CD-27 Runoff: Cloud Running Strong Campaign....

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
Galatians 6:9

In the race to succeed the disgraced Blake Farenthold, the Trib takes notice of Michael Cloud's surprisingly strong first round performance:

In December, U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold drew national attention when, in the middle of a sexual harassment scandal, he announced he was not running for another term. Yet the race to replace the Corpus Christi Republican has been one of the state's most under-the-radar contests.

That was, in part, because many have assumed Bech Bruun, the former Texas Water Board Commission chairman and most prominent candidate in the 6-way Republican primary, was a safe bet to take over the seat.

But last month, Bruun just narrowly placed first in the March 6 primary with 36 percent of the vote. Close behind him was former Victoria County GOP Chairman Michael Cloud at 34 percent.

That margin surprised more than a few political insiders in the state, who assumed Bruun, who has ties to the state's GOP leadership and has racked up a string of prominent endorsements, would either avoid a runoff entirely or come much closer than he did to drawing the majority support needed to do so.

But Cloud is putting up a tenacious fight that is leaving more than a few Texas political insiders less sure of who might win the GOP nomination in the May 22nd runoff.

....

Cloud, a current member of the State Republican Executive Committee, had been running for the seat since early October, two months before Farenthold announced his retirement. And Bruun said that while he decided to run after Hurricane Harvey hit the region in late August, he held off from announcing his run for Congress until December, when his time at the water board was winding down.

....

Cloud is running as "a constitutional conservative," with an emphasis on border security and scaling back the power of the federal government. And he argued in remarks in Port Lavaca in February that his early bid suggests an added layer of sincerity in his campaign.

"If you followed the race, we got involved back in October," he said. "The landscape was completely different, and then news happened that shifted the race. That news happened a week before the filing deadline."

He then implicitly criticized the other candidates who entered the race in that time period, including Bruun.

"We got in the race because I looked at what was happening in our nation, and I felt like we needed something to happen," he added. "And I felt like we needed to send people who had the courage, who had the conviction to stand up to a culture of corruption in Washington, D.C. So that's what got me into this race, that was the message from the beginning."

....

But Cloud had clearly built a following with his head start. He also has the endorsements of former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, one of the country’s most prominent libertarian-leaning politicians; David Barton, an influential evangelical activist and author; and the four Republican candidates who did not make the runoff.

Farenthold, the scandal-tarred incumbent, has not endorsed in the race and neither candidate appears to be pursuing his support.

Bottom Line:  On the one hand, you've got a personal friend of Ron Paul.  On the other hand, you've got a Todd Hunter crony who's a key player in Texas' corrupt water polices.  This decision isn't difficult.

David Barton Wins Million Dollar Defamation Lawsuit

"[R]ejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer"
Romans 12:12

Good for Barton:

David Barton is the founder of WallBuilders; he is is one of the foremost experts on early American history and has tens of thousands of original writings from the Founding Era (http://www.wallbuilders.com/abtbiodb.asp).

Mr. Barton and other history experts helped the SBOE to produce the most fact-based, patriotic curriculum standards in the entire United States. For instance, as part of the TEKS, Texas students are required to spend a week every year (K-12) studying the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. The TEKS standards emphasize American exceptionalism while presenting a balanced view of history. Many American heroes and heroines of character and of color were added to the new Social Studies TEKS.

For his trouble, David Barton was vilified by the leftwing media and such organizations as Texas Freedom Network.

....

During the years that Ken Mercer has served on the SBOE, he has had a number of “questionable” challengers. Among them are Judy A. Jennings and Rebecca E. Bell-Metereau.

While these women were running against Mercer, they leaned heavily on Texas Freedom Network to provide them with campaign rhetoric; and they worked with Scott Garrison, a political consultant, to produce a campaign video. In it, they tried to discredit Ken Mercer by blasting David Barton and WallBuilders as being white supremacists.

Guess what…David Barton/WallBuilders has sued Jennings/Metereau for defamation of character. David Barton/WallBuilders won, and now Jennings/Metereau have to pay him and his WallBuilders $1,000,000! How is that for justice served?

I suspect the next move for Jennings/Metereau may be to counter-sue Texas Freedom Network/Scott Garrison for providing bogus information about David Barton/WallBuilders.

David Barton is anything but a white supremacist. He and other patriots just like him are battling to preserve America’s rich Judeo-Christian heritage so that this and the next generation will be willing to give their lives to preserve it.

....

It is very encouraging to know that “open season” on conservatives has its limits. Good for David Barton/WallBuilders!

