masternorris.com

In it, I highlighted her book’s advice how to help my fellow Americans:

With Mother’s Day right at our backs, here’s the rest of mom’s insight, directly quoted from her life story:

Be humble and willing to work.

Back in the 1930s, any work was good work. We picked cotton, picked up cans, scrap metal, whatever it took to get by. The message from yesteryear is: Don’t be too proud to do whatever it takes to meet the financial needs of your family.

There’s no shame in a hard day’s work, whatever it may be. It seems today that people would go on unemployment before they would work in a field picking anything. That would not have been the case when I was growing up.

When Herbert Hoover was president, we were having the worst of times. We were very excited about President Roosevelt, who did help us. But those of us with a strong work ethic received the government’s help for just a short while, but only until we could get back on our feet. I wish people would do that today. Instead, they depend upon the government, and the government in turn enables them.

Be rich in love.

We didn’t have much. In fact, we had nothing at all, compared with people today, but we had one another. We were poor, but rich in love. We’ve lost the value of family and friends today, and we’ve got to gain it back if we’re ever to get back on track. If we lose all our stuff and still have one another and our health, what have we lost? We don’t really own anything anyway. Everything is ultimately on loan to us. The Bible says, “The earth is the Lord and all it contains.”

Help others.

Back during the Great Depression, we never quit helping others. Today, too many people are consumed with their own problems and only helping themselves. “What’s in it for me?” is the question most are asking. But back then, it was, “What can I do to help you?”

When times are tough, it is human nature to survive and not serve, but one of the secrets in life is that it’s actually in serving that we survive and even thrive. It is good exercise for the heart to bend down and help another person up.

Helping others often puts our own problems into proper perspective. Mama used to say, “If you think you’re having it rough, look over your shoulder at what others are going through.” I told the same to my children.

I believe giving our life to benefit others is the key to experiencing life to its fullest. That is why Jesus also said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It couldn’t get any clearer than that.
Lean upon the Lord for help and strength.

We didn’t just have one another to lean on, but we had God, too. In God we trust was not merely stamped on our money but embedded in our hearts. We all attended church and belonged to a faith community. Church was the hub of society, the community core and rallying point. We thought and worked in community. The way we saw it was: If one of us was chained, none of us was free.

It’s sad to see how many today have abandoned faith and religion. We trust money more than God. And maybe that’s a reason we’re in this economic pickle. If greed has become our god, then maybe we’d be better off viewing the bad economy more like a re-alignment that helps us to shift our eyes from our greeds to our needs.

Keep persevering in prayer.

The necessity of prayer reminds me of another story in which a rural farmer was paid a visit by one of his city relatives. Before dinner the farmer bowed his head and said grace. His sophisticated relative jeered, “This is old-fashioned; nobody with an education prays at the table anymore.”

The farmer admitted that the practice was old and even allowed that there were some on his farm who did not pray before their meals. Justified, the relative remarked, “So enlightenment is finally reaching the farm. Who are these wise ones?”

The farmer replied, “My pigs.”

Again, Jesus admonished us: “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.”

There was nothing easy during the Great Depression, but we endured and made it through, and we learned even more how to simplify, help one another and depend upon God. Children took on chores at an early age and by early teens were assisting in some ways with the provisions of the home. Yesteryears’ kids often bore today’s adult responsibilities. Back then, we grew up fast and often married young. In fact, by the time I was sixteen years old, five of the seven Scarberry children in our family were married, including me.

On Mother’s Day weekend 2012, many of you probably watched my mom, Wilma Norris Knight, being interviewed by our friend and former governor, Mike Huckabee, on his Fox News show, “Huckabee.” WND also reported on her television special.

If you didn’t catch it, you can still view the interview on my official website, ChuckNorris.com, which is also the only place (in addition to Amazon.com) where you can order an autographed copy of my mother’s new autobiography, Acts of Kindness: My Story.

theoracle.cc

Our tenth state just ratified same sex marriage.
20% of our nation is sodomite.

“Zatmakeyamad?”

It’s about to become illegal to share one’s faith in the military.
Court martial follows evangelism.

This is America

“Be angry . . .” (Ephesians 4:26)

The Supreme Court may decree as good what God declares as evil.
Over 40 million have already experienced such a decree called Roe v. Wade.

“And Moses went out white hot from Pharaoh’s presence” (Exodus)

Our president congratulated a homosexual on his courage in being open.
A Texas high school track relay team was just disqualified for pointing heavenward.

