Jerry Holbert – Behind Mexico’s Door
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’
Web Hosting Geeks: Finding The Right Fit
Recently, I was looking for a new home for The Truth Manifesto. I felt it was time to take it up a notch and get our own web hosting and have a little more control in what we could offer our followers here which explains the new look.
It wasn’t too many years ago that you had to pay a good chuck of change to have your website (or in our case, blog) hosted. However, nowadays, web hosting is coming in at ridiculously cheap prices. With the economy the way that it is, it’s best to take the time to shop and compare to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
A place where I’ve gone to shop when looking for the web hosting best packages is over at Web Hosting Geeks.com. They give you a list of some of the most affordable web hosting on the internet.
Hosting coming in as low as $3.95 a month? This is not an exaggeration. That’s $50 to $60 a year. You can’t beat that with a stick.
They also have helpful articles for novices at their Web Hosting Geek’s blog so you’re not left out in the cold. From their Top Ten Best Web Hosts to the their Web Host Awards, if you’re looking for a solution to strengthen your online presence for a minimum investment but with maximum impact, go on over to Web Hosting Geeks and shop around.
Examining The Hate: H.R. 1913
Congressman John Conyers
H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, sponsored by John Conyers (D-MI), was just passed in the house this past. The bill is, quite frankly, a superfluous piece of legislation that pushes a thought police agenda.
The bill seeks to punish offenders for crimes ‘motivated’ by hate because of race, religion, color, natural origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
Here’s a slab of common sense: if someone is motivated to hurt some one physically, especially to the point of using a firearm or incendiary device to murder, it’s a safe bet that they hate them. Juuuust a little.
We have laws in place that punishes criminals who perpetrate violent crimes. To add more because of a perceived hate is just political correctness making its way into the courtroom.
BUT WAIT…THERE’S MORE!
Here’s where it gets disturbing and downright discriminatory.
In Section 6, it starts off saying:
(a) In General- Chapter 13 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
It would make sense to find out what that part of the code says:
If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same;
They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.
This is what is called the Conspiracy Against Rights and it could, in effect, allow law enforcement to consider speaking against, oh…homosexuality in a church or online, as a hate crime. The key word here would be oppress. It’s an attempted end around the First Amendment.
THE COUP DE GRACE
To throw us a bone, they add this at the end:
Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this
Act, shall be construed to prohibit any expressive conduct protected from legal prohibition by, or any activities protected by the free speech or free exercise clauses of, the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Look closely at that. The part we need to be concerned with is protected from legal prohibition. If this bill passes and becomes a law, then it’s legal and therefore the rights you have under the First Amendment are null and void when exercising your free speech if that speech is something they deem oppressive to these groups.
TIME TO GET BUSY
As I said before, this has already passed the house and it needs to be stopped. Americans for the First Amendment need to flood the phones, emails, and mailboxes of their reps and tell them to vote against this bill. Write and call multiple times. It’s time to show them that we’re going to hold them accountable.
Remember, they are employed by us. We are their boss.
The Bible says:
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:9-10)
As Christians, we’re here to serve and we have a responsibility and duty as stewards of this nation to look to protect the welfare of others. To be able to do this is a privilege and a blessing. Take your responsibility as an American seriously. Otherwise, the freedom that we have to worship and speak the very word of God will vanish.
Under Construction: Comment Repair
Well, thanks to one of my readers, I just found out that the ability to leave a comment at the blog here has been impaired. I’m not sure what the deal is but I’m going to surmise that it has something to do with switching over the blog to the new look. That means I’m going to have to get down and dirty in the code here to fix it which is generally not that big of a problem.
Generally.
So in the meantime between time, I ask that you be patient with me as I get this taken care of.
You can leave your comments over at my back up blog at Multiply. It’s always behind as far as posts but at least you can leave your comments until I get this fixed:
Thanks.
Our Christian Heritage – James Madison
James Madison is one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. Known as the “Chief Architect of the Constitution”, he wrote 29 of the 85 Federalist Papers, authored the Bill of Rights, and at the Constitutional Convention, moved for prayer to be enacted in their assembly.
In 1788, he wrote in Federalist No. 37:
It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it[the Constitution] a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.
He was strong defender of religious freedom. The reason for this can be attributed to an incident in his youth. He was standing with his father outside in the village of Orange. At the jail nearby, there were Baptist ministers preaching through their cell windows. They were imprisoned because of their religious stances.
