet.

Palin is probably thinking what a majority of Americans are thinking.

A Rasmussen Poll this week found that a majority of Americans believe our country has become too politically correct and they see it as a problem because it reflects an abandonment of common sense.

Sixty three (63%) say political correctness prevented the US military from responding to warning signs that could have prevented Major Nidal Malik Hanson from massacring 13 people and wounding 30 others at Fort Hood last November.

Rasmussen says (74%) regard political correctness as a problem as, "government officials too often override the facts and common sense in the name of political correctness."

The Chicago Tribune said last year the fiasco at Fort Hood was, "A lesson in common sense run amok."

Palin is right. Common sense is endangered in our public discourse.

Post modernist, secular, progressive professors have been teaching our children for the past several generations that common sense is the internal sense, formerly believed to be the sense by which information from the other 5 senses is understood and interpreted.

"Formerly" is the operative word. "Relativism" is the new truth. And with everyone creating their own truth and understanding, without a proven moral compass, common sense has indeed "run amok."

The Juris Dictionary defines common sense as, "The presence of mind and general caution and concern that the law imputes to all persons, i.e., sense everyone should have. Everyone owes a duty to use common sense. The breach of this duty may give rise to a cause of action."

We are presently witnessing a political "rise to a cause of action."

When fantasy replaces common sense, life becomes both a farce and a tragedy.

Common sense is based on understanding and true understanding cannot be experienced in the world of relativism---a world of fantasy where there are no absolutes---a classroom world of theory without consequences. A world birthed by far left professors who are highly educated, but lack wisdom and true understanding. This is reflected in our present national leadership---particularly in the White House.

In the real world there are real consequences. And we are living with the consequences of no understanding.

Progressives hate common sense. They say common sense is most always wrong and say if it were not for the progressive thinking we would all still be living in the Middle Ages. The Earth, they say, would still be the center of the universe.

Yet secular progressives are the most conflicted people you will meet.

They want to spare convicted murderers, terrorists and enemy combatants, saying they speak for mercy, while steadfastly advancing the killing of innocents through abortion on demand. Preferring "choice" over life while professing to advocate for life and further creating a culture of death through legalizing euthanasia.

Conflicted.

Common sense is based on understanding. And common sense is endangered, because we have removed the basis of understanding as we remove the notion of God and absolute Truth.

There is an ancient biblical Proverb that says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Our Founding Fathers got that.

While we have discovered that the Earth is not the center of the universe, I sincerely hope we also discover that we ourselves are not the center of the universe.

In describing "perilous" times, the New Testament defines these times with people being obsessively self centered and "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth." ( 2 Timothy 3 )

Relativism is the essence of self centeredness. Relativism allows each to become god.

America's rise to action must include spiritual renewal as well as political change or we will be weighed in the balance and found wanting. And common sense will continue to be endangered.

Be Vigilant. Be Prayerful. Be Active. Be Blessed.

_________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

2010 is Year of the Woman---Again

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I'm sure you've noticed. There are a lot of women running for Congress in this election.

In fact, it is a record number---145 total, with 17 for the Senate and 128 for the House.

In 1992, the media was abuzz calling it the, "Year of the Woman," however they should have called it the "year of the liberal woman."

Despite the fact that there are more women in this election than in 1992, the media is quiet---no proclamations about the woman.

Sonja Eddings Brown says in POLITICO that the media is mum this time because in '92, 54 women were elected to Congress and all the new female members , both Republican and Democrat, supported abortion.

This time, many of the women running are conservative, with conservative values, and that just doesn't fit the media's usual narrative.

Brown says from the time Sarah Palin stepped onto the national stage she, "has been criticized, even vilified , about everything from her wardrobe to her reading list. But her original (and continuing) sin, in the eye of the elites, is her unwavering conservative views and values."

Palin has motivated other women to run, many share her faith and values.

Brown observes that when successful businesswomen run for office, "The focus is nearly always on non-economic, extraneous issues."

"The old girls club," Brown says, "that honors life-long, liberal pols like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is as narrow-minded and snobbish as the old boy's club. Maybe more so."

Most of the media is overlooking or simply avoiding the fact that a record number of women are running this year because of their view.