“he that praises the wicked and punishes the righteous,
both of them are an abomination to God.” (Proverbs) Remember Joe Paterno

“Zatmakeyamad?”

“God suffers indignation every day.” (Psalms)

They’ve crossed the line.

As God said to the ocean “here you shall proceed and no further.” To nature and its “kinds”… and to government. They’ve gone too far.

Elijah was mad. “Save by my word rain shall not fall.” (1Kings 17)

“There is a time for anger.” (Ecclesiastes 3)

Do you like college kids schooled in secularism?
. . . fostered by the east coast, marketed by the west?
How about sex without morals?
How about our First Lady’s exaltation of sodomy and abortion?
How about only around ten seminaries that hold to and defend inerrancy?
Do you like gangs? Do you like increasing violence?
Do you like those wonderful understanding Muslims?
What porn has done to computers? Sexual addiction of young minds?
Single moms? Fatherless children? Purposeless youth? Dysfunctional homes?
People in debt? The U.S. in debt to what’s “made in China.”

“When Jesus saw this He was indignant.” (Mark)

You mad?

Better get mad.

The men and women who pass this legislation aren’t cognizant of evil. They aren’t evil. They’re young. Unconverted. Schooled in the schooling that our schools have been schooled to school them in. They are the moral foam from a churning metaphysical sea tossed by 400 years of rising atheism. They are the chickens come home. And they’re innumerable.

You can run, Christian, but you can’t hide. No Christian school will shield you.
No gated community can protect you. Be political if you’d like but it’s merely sandbags against a rising flood. Secularism is the air we breathe, and it is poisoned

You’d better stand. Speak out. Be proud of the ways of God. And continually lift your voice to heaven for reformation. Summon the violent rushing wind. (Acts 2) Pray to deliver men’s minds from darkness to truth. For satiety of gutfulls.

“How long O Lord . . . !!! (Revelation 6:10)

“Get mad!”

Get Tommy’s new book here, or here.

www.npr.org

Clip and save this column. Herein are some important events, names, places—facts your children and grandchildren will need to know about these perilous times:

Tuesday, September 11, 2012, Benghazi, Libya. The U.S. consulate and a diplomatic annex in this city on the Mediterranean coast are assaulted and destroyed by radical Islamic terrorists. Four American citizens: U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith, and two former Navy SEALS, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, are killed during two attacks over a seven-hour period. Officials in Washington take no action to stop the attacks or save lives.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012. The president, standing beside Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, describes what happened in Benghazi as “an outrageous attack” and promises, “We will not waiver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done.” For weeks thereafter, White House officials, the Secretary of State and lesser government functionaries, reiterate Obama’s claim the attack was fomented by a crude anti-Muslim video posted on the Internet. It’s not true.

Thursday, October 4, 2012. Thirty-two days before the presidential election, and desperate to preserve the fiction that “al Qaeda is on the ropes” because “Osama bin Laden is dead,” the State Department announces formation of an “Accountability Review Board” (ARB) headed by former U.S. Ambassador Tom Pickering and a recently retired Joint Chiefs Chairman. Though the Reagan White House provided Pickering with extraordinary additional security when he was threatened by terrorists in El Salvador, the ARB report, delivered on December 20, 2012, found “mid-level State Department officials” were responsible for security lapses in Benghazi.

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2013. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies under oath before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In response to questions posed by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) about who attacked the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi and why, she explodes: “What difference at this point does it make?”

Wednesday, May 8, 2013, three brave men testify before the House Government Reform Committee about the lies, misfeasance, and incompetence in the Obama administration’s handling of the jihadist attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi. Gregory N. Hicks, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Libya, the highest-ranking American diplomat in the country during the attacks; Mark I. Thompson, a former U.S. Marine and operations coordinator for the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau; and Eric Nordstrom, formerly the senior diplomatic security officer in Libya, all testify about what really happened on 9-11-12. To avail themselves of legal protections against retribution, all three claim status as “whistleblowers.”