This, no doubt, contributed to him studying for the ministry later on in life before he went on to study law at Princeton. There he was under the tutelage of John Witherspoon, then one of the nations foremost theologians and legal scholars.
In 1772 in a letter to William Bradford, a close friend from college, he stated:
A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest while we are building ideal monuments of renown and bliss here, we neglect to have our names enrolled in the annals of Heaven.
Madison later went on to serve in the Virginia legislator and helped to write the Virginia Constitution from 1776 to 1779. Shortly thereafter, he became a member of the Continental Congress where he served from 1780 to 1783.
In 1801 he was appointed by Thomas Jefferson as the Secretary of State, whereby he helped engineer the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. In 1808 he became the fourth President of the United States.
In a letter to Frederick Beasley on November 20, 1825, he said:
The belief in a God all powerful, wise, and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be withdrawn from too many sources, nor adapted with too much solicitude to the different characters and capacities to be impressed with it.
Stupid Ads
If you haven’t noticed in my sidebar, I’m a part of two ad services. The one that everyone knows is AdSense and the other is Text Link Ads.
What I’m starting to figure out is that you’ve got to stay on top of things with them otherwise they’ll just put anything on your website. So if any questionable ads come up and you click on them, please comment and let me know. I’ve been getting things resolved in a relatively short amount of time but sometimes they get through the cracks.
Thanks for your help ahead of time.
Cardboard Testimonies
It’s rare that I do this but in this case, I must.
This has warmed my heart and made me cry with joy because I, by myself, have been through and what many of these people have gone through and been what they’ve been (I have a slight headache because of that but it’s worth it).
Yet God, through His grace and mercy, has called me to do what I do and filled me with His Spirit so I can be what I am.
I needed this today and it confirms something I’ve been praying about for the last couple of days. I thank you because not only does this keep me humble, it gives me hope.
So what do ya think about that? Let me know.
Our Christian Heritage – John Adams
Today I’ve been thinking about the goal of the Truth Manifesto. It says right in the description that it is “Amercia’s Christian heritage refusing to die.” It is a harbinger of truth in a nation that has patently lost its conscience and sense righteousness.
So to support that mission, I’ve added a new department to the The Truth Manifesto I call Our Christian Heritage which highlights the quotes, comments, and beliefs of some of the United States’ foremost influential Americans in our history. It is meant as a true understanding of where the blessing of the United States comes from and is a reflection of those that came before us and what they thought.
This is not to say that every one that is quoted here was a die hard Christian. That would be a flat out lie. However, the consensus in this country was that God was the source of our blessing and a vast majority of these people were believers in Jesus Christ.
This is also not to say also that this nation was a “Christian” nation as it was not in a straight literal sense. However, it was, unequivocally, built on Christian/biblical principles by men and women who believed in God and country and whose morals and worldview is reflected in the way that they lived and governed.
My hope is that these quotes will be a source of inspiration and enlightenment about the history of this great nation. So, let me know what you think of them by dropping a comment in link below.
Thanks and God bless.
Jude 2
John Adams
The second President of the United States, he served as Vice President for eight years under George Washington. In addition, the library of Congress and the Department of the Navy were established during his presidency.
This quote was made on October 11, 1798, in his address to the military:
We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
McCain: Actions Speak Louder
Yesterday we looked at a general overview of the voting record of senator Barack Obama on some key issues for those of us who are Christian and vote according to the dictates of biblical principles. Today, it’s senator McCain’s turn and we’ll do exactly the same thing on exactly the same issues and see how he fares.
Understand that when we’re looking at McCain’s voting record, or anyone’s for that matter, it’s not to go into a whole lot of detail because all we’re looking for here is a litmus test to see which one of the candidates pass the standard that I’ve laid out. It’s a first step in what responsible voters should be doing when looking at a a candidate who they want to support with their vote.
The Proof Is In The Pudding
Abortion
Prohibiting the Funds in S 1200 from Being Used for Abortions – No Vote
Prohibiting Funds for Groups that Perform Abortions – Yes
Prohibiting U.S. Assistance for Groups that Support Coercive Abortion – No Vote
Unintended Pregnancy Amendment – No
What this says to me is that he’s leaning towards being a pro-lifer and if you look at the rest of his record, it’s astoundingly clear that he is. Again, for many Christians, this is the deal breaker and in McCain’s case, most likely a deal maker. And when you see his response during the Rick Warren forum, you can see how emphatic he is about this.
