Longhorn Band's 9/11 Tribute

"Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,"
Isaiah 46:9

From 2011:

#TXLEGE: Creighton, Leach, Springer and the GROTESQUE Cheapening of 9/11

"Professing to be wise, they became fools,"
Romans 1:22


UPDATE II: Say whatever else you want about Leach, but his recognized this misjudgement and fixed it.

I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong. And, on this, I was clearly and regretfully wrong. I sincerely apologize for this error of judgment and am fixing it immediately. https://t.co/wdTiiHdVcE

— Jeff Leach (@leachfortexas) September 11, 2019

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UPDATE (20ish minutes after publication): We just received a message from Jeff Leach acknowledging error, and pledging to fix it.  We appreciate the attention.

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Original post:

It started innocently enough:

This times a zillion. https://t.co/enUC1zyFbU

— cahnman (@cahnman) September 11, 2019

Then culprits emerged:

The crisis of September 11, 2001 revealed the true character of our Nation. We saw the exceptional greatness of America through the overwhelming goodness of the American people. May we never forget all that we witnessed together on that fateful day. pic.twitter.com/IMTjHgiiBK

— Jeff Leach (@leachfortexas) September 11, 2019

pic.twitter.com/LrXhRZ79Q1

— Drew Springer (@DrewSpringer) September 11, 2019

Not to be outdone, Brandon Creighton used an actual photo of the plane hitting the building:

#NeverForget #September11 #txlege pic.twitter.com/dHXTWSibk6

— Brandon Creighton (@SenCreighton) September 11, 2019

Ugh.

How tacky.

9/11 was many things to many people.  One thing it is not, however, is relevant to the job of a state representative or state senator 18 years later and 1500 miles away.  One would think you wouldn't have to explain such things.

Yet here we are.

The ironic thing, if you explore social media (which we did after discovering the above), is that the overwhelming majority of politicians get this.  Or at least they have enough political sense to understand why it's a bad idea.  Either way, they kept campaign logos out of their tributes.

Apparently, however, for Brandon Creighton, Jeff Leach, and Drew Springer, 9/11 was all about them.  We know politicians have egos.  But still.

[Fun Fact: Speaking of 9/11 and Texas Legislators, guess which Senator didn't smack their campaign logo on 9/11 imagery?!?  Brian Birdwell.  Probably a lesson in there.]

Bottom Line: It's a small thing in the grand scheme, but it does speak to the degree to which that which once mattered has become a cheap platitude.

Cornyn's "Background Check" Bill is dumbest Federal Overreaction since post-9/11 "Intelligence reform"

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
2 Timothy 1:7

By now, we're sure you've heard about John Cornyn's latest anti-Second Amendment gambit.  We had originally intended to write a political post about how this was the final nail in his 2020 coffin.  But that point is obvious by now.

Instead, let's consider the stupidity of Cornyn's proposal:

The Texas Republican’s bill, known as the Fix NICS Act, tries to ensure federal and state authorities accurately report relevant information, including criminal history, to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

“For years, agencies and states haven’t complied with the law, failing to upload these critical records without consequence,” Cornyn said in a statement.

The NICS database is maintained by the FBI and used to determine if a prospective gun buyer has a criminal record or is ineligible to purchase a firearm. The database became the focus of national attention earlier this month after a man fired an assault rifle at a small church during Sunday morning services, killing 26 people and injuring scores others. After the shooting, the U.S. Air Force disclosed that it failed to report the gunman’s history of domestic assault to the database, which should have prohibited him from purchasing a firearm.

Cornyn’s bill requires federal agencies and states to draft plans for how to better report background information to NICS thoroughly and accurately. It also includes a provision to allocate resources to states to help them report felony and domestic abuse charges.

....

To hold agencies accountable, Cornyn's office said the bill sets up a system of incentives for agencies that comply and penalties for those that fail to.

[Note: Emphasis added.]

Translation:

• "Draft plans"= hiring bureaucrats.

• "Allocate Resources" = spending money.

• "Sets up a system of incentives" = hiring bureaucrats AND spending money.

In other words, Cornyn proposes to reward bureaucratic failure by giving the bureaucrats that just failed more employees and a bigger budget.

Sound familiar?!?

In 2004, George W. Bush signed the "Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act."  The law's stated purpose was to get U.S. intelligence agencies "to share intelliegence" after 9/11.  Specifically, the law created the new Office of National Intelligence.

You can learn more about the Office of National Intelligence's subsequent performance here and here.

Just like Dubya in 2004, John Cornyn in 2017 claims to "solve" a problem that was caused by too much bureaucracy by creating yet another bureaucracy.

Bottom Line: Cornyn's proposal is stupid.  When government bureaucracies fail, they should be eliminated, not expanded.  But at least politicians can go on TV and grandstand about how they're "doing something" (with other people's money)....

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Senator John Cornyn: (512) 469-6034

A tale of two Texas politicos with ties to 9/11

"A man’s pride will bring him low,
But the humble in spirit will retain honor."
Proverbs 29:23

Obviously, the anniversary of 9/11 was last week.  On this year's anniversary we realized something we've been meaning to discuss.  We want to commit this to writing before more time passes.

