Ozarks Virtual Town Hall - "Passover & Easter" - April 11th, 2008 -- KEVIN CRAIG for Congress

President Obama's Saturday Morning Radio Address	Another Perspective: "Liberty Under God"
I speak to you today during a time that is holy and filled with meaning for believers around the world. Earlier this week, Jewish people gathered with family and friends to recite the stories of their ancestors’ struggle and ultimate liberation. Tomorrow, Christians of all denominations will come together to rejoice and remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ.	Is anything *really* "holy?" Or is it just holy and "meaningful" for believers, but not really -- not objectively -- for anyone else? The law of gravity is meaningful whether you "believe" in it or not. Is Judaism real? Was there really such a thing as "the resurrection of Jesus Christ?" Or is the President just saying these things, not really believing them?
These are two very different holidays with their own very different traditions. But it seems fitting that we mark them both during the same week. For in a larger sense, they are both moments of reflection and renewal. They are both occasions to think more deeply about the obligations we have to ourselves and the obligations we have to one another, no matter who we are, where we come from, or what faith we practice.	Yes, "we" made a good choice to mark them during the same week. Is a moment of "reflection and renewal" "larger" than the resurrection of Christ, and larger than His shedding His blood so that God would not be angry at us for rebelling against Him? This paragraph says this: These ... two ... holidays ... are both occasions to think more deeply about [ ourselves ], no matter what faith we practice. Not our obligations to God? Why did God command the Jews to kill the Passover lamb? Why did John the Baptist say of Jesus: "Behold, the Lamb of God?" Was it because God Rules, or is it because we rule ourselves, and we have to "think more deeply" about the code of conduct which we created ourselves and which we impose on ourselves? Do we believe in the religion of humanity?
This idea – that we are all bound up, as Martin Luther King once said, in "a single garment of destiny"– is a lesson of all the world’s great religions. And never has it been more important for us to reaffirm that lesson than it is today – at a time when we face tests and trials unlike any we have seen in our time. • An economic crisis that recognizes no borders. • Violent extremism that’s claimed the lives of innocent men, women, and children from Manhattan to Mumbai. • An unsustainable dependence on foreign oil and other sources of energy that pollute our air and water and threaten our planet. • The proliferation of the world’s most dangerous weapons, • the persistence of deadly disease, and • the recurrence of age-old conflicts.	According to Judaism and Christianity, do those who reject the code of conduct imposed by God share the same destiny as those who believe in and submit to God? Has Obama forgotten that the "violent extremism" we saw in Mumbai was the practice of a certain *religion*? Didn't they realize that this was "a moment of reflection and renewal" "to think more deeply about the obligations we have to ourselves and the obligations we have to one another?" Did their religion teach certain obligations to adherents of other religions? • The U.S. federal government has imposed the "economic crisis" on the world -- from Bretton Woods forward. • The U.S. government has subsidized petroleum from the overthrow of Iran in 1953 forward. • The federal government has given the world weapons of mass destruction. If Americans in 1876 had realized that the promises made a century earlier were being negated, and had abolished the Constitution and government of the United States, it is likely that most of the "tests and trials" we face today would not exist.
These are challenges that no single nation, no matter how powerful, can confront alone. The United States must lead the way. But our best chance to solve these unprecedented problems comes from acting in concert with other nations. That is why I met with leaders of the G-20 nations to ensure that the world’s largest economies take strong and unified action in the face of the global economic crisis. Together, we’ve taken steps to stimulate growth, restore the flow of credit, open markets, and dramatically reform our financial regulatory system to prevent such crises from occurring again – steps that will lead to job creation at home.	This means our government acting in concert with other governments. Given the leadership that our government has exhibited over the last century, why would any sensible government want to work with the Establishment in Washington/NewYork?
It is only by working together that we will finally defeat 21st century security threats like al Qaeda. So it was heartening that our NATO allies united in Strasbourg behind our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and contributed important resources to support our effort there.	Would Thomas Jefferson have sacrificed liberty at home in order to join hands with foreign governments to fight "terrorism?" Compare Jefferson's anti-terrorist policies.
It is only by coordinating with countries around the world that we will stop the spread of the world’s most dangerous weapons. That is why I laid out a strategy in Prague for us to work with Russia and other nations to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons; to secure nuclear materials from terrorists; and, ultimately, to free the world from the menace of a nuclear nightmare.	According to the Old Testament and the New, what must be done in order to beat our swords into plowshares? Would Isaiah and Micah find the answer in the Obama Administration? Would Jesus?
And it is only by building a new foundation of mutual trust that we will tackle some of our most entrenched problems. That is why, in Turkey, I spoke to members of Parliament and university students about rising above the barriers of race, region, and religion that too often divide us.	We're supposed to be duly impressed with all the places Obama has spoken.
With all that is at stake today, we cannot afford to talk past one another. We can’t afford to allow old differences to prevent us from making progress in areas of common concern. We can’t afford to let walls of mistrust stand. Instead, we have to find – and build on – our mutual interests. For it is only when people come together, and seek common ground, that some of that mistrust can begin to fade. And that is where progress begins.	What are these "old differences?" Who does not trust whom? What common ground is there between the U.S. and al Qaeda? What common ground is there between the Declaration of Independence and Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and the European Union (members of the G-20). Should we be working to push life down to the lowest common denominator, or should the American people lead the world as a City upon a Hill?
Make no mistake: we live in a dangerous world, and we must be strong and vigilant in the face of these threats. But let us not allow whatever differences we have with other nations to stop us from coming together around those solutions that are essential to our survival and success.
As we celebrate Passover, Easter, and this time of renewal, let’s find strength in our shared resolve and purpose in our common aspirations. And if we can do that, then not only will we fulfill the sacred meaning of these holy days, but we will fulfill the promise of our country as a leader around the world.	To what do Christians aspire? To what does Obama and the Establishment aspire? What is "the sacred meaning" of Easter? A more powerful One-world government? As a City upon a Hill, America was the leader of the world. How will America be a leader by subordinating our vision to that of the European Union?