Immigration
Immigration Enforcement and Border Fence Amendment – No Vote
Denying Legal Status for Immigrants Convicted of Certain Crimes – No
Barring Immigrants with Certain Criminal Histories – Yes
Immigration Enforcement and Employer Sanctions Amendment – No Vote
Declaring English the National Language – Yes
Double-Layered Fencing Amendment – No
McCain is no better on immigration. As a matter of fact, when you look at some of the details of some of these bills, I wondering why he voted right in step with liberals.
Defense
Funding for Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan – No Vote
Same response as yesterday. Didn’t even care enough to show up. Lovely.
Energy
Amendment on Certain Energy-Related Programs, Including the Development of Oil Shale and Offshore Natural Gas – No Vote
Offshore Drilling in Virginia – No Vote
His record here is worse.
I thought that senator’s were supposed to vote on bills? I mean if they don’t like a bill how it’s written, you vote no. You make the time for your constituents and take the job seriously. No wonder people don’t vote in America. The people they vote for don’t vote when they’re supposed to either. Great example.
Environment
Alternative Energy Tax Incentives – No Vote
Carbon Emissions Cap and Trade Plan – No Vote
Energy Act of 2007 – No Vote
Following right in step with his opponent on this one. Sheesh.
Family And Children Issues
Child Custody Protection Act – Yes
Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies – No Vote
Same Sex Marriage Resolution – No
This is only marginally better than Obama. He obviously doesn’t think same sex marriages are a threat to the family enough to put a Constitutional amendment in there but he doesn’t want parents to not be informed about their child about to get an abortion.
Guns
Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill – Yes
Firearm Confiscation Prohibition Amendment – Yes
Child Safety Lock Amendment – Yes
Quite frankly, this is the strongest area which says to me that he cares more about guns than does about abortion which says something about his outlook on things.
Health
Stem Cell Research Act of 2007 – Yes
Stem Cell Research Bill – Yes
And here’s the rub. Against abortion but down for stem cell research. Called an oxymoron.
So, just from a sampling of the key issues, I see McCain, from his voting record, as:
- Pro-life view for the most part. Supporting stem cell research is a definite black mark.
- May lean towards supporting gay marriage.
- Is A-1 on gun control.
- Might be looking for the way the wind blows politically on the environment (no pun intended).
- Doesn’t really care about energy because he doesn’t show up to vote.
- Isn’t serious about preventing convicted criminals from coming to our country illegally.
Now, just from this sparse picture and from listening to what he says, I’m not all ga ga about him one bit. He has some serious problems in his history of siding with liberals and then voting like one. He’s not a true conservative no matter who he picks for his running mate. I wish Palin was the candidate and not him.
Now, I have a choice. One of these two are going to win and I don’t like where neither one of them stands. If there were more viable candidates, I’d pick them. But this is what I have to work with so I have to choose which one more closely lines up with the biblical principles I believe in in terms of law, ethics, and morality. So, rather reluctantly but more as a vote against Obama than for McCain, he gets my vote…for now.
Everyone who votes is motivated by something. Hate. Duty. Anger. Patriotism. What Christians should be motivated by is love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). We have the Truth so we should do everything in our power to make sure people hear it (2 Timothy 4:2), see it (1 John 3:18), and experience it (Hebrews 13:16). Something as simple as a vote testifies to the Truth we stand for and when we’re faithful with the little, he’ll give us more.
Tomorrow: Slavery vs. Abortion. Not too much of a difference.
Time To Speak Up!
I see that there are people who come to this blog every day and yet never say a word. Grant it, I’ve just started blogging seriously for a little over two weeks but I know that the things that I say here are either getting either a hearty ‘Amen’, ‘you’re wack’, or somewhere in between.
I’m all about community here. If you don’t like what I’m saying or disagree with me, go ahead and give me a REASONED argument why. For that matter, you can do the same if you agree with me also.
Also…let’s not write a book. I’m not going to allow a post that bogarts the comments section with a long dissertation of disagreeing or agreeing with me. If you can’t say it in a couple of short paragraphs, then you’re saying too much.
So if you’re coming here by any of the varied means that we use to spread The Truth Manifesto, then could you take a minute to say something? Comment on a post. Tell your friends. Spread the word. Engage in some dialogue. I don’t bite…too hard.
So what do ya think about that? Let me know.
God bless.
Jude 2