Senator Brian Birdwell and Chancellor Bill McRaven are both veterans.  During their military service, both were involved in incidents with direct ties to the 9/11 attacks.  But the contrast between how each discusses those experiences is striking.

On September 11, 2001, Brian Birdwell was stationed at the Pentagon.  Not only was he stationed at the Pentagon, but he was stationed in the section of the Pentagon where the plane struck.  The only reason he survived was because he had left his office to go to the bathroom.



Birdwell was burned on over 60% of his body and a plurality of those burns were third degree.  His full recovery took several years.  Nevertheless, he persisted to a full recovery before retiring from the military.

In 2010, Birdwell won a special election to the Texas Senate.  Since then, he's served as a faithful conservative in that body.  During that time, he's focused on the issues in front of him rather than looking backwards.

While Birdwell doesn't hide from his 9/11 experience, he rarely discusses it unless he's asked.  We've never heard him discuss it in a political context except when it's directly relevant to the issue at hand.  Indeed, this author didn't realize the Brian Birdwell from 9/11 and the Brian Birdwell in the Texas Senate were the same person until a couple years ago.

Bill McRaven, by contrast, was appointed by Obama to head special forces.  As such, he was involved with the raid that killed Usama bin Laden.  While McRaven likes to present himself as a crucial participant in that mission, numerous special forces sources (at least five) have told this author that McRaven was a bit player who has embellished his role to advance his career.

[Note: Direct quote from a Navy SEAL with whom we spoke approximately two years ago, "McRaven's story of his role in the bin Laden raid is the biggest horse shit political fairy tale I've ever heard in my life."]

Three months after the bin Laden raid, SEAL Team 6 was shot down while performing a mission in Afghanistan.  This tragedy highlighted many shortcomings of U.S. policy in Afghanistan and was thus politically embarrassing to the Obama administration.  To avoid said political embarrassment, Bill McRaven ran point on the Obama administration's cover-up.

Furthermore, Birdwell only brings up his 9/11 experience when he's asked or it's directly relevant to the situation.  McRaven, on the other hand, never shuts up about having once been in the military.  It's become a running joke at the Capitol and among UT Board watchers that you could turn McRaven's incessant references to his former military employment into a drinking game.

Bottom Line: It's a very revealing contrast.

Birdwell endorses Cruz for POTUS

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

Wasn't expecting this:

WACO—Texas State Senator Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) today announced his endorsement of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz for President.

Birdwell, one of the leading conservative voices in the Texas State Senate, stated, “Ted Cruz articulates and demonstrates the core conservative principles upon which our country was founded. He understands what it means to fight for those principles at this critical time in our nation’s history. We desperately need that kind of leadership to defend liberty and return us to greatness, and that’s why I’m supporting Ted Cruz.”

Birdwell continued, “From the first time I met Ted Cruz, I have known him to be a steadfast conservative and a tireless defender of liberty. It has been my honor to work with Senator Cruz on a number of issues impacting our shared constituents, and time after time, I have witnessed firsthand his effective leadership and genuine care for the citizens he was elected to serve.”

Birdwell was a staff officer at the Pentagon on 9/11 when American Airlines Flight 77 was crashed just yards away from his second floor Pentagon office. Birdwell was critically wounded and severely burned; of the burns that covered more than 60 percent of his body, nearly half were third degree in severity. Today, following 39 operations, months of hospitalization and numerous skin grafts, Birdwell has made a miraculous recovery. Despite physical limitations, he testifies not only to his physical healing, but the ultimate miracle of grace through Christ. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received that day. Upon retirement in July 2004, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

In June 2010, Birdwell won a special election to the Texas State Senate. He currently serves as Chairman of both the Senate Committee on Nominations and the Subcommittee on Border Security, and is a member of the Senate Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development, State Affairs, and Veteran Affairs & Military Installations. He also served a 2011-2015 term on the Sunset Advisory Commission, a 12-member legislative body focused on identifying and eliminating waste, duplication and inefficiency within state government agencies. In his first three sessions in the Texas Legislature, Birdwell has been consistently heralded as an effective conservative leader, earning recognition from business, family, Second Amendment and other conservative groups throughout Texas.

Brian and his wife, Mel, have been married for 28 years and they have one son, Matt, a graduate of Texas Tech University. The Birdwells attend Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury.

 Learn more about Brian Birdwell's 9/11 story here.

Lame-Duck Special Session: Invitation for Mischief

"A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident."
Proverbs 14:16

This morning, we awoke to the following story on Breitbart Texas:

TEXANS PETITION PERRY FOR SPECIAL SESSION ON BORDER CRISIS

HOUSTON, Texas—Activist Texans are petitioning Texas Governor Rick Perry to call a special session of the Legislature to deal with the growing crisis on the Texas border with Mexico. The petition asks Gov. Perry to bring the Texas Legislature back into a forth special session to “develop and fund a border and port security plan utilizing state and local law enforcement.”

....