Their testimony indicts the president, the secretary of state and Administration minions of incompetence and lying to the public about what happened before, during, and after the Benghazi attacks. Supporters of the Obama regime describe the three as “politically motivated” and claim there is “nothing new” in what they said. That’s not true either. Herewith, a few important facts we now know thanks to the courage of these three men:

Though radical Islamists routinely use “anniversaries” to motivate adherents to violence, the Obama administration did absolutely nothing to anticipate such a possibility by pre-positioning quick-reaction military forces in the Middle East prior to the 9-11-12 attacks. Worse, instead of granting Ambassador Stevens’ repeated requests for additional security assets, the O-Team actually reduced U.S. security personnel in Libya. This abysmal failure reflects, inter alia, a near total deficit of human intelligence (HUMINT). The Ambassador and three other Americans paid for this misfeasance with their lives.

In the midst of the deadly attacks in Benghazi, bureaucratic inertia and infighting in Washington prevented any response which might have saved lives. In the aftermath, the Obama administration insulted the Libyan government by refuting their assertion that the perpetrators were radical Islamists. The result: more than two weeks before FBI agents could visit “the scene of the crime.”

Since 9-11-12, the Benghazi terror attack has been probed by five separate committees of Congress. The State Department’s ARB is at best a whitewash. Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) and more than 140 of his colleagues have called for a bi-partisan select committee of both houses to fully investigate the matter. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham support the proposal. It’s time—unless Congress wants to participate in a cover up.

www.guessn.com

2014 and 2016 are on the horizon. We will have our next opportunities to purge our leadership of those who destroy America. Whether they simply sit on their hands in self preservation or activity seek to overthrow our Constitution, they must be replaced with men and women willing to mutually pledge to us their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to uphold the principles of our Declaration of Independence.

For this to happen, God’s people MUST pave the way for them to run and win. We must demand they run with clarity of message and purpose. We must hold them to the path and line that path with our support and sustenance.

Every race in every precinct, district, and state must be dominated by our candidates outlining the stark contrast between a Constitutional vision for America and their opponent’s vision for a socialist/tyrannical technocracy. That will not be difficult, one must only point to the last five years to draw a bright red line.

Abortion, gun control, religious suppression, terrorist accommodation, flagrant lies and deception are just a few of the undeniable facts of left in the wake of a profoundly corrupt political elite. Asking the American people simple questions like, “Do you believe all people are created equal, or do you believe that judgment is best left with individuals?” can only cause the debate to shift to our side.

Here’s the central issue to which I would point. There is one civil rights struggle, ONE. The right to live of the unborn. Just as during our nation’s internal conflagration over slavery, the Democrats and their ideological co-conspirators have fomented the death of tens of millions of the most innocent under the demonic lie denying their “personhood.”

The time is long passed to overthrow and crush this national abomination by summarily rejecting every so-called leader standing on these gallows, pulling the lever on America’s future.

vimeo.com

A group from my church gathered recently to watch an independently produced documentary about our government school system.

In the film, the Gunn family boarded a physical and metaphorical yellow school bus and travel around America in pursuit of the truth about how we educate our children. What they found and documented is nothing short of mortifying.

Only by watching this film for yourself can you understand why I’m writing this piece. But, I strongly encourage every potential parent, every parent, and every grandparent to get and watch this important work. In fact, I recommend to host a gathering of your circle of influence to view and discuss it.

In conclusion is in the title. The government has constructed and continues to sharpen their execution of a very simple agenda. They seek to capture and brainwash the few children they allow to survive abortion to make them wards and operatives of the state.

Alarmist you say? Conspiracy theorist you propose? WAKE UP and look around! Do you really question this when generations of this inculcation have produced for us a culture that kids babies and each other, promotes every kind of sexual deviancy, and would rather have tax money handed to them than work and be productive?

Get the film (here), watch it, then draw your own conclusions.

education.kqed.org

In his article, Toobin wrote: “There are really only two reasons that gay marriage is still illegal in more than three-quarters of the country: that’s the way it has always been; and the very idea of same-sex marriage makes some people, well, uncomfortable.”

Then he went on to define that discomfort as “tradition and bigotry.” So much for returning the tolerance they preach and demand from others—others who actually have legitimate reasons for their beliefs.

The gay lobby—which I contend is the most powerful lobby in America today—has successfully infiltrated the minds of the less-grounded generation. And with that infiltration, they have dismissed the importance of what the Creator Himself demands of His creation.

They have succeeded in framing the argument, not from the creation point of view, but from one of justice and human rights. And who could oppose human rights? I, for one, applaud every effort to give the 100 million persecuted Christians around the world their human right to be left alone in peace.

But according to gay activists, human rights demand that gay couples be allowed to marry regardless of their gender. They are attracted to each other—why shouldn’t they marry?

