Well, the inevitable happened today. Sen. Arlen Specter came out and said he was going to change over to the Democrat Party. Is this news? He has been in their camp for years. He has voted with them more than he has voted with his own party. The Democrats could rely on his vote more often than some in their own party. So no, this is not really news, as this is something we have known anyway.
Sen. Specter knew that this is what he needed to do in order to be re-elected next year. Basically, all of the polls had him running behind Pat Toomey for the Republican nomination. And given his recent voting record, he knew he had no chance of catching up to Toomey. So, instead of going through the Republican primary having a debate on ideas, he chose to take the cowardly way out.
He does not want to have the debate, because he knows he will lose on the issues. He has lost touch with those who voted for him and put him in office. He has been in the Senate for several terms, and what does he have to show for it? Nothing. How has he represented those of us in his state who have voted for him in the past? Only according to his own interests and not on the interests of those who voted for him.
Does he have a good chance of winning the Democrat primary? Yes, he does. Does he have a good chance of winning a general election? Yes, he does. Pennsylvania has a high liberal population in and around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Since most of these people are Democrats, they would not have been able to vote for him in the primary, which is why he would have lost.
I am happy to see him go. He does not stand for anything that the Republican base (i.e. Conservatives) stands for. He has thrown us under the bus too many times. After George Bush and Rick Santorum stuck their necks out to support him in 2004, he basically stabbed them in the back. For him, it is all about notoriety, re-election, and a legacy (that he is still searching for). It has nothing to do with principles and doing what is right.
* I am amused listening to and reading the commentary of the media and other politicians.
President Obama was glad to see him join the party and promises to campaign for him.
* Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said that “Sen. Specter did not leave the Republican Party. The party left Sen. Specter.”
* I have read message boards where people said that this is another nail in the coffin of the Republican Party.
* Some have said that the Republican Party has no business saying it is a ‘big tent’ party after running Specter out.
* Others have derided the party for ‘caving in’ to the right-wing of the party.
* Moderates have applauded him for standing up to the right-wingers.
* Sen. Specter has said that the Republicans are no longer the Party of Reagan that he belonged to in the 80’s.
Let me see if I can answer these.
* Is it any surprise that President Obama would campaign for him? My question is this: Is this even a news story?
* Why would one of the most liberal Democrat senators make such a stupid statement? Specter was never on board with his core constituents in the party. He was always a loose cannon. He has been testing the Democrat waters for a long time.
* This is not a nail in the coffin for the Republicans. Rather, this is what needed to happen in order for them to have a recrudescence in the political world. In fact, there are several other senators and congressman that I would like to see go along with Specter. Conservatism wins when it is on the ballot. We need look no further than Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, as well as the congressional elections of 1994. When conservatism runs, it wins.
* Where is it written that the Republican Party must be a big tent? When did someone ever say that the Democrat Party needs to have a big tent? The left wingers would not allow conservatives or Bible-believers or pro-national security types to be in their party (and I have no idea why those people would want to take part in the Democrat Party). In order to have a big tent, you must compromise on core principles. This is not something that you can do and survive.
* These people that are labeled as right-wingers are the core constituents in the party. We are the normal, ordinary people that go to work every day and pay our taxes (on time). We love America and the freedom we have as Americans. We cherish the rights granted to Americans under the Constitution. We are not embarrassed by the greatness and power of America. We love God (we actually believe in Him). We are not a group that is going to hurt America, as this administration would like to think.
* What are moderates? They are people who are too gutless to take a tough stand on anything. They would rather see what decision the majority makes, and then they will side with the majority. Who cares what moderates think? I certainly do not. I want people on my side who are principled, not like the chaff, driven with the wind and tossed to and fro.