Brown says even Forbes missed it when they recently named Michelle Obama the 2010 most powerful woman in the world and placed politically right-of-center German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, at number 4.

"In what universe does a woman who has never run a company, let alone a government, outrank the nationally elected leader of the world's fourth-largest economy?" Brown asks.

Her answer?

"In a universe where it's more important to be liberal, than it is to be a woman."

The litmus test for the elite progressive liberal media is simple. You must be pro-abortion---support the redefining of marriage, affirm the homosexual agenda and be pro-tax and support big government. If you are a conservative, with conservative values, they will work to politically destroy you. It won't matter if you are more qualified than your opponent, they will choose the lesser candidate to support.

Even, as in this case, it means trampling on the very political correctness they have advocated as a social control mechanism.

May God free us from their bondage.

Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Active. Be Blessed.

________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

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Monday, October 18, 2010

Seattle Public Schools Sponsor GLBT Dinner

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The Health Education Office of Seattle Public Schools, along with Superintendent Marie Goodloe-Johnson is inviting the public to join them in their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender family dinner, Thursday, November 4, from 6 to 8 PM at NOVA/SBOC school on the East side of Capitol Hill. I have linked the invitation.

The dinner is complimentary, underwritten by donations from the community. We would be interested to see the list of donors.

Those attending are told to expect craft tables for younger attendees and greetings from members of the school board and members of the district staff.

They promise it will be well attended and you should make your reservation early.

Would you consider attending this event?

No, we are not promoting it, but asking if several spiritually mature, adult couples from our readers would consider attending. We would ask you to merely observe. This will not be the typical wild, perverted kind of event we all have witnessed through news coverage of the so-called "gay pride parade," rather it will likely be a laid back "fun" family time environment.

The tone will be designed to promote the "normalcy" of the behavior and affirming of those attending or represented.

Prayerfully consider this. It isn't for everyone, but if you feel led to attend, we are asking you to personally contact me by
email and let me know you will plan to attend. I will ask you to identify yourself to me for obvious reasons. We would like you to give us your assessment of the event. I will not disclose your name or any other personal information in sharing your insights with me after the event.

I would like you and others to see first hand the culture and subtleties of what our kids and grandkids face every day in the public classroom---the normalcy attached to gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender sexual behavior.

Thank you for giving this assignment consideration.
_____________

Ballots are out or soon will be in all areas. VOTE.

Be Vigilant. Be Informed. Be Discerning, Be Prayerful. Be Active. Be Blessed.

_____________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

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Friday, October 15, 2010

John Koster and the Seattle Times

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I have seen it before, but not with an apology.

The Seattle Times editorial board is so far left, they can't do the right thing---and this time it's with an apology.

The Times editorial board admits that, "In this of all years, change is needed in government in all levels."

"But," they say, "the board is sticking with the incumbent Democratic Rep. Rick Larson," over Republican John Koster in the 2nd Congressional District.

"Koster," they say, "is a distinguished, fiscally prudent and responsible public servant, no question," and has run a very good campaign.

They continue, "His [Koster] experience in local government, as a state lawmaker and as a dairy farmer would certainly be a benefit in Congress."

They point out that a Larsen TV ad attacking Koster is misleading and Larsen is using a game of semantics to mislead the public.

The Times editorial board is, "sharply skeptical of his [Larsen] view that thousands of small businesses, so called S corporations, will not be hurt by the expiration of Bush tax cuts." And they, "remain disappointed in his willingness to compromise on net neutrality."

So why won't they endorse
John Koster?

They can't bring themselves to endorse the better, and more honest candidate, because,
"The Arlington Republican's very conservative social views against a women's right to choose and gay rights and his skepticism that humans have any role in climate change, disqualify him."

"Disappointed," "skeptical," and "with reservations," the Times board endorses the lesser man.

Therein is the face of the far left in the culture of Washington State. The Seattle Times is living in their own Twilight Zone.

The message to their reported 1.8 million readers? "It doesn't matter how qualified a candidate may be, if the candidate fails the "social issues" litmus test on life, marriage and family---away with him."

The message to conservatives and so-call Republicans? Please stop saying that life, marriage and family values are not important in this election. They are apparently important to some. Do people of character fool the press into thinking they are something and someone other than who they are so they may be elected? Or do we simply run "moderates" who really stand for nothing, but meet the litmus test of the twilight zone?

