1. COMMENTARY
"Two Americas"
(by Tim Ewing, Publisher, Rare Jewel Magazine)
Recently a self-confessed liberal called a popular talk-radio show and voiced his alarm about President Bush's victory. Registering shock at the emergence of so-called "values voters" who are credited with providing the winning margin, the caller expressed intense remorse and disbelief that in America such "extremists" could sway an election. "After all," I heard him say, "America is a country that protects the right to privacy--the privacy of one's sexual preference, the privacy of a woman's choice to control her own body--and that believes in separation of church and state." [Editor's note: "control her own body" is effectively code-language for "abortion on demand"]
The call was a perfect emblem of the root cause of division in our nation. It also should provide incentive for Christian Patriots to not only be aware of, but extremely active in fighting to win, the war for our nation's soul. It is not a clich?ut literally the case that the future of America IS at stake--for we see in our culture a battle over two Americas:
The first America's foundation is the reality of our nation's heritage and its Christian roots--the original intent of our Founding Fathers--the truth of which is found easily, and affirmed boldly, in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and other official documents.
The second America is defined by the many rogue-court decisions of the past 50 years and the cultural endorsement of the Theory of Evolution as fact. The logical extensions of these subversive ideas have turned upside-down our Christian nation, perverting traditional legal philosophy with spurious "rights-to-privacy" and redefining the proper roles of church and state, creating weapons to attack and violate the foundational law of our land.
Defenders of the second America, like the radio caller, are largely ignorant of (or in some cases intentionally hostile to) the truth about the first America. Should this surprise us? Our nation's public schools have removed from their curriculums all vestiges of America's Christian heritage and its Biblical foundation. Likewise, groups such as the ACLU are doing their best to remove any hint of Christianity from all our public places. Concepts like freedom, and religious liberty, which used to affirm our nation's heritage, have been misrepresented as means to remove Christianity from public America. (see "We Are Misinformed About Religious Freedom" and "Elevating Freedom to Sacred Status")
To protect the first America from those who are intent upon transforming our nation into the second America, Christian Patriots must align the general perception, or Worldview, of our citizenry with the plain truth about our nation:
Strategy #1: Do Not Allow Your Opponent Define You
Christian Patriots give up ground that is rightfully theirs when they allow proponents of the second America to claim that their version of America is "mainstream." Christian Patriots must take back this ground because the first America is the original America. The first America IS Mainstream America! Restoring and defending our nation's Christian foundation is the only way to keep America in its mainstream.
Those who promote the second America--the Misrepresented America--deceptively attempt to wear the mantle of Mainstream by libeling their opponents (traditionalists) as extremist, far right-wing, radical, divisive, and intolerant. An organization called People For the American Way is typical of how enemies of Mainstream America will play word games in order to advance their anti-American philosophies.
Strategy #2: Do Not Allow the Truth to be Misrepresented
Election 2004--especially the passage of all 11 state amendments (plus Missouri and Louisiana via summer referendums) to protect Biblical marriage--is proof positive that Christian Patriots finally have begun to reverse our nation's immoral slide. Taking a stand for Mainstream America in order to prevent the takeover by those who promote Misrepresented America is simply good stewardship of the Christian nation that God has blessed us with.
Christian Patriots must be united in communicating the truth that supporters of Misrepresented America are the real extremists, the ones who divide our nation.
Strategy #3: Do Not Back Down to Democrats? or Republicans
On November 2, values-voters sent a shot across the bow of liberal extremists who hijacked the Democrat Party. Reeling from the Kerry loss, the Democrat leadership asserts the bizarre logic that because they lost, their policies ought to be embraced by the Republican majorities in Congress and by President Bush! Democrats lamely argue that it is wrong for the winners to implement the platform that got them elected; that the best way to lead America is to dilute the winning platform with that of the losing platform.
On the other side of the aisle, President Bush has, in the last week, outlined the major initiatives for his next term, given the "mandate" he received on November 2. He quickly has stepped up to the plate on Social Security reform, income-tax reform, improved education, new energy initiatives, health care improvements, and a continued war on terrorism. Some of these policies are commendable, but overall the impression is a continued build-up of higher spending and bigger government, rhetoric to the contrary notwithstanding.
Note this important fact: President Bush has been completely silent about the values-based issues that Christian Patriots put him back into office to fight for. Unfortunately, he has so far NOT acknowledged the true mandates provided by his unique electoral coalition: particularly to protect the unborn from being aborted; to resist the embryonic stem-cell activists; and to protect Biblical marriage. Will President Bush bend to political expediency--falsely fearing an ambitious but minority-status Second America? or will he respect the values-voters of the First America, who elected him and are stirring to defend their culture?