* The problem with the party is that we are no longer a party that embraces the ideals of Ronald Reagan. We do need to be careful not to worship the man, but stand up for the ideals and principles that he held dear. The problem with the Republican Party is that we got rid of those principles and ideals and started to cater to people like Specter. That is why we are not a strong party right now. We let people like Specter in charge and they ran the party into the ground. So it is not the ‘right-wingers’ that hurt the party. It is the wishy-washy people like Specter that hurt the party.
I say ‘Good riddance. Don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you.’ Once we regain our footing and stand firm on the conservative principles that the party once stood for, then we will become a great party again.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Arlen Specter: It's about time you admitted your true allegiance
Monday, April 20, 2009
In Memory of Mrs. Nancy Morris
On Friday, April 17, Mrs. Nancy Morris went home to be with the Lord. A couple of years ago she was diagnosed with a form of cancer that could not be beaten, and she knew that. While they were able to treat it and extend her life here on earth for a few years, they were not able to beat it back into remission and remove it from her body.
Many, outside the world of Mt. Calvary, will not know Mrs. Morris. She was an elementary school teacher at Mt. Calvary Christian School in Elizabethtown, PA for several years and then she served as the elementary school principal for many more years. She served as my 2nd grade teacher. She was serving as the elementary school principal for my 2 oldest boys until her retirement at the end of the 2007-08 school year, so they had a chance to get to know her, too.
Robert and Nancy Morris did not have any children of their own, so she treated all of the students as her kids. She took an interest in them. She cared about them. She wanted to see them succeed. She was proud of them. She was everything that a parent could want in someone that teaches their children. You knew that your children were being taught properly when Mrs. Morris was teaching them. You knew that the teacher had a legitimate care and concern for your children.
For Mrs. Morris, teaching was not just a job. It was not just a way to earn a living or collect a paycheck. Rather, it was what God had called her to do. She took great joy in teaching children and watching them learn. She wanted to see the kids grow, whether physically, educationally, emotionally, and spiritually. That is what made teaching worthwhile to her. In fact, it was under her teaching that I made a reassurance of my own salvation.
From a student’s standpoint, I could see that she enjoyed what she was doing. I realize it was close to 30 years ago that she served as my teacher, but I can still remember her teaching with a zeal and enthusiasm that was real. She was excited about teaching, which made me want to learn. If the teacher was excited about it, then I, too, should be excited about it.
When my wife and I were looking at different Christian schools for our kids to attend, we attended and open house at Mt. Calvary. Mrs. Morris was at the information table that day. While she did not immediately recognize me (as I have very few similarities now to my 2nd grade appearance), once I introduced myself, she immediately remembered me. But it was not just a remembering of my name. Rather, she remembered things that only a teacher could remember. She remembered my parent’s names. She remembered my brothers’ names. What I was impressed with is that she remembered me. I was only one of many hundreds of students that she had taught over the years while she was a teacher. I was not just a name to her. Neither was any other student she had taught over the years.
As the principal, she was not teaching classes, but she still knew the names of the students at the school. As the principal, she wanted the students to know who she was, which was understandable. But more than that, she wanted to know them. She did not want her familiarity with the students to end with just knowing their names. She wanted them to know that she cared, that she was there to help. With Mrs. Morris, you were not merely a number or a name. You were a real person.
Mrs. Morris was a humble person. She did not seek attention for herself because of the position the she held. When she was first diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment, she would deflect from the attention she was getting due to this disease and want to know how you were doing. In conversations with her, she was more interested in you and what you were doing and how you were doing. She did not care to talk about herself. To her, life was about what she was doing for others, not what others were doing for her.
Physically, she was an unimposing figure. She was maybe 5’ tall on a good day (while standing on her toes). There was nothing about her, physically, that stood out. Rather, it was her character, her tremendous interest in those that she taught, and her love for her job, that stood out and make her larger than life to me. While diminutive in stature, her legacy looms large over the hearts of those that had the privilege of knowing her. She left tremendously large shoes to fill.