Over the Father’s Day weekend, many Texans gathered in a Facebook discussion thread to discuss the Texas Border Crisis and look for a solution. A conclusion of the discussion was that if the federal government was not going to secure the border then Texas can and should take the steps necessary to accomplish this task. The crisis came to a head earlier this month when Breitbart Texas released shocking photos depicting the deplorable living conditions of the recent surge in unaccompanied minors who are entering the country illegally in ever increasing numbers.

The idea grew out of a discussion involving a large number of people discussing the issue on Facebook. A spokesperson for the petition, Terri Hill, told Breitbart Texas that State Representative Debbie Riddle (R-Tomball) joined in the conversation and said she has been working with the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Colonel Steve McCraw, to determine the cost of a sustained border security operation manned by Texas resources. Col. McCraw assured Riddle that Texas is capable of accomplishing the task of securing the border and executing the plan to achieve real results.

The cost is estimated to be approximately $1.3 million per week to secure the border ($67.8 million per year). The task now becomes, how to get the $67.8 million appropriated and put Col. McCraw and the Texas DPS to work. “I asked if a petition would help get the word out,” Hill said, “and help alert citizens to the severity of the matter and it was decided it would certainly be worth a shot.”

....

“Utilizing an online petition generator site,” Hill continued, “I created an account, entered our petition, made sure I included all the required information Representative Riddle said was necessary and we went live with it by 6:30 pm on Saturday evening.” The petition, Request for Immediate Texas Border Control, can be found online now. The petition states, "We, the undersigned, because the federal government has failed to act, call on the Texas Legislature to develop and fund a border and port of entry security plan utilizing state and local law enforcement."

A panic-stricken lame duck special session is a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad idea.

In 2013, the 83rd Texas Legislature went on a wild spending spree.  It took them multiple special sessions to pass a pro-life law that should have sailed through during the general.  And people want to bring these clowns back into town?!?

While it's true that Governor Perry controls the agenda for any special session, it's also true that the legislators will be the ones actually writing the laws.  Does anyone think they won't abuse some vaguely defined charge like "border security" or "addressing the crisis on our border"?!?  Anyone?!?

Earlier this spring, we attended an interim Senate hearing that included a discussion about state-level border security efforts, as we wrote at the time:

In other words, you have a bunch of state and federal agencies with different sources of funding and accountable to no one not talking to each other and accomplishing nothing.

If we hastily pass poorly conceived legislation in a lame duck special session, it could make that problem MUCH worse.

In 2001/2, following 9/11, the Federal Government responded to panic stricken public demands to "do something" about terrorism.  The result was the TSA, the Patriot Act, and the Department of Homeland Security.  Do we really want to repeat this mistake on the Texas Border?!?

Furthermore, which Lt. Governor do you want to address this issue: Dan Patrick or David Dewhurst?!?

Nobody denies that the situation on our border is both a catastrophe and an outrage.  No one denies that the situation has deteriorated significantly in recent months.  But a lame duck special session isn't the appropriate mechanism to address it.  At best, a lame duck special session will add more bureaucracy to a system that already has too much of it.  If you're serious about border security, focus on electing Dan Patrick this fall, then address the issue calmly and rationally in the spring.

Never forget: The Margins Tax came out of a lame-duck special session....

Thomas Ratliff compares Founders to Al Qaeda

Tonight's CSCOPE debate was dominated by inside baseball.  Our eyes glazed over on multiple occasions.  The most striking part of the 'debate' was when Thomas Ratliff got sloppy.

Ratliff's obvious strategy was to bore people with details.  It worked for 45 minutes.  Then Thomas Ratliff decided to speak about Pearl Harbor and 9/11.

Thomas Ratliff on Pearl Harbor:

Not everyone sees the world the same way we do.

Thomas Ratliff on 9/11:

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

 [Author's Note:  These two comments came between 7:20 and 7:35 pm CST; unfortunately, we didn't time stamp our notes.]

Ratliff, once he realized how badly he stepped in it, backtracked by claiming he didn't want Texas schoolchildren to insult potential foreign employers.  [Insert National Debt Joke Here]

Cahnman's Musings suspects no one will change their mind about CSCOPE based on tonight's debate.  Cahnman's Musings is friends with CSCOPE activists, but still found the debate painfully boring.  The most interesting moment came around the 45 minute mark, when Thomas Ratliff got sloppy.

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Author's Note: Cahnman's Musings will post video of the debate as soon as it becomes available

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Author's Note II: From StaceInTexas:

Thomas Ratliff just said it's ok to call the founders terrorists because "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." #CSCOPE

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Author's Note III:

This badass devotional says it best:

Thou Hast Rejected Knowledge

by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

 

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." (Hosea 4:6)

This lament over the ancient apostasy of Israel embodies an age-long principle which surely applies to those nations today which once professed Christianity but are now dominated by humanism. Our own nation is experiencing an awful scourge of moral anarchy among our children and young people, and the reason why is because their parents and grandparents have largely "forgotten the law of thy God."

America—particularly its intellectual leadership—has "rejected knowledge," so its people are being "destroyed for lack of knowledge." This ignorance exists despite an abundance of supposed actual knowledge (i.e., "science") in our educational institutions, for such facts are almost universally taught in a secular context. Our teachers have forgotten that "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7).