That is a flawed argument, however. Marriage is a far more significant institution than trivializing it as between any two people who like each other.

In the Jewish and Christian understanding of creation, the Creator has ordained marriage for a far greater purpose than that short-sighted and shallow definition.

As the Anglican Book of Common Prayer declares: “Marriage is an honorable estate, instituted by God . . . and therefore not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, and soberly, and in the fear of God, duly considering the causes for which matrimony was ordained.”

Marriage is far from the concept of being just for two people who love each other—whether it be for a month, a year, or longer. Marriage is far from a hunger for sexual pleasure in whatever way one deems fit. Marriage is far from the idea that, if it feels good, then society must support you in doing it.
The Creator ordained marriage for three vital reasons: for the survival of humanity, for the procreation of children, and for lifelong companionship—specifically a lifelong companionship where one finds the only proper expression of sexual intimacy.

The Maker of humankind instituted that triune foundational bedrock, and one’s lack of religious beliefs cannot alter that elemental truth.

Many people argue that marriage cannot be looked upon with that triune purpose because so many marriages fail. The institution itself is damaged goods, they say. But that’s a false argument. Even if all marriages were to fail, that would not negate the purpose for which it was ordained.

Here’s the crux of the matter: loving someone, even if one intends for that love to be permanent, is not enough to constitute marriage. That trivializes marriage.

Although love is an essential ingredient for marriage, it is by no means the only ingredient—especially when that love is of the selfish nature so common today. Emotional love and good feelings will ebb and flow. But lifelong, deep commitment between a man and a woman, buttressed by children, is the Creator’s purpose for marriage.

Children need a father and mother. And the concept of a father and mother is based on a male/female relationship. There’s no getting around that. It is a foundational concept. But in bowing down to the powerful gay lobby, ten state legislatures have politicized and trivialized it.

I understand that some homosexual activists want recognition and feel that homosexual marriage is the only way for society to recognize them. But even if that happens, they won’t stop there. The next stage will be the demand that homosexual marriage be, not only protected and privileged, but preached as a virtue—even superior to natural marriage.

For deep down—too deep for some of them to admit or even recognize—they know they were created in the Creator’s image and are going against His ordained order. Thus their conflicted conscience will drive them to push society for more and more recognition. They will not be able to stop.

That is the proper understanding of the “gay marriage” debate. It is far more than just intimidating the people they falsely accuse of “bigotry.” It craves and demands respect, even from those who disagree with it.

I, for one, respect people with whom I disagree. That’s just general human courtesy. But no amount of name-calling will give those who reject the created order the respect they seek. That can only come from within, from a conscience that is aligned with God’s will for His world.

www.foxnews.com

If you didn’t catch it, you can still view the interview on my official website, ChuckNorris.com, the only place (besides Amazon.com) where you can order an autographed copy of my mother’s new autobiography, “Acts of Kindness: My Story,” which makes a great Mother’s Day gift, too.

I was re-reading through her life story and gleaning the wisdom so prevalent in my upbringing in rural Wilson, Okla., particularly her advice about how her generation survived and thrived through the Great Depression, working together as a family in cotton fields.

For many who still struggle in America’s recession recovery, I thought there is no better time than between my mother’s 92nd birthday (May 4) and Mother’s Day (May 12) to share her wisdom with you as an encouragement from someone who has actually been there. (The following words are directly quoted from her book on pages 89-95).

My mom wrote:

How we reawakened the American dream and spirit

In her inspiring book “The Forgotten Man,” Amity Shlaes conveys some fascinating stories about what life was like during the Great Depression. In the very heart of that economic crisis was “the forgotten man,” a term used for the millions of people who were unemployed.

A popular Depression-era song expresses their pain and struggle:

They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead.
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad; now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a dime?

As the lyrics remind us, a loss of employment or downturn in one’s economic status can change everything. And only those who have truly been there can understand that.

We learned many valuable lessons during those years that served as a basis for the rest of my life. These lessons might also encourage people today suffering through their own economic and employment valleys. I would dare say if we lived more by these principles, we would experience far more personal and national recovery and rewards.

Don’t be surprised by hardship.

I think it’s fair to say most people today expect life to be easy and sprinkled with a few difficult times. But back in the Great Depression era, we all learned in a big way life is hard and sprinkled with some easier moments.

