THE FOUNDATION: RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

“Let the pulpit resound with the doctrine and sentiments of religious liberty. Let us hear of the dignity of man’s nature, and the noble rank he holds among the works of God.” —John Adams

IChThUS IMPRIMIS

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.” —Isaiah 11:1-5

THE GIPPER

“The Nativity story of nearly twenty centuries ago is known by all faiths as a hymn to the brotherhood of man. For Christians, it is the fulfillment of age-old prophecies and the reaffirmation of God’s great love for all of us. Through a generous Heavenly Father’s gift of His Son, hope and compassion entered a world weary with fear and despair and changed it for all time. On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Christ with prayer, feasting, and great merriment. But, most of all, we experience it in our hearts. For, more than just a day, Christmas is a state of mind. It is found throughout the year whenever faith overcomes doubt, hope conquers despair, and love triumphs over hate. It is present when men of any creed bring love and understanding to the hearts of their fellow man. The feeling is seen in the wondrous faces of children and in the hopeful eyes of the aged. It overflows the hearts of cheerful givers and the souls of the caring. And it is reflected in the brilliant colors, joyful sounds, and beauty of the winter season. Let us resolve to honor this spirit of Christmas and strive to keep it throughout the year.” —Ronald Reagan

INSIGHT

“The concerted effort to minimize Christmas has resulted in it being our national Happy Holiday holiday. The Christmas season is now the holiday season. Christmas parties are now holiday parties. Christmas is a time for giving and receiving presents and in many homes, nothing more. Who is this fellow, Jesus Christ, anyway?” —Lyn Nofziger

RE: THE LEFT

“Democrats who supported a House resolution to honor Ramadan voted against a similar resolution to honor Christmas and Christianity… 18 Democrats voted ‘nay’ or ‘present’ on a resolution to ‘recognize the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith.’ An eagle-eyed Republican House staffer points out that those same members, with one exception, voted to ‘recognize the commencement of Ramadan,’ a Muslim religious observance in October. Nine Democrats voted against the Christmas resolution. They are: Rep. Gary Ackerman (N.Y.), Rep. Yvette Clarke (N.Y.), Rep. Diane DeGette (Colo.), Rep. Alcee Hastings (Fla.), Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.), Rep. Jim McDermott (Wash.), Rep. Robert Scott (Va.), Rep. Pete Stark (Calif.) and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (Calif.). Another nine Democrats chose to vote ‘present.’ They are: Rep. Hon Conyers (Mich.), Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.), Rep. Rush Holt (N.Y.), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), Rep. Peter Welch (Vt.) and Rep. John Yarmuth (Ky.) Each of them supported the Ramadan resolution except for Rep. Lee, who did not vote.” —Amanda Carpenter

CULTURE

“We could focus on the latest worrisome news in education: the results of an international test released last week that show American 15-year-olds don’t know much about science and are falling behind their peers in other industrialized nations. But why get depressed? There is an aluminum foil lining: The test also found that our teens don’t let their ignorance bother them. They may not know as much as students in Finland, Canada or New Zealand, but they think they do. When asked to rate their own scientific abilities, they put themselves at the top with their better-educated peers. This is the real trend in American education. No one can match us when it comes to self-esteem.” —Los Angeles Times

OPINION IN BRIEF

“Unless I am very much mistaken, the people are fed up with candidates’ grandiose schemes to make Washington more efficient, the economy stronger, our foreign policy more effective or how they would handle illegal immigration matters. They have been hearing those un-kept promises for years. What they haven’t been hearing from the people who want their votes is the promise of a future where America reaches the full potential the founding fathers envisioned over 230 years ago—a nation where equal opportunity is available for all, where government is once again the servant of the people and not their master, where truth is more important than political correctness, where their hard-earned wages are not squandered on wasteful and foolish government programs, and where elected legislators and not unelected judges enact the laws. This is an America where principles, not programs, govern our lives and political activities. This is a shining city on the hill. The Republican candidates, for reasons I can’t fathom, cannot see that shining city, or if they can, are unable to explain what it would be like under their administration. On the Democratic side, there is no problem envisioning a future under their authority. Instead of envisioning a shining city on a hill, they see a Marxist municipality which on close inspection turns out to be just another one of those socialist slums which litter the garbage bin of history. If Republicans refuse to take the blinders off their eyes and look to a future in the shining city, they will lose the election next year, and the nation will begin its dreary trek to the socialist slums where everybody will have an equal opportunity to be miserable.” —Michael Reagan