Christian Patriots must be vigilant, all the more because the culture war against activists of the Misrepresented America came unbidden. Duty to God and America's courageous forefathers demands that Christian Patriots proactively and consistently DEFINE and DEFEND Mainstream America.
Values-voters must be diligent to hold ALL public officials accountable to the true mandate of November 2--nothing is guaranteed, regardless of whether Republicans or Democrats hold majorities in Congress, or by what margins they were elected, or who occupies the White House.
Today there are two Americas, but only one will prevail. Momentum has shifted to lovers and protectors of Mainstream America. Expect promoters of Misrepresented America to turn up the volume of their rhetoric to fever-pitch about the "divided nation" and "the right-wing radicals" who are to blame... and so forth. Watch your TV news, your newspapers, news magazines; it will come from all sides.
Clear and consistent communication of the truth--about the REAL Mainstream America and its values--and a firm resolve to take and hold this ground, is essential if Christian Patriots are to win the culture war.
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2. CALL TO ACTION
"The First Battle Has Begun"
(by Rick Marschall, Managing Editor, Rare Jewel Magazine)
A week ago, Rare Jewel Insight implied that Christian Patriots, flush with victory (and relief?) after Election Night, be thankful for a Win but prepare to fight as if we Lost. For the "long haul," and even the middle-ground, we knew that we would need to defend and extend victories--not just to face enemies, but to encourage friends? to keep them honest? to prevent compromise.
Little could we suspect that in a week's time a battle would be upon us! Not an ugly rumor; not a skirmish; but a battle.
It is not (or MIGHT not be) the nomination of Alberto Gonzales to be Attorney General. The born-again Christian John Ashcroft has deserved a rest; he has health problems and has worked in a pressure-cooker for four years. We must watch, and research, whether there is any evidence of possible liberal leanings of Gonzales on matters of abortion and homosexual "marriage." So the AG question must unfold; and the nomination of an eventual replacement for Chief Justice William Rhenquist is in the future.
The CURRENT battle looming before us is the supposed chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee by Arlen Specter (R-PA). In his case, "R" stands for RINO--Republican In Name Only.
Specter is more liberal than most Democrat colleagues. He is unabashedly in favor of homosexual "rights" and unrestricted abortion. Within days of Pres Bush's victory, Specter displayed incredible hubris by threatening the president with stifling any White House judicial nominations not to his liberal liking--which he CAN do, as a powerful agenda-setting chairman--and with lethal filibusters on the Senate floor. Message: conservative court nominees, traditionalists, Mainstream-values adherents NEED NOT APPLY.
Christian Patriots need to know: it is only tradition--recently applied and loosely observed--that mandates Specter's elevation to Chairmanship. Orrin Hatch steps down (respecting term limits on committee chairs) but remains on the panel. He CAN be re-elected by his colleagues. Charles Grassley (IA), who desires to switch to another committee, actually precedes Specter in seniority; and John Kyl (AZ) follows Specter? all of which means that ANY committee members can be elected by its Republican majority. Here is the full list of those Senators:
Orrin Hatch (UT)
Charles E Grassley (IA)
Arlen Specter (PA)
John Kyl (AZ)
Mike DeWine (OH)
Jeff Sessions (AL)
Lindsey Graham (SC)
Larry Craig (ID)
Saxby Chambliss (GA)
John Cornyn (TX)
You DON'T have to be from Pennsylvania to express your urgent alarm at the possibility of Arlen Specter holding our nation's judicial future hostage.
You DON'T have to live in a state of those committee members to register your strong feelings on this issue.
It is ENTIRELY appropriate for you to contact your own Senators--even your own US Representatives--to create a groundswell and consensus against this alarming prospect. Specter has no sympathy with or understanding of the concerns and values of traditionalist, Mainstream value-voters. Rather he is our enemy, and the first proof, this season, was to bite the hands that elected him (he survived a challenge in a tight primary from a conservative Republican? whom President Bush opposed).
Contact committee members, contact your own reps, contact local papers, and urge your friends to similarly get involved.
The courts--liberal drift, legislative hijacking, jurisdiction-stripping laws, the recall of judicial decisions (see "Truth on Trial: War of Worldviews, Part II in the Oct/Nov 2004 issue of Rare Jewel Magazine, pg. 45. Also, a portion of this article is available at:
http://www.rarejewelmag.com/articles/magazine/200411.shtml)--comprise the most important category of issues facing America in the years to come. We can't allow the fox to run the henhouse.
[You can reach your Senator by calling the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask for your Senator by name, or give the operator your zip code.]