The Bible encourages a similar point of view: “Don’t be surprised by the fiery trial that has come upon you.” (1 Peter 4:10) Even Jesus cautioned us: “See to it that you are not alarmed” (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7) when difficult times come. Other translations include, “Keep your head and don’t panic” (The Message) and “See that you are not troubled.” (New King James)

Another thing I’ve learned over and over: Bad things happen to good people, but good people can survive bad things.

Fight worry.

Though it’s an understandable human reaction, worry is the absence of trust in God and will rob us of God’s best. Remember what Jesus encouraged: “Consider the birds of the air. They do not work or toil, and yet your Heavenly Father provides for them.” (Matthew 6:26)

Watching birds is a very real living illustration that can help us overcome anxiety. Elizabeth Cheney wrote a poem in which she explains this lesson through a fictitious conversation between two birds in an orchard:

Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
“I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and hurry so.”
Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
“Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.”

Instead of worrying, Jesus said we are to “Seek first God’s Kingdom and all your needs will be met.” (Matthew 6:33)

This is God’s promise in the Bible: “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) As my pastor has shared, God may not give us all our greeds, but He’s promised to provide all our needs.

That is also why Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” If we only prayed and focused upon “daily bread,” we’d see many more provision miracles around us.

Get back to the basics.

Simplify your life. Live within your means. People must be willing to cut back and be okay with it. We must quit borrowing and cut spending. Be grateful for what you have, especially your health and loved ones. Be content with what you have too, and remember that stuff will never make you happy. Never. You’re not going to take any of it with you. Have you ever seen a U-Haul being pulled by a hearse?

Back then, we didn’t have one-one-thousandth of what people do today, yet we seemed happier, even during the Great Depression. Practice the principles of contentment. As the Bible says, “With food and shelter, we shall be content.” (1 Timothy 6:8)

Being content with what we have reminds me of a farmer who had lived on the same farm all his life. It was a good farm, but with the passing years, the farmer began to tire of it. He longed for a change for something “better.” Every day, he found a new reason for criticizing some feature of the old place.

Finally, he decided to sell and listed the farm with a real estate agent, who promptly prepared a sales advertisement. As one might expect, it emphasized all the farm’s advantages: ideal location, healthy stock, modern equipment, acres of fertile ground, etc. Before placing the ad in the newspaper, the real estate agent called the farmer and read the copy to him for his approval. When he finished, the farmer cried out, “Hold everything! I’ve changed my mind. I am not going to sell. I’ve been looking for a place like that all my life.”

Enough said.

(In Part 2, I will give five more insightful points of advice from my mom.)
Now you see why my brother, Aaron, and I wrote in the foreword of her autobiography: “If there are two words to describe our Mom, it would be kindness and love. When anyone meets Mom, they feel like they have known her all their lives, because of her kind and loving spirit. In other words, Mom has said every morning for as long as we can remember, ‘Lord, use me for your Glory.’ And we believe He has done just that! God, thank you for giving us the best Mom in the world.”

Happy 92nd birthday and Mother’s Day, mom! You’re still the best!

Get Wilma’s book here.

www.jazzpatriot.com

President Obama’s supporters were outraged when the actor portraying Satan during the recent TV miniseries “The Bible” had more than a passing resemblance to Mr. Obama. Now, however, those same supporters seem determined to remove all doubt about the anti-religious bigotry underlying this administration’s every official pronouncement.

In the latest outrage, a virulently anti-Christian advocacy group—with the Orwellian name of the Religious Freedom Foundation—met privately with Pentagon officials to demand current regulations be expanded to make the proselytizing of religious beliefs a court-martial offense for anyone in uniform.

As reported by Todd Starnes in a Fox News commentary, the group’s leader said, “Until the [armed services punish] a member of the military for unconstitutional religious proselytizing and oppression, we will never have the ability to stop this horrible, horrendous, dehumanizing behavior.” The potential stakes included that worst of all possible worlds: “a tidal wave of fundamentalists.”

Not bomb-toting Islamic fundamentalists, of course. Instead, the new prohibitions would target uniformed people holding extreme beliefs—such as maintaining a personal faith in Jesus Christ. Even worse—adhering to Christian principles, one of which is the Great Commission, “to preach the gospel to every creature.”

In today’s politically correct and profoundly secular American society, such religious “extremism” obviously has no place, particularly with anyone in uniform. Who knows—maybe including chaplains.

