What type of decision will your teenager make when no one is looking?

There is a story about a 17 year old boy named Daniel. Daniel was a teenager when the Babylonians stormed Jerusalem and carried him off into captivity and servitude. He was taken from his friends, home, and family and thrown into the equivalent of the Las Vegas night life. He was a made a servant in the Palace of Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, with its wild life, glamour, excess, gourmet foods and wine. He was thrown into an educational program for 3 years to be indoctrinated in the customs, language, science, idolatrous religion, magic, and astrology of the Babylonians.

No one was looking. No one was telling. No one was making him do what was right. He could have had anything he wanted. Yet due to being educated in the ways of God at an early age and developing an actual relationship with God, Daniel had the wisdom and virtue to choose what was right. In turned it all down for a life of humble service to his God. In the end Nebuchadnezzar states that Daniel, “in all matters of wisdom and understanding is 10 time better than all the magicians or astrologers of Babylon, of any age (The Holy Bible, Daniel Chapter 1).

What type of decision will your teenager make when no one is looking? Are you taking the time to teach your children God’s Word? One thing I have learn in raising my 5 children. They must be reached with the truth early. By the time they hit ten, their beliefs and character is almost completely set in stone. Your influence as a parent begins to wane very early. Although it appears my will finish well, there have been challenges along the way I wish on no one.

Can Christians and Muslim live side by side in America?

Presently, those in charge of the war declare we are winning. From the standpoint of human lives lost, I would have to say yes, the ramp up of troops has decreased the toll on our boys. Yet, to say we are winning is just plain ignorant. If we were winning the war on terror, a world wide war, then the World Muslim population would be accepting our values on human life and democracy. This is not happening and never will because the devout Muslim holds to the Koran and the Koran, fundamentally, does not provide for such belief. We, as devout Christians, cannot expect the devout Muslim to forsake their belief in the Koran anymore than they can expect the devout Christian to forsake their belief in the Bible. These two worlds have two fundamentally different views on life and government.

The question is: Can these two religious cultures live side by side in harmony? Christians, if they truly believe the Biblical text, are commanded to live in love with their neighbor. And though it is their Biblical mandate and responsibility to proselyte, they are not commanded do it by force, but through love. Any other method is wrong. The Muslim, on the other hand is commanded to do it by what ever means necessary including force. Some Muslims interpret these statements in the Koran to mean Holy War through prayer and others Holy War through the taking of physical life.

However, while Christians can live at peace with a Muslim if they refuse to convert, a Muslim cannot live at peace with a Christian if they will not convert. If they are faithful to their book they are commanded to exterminate all heathen. To the Muslim, all who are not of their faith are heathen and even some of those of the faith who are not of their particular sect are also considered heathen. Based on true faith in the Koran, only one group must survive. Therefore can Christians and Jews live side by side with Muslims? You decide.

Time for a True American Hero

Usually, only once in the life of a true American hero comes the chance to offer himself for the country he loves. That time is now for you. You can stop the McCain runaway train, but you must take on that which you have swore not to, the mantle of Politician. You alone have the pulpit and power to get America out of this.

You have to either run yourself for President or use your influence to quickly help a write in candidate be thrust to the limelight that has all our core beliefs and a plan for quickly taking back the government. The Mantle is on your shoulders.

Here is your running platform that will beat everyone campaigning because it goes to the core of what both Republicans and many democrats want to see:

The War: "The War on Terror is not the issue. No Americans has a problem with war. Every week we watch men killing themselves on the football field to win and we love it. The problem we have as Americans is losing and our boys being killed. If we resolve these too issues everyone will be happy. And these we can resolve without stopping the war.

The Borders: We need to stop the illegal immigration, period. But the problem with the immigration is those who would come over here for jobs do so because there is nothing to keep them home and their are American Companies desperate for labor they can afford. These 2 issues are easily resolved:

One, Other than just closing the borders, which is only a start we need to quit sending our money to China and instead build plants in Mexico so that we become good neighbors to Mexico once again. They will stay their if we build the economy south of the border for them. Having a friendly neighbor to our south once again will also increase our national security.

Two, American companies are desperate for labor they can afford has everything to do with our trade policies. We have created trade policies that favor foreign workers over American workers. Therefore, any CEO worth his salt, trying to increase a companies income, is going to try to get labor outside America. This will not be resolved until we create trade policies that favor the American worker. Trying to place the American worker on a level playing field with 3rd world countries has decreased the once renown American quality, displaced 100s of thousand of American workers over 50, decreased the life savings of many, decreased our National Security, increased hidden inflation, and made large corporations and their CEOs suspect of their allegiance to America and its workers.