GOVERNMENT

“Oregon has a very interesting provision in its constitution, a ‘kicker law.’… It has to do with giving money back to taxpayers. When revenues exceed economist-predicted amounts—amounts which determine the size of each year’s mandated balanced budget—by 2 percent or more, the extra funds are to be returned to the taxpayers. I think the ‘kicker’ part is that a refund ‘kicks in’ automatically. I could be wrong… It could be that the law really kicks politicians in the pants if their economists don’t do a good job of predicting a year’s revenue. Like any good kick in the pants, one hears a lot of howls. Basically, a whole lot of people in Salem, the capital, believe the money shouldn’t be given back. Why, the government taxed it fair and square. The fact that bigger taxpayers get back bigger refunds bothers some people a lot, too. Steve Buckstein—of Oregon’s innovative Cascade Policy Institute—recently defended Oregon’s taxpayers and their refund against the claims of, well, envy. ‘Envy is a powerful emotion,’ he wrote, ‘but it should not trump reason. If we can find a better way to restrain runaway government spending, we should do so. But until that day arrives, the kicker law,’ Buckstein says, retains enough kick to keep politicians in line.” —Paul Jacob

POLITICAL FUTURES

“After many false prophecies, [Howard] Dean circa 2008 has finally arrived. He is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Not because he will inevitably blow himself up in Iowa. But because, like Dean, his nomination would represent an act of suicide by his party. Like Dean, Huckabee is an under-vetted former governor who is manifestly unprepared to be president of the United States. Like Dean, he is rising toward the top of polls in a crowded field based on his appeal to a particular niche of his party. As with Dean, his vulnerabilities in a general election are so screamingly obvious that it’s hard to believe that primary voters, once they focus seriously on their choice, will nominate him. The GOP’s social conservatism inarguably has been an enormous benefit to the party throughout the past 30 years, winning over conservative Democrats and lower-income voters who otherwise might not find the Republican limited-government message appealing. That said, nominating a Southern Baptist pastor running on his religiosity would be rather overdoing it. Social conservatism has to be part of the Republican message, but it can’t be the message in its entirety. Someone needs to tell Huckabee.” —Rich Lowry

FOR THE RECORD

“A thought on the presence of Bill Clinton. He is showing up all over in Iowa and New Hampshire, speaking, shaking hands, drawing crowds. But when he speaks, he has a tendency to speak about himself. It’s all, always, me-me-me in his gigantic bullying neediness. Still, he’s there, and he’s a draw, and the plan was that his presence would boost his wife’s fortunes. The way it was supposed to work, the logic, was this: People miss Bill. They miss the ‘90s. They miss the pre-9/11 world. So they’ll love seeing him back in the White House. So they’ll vote for Hillary. Because she’ll bring him. ‘Two for the price of one.’ It appears not to be working. Might it be that they don’t miss Bill as much as everyone thought? That they don’t actually want Bill back in the White House? Maybe. But maybe it’s this. Maybe they’d love to have him back in the White House. Maybe they just don’t want him to bring her. Maybe they miss the Cuckoo’s Nest and they’d love having Jack Nicholson’s McMurphy running through the halls. Maybe they just don’t miss Nurse Ratched. Does she have to come?” —Peggy Noonan

CALLING ALL PATRIOTS!

American Spectator Editor in Chief R. Emmett Tyrrell reads The Patriot Post: “The Patriot is an indispensable resource for sound conservative opinion.”

As of this morning, we have raised almost 87 percent of our year-end donor campaign toward our 2007 Annual Fund budget. There are only 14 days left in this critical campaign, and we still must raise $107,126 in order to meet budget.