Oh, yes. It was pointed out that Koster has not bought into the "inconvenient truth" that isn't.

For those who want a qualified candidate who also has character, this may be a very strong endorsement of John Koster over Rick Larsen and The Seattle Times.

Please forward this to all your cousins in the
2nd District.

Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Active. Be Blessed.

Thanks for
your support. Have a great weekend.

___________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Is This "Awakening" Great?

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Millions of people are meeting in rallies and town hall venues across the nation. From Washington DC to Washington State, citizens are expressing their concerns about the direction our country is heading. Democrats are running away from this election, while Republicans and Independents are running toward it.

America has awakened and citizens are motivated to change the "change."

So much for apathy. Bring on the activism.

And that's a good thing.

We are awake and sweeping political change is almost certain in this election.

But is this the beginning of a "great" awakening or simply a political correction?

Is this a rush to restore our privileges and prosperity, without attention to our principles?

With a $42,000 debt attached to every newborn in America, unemployment too high, no real hope for improvement and a rush toward socialism and the "remaking of America," this election is indeed about the economy. It must be.

But we must not forget the principles.

The historic "Great Awakening" which had 3 maybe 4 waves and was responsible for charting the course for the most successful nation in the history of the world; was a spiritual not political one.

Evangelical Protestant ministers shaped the direction of America. Their strong biblical sermons created a profound sense of conviction, redemption, restoration and hope based on biblical Truth.

Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield and other preachers elicited an emotional and spiritual response from their audiences. America was "awakened" and it became the "City on a Hill."

This awakening shaped the concepts and principles of the American Revolution, the framing of the Constitution and the blessing, prosperity, generosity and freedom that followed.

Not only has America prospered, but we have blessed the world through our Christian charity.

A political adjustment or awakening is temporary at best. It's not sustainable.

I have heard Newt Gingrich say more than once of the 1994 political revolution, "They elected us to change Washington, but Washington changed us."

I have repeatedly heard this election is about the economy, not about the so-called "social" issues or principles. And it certainly should be about an economy that is in free fall.

However, if we see this election as merely about privilege and prosperity, any political correction will be short term and ultimately disappointing.

A true "Awakening" begins in the heart, with a rededication to the Judeo-Christian principles upon which this country was built, then manifests itself in the collective politics of the Republic.

President Eisenhower once said, "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon lose both."

All solutions to human challenges are found in spiritual principles.

Be Prayerful. Be Discerning. Be Active.

__________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

WA Ballot Measure Analysis and Recommendations

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Judge Orders Pentagon to Halt "DA-DT" Worldwide

US District Judge Virginia Phillips in California yesterday, ruled that the military policy, "Don't Ask-Don't Tell," is unconstitutional and the only proper remedy is to grant a broad, worldwide injunction barring the US Military from enforcing its policy.

One activist judge.

Government attorneys objected to halting, "Don't Ask -Don't Tell," saying such an abrupt change might harm military operations in a time of war.

Homosexual rights organizations were cheering the judge last night saying she accomplished what "President Obama and Washington politics could not."

Are they suggesting democracy is unconstitutional as well?

We will keep you posted.

____________________

Washington Ballot Measure Analysis and Recommendations

There are a number of ballot measures that will appear on the Washington State ballot. They can sometimes be confusing and misleading. Some measures are designed to expand government, not limit it.

For example, some have advocated keeping the state in the liquor business, we do not. A state run liquor industry is not more "moral" than a non state liquor industry, nor will it keep people who want liquor from acquiring it. There are some lawmakers who have advocated using the state run liquor industry to distribute marijuana, should they legalize it, while others have advocated expanding the number of state run liquor stores to increase revenue to the state. State government needs to be reduced, not expanded.

Representative Matt Shea is a leader in the legislature on issues most important to Christians and conservatives. He also serves on the board of Faith and Freedom PAC.

We have adopted his analysis and recommendations on the measures as our own.

This link will give you a PDF for your own review and something to circulate among friends and contacts.

As you know, we have targeted several races in the upcoming election that we feel can be won. These, along with other wins, will significantly change the disposition of the State Legislature.