Even in evangelical and fundamentalist churches and schools today, there is often too little emphasis on knowledge and too much on experience. Christian faith is not "feeling"; it is volitional commitment to a true intellectual understanding of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish," said Christ (Luke 13:5). The Greek word for "repent" means "change your mind!" One can only believe right if he first thinks right, and this requires true knowledge.

Listen again to Hosea's warning: "The LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy |i.e., 'kindness'|, nor knowledge of God in the land" (Hosea 4:1). "They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7).

HMM

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn: Inaugural Prayer Breakfast 2013

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn (no known relation), author of the Harbinger, spoke at the Inaugural Prayer Breakfast at last month's immaculation in Washington D.C; he didn't hold back:



Highlights:

• How do we Pray for America?!?
• "If a man has a terminal disease, you pray for healing, not riches."
• "If a city lies in danger of destruction, we don't pray in flowery words, we sound the alarm."

• The Truth Must be Spoken.

• Without Truth there is no Love.

• "The people of [ancient] Israel made a fatal mistake; in the midst of their blessings, they turned away from their God."
• "They would still invoke His name from time to time, but it rang increasingly hollow and meaningless."
• What they once knew to be immoral, they now celebrated.
• It was a civilization at war with its foundation.
• The righteous are vilified and labeled intolerant.
• Spiritual amnesia overtook the kingdom.

• From the beginning, the United States was modeled after Ancient Israel.
• Dedicated to God.
• A Holy Commonwealth.
• "In as much as America would follow the ways of God, America would prosper."
• We've committed the same fatal error as Ancient Israel.

• "The nation that was established to bring the Word of God and the Light of God to the world now fills the earth with Pornography."
• A new America where profanity is treated as Holy and the Holy is profane.

• We have undertaken unspeakable sins as well.
• 55 million unborn babies have been murdered in the past 40 years.
• Israel, by contrast, only killed thousands.

• "Without repentance, there is no revival."

• "The voice of God is calling America to return."

•  Humble Ourselves, Confess Our National Sins, Pray for Forgiveness.

Cahn also gives a presentation of the events behind the Harbinger, which is helpful if you've not yet read the book.

Author's Note: Some of the incidents Cahn describes sound incredible, but they're extensively footnoted in the book.

Book Review: The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn

"The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars."  Isaiah 9:10

"The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the enternal ruls of order and right Heaven itself ordained."  George Washington, Inaugural Address, 1789

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

This book could be a red pill/blue pill moment.  90% of people who read this will conclude it's crazy.  That's fine, this review is for the remaining ten percent.

What would you say if I told you a 2,700 year old Biblical prophecy could help explain why things in America have gone so badly wrong in the past 11 years?!?  In the Harbinger Jonathan Cahn (no idea if we're related) argues that's exactly what happened.  At a minimum, events fit Cahn's hypothesis.

America began to turn away from God decades ago, when the Supreme Court issued a radical "separation of church and state" doctrine that was the antithesis of what our founders intended.  The results have been predictably disastrous: crime is up, families are in tatters, and we've torn up 55 million babies in the womb.  America's spiritual descent over the past 50 years mimics the decline of ancient Israel in the Eighth Century B.C.  (The first) 9/11, just like the Assyrian invasion of Ancient Israel in 732 B.C. was intended as a wake up call.

The Harbinger is about America's defiant vow to rebulid, and how that vow perfectly mirrors Ancient Israel's.  Isaiah 9:10, quoted above, is that defiant vow; in issuing that vow, Ancient Israel sowed the seeds of its ultimate demise.  The frightening thing is how America's actions since (the first) 9/11 are identical to those taken by Ancient Israel.

The Harbinger is based on easily verifiable events; this is just the first time they've been detailed in order.  An online review cannot do these events justice (you'll have to read the book for that), but one element warrants specific mention.  That's the location.  After (the first) 9/11, St. Paul's Chapel became famous as a sanctuary for pilgrims and rescue workers.  What few people realize, however, is that in 1789, St. Paul's Chapel is where George Washington dedicated America to God following his inauguration.  In other words, God issued His warning to America on the same ground that George Washington offered his dedication; personally.

A note to non-believers and pre-Christians: the purpose of the harbingers is to warn America, not condemn it.  I've written before about post-9/11 idolatry and how that played out in Hurricane Sandy.  How is boastful defiance working out?!?  Have things gotten better or much worse?!?  I'm just as guilty as anyone of relying on myself instead of trusting God, but when things stopped working, I changed.  If this strikes you as plausible, or if something about this just bugs you, I urge you to study deeper.  Don't take my word for anything, do your own homework.

America's crisis is spiritual; our economic, military, and political problems are symptoms of deeper spiritual amnesia.  Over the past 50 years, we've severed our connection with what made us a great nation in the first place.  From our debased culture, to our anemic economy, to our precarious international position, the results speak for themselves.  We've got to do something different.  The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn, might not have all the answers, but it's a damn good place to start.

Update: In the interest of open discussion, check out the take of a biblically-adept Harbinger skeptic.

Obama's Record on Radical Islam

Today is the anniversary of the Ft. Hood jihadist attack workplace violence.  Obviously, tomorrow is election day.  Given this juxtaposition, now is an appropriate time to review his record.