How can her life be summed up? That is hard to do. How can you encapsulate the life of someone who touched so many lives into just a few phrases. I think it can be summed up best, in words similar to those that the Apostle Paul wrote toward the end of his life: A fight well fought, a course well run, a faith well kept, a life lived right, a job well done, a crown well won.
Many, outside the world of Mt. Calvary, will not know Mrs. Morris. She was an elementary school teacher at Mt. Calvary Christian School in Elizabethtown, PA for several years and then she served as the elementary school principal for many more years. She served as my 2nd grade teacher. She was serving as the elementary school principal for my 2 oldest boys until her retirement at the end of the 2007-08 school year, so they had a chance to get to know her, too.
Robert and Nancy Morris did not have any children of their own, so she treated all of the students as her kids. She took an interest in them. She cared about them. She wanted to see them succeed. She was proud of them. She was everything that a parent could want in someone that teaches their children. You knew that your children were being taught properly when Mrs. Morris was teaching them. You knew that the teacher had a legitimate care and concern for your children.
For Mrs. Morris, teaching was not just a job. It was not just a way to earn a living or collect a paycheck. Rather, it was what God had called her to do. She took great joy in teaching children and watching them learn. She wanted to see the kids grow, whether physically, educationally, emotionally, and spiritually. That is what made teaching worthwhile to her. In fact, it was under her teaching that I made a reassurance of my own salvation.
From a student’s standpoint, I could see that she enjoyed what she was doing. I realize it was close to 30 years ago that she served as my teacher, but I can still remember her teaching with a zeal and enthusiasm that was real. She was excited about teaching, which made me want to learn. If the teacher was excited about it, then I, too, should be excited about it.
When my wife and I were looking at different Christian schools for our kids to attend, we attended and open house at Mt. Calvary. Mrs. Morris was at the information table that day. While she did not immediately recognize me (as I have very few similarities now to my 2nd grade appearance), once I introduced myself, she immediately remembered me. But it was not just a remembering of my name. Rather, she remembered things that only a teacher could remember. She remembered my parent’s names. She remembered my brothers’ names. What I was impressed with is that she remembered me. I was only one of many hundreds of students that she had taught over the years while she was a teacher. I was not just a name to her. Neither was any other student she had taught over the years.
As the principal, she was not teaching classes, but she still knew the names of the students at the school. As the principal, she wanted the students to know who she was, which was understandable. But more than that, she wanted to know them. She did not want her familiarity with the students to end with just knowing their names. She wanted them to know that she cared, that she was there to help. With Mrs. Morris, you were not merely a number or a name. You were a real person.
Mrs. Morris was a humble person. She did not seek attention for herself because of the position the she held. When she was first diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment, she would deflect from the attention she was getting due to this disease and want to know how you were doing. In conversations with her, she was more interested in you and what you were doing and how you were doing. She did not care to talk about herself. To her, life was about what she was doing for others, not what others were doing for her.
Physically, she was an unimposing figure. She was maybe 5’ tall on a good day (while standing on her toes). There was nothing about her, physically, that stood out. Rather, it was her character, her tremendous interest in those that she taught, and her love for her job, that stood out and make her larger than life to me. While diminutive in stature, her legacy looms large over the hearts of those that had the privilege of knowing her. She left tremendously large shoes to fill.
How can her life be summed up? That is hard to do. How can you encapsulate the life of someone who touched so many lives into just a few phrases. I think it can be summed up best, in words similar to those that the Apostle Paul wrote toward the end of his life: A fight well fought, a course well run, a faith well kept, a life lived right, a job well done, a crown well won.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Why Arlen Specter must lose in 2010
As Sen. Arlen Specter is getting ready to run for the U.S. Senate (again), I can tell he is very nervous. The election is in November, 2010, yet he is already running ads in PA telling voters why they ought to vote for him and not for his opponents. This is not the sign of a confident candidate.