Your donation now will help over the next 20 days.

Be Informed. Be Active. Be Prayerful. Be Free.

__________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

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Tuesday, October 12, 2010

A Time To Vote

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Faith and Freedom PAC has posted a list of candidates we endorse and are urging you to vote for.

We have drawn information from candidate responses in interviews and public speeches, official statements, web sites, past voting records---where they exist, general information, personal interviews and information gathered from elected officials who support our core values.

From this we have made our endorsements.

The endorsements include all races in the State House, State Senate, US House, US Senate and the State Supreme Court.

Because Faith and Freedom PAC is a state, not federal, political action committee, the PAC has not endorsed federal House and Senate candidates, however, Gary Randall has personally made endorsements.

Please follow the links to this information. There is also a PDF that you may
download, print and distribute. We encourage you to do so to as many friends, family and contacts as possible.

Please note the Explanation of Candidate Information and Endorsements.

You will notice that we have abbreviated the information on candidates to keywords to save space on the downloadable information sheet.

Faith and Freedom PAC has targeted 5 races that we feel can be won and will significantly improve the Legislative posture toward our core values in the upcoming session. We may add to that list over the next week. While we intend to support all the candidates we have endorsed, this is our focus.

We are asking for
your donation to specifically assist us in helping these candidates win.

Those targeted races are:

John Ahern House District 6, position 2

Ahern is strong on our core values and will vote with us on the issues. His opponent, John Driscol, voted for SB 5688, supporting the homosexual agenda and supports the
expansion of public education.

Michele Strobel House District 14, position 1

Strobel's opponent, Norm Johnson, is a Republican but must be replaced. He does not support our core values, but does support the homosexual agenda, voting for SB 5688. Michele Strobel has the support of the faith community and many in the business community. She is a banner carrier for our values. She is a mother, business woman and pastor's wife. She is articulate, experienced and well informed on the issues.


Jason Hearn House District 22 , position 1

Hearn is pro-life, pro-marriage and opposes increased taxation. We believe he can win and will vote with us on the most important issues.

Steve O' Ban House District 28 position 1

O'Ban is a Christian leader and attorney. He has led in some of the most important advances of Judeo-Christian values, including the passage of Washington State's Defense of Marriage Act. He is an advocate for the people, is committed to less, not more taxation and is pro-life. A banner carrier.

Dr. Art Coday House District 32, position 1

Dr. Coday is pro-life, pro-marriage and opposes increased taxation. He is a Christian leader and will be a banner carrier for our core issues.


Alexander Solzhenitzyn spent 50 years studying the history of the Russian Revolution. His conclusion? In his Templeton address in 1983 he said simply, "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this is happening."

We have an opportunity in this election, to elect people who serve and honor God and are highly qualified to serve others as elected officials.

Over the next three weeks we ask that you make a
donation to Faith and Freedom PAC. If you can give $1000 or more that will help get these and others elected. If you can donate $25--$50-- $100, all will help. Please do what you can.

This election is a "game changer" as they say. Over the next 20 or so days the culture of this state will be set for the next 20 years as a result of this election.

This is indeed a Time To Vote.

Working together we can make a difference. Rather than publishing general information, we as a board have chosen to go directly at this election with specific endorsements, urging you and others to vote for specific candidates that we feel will support our, and your, most important issues.

Your donation to the PAC will help achieve that shared goal.

Thank you and God bless you.

Faith and Freedom PAC
Board of Directors

Monday, October 11, 2010

HRC Attacking Mormon and Catholic Leaders Over Homosexual "Rights"

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Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest homosexual rights organization in the country, is on the attack toward those who stand for natural marriage and oppose the normalization of homosexual behavior.

While they attack individuals, their campaign undermines, erodes and violates the freedoms of religion, speech and conscience.

Unfortunately, their efforts are funded by some of
America's largest and most influential corporations.

Marriot, Comcast, Giant, Food Lion, Macy's, Chipolte, Hershey's, AARP, Google, Microsoft and Verizon are a few of a long list of sponsors of the Human Rights Campaign annual fundraiser dinner last week titled, "No Excuses" National Dinner.

With the financial backing from some of America's richest companies, they are lashing out at some who oppose their message and the homosexual agenda.