One Note: Whoever wins tomorrow, we need to reconfigure our strategy in this conflict.  Obviously, Obama's approach has been a treasonous disaster, but the alternatives advanced by George W. Bush and Ron Paul aren't satisfactory either.  I've outlined broad principles here.

Barack Obama has:

• Appointed Muslim Brotherhood linked operatives to numerous National Security positions and generally abetted Muslim Brotherhood infiltration of the United States government.

• Attempted to give Khalid Shiekh Mohammed, the architect of (the first) 9/11, a civilian trial in New York City.

• Failed to support the Green Revolution in Iran.

• Failed to stop the Ft. Hood shooter or properly define him; refuses to declassify the military after-action report.

• Failed to stop the Christmas Day 2009 pantybomber despite having been warned by the guy's father six weeks before the attempted attack; despite this, Janet Napoletano said 'the system worked.'

• Dithered in Afghanistan for a year then failed to give the military what they'd asked for.

• Condemned Israel's Gaza flotilla raid.

• Supported the Terrorist Victory Monument Islamic Cultural Center at Ground Zero.

• Had multiple members of his administration attempt to silence the counter-Islamic speech of a Pastor in Florida.

• Supported the Muslim Brotherhood over a longstanding American ally in Egypt.

• Launched an illegal war against a quasi-American ally in Libya without Congressional authorization, and that's just what he did in 2011.

• Dragged his feet on the bin Laden mission for a year, then revealed sources and methods to the enemy.

• Joined with the Organization of Islamic Conference to promote criminalizing counter-Islamic speech.

• Lectured Israel to return to the Auschwitz lines.

• Failed to renegotiate our Status of Forces agreement with the Iraqi government, squandering America's hard fought victory in Iraq.

• Shown no willingness to do anything difficult to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuke; blabs incessantly about the few steps he has taken.

• Signed a law allowing him to detain indefinitely U.S. citizens that we don't need to fight terrorism.

• Speaking of which, don't get me started on how much worse the TSA has gotten under Obama; the silver lining is that, in Barack Obama's economy, people can't afford to fly anywhere in the first place.

• Failed to secure a border where Islamic terrorists are working with Drug Cartels.

• Blamed a YouTube video for a series of coordinated attacks against U.S. embassies.

• Benghazi-gate continues getting worse.

• Stonewalled Congress regarding 80 boxes of discovery material provided to the defense in the Holy Land Foundation trial.

I did this list off the top of my head, so I've probably missed some stuff; feel free to add your 'favorites' in the comments.

2 Chronicles 7:14 and Hurricane Sandy

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will hear their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

"For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:17 

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28 

I was  going to write a political piece about the chaos in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and New Jersey, but the political problems are obvious; I want to say something else.

The solution is humility, not defiant pride.

New York is great at defiant pride.  New York was defiantly proud after 9/11.  New York continues to be defiantly proud.  How's that working out?!?  The economy still sucks, people are eating out of dumpsters, and the Yankees have only won the World Series once since 9/11.

No government activity or politician will solve this; not even Rudy.  The only way out of this is through our churches.  In humility there is hope, but defiant pride will continue to bear bitter fruit, and it will get worse.

That being said, pray for Michael Bloomberg.  We're stuck with him for another year.  As much as I agree with Glenn Beck's sentiment, potty mouthed tirades won't help.  Michael Bloomberg needs a radical change of heart, and there's only one way that will happen.  What's the alternative?!?

One final note: if you play fantasy football, I have a funny feeling that this could be a really good week to start Tim Tebow....

Will Obama Close GITMO after the Election?!?

This video segment from Glenn Beck yesterday is terrifying; the U.S. Senate intel committee has a report due on November 15th examining the feasibility of doing so:

Mitt's good, but not great, National Security speech

Mitt spoke about National Security today in Virginia:

Highlights:

• The attacks against us in Libya were not an isolated incident.
• A larger struggle is playing out across the Middle East.
• The 9/11/12 attacks were committed by folks aligned with the folks who pulled off 9/11/01.
• Iran has never been closer to nukes, more emboldened, or less deterred than it is now.
• Hits Obama had for squandering our victory in Iraq.
• Mitt thinks Turkey is an American ally; it's not.
• FREE TRADE IS A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF OUR STRATEGY.
• The first purpose of a strong military is to prevent war.
• No flexibility for Vladimir Putin.
• Endorses Palestinian State (barf!)

Bottom Line: On the biggest issues of Peace through Strength, Trade, Iran, Russia, and standing up for our friends, Mitt did a really good job.  Unfortunately, the strong parts of the speech were mixed in with too much George W. Bush style "freedom agenda" talk.  That being said, the strong parts of the speech are solid, and I think, over time, conservatives can disabuse Mitt of the notion that greater 'democracy' (ie. Sharia) in the Middle East is an American interest.

The Taranto Principle, Leftist 2004 myths, and why Obama will (probably) lose (big)

Several years ago, Wall St. Journal columnist James Taranto introduced an idea that came to be known as the Taranto principle, it states:

the liberal media often ill serves liberal politicians by creating a feedback loop in which both sides reinforce each other's prejudices while public opinion goes its own way.