Restoring America's Greatness by
Celebrating Christmas all year long

The Message of Christmas and the Principles set forth by the Christ (the Messiah) who came that first Christmas are the real solution to America's problems. The Federal Government is at war with Christmas and "The Way of Peace" announced by the Prince of Peace.

Christmas	Bush-Clinton-Obama
John 1:1-18 - The Incarnation The Word became flesh. The Creator of the universe becomes a human being. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him, preferring darkness rather than light.	"The State is God walking on Earth" The 2 parties are cooperating rival sects in the world's most powerful religious cult.
Luke 1:1-4 Eyewitnesses of the Messiah recorded their testimony. Co-Founder of the Harvard Law School says their testimony would prove the resurrection in any court of law in America, at one time a Christian nation.	No longer a Christian nation, American courts routinely release the guilty and condemn the innocent.
Matthew 1:1-17 Jesus was a descendant of King David.	Obama is a distant cousin of both Dick Cheney and George Bush How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power
Luke 3:23-38 Jesus was a descendant of Abraham. All those who submit to Jesus as the Messiah (the rightful king of the earth) inherit the promises made to Abraham	Those who reject the Messiah do not inherit the promises made to Abraham, even though Bush defends their right to do so.
Luke 1:5-25 John the Baptist prepares the way for the Messiah, as prophesied of Elijah.	As you read the Gospel accounts, ask yourself how you would react if you knew these accounts were really true. Not just true in some "religious" sense, but reported in the New York Times, proven in a court of law, or acknowledged by your personal hero. (How do you know something is true? Do you even have any "heroes?") How should you change your life if your Creator became a human being? How should Washington D.C. react if this human being claimed to be the true Ruler?
Luke 1:26-38 The Angel Gabriel announces the conception of the Messiah, who will be given the throne of David.
Luke 1:39-45 The unborn John recognizes the mother of the Messiah.	Bush-Obama would chop the unborn John and the unborn Jesus into stem cells for "medical research."
Luke 1:46-56 - "The Magnificat" “He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” Luke 1:51	The Bush Administration is filled with the power-hungry, who commit adultery in reality or in fantasy.
Luke 1:67-80 Zacharias, John the Baptist's father, prophecies the birth of Jesus the anti-king.	The expectations of Zacharias are 180° opposite those of the Bush-Obama Administration.
Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph told about the Incarnation. "Jesus" means "salvation" "Immanuel" means "God with us"	The Bush Administration thinks it brings salvation. Obama thinks he is Immanuel.
Luke 2:1-7 The Prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Jesus' parents lived in Nazereth. Therefore God predestined Caesar to issue a decree (probably relating to taxes) that would bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem before Jesus was born.	Bush claims the same global power of confiscation and migration as Caesar did. Thousands of Christians have been forced to move out of Iraq to make way for Bush's Islamic Theocracy.
Luke 2:8-14 An army of angels announces the birth of the Messiah, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace to those with whom He is pleased!”	Man's chief end is to glorify God and live in peace. The Bush Administration's chief end is to erect a "wall of separation" between God and government so that the State gives no glory to God, and to wage war, thereby "stimulating the economy."
Luke 2:15-20 “Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”	Washington D.C. isn't listening.
Luke 2:22-24 Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem to obey Leviticus 12:8, which suggests that they were not rich.	Washington politicians are among the richest and most financially secure people in America.