It’s a good thing George Washington is dead and military history effectively banished from our campuses. Otherwise, we might remember the general order Washington issued upon taking command of the embattled Continental Army—and in Boston, no less. The general “requires and expects of all officers and soldiers a punctual attendance at Divine services, to implore the blessing of Heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense.” In the same way, any assistant professor of government hoping to achieve tenure will likely skim over certain sections of the first president’s Farewell Address, which reads: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports.”

Among our other abandoned historical beliefs: The Founders’ thoroughly “medieval” notion that defending the nation is a common burden of citizenship. But after Sept. 11, 2001, the children and grandchildren of the Greatest Generation—with bipartisan and bicameral applause—effectively outsourced military service to the less-than-upwardly mobile. With less than one percent of Americans serving in uniform during the subsequent decade of war, it suddenly became easy for secular stay-at-homes to assume spiritual solace was someone else’s problem.

The military is increasingly isolated from the society it protects, and Rep. J. Randy Forbes, Virginia Republican, has become alarmed by what he sees as a military culture turning alarmingly “hostile toward religion.” His congressional colleagues agreed, inserting a highly unusual provision into last year’s defense authorization act, aimed at protecting the moral and religious convictions of service members.

Mr. Forbes’ justification: “Our men and women in the military do not leave their faith at home when they volunteer to serve, and I am committed to ensuring that they are never forced to do so.”

A revealing moment came last month during newly christened Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s initial appearances on Capitol Hill. Among his most persistent questioners was Mr. Forbes, who demanded to know:
Why were unit commanders being prohibited from informing their units about religious programs offered by the chaplain’s office?

Had Navy officials banned Bibles from a service hospital—and if so, why?

Why did the Air Force remove the word “God” from a unit patch?

Why had a Department of Defense training directive included Catholics, evangelicals, and Mormons in the same category of religious extremists as al Qaeda?

If you understand anything about Washington, you will not be surprised that Mr. Hagel hemmed, hawed, and backpedaled, apologizing for not being aware of any these issues or their answers. Not to worry, though. He promised to get back soon with answers for the record. Don’t hold your breath, and don’t expect to see this dust-up headlining the evening newscast.

There should be no mistaking the development of another front in the ongoing culture war characterized by anti-religious bigotry in high season. Every American should be concerned about this pattern of attacks against the conscience and convictions of our service personnel. While their individual beliefs may differ, our soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen share a common acceptance of combat’s uncertainties, a tradition of faith under fire Americans once treasured.

If chaplains and other uniformed personnel are prohibited from sharing the Gospel—for whatever reason—then religious freedom will have been banished from America’s military. Atheists may be on the march, but the nation’s defenders can be assured there will still be none in foxholes.

www.sfgate.com

The difference in these two presidential presentations, separated by two and a quarter centuries is stark—and alarming—for what was said, left unsaid, and the manner in which they were conveyed. Observers described Washington’s delivery as “humble,” even “anxious.” Some—noting more than a dozen references to “prayer,” “divine blessing,” “providence” the “Almighty Being,” and the “Great Author of every public and private good”—said the new president was “reverent.” None of those match the demeanor of Barack Obama during this week’s séance. Instead of invoking the favor of God, our Head of State sought to fix blame for his failures.

When Washington delivered his address, the most important issue before our Legislative Branch was the ongoing national debate over the Bill of Rights. He devoted nearly a full page of his eight-page handwritten remarks to “how far an exercise of the occasional power delegated by the Fifth article of the Constitution is rendered expedient at the present juncture…” Rather than attack members of Congress who favored or opposed the first ten Amendments to our new Constitution, Washington pledged his “entire confidence in your discernment and pursuit of the public good.”

That’s not the Obama approach. On Tuesday Congress was his number one target. He whined, “We’re in divided government right now. Republicans control the House of Representatives. In the Senate, this habit of requiring 60 votes for even the most modest piece of legislation has gummed up the works…things are pretty dysfunctional up on Capitol Hill.” That was in response to a reporter’s question about gun control—the Second Amendment—part of that same Bill of Rights George Washington spoke of in his very first address as President. How’s that for a contrast in leadership.

When Washington made his first “media appearance” as president, the new government—and the country were all but broke. Staggering debts from the Revolution were overwhelming. Taxes and tariffs were inadequate to meet obligations incurred during the long fight for independence. Having presided over the drafting and ratification of the Constitution that led to his election, Washington knew Congress had the power of the purse. Instead of demanding the House and Senate concoct creative ways of raising revenues, Washington led the only way he knew how: by example.