I think the 2012 election could become the biggest vindication of the Taranto principle since Paulene Kael in 1972.  At a minimum, the Obama re-election campaign has based its strategy around liberal myths about George W. Bush's 2004 re-election that leave it disconnected from reality.

The liberal 2004 mythology can be summed up as follows: "after a horrific first term for Bush, thatrottenSOBKarlRove(tm) knew Bush couldn't win so he brought in the Swift Vets to trash warheroJohnKerry(tm) and thatrottenSOBKarlRove(tm) also ginned up anti-gay sentiment to get his base to turnout."  All of the preceding statements are false.  Consider the following:

• George W. Bush had a reasonably successful first term -- People tend to forget this, because of what followed, but George W. Bush's first term was reasonably successful.  In his first term, George W. Bush cut taxes, responded appropriately to 9/11, and removed Saddam Hussein from power.  The disastrous "freedom agenda," amnesty push, and Wall St. bailout that unraveled Bush's Presidency were, in November 2004, still in the future.  Barack Obama's first term record, by contrast, speaks for itself.  George W. Bush didn't head into the 2004 election with 43 months of 8%+ unemployment (that would be closer to 11% if they weren't cooking the books) and embassies on fire.

• The Swift Boat Veterans were telling the Truth -- It's impossible to overstate the importance of the Swift Boat Veterans to the myths leftists tell themselves about the 2004 election.  Heck, leftists have event turned 'swift-boating' into shorthand for an underhanded smear campaign.  Unfortunately, for the left, the reason the swift boat veterans charges stuck is because they were true.  Leftist attacks against Mitt, by contrast, are laughably false.  That's why the over these over the top attacks aren't working.

• Homosexual 'marriage' wasn't a particularly important issue in 2004 -- First things first, Karl Rove didn't make homosexual 'marriage' a campaign issue in 2004, the Massachusetts Supreme court did.  That being said, homosexual 'marriage' wasn't particularly important.  Most of the states that had marriage referendums were solidly Republican and, in Ohio, the marriage referendum passed with a wider margin than Bush's victory.  Bush's 2004 voters weren't motivated by homosexual 'marriage,' they were motivated by post-9/11 national security issues.  Fast forward to 2012 and you see why the 'War on Women' narrative has been such a flop against persistent unemployment and embassies going up in flames.

In 2004, you had a reasonably successful, if unspectacular, incumbent (whose real policy disasters were still in the future) going against a challenger who told serious fibs about himself.  In 2012, by contrast, you have an incumbent with a disastrous record going against a challenger who has, if anything, undersold his own record.  Team Obama cannot replicate George W. Bush's 2004 re-election strategy, largely because they don't understand how Bush's victory happened in the first place.

11 Steps to a more effective National Security policy....

The other day, I discussed how the United States will continue to be at war for the foreseeable future.  The bad guys, for reasons of their own, need to remove the United States from the picture.  Regardless of what we do, they're going to continue coming.  We are both the Great Satan and Vladmir Putin's primary obstacle, whether we like it or not.  The United States must restore global dominance within the reality created by other global actors pursuing their interests.

Barack Obama's policy of strategic surrender hiding behind tactical belligerence isn't working.  But, quite honestly, George W. Bush's confused muddle of a foreign policy won't cut it either.  While George W. Bush introduced some positive elements in his first term (ie. Preemption and not giving super-national organizations a veto over U.S. action), his second term 'Freedom Agenda' laid the foundation for the disaster we face today.

We can do better.  Thinly veiled appeasement, neoconservative democratization, and Ron Paul style isolationism aren't our only options.  I offer the following principles as guidelines against which to assess future policies.

• A Growing Economy -- Getting our economy moving is step one to restore American dominance.  With robust economic growth, our current problems become much more manageable.  The greatest military in the world is much easier to afford in an economy growing at 4% than in one limping by on around 1.5%; that's even truer if said military is deployed overseas, which ours, realistically, will continue to be.  A crucial component of a growing economy that will also aid our foreign policy is...

• Free Trade -- International trade is a frequently overlooked way to minimize wars.  Under Obama, free trade has taken a backseat to union pandering.  Open global trade is the low-hanging fruit of geopolitics.  Unfortunately, many problems exist that we cannot solve through economics.  When those more difficult problems occur, our first step is....

• Priorities -- After determining what we can afford, the United States needs to prioritize the greatest threats and devote our resources to them.  Right now, the United States squanders too much energy in areas that are irrelevant to our national interests.  In my opinion, the primary threats to U.S. national security these days comes from Iran, Russia (yeah, I know), and our Southern Border.  Egypt and Libya could, unfortunately, become top-tier threats before Mitt's inauguration.  Once you establish priorities, it allows you to project....

• Credible Threat of Force -- This is where peace through strength conservatives differ from libertarians.  Peace through strength conservatives understand evil exists in the world; if we don't defeat evil, evil will grow.  That's not to say every recent U.S. military action has been well advised or prudent (*cough* Libya *cough*; *cough* Kosovo *cough*).  Peace through strength conservatives support military action where it advances American interests, NOT gauzy humanitarian bull-crap.  Regarding Afghanistan and Iraq, most peace through strength conservatives believe we were right to remove the Taliban and Saddam Hussein, but we stayed too long and tried to do too much.  This is important, because a credible threat of force needs to be tempered with....

