If I Could - To My Friend

If I could catch a rainbow
I would do it just for you
And share with you its beauty
On the days you're feeling blue.

If I could build a mountain
You could call your very own;
A place to find serenity,
A place to be alone.

If I could take your troubles
I would toss them in the sea,
But all these things I'm finding
Are impossible for me.

I cannot build a mountain
Or catch a rainbow fair,
But let me be what I know best,
A friend who's always there.

2009 April Lorier Perspective

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Human Rights Are Not Given by the Government

From Chuck Colson...

Many were shocked last February when Secretary of State Clinton said that pressing China about its human rights abuses “can’t interfere” with more important things—like “the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis.”

Even the Washington Post was shocked; its editors said Clinton’s comments were “misguided.” But now it seems that Clinton was only stating what was to be official Obama administration policy.

We saw this same attitude last month when Barack Obama declined to meet with the Dali Lama. The snub was an apparent effort to curry favor with Chinese leaders—leaders who deny religious liberty and human rights, not only to their own citizens, but also to Tibetans.

Obama’s refusal to meet with the Tibetan spiritual leader reminded me of when President Ford wrongly refused to meet with Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the heroic Russian dissident.

Obama and his aides have also reportedly refused to meet with a representative of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.

And now we learn that the President has been quietly cutting off aid to groups that monitor human rights abuses and fight on behalf of human freedom—especially in Iran.

In the Wall Street Journal, David Feith and Bar Weiss write that the administration has eliminated millions of dollars in funding for the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, Freedom House, and the State Department’s Iran Democracy Fund.

These actions go against everything America stands for. Our worldview is largely informed by our Christian heritage—one that puts human dignity first. Has this administration forgotten that human rights have always been America’s greatest export?

We believe that all humans are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, as our Declaration of Independence says. We can’t just write off these rights for the sake of climate change or the economy; they’re central to who we are.

I knew this before I became a Christian. In 1973 President Nixon sent me to Moscow to negotiate for the release of Soviet Jews. I told Vasily Kuznetsov, the hard-line Soviet negotiator, that if the Soviets did not loosen their restrictions, Congress would not pass the trade treaty, which the Soviets desperately needed. Release the Jews, I said—or kiss American grain goodbye.

Kuznetsov pounded the table and shouted, “You have no right to interfere in our internal affairs!”

“These aren’t your internal affairs,” I replied. “Human rights are not conferred by government; they cannot be denied by government. They are God-given. We call them ‘inalienable.’”

Kuznetsov finally agreed to release the Jews—and America shipped its grain.

I can’t take credit for that; it was the U.S. Congress and the American people who freed those captives. And it will take the same pressure from Congress and the American people to free captives in China, Iran, North Korea, and anywhere else people are denied their God-given rights.

I hope you’ll contact the White House, Hillary Clinton, and your representatives with a strong message—one loud enough to be heard by people languishing in prisons around the world: The principles that guided us throughout our history are not for sale.

Thank you, Chuck, for saying what most of us believe.

April Lorier

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Judge Says Pray to Allah, But Not to Jesus

Federal District Judge David Hamilton has been nominated for a seat on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. So why does it matter? He is the judge that ruled it was acceptable to pray to Allah, but not in the name of Jesus!

Conservative senators have objected to Hamilton, because he believes in the "empathy standard" brought to light in the confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The "empathy standard" means judges call on personal and life experience when making decisions, instead of following the rule of law.

In one ruling, Hamilton said legislators in the Indiana House could not pray in the name of Jesus, but prayers to Allah were acceptable.

Jay Sekulow, chief counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice, said Hamilton has ruled against religious liberty.

"This is a judge that's making the statement that having a prayer during a legislative session that ends in the name of 'Allah the Magnificent' is constitutional," he said, "but having that same prayer end in the name of 'Jesus our Messiah' is not."

Tim Goeglein, vice president for external relations for Focus on the Family Action, said the judge's reasons were confusing.

"Hamilton said it was unconstitutional," he said, "and that somehow praying in the name of Jesus, in his words, 'advanced Christianity.'"

Goeglein said lawmakers need to stand against judicial activism.

"Unfortunately, David Hamilton has a record of judicial activism," he said. "His record seems to be soft on law-and-order issues and radically pro-abortion and hostile to religious liberties."

While Hamilton may not be a Supreme Court nominee, Sekulow said his appointment is still crucial.

"It's a big deal, because 99.9 percent of the cases do not go to the Supreme Court of the United States," he said. "It's these appellate courts that are the final word."