He is telling the Republican voter that they ought to nominate him (instead of one of the opponents) because he has a better chance of winning in a general election. He says that he can draw democrat votes. I will agree with him on this. He will draw an abundance of democrat votes, and he does stand a good chance of winning the general election if he makes it through the primary. He tells us that he has a better chance of keeping the democrats from winning a supermajority of the seats in the Senate (which would be 60 seats). This could be a very distinct possibility.
However, what Specter fails to realize is that the core conservative Republican is a principled person. He is not necessarily looking to vote simply for a political party so that the party can stay in power. This core conservative voter is looking to place his vote based on principle, based on those values that he holds dear. This is the very thing that has hurt the Republican Party over the last several elections. We became complacent and voted for people because of party affiliation and popularity, not based on what they stood for and what they were going to do once in office.
I am tired of prominent Republicans telling me that I should vote for someone simply due to party affiliation. I am tired of them telling me that we need Republicans willing to work with the other side. In other words, we need people in power who are willing to compromise on principle in order to remain in office. We are told by the leadership of our party, by the media, and by the other party that this is what we need to do in order to win elections.
But look where this line of thinking has taken the party. We ran a man for President in 2008 that shared very few conservative principles with those that he wanted to represent. He was more than willing to compromise principle for power. And he lost overwhelmingly. We have leaders in the House and Senate that have compromised their principles for some reason or another. And look where they are now. They are in a minority with no power to steer policy discussions away from the hard left.
Compromise of principles has not worked for our party. It never has, and it never will. It cannot change until we stand up and say that we have had enough. The leadership of the party is feckless. We need a recrudescence of conservative people, of conservative values, of American pride to lift this party out of the doldrums that we currently find ourselves sitting in.
Don’t listen to the media when they say conservatism cannot win. It has in the past, and it will win again. Look at Ronald Reagan. He had a very optimistic view of America with less government intervention in people’s lives. He won in a landslide. The Contract With America led to a conservative Republican revolution in the mid-90’s. Conservatism can win and will win, provided we send people out to run on those principles.
This is why Senator Specter must lose. He does not stand on conservative values. He does not cherish the right to life. He voted for the government overreach that we now call the bank bailouts. He will throw conservatives under the bus in order to advance his own progressive agenda. If he will not stand up for us, why should we vote for him?
He is telling the Republican voter that they ought to nominate him (instead of one of the opponents) because he has a better chance of winning in a general election. He says that he can draw democrat votes. I will agree with him on this. He will draw an abundance of democrat votes, and he does stand a good chance of winning the general election if he makes it through the primary. He tells us that he has a better chance of keeping the democrats from winning a supermajority of the seats in the Senate (which would be 60 seats). This could be a very distinct possibility.
However, what Specter fails to realize is that the core conservative Republican is a principled person. He is not necessarily looking to vote simply for a political party so that the party can stay in power. This core conservative voter is looking to place his vote based on principle, based on those values that he holds dear. This is the very thing that has hurt the Republican Party over the last several elections. We became complacent and voted for people because of party affiliation and popularity, not based on what they stood for and what they were going to do once in office.
I am tired of prominent Republicans telling me that I should vote for someone simply due to party affiliation. I am tired of them telling me that we need Republicans willing to work with the other side. In other words, we need people in power who are willing to compromise on principle in order to remain in office. We are told by the leadership of our party, by the media, and by the other party that this is what we need to do in order to win elections.
But look where this line of thinking has taken the party. We ran a man for President in 2008 that shared very few conservative principles with those that he wanted to represent. He was more than willing to compromise principle for power. And he lost overwhelmingly. We have leaders in the House and Senate that have compromised their principles for some reason or another. And look where they are now. They are in a minority with no power to steer policy discussions away from the hard left.
Compromise of principles has not worked for our party. It never has, and it never will. It cannot change until we stand up and say that we have had enough. The leadership of the party is feckless. We need a recrudescence of conservative people, of conservative values, of American pride to lift this party out of the doldrums that we currently find ourselves sitting in.