Our Daily Texan Letter to the Editor

It is impossible to overstate how excited we are about George Washington's Inaugural Bible coming to town.  Cahnman's Musings would love to attend without controversy.  Unfortunately, the Daily Texan used this joyous occasion as an excuse to push Bill Powers' dishonest anti-Christian agenda:

As a resident of Central Austin I am grateful to the University of Texas for bringing George Washington's Inaugural Bible to town. I am likewise grateful to the Daily Texan for informing me of this event. Friday's Article "George Washington Inaugural Bible on display at LBJ library Monday" makes the argument for the Daily Texan's continued existence better than I ever could.

That being said, this statement from 'history professor' Henry Brands cannot stand:

“It is interesting because George Washington himself was not especially religious,” Brands said. “He believed in a god but not necessary Christ. But he knew most Americans were believing Christians, and knew that this would be important to them.”

Perhaps 'history professor' Henry Brands has never read George Washington's farewell address:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

Why tell the truth about George Washington when you can advance the bogus narrative that's America's founding fathers were Athiests, Agnostics, and Diests?!?

Sincerely,
Adam Cahn
Cahnman's Musings (www.acahnman.blogspot.com)
Austin, TX
December, 7 2013

-----

On Election 2013: An Open Letter to Texas Conservatives

For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
Proverbs 24:16

My fellow Texans,

I woke up this morning in a state of fatalistic resignation.  I almost did a post linking to the movie Jeremiah.    Then I read this piece in today's American Spectator:

Arnold Schwarzenegger won re-election handily in 2006, defeating his hapless opponent Phil Angelides by a 56% to 38.9% margin. Yet this sizable win was a meaningless victory for the GOP. Similarly, Chris Christie’s thumping victory on Tuesday night over an equally forgettable candidate contains almost no national meaning, save that Chris Christie is good for Chris Christie. Like Schwarzenegger, Christie cruised to re-election not as a real Republican but as a preening non-partisan moderate. Like Schwarzenegger, Christie’s popularity hasn’t translated into any support for Republicans in his own legislature.

Which raises the question: How could Christie turn blue states red nationwide if he can’t turn his own legislature red?

-----

Like Schwarzenegger, Christie is a useful idiot for the Democrats—a needy, politically correct, ruling-class Republican who is trending liberal on everything from “climate change” to gay marriage to size-of-government issues. Christie loves the liberal limelight—a trait that will only intensify over time. The Democrats know a Trojan Horse when they see one.

Of course, establishment Republicans—the same geniuses who parachuted Schwarzenegger into office to the long-term detriment of their party—will ooh and ahh over Christie’s victory and argue that Tuesday’s results, in which the moderate in New Jersey won and the conservative in Virginia lost, illustrate the wisdom of ideological flexibility and the value of distance from the Tea Party. Never mind that Cuccinelli, who ran a lame and scared campaign, had made a point of avoiding Ted Cruz, even though it was Cruz’s brave stance against Obamacare and the consequences of its buffoonish rollout that ended up making the race much closer than anyone expected.

“In the clearest sign yet of the potent effect of the government shutdown on the Virginia governor’s race, Republican Ken Cuccinelli avoided being photographed with Ted Cruz at a gala they headlined here Saturday night—even leaving before the Texas senator rose to speak,” reported Politico in early October. Republicans who behave in this craven fashion don’t deserve to win. Cuccinelli didn’t lose because he hewed to the Tea Party line; he lost because he didn’t. Had he played up his conservatism instead of running away from it while lashing McAuliffe as a pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage socialist, he might have galvanized conservatives and won the race.

Even the media found it a little difficult to sustain the this-is-a-defeat-for-the-Tea-Party narrative after the Virginia results came in, as they showed a race that the Republicans could easily have won, had the Libertarian not run, had Cuccinelli actually tried, had stingy Republican fat cats donated money to ad campaigns, had Republicans bothered to expose McAuliffe’s radicalism, etc.

Bingo.

I don't need to run through last night's parade of horribles.  In addition to Virginia, Joe Straus' Water Slush fund passed easily.  The city of Austin "Housing" bond passed.  A bunch of other local government debt passed.  So what, pray tell, has changed since yesterday?!?

Nothing.

We've known since (no later than) March that the Republican leadership in the legislature, which put Prop. 6 on the ballot in the first place, is more interested in personal enrichment than sound policy.  We've known for at least a year that low turnout in local elections threatens our economy.  We need better Republicans and higher citizen participation.

