A BLOG NOTE: If you've looked to the right of this blog page, you've noticed large gaps of empty space after the first several entries. I don't know why, but since recently, I cannot remove those gaps NOR type any new text but one letter at a time. Please PRAY that this malfunction might be reseolved soon. In the meantime, please scroll down to almost the very end of that column to find instructions on a) how to post your comments, b) how to contact your Congressional representatives, and c) websites AND then books I highly recommend. (Especially if you have any suggestions, please email me at: yonashiro@bellsouthl.net)
PRAYER REQUEST:"Will the Supreme Court Redefine Marriage?" -- By Mark Martin, CBN News Reporter, Saturday, December 01; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2012/November/Will-the-Supreme-Court-Redefine-Marriage/
.... The next opportunity for an announcement on how the Court will deal with gay marriage cases is Monday, though the justices could also put off a decision until their next private meeting in a week. A big question is, when they do address the issue of homosexual marriage, what will it mean for the traditional definition of marriage?
The Supreme Court faces the argument that the institution of marriage should be redefined -- that the Constitution gives people the civil right to marry regardless of sexual orientation. Voters in 31 states have amended their constitutions to prohibit homosexual marriage, with North Carolina being the most recent in May. Voters also banned same-sex marriage in California by supporting Proposition 8, but federal courts struck it down. That ruling is on hold while the issue is being appealed.If the Court rules in favor of gay marriage, that could lead to the overturning of every state constitutional provision and law banning same-sex marriage.
Pro-family activists say it's really a fight for the youth of the country. "It's all about education of children," Republican Maryland Delegate Don Dwyer told CBN's The Brody File. "That's what it really boils down to. It's about the re-definition of the word marriage so that it can be taught in the public schools as a normal sexual lifestyle." "It's taught in the schools to young children," said Frank Schubert, a campaign strategist for traditional marriage. "People who believe that marriage is as God designed it are punished; they're sued; they're brought before human rights commissions. There's all kinds of consequences that befall us."
Same-sex marriage is legal, or will be soon, in nine states and the District of Columbia.
Homosexual marriage supporters are also challenging the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1996. DOMA defines marriage for all purposes, including federal benefits, as between a man and a woman. Four federal district courts and two appeals courts have overturned the provision. The Obama administration announced last year that it no longer would defend DOMA. In May, the president officially endorsed gay marriage. Republicans in the House of Representatives have stepped in to defend the law in court.
Any homosexual marriage cases probably would be argued before the Supreme Court in March, with a decision expected by the end of June.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
1. PRAY that when the court finally does hear a case about homosexual marriage, it will rule against it and will uphold traditional marriage.
2. PRAY for the protection of America's youth from "politically correct" teaching about homosexuality and that they will be discerning of the truth regarding it.
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- By Rich Tucker On November 23, 2012 There are plenty of things to be thankful for this week, and this year as well. Yes, after our country’s recent elections, big government remains the rule here in the United States and throughout the West. Yet the language used by the candidates (both talked of reducing federal spending and creating jobs, for example) and the closeness of the race proved that, in the U.S. at least, conservatism remains a powerful force.
Conservative thinkers present a compelling, principled alternative to liberal ideas. Right-leaning politicians retained control of the House of Representatives, where they’ll control all spending bills and be able to push back against the expansion of government. Conservative governors will run 30 states and can use their offices to thwart federal overreach. Many governors, for example, have already announced they won’t set up Obamacare insurance exchanges, which will save the states money and may doom the entire federal power grab.
Rather than despair, conservatives should use this holiday season to count our blessings, review our plans [1], and further our agenda in 2013. But the act of giving thanks requires someone or something to give thanks to. So it’s also worth noting that Thanksgiving highlights the importance of religion in public life, and that our unique founding ensures that religion remains a key pillar of American greatness. President Abraham Lincoln created the modern Thanksgiving Day tradition when he announced, in 1863, that it would be celebrated as an official national holiday [2]. Lincoln unapologetically cited [3] “the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” Long before that, President George Washington named November 26, 1789, as a day of thanksgiving devoted to [4] “the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”
Famously, God went unmentioned [5] last year. Yet President Obama has made it a point in years past to direct thanks to God. “As we stand at the close of one year and look to the promise of the next, we lift up our hearts in gratitude to God for our many blessings, for one another, and for our Nation,” read [6] his Thanksgiving Presidential Proclamation in 2010.