They are presently running a letter writing campaign, demanding that Boyd K. Packer of the LDS Church retract his statements made on a recent Sunday, saying that homosexual behavior is "impure and unnatural" and that America should not legalize same-sex marriage.

Packer said, "There are those today who not only tolerate, but advocate voting to change laws that would legalize immorality, as if a vote would some how alter the design of God's laws and nature."

HRC accuses Packer in their open and public letter of, "potentially contributing to suicides among young people."

The letter says, "I'm appalled that you chose this moment to deliver a sermon saying same-sex unions are immoral."

It continues, "You have risked further alienating LGBT youth and potentially contributing to suicides of even more vulnerable young people."

HRC has publicly accused Pope Benedict 16 of, "Hurting people in the name of Jesus," and accused the Catholic Church of being, "immoral and insulting to Jesus," for declining to serve communion to an openly lesbian couple.

Robert Knight, a senior writer with Coral Ridge Ministries and considered an expert on the issue, says corporate America has been taken in by the pro-homosexual agenda.

He says, "Many corporations have bought into the false idea that people are born gay, can't change, and that sexual inclination is the same as race. But unlike race or ethnicity, sex has a moral component. The behavior is volitional---and tragic."

Knight says that homosexuality is hurting those who claim their sexual orientation is a civil right.
He points out, "A new CDC survey shows that one in every five gay or bi-sexual males has the HIV virus, even after years of so-called 'safe sex' education."

Knight says, "If any other group's behavior triggered that kind of stat, there would be a national outcry for discouraging it, not promoting it as a 'civil right'."

He correctly points out that the other side of this issue is, "that employees with traditional values are forced into re-education 'diversity' sessions and told that their sense of normalcy and morality is really hate and bigotry."

Tragically, this is where we are in America today.

This violates and undermines the freedoms of religion, speech and conscience.

This became very clear to me recently when I was summoned for a deposition in the Attorney General's office regarding the sealing of the names of those who signed R-71 petitions.

Under oath, I was questioned for more than 4 hours with 2, five or so minute breaks, by an attorney from the Attorney General's office and an attorney representing the homosexual rights organization, Washington Families Standing Together.

Frankly, the questioning was brutal, far overreaching, in my opinion, and I felt like the purpose was to discredit, destroy and silence our voice and any influence we may have. Dozens of copies of my writing and personal quotes in local Seattle, Washington and national newspapers were placed before me. I was questioned as to my beliefs, what I considered to be "gay bashing," my thoughts on the teachings of Islam toward homosexuality, my personal beliefs on the subject, how often I speak publicly and much more. It was exhausting.

I will write about the deposition in detail at a later, more appropriate time.

There is a price to pay for anyone who stands for biblical truth on the matter of homosexual behavior and the gay agenda. And it is often funded by massive amounts of money, sometimes from sources you would not expect.

Your financial support allows us to continue. Your kind words encourage us. And your prayers sustain us.

From my heart---thank you.

____________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Friday, October 08, 2010

Presidential Seal Falls Off President's Lectern

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Something for a Friday smile and something not so funny.

First, about half way through his speech to Fortune magazine's "Most Powerful Women Summit" at Carnegie Mellon Auditorium, this past Tuesday, the
presidential seal fell off President Obama's lectern clattering to the stage in front of him.

The President laughed and said, "That's all right, all of you know who I am." He suggested someone back stage might be nervous---"sweating bullets."

The picture is worth a thousand or more words.
Click the link.

Many are making much of this---symbolic, a sign, a divine message, etc.

Personally, I think George Bush did it.

On a more somber note. New unemployment numbers are out today.
Gallup, not known to be politically conservative, say unemployment is higher than the government is reporting. They say it is up sharply from 9.3% in August to 10.1% in September.

They also say underemployment is at 18.8%, up from 18.6% at the end of August.

Evidently we are not heading in the right direction, as we are being told by the President and the press.

Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Active. Be Blessed.

____________

Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

"Tell The Truth" Trucks Circling Manhattan Media Offices

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Large billboard trucks are circling the Manhattan headquarters of ABC, CBS, NBC and The New York Times and will continue to do so every weekday for the next month.

The message on the trucks is clear:

"Stop The Liberal Bias," "Tell The Truth."

