Check this out:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZBTyTWOZCM

Wall Street Journal now follows FAB!

Concerning the agreement to extend the current tax rates for 2 years, FAB wrote:

The only good thing about the 2-year extension is that it just postpones the real debate for another 2 years down the road, just in time for the next election cycle.

The Wall Street Journal now agrees:

But if an angry, let-me-be-clear Barack Obama just looked into the cameras and said he’s coming to get you in two years, what rational economic choice would you make? Spend the profit or gains 2011 might produce on new workers, or bury any new income in the backyard until the 2012 presidential clouds clear?

No matter how much economic bump Mr. Obama gets in 2011 from extending the Bush-era tax rates, the 2012 election will be fought over a deep national anxiety that he rightly identifies but misinterprets.

***

In such a high-stakes world, Barack Obama’s obsession with having it out over the tax tables is a vulnerability. His opponent in 2012 should run straight at it.

If the economy improves, Republicans will say we shouldn’t mess with a formula that’s working, which is a message that will resonate with Independents.  However, Obama will be able to convince many voters that he deserves credit for the improvement, anemic though it might be.   He’ll be trying to get voters to maintain one status quo (himself as President) and change another (tax rates), all at the same time.

If the economy does not improve, Obama will be in a world of hurt.

Of course, as I said, maintaining the current tax rates will not improve the economy, but it will at least avoid another insult.  Other factors might help.  (For example, dramatically cutting deficit spending will do a world of good by improving confidence in government.)  Whatever happens, it will be great political theatre.  The danger for Republicans will be if they try to oversell the effects that maintenance of current tax rates will have.

I’m still looking for something else good in this deal.  They apparently gave us all a one-year reduction on Social Security taxes.  Not so good.  It’s just another give-away program that will do little to stimulate the economy, any more than Porkulus I did.  Plus, more deficit spending just depresses even more our confidence in government even more, which is a huge drag on the economy.

Further, raiding the SS fund will put a few more dollars back into the pockets of working people, but it will be (supposedly) stealing it from their own Social Security fund.  I say supposedly, because in reality, there is no SS fund.  Our SS taxes have become a gigantic slush fund that is used by politicians to hide the true amount of deficit spending.  They “borrow” (a.k.a. steal) our SS money (what they can’t borrow from the Chinese) and never pay it back.  If you account for this borrowing/stealing, the deficit is much, much higher than they say it is.  Harry Reid admitted to the thievery when he told HuffPost, “The money doesn’t come out of Social Security. It comes out of the general fund.”

More deficit, less confidence in government, worse economy.  It will improve, but not as much as it could.

They supposedly extended unemployment benefits, but I don’t believe it lets people collect beyond the current 2-year limit.  It just extends the program that allows people to collect up to 2-years, as compared to the normal limit of 26 weeks or so.  As I understand it.

Here’s the one good thing about this process.  If this bill goes down, we can hope the Republicans in the Senate will block every other piece of lame-duck legislation, as they have promised to do.

When your enemy hates what you are doing and scurries around trying to stop you from doing it, that’s the very thing you should do more of.

Check out this link.  You can also see it here.

I think we’re onto something!

From Don Feder:

***

What would have happened if we had fought World War II the way we’re fighting the war on Islamic terrorism? What if political correctness guided America in the weeks and months after Pearl Harbor?

1. On December 8, 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt would have come before a joint session of Congress to apologize for the presence of U.S. Marines in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic earlier in the century, and the Spanish-American War. He would have offered to give the Philippines back to Spain and pay reparations.
2. He would have referred to December 7, 1941 as “a day pretty much like any other and let’s not make a big deal of it” and cautioned that, “I think that at a time when the country is anxious generally and going through a tough time, then fears can surface, suspicions can surface. We have to make sure that we don’t start turning on each other.” To put the emphasis where it properly belonged, the president would have said that anniversaries of Pearl Harbor would be officially designated National Days of Service.
3. America’s slogan would have become “Remember, Pearl Harbor was no one’s fault.”

More …

If you care to cut through all the fog about the tentative agreement to not raise taxes, here are a few pertinent facts and my thoughts.

Remember, their “how-to” manual (Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky) tells Progressives that the ends justify the means. One of his moral authorities is Vladimir Lenin, killer of millions. Lying, cheating, stealing, etc. is OK if it helps you take money away from the “haves” and give it to the “have-nots.” Laws and moral norms (don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal, etc.) are legal and moral constructs which have been created by the “haves” to keep wealth away from the “have-nots.”

