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    September 25, 2008

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On MSNBC this week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter tried to connect John McCain to the current financial disaster, saying: "If you remember the Keating Five scandal that (McCain) was a part of. ... He's really getting a free ride on the fact that he was in the middle of the last great financial scandal in our country." McCain was "in the middle of" the Keating Five case in the sense that he was "exonerated." The lawyer for the Senate Ethics Committee wanted McCain removed from the investigation altogether, but, as The New York Times reported: "Sen. McCain was the only Republican embroiled in the affair, and Democrats on the panel would not release him." So John McCain has been held hostage by both the Viet Cong and the Democrats. Alter couldn't be expected to know that: As usual, he was lifting material directly from Kausfiles. What is unusual was that he was stealing a random thought sent in by Kausfiles' mother, who, the day before, had e-mailed: "It's time to bring up the Keating Five. Let McCain explain that scandal away." Read On

  
 
   

 

  
   

MORE ARRESTED A west Texas grand jury investigating allegations that members of a polygamist sect sexually abused girls indicted three more people Tuesday, raising the number of defendants in the case to nine. Each of the sect members indicted Tuesday by the Schleicher County grand jury was charged with sexual assault of a child, and two face an additional charge of bigamy, state Attorney General Greg Abbott said in a statement. Abbott's office has taken over prosecution of the case from local authorities in the tiny county. The names of those charged were not immediately released, but none had been charged previously. The grand jury earlier had indicted six other members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, including jailed sect leader Warren Jeffs.The grand jury has now met three times to consider evidence against residents of the Yearning For Zion Ranch, which is run by the FLDS, a breakaway Mormon sect. All but one of those indicted has been charged with sexual abuse of a child, and some also have been charged with bigamy. The sect's doctor has been charged only with three misdemeanor counts of failure to report child abuse.  Read On

 
 

Not So Faithful

People hoping for a lively discussion on faith and values from Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) campaign were surprised yesterday when Team Obama failed to show for a media-heavy debate. The capacity crowd that gathered at the Capitol Hill Club had expected Obama's Senior Advisor for Religious Affairs, Rev. Evna Terri La Velle, to square off with Bob Heckman, a representative from Sen. John McCain's campaign. Just hours before the lunchtime event began, members of the sponsoring organizations, the National Clergy Council and Evangelical Church Alliance, received word that Obama's delegation of 11 had backed out. Rev. Rob Schenck, who was scheduled to moderate the debate, released a statement questioning the Obama campaign's genuine commitment to issues of concern to social conservatives. "Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean assured me...that his party would do everything possible to constructively engage Evangelicals, traditional Catholics, and other moral conservatives... Barack Obama has made similar promises. They did a couple of high-profile media events, but it appears they were not serious at a grassroots level." While the Illinois senator and his campaign never shy away from talking about faith, they have missed opportunities to let that faith be examined up close to determine how it would impact their public policy positions. Reported by Tony Perkins.
 
 

We have been talking a lot lately about how some members of the media are criticizing and even mocking Sarah Palin's faith in an effort to almost disqualify her from national office. It is unfortunate how attacks and downright ignorance of this nature passes as journalism in one of this country's major newspapers. The Washington Post printed this cartoon which would be offensive to most Christians, especially Pentecostals. It pokes fun at the belief of "speaking in tongues". Look at it here. The Assemblies of God is one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the country and includes some two million members. Here is the group's statement of beliefs. Sarah Palin attended Assembly of God Churches much of her life. We showed Dr. George O. Wood, General Superintendent for The General Council of the Assemblies of God the cartoon and he told CBN News the following: "The cartoon is despicable. Millions of Christians today follow the example of first century Christians who prayed in other tongues. The Washington Post would not think of printing a cartoon that mocked members of the Muslim or Jewish faiths. It should be ashamed. Furthermore, Sarah Palin has to my knowledge never said she prays in other tongues.  Since God is multi-lingual, I'm sure He doesn't have problems understanding any prayers - whether they are articulated in a known or unknown language. He looks for prayers that come from the heart." Cartoon Goes After Palin's Faith


 

President Bush, warning of the danger of a "long and painful recession," urged Congress to pass his administration's financial rescue package for the sake of the American economy. In a rare prime-time address to the nation Wednesday night, Bush pushed lawmakers wrangling over the $700 billion bailout legislation to consider the consequences of inaction, stating that "our entire economy is in danger." He warned of a looming "financial panic," and he said the legislative package must be enacted "as soon as possible.""We are in the midst of a serious financial crisis, and the federal government is responding with decisive action," Bush said. The address came as Congress appeared to be making progress in hammering out a revised deal palatable to all sides. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Bush had "presented a long overdue assessment of the state of the economy and the urgent need for legislation to respond to the financial crisis." Congress is "committed to passing bipartisan legislation that will stabilize the markets, protect taxpayers, establish tough oversight, and curb excessive CEO compensation. And we will pass it soon," Pelosi said in a written statement. The bailout, which the Bush administration asked Congress last weekend to approve before it adjourns, is meeting with deep skepticism, especially from conservatives in Bush's own party who are revolting at the high price tag and unprecedented private-sector intervention. Bush: Averting Recession Requires 'Decisive Action'

 
 

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