ChristiansUnite Forums

THE FOUNDATION: POLITICAL LEADERS

“The great principles of right and wrong are legible to every reader; to pursue them requires not the aid of many counselors. The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest.”  - Thomas Jefferson

FOR THE RECORD

“I never really set out to be involved in public affairs, much less to run for this office... I was just your average hockey mom in Alaska... busy raising our kids. I was serving as the team mom and coaching some basketball on the side. I got involved in the PTA and then was elected to the city council, and then elected mayor of my hometown, where my agenda was to stop wasteful spending, and cut property taxes, and put the people first. I was then appointed ethics commissioner and chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. And when I found corruption there, I fought it hard, and I held the offenders to account. Along with fellow reformers in the great state of Alaska, as governor, I’ve stood up to the old politics as usual, to the special interests, to the lobbyists, the big oil companies, and the good-ole-boy network. When oil and gas prices went up so dramatically and the state revenues followed with that increase, I sent a large share of that revenue directly back to the people of Alaska. And we are now... embarking on a $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence. I signed major ethics reform. And I appointed both Democrats and independents to serve in my administration. I championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress... ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ on that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said we’d build it ourselves. Well, it’s always... safer in politics to avoid risk, to just kind of go along with the status quo. But I didn’t get into government to do the safe and easy things. A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not why the ship is built. Politics isn’t just a game of competing interests and clashing parties. The people of America expect us to seek public office and to serve for the right reasons. And the right reason is to challenge the status quo and to serve the common good. Now, no one expects us to agree on everything, whether in Juneau or in Washington. But we are expected to govern with integrity, and goodwill, and clear convictions, and a servant’s heart.”  - Alaska Governor and Republican VP Nominee Sarah Palin

THE GIPPER

“‘Trust me’ government asks that we concentrate our hopes and dreams on one man; that we trust him to do what’s best for us. My view of government places trust not in one person or one party, but in those values that transcend persons and parties. The trust is where it belongs - in the people. The responsibility to live up to that trust is where it belongs, in their elected leaders. That kind of relationship, between the people and their elected leaders, is a special kind of compact.”  - Ronald Reagan

POLITICAL FUTURES

“Bingo. For weeks, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been the Republican whom conservatives barely dared to hope could become John McCain’s pick as his running mate. For Republicans angry at Washington’s big-spending bonanza when Republicans controlled the White House and Congress, Palin, like McCain, is an antidote. She is the Alaskan who pulled state support for the infamous Bridge to Nowhere and bucked Alaska’s congressional and state Republican leaders. For social conservatives, the mother of five has impeccable credentials. She’s a member of Feminists for Life, who walked the walk in April when she gave birth to a son, shown by genetic testing to have Down syndrome... For conservatives, who felt that McCain has been at times too cozy with the Washington left, Palin is a conservative’s conservative - a moose hunter and co-owner of a commercial fishing operation. As an Alaskan, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Her husband works for BP on an Alaska oil field... McCain has been too much of a wishful thinker when it comes to energy policy. Palin could champion a more grounded approach to energy. As a female candidate, Palin just might attract disgruntled Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters - or at least give them pause before voting for the Obama-Biden ticket... Is she short on experience? Yes. Voters will have to watch her performance on the campaign trail to judge how she responds to high-stakes politics and the international arena. That said, as a governor, Palin she has more experience running a government than Obama, who began serving his first term in the U.S. Senate in 2005. And unlike Obama, Palin has shown herself willing to challenge [the] jaded ethical policies within her party. That’s change.”  - Debra Saunders

RE: THE LEFT

“Moments after the media confirmed McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin, the Obama campaign released an obviously hastily composed statement claiming that experience was no longer ‘on the table’ as an issue for the duration of the campaign. Setting aside the arrogance of dictating what will and will not be an issue, the Democrats claimed that a two-year governor of a small state (which happens to be bigger than half the continental U.S.) whose previous offices were that of mayor and city council member is not qualified to be Vice President of the United States. This charge was made by the campaign of a candidate who has only been in the United States Senate for four years and has spent two of those running for president; all the while studiously avoiding any legislative issues that may have hampered his effort or ambition. The Obama campaign’s initial reaction, however, was telling. Having spent the last month unable to drive a message, they immediately attacked their new opponent and denigrated her experience as a small-town mayor. One could venture a guess that most folks in Kansas or similar places know who their mayor is far better than they know their U.S. Senators. Continuing a narrative that will haunt the Obama campaign into the fall, they turn their noses up at ‘regular’ Americans, who have worked hard for what they believe in and reached great heights. Apparently you’re only allowed to pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you’re at the top of the ticket.”  - Rich Galen
_________________________________

OPINION IN BRIEF

“Joe Biden is Barack Obama’s Dick Cheney. Biden’s age and experience stand in stark contrast to Obama’s lack of both. Like Cheney, Biden is unlikely after two terms as vice president to ever seek the presidency in his own right. That will give him the freedom to be the power behind the throne. And if (God forbid) Barack Obama is elected president, he is going to need a lot of guidance. His reckless, naive foreign policy initiatives at this crucial point in history could put the entire free world at risk. Neither Barack Obama nor Joe Biden has ever run anything. Neither has served in an executive capacity, such as governor of a state or CEO of a major corporation. Both are bloviating legislators in the United States Congress, the ratings of which have hovered at or near single digits in most the recent public opinion polls. But hopefully... Biden will at least have the seasoning to keep Captain America from getting us all killed while he’s playing his big role on the world stage.”  - Doug Patton