Don’t listen to the media when they say conservatism cannot win. It has in the past, and it will win again. Look at Ronald Reagan. He had a very optimistic view of America with less government intervention in people’s lives. He won in a landslide. The Contract With America led to a conservative Republican revolution in the mid-90’s. Conservatism can win and will win, provided we send people out to run on those principles.
This is why Senator Specter must lose. He does not stand on conservative values. He does not cherish the right to life. He voted for the government overreach that we now call the bank bailouts. He will throw conservatives under the bus in order to advance his own progressive agenda. If he will not stand up for us, why should we vote for him?
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Easter is not merely a 'Spring Break'
We live within a society today that has a diminishing view of Christianity. Actually, there is a diminished view of religion in general. According to polls, more people identify themselves as atheists or non-religious than at any other time throughout our nation's history (and for that matter, the history of the world). These non-religious people seek to remove anything that has a religious overtone to it from the public square or from the public discussion.
We have seen many people try to remove the true meaning of Christmas, by not allowing nativity scenes in public places or allowing Christmas carols to be sung in the schools. The courts have ruled that prayer is not allowed in public schools, as it violates the non-Constitutional clause of separation of church and state. We have people suing the government to have the words 'one nation, under God' removed from the pledge of allegiance or the words 'In God We Trust' removed from our currency. There is an antagonism toward God in this country.
And now, we have Easter. Where I work, it is now referred to as Spring Break (as if we needed a break from spring only a couple of weeks into the season). There are many at work that are offended by calling this tiem of year Spring Break, even amongst those who are not very religious or do not go to church at all. However, this so-called 'Spring Break' happens to coincide with Easter (as it also does with many public schools today). We also celebrate 'Winter Break' (a mere 4 days into winter, when a break is not needed) at a time that coincidentally falls at the same time as Christmas.
Anyway, Easter is a season that now emphasizes baskets of candy and goodies, easter egg hunts, and easter bunnies (although I am still trying to figure out the connection between the bunny and the eggs). It is a time for new fashions in the stores, when women can wear white shoes, the unofficial beginning of spring.
Are these things bad? No, they are n ot. They are innocent things that have no evil or no malice attached to them. However, they are used by many to distract from the real meaning of Easter. Our focus becomes the giving and receiving of goodies from each other. For many, they have no understanding of why there actually is a holiday we call Easter.
Easter is a time when many people who are normally un-churched might actually go to church. Many churches today, though, water down the real reason behind Easter in favor of a feel good message about being kind to your fellowman, peace on earth, etc. These churches may give a cursory mention to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but that is not their focus. They treat it as a nice story to go along with the holiday, not the reason for the holiday.
The ironic thing here, at least in my eyes, is that churches today are busy telling us to be kind to our fellowman, to help them out in times of need, to give of ourselves to those less fortunate. Yet, they fail to teach how Christ did that for us by coming to earth to die for us. They will give us examples of how we can help out each other. Yet they do not take the opportunity to tell others what Christ did to help us to avoid an eternity in hell.
I am not bemoaning the need to be kind to our fellowman and to help others out in times of need. As Christians, we are to do that. However, we are also told to tell others about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and what that means for our lives and where we will spend eternity.
Oftentimes, we will read a story, whether in the newspaper, on the internet, in a magazine, about a hero what risked his/her life to save another person. I remember hearing the stories immediately after 9/11 of the police and firefighters who went into the World Trade Centers in order to help others get out. Many of them did not get out alive. They gave of their lives so that other lives could be prolonged here on earth. These men are true heroes, and I am not trying to diminish by one iota the things that they did that day.
However, these men gave of their lives so that someone else could spend several more years here on this earth. These men laid down their lives so that others could live. That is noble and they should be honored for the sacrifice they made. We have no problem telling others about these heroes who gave of their lives. However, we have a Savior who died on the cross to save us from our sins. He died, not just so we could live a few years longer here on earth, but so that we could spend an eternity with Him in heaven, yet we are somehow afraid to share this others?