Similar trucks are operating in Washington DC, driving around the Washington Post, CNN, The Newseum, the National Press Club and POLITICO.

Brent Bozell, president of Media Research Center, the sponsor of the effort, says the goal of their "truth truck" campaign is simple. Tell the truth. Stop pushing an agenda---just tell the truth.

Media Research Center is also posting billboard ads in several other cities, including Seattle.

Bozell says all this is "about generations to come." He says, in America, we have always left the next generation better off.

Now, he says, "We stand to be the generation that will be asked by future generations, 'Why didn't you stop it?' "

He says, "I want to be the generation that says, 'We returned America to her greatness.' There are those who wanted to destroy this country and there were some of us who said, 'No'. That's what I want."

That's what many of us want. Godspeed, Mr. Bozell, Godspeed.

Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Active. Be Blessed.

______________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Inverted Reality

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I read it twice to be sure it said what I thought it said. It does: "US Unemployment Rate Looks Good Compared to Some Other Countries."

The article begins with, "I don't know how this was kept a secret so long, but a newspaper in Nambia is reporting that the country had 51.2% unemployment in 2008. That's a far cry from the US employment rate of 9.6% in August 2010."

And this is a serious article. While it is not a major newspaper, AOL is sending it wherever they go.

While wondering how we got to the point of comparing ourselves to Nambia in order to feel good about things, I noticed an article in The New York Times. It is on a different subject but communicates the same inverted reality.

The Times is remembering the "Good Life" in the "socialist state" of East Germany.

The progressive left struggle to avoid American exceptionalism, by regularly and expertly finding the most unusual and sometimes odd ways to invert reality.

This Times writer, Michael Slackman, writes with nostalgia on the disillusionment some Germans felt after the "Wall" came down and people were free.

He writes of the "values forged--- in a socialist state," and the deeply insulting perception that those values were "expunged and delegitimized."

He quotes Ms. Kummer, 52, who feels displaced, although she has gone on to be a reporter.

"Yes," she says, "it was a dictatorship, a state of injustice, no freedom, but there were 17 million different lives."

The Times was so taken with her quote that they inserted it in the caption under the picture.

Surely the reunification of Germany has been traumatic for some, but let me tell you a different story.

I was in Germany three different times during the time the wall was coming down. I saw the people dancing in the streets, climbing on the wall, hacking it to small pieces and celebrating their new freedom and thanking Ronald Reagan for his stand on their behalf.

A middle aged man took me to a wire fence area in Berlin near the wall, showing me pictures of people who tried to escape to the west and were shot. He pointed to a picture of one of his own relatives saying, "now they could walk across freely."

I joined an evangelical church as they held a Christian service in the public square in East Berlin, celebrating their freedom of speech and religious expression, most, for the first time in their life.

I have a piece of the "Wall" in my desk as a reminder of how very much people want freedom. We do not seek bondage. We seek freedom.

If I am to be influenced by the progressive left in this country, I would conclude that 9.6% unemployment is good, there is much value to be found in a life dominated by socialism and dictatorial leadership and while our country is no more exceptional than any other, according to our President, we are going the right direction---everything is going to be just fine.

Inverted Reality.

It has been called "exchanging the truth for a lie."

Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Active. Be Blessed. Be Free.

__________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Monday, October 04, 2010

Franklin Graham: "Islam is Evil"

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Reverend Graham has said it again. This time it was on ABC's "This Week," yesterday.

He called Islam "wicked" and "evil".

Franklin said he loves the Muslim people, but has, "great difficulty with the religion."

He was scorned by some in our own government and the press for a similar statement some months ago and was un-invited to a prayer service at the Pentagon for his belief that Islam is evil.

I have spent time with Franklin Graham. I have interviewed him on television several times and he has been a guest speaker in my pulpit during the years I was a pastor. Our church financially supported his ministry.

He indeed loves people with God's love and demonstrates that love in a thousand ways through his ministry throughout the world.

Franklin says he is especially concerned with, "Sharia law and what it does for women---toward women, toward non-believers, the violence that is given in---under Sharia law."

The comments following this story that I have
linked demonstrates the blindness, ignorance and hatred toward anyone who speaks the truth in a public forum. The comments are similar to those being made in France over the past several years.

