THE FOUNDATION: RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

“The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeably to their conscience, is not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights.” —George Washington

CULTURE

“The Christmas season is upon us, which means it’s that special time of year for the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State to make sure no wayward city council will allow a whiff of frankincense on government property. They must send out direct-mail fundraising letters asking ‘Help Us Crush a Creche at Christmas!’ The Christmas season is also that time of year when the business world implores us to consider the material as more important than the spiritual, all in the spirit of ‘the holidays.’ So we celebrate the arrival on Christmas Day of iPods and DVDs… Then again, maybe this is precisely the kind of seasonal silliness that causes the Christian faithful to shut out the noise and contemplate the real nativity scene and its eternal promise.” —Brent Bozell

LIBERTY

“As we approach the major holiday across the world that celebrates and worships the birth of Christ and everything that symbolizes, I think something like this needs to be said: Merry Christmas to all of America’s liberals and to every citizen across the land who doesn’t share my view of the world. And Happy Hanukah and, yes, Kwanza too if you go there. If you despise Christmas and you’re way too secular for all of this, then just more power to you… But we are considerably fortunate to live in a country where this fundamental freedom is allowed us all. It is nothing short of a blessing.” —Jeffrey Lord

THE GIPPER

“The first Christmas was a time of family joy for Joseph and Mary and the child Jesus. Although they had made a long journey to reach Bethlehem and were lodged in humble surroundings, they knew that the child Mary bore was a gift not to them alone, but to all mankind. The shepherds who gathered around the manger, and the wise men who traveled from the East to honor the King of Kings, knew that the star above Bethlehem was a guide not only for the pilgrims of that day, but for those in every age seeking the peace which passes understanding. An early American hymn sang of the Christ-child that ‘this richest babe comes poor in being, more pearled within than to the seeing.’ More than any gift or toy, ornament or tree, let us resolve that this Christmas shall be, like that first Christmas, a celebration of interior treasures.” —Ronald Reagan

HARVARD READS THE PATRIOT

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Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis!

Mark Alexander

Publisher

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“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.” —Thomas Paine

FAMILY

“[W]hen you consider why true poverty exists, you realize it’s not simply a matter of pouring more money into this or that government program. ‘There are two main reasons that American children are poor,’ [Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation] writes. ‘Their parents don’t work much, and fathers are absent from the home.’ The typical poor family with children is supported by only 16 hours of work per week. If work in this family were raised to 40 hours per week, he says, nearly 75 percent of poor children would be lifted out of official poverty. As for absent fathers: Nearly two out of every three poor children live in single-parent homes. And each year, another 1.5 million children are born out of wedlock. ‘If poor mothers married the fathers of their children, almost three-quarters would immediately be lifted out of poverty,’ Rector writes. But don’t hold your breath waiting for one of the presidential hopefuls to float that solution.” —Rebecca Hagelin

GOVERNMENT

“Government allocation of resources enhances the potential for human conflict, while market allocation reduces it. That also applies to contentious national issues such as Social Security and health care. You take care of your retirement and health care as you please, and I’ll take care of mine as I please. If you prefer socialized retirement and health care, that’s fine if you don’t force others to participate. I’m afraid most Americans view such a liberty-oriented solution with hostility. They believe they have a right to enlist the brute forces of government to impose their preferences on others.” —Walter Williams

OPINION IN BRIEF

“[N]one of the [Clinton] scandals were bolder and publicly vexing than the fact that whole cases of FBI files of Clinton opponents or antagonists were missing and mysteriously popped up in Hillary’s possession. The fact that many of the names found in such files were also under special audit from the IRS—many for several years in a row—under the Clinton regime troubled the few Americans who followed the news closely enough to understand it. The willingness that such executive power would be focused to abuse their ideological enemies is revolting and repulsive. In the years since Hillary has repackaged herself as the ‘moderate’ Senator from New York thus further distancing herself from the trouble of the Arkansas days. But make no mistake—everything ugly associated with the word Clinton is back. Rigged appearances, intimidation of the press, and the discovery that research hacks are even now sitting in some campaign office basement putting together strategy hits for the assassination of their current opponents—its all back.” —Kevin McCullough