Here's the good news: Steve Munisteri believes in open, contested primaries.

With the constitutional amendments elections over, today is the first genuine day of primary season.  While statewide races will get more ink, we must clean out the Republican caucuses in both houses of the legislature.  We need better Republican legislators to drive sound policy.

Concerning turnout, remember the following three words: Identify.  Register.  Persuade.

• Identify -- Every one of us knows people in day to day life who thinks like we do but doesn't vote.  You need to figure out who those people are in your circle of influence.  Start with your Sunday school class and your workplace.

• Register -- Once you identify the people you already know, you need to get them registered to vote.  In order for this to happen, you need to become a deputy voter registrar.  In Travis county, there is a deputy voter registrar training EVERY SATURDAY at the Unitarian "church."  [Author's Note: If some Unitarians get saved out of this process, so much the better.]

• Persuade -- This is the tricky, but really fun, part.  Having identified and registered the appropriate people, you now need to get them to show up.  Regular phone banks and social events (like Liberty on the Rocks here in Austin) are key.

 If we do that, we'll be fine.

Sincerely,
Adam Cahn
Austin
November 6, 2013

P.S. On a related note, David Barton is going to make a big announcement in the next few hours.

EXCLUSIVE: David Barton "hasn't ruled out" Cornyn challenge

Last night, we were invited to join the Facebook group "Draft David Barton for U.S. Senate."  Putting it mildly, that piqued our interest.  Cahnman's Musings has spent a substantial amount of time tracking this rumor today.

According to multiple sources, last week a meeting occurred between Tea Party leaders and a representative for Barton.  Sources report both sides left the meeting encouraged.  Right now, speculation Barton might run is "legitimate."

This is a major development.  David Barton would be an incredible U.S. Senator.  In 2012, David Barton was an early supporter of Ted Cruz.  Barton is a former Vice Chair of the Texas Republican Party.  Currently, Barton runs "WallBuilders," a ministry dedicated to rescuing the truth about America's Judeo-Christian heritage.

As a United States Senator, Barton would be an ally of Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul.  Were Barton to run, his campaign would be a grassroots campaign similar to Ted Cruz's.  Like Cruz, Barton wouldn't owe the establishment anything.

Cahnman's Musings encourages Barton to hop into this race.  Grassroots conservatives across Texas are chomping for a Cornyn challenge.  If Barton gets in, he's instantly credible.

-----

If readers wish to contact Barton, they may do so via the following social media outlets:

Facebook: David Barton
Twitter: @DavidBartonWB

Wallbuilders: Influence of the Bible on America

This upcoming DVD from Wallbuilders looks way cool:

Rabbi Daniel Lapin on Economics, Faith, and the Old Testament

 
Rabbi Daniel Lapin stopped by TheBlaze recently to promote his new book, but the Good Rabbi and Glenn never discussed the book:



HIGHLIGHTS:

• Rabbi Lapin is "David Barton on Steroids."

• The Tower of Babel is a "Blueprint for the Fatal Attraction of Socialism."

• In Hebrew, money and blood are the same word.
• Both are your lifeforce.
• Money should do its work behind the scenes.

• In the Exodus, 80% of the Israelites stayed behind.
• Bottom Line: 80% of people are pussies who will accept the status quo.
• Same formula was true for the American Revolution.
• Pareto Principle.

• You cannot be an entrepreneur without faith, which is why entrepreneurship never thrives in an atheistic environment.

If you want to hear more from Rabbi Lapin, you can hear him speak on the moral rightness of free enterprise here.

#IWantTheBlazeBecause; an Open Letter to AT&T C.E.O. Randall L. Stevenson

Mr. Randall L. Stevenson
Chief Executive Officer
AT&T
1 AT&T Plaza
Dallas, TX 75202

Dear Mr. Stevenson,

Over the past nine months, I have been an AT & T U-verse customer.  I also used to sell U-Verse.  This letter, however, is not about me.  This letter is about better serving your customers while strengthening Texas' Economy.  I'm writing to request you immediately make theBlazeTV available on your U200 television package at the same per subscriber fee you pay MSNBC.

Competition is the lifeblood of American prosperity.  Competition ensures consumers the best quality product at a fair price.  That why I'd like you to increase the news options available to AT&T U-verse customers.  Currently, the U200 package has 7 left-leaning channels compared to one and a half psuedo-conservative options. I ask you to put theBlaze on equal footing with those other networks.

The need for more news options is obvious; for example:

• #IWantTheBlazeBecause time is running out.