The Patriot Post is distributed without a subscription fee so that thousands of our military, collegiate and mission-field readers can receive The Patriot at no charge.

“Let me offer a very appreciative ‘Thank You’ for The Patriot’s contribution to our great nation. Your coverage of issues has given me a full clip of ammunition (with reloads!) in my discussions with liberals, and RINO’s. As students, we can no longer afford to be apathetic. Our values, culture… our country is under assault. Much like the war on terrorism, we need to be more proactive and take the fight to our enemy, otherwise we will loose the liberty we have inherited from those who maintained it often with their own blood.” —Gainesville, Florida

If you have not already done so, please take a moment to support The Patriot’s 2007 Annual Fund today with a secure online donation—however large or small. Every dollar you contribute provides a free subscription for someone serving our nation, or a young person who will fill a family, community and national leadership role in the next generation!

If you prefer to support The Patriot by mail, please use our Donor Support Form.

I thank you for the honor and privilege of serving you as editor and publisher of The Patriot. On behalf of your Patriot staff and National Advisory Committee, thank you and God bless you and your family!

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis!

Mark Alexander

Publisher

(The Patriot is not sustained by any political, special-interest or parent organization, nor do we accept any online or e-mail advertising. Our mission and operations budgets are funded by—and depend entirely upon—the voluntary financial support of American Patriots like YOU!)

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.)

“As I read Friday’s Patriot Post, I was saddened that with only 17 days left, you are still 15 percent short of next year’s operating budget. Will any of you join me and give again, perhaps even sacrificially to this worthy cause? No, not a cause, but a mission—a mission as important as any in this ‘age of deceit,’ where the truth is twisted and corrupted for political advantage. The Patriot Post is a true beacon, is these troubled and murky waters. I am going to make a donation right now. Will you join me?” —Klamath Falls, Oregon

“Some decades ago, I entered our country from my native Canada, after parents and family had worked through the various application processes required to obtain valid visas. I later became a U.S. citizen the legal way. I appreciate your excellent stirring and incisive support for liberty, good government, well-qualified public servants, timely informational updates, and particularly your stance on immigration. I just donated at the ‘Frontline Patriot’ level online. Hope it helps.” —Draper, Utah

“I was injured in a motorcycle accident on April 16th of this year and have been out of work since that time, but I feel that The Patriot Post is the most important Internet publication that is around, so I debated contributing, but my wife and I both feel that supporting The Patriot is very important for us to do! Merry Christmas to you and yours.” —Gary, Texas

“You have an excellent web site and I read your Brief, Chronicle and Digest religiously. I also use your information when writing letters to the editor and discussions with friends and relatives. Keep up the good work. My check is in the mail.” —Lakeview, Oregon

“As a Veteran, USAF and USMC Reserve, I greatly appreciate The Patriot. Unfortunately, I have very limited funds to contribute; retired, in my seventies, surviving on Social Security and struggling with Parkinson’s Disease leaves me short of coin most of the time. I promote The Patriot by forwarding excerpts or entire pages to other retirees and Veterans. Hopefully those that get introduced through me may be able to assist with funding.” —Clearwater, Florida

Editor’s Reply: Sir, you have already supported us immeasurably by honoring us with your subscription. Thank you for your service to our great nation.

THE LAST WORD

“While requiring politicians to express belief in Jesus and the Bible, many evangelical voters ignore Christ’s statements about the source of genuine power. They also conveniently forget what Christ said about how they would be regarded and treated by a world that had rejected Him (and still does as the best-selling atheistic works of Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins attest). It was Jesus… who warned, ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first’ (John 15:18) and ‘If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also’ (John 15:20). Those warnings are not the creed of contemporary evangelicals who think persecution is a negative newspaper editorial or a disparaging remark by a skeptic on a cable TV show. Too many contemporary evangelicals want the blessing without obeying their real commander in chief, who said doing things His way would bring real persecution.” —Cal Thomas

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.)