Ask your senators to oppose the nomination of David Hamilton.

Source: CitizenLink.org

2009 April Lorier Perspective

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An Encouraging Day for Conservatives!

Yesterday was an encouraging day for the Conservatives of this nation. I stayed glued to the television until I heard both Virginia and New Jersey had voted Conservatives in and liberals out.

In Virginia and New Jersey the Republican victories last night were bigger than they were in 1993!

Voters were clearly unhappy. According to Mike Allen of Politico, network exit polls showed that 85 percent of Virginia voters and 90 percent of New Jersey voters were worried about the economy. Hey, I'm with you!

Governor Haley Barbour put it best: "It's not about the President personally...the President's policies are unpopular."

It will be interesting to see if any congressional Democrats get that message or if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is able to push through the massive left-wing health bill this coming Saturday.

The biggest winner last night was Bob McDonnell and his campaign for governor in Virginia.

McDonnell is so attractive and effective as a candidate, and so knowledgeable after years in the state legislature and four years as Attorney General, that he should be a model for all Republicans to study.

He is a solid conservative who knew how to appeal to suburban voters, how to deflect the Washington Post's attacks , and how to appeal to minority voters. I was proud to hear him say he would not give up his integrity to win any job.

The results were overwhelming in Virginia. Republican enthusiasm was up, and after a year of the Obama presidency, I have to think Democrats were demoralized.

The result was a turnout in which 47 percent of voters identified themselves as Republicans and 36 percent identified as Democrats. This is an enormous change for a state which one year ago gave President Obama 53 percent of the vote.

Four Democratic congressmen from Virginia are now at risk because their districts went for Bob McDonnell last night.

* In Rep. Glenn Nye's (D) 2nd District, McDonnell was winning by a whopping 63 percent to 37 percent with 130 out of 161 precincts reporting.

* In Rep. Tom Perriello's (D) 5th District, McDonnell was winning by 61-39 with over 90 percent of the vote counted.

* In Rep. Rick Boucher's (D) 9th District, McDonnell was ahead 68-32 with 295 out of 336 precincts in.

* In Rep. Gerald Connolly's (D) 11th District, McDonnell was up 56-44 with 68 of 168 precincts reporting.

And not just Virginia House members should take note. Virginia Senators Jim Webb (D) and Mark Warner (D) need to look carefully at the impact of the energy tax in the cap and trade bill on Virginia voters.

Chris Christie's Victory Margin was four times Christine Whitman's!

In a more Democratic state than Virginia, former federal prosecutor Chris Christie's (R) win yesterday in New Jersey was an equally impressive Republican victory.

Christie won by over 100,000 votes, which is four times moderate Republican Christine Todd Whitman's margin in 1993.

As for the Democrats, incumbent Governor Jon Corzine's 44 percent of the vote was a huge drop from President Obama's 57 percent of the vote in New Jersey just a year ago. Is Obama's magic fading?

All in all, I went to bed as one happy camper last night!

2009 April Lorier Perspective

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Secular Benefits of Christianity

The Bible teaches that believers bring God's blessings to even the unbelievers who live around them. For example, the Lord blessed Potiphar's entire household because Joseph was placed in charge of it. Yet, enemies of Christianity, especially secular humanists, almost never grant that Christians bring blessings to those among whom they live.

Recently, Guenter Lewy of the University of Massachusetts set out to write a book entitled Why America Doesn't Need Religion. He wanted the book to be "a defense of secular humanism and ethical relativism." Lewy is not a Christian and does not believe in God. But he was determined to offer his results as objectively as possible.

As Lewy assembled his extensive research, he received a surprise. He found himself forced to conclude that Christianity has a record of strong support for social justice and human dignity. Other research forced him to conclude that Christians at that time constantly showed a lower rate than non Christians of the behaviors associated with social ills and moral failure. These include divorce, domestic violence, out of wedlock births, adult crime and juvenile delinquency. He finally concluded, from other studies, that people who actually live the Christian life have higher rates of happiness and are healthier. The final title of his book is Why America Needs Religion.

Christians should not be fearful about living out their faith, even among unbelievers. As they live out their faith, God is not only blessing them, but also the unbelievers who surround them.

References: Charles Colson, "The Gospel according to Jesse: Is religion a crutch?" Minnesota Christian Chronicle, December 2, 1999, p.16.

2009 April Lorier Perspective

By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. Proverbs 11:11

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