For nearly 10 years, the Dems have claimed that the 2001/2003 tax cuts did nothing for the low-income and middle class. That’s a lie:

1. These cuts lowered the bottom tax bracket from 15% to 10 %, a 5% decrease. Most other rates were decreased by 3%. The highest rate was reduced 4.6%, from 39.6% to 35%.
2. A tax credit was given for each child under age 17 or so.
3. The estate tax was eliminated.
4. Now, after nearly 10 years of denying that tax cuts for middle class families even existed in this bill, the Dems have suddenly “found” the middle class tax breaks and are now declaring that these lower rates must now be preserved.

The latest sticking point is ostensibly the tax rates for those making over $1,000,000 or so. The Republicans wanted to keep it at 35%. The Alinsky-ites want it to go up to the Clinton-era rate of 39.6%. Actually, they want the tax rates to go up on everybody, but they don’t want you to know this.

The 5% rate difference may not seem all that important by itself, but it’s just the first wave. The Alinsky-ites will never be satisfied with 39.6%. As soon as that rate is established, the 39.6% will become the new baseline and they will want even more. They will demand another 10%, and we will all be admonished to accept another “compromise,” which will become the new baseline for the next “compromise,” and so on. Middle class families will not be exempt. Dems/Alinsky-ites believe it’s not fair that we have more money than the very poorest of our families, so they will come after us as well. The Dem/Alinsky-ite greed for money and power never ends. After all, it takes a lot of money to keep ’em happy at Planned Parenthood, ACORN, the unions, etc. There’s a reason Government is the only growth industry in our economy.

There’s another reason they want more of your money.  There are millions of abortions done every year around the world that are not paid for by the American taxpayer.  This is in injustice that simply must be corrected.

Postponing the Dem/Alinsky-ite tax increase for two years won’t do much for the economy. The planning horizon for business is much further than that, and investors need to know what the tax rates will be 10+ years out.

When the tax cuts were first enacted in 2001/2003, they helped stimulate the economy because investers know that the lower rates would stay in place until the end of 2010, and there was every expectation that they would be made permanent after that. The good effects of this tax cut on the economy, as realized in the mid-2000’s, were overwhelmed in 2007-2008 by the perfect economic storm:

• rising personal and business debt,
• the spike in world oil prices,
• the bursting of the government-created housing bubble,
• the expectation that deficit spending, already too high under Pres. Bush, would destabilize the economy in the long-run, and
• the fear that a new anti-business administration would destabilize the economy even worse and more quickly.

The only good thing about the 2-year extension is that it just postpones the real debate for another 2 years down the road, just in time for the next election cycle.

With regard to extending jobless benefits, I’m not sure what they actually have agreed to. Even with the internet, it can still be difficult to find facts that you can read and understand.

Steve Saint has invented a flying car.  You may recall the story of Steve’s father Nate Saint, who was a missionary pilot.  In 1956, he and four other missionaries were killed by Waodani Indians during an effort to make peaceful contact with them.

We have all been inspired by their sacrifice and the courage shown by family members of these men, women actually returned to the Waodani Indians with the good news of Jesus Messiah.

Steve is now himself a missionary pilot, and has been a huge help to CBR in setting up our airborne RCC campaign, which features huge abortion photos on airplane tow banners.  Now he’s invented a flying car!  Check it out:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzs-Cd0PL2s

Click here to see story by CNN.

GAP sign: abortion leads to premature births

From the Elliot Institute:

Children whose mothers had a previous abortion were more likely to be born prematurely, putting them at greater risk for problems such as low-birth weight (which has been linked to physical and developmental problems), epilepsy, autism, mental retardation and cerebral palsy.  A research team looking at data from 2002 estimated that prior abortions led to 1,096 cases of cerebral palsy among babies born prematurely that year.

(click for full article)

Here’s the new GAP sign we have been using to highlight this link:

Abortion leads to premature births

When I started this blog earlier this year, one goal was to give you the very best pro-life information and analysis.  Not the daily news that will be forgotten in a month or so, but the stuff that really matters.  As a measure of our success, FAB was recently recognized as the best pro-life blog in all of Karns!

But this is more than a pro-life blog.  As politically active patriots, we share many interests that FAB touches on every now and then.  As it turns out, FAB provides expert economic analysis as well as pro-life commentary.  You are really getting two experts for the price of one!  On September 9, FAB wrote:

The ultimate cause of the economic conflagration was the widespread belief that this economic gravy train—25+ years of Reagan-Bush recovery—would never end.  This belief caused people throw caution to the wind.  They took on way too much debt to buy bigger and bigger houses and other stuff they didn’t need and couldn’t afford.  Lenders lent money to people who couldn’t afford to pay it back.  Corporations focused on short-term profits at the expense of long-term stability.  It’s very tempting to throw your money around at the casino if you get the stupid idea that the game won’t let you lose.

