Links ICDSoft.com: a great web hosting company with a quick and knowledgeable help desk.
Heritage Community Services:
a non-profit abstinence until marriage
program that focuses on building healthy relationships, the benefits of marriage and the consequences of sex outside of marriage such as STDs, untimely pregnancy and emotional pain.
Check out these links on Christianity, family values, history, conservative politics, homeschooling and autism—of special interest to me because my son is autistic.
Shabby Apple believes women should dress stylishly, but not have to compromise their modesty to look and feel good. Shabby Apple is a dress company whose main focus is offering women stylish choices for dressing modestly.
Federalist Patriot: the Internet's leading journal on Federalism and the Founders. Read this if nothing else. Check out the historical documents on the Federalist Patriot site.
Don Feder's web site : any attempt to separate America from God is a betrayal of our Republic
Dr. Paul Jehle, Plymouth Rock Foundation: to seek a greater public awareness and understanding of American history."
Marshall Foster, the Mayflower Institute: proclaiming the untold story of America's history, to prepare individuals and families to defend their Judeo-Christian heritage.
McKenzie Study Center, an institute of Gutenberg College, is dedicated to
exploring biblical Christianity and its implications for our world. MSC offers lots of articles and audio recordings regarding all things biblical.
Truth Publishers was founded by Gene Gurganus. Gene was a longtime missionary in Bangladesh and wrote a great book: The Peril of Islam. You can purchase this book on his website and check out other items he offers.
Christians for Life, a ministry in Topeka, Kansas, that helps churches and individuals to become the Hands of Jesus by becoming involved in the pro-life cause.
Healing Hearts: confidential one to one e-mail and support group counseling to anyone suffering from the affects of an abortion, or any type of abuse
Memorial for the Unborn: dedicated to healing generations of pain assoicated with the loss of aborted children
Youth Talk: a place where Christian teens can learn about issues and their faith
Christian youth mentoring: Our nation's at-risk children need your help -- the demand is overwhelming! Get involved with time and donations.
South Carolina Conservative
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from South Carolina Conservative.com on subjects of politics, history and Christian living
American Minute with Bill Federer www.AmericanMinute.com
The 14th Amendment was adopted July 28, 1868, because southern States, though forced to end slavery by the 13th Amendment, did not grant citizenship to freed slaves.
Southern Democrat legislatures passed Black Codes requiring freed slaves to be "apprenticed" to "employers" and punished any who left.
Illinois Republican Congressman John Farnsworth said March 31, 1871: "The reason for the adoption [of the 14th Amendment] ... was because of ... discriminating ... legislation of those States ... by which they were punishing one class of men under different laws from another class."
Republican John Bingham of Ohio, who introduced the 14th Amendment, said: "I repel the suggestion ... that the Amendment will ... take away from any State any right that belongs to it."
Yet after the Amendment was ratified, activist federal judges did just that, as Thomas Jefferson had forewarned Charles Hammond in 1821: "The germ of dissolution of our ... government is in ... the federal judiciary ... working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow ... until all shall be usurped from the States."
The 14th Amendment soon became a door by which federal courts took responsibility for other rights, eventually religion, away from states' jurisdiction.
Woodard: Nikki Haley is a libertarian, not a conservative
Dr. David Woodard, a professor of political science at Clemson, told the Greenville County Republican Women July 22 that Nikki Haley is a libertarian, not a conservative.
“The well springs are different for those movements,” Woodard said. “Libertarians believe in individual autonomy, and conservatives believe in the care of the culture for traditional values. Mark Sanford was also very much influenced by libertarian policies.”
“I haven’t heard a lot of rhetoric from Nikki Haley that is truly conservative,” he said. “I have heard a lot that is libertarian.”
Woodard said the allegations about Haley’s personal life need to be addressed. One of her accusers has released 600 to 700 e-mails, while Nikki Haley has refused to respond because, as a state representative, her e-mails are protected under state law. Her computer is embargoed because it was used as a state computer.
“I think she needs to release her e-mails,” Woodard said.
Woodard also said Haley needs to address an unsigned consulting contract in which she made more than $40,000.
Democrat candidate Vincent Sheheen released his tax returns going back 10 years, but Haley has yet to do so.
“These things will inhibit this candidate running for this top office,” he said.
Sheehen was a student of Woodard’s, and Woodard called him a “very bright, articulate candidate.” He comes from one of the most powerful political families in the state, and his uncle Robert Sheheen was speaker of the South Carolina House.