• #IWantTheBlazeBecause our government ran guns to Mexico.

• #IWantTheBlazeBecause theBlaze stood with Rand before it was cool.

• #IWantTheBlazeBecause they have the guts to talk about CSCOPE.

• #IWantTheBlazeBecuase they cover Islamic Cultural Subversion.

• #IWantTheBlazeBecause they showcase voices like David Barton and Buck Sexton that the rest of the media ignores.

• #IWantTheBlazeBeause of Obama in Pee-Pee.

Finally, I'd like to add theBlaze to protect and strengthen Texas' Economy.  Mercury Radio Arts, TheBlaze's parent company, is a growing company based in Texas.  Mercury's success is living proof the Texas Model works.  As a respected business leader in Texas, I am confident AT&T values its reputation as a company that promotes competition, especially when the newest competitor is a growing Texas company.  That's why I request you add theBlaze to your U200 lineup at the same per subscriber fee you pay MSNBC.

Sincerely,
Adam Cahn
Austin, TX
March 11, 2013

P.S. If you agree with this letter, Cahnman's Musings respectfully requests you post it to U-Verse's facebook page here.

TheBlazeTV does CSCOPE

 Glenn Beck devoted his entire television program to an expose on CSCOPE today.

First up, David Barton explains the origins of CSCOPE in the Texas Textbook wars of 3-4 years ago:



HIGHLIGHTS:

• Since SBOE monitors curriculum, they call CSCOPE 'instructional material.'

• Teaching globalism, not American Exceptionalism.

• Taking out: Nathan Hale, Liberty Bell, Christopher Columbus' faith.

• Replacing with: Respect and fairness, Dolores Huerta.

• Replacing George Washington with Kay Bailey Hutchinson (yeah, wrap your mind around that one!)

• Emphasis on Contemporary over History.

• Refused to teach abundance alongside scarcity: "The other members considered all resources scarce."

Next, two teachers talk about CSCOPE from the Inside:



HIGHLIGHTS:

• CSCOPE sets up a system where educrats control everything.

• Shocked by the mediocrity of the content.

• Teachers are constantly monitored by educrats.

• Teachers have been fired for speaking out to school boards.

• "There's tremendous coercion."

Finally, Texas Senator Dan Patrick, chair of the Senate Education committee updates the state of play in his committee's ongoing investigation of CSCOPE:



HIGHLIGHTS:

• Talks about the runaround he's gotten: CSCOPE formed the shell company to hide everything.

• "We don't have the votes" to shut down CSCOPE.

• Apple will probably put CSCOPE out of business.

You can read the Blaze's write-up of this episode here.

Finally, if you don't yet get theBlazeTV, you can get it here.

The Mayflower Compact

The following is the text of the Mayflower Compact. It's written in King James' English.  While leaving the original language, I have taken the liberty of updating spelling to make it easier for you to read.

In the name of God, Amen.  We whose names are underwritten are subjects of our sovereign Lord King James and by the grace of God, of Great Britain, of France, and Ireland king and defender of the faith.

Having undertaken for the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith and honor of king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern part of Virginia do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and of one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering, and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof, to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts and Constitutions, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony: unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.  In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11 of November, in the year of our sovereign Lord King James of England, France, and Ireland the eighteenth and Scotland the fify-fourth.  Anno-Domani 1620.

 In other words, the original Mayflower Compact was a covenant dedicating the nation to God, and setting up a civil government under His name.

David Barton has more on the history of Thanksgiving:

"We need you to Endorse Bryan Hughes" -- An Open Letter to David Barton

Dear Sir,

We've never met, although we have many mutual friends.  I'm a big fan.  This letter, however, is about business.

Texas Conservatives need you to endorse Bryan Hughes for Speaker in the 83rd Texas Legislature.

You might not know this, but your endorsement is one of the few that matters.  In lower profile races, your endorsement moves votes.  As one example, you endorsement was critical to my pushing the button for Michael Williams.

You know these candidates and you know the contrast.  Where current speaker Joe Straus deliberately echoes Obama, Bryan Hughes believes in prudent financial stewardship.  Joe Straus' Obama-esque crony socialist 'leadership' is an economic risk Texas cannot afford when a superior alternative exists.

Here's at Cahnman's Musings, we've endorsed Bryan Hughes.  The difference, David Barton, is that people actually care what you think.  That's why Cahnman's Musings respectfully requests your endorsement of Bryan Hughes for Texas House Speaker.

