Who do you read?

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Afghanistan, Aljazeera, current events, Israel, Jerusalem Post, Middle East, news, Politics, Pravda, religion, Russia

I like news. Real news, not what passes for news on most TV networks nowadays. Although I still read several print newspapers daily, I also read a great deal of internet news from around the world. (See a list below.)

Of course, you always read the news through a personal filter, no matter who you are and who you read. And you need to add a filter of suspicion, considering possible agendas of the news media and their sources as you read.

But there is so much going on that will affect the United States and especially will affect Christians, it pays to stay informed. Billy Graham said that Christians should “pray with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other…” I agree.

On September 10 I tuned into the live “Inside the Revolution” webcast (see www.insidetherevolution.org for information) and took notes during the discussions between Joel Rosenberg and several others, particularly Lt. General (ret.) Jerry Boykin, founding member of the Delta Force and former Dep. Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence at the Pentagon; Tom Doyle, former pastor, now with E3 Partners and a licensed Middle East tour guide; and Dr. Hormoz Shariot, former Iranian Muslim and now a Christian pastor (known as Iran’s Billy Graham). A taped interview Joel had done with Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, was included in the program. The interview was done before “Bibi” became PM of Israel but was very timely.

The focus of the program was the current political and religious status of Iran. Excerpts shown from a DVD of the same name were eye-opening. The DVD can be ordered online from the website.

I thought I’d share a list of who I’ve been reading online this weekend. Some are websites, some are blogs. Some are newspapers, some are news magazines. The list varies daily and I open links on many sites and read specific articles, so the following won’t be exhaustive, just a current sample…

Washington Post
Council on Foreign Relations
Sky News
Conservative Outpost
Fox Breaking News
CNN Breaking News
Karl Rove
Glenn Beck
Jerusalem Post
Haaretz
Debkafile
Moscow Times
Pravda
Aljazeera

Here’s an article from today’s Aljazeera online news, about the American Tea Party rally in Washington, DC yesterday: Interesting that the Arab world is watching all this, too:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/default.html

Here’s another one, also from Aljazeera, about Vladimir Putin’s possible return to the Presidency of Russia. Are we surprised?
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/09/2009911145354434112.html

Well, I think that’s enough to give you an idea of how I stay informed. There are a few more that I’ve browsed, but I’ll save that list for some other day.

Advantages of being invisible

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faith, Holy Spirit, intercession, Politics, prayer, religion, spiritual warfare

Recently I attended a large political workshop in Columbia, held in the ballroom of a downtown convention hotel. Every county in the state was represented, some with several men and women there to be informed and trained in the latest conservative strategy and high-tech software.

During the lunch break I wandered around the room, observing the other attendees, listening in on several conversations, noting familiar faces and newcomers. Before joining the buffet line, I approached one of the seminar speakers to express my appreciation of his presentation.

Introducing myself, I was taken aback when he said, “Oh, everyone in this room knows who you are.” My automatic response was, “Oh, I doubt that…” but he just nodded and insisted, “Yes, they do.”

I was flattered by that comment; who wouldn’t be. Looking at his face, I knew that I knew what I knew, that he was a fellow believer. I asked him outright if he was a Christian and he said yes, then reminded me how we had originally met some years ago, over the telephone.

Thinking more about it since then, I have come to realize several things.

One, our conversations all those years ago had stuck with him. At the time I was assisting several political candidates in their run for office, offering database help, practical advice, a listening ear. He was one of my sources for information.

Secondly, it’s hard to be a right-wing, radical, pro-life, Christian political activist and remain anonymous.

Now, I didn’t attempt to be anonymous for many years. Tim and I believed that we were called to be missionaries to the world of politics. I did what I believed in my gut was the right thing to do, the thing the Lord wanted me to do, at the time and place and in the method he wanted, and let him worry about the outcome. I didn’t always know what the outcome was and that took some getting used to…

One outcome I knew pretty well, however, was being the target of flak. Name-calling, like “Nazi” and “Hitler.” Gossip. Rumors. Unfair criticism and outright lies. That also took some getting used to.

In the several years since Tim died, however, I’ve kept a low-key profile, not involved in much of anything publicly or politically. Becoming more or less invisible politically has been a pleasant form of retirement.

Watching, listening and discerning the gathering war clouds in heavenly places, I’ve been letting the younger generation deal with the main issues of the day. But over these months I’ve discovered how some members of the younger generation deal with issues. They socialize. They complain and they discuss, but they don’t fight.

And I’ve come to realize that even if they did, they wouldn’t use the essential weapons of this warfare, intercession, God’s word and gifts of the Holy Spirit. It’s as if they don’t recognize the kind of war that’s breaking out around them, much less know how to fight it.