• Realistic Expectations -- George W. Bush's second-term "Freedom Agenda" is the direct antecedent of today's chaos in the Middle East.  Yes, Obama's treasonous misconduct made the situation immeasurably worse, but Condoleeza Rice's State Department let this cat out of the bag.  If there's one lesson America has learned the hard way this decade, it's that the United States cannot change an Islamic political culture that is theologically incompatible with with Adam Smith and John Locke.  In Iraq, for example, the United States would have been far better served by installing Ahmed Chalabi and drawing down to 30,000 shortly thereafter.  One we've tempered the credible threat of force with realistic expectations, we must....

• Fight to Win -- The rules of engagement in Afghanistan have been an issue since Obama took office. In the Egyptian embassy attack, our Marines weren't allowed live ammunition.  Heck, this is the administration that invented a military award for 'courageous restraint.'  That's ridiculous, once we deploy our military under the circumstances described above, we need to unleash its full force and get the job done.  Unfortunately, fighting to win requires a cultural shift at the top of the Pentagon that we will only achieve if we....

• Audit the Pentagon -- This idea, which originates from the Ron Paul crowd, is one peace through strength conservatives would be wise to adopt.  In his convention speech, Rand Paul said "not every dollar spent on the military is necessary or well spent."  He's right.  Corporate welfare for defense contractors doesn't promote national security, and often hinders it.  Any organization that loses $2.3 trillion into thin air needs serious reform.  More important, an audit would break up the calcified culture of complacency of senior Pentagon management.  Changing Pentagon culture via audit is a precondition to....

• Stop Political Correctness -- Was the Ft. Hood jihadist attack really 'workplace violence'?!?  Are jihadist terror attacks 'man caused disasters'?!?  I could give countless examples, but the fact that our embassy apologized after the Egypt attack takes the cake.  We need to speak uncomfortable truths, and act accordingly.  Islamic Scripture supports Islamic Supremacism.  The Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the U.S. government.  Many Latin American drug cartels are Marxist true believers who mean the United States harm.  Jesus said it best: "And ye shall know the truth and it shall set you free."  Before our government will speak the truth, however, we first have to....

• Clean out the State Department -- I can't prove (yet) that Huma Abedin is a traitor.  I can, however, say with full confidence that the State Department bureaucracy is infested with hard-line leftists who advance a progressive internationalist agenda no matter who holds elected office.  From Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush, recent Republican Presidents have had their agendas stymied by the State Department bureaucracy.  While I cannot prove it, I strongly suspect the State Department bureaucracy was behind George W. Bush's "Freedom Agenda."  Once America cleans out the State Department, we will be able to....

• Know who our friends are -- One of the best decisions George W. Bush made as President was telling the UN to pound sand over Iraq.  America should not give the a fore mentioned progressive internationalists, or a corrupt French President, a veto over U.S. action.  That does not mean, however, that America should actually follow the left-wing straw man and 'go it alone.'  America has allies and friends we must honor and with whom we should work closely.  Barack Obama's cavalier destruction of longstanding alliances and friendships is another dangerous aspect of his legacy.  America must diligently and unapologetically rebuild those relationships.  Finally, America MUST....

• SECURE THE DAMN BORDER -- Don't get me started, but it needs to be done.

Again, I am not (yet!) advocating a set of policies.  I'm outlining a set of principles to guide future policy-making.  This strikes me as a good start....

War, whether we like it or not....

"To everything there is a season...a time of war and a time of peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1...8

I already did my 9/11 reflection piece; I now have a quick comment looking forward.

Today, on the anniversary of 9/11, the United States Embassy in Egypt was attacked.

This is a clear act of war.

This is an ongoing situation, and I want to sleep (and pray) on it before saying anything specific.  We need a better strategy for dealing with foreign threats.  I'm not sure what that strategy entails, but it runs through Tehran.

  For now, I want to expand on a point I made about Afghanistan in March:

Some will argue that we should leave entirely because the Jihadists and Russains will leave us alone if we leave them alone.  This is nonsense; Vladimir Putin and the Jihadists don't want to be left alone, they want to dominate the globe.  They're going to play that game whether we like it or not.

That Afghanistan-specific quote also applies to the broader world.  This world is fallen and, as such, evil people will continue to be at war with the United States.  We can't change them; they view the United States as an obstacle.  I'm all for developing a more effective approach, because the current mix of appeasement and nation-building isn't working, but naive myopia won't cut it.  America will continue to be at war, whether we like it or not, for the foreseeable future.

9/11 and Rudy Giuliani Idolatry

"Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation./He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved" Psalm 62:1-2

Today is the eleventh anniversary of 9/11; on this occasion, I want to comment on the biggest mistake our nation made in it's aftermath.

We didn't turn back to God.

One of the great cliches in life is that adversity doesn't build character, adversity reveals character.  The cliche is still true.  After 9/11, our nation plunged deeper into the idolatry that already plagued us.  Church attendance spiked briefly, but didn't last.  Far too many of us were more interested in shopping and baseball; we placed our faith in politicians.