Sincerely,
Adam Cahn
Austin, TX
November 20, 2012

David Barton: The Foundations of American Exceptionalism

Way, way cool:


Highlights:

• The United States has the longest surviving form of government in the world.

• Political Stability is not a natural state for a nation.

• "The comparisons of our Government and those of Europe are like a comparison of Heaven and Hell." Thomas Jefferson

• We've been blessed in America because we followed certain Godly principles.

• The political leaders we think of as America's Founding Fathers didn't think of themselves that way; they thought the Pastors were Founding Fathers.

• Taxation without Representation is grievance #17 out of 27 in the Declaration of Independence; in other words, economic complaints against the King didn't even make the first half of the list.

• Every right presented in the Declaration of Independence was preached from the American pulpit prior to 1763.

• Massachusetts 1647; First Public School Law in America
• "Satan's #1 purpose is to keep us from reading scripture."
• Grounding kids in Scripture was the whole point.
• Jefferson and Franklin were the two least religious Founders, but they're the only ones we ever talk about when discussing the Faith of the Founders.

• Dr. Benjamin Rush
• "If we can get Americans to read the Bible two things will happen: 1) They'll become Christians and figure out how to have a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ [Personal Note: Amen to THAT], and 2) if Americans will obey what they read it will solve all our social problems."
   
• Mulitiple Founders would read the Bible cover-to-cover once a year. 

• John Adams' writings on Christ are waaay cool!!!

• Abigail Adams said shed rather see John Quincy die than renounce his faith!

• In a free market of spiritual ideas, Christianity wins every time; it's the best product.

• Origin of the Free Market system -- 1 Timothy 5:8, 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

• For Christians, voting is a form of stewardship.

• Luke 19:13 -- "Occupy till I come" -- Whether or not we're living in the End Times is irrelevant.

• A Christian Nation doesn't mean you decree Christianity by law, it means Christianity has a major influence on the development of the culture.

• George Washington asked for Chaplains for the military seven separate times during the Revolution.

• Hebrews 11

What offends me about the Jefferson Lies

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed BY THEIR CREATOR with certain inalienable Rights."  United States Declaration of Independence, 1776, written by Thomas Jefferson.

"Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of people that these liberties are the gift of God?!?"  Thomas Jefferson, quoted at the Jefferson Memorial.

I wrote last week about the controversy surrounding David Barton's new book, "The Jefferson Lies."  Beyond this controversy, we should all be upset that a book like this needed to be written in the first place.  The controversy is obnoxious, but what's truly offensive are the actual Jefferson Lies.

Thomas Jefferson clearly believed in a Judeo-Christian foundation for society.  His writings are filled with references to a biblical foundation; I list two of my favorite above.  While Thomas Jefferson's personal relationship with Jesus Christ is unclear, that doesn't change the Judeo-Christian influence on his political views.

Yes, in 1802, Jefferson did use the phrase "wall of separation between Church and State;" here's the full context:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature would "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

 In other words, Jefferson was trying to protect the Church from the government, and NOT the other way around.

Atheists have been lying about Jefferson's views on the role of Biblical Principles in government since at least 1947, and it pisses me off.

Don't get me started on Sally Hemmings.

Will David Barton be the Next Chick-fil-a?!?

David Barton is a national treasure.  He has done more to preserve the truth about America's Juedo-Christian foundation than anyone else currently alive.  That's why what happened to him Friday is such a shame.

In cast you missed it, last Friday the publisher of Barton's latest work The Jefferson Lies dropped the title.  They claimed a review of the book revealed "historical details...that were not adequately supported."  It's worth pointing out that the publisher did not offer a single specific example.  The publisher didn't even consult Barton over the alleged inaccuracies before pulling the book.  In reality, the publisher caved to left-wing pressure.

(Sidenote: If the book is really as inaccurate as the publisher claims, what does it say about the competence of that publisher that they green-lighted it in the first place?!?)

David Barton is a big boy and he can take care of himself.  He's already found a new publisher.  There is, however, opportunity in this setback.

This controversy is another Chick-fil-a.  In both cases, someone made a claim contrary to the conventional wisdom.  In both cases, rather than engaging in open debate, the purveyors of conventional wisdom shut down dissenting views.

Obviously, I don't (yet!) have a megaphone the size of Mike Huckabee's or Glenn Beck's.  I do, however, think holding 'David Barton Appreciation Day' on September 1 would send a powerful message.  Please take a moment to post this blog entry to Mike Huckabee's and Glenn Beck's Facebook pages if you agree.

Update: The Blaze has A LOT more.