Well, I’ve come to a conclusion. The use of those weapons doesn’t require a public face or a public arena. In this situation, invisibility has its advantages.

A republic – if you can keep it…

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Benjamin Franklin, Florence County Republican Party, GOP, government, Obama, pirates, Politics, republic

“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?” a lady asked Benjamin Franklin.

“A republic – if you can keep it,” he replied.

It was at the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 as he left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation, according to the notes of Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland’s delegates to the Convention.

We have struggled to keep it from that point to this, and it has indeed been a struggle.

I fear that the days of that Republic are drawing to a close, at least the Republic as defined by the hard-fought Constitution they were drafting back then.

Some things have been changed for change-sake, not for the better. The definitions and dimensions of our Republic are being redrawn, our Constitution being redrafted even if not on paper. So many things are going on before our eyes and behind our backs that it’s hard to know where to begin reversing this course, this downhill slide backward toward — what? Monarchy? No, at least not yet, although I think Obama sees himself that way.

Well, I don’t think it’s time to wring our hands, throw in the towel, give up the ship, and any other cliche you can think of that declares defeat.

We can still keep our Republic, though we may to fight to re-take it first. Sort of like the news story that came across my email a little while ago…

“American Crew Overpowers Somali Pirates”

American Sailors Turn Table on Somali Pirates
(By LUIS MARTINEZ, DANA HUGHES, MARTHA RADDATZ and ZOE MAGEE
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 8, 2009)

A crew of American sailors turned the tables on armed Somali pirates today who hijacked their ship after a high seas chase – and then were overpowered by the U.S. crew.

The pirates picked on the wrong ship when they went after the Maersk Alabama, a 17,000 ton container ship carrying relief aid to Mombasa, Kenya.

Sometimes you just have to resist change – change of leadership of the Alabama, for example – have to fight, fight to retake ground and then fight to keep it.

Whatever it takes, we need to keep our Republic.

Ah, technology

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Florence County, Florence County Republican Party, GOP, Kevin Hall, Politics, SC GOP, SCGOP Chairman, technology

In case you were wondering, I am supporting Kevin Hall for Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.

He is right on target with his comments about the use of technology – good advice for building the party (or finding a job, for that matter).

It’s not over yet…

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Florence County, Florence County Republican Party, GOP, Politics, precinct reorganization, Republican party

… there’s one more chance to become a delegate or alternate to the upcoming Florence County GOP Convention. This Saturday, March 21st, go to Horne’s Restaurant on South Irby Street at 9 AM, so your precinct can elect you. Most precincts have empty slots for one of those, and we would love to have them all filled!

The County GOP Convention will be Saturday, April 11th, 9 AM, at South Florence High School. Officers will be elected that day for the Florence County Republican Party for the next two years — Florence County Chairman, Executive Committeeman,  several Vice Chairmen —  also delegates and alternates to the State GOP Convention will be elected.

If you couldn’t get to your precinct reorganization meeting last Saturday but would still like to go to the county convention, then meet us this coming Saturday at Horne’s Restaurant, 9 AM.

Don’t you love elephants…

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elephant, Florence County, Florence County Republican Party, GOP, Politics, Republican

Did my vote count? Was it counted?!

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1996, Electoral College, Politics, voting

Okay, the election’s over and my Presidential candidate lost.  I was disappointed about that, but glad nearly all of the other candidates – state and county – that I voted for won.

As an official Presidential Elector in 1996 (6th District), I went through much the same feelings.  The ceremony in Columbia where the eight of us cast our official ballots was elaborate, fairly formal, attended by high school and college classes, many elected officials, and news media.  We signed multiple copies of documents (Certificate of Ascertainment, Certificate of Vote), had our photos taken, and afterward enjoyed lunch compliments of then SC Secretary of State Jim Miles.

But we knew the nationwide results meant that our votes wouldn’t “count,” we had lost the election.  Okay, I’ve heard some so-called pundits opine that some votes don’t count – some votes aren’t even counted.  Late-arriving absentee ballots, for example, when no matter who they were for the quantity of them wouldn’t change the election outcome, so they’re just discarded without being counted.

I voted absentee this year – by electronic machine in person at the Election Commission, not by paper – and I’d hate to think my vote didn’t count.  The news media said all the absentees (machine and paper?) were counted last, although that’s not what we were told ahead of time.  By then the outcomes of most statewide races were known as well as the margins of victory.

But the vote totals for many county races were small enough that the absentee votes could change the results.  Just look at what happened in the primary for Florence mayor… so the absentee ballots had to be counted for their sake.

On another, sort of related subject – was the national outcome a done deal?  Is there a vast conspiracy out there?  Is our voting just a “circus act” designed to keep the uninformed (you and me) occupied?

Until somebody proves that to me, I’ll still vote.  I still believe voting matters. I still believes every vote counts and should be counted.