Rudy Giuliani is the best example.  No one (credible) disputes that Rudy acted heroically during and after 9/11.  Rudy's calm, stoic leadership helped prevent a panic, which could have been worse than the attack.  Rudy brilliantly finessed the transition from a rescue mission to a recovery operation.  I still get choked up thinking about Rudy and the funerals.  Unfortunately, instead of getting on our knees and thanking God for blessing us with a leader like Rudy Giuliani, we built Rudy into an idol.

In my own life, I turned the New York Yankees into an idol.  Where I had previously been a fan, after 9/11 the Yankees became an unhealthy obsession.  The results speak for themselves.  The Yankees lost the 2001 World Series.  Except for 2009, they've endured a stagnant decade.  Heck, they even lost to the Red Sox.  Lesson (belatedly) learned.  Baseball teams are a hobby, NOT a substitute for Him.

It's not exactly a secret that things haven't gone as planned since 9/11.  From Iraq, to Katrina, to the 2008 financial market crisis, to Obama's spending and debt, to the horrific situation on our border, it's just not working.  While we absolutely need better public policies and higher quality leaders, step 1 is our personal relationship with God.

Fortunately, it's never too late with God: if we follow the instructions in 2 Chronicles 7:14, then He will bless us with 2 Chronicles 14:7.

EXCLUSIVE: GBTV's Erick Stakelbeck on Global Terror Trends

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to speak with Erick Stakelbeck of CBN and GBTV about events in the Middle East and repercussions they could have in the United States.  Unfortunately, I pressed a wrong button on the phone, so there's no recording.  The following write up is from my notes.

Israel and Iran

Erick has been saying for months that he expects Israel to strike the Iranian nuclear program sometime soon. If you look at the history of modern Israel, they always launch pre-emptive strikes when faced with existential threats.  They did it in 1967, they did it in 1981, and they did it in 2007.  A nuclear Iran would be the greatest existential threat to Israel in modern history.

The biggest question we face is when the Israeli strike will happen.  Erick Stakelbeck thinks there is "a good chance" it will occur BEFORE the U.S. Presidential election, possibly October.  The reason for this is that Israeli leaders fear striking Iran in a potential Obama second term, and want to get the strike behind them while Obama is still accountable to U.S. voters.

Another possibility: What if Iran strikes first?!?  Methinks, I've read about this somewhere....

Iranian Retaliation

Hostility between Barack Obama and Bibi Netanyahu notwithstanding, the Iranian regime believes Israel and the United States are joined at the hip; they're the little Satan and we're the Great Satan.  Thus, when Israel strikes the Iranian nuclear program, we should expect some sort of retaliation against U.S. interests.  That could take several forms, including attacking U.S. embassies abroad or terror attacks on U.S. soil.

An open question is how the Islamist groups that have infiltrated the U.S. government during the late Bush and Obama administrations would impact U.S. policy in response to potential attacks.

Iran as the epicenter of Global Islamist Terror

The longer I study Global Islamist Terrorism, especially the work of Yossef Bodansky, the more I think everything boils down to Iran; Erick Stakelbeck agrees.  Iran and all the other various Islamist bad guys have all worked together in the past.

One point that hasn't drawn nearly enough attention is Iran's role in 9/11.  Last year, a Federal Court in New York found Iran guilty of aiding and abetting the 9/11 attack.  That's DIRECT Iranian complicity in 9/11.  Additionally, the 9/11 commission found that the Iranian government let several hijackers pass through Iran unmolested.  Additionally, Bodansky's work makes clear that Iran played a major role in the growth of Usama bin Laden's network in the 1990's.

The bottom line is that Iran has its tentacles in EVERY Islamist operation around the globe.  They're the keystone of global terror.  Dealing with any other Islamist entity before dealing with Iran is pointless.

Syria

Which brings us to Syria.  Syria is an Iranian client state.  If Assad goes, it weakens Iran.  On the other hand,    we shouldn't maintain any illusions about what would replace Assad.  It's a choice between Islamists allied with Iran or Islamists allied with Al Qaeda.  Its a bad choice either way.

One thing to keep in mind:  Assad could decide to go out in a final orgy of sour grapes blaze of glory, and launch chemical weapons at Israel.  Erick Stakelbeck thinks Israel would retaliate directly against Damascus.  Once again, I think I've read about that somewhere.

Afghanistan

Erick Stakelbeck believes we're never going to win the hearts and minds of the Afghans; they'll always be Islamist and tribal.  Furthermore, the rules of engagement our troops are facing are ridiculous.  Erick Stakelbeck believes we need to dramatically lighten our Afghan footprint and focus much more closely on killing Al Qaeda and Taliban.

Conclusion

There are three major global terror trends to watch over the next 6 to 12 months:

1. Iran, Iran, Iran.
2. How will Assad go out?!?  Will he engage in an orgy of sour grapes?!?  Will he launch chemical weapons?!?
3. The Muslim Brotherhood consolidating power in Egypt and 'tweaking' the Camp David accords.

War is coming; be prepared.