CAMPAIGN WATCH

“Does [Michelle Obama] really think this a great country? Asked if she worried about her husband being assassinated, Mrs. Obama said ‘as a black man, Barack could be shot going to the gas station,’ as if this were 1950 Alabama. ‘The life that I’m talking about that most people are living has gotten progressively worse since I was a little girl.’ She opened her home to William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. She sat in the Rev. Wright’s church for 20 years. She told the Democratic convention that she loves America. Is that the real Michelle Obama? Or was it the woman who hoped her husband could deliver this country because ‘our souls are broken in this nation’.”  - Mona Charen

IChThUS IMPRIMIS

“Democrats have worked hard to bring more religious voters into their fold. As part of their strategy they have promoted a dubious and debatable doctrine that big government should be doing the work of God on Earth. But Democrats want to pick and choose what they like about God and what they don’t (Republicans sometimes do this as well in such matters as wealth and materialism). While government has a role in addressing certain issues that can be considered biblically-based (such as justice and poverty), Democrats see no role for government in helping to restrict sinful man when he wishes to kill the unborn, or allow - even promote - any and every relationship but traditional marriage. It is in its failure to address these premier moral issues that the Democratic Party has unmasked itself as a party that cares less for God’s agenda and more for its own, as it pursues the White House.”  - Cal Thomas

CULTURE

“Our noisy national nominating conventions are a distinctive element of American culture and identity. At times they look like revival meetings, and that’s not a coincidence... Doesn’t that make it more understandable? The spirited singing and dancing, the loud cheering, the emotional speeches and exhortations, the ecstatic responses, the melting tears, the raucous laughter, the healing of rifts, the renewal of faith, and so on? And then on the fourth day comes the ultimate catharsis - the deliverer who unites everyone in singleminded conversion to the cause.”  - Carol Iannone

LIBERTY

“When we hear about rent control or gun control, we may think about rent or guns but the word that really matters is ‘control.’ That is what the political left is all about, as you can see by the incessant creation of new restrictions in places where they are strongly entrenched in power, such as San Francisco or New York.”  - Thomas Sowell

GOVERNMENT

“The greatest threat to mankind’s prosperity is government. A recent example is Zimbabwe’s increasing misery. Like our country, Zimbabwe had a flourishing agriculture sector, so much so it was called the breadbasket of southern Africa. Today, its people are on the brink of starvation as a result of its government. It’s the same story in many countries - government interference with mankind’s natural tendency to engage in wealth-producing activities. Blaming poverty on overpopulation not only lets governments off the hook; it encourages the enactment of harmful policies.”  - Walter Williams
_________________________________________

SELECT READER COMMENTS

(Our servers automatically delete “Reply” messages to this e-mail. To submit or to view reader comments visit our Reader Comments page. Join the debate at the Patriot Blog.)

“‘Change the channel!’ was an excellent article. Great job of calling out the empty verbosity and circumlocution of the speech from the Democrat nominee. The number of times the candidate used the first person singular pronoun shouted for attention. It left the distinct impression that he will do it all. Congress and the rest of the country need worry or do anything... but pay for the blank check he wrote. If he is elected ‘change’ is all that will be left in the pockets of all Americans at the end of his first term.”  - NSW, Australia

“Watching this charade of largesse paid for by the Dimwits of the DNC and it’s donors is very telling. Imagine what this Demogogue will do with taxpayer funds to further his agendas.”  - Livermore, California

“John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his VP running mate is a stroke of genius. A young woman who is not a Washington insider who has executive experience. Wow. It seems to me that this choice puts the Demos at a disadvantage. They can’t point out her inexperience because that would make Obama’s inexperience stand out. ”  - McDermott, Ohio

“I am a long time Republican who thought John McCain was the worst choice. In fact, I have called him a RINO, especially for the McCain/Feingold finance debacle. I was going to hold my nose this election while voting for him anyway, but his choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate has given me hope for conservatives in this country. I actually felt a return of excitement and pride in my party and my country. God bless America!”  - Cumby, Texas

“I just purchased a few of your ‘The Difference Between Obama and Osama is Just a Little BS’ stickers. I think that this is your BEST EVER. We are a low-income husband & wife and just can’t afford to make contributions to The Patriot Post. However, we can and do buy cheap items from the Patriot Shop knowing that, even though your net profit is minuscule, together, every little bit helps. Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis my friends.”  - Omaha, Nebraska

THE LAST WORD

“[The media] want this Hurricane to illustrate the incompetence of Republicans again; that’s going to backfire on them with Governor [Bobby] Jindal down there running things... If you put a conservative Republican in charge of a state rather than a couple liberal Democrats like Nagin and Blanco, you’re going to see the difference if this happens. But while Drive-Bys and the Democrats are keeping a sharp eye out on Hurricane Gustav, category three; Hurricane Sarah struck the Democrats and made landfall [Friday] as a category 10 and global warming had nothing to do with it!”  - Rush Limbaugh

Veritas vos Liberabit - Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot’s editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm’s way around the world, and for their families - especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)