On social issues Sheheen is a conservative. Sheheen is Catholic, and if he takes his church’s view on abortion, stem cell research, gay marriage and euthanasia, “he will be a very formidable candidate,” Woodard said.
Woodard talked about three major trends that have changed politics in the past few years: the emergence of talk radio, 24 hour cable news and web logs.
“We used to have these things called newspapers, but they are rapidly disappearing,” he said. “In their place is television, and television is the most trusted source of news Americans have about politics.”
The 24 hour news cycle forces television commentators to talk about politics constantly. Woodard used the example of Nikki Haley, who was relatively unknown by the national media, but “almost overnight she became a talking point on the national news shows.”
As newspapers have declined dramatically, Woodard said, so has accountability. Web logs can put anything on the web with no accountability, and rumors can get wide circulation.
Woodard predicted that Sen. Jim DeMint will enter the GOP leadership after the November election and “will become an important force nationally.” He noted that first term senators are generally not listened to, but when they win reelection they become what political scientists call “national senators,” which means their influence extends beyond their state to the nation as a whole.
First-term Sen. Jim DeMint is already a national senator, Woodard said, campaigning for conservative candidates in other states.
Woodard noted the four new GOP House candidates in the six districts in South Carolina.
Tim Scott is the GOP candidate in the first district. Woodard hopes that Scott, an African-American, can preach the conservative message in Africa-American communities.
“I teach many African-American students, and they are really searching for answers,” Woodard said. The younger generation does not remember the Civil Rights movement, and many are upset about government intrusion into their lives.
Mick Mulvaney is riding the anti-incumbent mood in the fifth district against John Spratt.
Jeff Duncan, a former student of Woodard, is the GOP candidate in the third district to replace Rep. Gresham Barrett, who ran for governor, and Trey Gowdy, candidate in the fourth district, is a proven commodity in politics, he said.
Woodard said that South Carolina should pick up a seventh seat after the 2010 census.
Posted 10:05 a.m., Saturday, July 24
American Minute with Bill Federer www.AmericanMinute.com
Tennessee's Constitutional Convention composed its state constitution in 1796. The U.S. Congress accepted it, and President George Washington signed the bill admitting Tennessee as the 16th State on June 1, 1796.
Tennessee's Constitution stated in Article XI, Section III: "All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences."
Though Article XI, Section IV, stated: "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under this State,"
Article VIII, Section II, stated: "No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this State."
Posted 9 a.m., Saturday July 24
From Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs www.atlasshrugs.com
Imam's wife tries to defend building mosque near Ground Zero. View this video from The Washington Post.
The callousness toward the pain and grief this has caused millions is radically intolerant. The unmitigated gall is breathtaking.
Daisy Khan: there is a "divine hand" in the Ground Zero mosque project: "the building came to us ...it "will be symbolic." Note also that she dismisses 9/11 family members opposition to emotional grieving issues: "We expected some families might need some hand-holding."
Pamela Geller: Oh, the humanity of Islamic supremacists. How's that for outreach? And what about the majority of Americans who find this whole idea abhorrent and insulting?
The more we know about this stealth jihadist, the worse it gets. This mosque is an act of jihad.... based on the Islamic pattern throughout the past 1,400 years, of building triumphal mosques on the cherished sites of conquered lands. It is a supremacist mosque in plan.
From American Minute with Bill Federer www.AmericanMinute.com
Before the Revolution, British troops were marching toward Fort Duquesne when they were ambushed by the French and Indians.
Not accustomed to fighting unless in an open field, the British soldiers were annihilated. Col. George Washington, 23, rode back and forth during the battle delivering orders for Gen. Edward Braddock. Eventually, Braddock was killed and every officer on horseback was shot, except Washington.
Washington wrote of the Battle of Monongahela to his younger brother John, July 18, 1755: "As I have heard, since my arrival at this place, a circumstantial account of my death and dying speech, I take this early opportunity of contradicting the first, and of assuring you, that I have not as yet composed the latter. But by the All-Powerful Dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!"
An Indian warrior later declared: "Washington was never born to be killed by a bullet! I had seventeen fair fires at him with my rifle and after all could not bring him to the ground!"
From the American Minute with Bill Federer www.AmericanMinute.com
Roger Sherman was the only person to sign all four of America's founding documents: the Articles of Association - 1774, the Declaration of Independence - 1776, the Articles of Confederation - 1777, and the U.S. Constitution - 1787.