Luke 2:25-35 Simeon had been told he would not die before he saw the Lord's Messiah. He says Jesus is "The One."
	Is Barack Obama the Messiah?

Luke 2:36-38 Anna the Prophetess is another well-known Godly person who acknowledges that Jesus is the Child promised by the prophets.	Where is the Anna of our day who tells us we can trust Washington D.C. to bring salvation?
Matthew 2:1-8 "Wise men from the East" knew of Micah's prophecy that the King of the Jews would be born in Bethlehem.	Are there any wise men around the world who place their confidence in George Bush, Henry Paulson, Paul Krugman, or Barack Obama?
Matthew 2:9-12 The kings from the east present the Messiah with "gold, frankincense, and myrrh."	Rather than bestowing wealth on the King, Obama-Bush confiscates the wealth of others.
Matthew 2:13-18 When Herod got word of the birth of a rival king, he behaved in a perfectly logical way (for someone who wants to protect his power): he massacred all male babies the age of Jesus. Herod recognized that Jesus was a threat to Herod's power.	Every day in America 4,000 unborn babies are murdered. These babies must threaten something. Millions of Americans who call themselves Christians, on the other hand, are no threat to tyranny. None of them are being killed. Bush has killed a thousand times more human beings than Herod did, and confiscated a billion times more wealth than Herod did.

The Republican Party Radio Address:

Response of the Republican Party Saturday Morning Radio Address
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) Delivers Weekly Republican Address [transcript]
Hi, I'm Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota.
This weekend, my wife Mary and I are finishing up our tax returns - just like I'm sure many of you are.
It's a time when a lot of us look at our family's finances and ask some pretty tough questions, like are we saving enough for our kids' college? Will we be able to retire at a normal age? And what might happen if the recession gets worse, like it has over the last 2 months, when over 1 million Americans lost their jobs?	Whether the subject is federal bailouts of Wall Street, or expanded federal funding and regulation of prescription drugs and medicine, the Republicans have expanded government more than the Democrats have. That means Republicans have transferred more money from your wallet to Washington than Democrats have.
I know for a lot of folks, the answer to these questions are pretty grim these days. Nationwide, unemployment is at a 25-year high as companies lay off employees or go out of business altogether. It's at times like this when families - and businesses - feel a need to hold on to every dollar they can.
But think about this: according to the non-partisan Tax Foundation, the average American has to work from January 1st until this Monday, April 13th just to earn enough money to pay all their taxes for the year - that's just two days before taxes are actually due, on April 15th.
And then consider this: If the Democrat majority in Washington gets its way, most family's tax burdens will be even higher.
Now this isn't a Republican versus Democrat debate. I thought President Obama's proposal to eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses was a pretty good idea. And his pledge to lower taxes for middle class Americans was something Republicans whole heartedly supported.
But the budget that Congress is considering doesn't provide that tax relief. And rather than eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses immediately so they can create jobs right now, their budget keeps those taxes high until after President Obama's term in office. And most concerning, this budget creates mountains of new debt that will ultimately will require higher taxes on all of us and our children.
I think that's wrong. Families are hurting now and small businesses can't create new jobs soon enough.
Isn't it time we stopped working for the government and that government started working for us?
Here's a novel idea for the federal government: instead of collecting more taxes and then redistributing them through more federal programs, why don't you just let us keep more of our money in the first place?
The federal government should keep a lid on taxes, control government spending, and borrow less - rather than increase the size and scope of the federal government so much that Washington is guaranteeing future tax increases. And while they're at it, they should also focus on making government work better, not making it bigger.
It's time to prioritize spending, cut taxes to help families pay their bills and stimulate job creation. And let's get control of our national debt, so future generations aren't burdened with unbearable taxes.
I urge President Obama and the Democrat-led Congress to let hardworking American families keep more of what they earn by cutting taxes and reining in spending. It's just common sense.
I'm sure you will agree, especially on April 15th when your taxes are due.
Thank you for listening and have a blessed Passover and Easter.