"Islam is evil? That's a tough call."---"Pot meet kettle."---"Pretty much every religion out there is wicked and evil."---"Crazies like Graham are a disgrace to Christianity."---"He is evil himself, you can see his face."---"Bigot,"---and on and on and on.

People in France are beginning to awaken from their politically correct stupor.

For years the French government has been accommodating the extraordinary demands of Islam in the French culture, referring to it as a religion of peace. Proving they are truly elite and progressive.

Now, there is an emerging cultural crises with Islam in the center of it.

Thousands of Muslims are gathering in the streets of Paris for prayer. They are blocking streets, breaking laws and even restricting people from leaving and entering their own homes due to the shear numbers of people praying in the streets.

The French government has continually given them exception from law to prove they are not all the things Rev. Graham is being accused of above.

People are becoming very concerned. In fact, an ordinary citizen got a camera and began taking videos of the thousands gathering for prayer and clogging the Paris streets. When he posted the video on YouTube, he was threatened by Muslims and now cannot show his face in many public venues.

Dale Hurd from CBN News has done a
special report on this matter. One man tells Hurd, "We were expecting Muslims to adapt to France, but France is adapting to Islam."

Some French leaders are now beginning to look for ways to take back control of their own streets and culture and warning the West and America particularly, to beware.

Please take a moment and watch this
short report. It's very troubling.

Rather than demonize Franklin Graham--- I suspect we will hear more about his comments today, perhaps we should awaken from our own politically correct stupor, and get real.

God help us.

Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Active. Be Blessed.

_________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

Click here to add these blogs to your email inbox.

Friday, October 01, 2010

IRS Complaint Filed Against Church

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An IRS complaint was filed earlier this week against a church because the pastor voiced support for a gubernatorial candidate from the pulpit.

Eric Stanley, with the Alliance Defense Fund, said Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU), the organization filing the complaint, "Claims to stand for the separation of church and state, yet by complaining to the IRS, AU is asking for government monitoring and surveillance of churches by the state."

Stanley said, "That's not separation of church and state no matter how you look at it." I have
linked the article that explains the ADF supported "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" for your convenience and more details.

But have you ever wondered where this IRS Code, restricting pastors and churches from endorsing or opposing candidates, actually came from? How recent is this policy? What prompted it?

It may surprise you.

Attorney Matt Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, has written extensively on this and other matters related to what a church can and can not do under the Code.

The following is his account of where this Code came from in the first place and his personal opinion on some aspects of it:

From the founding of the country until 1954, churches and other nonprofit organizations were permitted to expressly endorse or oppose candidates for political office. That changed when Lyndon Baines Johnson ran for United States Senate. He was opposed by a nonprofit organization (not a church), and after he won the election, he proposed legislation to amend the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit nonprofit organizations, including churches, from endorsing or opposing political candidates. The Code was amended in 1954 without any debate regarding the impact of the bill.


The Internal Revenue Code now expressly prohibits churches and other nonprofit organizations from directly endorsing or opposing political candidates. From 1954 to the present, only one church has ever lost its IRS tax-exempt letter ruling, but even that church did not lose its tax-exempt status for opposing then-Governor Bill Clinton for President in 1992.

The Church at Pierce Creek, located in Binghamton, New York (a church where Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry attended at the time), took out full-page ads in the USA Today and The Washington Times newspapers. The ads opposed Governor Clinton for President because of his position on abortion and homosexuality, and then the ads solicited "tax-deductible donations" to defray the cost of the advertisements. The Church received hundreds of contributions.

After Clinton was elected President, the IRS notified the Church on November 20, 1992, that it intended to conduct an inquiry into the Church's activities. After negotiations with the Church broke down, the IRS revoked the Church's tax-exempt letter ruling and the Church filed suit to get it back.

It is important to understand the critical difference between an IRS tax-exempt letter ruling and tax-exempt status of churches. Every organization, whether a 501(c)(4) (a nonprofit group that primarily lobbies) or a 501(c)(3) (a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization), must file an application with the IRS to be recognized as a nonprofit organization for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code. The IRS then issues a letter ruling specific for the organization, in which the IRS acknowledges that the organization will be recognized as a nonprofit organization, and in the case of a 501(c)(3), that contributions to the organization will be tax-deductible.