Roger Sherman helped draft the Declaration of Independence and gave instructions to an embassy to Canada: "That all civil rights and the right to hold office were to be extended to persons of any Christian denomination."
Sherman made 138 speeches at the Constitutional Convention, and in the first session of Congress, thought a First Amendment unnecessary, as religion was under each individual States' jurisdiction.
Elected a U.S. Senator at age 70, Roger Sherman died July 23, 1793. Inscribed on his tomb is: "He ever adorned the profession of Christianity which he made in youth and...died in the prospect of a blessed immortality."
Posted 3:30 p.m., July 18
Dr. David Woodard, Clemson political scientist, speaks to Upstate Republican Women in Greenville, South Carolina, today. View photo gallery here.
As we commemorate the 41st anniversary of man's landing on the moon, I found these remarkable videos. I remember watching this on television in Evansville, Indiana, when I was 14 years old.
Posted 5:55 p.m., Friday, July 16
From the American Minute (www.AmericanMinute.com) with Bill Federer
Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy July 16, 1969, being the first mission to walk on the moon.
In Proclamation 3919, President Richard Nixon said: "Apollo 11 is on its way to the moon. It carries three brave astronauts; it also carries the hopes and prayers of hundreds of millions of people...That moment when man first sets foot on a body other than earth will stand through the centuries as one supreme in human experience... I call upon all of our people...to join in prayer for the successful conclusion of Apollo 11's mission."
President Nixon spoke to the astronauts on the moon, July 20, 1969: "This certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made from the White House... The heavens have become a part of man's world... For one priceless moment in the whole history of man all the people on this earth are truly one...one in our prayers that you will return safely to earth."
President Nixon greeted the astronauts on the U.S.S. Hornet, July 24, 1969: "The millions who are seeing us on television now...feel as I do, that...our prayers have been answered... I think it would be very appropriate if Chaplain Piirto, the Chaplain of this ship, were to offer a prayer of thanksgiving."
July 15
The Continental Congress was evacuating Philadelphia as the British had just won the Battle of Brandywine, forcing Washington's troops to retreat to Valley Forge.
In addition, Congress was informed that the war had interrupted trade with the King's authorized printers in England, thereby causing a shortage of Bibles, commonly used in education.
The Continental Congress passed a motion September 11, 1777, to consider importing Bibles from Scotland or Holland into different parts of the Union, stating: "The use of the Bible is so universal and its importance so great...it was resolved accordingly to direct said Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 copies of the Bible."
Five years later, Sept. 10, 1782, the Continental Congress again responded to the shortage of Bibles by authorizing the publisher of The Pennsylvania Magazine, Robert Aitken, who died July 15, 1802, to print America's first English language Bible, which had been described in a petition as "a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools."
Congress stated: "Resolved, That the United States in Congress assembled highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the interest of religion, as well as an instance in the progress of arts in this country, and being satisfied from the above report of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work, they recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation."
Posted 12:55 p.m., Sunday, July 11
From the American Minute (www.AmericanMinute.com) with Bill Federer
Millard Fillmore became the 13th president, July 10, 1850, when President Zachary Taylor died unexpectedly.
President Millard Fillmore said: "A great man has fallen among us and a whole country is called to . . . mourning . . . . I dare not shrink; and I rely upon Him who holds in His hands the destinies of nations to endow me with the requisite strength for the task."
President Fillmore was remembered for sending Commodore Perry to open trade with Japan, admitting California, which had just begun the Gold Rush, into the Union as a free state, and when the Library of Congress caught fire, he and his Cabinet formed a bucket brigade to help extinguish the flames.
After being sworn into office, President Fillmore, who was a member of the Episcopal Church, said: "The Sabbath day I always kept as a day of rest. Besides being a religious duty, it was essential to health. On commencing my Presidential career, I found that the Sabbath had frequently been employed by visitors for private interviews with the President. I determined to put an end to this custom, and ordered my doorkeeper to meet all Sunday visitors with an indiscriminate refusal."
Posted 9:40 a.m., Thursday, July 8
Posted 10:25 a.m., Wednesday, July 7
From the American Minute with Bill Federer www.AmericanMinute.com
Hawaii became a U.S. Territory July 7, 1898, as President William McKinley signed the Treaty of Annexation.