In defense of Obama, some will surely cite a “wall of separation between church and state” that doesn’t actually exist in the Constitution. As Daniel Dreisbach [7] explains in a First Principles [8] essay, this figure of speech actually dates to a letter written by President Thomas Jefferson in 1802. In reality, the First Amendment didn’t aim to protect people from ever being exposed to any religion. It only aimed to ensure that the federal government wouldn’t establish a state-run church, such as the Church of England.
Dreisbach cites Jefferson’s second inaugural address, when the third President declared:
"In matters of religion, I have considered that its free exercise is placed by the constitution independent of the powers of the general [i.e., federal] government. I have therefore undertaken, on no occasion, to prescribe the religious exercises suited to it; but have left them, as the constitution found them, under the direction and discipline of State or Church authorities acknowledged by the several religious societies."Although the First Amendment prevents Congress from establishing a religion or prohibiting its free exercise, Presidents, as well as Congress, have always recognized the American regard for sacred practices and beliefs. Jefferson himself actively supported religious institutions. While in office, he personally approved [9] federally funded programs that built churches and supported Christian missionaries.
This Thanksgiving, instead of replaying our disappointments, let’s focus on the great things about our exceptional nation. The American people are still self-governing citizens. Our Constitution is still the most successful constitution known to man. American churches continue to give people a spiritual home and, along the way, save lives through good works. That’s worth pausing to give thanks for—this week and every week.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Quick Hits:
- The Thanksgiving holiday comes with a series of advisories and admonitions from the federal government [10], including “seven smart shopping tips for Black Friday.”
- A disgruntled New Hampshire woman called the police on Salvation Army volunteers [11] for ringing bells on behalf of the charitable organization.
- Americans still love the classic TV special “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” It drew its biggest audience in four years [12].
- The Defense Department spent $1.5 million earmarked for weapons and combat gear testing “to study the culinary skill of turning thin strips of beef into jerky [13],” reports the Washington Guardian.
- The coming energy boom in the United States may undercut the Defense Department’s “green energy” agenda [14], Heritage’s Lachlan Markay reports for The Daily Caller.
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org
URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2012/11/23/morning-bell-reasons-for-conservatives-to-be-thankful/
URLs in this post:
[1] review our plans: http://links.heritage.org/ct/10349319:13843889341:m:1:172584532:7C0FCFF1B1CDDEC860EEEB31D98EE415:r
[2] celebrated as an official national holiday: http://links.heritage.org/ct/10349320:13843889341:m:1:172584532:7C0FCFF1B1CDDEC860EEEB31D98EE415:r
[3] Lincoln unapologetically cited: http://links.heritage.org/ct/10349321:13843889341:m:1:172584532:7C0FCFF1B1CDDEC860EEEB31D98EE415:r
[4] devoted to: http://links.heritage.org/ct/10349322:13843889341:m:1:172584532:7C0FCFF1B1CDDEC860EEEB31D98EE415:r
[5] went unmentioned: http://links.heritage.org/ct/10349323:13843889341:m:1:172584532:7C0FCFF1B1CDDEC860EEEB31D98EE415:r
[6] read: http://links.heritage.org/ct/10349324:13843889341:m:1:172584532:7C0FCFF1B1CDDEC860EEEB31D98EE415:r
[7] Daniel Dreisbach: http://links.heritage.org/ct/10349325:13843889341:m:1:172584532:7C0FCFF1B1CDDEC860EEEB31D98EE415:r
[8] First Principles: http://links.heritage.org/ct/10349326:13843889341:m:1:172584532:7C0FCFF1B1CDDEC860EEEB31D98EE415:r
[9] personally approved: http://links.heritage.org/ct/10349327:13843889341:m:1:172584532:7C0FCFF1B1CDDEC860EEEB31D98EE415:r
[10] series of advisories and admonitions from the federal government: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/govt-tells-americans-what-discuss-holiday-dinner-declares-thanksgiving-family-health
[11] called the police on Salvation Army volunteers: http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/2012/11/21/woman-calls-cops-on-salvation-army-workers-for-ringing-bells/
[12] biggest audience in four years: http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/22/charlie-brown-thanksgiving/
[13] to study the culinary skill of turning thin strips of beef into jerky: http://www.washingtonguardian.com/jerky-ing-taxpayer-around
[14] undercut the Defense Department’s “green energy” agenda: http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/20/us-energy-boom-undermines-logic-pentagons-alternative-fuel-subsidies/
Copyright © 2011 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved
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