The Great Commission tells us to go out and tell others about Christ. We are not to keep it a secret and save it only for other Christians. Why would we do that, as they already know the reason for Christ's death? Why are we not out telling others that this time of year is not just for a break in our lives to take it easy for a few days? We should be out letting others know that Jesus Christ is the reason we celebrate Easter.
We have seen many people try to remove the true meaning of Christmas, by not allowing nativity scenes in public places or allowing Christmas carols to be sung in the schools. The courts have ruled that prayer is not allowed in public schools, as it violates the non-Constitutional clause of separation of church and state. We have people suing the government to have the words 'one nation, under God' removed from the pledge of allegiance or the words 'In God We Trust' removed from our currency. There is an antagonism toward God in this country.
And now, we have Easter. Where I work, it is now referred to as Spring Break (as if we needed a break from spring only a couple of weeks into the season). There are many at work that are offended by calling this tiem of year Spring Break, even amongst those who are not very religious or do not go to church at all. However, this so-called 'Spring Break' happens to coincide with Easter (as it also does with many public schools today). We also celebrate 'Winter Break' (a mere 4 days into winter, when a break is not needed) at a time that coincidentally falls at the same time as Christmas.
Anyway, Easter is a season that now emphasizes baskets of candy and goodies, easter egg hunts, and easter bunnies (although I am still trying to figure out the connection between the bunny and the eggs). It is a time for new fashions in the stores, when women can wear white shoes, the unofficial beginning of spring.
Are these things bad? No, they are n ot. They are innocent things that have no evil or no malice attached to them. However, they are used by many to distract from the real meaning of Easter. Our focus becomes the giving and receiving of goodies from each other. For many, they have no understanding of why there actually is a holiday we call Easter.
Easter is a time when many people who are normally un-churched might actually go to church. Many churches today, though, water down the real reason behind Easter in favor of a feel good message about being kind to your fellowman, peace on earth, etc. These churches may give a cursory mention to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but that is not their focus. They treat it as a nice story to go along with the holiday, not the reason for the holiday.
The ironic thing here, at least in my eyes, is that churches today are busy telling us to be kind to our fellowman, to help them out in times of need, to give of ourselves to those less fortunate. Yet, they fail to teach how Christ did that for us by coming to earth to die for us. They will give us examples of how we can help out each other. Yet they do not take the opportunity to tell others what Christ did to help us to avoid an eternity in hell.
I am not bemoaning the need to be kind to our fellowman and to help others out in times of need. As Christians, we are to do that. However, we are also told to tell others about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and what that means for our lives and where we will spend eternity.
Oftentimes, we will read a story, whether in the newspaper, on the internet, in a magazine, about a hero what risked his/her life to save another person. I remember hearing the stories immediately after 9/11 of the police and firefighters who went into the World Trade Centers in order to help others get out. Many of them did not get out alive. They gave of their lives so that other lives could be prolonged here on earth. These men are true heroes, and I am not trying to diminish by one iota the things that they did that day.
However, these men gave of their lives so that someone else could spend several more years here on this earth. These men laid down their lives so that others could live. That is noble and they should be honored for the sacrifice they made. We have no problem telling others about these heroes who gave of their lives. However, we have a Savior who died on the cross to save us from our sins. He died, not just so we could live a few years longer here on earth, but so that we could spend an eternity with Him in heaven, yet we are somehow afraid to share this others?
The Great Commission tells us to go out and tell others about Christ. We are not to keep it a secret and save it only for other Christians. Why would we do that, as they already know the reason for Christ's death? Why are we not out telling others that this time of year is not just for a break in our lives to take it easy for a few days? We should be out letting others know that Jesus Christ is the reason we celebrate Easter.
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