Discovered by Captain James Cook in 1778, the islands were united by King Kamehamaha. After his death in 1819, his wife and son abolished the pagan religion, which practiced human sacrifice. The next year the first missionaries, led by Hiram Bingham, arrived from New England. They created a written language and translated the Bible.
Hawaii's Motto, "The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness," was first uttered by Queen Ke'opuolani in 1825 as she was baptized into the Christian faith.
Kawaiaha'o, the first Christian Church in Hawaii, was built between 1836-1842 in New England style architecture. It was called the Westminster Abbey of Hawaii.
On April 19, 1970, President Richard Nixon spoke at the church, saying: "Reverend Akaka . . . I wanted to attend . . . this great church, with all of its history that is here . . . having in mind the fact that today . . . you will be commemorating the 150th anniversary of Christianity in . . . these islands."
Posted 6:20 p.m., Tuesday, July 6
Civic leaders read Declaration of Independence in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, in event sponsored by First Foundations and Dick Jensen. View photo gallery.
Here are excepts of a video I shot at a debate between incumbent Rep. Bob Inglis and challenger Trey Gowdy at the Upstate Republican Women's Club Monday. Click here for photo gallery.
From American Minute with Bill Federer www.AmericanMinute.com
The War of 1812 began June 18, 1812. The British captured American ships and enslaved sailors. They incited Indians to capture Fort Mims, massacring 500 men, women and children. They captured the Capitol, burnt the White House, bombarded Fort McHenry and attacked New Orleans. Outraged, many volunteered for the Army, including Davy Crockett.
In his Proclamation of War, President James Madison said: "I do moreover exhort all the good people of the United States . . . as they feel the wrongs which have forced on them the last resort of injured nations . . . to consult the best means under the blessing of Divine Providence of abridging its calamities."
In the three years of the War, President Madison, who had introduced the First Amendment in the first session of Congress, issued Proclamations of Public Humiliation and Prayer in 1812 and 1813, followed by a Proclamation of Public Fasting in 1814, in which he said: "In the present time of public calamity and war a day may be . . . observed by the people of the United States as a day of public humiliation and fasting and of prayer to Almighty God."
After the War, in 1815, Madison proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving to the "Divine Author of Every Good and Perfect Gift."
He defends Islamic genocide in Sudan, and take on Israel in a bid to get reelected as the Prime Minister of Turkey.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan defends Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for killing half a million Sudanese Christians and non-Arab Muslims. Read the rest.
The father of the American space program died June 16, 1977. He developed the V-2 rocket for Germany before emigrating to the United States, where in 1958, he launched America's first satellite. He was director of NASA and the U.S. guided missile program.
His name was Wernher von Braun. Founder of the National Space Institute, Wernher von Braun said: "The laws of nature that enable us to fly to the moon also enable us to destroy our home planet with the atom bomb. Science itself does not address the question whether we should use the power at our disposal for good or for evil. The guidelines of what we ought to do are furnished in the moral law of God."
He continued: "It is no longer enough that we pray that God may be with us on our side. We must learn to pray that we may be on God's side."
To the California State Board of Education, Sept. 14, 1972, he wrote: "Some . . . challenge science to prove the existence of God. But must we light a candle to see the sun?"
In American Weekly, February 10, 1963, he wrote: "It is difficult for me to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe. . . . Viewing the awesome reaches of space . . . should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator."
Posted 9:05 p.m., Monday, June 14
Here's a video I shot of Alan Wilson, candidate for South Carolina attorney general, in Greenville today. Click here for photo gallery.
Here I am with Lt. Col. Bill Connor, candidate for South Carolina lieutenant governor (right), at a sign-waving in Greenville Monday. View photo gallery.
Curtis Loftis, candidate for South Carolina treasurer, campaigns in Greenville Monday. View photo gallery.
You've really, really got to read these books. They changed my life.
God Is More Than Enough by Jim Berg. If you have reached the end of your own strength and are ready to take God’s hand, this book is for you. You’ll get a closer look at the heart of God—his love, his mercy, his faithfulness, and his power to help those who are suffering.
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala. What Happens When God's Spirit Invades the Hearts of His People.
If you've hit the wall for the 32nd time, this book is for you.
God has specific assignments for your life. But how do you discover them? How will you hear His voice? How will you know His will for your life? Read this book and find out. The whole Christian church needs to read this.
Hanson Communications
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