Personal Freedom and the Pursuit of Happiness: We do not possess the personal freedom the founding Fathers once envisioned. It has long gone by the wayside. Imagine if you are poor, but you could own a piece of land outright. You go out and buy it. You pay cash. And from that time forward, you and your sons and daughters could live on the land and no one could take it from you. If you only made a couple of thousand a month you could still survive. That means a person with a $12 dollar an hour could afford to live. Or even if you decided to not work, but fish all day and live on your catch, just camping out on your property, totally out of t he system, you could.

But that is not the way it is today. Real Estate taxes must be paid on you property every year. Therefore, you can never really own it. The cost of property taxes in areas having jobs are so high that a family of four must have an income of $50,000 to just stay ahead of the tax man. I believe that if we find a way around property taxes, you will once again see American personal freedom and the pursuit of happiness thrive. If those taxes that are now attached to property are instead attached to income then we would be better off. The more income you have the more and the better property you can afford, so it makes since.

Faith & Patriotism

This summer our family visited Jamestown, Plymouth, Williamsburg, Boston, Lexington, Concord, New York, Yorktown, Washington DC, Arlington National Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Monticello, and the Statue of Liberty. For my five children, American history is no longer a textbook full of pictures, but a living entity for which men pay dearly for the freedoms we hold.

As we stepped aboard the Mayflower II, reproduction of the original ship, it amazed me that a 102 people would desire religious freedom so badly that they would endure 67 days of stormy seas, sickness, 3sqft per person, & spoiled food to make their way to America. Forty-one men, signed the “Mayflower Compact”, thus establishing the first religiously free government in the world. It is considered the foundation of the US Constitution.

In the National Archives in DC we read this directly from the original Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Looking out over the 250,000 plus graves of Arlington National Cemetery, tears came to my eyes. These men gave their lives so I might openly preach the Gospel of Christ without fear of tyranny.

At this point in our history, it is difficult for me to believe that we are only one man and one election away from all this changing forever. The laws our legislature has tried to pass in the last 24 months, though temporarily tabled, if renewed, under the wrong President, would destroy not only our religious freedom, but our personal freedom. Faithful and Free, be alert! The Apostle Paul wrote: “This matter arose because false brethren had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to enslave us. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.” Gal. 2:4 & 5

Jobs, Freedom, Independence, & National Security are at risk. Research & Vote Carefully!

Bring Back the Manufacturing Base

We cannot totally blame the American CEO and business owner for the loss of the American manufacturing base and all its jobs. The CEO and business owner must make decisions that positively effect their bottom line and increase shareholder value.

But there are several problems with this; One, very few Americans receive their income through the stock markets. Most people never even notice what is happening in the stock markets until it directly effect their livelihood. Most Americans are hardworking people that go to a job everyday hoping to return home with a pay check, not a pink slip. Two, any decision which takes jobs from America, shrinking the American manufacturing base, eventually will destroy the very American Companies that made those decisions. When jobs go offshore people who purchase goods from the companies no longer have the wherewithal to purchase goods. The CEO and business owner thinks that they can make more money selling to the people all across the world, so the person at home in America becomes less a customer. Therefore, to them, the prudent business decision is to ignore the effect your decision makes on your brother down the street. In reality what they are doing is making their home a third world country by forcing American workers to compete against labor in the sweat shops of China and Vietnam. In the end their mansions will be built in the heart of impoverished American towns, only protected by walled, secured gated communities. Crime will rise and American quality and customer service will diminish. Three, demise of the American manufacturing base creates security and sovereignty issues for America. Some of you who read this may not be people of the book, but if you have a Bible look in the Old Testament at 1 Samuel, chapter 13. You will find a story where a competing country, "the Philistines" convinced Israel that it was good business to let them do all their iron works since they were so much better at it. Over a period of several generations, all Israel's ironworks where outsourced to the Philistines. Once the Philistines were convinced that Israel no longer had the skills to manufacture weapons, they invaded them. How far are we from this? Has our skills and manufacturing ability diminished to the point we could be invaded either monetarily or physically? I will let you figure this out. American banks are being bought out by foreign owners. American companies are being bought out by foreign interest. Our infrastructure is being run and maintained by foreign interest.

We cannot place the blame, solely, on business. They are doing what appears prudent at first glance. But we can squarely lay the blame on legislatures who are bought out by these interest to the hurt of every American for nothing more than personal gain. Congress and the Senate are suppose to be the watchdogs for every American's interest, not their own. Oh, for men in power, who would place the interest of every American above their own.