POLITICAL FUTURES

“’Given the lack of time available,’ Sen. Mitch McConnell said last week, ‘the best way to deal with the troop funding issue would be in the context of some kind of settlement on an overall omnibus appropriation bill.’ Instead of following the President’s hard line on spending, the Republican leader of the Senate was opting for a compromise bill that George W. Bush might be forced to sign because it contains money for Iraq. Mitch McConnell has proved an effective minority leader who has kept his 49 senators remarkably unified. What is often overlooked is that McConnell is the first Senate Republican leader in nearly half a century with a seat on the Appropriations Committee. Sen. Lamar Alexander, newly elected chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and a McConnell ally, is also an appropriator. So are Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison, the Conference vice chairman, and the canny Robert Bennett, McConnell’s close adviser who sits at the leadership table as the minority leader’s counsel. These Senate GOP leaders opt for pork as the party reaches a fork in the road. That fork offers choices not only for current government spending but also for the Republican future. One way pressed by conservative reformers would either block an omnibus bill or stop it by sustaining a presidential veto, insisting on a CR that would save taxpayers $30 billion a year. The other course makes a deal with an omnibus bill $8 billion to $11 billion over Bush’s guidelines, virtually forcing him to sign it by inserting troop money, further depressing the demoralized Republican voter base. That was the course McConnell clearly indicated last week.” —Robert Novak

FOR THE RECORD

“In a story titled 2007 Elections Offer Little Guidance for Republicans in 2008, FOX News notes, ‘Republicans on Capitol Hill have been engaged in a re-branding exercise since losing their majorities in the House and Senate in 2006. But GOP lawmakers and strategists are divided over whether the party should espouse conservative principles or a more moderate image in light of 2007 election results.’ This is EXACTLY why we are now in the mess we are in. If our party leaders and so-called ‘strategists’ can’t figure out whether a conservative or moderate approach is better, it simply shows they have no guiding principles in the first place. There should be absolutely NO debate on where the party should be on the issues. America embraced the Republican Party because we stood for conservative principles and reform. To succeed, we simply need to return to those core values.” —Bobby Eberle

SELECT READER COMMENTS

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“Just to read the opinions of other conservative patriots who write to The Patriot Post gives me hope that all is not lost. We as a group can and will overcome this relentless attach on our freedom of Religion and our God given right to live FREE from the dictates of the so called ruling elite. You know the brain dead ones—Pelosi, Kennedy, Reid, The Clintons et al (and I would like to include RINO McCain). No only do I support The Patriot with my heart, I support it with my wallet and business efforts. God bless you all for the risks you take in publishing this great venue.” —La Center, Washington

“It is my honor to renew our quarterly donation to ensure that you meet your annual fund requirements. The Patriot is a staple of my information gathering every week. It ensures that I meet my requirements for knowledge from an historical and moral point of view. As my son prepares to leave for Navy boot camp, I am certain it will increase in its ‘voice of sanity’ roll in my life. Thank you, Patriot staff, for continuing to work tirelessly in a world gone mad.” —Kansas City, Missouri

“I have been receiving The Patriot Post for many months now and look forward to each new edition. I’ve added many of the quotations you publish into my growing personal listing of wise sayings. I regret that I’m not your largest contributor but I hope that I’m at least a consistent one and my small efforts help to sustain your efforts.” —Fort Walton Beach, Florida

RE: THE LEFT

“[T]o the extent that the [National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s nuclear-weapons program] undercuts the credibility of the threat of military force, it reduces American leverage over Iran (and over our own allies) and thereby diminishes rather than enhances the prospects for diplomatic success. If indeed Iran stopped its nuclear-weapons program in 2003, is it a coincidence that this was the same year America made good on its threat of military force against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq? Here’s what troubles us about the report, though: If one can have high confidence in the NIE findings, then those findings are good news for America. They mean that a regime that has repeatedly shown its hostility toward our country is less of a threat than we had reason to fear. If Iran had nuclear weapons, it could create a humanitarian catastrophe. Or it could use the threat to do so to do all sorts of mischief that would be destructive to U.S. interests in the region. But we haven’t seen anyone celebrating the NIE as good news for America. The people who profess to believe it all seem to view it as a partisan document, a weapon to be used in their battle against the Bush administration. To the administration’s domestic foes, it doesn’t seem to matter how much of a threat Iran poses; short-term political gain is more important than the interests of America.” —James Taranto

THE LAST WORD

“Reductions in enemy attacks, fewer U.S., coalition and civilian casualties and improvements in Iraqi military and security forces have driven news from Iraq out of the front pages of our papers and off broadcast news. Publicly, U.S. commanders describe the situation as ‘cautiously optimistic’ and say ‘the momentum is in the right direction.’ Privately, they say, ‘We are putting them (al-Qa’ida and the Shi’ite militias) on the ropes.’ Though disappointed by the lack of ‘good news’ being reported in the U.S. media, the troops’ sense of humor is undiminished. When Secretary Gates was in Baghdad this week, it was announced that lack of congressional funding could result in ‘pink slips for up to 200,000 Defense Department employees.’ Hearing the story, one young soldier heading out on patrol commented, ‘Somebody call me if I get laid off’.” —Oliver North

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.)