The seventh and eighth pages of his speech at the National Archives are heavily creased, but the words are clear: “When I was first honoured with a call into the Service of my country, then on the eve of an arduous struggle for its liberties, the light in which I contemplated my duty required that I should renounce every pecuniary compensation. From this resolution I have in no instance departed. And being still under the impressions which produced it, I must decline as inapplicable to myself, any share in the personal emoluments, which may be indispensably included in a permanent provision for the Executive Department.” In short, he told the Congress he would serve as president without pay.

Compare that to his incumbent successor who insists the government must raise taxes or furlough federal workers: “It’s true that the sequester is in place right now. It’s damaging our economy, it’s hurting our people and we need to lift it… It’s slowed our growth, it’s resulting in people being thrown out of work, and it’s hurting folks all across the country…we’ve got folks who (are) unwilling to make some simple changes to our tax code…I cannot force Republicans to embrace those common-sense solutions.”

Like our first president, Barack Obama is a wealthy man. Unlike Washington, Mr. Obama hasn’t offered to take a pay cut. Federal workers are doing that for him.

Our first chief executive didn’t address foreign policy in his first presidential speech. On its 225th anniversary, Obama did—and blamed Congress for Guantanamo: “It hurts us in terms of our international standing… It is a recruitment tool for extremists.” Someone needs to tell him the detainee most mentioned in radical Islamic propaganda isn’t at “Gitmo.” It’s Sheikh Abdel-Rahman—serving a life sentence in a federal prison for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Finally, there is the matter of 65,000 young Americans at war in the shadows of the Hindu Kush. That topic didn’t even come up this week except when Mr. Obama noted “we’re winding down the war in Afghanistan.” Would George Washington have ignored his countrymen in harm’s way?

As many of you know, Freedom Congress was largely inspired and informed by what we think is a salient work on the subject of America’s current blight. In Jim DeMint’s book, Saving Freedom: We Can Stop America’s Slide into Socialism the former senator of South Carolina and new president of The Heritage Foundation, capsulizes the dangers to our freedom and what we all can do to turn them back.

This begins a series of quotes taken from Saving Freedom we hope will have the same effect on you. We want you informed, inspired, and energized to join us in the fight to preserve the rights granted us by our Creator and set forth in America’s Declaration of Independence and Constitution. From the Introduction:

Freedom and Socialism
The Gingerbread Man and the Fox

There was once a lonely old couple who had no children of their own. One day when the woman was making some gingerbread, she used the leftover dough to make a little Gingerbread Man. She made eyes, a nose, and a smiling mouth using currants and placed more currants down his front to look like buttons. Then she laid him on a baking tray and put him into the oven.

Then, as the fox neared the opposite shore, his head began to go beneath the water. “Move to my nose to stay dry,” said the fox. The Gingerbread Man reluctantly moved to the fox’s nose, and as he did, the fox suddenly went snap! The Gingerbread Man disappeared into the fox’s mouth and was never seen again.

There may be no better metaphor for America than the Gingerbread Man. When we came out of the oven in 1776, we were hot. We sent the British packing, formed a constitutional republic, and were soon off and running. America was fast and confident. Soon, no other country could even come close to the strength and speed of our military, our economy, or our culture.

Like the Gingerbread Man, Americans valued their freedom above all else. No nation in history had ever made freedom work so well. We truly became “The Shining City upon a Hill” that attracted admiration and immigrants from every country in the world. But in 1929 America “came to a wide, deep, and swift-flowing river with no bridge to cross.” That river was the Great Depression. That’s when the federal government became our “fox.”

As Americans lost confidence in our free-enterprise economic system and our ability to cross this wide river on our own, the federal government came to our rescue. At first the expanding federal role seemed harmless enough, and the people were safely positioned far away from the fox’s mouth. But as America endured one politically manufactured “crisis” after another, the fox has invited us to move ever closer to his mouth.

Today Americans, along with all our hopes and dreams, are perched on the tip of the fox’s nose. We are in the middle of what seems like a deep river, and we’re not sure we can swim. Now is the time for Americans to decide, once again, to fight for freedom.

As the law of physics says, no two objects can occupy the same space. As government grows, freedom contracts. For government to grow, it must consume. You don’t need me to tell you Washington’s appetite grows every day and will ultimately consume everything of value. Only freedom-loving people stand between a rapacious tyranny and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

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