To elaborate, the crisis wasn’t created by just one culprit, but by the cumulative effects of more and more greed that manifested itself as risky economic behaviors, especially excess debt, at all levels of society, from the household to the state house (e.g., California and New Jersey) to the halls of Congress.

Well, it appears that the New York Times has finally caught up.  In Gold Fever: Pondering the Causes, NYT chief financial correspondent Floyd Norris observes:

… the problem seems to be perpetual weakness in rich economies that have been hobbled by debt foolishly taken on by people from bankers to subprime home buyers who had one thing in common: a belief that the risk of something going very wrong was all but nonexistent.  (emphasis added)

My mom always said she’d rather be right than rich.  Well, it seems I’ve gotten her wish.

Want some good investment advice?  FAB actually stole this from Somebody Else:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  (Matthew 6:19-21)

More on the way.  By the way, I’m also a Tennessee sports fan, and when we start winning football games, you’ll hear more about that as well.

Pro Life on Campus at Kennesaw State University

The Kennesaw University Sentinel:

• The men behind the display

The University of Georgia Red and Black:

• Anti-abortion display an offensive spectacle (letter)
• Freedom of speech prevails in Tate Plaza
• Tate Plaza Abortion Display
• Abortion display offensive (letter)
• Abortions do not equal Holocaust
• Display violates University Code of Conduct
• Abortion display shows the truth (letter)

The Student Free Press

• A misguided call for censorship in UGA student newspaper

On January 23, 2011 CBR will be at the Students for Life of America National Conference in Bethesda, Maryland.  This is the largest pro-life youth conference in the nation!

The SFLA 2011 National Conference is only a few months away and we want to invite you to come out to listen to Fletcher Armstrong’s workshop and get energized and activated in your own pro-life efforts!  Thanks to the generous support of Alliance Defense Fund, **from now until December 1st student registration is only $40** (after that it goes back up to $50).  That is for an entire day of training given by national leaders in the pro-life movement, networking with people from your communities and across the nation as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner!  This is an unbelievable price for a conference with this much to offer.

Even though this conference is hosted by Students for Life it is not only for students but for adults as well.  Adult registration is $60 and also includes the same great training and meals.

You won’t want to miss such great speakers as Scott Klusendorf, Life Training Institute; David French, Alliance Defense Fund; Alveda King, Priests for Life; David  Bereit, 40 Days for Life; former Planned Parenthood Director turned Pro-Life activist, Abby Johnson and so many more.  To see the schedule go here    http://studentsforlife.org/conference/conferenceschedule/

For more information about the conference go to http://studentsforlife.org/conference/  and to register go to http://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=525341b0-9616-42cd-95a4-b377c23c41b5

Jane and the photos are a powerful combination.

This is from Jane Bullington, CBR Southeast Project Director.  Please pray for mom, dad, and baby.

Three Lives Saved

She walked over the hill and down the walkway, stopping to gaze at the pictures. A typical student on her way to class, or so I thought. I asked if she had any questions. “Evelyn” looked at me with teary eyes, “I’ve just come from the health clinic; I’m pregnant. I was asking for a big RED sign to tell me what to do. I almost never walk to class this way, but I did today, and here are your signs.” I hugged her and said “I think this is just the sign you are looking for; can we talk?” As we I talked, she told me her friend (on the phone) was encouraging her to keep the baby, but her boyfriend was leaning toward abortion. I asked what her parents would say. “They will be disappointed,” was the answer. I suggested to her that disappointment is often a short-lived emotion and when they hold their grand baby, it will be very different. I told her that at 6 weeks, her baby has a heartbeat, brain waves, and all his systems in place. We talked about what abortion could do to her. I gave her our papers on psychological and physical effects of abortion, so she could be well-armed when she spoke with her parents. I also gave her the phone number for the Hope Resource Center (HRC) near the campus. My parting comments were very personal. I told Evelyn I would be honored to walk with her through this pregnancy if she kept her baby and if she stayed in Knoxville throughout the pregnancy. (I later asked God to allow me this privilege.) She cried, we hugged, and she walked away.

About half an hour later, Evelyn came back and told me her boyfriend was coming to see the pictures, and she would like me to talk with him. I saw “George” approaching and introduced myself, saying I realized this was not what he expected when he woke up this morning. He grinned slightly.