Unlike virtually every other nonprofit or tax-exempt organization, churches are not required to obtain an IRS letter ruling. Some churches have an IRS letter and some do not. What is the advantage of a church having a letter ruling as opposed to a church that does not have one? There is no substantive difference. The only difference is one of convenience. If a donor is ever audited and the IRS questioned the contributions to the church, the donor can point the agent to the letter ruling on file with the IRS. However, if a church doesn't have a letter ruling, the church can merely produce an affidavit by the pastor, or present the church bylaws or other evidence to validate that the assembly is a church. Other than mere convenience, there is no substantive difference, as a church with or without a tax-exempt letter ruling is still tax-exempt.

So long as a church is operating and functioning as an organized church body, it is automatically tax-exempt and does not have to apply to the IRS for this determination. This distinction between churches and other tax-exempt organizations is critically important in understanding the impact of the IRS's action against the Church at Pierce Creek.

The Church at Pierce Creek had applied for and received an IRS tax-exempt letter ruling, and the lawsuit was not designed to regain its tax-exempt status (which the Church continued to enjoy), but to receive back its tax-exempt letter ruling. The court noted that "because of the unique treatment churches receive under the Internal Revenue Code, the impact of the revocation is likely to be more symbolic than substantial."

During the oral argument, counsel for the IRS confirmed that if the Church chose not to intervene in future political campaigns, it may continue to hold itself out as a tax-exempt organization and receive all the benefits of that status. The court also pointed out that revocation of the IRS letter ruling did not make the Church liable for the payment of taxes. The IRS also conceded during the oral argument that "the revocation of the exemption [letter] does not convert bona fide donations into income taxable to the church." Contributions given to the Church, even contributions regarding the ad, were never taxed. In the future, if the Church wanted to reapply for its letter, it was free to do so. However, even without the letter, it retained, and continues to retain to this day, its tax-exempt status.

Other than the Church at Pierce Creek, no other church has even lost its tax-exempt letter ruling, let alone its tax-exempt status. In other words, from 1954 to the present, no church has ever lost its tax-exempt status for endorsing or opposing political candidates. This history alone should alleviate unfounded fear.

Outside of express endorsement of or opposition to candidates for political offices, pastors and churches may engage in many other permissible activities. Churches may host voter registration drives, be a host site for balloting, or host a forum where candidates address the congregation or answer questions from a moderator. Candidates visiting the church may be introduced, and political candidates may even preach in the pulpit so long as the pulpit is not used as a political forum to urge the members to vote in favor of the candidate. Churches may also distribute objective voter guides that address the candidates' views on a broad range of issues.

Pastors can preach on biblical, moral and social issues such as homosexuality and abortion. Pastors can urge the congregation to become involved in the political process, urge them to register and vote. Pastors can acknowledge visiting candidates. Pastors can personally endorse or oppose political candidates, personally work for political candidates, and personally contribute to them. Also, a pastor's name may appear in a published ad or letter signifying the pastor's endorsement of the candidate, and the pastor's title and affiliation with the church can also be listed with the notation, "Title and affiliation for identification purposes."

Although the IRS states that a pastor may not personally endorse a candidate while in the pulpit, I believe such a restriction is unconstitutional. No pastor has ever been targeted by the IRS for giving a personal endorsement from the pulpit. My recommendation is that if the pastor wants to personally endorse a candidate, he should feel free to do so, as long as the endorsement is stated as a personal rather than a corporate church endorsement.

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So, back to the issue of last Sundays, "Pulpit Freedom Sunday."

Should pastors endorse candidates.

You will remember that
Pastor Rick Warren told CNN 2 years ago when he sponsored the forum with McCain and Obama, he did not believe pastors should endorse any candidates.

Those pastors who have participated in the ADF supported "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" often refer to Acts 16: 35-38 and 23: 22-29

What do you think? Please take a moment and weigh in on this issue. Would you want your pastor to endorse candidates? Or would you prefer not?
Click here to vote in our new Reader Poll.

You may post a comment below, or you may write a personal email to me, as many do each day.

Your opinion matters. Thank you.

Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Active. Be Prayerful. Be Blessed.

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Gary Randall
President
Faith and Freedom

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