I left them alone to look at the photos and talk, but I kept my eye on him the whole time. He was distant and talkative, but would not look at the pictures in any great detail. After a few minutes, they came back to me. I asked George if he had time and would he allow me to talk with him for a few minutes. He agreed and we sat down. “George, you are already a father; you have a baby. It is a tiny baby, but it is your baby.” The lines on his face immediately softened and he visibly relaxed. I basically shared all that I had told Evelyn, and said to him, “George, I don’t think Evelyn is asking you to marry her; she just wants emotional support from you. I have already told her I will be here for her the entire way, if she wants or needs my help, and I will be here for you too.” He smiled, thanked me, and said “we will be calling you a lot of times.” He stood up, took my hand, and then walked off with Evelyn, arm in arm.

The next day, I took Evelyn a copy of The Biology of Prenatal Development, a wonderful DVD showing the growth of the baby in the womb, produced by The Endowment for Human Development (www.ehd.org). She promised to view it with her surrogate dad the next weekend and seek his support. She and George had already scheduled a counseling session with an on-campus ministry chaplain, and were going to inquire about putting “their baby” in on-campus childcare next fall where she works. She hopes they can get in to see someone at HRC the next Monday, before the Thanksgiving holiday. My parting advice: “There will be ups and downs in the next few weeks, and you may have thoughts of changing your mind, but don’t do anything in a hurry. Call me before you do anything different from we have talked about, please.” She agreed, but said “George is in baby mode, and while I am still in a muddle, I know what we are going to do.” We hugged and cried again, and off she went.

Do the pictures work? Oh, yes they do! For the unborn child, for the scared mother, and for the doubtful dad.

Operation Rescue is hosting an online debate on personhood.

Peggy LaFreniere 1940-2010

We were saddened last week to learn of the passing of our dear friend and saint Peggy LaFreniere.  Many of you may remember her as Peggy Espinda, as she was known before her recent marriage to Paul LaFreniere.

Peggy has long been a passionate defender of preborn children.  She was one of the very first people in Georgia to embrace our work at CBR.   For many years, we counted on Peggy to be a member of our traveling team as we took our GAP project to college campuses all over the country.  In fact, she was always the first person we called, because she was always up for a road trip.  She earned the respect of the students with whom she spoke, because she was both smart and compassionate.  She was a joy for us as well; she never complained about the hard work nor the long hours.

There are many children alive today and families still together because of Peggy’s tireless work.

Peggy, we are much richer for knowing you.  We look forward to seeing you again, in a place where “there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away (Rev. 21:4).”

Abortion Photo over Liberty University

CBR is flying a huge photo of abortion over Liberty University this week, so that Liberty students can learn the truth. For many of them, it will be the first time. WSET-TV has the story.  Watch the video!

Most people have abortions simply because they don’t know who the unborn child is, nor do they know what abortion does. Christian youth are just as vulnerable, because “pro-life” churches are covering up the truth as effectively as everyone else. If your church is not showing abortion photos or video, babies are being lost that could have been saved.

The coverup at Christian schools is just as egregious, if not more so. The most striking examples are Notre Dame University and Liberty University, arguably the flagship universities of the Catholic and Protestant worlds, respectively. Both have prevented the display of abortion photos on their campuses. The First Amendment protects pro-life education at public universities, but not at private schools. It is mind-blowing to think that public university students know more about abortion than Christian university students.

Just a year ago, I showed abortion to a small group of maybe five Liberty University students. None had seen abortion before. One of them later wrote,

Seeing all those graphic photos and that video brought me to tears and showed me [abortion] is murder; it is wrong. I want to now fight for their lives.

Another wrote,

I witnessed my first abortion through the images and clips by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. That has changed my view on abortion. … [After] actually seeing the results of this murder, I am pro-life because abortion is bluntly murder and should be outlawed!! I believe these pictures should be shown to change the minds of people on abortion.

Fortunately, the airspace over these universities is still free. Last year, we flew abortion photos over the Notre Dame campus.

Expect us to be more and more aggressive in educating Christians in the public spaces around their schools and churches.  If abortion is to be stopped, three adverse conditions must be corrected:

1. Christian people must know what abortion is and does.  (They don’t.)
2. Christian people must act in proportion to the injustice.  (We don’t.)
3. The Church must lead.  (It doesn’t.)

By ourselves, we can’t do much about #2 and #3, but we will do everything we can to correct the lack of knowledge.